Kawasaki WSS / WSB - Portimao

[MadKaw]

Lascorz And His Ninja Out To Win Again
WSS, Portimao, Portugal, 19 October 2009
After taking his first victory for Kawasaki last time out at Magny-Cours, Joan Lascorz approaches the final round of the year in happy and confident mood.
Lascorz And His Ninja Out To Win Again
A recent test at Portimao also brought forward some positive results for Lascorz, and the information gathered will also be used to full effect by Lascorz’ team-mate, Katsuaki Fujiwara, despite the Japanese rider not testing in Portugal.

Action begins at the fabulously appointed Parkalgar circuit on Friday, 23rd October, with the final round of the 2009 championship taking place on Sunday 25th.

In the overall championship chase, Lascorz is a very narrow six points behind the third placed rider in the rankings. Joan has a remarkable nine front row starts to his credit this year, one pole position and six podiums, including his recent Magny-Cours win.

Katsuaki is ranked 11th right now, but has an identical score of 70 points with the tenth place rider. In Portimao ‘Kats’ goes for his first podium of the year, to try and break into the top ten. Katsuaki has now earned three front row starts this year.

Joan Lascorz: “We had a good test at Portimao recently, and made a lot of progress to find a final setting for the races. We had to share the track with many riders and that was not ideal, but we did do a lot of good work on the suspension and engine. After the great result in France we all want more of the same.”

Katsuaki Fujiwara: “Joan showed what our bike is capable of in the last round, and I will be pushing hard to make sure I can use the data the team now has from the Portimao test Joan made to help me qualify well. We will be ready to try our best again.”

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Parkes And Tamada Pair Up For The Finale
WSBK, Portimao, Portugal, 19 October 2009
The Parkalgar circuit on the Algarve is the backdrop for the final WSB races of the 2009 season, providing Broc Parkes and Makoto Tamada the chance to team up once again on their official machines.
Parkes And Tamada Pair Up For The Finale
As the end of the 14 round/28 race season approaches both Broc and Makoto have had their ups and downs in 2009, encountering bad luck and occasional injury at some key points, interrupting their overall push for points and places. Each rider is now out to end the season with two strong results apiece to get more points on the board.

The venue for this race is the most modern circuit on the WSB calendar, used for the first time in 2008. It was voted a huge success even after just one race weekend. The circuit has both fast and slow sections, but it is the changes of elevation around its 4.445km length, and the track’s construction inside a natural amphitheatre, which have marked it out as something special.

With the season now approaching its climax, Parkes is overall 18th, having scored points in 13 races, while Makoto has had such a disrupted season he has scored points in only two outings, and has only finished five races in total.

Broc Parkes: “I’m going into this weekend under mixed emotions as it’s been a tough year filled with many ups and downs. I can honestly say looking back that I’ve enjoyed the challenge of riding the bike and really appreciated working with the whole team. We have worked really hard so it would be nice to do well this weekend and end the season on a high. Portimao should provide a good race for all and I enjoyed racing there last year in WSS so I’ve got nothing to lose and I aim to do well.”

Makoto Tamada: “I am looking forward to the season finale at Portimao. I haven't raced the way I wanted to this year and I hope this round will be the best so far, without any misfortune. This would also be my last race with Kawasaki and Paul Bird, and I would also like to take this opportunity to thank them for letting me race with them. The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R has a lot of potential and I believe that it can win a race soon. Paul's squad is very professional, and with their integrity, I am sure that a win is on its way soon. Paul has been very good to me, and I wish to continue my friendship with him even though I am leaving the team.”

[Zoidberg]

I hope Broc can have a good weekend and bring home a couple of strong top 10 finishes to give him a chance of being employed in the series next year.