STEVE PLATER GETS EVEN MORE PRACTICE WITH HONDA...

It will be a busy weekend for Woodhall Spa star Steve Plater as he has been drafted into the HM Plant British Superbike squad to deputise for Josh Brookes who was not permitted to enter the UK from his native Australia because of visa problems. Plater will contest both 30-lap Superbike races at the Kent circuit for the team plus campaign his regular championship with HM Plant Honda in the opening round of the British Supersport championship.

“It is going to be a busy weekend in the office for me,” said Plater. “But I thrive on being kept busy so am sure I can do justice to both classes. I haven’t actually ridden the bike as yet but have been on a similar Honda Fireblade this week as I have been in France testing for the Le Mans 24-hour race. I was called up to ride for the Honda France team after Jean-Michael Bayle was sidelined with a knee injury that prevents him racing at Le Mans."

Josh Brookes flew into the UK early today (Tuesday) but was refused entry at immigration, as he did not have the correct paperwork. He is now on his way back to Australia and is to be replaced by Plater who will contest the Brands Hatch races. It is hoped the matter will be resolved before the second round at Oulton Park at the beginning of May. HM Plant team manager Havier Beltran said: “The laws have changed regarding visas and this is where the problem lies. It is devastating that this should happen just prior to the first round but our British Supersport rider Steve Plater is to ride in both series for us this weekend.” The campaign begins with two days of testing at Brands Hatch on Good Friday and Easter Saturday followed by qualifying on Sunday. The first leg of the British Superbike championship will set off at 1pm with the second 30-lap race due at 4pm.

The Fuchs Silkolene British Supersport race, run over 25 laps of the Indy circuit is set to begin at 3.15pm and both classes will benefit from live television coverage on British Eurosport with the broadcast window being 12.30pm – 5.15pm on race day.

STOP PRESS:... Although crashing out while leading Race 1 in the first round of British Superbikes, the race being won by former Grand Prix rider Sylvain Guintoli, Steve immediately went into his contracted British Supersport race and fought from over three seconds down in 4th place, through to snatch the new Supersport lap record and 2nd place on the final lap after being held up by back-markers on the final few laps. Not content with one podium place (although he didn't actually GET to the podium, as he immediately had to get ready for the second Superbike race), Steve finished a brilliant 3rd in the Superbike Race 2. No rest for Steve, as he now flies over to France for this weekend's Le Mans 24hrs. Also on for Le Mans are British Superbike MSS Colchester Kawasaki stars Simon Andrews and Julien Da Costa, both riding for GSR Kawasaki at Le Mans, with Simon taking 7th and 11th, Julien taking an 11th and 10th at Brands Hatch.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:
Two podium finishes awaited Woodhall Spa racer Steve Plater at Brands Hatch on Easter Monday, although but for a slip in the first Superbike race, the Lincolnshire ace could have made it three out of three for HM Plant Honda. Plater completed the British Supersport race in a fine second place and hopped straight onto the HM Plant Honda Fireblade to take third place in the second British Superbike event. The fine display also saw him pick up British Eurosport Rider of the day award for his sterling performance. The Kent Indy circuit played host to the opening round of the British Superbike championship with four days of track action taking place in differing weather conditions. Plater faced a hectic weekend as, not only was he contesting the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport race but also the two high profile British Superbike races, deputising for HM Plant Honda’s regular rider Josh Brookes who was unable to ride due to visa problems.

Plater impressed the Bank Holiday crowd by posting some quick lap times during qualifying to earn himself a front row start to all three races and in the first of the two 30-lap British Superbike events he maintained his starting position of second for the first few laps before taking over at the front on lap 13. But his dreams of victory were left in tatters when he slipped off into the gravel at Druids on lap 16. “I’m so disappointed as I’d got into a good pace and was feeling very comfortable and in control, so to lose the front when I was in the lead is gutting. I was actually trying not to push too hard as I wasn’t sure how long the rear tyre would last, but a bit too much brake and lean angle put me in the gravel,” explained Plater.

