2005 World Superbike Photos - Motorcycle USA 2005 World Superbike Photos 2005 World Superbike – Check out the action in this MotorcycleUSA.com photo essay Toseland looks good with that number one plate. James Toseland prepares to go out on the wet Ricardo Tormo track. Haga leads a pack through a turn. The Yamaha pilot was grabbed a third-place podium in Race 2 - Magny-Cours Ducati Xerox's Regis Laconi claimed pole at Qatar.

Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki's Troy Corser had two second place finishes, still in command of champion point standings with 222 - Silverstone Troy Corser (11) leads Kagayama (71) and Laconi on the way to his win in race 1 - Monza Ten Kate Honda's Chris Vermeulen - Qatar Ducati Xerox - Claudio Domenicali and his riders Regis Laconi and James Toseland Toseland's Ducati Xerox F05 999 Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki's Yukio Kagayama - Qatar Haga's R1 Yamaha Italia's Noriyuki Haga leads Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki pilot Troy Corser - Brands Hatch Abe's R1 Andrew Pitt (88) has James Toseland (1) on his ass - Monza Troy Corser set the pace early on his Corona Extra Suzuki GSX-R1000 - Phillip Island Regis Laconi celebrates his podium finish - Qatar Ducati Xerox's Regis Laconi celebrates a first race win - Silverstone Yamaha's Noriyuki Haga (41) actually led for a while but Vermeulen (77) was determined to get around him - Assen Alst

are Suzuki's Yukio Kagayama - Monza Ducati Xerox swept the top spots with a second race victory with James Toseland at the controls - Silverstone Ducati Xerox's Lorenzo Lanzi - Lausitzring Regis Laconi looking fast on the Ducati Xerox 999R - Phillip Island Ben Bostrom (155) battles Kirchner for that final point in race 1 - Qatar Klaffi Honda rider Frankie Chili finished out the WSB season 10th in the standings - Magny-Cours Noriyuki Haga gets some advice from Yamaha brass.

Yukio Kagayama place 11th in both races and stands 4th in championship points with 148 - Brno 'Nitro' Nori Haga had a best finish of 9th in race 2 - Monza Team Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki: Yukio Kagayama and Troy Corser. Chris Vermeulen puts some distance between himself and Haga (41) - Assen Toseland & Laconi with their new Ducati 999R.

Yamaha's Andrew Pitt battled with the lead pack in both races on the way to 5-5 finishes - Assen James Toseland (1) leads Regis Laconi (55) - Monza Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki's Troy Corser on the gas - Monza Even though the championship was over last week, Troy Corser still logged a pair of top-5 finishes - Magny-Cours Steve Martin scored the lone single point for the disappointed Foggy Petronas Team with a 15th place finish in Race 1 - Brands Hatch Yamaha's Norick Abe finished 11th in Race 1 but crashed out of Race 2 in a collision with Steve Martin - Brands Hatch Yamaha France - Norick Abe & Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha's Norick Abe missed the podium in Race 2 when Chris Vermeulen overtook him in the final two laps - Brno Ben Bostrom aborad the Renegade Honda - Monza American Ben Bostrom started from the back of the pack but finished 10th and 12th - Brands Hatch Yamaha Motor Italia - Haga Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt Renegade Koji Honda's Ben Bostrom was 10th in Race

 2 - Assen Honda's Ben Bostrom had a frustrating week at Brno, finishing well out of the points with 18th and 20th places - Brno Renegade Honda's Ben Bostrom had a visit to Silverstone he would rather forget - Silverstone Renegade Koji Honda's Ben Bostrom - Lausitzring Renegade Honda's Ben Bostrom finished 14th in Race 1 and DNF'd Race 2.

