Kawasaki WSB / WSS - Nurburgring

Tamada And Laconi Ready For Another New Experience
Nurburgring, Germany, 9 June 2008
PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse riders Makoto Tamada and Régis Laconi will begin the German WSB weekend confident of a fresh start on their Ninja ZX-10R machinery, at a circuit new to most current WSB riders. The Nürburgring circuit was last used for World Superbike racing in 1999 and therefore few riders will have any worthwhile insider’s track knowledge of the circuit when it comes to raceday itself.

Of the two Kawasaki men, Laconi has at least some experience of the circuit that replaced the classic full road-style track on the GP calendar many years ago. He raced a very different type of machine then and being in control of a 200bhp Superbike now, his latest Nürburgring experience will feel very different from when he was a 250GP rider.

Tamada has absolutely no prior knowledge of the track, but is undaunted by this fact in his rookie season of WSB competition. He has already posted some confidence-boosting performances this year, as he carries on a program of continuous improvement on his new-for-2008 machine.

Régis Laconi: “I rode there many years ago, when I was racing 250GPs. I had a nice race and I liked the place, so I hope that we can be one of the ones who make the best job in finding set-up. We will use the new swingarm there again and that has been a real advance for us. We can work with it from now on.”

Makoto Tamada: “I have never ridden on the Nürburgring before, but I hope we can find the settings on our machine that will let us get a good result. We have been making improvements all year and it would be nice to bring them all together for the race in Germany.”


Fujiwara And Walker Up For The Fight
Nurburgring, Germany, 9 June 2008
Katsuaki Fujiwara and Chris Walker from the GIL Kawasaki team look to Germany as an ideal opportunity to move back up the championship table on their Ninja ZX-6R machines.

With Walker knocked off at the previous round in Monza, and Fujiwara 15th, each rider is keen to notch up as many points as possible on raceday, but first each must conquer a track which is a new test for virtually every rider in WSS.

Like the Superbike class, the Nürburgring was last used for WSS racing in 1999 and its changes of elevation and fast corner entry sections will make it a challenge for the riders, even if safety considerations place the trackside grandstands quite far from the on-track action, and thus reduce the atmosphere compared to some other circuits.

Katsuaki Fujiwara: “I will enter the Nürburgring race with the same determination to succeed that I bring to every round. We have had some high points this year and I will be focussing on them to allow us to make the best finish possible. I think it helps us that we will start from such an even level this weekend, as most riders won’t have been here before.”

Chris Walker: “I haven’t raced at the Nürburgring but I have been there before, when I drove a motorhome down there for Terry Rymer. That was a long time ago! I’ve seen around the old long track so it will be nice to race on the modern GP track now. Part of the reason I am looking forward to it is that although there may be a couple of WSS riders who have been there before, it should be a pretty level playing field for most of us. I always like to go places that are new and exciting.”

Bring Back Scott Russel !!

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HOME RESULTS RIDERS CIRCUITS SBK TV DOWNLOAD PRESS AREA SPONSORS CALENDAR TICKETSSuperbike - Qualifying 2nd Session
Update: June 14, 2008, 12.10 PM ET Comment Email Print

1 21 Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 1'56.598
2 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'57.124
3 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1'57.185
4 41 Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1'57.252
5 194 Gimbert S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1'57.287
6 111 Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1'57.312
7 11 Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 1'57.463
8 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 1'57.579
9 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1'57.597
10 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'57.660
11 34 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'57.714
12 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1'57.717
13 10 Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'57.921
14 31 Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1'57.973
15 23 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1'58.024
16 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1'58.034
17 94 Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 1'58.180
18 36 Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1'58.421
19 38 Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1'58.512
20 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'58.542
21 100 Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'58.591
22 86 Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'58.654
23 83 Holland R. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1'59.427
24 13 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'59.789
25 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'59.812
26 88 Aoyama S. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1'59.918
27 43 Pridmore J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'00.465
28 77 Napoleone L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1 2'01.062




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LATEST NEWSSupersport - Qualifying 2nd Session

1 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R6 2'00.015 2 18 Jones C. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2'00.473 3 25 Brookes J. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2'00.669 4 88 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2'00.727 5 8...


NEWS ARCHIVESuperbike - Qualifying 2nd Session Supersport - Free Practice 2nd Session Australians take control in first... Superbike - Qualifying 1st Session Supersport - Qualifying 1st Session Superbike - Free Practice 1st Session













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HOME RESULTS RIDERS CIRCUITS SBK TV DOWNLOAD PRESS AREA SPONSORS CALENDAR TICKETSSupersport - Qualifying 2nd Session
Update: June 14, 2008, 14.45 PM ET Comment Email Print

