World Superbike Championships - Corser and Suzuki take the title

Toseland was fighting with Haga for third place when he strayed onto the wet line at the Acque Minerali on lap 16, an error that left him in fourth. “I deserve a good kicking from Tardozzi for that mistake!” declared Toseland. “Just when I changed direction the bike snapped slightly and went just two metres wide where it was wet. The front went away and I couldn’t do anything. If I’d tried to make the corner I would have crashed, but I rode hard and was competitive and that’s the main thing for me.”

Haga said after the race, “in the first race I was quite happy because in the end we found a good race tyre.”

“My lap times were as good as the leaders but because the dry line was very narrow I could not pass Toseland easily and that let Troy and Chris get away. I was actually looking forward to the second race because I have a good feeling with the bike in the wet. In the end though I am smiling when they say no race and I do not have to ride in the very bad rain!”

With the high attrition rate, Neukirchner came through to finish seventh for the fourth time in succession, scoring valuable points in his quest to improve his current 13th position overall in the final round next week. But not enough to make him satisfied.

“I think I must own the number seven now,” joked Neukirchner, who continued on a more serious note. “I really wanted a second race to make some more points in the championship fight, but it was not to be. It was a hard race for me, I chose an intermediate front, good at the beginning but it went off towards the end, even if the drying track meant that lap times just got better for a while. I want to get an overall top ten in my first year, so it was not good to only have one race today.”

For Chili virtual home ground at Imola offered him no points, after a crash and the second race non-start. He sits ninth in the championship at present.

“I feel sorry for all the fans who came here and did not get the chance to see the second race, I hope they understand the decision,” said fans’ favourite Chili. “I crashed so early in the race because I changed my line a little bit on the final chicane. As Sanchini went in a bit long and as I put the bike in, there was a junction between two pieces of different tarmac and I went straight down.”

Muggeridge proved unlucky in race conditions, retiring early after his technical issues, but hoped for better in the second race that never was. He maintains 11th in the championship chase.

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