He sits 18th in championship points - Misano Frankie Chili - Qatar Klaffi Honda's Frankie Chili- Monza Frankie Chili (7) leads Steve Martin - Assen Honda's Pierfrancesco Chili fought hard to take two 5th place finishes - Brno Honda's Chili finished a consistent 5th in both races - Silverstone Winston Ten Kate Honda rider Chris Vermeulen is second in championship points with 181, but Corser has a 73 point lead - Misano Win Win - That's what Winston Ten Kate Honda's Chris Vermeulen did at Assen: The Double. Winston Ten Kate Honda's Chris Vermeulen placed 4th and 3rd but still lost ground in championship points to the front-runner Corser - Brands Hatch Troy Corser - Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki Troy Corser celebrates his fine race one victory - Brands Hatch Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki's Troy Corser - Lausitzring Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki ace Troy Corser took Race 1 and dominates the championship points - Brno Suzuki's Troy Corser stole the win from Haga on the final lap of race one at Brands Hatch. Troy Corser takes a victory lap at Phillip Island.

Corser managed a Race 1 podium but finished well off the pace in Race 2 at 13th - Lausitzring Altare Suzuki's Troy Corser took the win in the first leg of racing at Monza and he remains at the top of the points chase after his third in Race 2. Corona Extra Suzuki's Troy Corser - Silverstone Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki pilot Troy Corser took 3rd but holds a commanding lead on overall championship points with 254 - Misano Ducati and Xerox have a two year deal.

Walker's Foggy Petronas racing FP-1 The group makes the turn - Lausitzring Muggeridge and Foggy Petronas' Steve Martin both got pretty banged up in this crash - Magny-Cours All the 2005 WSBK contenders Yamaha Italy's Sebastien Gimbert surprised everyone by qualifying 3rd - Qatar Corser's Alstare Corona Suzuki GSX-R1000 Yamaha Italia's Noriyuki Haga went 3-2 - Assen Yamaha's 'Nitro' Nori Haga (41) gets the jump on the field - Assen Noriyuki Haga - Yamaha Italy Yamaha's Noriyuki Haga finished 6th in Race 1, 6th in Race 2, and stands 6th in championship points. Yep thats 666. Relax its just a number... that totally rocks.

His sponsors may disagree but that just might be cooler than actually winning - Misano Yamaha Italia's Noriyuki Haga - Lausitzring Yamaha Italy's Nori Haga - Qatar Haga dueled with Corser all day, settling for second in Race 1 but claiming victory in Race 2 - Brands Hatch Here Haga and Corser are on the gas hard - Brands Hatch In Race 2 Noriyuki Haga became the first rider to claim a victory not having qualified in the top 16 in practice - Brno After not finishing the first race, Yamaha's Haga (51) finshed 3rd in the second, right behind point leader Corser (11) - Silverstone Race 1 podium - Brands Hatch Winston Ten Kate pilot Karl Muggeridge finished Race 1 in fourth, but ran into some serious trouble with a Race-2 crash - Magny-Cours Klaffi Honda's Max Neukirchner finished 8th in both contests - Magny-Cours Vermeulen would have liked a final showdown with Corser for the championship but it didn't work out that way - Magny-Cours Chris Vermeulen hugs a corner.

The Winston Ten Kate Honda rider won Race 1 but DNF's Race 2 due to a mechanical snafu - Magny-Cours Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki rider Yukio Kagayama finished with a disappointing DNF and 12th, yet still hangs in at 4th overall in championship points - Misano Yukio Kagayama managed a fifth and fourth place finish - Lausitzring Karl Muggeridge took 6th in Race 1 but crashed out of Race 2 and suffering a broken hand - Brands Hatch Karl Muggeridge leads a group of riders on his way to a fourth in race 2 - Monza Foggy Petronas' Steve Martin finished 16th and 17th, while teammate Gary McCoy did not race due to a controversial crash in practice - Brno Foggy Petronas racing's Steve Martin - Phillip Island Steve Martin on the FP1 - Monza Steve Martin - Foggy Petronas Racing - Imola Steve Martin rode the Foggy Petronas FP-1 to a 15th in race 1 - Qatar Foggy Petronas Racing's Steve Martin in action - Misano Klaffi Honda's Max Neukirchner brought out yet another red

