WSB 09 The Island, BMW, Corser and Xaus

[Chris Canning]

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2009/Feb/090222a.htm

[shreddr]

Originally Posted by signit98

...you are a ding-dong, Curve... .

another upstanding PP member relegated to a second rate snack cake, they are dropping like flies!

[signit98]

...how can it be second rate, when it clearly says "Everyone's Favorite!"???

[Dr. Curve]

I am a solid fan of Aprilla and hope they win the outright championship with in the next 3 years. Agreeing with my california brothers that the Duc, and Orientals have the lock on everything......for now. In due time other Italians may take over. Germans even........

[HugoVW]

Testing times from the weekend:
1. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) - 1:32.19 Minuten
2. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) - 1:32.30
3. Ben Spies (Yamaha) - 1:32.36
4. Max Neukirchner (Suzuki) - 1:32.59
5. Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) - 1:32.78
6. Troy Corser (BMW) - 1:32.93
7. Jonathan Rea (Honda) - 1:32.96
8. Tom Sykes (Yamaha) - 1:33.10
9. Ruben Xaus (BMW) - 1:33.53

The testing times from last week (with Aprilia):

[HugoVW]

01. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) - 1:32.59 Minuten - 71 Runden
02. Régis Laconi (Ducati) - 1:32.60 - 62
03. Shinya Nakano (Aprilia) - 1:32.72 - 68
04. Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) - 1:32.90 - 70
05. Leon Haslam (Honda) - 1:33.20 - 65
06. Tommy Hill (Honda) - 1:33.30 - 55
07. Roberto Rolfo (Honda) - 1:33.50 - 95
08. Makoto Tamada (Kawasaki) - 1:33.90 - 80

[signit98]

It'll take some time... we may or may not see some good results this year but I am not holding my breath. This will be a learning year for BMW in the WSBK. The upside? They learn fast!

All things being equal, they should be right in the mix in a year or two... but then, time does not stand still in Japan either... let alone Italy, where they always seem find a way to conform the rules to their bikes

[Jonas The Swede]

Originally Posted by HugoVW

Testing times from the weekend:
1. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) - 1:32.19 Minuten
2. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) - 1:32.30
... and so on...

The interesting bit is when there are other bikes starting at the same time, trying to beat eachother at the same time... in other words RACETIME!
Theese times doesn't say much, other than how fast they can go on an empty track.
Put som trafic in there and there will be a different story!
Let's see March 1:st! ;-)

[Chris Canning]

Originally Posted by Jonas The Swede

The interesting bit is when there are other bikes starting at the same time, trying to beat eachother at the same time... in other words RACETIME!
Theese times doesn't say much, other than how fast they can go on an empty track.
Put som trafic in there and there will be a different story!
Let's see March 1:st! ;-)

Hey!! Those times don't even say that,was the time done on a race simulation with a worn tyre?,a soft tyre? a qualifier?,i can tell you for a fact Tom Sykes is pretty ill and hasn't managed over 5 consecutive laps,the only thing those do,is give us lot something to talk about!!

The weather may suit the experienced Phillip Island racers.

Forecast for Sunday (Phillip Island)
Partly cloudy. A shower or two. Winds south to southwesterly averaging 25 to 35 km/h.

Precis: Shower or two.Min14Max22

[chewie]

Just ordered a unifilter - and the guy there said someone told him that Mr Corser was fastest today!

I'll check the superbike site - could it be so? Seagulled arm and all?