Leg two was directly after the British Supersport race, meaning a quick changeover for the County star who had to adjust from the 600cc machine to the more powerful 1000cc Honda Fireblade. But Plater is adaptable and settled straight into his race, battling it out for a podium finish. The pace was hot but Plater remained cool and this time made no mistake. He claimed a close third place behind Sylvain Guintoli and race winner Leon Camier to pick up 16 championship points for HM Plant Honda. “I had to switch my head into Superbike mode pretty quickly for race two as I’d just stepped off my Supersport bike. I had a good start and just made a charge for the first corner and tried to get into a rhythm as quickly as possible, which I did. I did have a few issues with front end chatter but I was still able to make up time and make the gains necessary to take third place for a podium finish.”

Plater rode to a fine second place in the British Supersport season opener, he started from fourth place but took a couple of laps to adjust from the Superbike. Once he found his rhythm he edged his way through from fifth place to eventually move into second on the final lap, setting a new lap record of 47.047s – 91.71mph on lap 20 of 25. “From the outset we set about trying some different settings in the differing weather conditions, which were good enough for me to put the CBR600RR on the front row and also lap faster on the Honda than at this circuit at the first round than I did during the whole of last year – so I’m happy about that. I had a good start in the race but it took me a few laps to get back into Supersport head mode and riding style so I gave myself a bit of a job to do to pull back a few places. With about 10 laps to go I got my head down and tried keep it as smooth as possible and thought about trying to challenge for the lead, but decided to play it safe and take a solid second place, so I’ll just have to go one better at Oulton Park.”

As soon as the podium celebrations were over Plater left the circuit, heading for the ferry to France where he is to contest the Le Mans 24-hour World Endurance race for Honda France over next weekend (April 18/19.) He then returns to the UK to attend the Isle of Man TT press launch the following week before travelling to Oulton Park for the second round of the British Supersport championship where he will be challenging for his first race win of the new campaign.

VALENCIA - WORLD SUPERBIKES ROUND 3

Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) dominated both races in round 3 of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia. In front of 65,000 spectators the Japanese rider notched up wins number 35 and 36 in his ten-year long World Superbike career to lead the table with 135 points. Team-mate Michel Fabrizio also had a positive weekend, the young Italian taking second and third while the remaining podium places went to Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Alstare) in race 1 and rookie Texan Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) in the second encounter.

Race 1:
Haga led virtually from lights to flag after moving past early leader Neukirchner at the start of lap 3, the championship leader adding a chunk of points to his advantage over Spies, who then crashed out while fighting with the German. Fabrizio took the second slot to give the factory Ducati team a 1-2 finish. Front-row man Regis Laconi (Ducati DFX) finished just one place away from the podium, while Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing) was the first Honda rider to the flag ahead of Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki Alstare). Yamaha’s race was saved with the positive form of Tom Sykes in seventh ahead of Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing), who recovered well from a lowly grid position. Broc Parkes finished an encouraging tenth for Kawasaki, with Superbike rookie John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda) one place behind. Riders who crashed out included Troy Corser (BMW), who was running fourth in the early laps, and Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who remounted but retired.

Race 2:
Haga dominated the second race in a similar fashion, this time taking the lead on lap 5. He then pulled out to win by over five seconds, taking a new lap record in 1 minute 34.618 seconds in the process. Spies managed to prevent a second Ducati 1-2 of the day with the runner-up slot but never managed to challenge Haga for the win. Third went to Fabrizio, who again had to hold off Laconi throughout the 23 laps for the final podium slot. Haslam scored another fifth place, again the best Honda rider to the flag, ahead of Checa and Neukirchner, who faded away with tyre problems after starting off well. Biaggi came home in eighth place again, after prevailing in a five-way battle with Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda), Sykes, Shane Byrne (Ducati Sterilgarda) and Hopkins. The final point went to Corser, while Parkes failed to get into the top 15.

Noriyuki Haga - Tamaha World Superbike - 1st/1st:
“We did a great job this weekend. I think one of the reasons is that after Qatar I did some ‘age training! But anyway today 50 points is a great advantage over Ben and I’m very happy with this double win.”