 flag this season with a race 1 crash - Misano The large contingency of Germans fans were disappointed when Neukirchner finished 14th in Race 1 and DNF in Race 2 - Brno Klaffi Honda's Max Neukirchner 10th and 12th place finishes - Brands Hatch Klaffi Honda’s 21-year old Max Neukirchner claimed his first career podium in only his second World Superbike race – Phillip Island Garry McCoy on the Foggy Petronas FP1 - Monza Aussie Garry McCoy battles in race two -Silverstone Garry McCoy surprisingly upbeat after Imperial stormtroopers take him into custody - Silverstone Karl Muggeridge shows off his new Winston Ten Kate Honda colors - Qatar Winston Ten Kate Honda's Karl Mugeridge - Lausitzring Karl Muggeridge aboard the Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR - Phillip Island Veteran rider Pierfrancesco Chili bounced back from a Race 1 crashout to take 13th in Race 2 - Brands Hatch Yamaha's Andrew Pitt struggle again this week placing 10th in Race 1 and DNF in Race 2 due to a slipping clutch - Brno Yamaha's Andrew Pitt

 was in contention for both race scoring a 7th and 6th - Brands Hatch Yamaha Italia's Andrew Pitt - Lausitzring Yamaha's Andrew Pitt is 9th in championship points with 70, but didn't help his cause with two DNFs - Misano Andrew Pitt testing the R1 at Phillip Island.

Vermeulen, Lanzi, and Haga on the podium - Lausitzring The Winston Ten Kate Honda team was launched at a glittering affair in the Rolling Stone event hall in the heart of Milan, Italy.

Xerox Ducati's Regis Laconi was impressive with a double victory - Misano Xerox Ducati's James Toseland took two 4th place finishes and stands 5th overall with 124 championship points - Misano Ducati's Regis Laconi came off his double victory at Misano with a 3rd and 6th place showing - Brno Ducati's James Toseland place 2nd in Race 1 but faded to 8th in Race 2 - Brno Ducati Xerox's James Toseland went 2-3 - Assen Ducati Xerox's James Toseland was pumped about finishing second in race 1 - Assen Ducati Xerox pilot James Toseland - Lausitzring TeDucati Xerox's Lorenzo Lanzi scored fourth in Friday's qualifier - Lausitz Ducati's Regis Laconi logged a top-ten finish with ninth overall - Imola James Toseland fought with Haga for the podium, but came up short and ended with a fourth-place finish - Imola Ducati's James Toseland leads Winston Ten Kate Honda's Karl Muggeridge - Magny-Cours The Race 1 podium had Vermeulen on top followed by Kagayama and

 Toseland - Magny-Cours Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki's Troy Corser (11) grabs the early lead at Valencia.

Silverstone 2005 A Bit of History: World Superbike at Laguna Seca | RideApart Tweet Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is world renowned—mainly due to hosting various worldwide motorsports events. The track is located in Monterey, CA and is only 2.238 miles and has 11 turns, with it’s most popular ones being 8 and 8A known as the “Corkscrew.” (Thanks for the info Wikipedia!) Watching a motorsports events—especially a motorcycle one—is thrilling, and top-tiered racers all the way from MotoGP have graced the track. Before MotoGP started racing there back in 2005, however, Laguna Seca hosted World Superbike, which came to Laguna Seca in 1995 and continued racing there until 2004. WSBK took an eight year hiatus from the Laguna and returned in 2013 while MotoGP was making its exit that same year.