PS
Lets stop calling each other names eh? Lets just be happy about his whole thing. At least until we return with pics for yuz to enjoy!

of corser I still have the fuel tin ready and a lighter if the dog of a thing comes in last - he heh

[chewie]

Well - I think someones having a lend, yep - someones trying not to let the truth get in the way of a good story....I cant find anything about racing today. Maybe he went out on his ownesome today and that's why he was fastest...

pffft - I dunno

here's the news - as we most all know anyway, courtesy of phillipisland circuit.com.au

Monday 23 Feb '09 - WAYWARD ISLAND BIRD STOPS CORSER IN HIS TRACKS WHILE


WAYWARD ISLAND BIRD STOPS CORSER IN HIS TRACKS WHILE

NEW HONDA SUPERBIKE SIGNING JONATHAN REA FASTEST BEFORE NEXT WEEKEND’S OPENING WORLD SUPERBIKE ROUND

AT PHILLIP ISLAND



A wayward pluvver bird brought Australia’s Troy Corser’s final day of testing at Phillip Island to a sudden halt this afternoon, when the large bird collided with the Wollongong Wizz on his new BMW S 1000 RR as he travelled at 230 kph up to Lukey Heights.



And while he retired to the pits with a bruised arm, Corser was still happy with his new bike after he put in 70 laps over the weekend, and clocked a best lap of 1m32.9s.



Fastest for the weekend though was new rider to the world superbike throng, Honda’s young signing England’s Jonny Rea who has stepped up from world supersport to world superbike this year with his team Ten Kate Honda. He set a lightning quick lap of 1m31.8s on his Honda CBR 1000RR in testing today, 3/10ths of a second ahead of his competitors.



He was the only rider to crack into the 31second bracket and his pre season performance today could augur a changing of the guard in the world ranks. A consummate professional despite his youth, Rea spent last year learning the championship circuits with world supersport where he finished 2nd in the championship, and will commence his 2009 campaign with good circuit knowledge and a great team.



Ducati’s Michel Fabrizio was second fastest with a 1m32.1s lap, and his new team mate Japan’s Nori Haga and Yamaha’s new signing hot shot Texan Ben Spies a breadth behind with a best of 1m32.3 seconda..



Corser rounded out the top five in the two day private test session which featured five of the factory superbike teams being Ducati, Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda and new marque to the championship, BMW.



The other six factory team riders all figured in the 33’s, with Yamaha’s Tom Sykes, Honda’s Ryuichi Kiyonari, Suzuki Yukio Kagayama and Max Neukircher all locked on a fastest lap of 1m33.1s and Corser team mate BMW’s Ruben Xaus with a 1m33.5s lap.



Carlos Checa did a best time on Saturday of 1m33.5s before crashing and suffering concussion. He was one of ten riders who crashed Saturday, and the Spaniard did not test today, but was at the track.



Today’s casualties were Tom Sykes who crashed heavily in the Sunday morning session; while Kiyonari came off once, Haga fell twice, and world supersport champion Andrew Pitt crashed heavily.



For Corser, it was a lucky escape from the pluvver and it was quite amazing that he did not crash. . The force of the bird hitting his upper shoulder, arm and left bicep, was enough to force his left hand off the handle bars. He managed to get his hand back to the bar, retained control and guided his BMW back to the pits before visiting the medical centre.



His left hand was wrapped to prevent him putting any force on his arm and to expedite his recovery to in time for next weekend’s opening race at the island.



Despite his battle with the bird, a bruised Corser is happy with his new machine.



“The tests went very well, though it’s a real shame that I had to finish early because we still had lots more to try out, “ said Corser.



“But, I guess I’m lucky that I didn’t crash and hurt myself badly when I hit the bird. I’m really not sure how I managed to stay on the bike, because it’s not easy when you’ve only got one hand on the bars, but somehow I was able to recover.



“I had seen the bird on the track and tried to avoid it by going up the inside. But instead of staying put, or flying away from my bike, it flew up right in front of me. Hitting a one kilo or so bird at over 230 kph is like hitting a brick wall, so I’m lucky that my injury isn’t any worse.



“We have learnt a lot in these two days and I’ve been able to get a better idea of how the bike works in different conditions and set-ups. What I can say though, is that my S 1000 RR feels as good as any other bike I’ve ever ridden round here,” said Corser.



Round one action starts next Friday February 27 with first qualifying and testing at the island for the category’s 28 riders, Saturday’s agenda features final qualifying and the new elimination Superpole format, and on Sunday the world superbike teams will contest two 22 lap races in the first hit out for 2009.