Ben Spies - Yamaha World Superbike - DNF/2nd:
"Race one was unfortunate for me, I was pushing really hard to make up for an electrical issue going into the corner and crashed. We tried as hard as we could in race two to make it up. For the first couple of laps I had a couple of small problems and just didn't quite get rolling and by the time we got into second position I would have needed to be right on the back of Nori to challenge for it as he was riding at a very good pace. I guess I just didn't have the speed today. We'll come back at Assen and try to step it up."

Tom Sykes - Yamaha World Superbike - 7th/10th
"I got a good start in race one and got past a few in turn one. It was a fairly decent race in the end, I think I could have gone for fifth but Leon Haslam had done a good job in the last few laps and made a big gap. I think we could have been in the top five otherwise. For me it was very difficult in race two, I had a good start, but going into turn two I was held and others came round the outside and went through. I worked my way back up to ninth and was looking good and catching up with Neukirchner but unfortunately got so close to Biaggi and just as we were going into turn one I ran wide a bit and let two or three past. I've learnt from my mistakes this weekend, I messed up in qualifying and potentially cost myself two very good results. With the R1 working so well round here it's a lesson learnt and hopefully won't let it happen again!"

Michel Fabrizio - Xerox Ducati - 2nd/3rd:
“I didn’t expect these results here at Valencia, at the most a top 5 position, because it’s a difficult track for me. I’m really happy, the team gave me a lot of confidence. It was a really tough battle with Laconi, who was right behind me throughout the race. He brakes really late, I’m amazed he never managed to pass me!”

Troy Corser - BMW - DNF/15th:
"I guess you could say that today was a bit frustrating for me, but also the whole team. We knew we’d on the pace in the race and I felt that I’d be in the top ten in both races. I made a good start to race one and was fourth at the end of the lap and I guess that surprised a few people for sure. Everything was going good until the bike found a false neutral when I was in the hairpin and down I went. Race over, after just one lap. We changed the gearing for race two and I’m not sure if it was just because of that or something else because I soon began having problems with grip. The rear was spinning a lot and I had a couple of near ones, including one time when I was over the front of the bars! I kept going as best I could and finished 15th, but it was frustrating because today should’ve been so much better."

Max Neukirchner - Suzuki Alstare Brux - 3rd/7th:
"I think that generally this has been a hard weekend for us and the closeness of the lap times in qualifying didn't make it any easier. We tried many things to make the bike faster and although we improved it, I don't think it was enough. Race one was very good and I was happy to get a podium. We used the same bike in race two, with the same type of tyre as Haga and most of the other riders but the bike just didn't work as well as it had done in race one. I managed to lead for the first four laps, but then the grip level went down. Maybe part of the problem was that the track temperature was higher and that affected the characteristics of the bike, but whatever the problem is we have to find a way of adjusting the bike to compensate for it."

Yukio Kagayama - Suzuki Alstare Brux - 6th/DNF:
"The feeling of my bike in race one was not so good. I think this was because oil or other liquid from a rider in front of me had got onto my front brake discs and so the brake performance was reduced. So to get sixth is not so bad. We changed to a harder rear tyre in race two and the bike had a better feel and after five or so laps I was beginning to catch the front runners. Going into turn two, I got a false neutral and so the bike went straight on and into the gravel. The gravel was so deep that when the bike nearly came to a stop I could not prevent it from falling over. I picked the bike up and restarted but everybody had gone! I was last by a long way, but I decided to carry on riding in case I could collect any points. My back was beginning to hurt because of Friday's crash and when I realised I could not get anywhere near the points, so I thought it would be better to pull in instead of risking any further injury."

Ruben Xaus - BMW - 13th/15th:
"The results do not reflect how I feel about this bike. The bike is amazing and I don’t think there’s anything out there today that stops better. Nobody outbraked me at all today and I know that’s not the whole story, but I feel this bike has a lot more potential to come and once we do that, we’ll be flying. In race one, I got distracted by Biaggi’s jump start and it took me a short while to recover, but once I did, my lap times were good. The problem for me in both races is that this track is a bit of a ‘Micky Mouse’ track and it doesn’t suit the power delivery of the bike this weekend. That means we have work to do to make sure the bike works at all tracks and that is part of our development process. My bike does not have this kind of a problem at the fast flowing tracks and it’s all about the engine management. Once we have it sorted out, I’m sure that I will regularly finish in the top ten. Also, I need to focus more before Friday and really be on it from the beginning of the weekend, so that’s something that I will work on."