READ MORE: Triumph Motorcycls Taps Guy Martin to Pilot The Triumph Rocket | RideApart If you’re unfamiliar with World Superbike (WSBK), here’s a quick history: It started back in 1988 and is regulated by the FIM, the big dogs who govern motorcycle racing worldwide. It has two main races, and the results from each are combined to ordain two World Champions: one for the rider and one for the moto manufacturers. What makes WSBK so cool is that the motorcycles that these high caliber racers ride are souped up versions of bikes that are sold to the general public. This is the main difference between it and MotoGP, which uses GP-specific motorcycles. So, let’s go back to ‘95 when WSBK made its debut at Laguna Seca. In this era, the rider field was conceivably one of the deepest in WSBK’s history—you had studs like Carl Fogarty, Anthony Gobert, Troy Corser, Yasutomo Nagai and Colin Edwards. That year also had well-known AMA Superbike riders who entered the races such as Freddie Spencer and Tom Kipp.

Source: Sportnetwork.net In that three day weekend of racing in July (21st-23rd) 1995, there were 32,000 people who came out to watch the action. In his article , “Americans versus The World,” motorcycle journalist Dean Adams gives a thorough account of the WSBK races at that time. I'll highlight a few noteworthy things in the article, and even though it’s a bit long, it's a great read. In the beginning of the piece, he describes the scene in the paddock quite vividly: “Cool stuff abound in the paddock, from carbon fiber and magnesium swing-armed Ducatis to Agip girls with collagen implanted lips, pouty and ravishing. The factory supported World Superbikes, even sitting on their plywood work tables, appeared so decidedly different from their AMA Superbike brethren: the tail wickedly high, front wheel tucked tight to the chin of the fairing lower, the Ducati of Troy Corser looking like a red street rod from American Graffiti.” Sounds like good times back in ‘95 so far.

READ MORE: Ronin|Voxan|Victory -3 V-twin PPIHC Specials We'd Love to Ride | RideApart Anthony Gobert; Source: Jim Mcdermott Adams goes on to discuss the superiority of the international superbikes compared to the American ones, specifically when it came to Yamaha and Ducati. For example, he mentioned that Yamaha WSC (World Superbike Championship) Superbikes used none of the American Yamaha kit pieces. The WSC motorcycles also had a better frame, a different wiring harness, ignition, mounting points, and ignitor: “Machinery was not of the same vein as same vein between the Yamaha and Ducati teams and their international counterparts... Americans wanted the boys from the old red, white and blue to do well and beat the Euros at their own game. But with well-funded and, in some cases, better equipped national teams racing in the same event as the factory squad, a unique racing situation evolved : inter-manufacturer rivalry. American Honda versus HRC/Castrol Honda; American Yamaha versus Yamaha Japan and Larry and Eraldo’s Ducatis versus the Ferrari team’s best stuff.” Adams still had hopes for the Americans, however.

He goes on to say that Laguna was one of the most technical tracks in the US and the most challenging one on the WSC calendar. Now that’s a pretty bold claim, and perhaps it was true back in the day, but either way Adams argued that Americans had the advantage at Laguna since they were more familiar with the track. READ MORE: Buckeye Current - The Phio State University Electric Motorcycle Team | RideApart Source: worldsbk.com In the end, that first year at Laguna was dominated by Australians Anthony Gobert (racing a Muzzy Kawasaki), who took first place and Corser (on a Promoter Ducati Corse) coming in second. The first American win at Laguna came shortly after in 1996 with John Kocinksi (Castrol Honda-HRC) and Gobert in second. In fact, it looks like the Australians dominate at Laguna with Americans closely behind. Here are some notable Laguna Seca facts provided by worldsbk.com : Australian riders have been more successful than any other nationality at Laguna Seca, with 9 wins followed by the USA’s 7.

No other nation has more than two wins to its name, although two have been achieved by three countries: Japan, Italy and Great Britain. The Republic of Ireland and Spain have one win apiece Three riders have won at Laguna Seca in years they become World Champion: John Kocinski did the double in 1997, Colin Edwards won Race 2 in 2002 and Tom Sykes won Race 1 in 2013 The riders with most Laguna Seca victories to their names have each won at the track three times: John Kocinski, Ben Bostrum, Anthony Gobert and Troy Corser Italian Frankie Chili was the only rider who competed in all 20 races that took place at Laguna Seca during its first stint on the calendar, from 1995 to 2004 The only rider to have started from pole position at Laguna Seca on more than one occasion is Troy Corser (3 poles); each of the other nine pole-sitters have clinched the top grid spot only once John Kocinski It doesn't look like the Australians or the Americans will be making the cut this year at Laguna Seca.