WORLD SUPERBIKE TESTING – February 21 / 22 2009 – Phillip Island

Fastest times Sunday February 22 2009



Jonathan Rea (Honda) 1m31.8s



Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) 1m32.1s

Ben Spies (Yamaha) 1m32.3s

Nori Haga (Ducati) 1m32.3s

Troy Corser (BMW) 1m32.9s

Tom Sykes (Yamaha) 1m33.1s

Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 1m33.1s

Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) 1m33.1s

Max Neukirchner (Suzuki) 1m33.1s

Ruben Xaus (BMW) 1m33.5s

Carlos Checa (Honda) 1m33.5s - time set on Saturday

[chewie]

[Bails]

I'll be there to see the action. Leaving Wollongong Thursday . should be one of the best WSBK events yet. Plenty of new bikes and competitors. I'd like to see Haga get a gong, only because he has been trying for so long and has provided a lot of good entertainment over the years.

[Chris Canning]

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/mcn/2009/february/23-128/feb2309-checa-rates-his-rivals/?&R=EPI-106411

[signit98]

Perfect quote:

"This year there is a long list of riders that can be fast, but unfortunately the list of riders that get on the podium is only three! This makes it exciting.”

[Jonas The Swede]

Originally Posted by Chris Canning

Hey!! Those times don't even say that,was the time done on a race simulation with a worn tyre?,a soft tyre? a qualifier?,i can tell you for a fact Tom Sykes is pretty ill and hasn't managed over 5 consecutive laps,the only thing those do,is give us lot something to talk about!!

Well this is what the man himself says, couldn't have said it better!

“I'm not bothered at all about other people's lap times. I know what I can do on race rubber and I know that laps in a long race are very different to setting one-off quick laps. We are progressing and although there is a lot of work to be done, everybody is fired up, working hard and determined to do the very best they can. Let's see what happens next week now.”,-) - www.Crash.net

[JimMoore]

Originally Posted by Dr. Curve

BMW running in the TOP TEN.............who would have ever dreamed it!

Uhhh ... I love beemers as much as the next guy, but it looked to me like there were only nine guys in that test.

[RC51DRAG]

Haga "should" win the title this year. Haga consistently is a slow tester but suddenly picks up his game when the race is on. He's come from a grid position out of the top ten to be leading a race within the first 2-3 corners. Ben Spies to me seems the second most likely contender; only lack of track knowledge will hold him back. I expect the BMWs to do well and make the top ten with a podium or two, possibly even a win or two as the season winds down, as the S1000RR is more developed, and as other teams have to go into points mode while contending for the title.

As much of a WSB fan I am I could care less how they do; I'll probably still buy one.

This is a good move for BMW; it's a win - win anyway you look at it. Triumph did well with the 675 despite not racing it internationally so racing isn't the end-all-be-all it seems to be. And WSC, BMW does not need to win on the track to win in terms of sales. Suzuki's GSXR750 is the most successful superbike, in terms of sales, to come out of WSC but it never won a title. As long as BMW prices the S1000RR to be competitive with the Japanese it will sell. Initially to BMW fans like myself but over time they will expand their market just as the 675 and other superbikes have taken a piece of the Japanese pie. BMW isn't looking for Honda like sales, they don't need to.

I wonder if there is a price adjustment in the works for the RC8 from KTM. Right now in Canada it's priced at $20K for the base model and $25K for the R or S model. If BMW comes out at $18K - $20K with a 3 year warranty why would you buy anything else without a comparable deal, other than personal preference.

[throttlemeister]

Originally Posted by RC51DRAG

BMW isn't looking for Honda like sales, they don't need to.

With 12 millions bikes sold worldwide versus 100,000, they couldn't even if they wanted to.

Haga ROCKS. They guy's a fighter, fun to watch and nice personality. But it is weird to watch him on a Duc instead of a Yam.

I am rooting for one of the Ten Kate Honda's, but that is a patriotic thing.