Broc Parkes - Kawasaki KRT - 10th/17th:
“Race one was good. We got a good start and got though the first two corners pretty well, in seventh and running with the front guys. I got a bit of a tow for about four or five laps, then started to drop off and a few other guys came past me. Overall our race pace is much better, and we are getting much more confident with the bike. I am remembering how to ride a Superbike! I’m really enjoying myself actually. Thanks to Kawasaki and all the guys in the team because I had a crash on Friday and the team fixed it well, because when I hopped on the bike on Saturday morning it was perfect. Well done to them all. In race two I could not get any feel from the front tyre for some reason and it was a long race. Everyone’s pace was slower in race two it seems, but we were quite a bit off. But we are looking forward to the next races because race one here showed us what is possible.”

Makoto Tamada - Kawasaki KRT - 14th/DNF:
“In the first race the result was not so good and yet not so bad, because it was the first time that we got a point. I was sorry to miss the test last week here in Valencia as this put me behind with set up. After the start in race one I pushed hard. We were not so good in braking potential and turning into corners. In race two we changed the settings and braking was good, also turning, and traction was a little better. I lost places at the beginning and had problems making clean gear changes, so we had to come in.”

Points (after 3 of 14 rounds): 1. Haga 135; 2. Spies 95; 3. Neukirchner 65; 4. Fabrizio 60; 5. Haslam 58; 6. Laconi 56; 7. Biaggi 54; 8. Sykes 47; 9. Kagayama 35; 10. Rea 33. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 145; 2. Yamaha 110; 3. Honda 73; 4. Suzuki 65; 5. Aprilia 57; 6 Bmw 31; 7. Kawasaki 8

World Supersport:
On his third appearance in World Supersport, Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) finally managed to step onto the top of the podium. The British rider made the decisive move at the start of the final lap when he passed Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda), who was unable to respond. Third place went to Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who moved back into the lead of the championship, level on points with Crutchlow, who also set the new lap record in 1’36”865. Just off the podium was Mark Aitchison (Honda Althea), ahead of the Kawasaki of Katsuaki Fujiwara. Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini) finished in seventh place, but had the satisfaction of leading the first three laps. Qatar winner Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) could only finish ninth, while former leader Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) fared even worse with a disappointing 13th place. One of the pre-race favourites Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki) had a race to forget when he was forced to retire with tyre problems.

VALENCIA - 2nd QUALIFYING

Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) powered to his third Superpole position in three races at the Valencia track, the 24 year-old Texan once again proving to be the master of the new format. Spies, who had to switch to his second R1 machine in Superpole 2 after his first one developed a technical fault, set a record-breaking time of 1 minute 33.270 seconds, over half-a-second quicker than Neukirchner’s best mark from last year. Flanking Spies on the front row will be a trio of Ducati 1098 machines, headed by the surprising Regis Laconi, who won on this track back in 1999 with a Yamaha 500. The two factory Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio are in third and fourth place respectively.

Ben Spies - Yamaha World Superbike:
“The first session was good for us. We still have some things we’re working through but even now the race pace seems good and we seem fast and that’s what matters. Superpole was good, we went out and got through the first two sessions and was going well until the end of the second session when we had a problem with the bike and had to switch to the back-up bike. When I got out there I knew the set-up was good and actually think we’ve found something for the race tomorrow. Obviously we don’t get points for pole but it’s good to get three in a row. I guess in the end it’s about having a couple more feet on everyone else just for that start. ”

Regis Laconi - Ducati DFX:
“I’m very happy because the bike is working really good on this track and we are ready. I won my first race in GP ten years ago and it’s just a pleasure to be up here one more time. A big thanks to DFX and Ducati for giving me a great bike. I have had a couple of difficult years but I am happy now that I am back on a Ducati”

Noriyuki Haga  - Xerox Ducati:
“I’m very happy for the front row. In the weekend I find a good solution for the race and I’ve already decided for the tyre. And I am feeling confident, so tomorrow I will try to do my best and win twice and that is my target”

Michel Fabrizio - Xerox Ducati:
“I’ve come from two races where I haven’t had very good results, but we found our way already on the Friday and I’m hoping for two good results tomorrow. We made a change on the bike and the feeling is much better now, similar to what it was like in pre-season testing.”