The top four contending for the WSBK Championship are all British: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki), Tom Sykes (Kawasaki), Leon Haslam (Aprilia), and Chaz Davies (Ducati). (Cue in “God save our gracious Queen, long live our noble Queen…”) This year, Laguna will also host all five classes of MotoAmerica at Laguna: Superbike, Superstock 1000, Supersport, Superstock 600, and the KTM 390 cup. There will be some great racing happening this weekend in Monterey and we can’t wait to watch it. Anyone heading to WSBK this weekend? Throwback Thursday: Check out the 1995 WSBK Race 2 at Laguna seca below. History of the World Superbike Championship - Devitt History of the World Superbike Championship History of the World Superbike Championship USEFUL LINKS: History of the World Superbike Championship The Superbike World Championship was founded in 1988 and consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities.

Each round has two races and the results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for the riders and one for the manufacturers. The motorcycles that race in the championship are tuned versions of motorcycles available for sale to the public, as opposed to the purpose built, prototype machines used in MotoGP. The latter is the motorcycle world’s equivalent of Formula One with Superbikes similar to touring cars and sports car racing. Formula One World Championship With the Formula One World Championship already in existence, the Superbike World Championship began in 1988, with the first ever round being held at Donington Park, and so ran alongside it as a separate entity. However, it soon became clear which series was in the ascendancy and the most popular and whilst WSB immediately flourished, the F1 series was scrapped at the end of the 1990 season. Back to the Superbikes and in 1988, the Championship was open to modified versions of road bike models available to the public.

For many years, the formula allowed for machines with 1,000 cc V-twin engines (primarily Ducati but later Honda and Aprilia ) to go head to head against 750cc four-cylinder engines (Honda, Yamaha , Kawasaki and Suzuki ). Roger Burnett Roger Burnett took the first ever pole position and the first round saw two races held, as has been the case ever since, with Davide Tardozzi of Bimota winning race 1 and being the first race winner in Superbikes history. Race 2 was won by Marco Lucchinelli of Ducati after Tardozzi crashed near the end of the race. Roger Burnett at Donington Park,1989. However, for the first and only time in Superbikes history the race results were combined to determine an overall winner. Lucchinelli subsequently got the verdict, with podiums in both races and he picked up the 20 points as Fred Merkel and Joey Dunlop completed the podium. Round Two onwards… From round two onwards, the system was changed and points were awarded to the top 15 finishers in each leg with 10 points going to the winner and half a point going to 15th.

However, this would change for the 1989 season reverting to the then traditional 20,17, 15, 13 etc. scoring system. For the first two seasons Honda won with the American Merkel and the RC30, and but the Scott Russell’s victory for Kawasaki in 1993, gradually the twins got the upper hand. Using 1,000 cc V-twin engines benefited Ducati and it was able to dominate the championship for many years, although the 750 Hondas and Kawasaki were second or third each year between 1994 and 1999. It’s all about Foggy Ducati won the title in 1991 and 1992 with Doug Polen, in 1994, 1995, 1998 and 1999 with Carl Fogarty and with Troy Corser in 1996. The Honda RC45 of John Kocinski was the only 750cc machine after Russell to win the Championship in 1997.