1 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R6 2'00.015
2 18 Jones C. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2'00.473
3 25 Brookes J. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2'00.669
4 88 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2'00.727
5 8 Aitchison M. (AUS) Triumph 675 2'00.965
6 14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 2'00.967
7 111 Tode A. (GER) Triumph 675 2'01.051
8 6 Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2'01.115
9 77 Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 2'01.178
10 99 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R6 2'01.202
11 26 Lascorz J. (ESP) Honda CBR600RR 2'01.229
12 127 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 2'01.242
13 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2'01.281
14 52 De Gea J. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R6 2'01.357
15 83 Van Keymeulen D. (BEL) Suzuki GSX-R600 2'01.474
16 69 Nannelli G. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 2'01.681
17 47 Clementi I. (ITA) Triumph 675 2'01.693
18 105 Vizziello G. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 2'01.915
19 124 Crowe J. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R6 2'01.928
20 9 Walker C. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'02.031
21 55 Roccoli M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R6 2'02.078
22 38 Leblanc G. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 2'02.270
23 21 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'02.295
24 31 Kallio V. (FIN) Honda CBR600RR 2'02.307
25 17 Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 2'02.694
26 199 Dell'Omo D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 2'02.883
27 37 De Angelis W. (RSM) Honda CBR600RR 2'03.134
28 34 Nemeth B. (HUN) Honda CBR600RR 2'03.185
29 81 Gowland G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2'03.340
30 51 Barragan S. (ESP) Honda CBR600RR 2'03.611
31 96 Günther J. (GER) Triumph 675 2'04.132
32 72 Magda A. (HUN) Honda CBR600RR 2'04.978
33 4 Alfonsi L. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 2'05.248




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LATEST NEWSSupersport - Qualifying 2nd Session

1 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R6 2'00.015 2 18 Jones C. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2'00.473 3 25 Brookes J. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2'00.669 4 88 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2'00.727 5 8...


NEWS ARCHIVESuperbike - Qualifying 2nd Session Supersport - Free Practice 2nd Session Australians take control in first... Superbike - Qualifying 1st Session Supersport - Qualifying 1st Session Superbike - Free Practice 1st Session













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4 Aussies in the top5 of WSS

I'll be watching Crowie the Gladiator as well, I hope he goes well.

Good Results Boost Kawasaki Riders’ Totals
Nurburgring, Germany, 15 June 2008
PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse riders Makoto Tamada and Régis Laconi finished each Nürburgring well in the points, with Tamada scoring the day’s best individual result of ninth in race one. The return to the Nürburgring started off as a tough challenge for Tamada and Laconi, who were 21st and 13th on the grid respectively, but they battled hard in each race, and to great effect, pushing themselves up in the championship rankings.

In race one Tamada rode strongly in the early laps and made up several places on the first lap itself, eventually going into the top ten for the first time since Assen.

Laconi was happy with the technical set-up of his machine but made bad starts in each race. He was 13 seconds from the win in race two, when the race was called on the 14th lap, after rain had started to fall.

Both Tamada and Laconi moved up one in the overall standings, with Tamada now 16th and Laconi 17th.

Régis Laconi: “I was really happy with race two because we had a few problems running with a full tank in race one. There was a lot of movement on the front end. I made a bad start in both races, and it was hard to fight at the front because the leaders are already gone. We made a good job with the bike this weekend so thanks to everyone in the technical ride of the team. I have found one good base setting that I really liked and it was even possible for me to use the softest rear tyre today. The bike is more stable on the brakes now and everything was right. I was really happy to ride my bike today, so big thanks to all at Kawasaki for that.”

Makoto Tamada: “I didn’t start as I wanted in race one but I began to recover positions from the first corner, when I went to the inside. That way I got a good position from the first lap, maintaining it for the whole race. I had a good feeling with the bike and the temperature was perfect for the tyres I chose. At half race distance I started to push even more to reach Nieto but I was at the limit and I couldn’t take the risk. In race two I didn’t start perfectly either and it’s quite difficult to pass on this track, so I was not able to gain so many positions. I thought it could be raining at some points of the track so I started to push but they put out the red flag earlier than I thought. Sure, I wanted to achieve a better final result but I can be satisfied about the places I made up today, considering the position I was starting from. We’ll work hard during these few days before the next round. I want to make a great result for the team as they really deserve it.”

-------------------------------

Walker Inside The Top Ten
Nurburgring, Germany, 15 June 2008
Chris Walker from the GIL Kawasaki team took his Ninja ZX-6R to a fine top ten finish at the Nürburgring in Germany, in a dramatic and twice delayed 19-lap Supersport race. Walker was eventually ninth, with his team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara 11th, in what was an eventually lonely race for more championship points. Walker finished close to the two riders in front but was just unable to pass them before the flag.

Each rider had endured a tough qualifying session, but called on their race craft and experience to get them moving forward when points were up for grabs.

Now Walker is 11th in the overall point’s table, only one point from a share of ninth, with Fujiwara 18th.

Chris Walker: “I thought it was going to be a seventh! Obviously by qualifying badly it was going to be hard to make up places and I got stuck behind a couple of slower riders. By the time I got past them everybody had gone. I could do the lap times but I just could not get past the riders just in front of me. We may have been way too far off the lead at the end but the lap times were not bad.”

Katsuaki Fujiwara: “We had a better time in the race than practice. The set-up is getting better but it's still not perfect. I was behind Chris and I thought it was possible to pass him, but after seven or eight laps the front tyre started to feel loose on the track surface and I started to run wide. After that is was difficult to make up ground.”