The second row sees a double pairing, with Suzuki ahead of Honda. Yukio Kagayama took fifth from Max Neukirchner, while Jonathan Rea was seventh ahead of Carlos Checa. The Spanish rider just managed to avoid being eliminated in Superpole 2, setting his best time despite a fall. Broc Parkes again put in a positive performance for Kawasaki, setting 13th quickest time on his ZX-10R machine, just ahead of the BMW of Troy Corser, who had been expecting to go better in Superpole after a positive qualifying session. Once again the first knock-out phase saw some illustrious victims with Tom Sykes (Yamaha World Superbike) and Max Biaggi (Aprilia), one of the quickest riders throughout the day, not making the cut. The other Aprilia rider Shinya Nakano missed the Superpole after breaking his left collarbone in a crash in the morning. He was operated on today with the aim of being ready for the next round at Assen.

Yukio Kagayama - Suzuki Alstare Brux:
"My back is still sore from yesterday's crash, but when I am on the bike I forget about the pain. My job is to race and this morning we improved the set-up and suspension of the bike from yesterday, and although it is not perfect, it is better. I don't think we will make any big changes for the races tomorrow, but I know I need to go faster!  Before Superpole, my mission was to get into the last eight and I managed that, though it would've been good to get on the front row. It will be very important to get good starts tomorrow because the lap times are very close. At one time today, I think the top 20 were separated by only one second!"

Max Neukirchner - Suzuki Alstare Brux:
"We improved the handling of the bike today and also found a bit more grip, but our biggest problem is that we need more side grip. I had a crash this morning but it was not my fault because I fell on somebody else's oil. It was at the first right-hander and when I saw yellow flags, I slowed down, but I still crashed because I couldn't see the oil. I think Superpole was one of our best this year, or maybe the best, but the lap times are very close this year and it's all very, very competitive. This new Superpole system is a bit of a gamble - with just two qualifying tyres available - so I decided to use them in Superpole 1 and 2, instead of keeping one for Superpole 3. I need a good start tomorrow because it is not so easy to pass in the infield, so I hope to get off the line quickly in both races."

Tom Sykes - Yamaha World Superbike
“This morning was a steady session because we had some things to work out. I shouldn’t really have been that low on the Superpole, I started on a race tyre and had an ok time and thought I was quite safe in the top six, unfortunately the other riders switched to qualifiers. It’s difficult because now you can get stuck behind riders in the race that you wouldn’t normally be behind and wouldn’t be a problem. So we’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow, I was hoping we were going to have a good position to start but it doesn’t look that way now.”

Troy Corser - BMW:
"It’s a bit hard to explain really, but the bike felt quite different on qualifying tyres compared to regular race rubber. Even though the grip was better on q-tyres, my lap times turned out to be slower! The bike was also harder to stop and, as I said, it just felt different. If the organisers decided to ban qualifying tyres, I for one will be happy. Obviously some bikes out there go well on qualifying tyres but, at the moment, ours does not. Its a big shame to be down on the fourth row after all the hard work everybody has put in - especially as I was sixth quickest at one stage. Valencia is a very physical circuit and tomorrow’s going to be a long, hard day for sure. I’ve got to try and make a really good start and be up with the lead group, because, if you have to fight with a group of riders, it’s so easy to lose a second a lap. Let’s see what happens tomorrow, but for sure I will be going all-out for a good finish in both races."

Ruben Xaus - BMW:
"Today I improved over a second from yesterday and that made me happy and when I put in a really good time on race tyres. I was very optimistic about Superpole qualifying. In Superpole 1, I was on a hot lap, when the bike got a false neutral in the right hand hairpin. I went into the gravel with my knee down and then tipped over at slow speed. There was no damage to me or the bike, but I was disappointed because I thought I would be on course for getting into Superpole 2. At least I am more happy with the bike today then yesterday, though it does feel different when it is on qualifying tyres."

Broc Parkes - Kawasaki KRT:
“Two or three tenths and we could have been inside the top eight. The bike is getting a lot easier to do the best times on and we are working better together as a team every time out. Overall, we have been stronger than we were at the flyaway races outside Europe. In the races on Sunday I think our bike will be quite good; it feels like it has improved since Qatar, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow with the grip over full race distance. I am confident in the tyres I intend to use, even if we did try out a different front tyre at one stage; but I don’t think it’s a step forward. For the race we have pretty much chosen our tyres.”

Makoto Tamada- Kawasaki KRT:
“Today we tried many settings but in the first corner and second corner the engine braking settings were not perfect and I locked the rear a little and slid into the corners. Tomorrow in warm-up we will change the engine set-up to try to improve this. We went in the direction of harder suspension at this track and the feeling was good but we lost a bit of final grip. My toe injury is on my gear-shifting foot and it painful, so painful that it affected my concentration.”

World Supersport
Supersport pole honours once again went to Cal Crutchlow on his factory Yamaha R6. In his debut season, the British rider powered to his second successive pole and was the only man under the 1’36” mark as he grabbed the top slot right at the end of the session. Crutchlow managed to prevent Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki) from taking the pole at his home circuit, last year’s winner settling for second place, less than two-tenths behind his rival. Making up the front row was the first Honda, ridden by Anthony West (Stiggy Racing) and the second Kawasaki of Katsuaki Fujiwara. Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini) scored an impressive fifth place on the grid, the best of the Italians, and he was joined by Honda Althea’s Mark Aitchison and Matthieu Lagrive, with Fabien Foret completing the Yamaha sandwich. Hannspree Ten Kate Honda’s two champions Andrew Pitt and Kenan Sofuoglu failed to shine and both will start from row 3, the reigning champion ninth but with three crashes to his name in the session, while the Turkish rider failed to find the right pace. Qatar winner Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) could only manage the fourth row and will have his work cut out tomorrow to make much of an impression.

VALENCIA WORLD SUPERBIKES - 1st QUALIFYING

Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) was the man on form in Friday's first qualifying session at the Valencia circuit in Spain. The Italian, who was always amongst the pacesetters, set the quickest time of the day ten minutes before the end of the session with a time of 1 minute 34.775 seconds. Right behind Biaggi were the two race winners in the opening rounds of this year's championship, Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox). Both men were the only riders to dip under the 1'35" mark, and were separated by one-thousandth of a second.
The provisional front row was completed by Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox), who was up amongst the front-runners once again. Britain's Tom Sykes (Yamaha World Superbike), who had a crash on his R1, was next up ahead of Jakub Smrz (Ducati Guandalini) and the Suzuki Alstare duo of Max Neukirchner and Yukio Kagayama, just half a second off the polesitter's pace. The provisional third row of the grid saw Jonathan Rea of the Ten Kate Honda team precede his team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari, while Carlos Checa was unable to go any higher than 15th. The first of the BMWs was the S1000RR of Troy Corser, 13th overall, while Broc Parkes went well for Kawasaki in 16th. In his first Superbike qualifying session John Hopkins recorded 18th quickest time on the Stiggy Racing Honda, an encouraging performance and just over 1 second off the pace.

Noriyuki Haga - Xerox Ducati
“Today has gone well. I did two good long-runs on different tyres and am satisfied with the results, we can choose which tyre we want to use for the race. Tomorrow we’ll try a different setting to try to improve through the corners and make things smoother, also saving the tyres somewhat. My lap times have been very consistent all day and we’ve had no real problems.”

Michel Fabrizio -Xerox Ducati
“I would say that for the moment things are under control. We’ve got the race pace and although I was lacking a certain level of grip at the front, I’m quite happy with my times and with the feeling I have on the bike. Towards the end of the last session we found a rear solution that I liked but I hope to make further improvement tomorrow.”

Troy Corser - BMW
After the long flyaway, I watched the videotapes of Phillip Island and Qatar and tried to understand what was happening on the bike in the races and see if I could come up with some ideas to make improvements. So instead of starting with the set-up from either of the first two races, we began the first practice with a completely new set-up. And guess what? It worked! We changed the geometry of the bike a bit and used some different offsets and the bike felt better almost straightaway. For me, the bike is now turning a bit better and it didn’t take me long to go half a second faster than when we tested here at the end of January. Now we’ll keep on making small adjustments and see how much we can improve but, for the first day, I’m pretty happy.

Ruben Xaus - BMW
I found today hard because Valencia is a completely different type of race track to Phillip Island and Qatar. Both those tracks flow well, but Valencia is much more of a ‘stop and go’ track and my bike is not working the way I want it just yet. I just need time to work with the bike and my mechanics to get the bike more comfortable for me to ride. At the moment, it is just a question of time, that’s all.

Ben Spies - Yamaha WSB
"It was a good day for us, in the first session we ran into some problems and we were unable to finish the session but in the second session we were really good. I think we've found our race set-up and race tyres already so we're now just going to continue to make the bike better. I think it's going to be a really good track for the bike, everybody's definitely a little bit closer here, our goal for sure is just to stay with all the other bikes and see how we get on. The Ducati's have always statistically been the better bikes round here, so our goal is to stay with them and look for our opportunity, if we can be strong at this track we can be strong anywhere. Right now our bike is working really well, but we can still make improvements and make it better for the race."

Tom Sykes - Yamaha WSB
"Over all for me it was a good day. We started off a little bit slower in the first session but again thanks to the team we've come back this afternoon and tried a couple of things with the suspension and straight away I felt a lot more at home, especially with the heavy braking areas . At the end of the session we tried some new tyres and straight away I was doing low 35's, and I feel confident we could have got into the 34's. I had a small crash at the end, totally my mistake. I was going into turn two and I tried using a different gear. On the exit it was working really well but unfortunately I had less engine braking on the way in so I just overloaded the front a little and at this pace that little bit is enough go down. On a positive note it was something that we can identify, it was my fault and not the bike, we've got a really good base setting and can go into tomorrow looking to make even more improvements."

Max Neukirchner - Suzuki Alstare Brux
"I think today wasn't so bad and to see 17 riders with only a second between them is pretty amazing. We started off with one bike set up from Qatar and the other with the set-up from Phillip Island, but the Australian one seemed to work better. There was not much grip in the first session and the track felt a bit dirty, but the grip level was much better in the afternoon. We did some good, consistent lap times this afternoon and the tyres were working OK even at the end, so that was encouraging. Hopefully we will improve the bike more tomorrow afternoon and get further up the grid in Superpole.

Yukio Kagayama - Suzuki Alstare Brux
"I began today with the same set-up as in Qatar and Australia and the feeling was not so bad. My bike had some rear-end chattering, so we will make some adjustments tomorrow to see if we can cure the problem. Unfortunately I had a big crash this afternoon at turn eight. It was a big high-side and everything would've been OK, but the bike ran me over and hurt my back; one thigh and a finger. I went out again, on the spare bike, and managed to put in some good lap times, but when I had been off the bike for an hour or so, I was sore! Hopefully, I will be OK tomorrow because I want to do well in Superpole."

The Supersport riders took advantage of a ‘grippy' track after the previous sessions to set some quick times. Fastest of the day in free practice was set by Spain's Joan Lascorz, now on a Kawasaki. The 2008 race winner stopped the clocks in a time of 1 minute 36.672 seconds, just a fraction slower than his own lap record from last year. Lascorz was well over half-a-second quicker than Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport) in second place, one of the men on form at the moment. Kawasaki's successful day was completed with third place for Katsuaki Fujiwara, who was over one second down on his team-mate. After dominating the first two rounds the Hondas were not on form on the opening day of action at Valencia, Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) the quickest in fourth place, while points leader Andrew Pitt was down in tenth and Qatar winner Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar) in 14th. Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini) was in seventh while Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda) completed row 2.

Eugene Laverty - Parkalgar Honda:
“We are down the order but I am happy with my current position, we are not lost by any means. We need to make some chassis changes and we have a good idea what direction they need to go as it is to combat an issue we found during pre-season testing. My Parkalgar Honda is not finishing the longer corners as I want it too and we think we know how to fix that. Lascorz is riding well and will take some catching but I think we will be up on the front two rows tomorrow, hopefully the front row. We won’t be far away, that’s for sure.”

DIABLO 666 KAWASAKI WITHDRAWS FROM LE MANS EVENT

News just in, the Diablo 666 team will not be at Le Mans this year, having just today (2nd April) withdrawn from the event. After repeated unanswered emails to team principal Miles Hutchins, it was always possible that this could be a painful year for the team - and so it has proved. Even the sharing of costs possible with their partnering with Bolliger Kawasaki apparently hasn't been enough to enable the team to resume racing. After coming so close to the top teams, it seems that James Hutchins in out of the running for a ride this year.

Other teams have also pulled out of the event - the first-ever KTM entry at Le Mans, from the French Infini Motos No.10, has now withdrawn - but the Cross Roads KTM has now been added to the EWC class, so the new RC8R will soon stretch it's legs in one of the most famous races in the world...and, interestingly, there was a Suzuki entered in the EWC class just a few days ago, the proposed No.70...but that's now withdrawn as well...

Interestingly, more rumours. With Mickael Pichon, the awesome French Motocrosser, scheduled to race on the No.56 Stocksport Team Select Machines Honda Dream (I don't think it's a "real" Honda Dream), rumours abound that Jean-Michel Bayle is in danger of losing his slot with the No.111 Honda France team in favour of Britain's Steve Plater...who has been seen testing with the team this week...

DAMIAN CUDLIN CRASHES IN AMERICA

ESP/Venemotos’ Damian Cudlin’s AMA assault took a hard hit in Fontana on the weekend, after the young Aussie suffered a nasty crash in Friday’s opening qualifying session. Cudlin knew from the outset that Fontana would be a difficult event for him and his ESP/Venemotos Team. With his times tumbling in the qualifying session, Cudlin sat just a 1/10th of a second from a Superpole berth before crashing heavily after coming together with a slower rider. Suffering a number of abrasions and losing a chunk from his elbow requiring 7 stitches, Cudlin struggled just to compete for the remainder of the weekend. Even more detrimental to Cudlin’s rookie AMA campaign was the realization that promised sponsorship money, money that was to fund Cudlin’s side of the ESP/ Venemotos garage, was no longer coming.

“Fontana was always going to be difficult for me, having so little time to learn my way around the place, but crashing in qualifying took most of the wind out of our sails. I wasn’t sure
if I’d even be able to race, but we needed that purse money so I soldiered on in a lot of pain. From that point on it was difficult for all of us. It’s been a bit of a disastrous weekend in terms of results, and it’s dampened our spirit’s a bit, but no one said this would be easy and it’s up to us to turn this around and raise our game. My guys will be doing everything they can to improve our program, while I work on getting myself fit for our next assault. We’ve just got to keep grinding away, I’m sure there’s light at the end of this tunnel.”

The ESP/Venemotos Team, like so many other teams this year, has to deal with the new economic reality that a sponsor is not going to make good on their promise of support. According to Evan Steel, “I’m ready for this economy to turn around. As we’ve all seen and read about this season, another last minute sponsor pull-out is going to keep another
talented rider off the track. Once we became aware that the sponsor for Damian’s side of the garage might not come through, we tried to see if we could keep that side of the garage going based on purse winnings. Unfortunately, the down economy also hammered the AMA purse, reducing it from $5000 to $3000, effectively putting Damian’s side of the garage in the red. Damian’s a talented rider, but we simply can’t afford to keep self-sponsoring his effort.”

The ESP/ Venemotos team must now re-group and tackle the challenge of finding a replacement sponsor for the Cudlin side of the garage to fund the remainder of the season, or at least select events. With the reduction in purse money and contingency programs, Damian and the ESP crew are now exploring all avenues that can keep Damian on the track and fighting for the rest of season. Robertino Pietri and the ESP/Venemotos crew will continue on for the rest of the season, unaffected by this sponsor pullout.

...as for Damo's fitness for the Le Mans 24 hour race alongside brother Alex and Pedro Valcaneras in Britain's Phase One team, so far there is no official word but there is time for Damo to recover from his injuries and for a strategy to be put in place to manage any developing problems with his elbow over the course of one of the toughest races in the world.