Indeed, Honda eventually followed the path of Ducati and Aprilia building their own twin, the SP1, which Colin Edwards took to title glory in 2000. He repeated the win on 2002 on the next version of the machine, the SP2. We’re taking a glimpse at Brands Hatch 1997, Foggy just secured a win during the second race… In 2003, the FIM changed the rules to allow 1,000 cc machines (either twins, triples or four-cylinder) to race as the manufacture of 750cc machines slowly fell away. Rule changes in MotoGP to allow four-stroke meant that the Japanese manufacturers focused their resources there, leaving the Superbike World Championship with limited factory involvement. Indeed, the 2003 saw just Ducati and Suzuki have factory teams and, for the first time, the quality of the series took a major dip. 2003 also saw the entry of Carl Fogarty’s Foggy Petronas FP1, bankrolled by the Malaysian oil giant. The bike was developed under the previous regulations and was powered by a three-cylinder 900 cc engine but was ultimately fighting a losing battle.

Despite having superior corner speed, it struggled on top speed and whilst it scored a number of pole positions and front rows, largely due to having an uninterrupted lap in qualifying, when confronted by other bikes during a race, it was unable to capitalise on its inherent strengths. It never won a race and only scored a handful of third place finishes. “The Ducati Cup” With most of the field running Ducati motorcycles, the championship received the derogatory title “the Ducati Cup”. The factory Ducati Team entered the only 2 Ducati 999’s in the field, taking 20 wins from 24 races in a season where all races were won by Ducati. Neil Hodgson won the title on a factory Ducati. In an effort to create a more competitive field in 2004, organisers announced a series of changes to the championship. The most significant was that the teams have had to run on Pirelli control or ‘spec’ tyres. The decision to award the control tyre to Pirelli was controversial as they were considered to be below the standard of Dunlop and Michelin, the long-time dominant brands that most of the teams had been using.

Did the World Superbike Championship peak in the 90’s? Control tyre The control tyre also meant ‘wild cards’ were unable to compete due to their own countries Championship continuing to run Dunlop and Michelin, the UK, Japan and USA being prime examples. Up until this point, the wild cards (riders who were having a one-off appearance in the Championship) had provided some stand out moments as they could compete against the regular Championship contenders and potentially win. Nowhere was this seen more than in Japan where a whole host of local stars, more often than not on factory machinery, would flood the grid and leave the regular Championship riders scrapping for points at the lower end of the leaderboard. Hitoyasu Izutsu, Akira Ryo and Keiichi Kitagawa were some of the wild card race winners in Japan whilst Neil Hodgson, Shane Byrne and John Reynolds all achieved the feat in the UK. Dunlop looked to take legal action against the decision while Pirelli claimed that Michelin and Dunlop were also asked if they would be interested in the one-make tyre rule contract.

Partly as a result of the control tyres, the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturer Association (Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha) announced that no MSMA teams would participate in the Superbike World Championship, later modifying their statement allowing Ducati to participate. Privateers in action A few privateers chose to run Japanese bikes in 2004, particularly Ten Kate Honda who, with Chris as its rider, won races and actually contended for the title that eventually was won by James Toseland and, yet again, Ducati. Following Ten Kate Honda’s success Japanese motorcycles made a return in 2005 with major teams from all four Japanese manufacturers run through teams ran by European importers. It was the shot in the arm the series needed and it was Troy Corser who won the 2005 championship, giving Suzuki its first Superbike World Championship title. Over the next few years, WSB slowly got better and better and with the likes of BMW and Aprilia joining the series in 2009, the general consensus was that it was back to its best. The racing was close and up to five manufacturers were more than capable of taking the race wins as the factory teams returned in earnest.

Debate over Ducati continues Debate continued to rage about the advantage Ducati held over the four cylinder machines particularly when their bike evolved into a machine with a capacity of 1098cc. This became 1200cc in 2008 although according to the new rules, they had to be 6 kg heavier than four-cylinder machines (168 kg to 162 kg) and would also have a 50 mm air restrictor fitted. The weight limit and the intake-restrictor size of twin machines would be updated, if needed, during the Championship, by a system analysing the race points obtained. The popularity of Ducati remains today… The combination of the all-new R1 Yamaha and Ben Spies finally halted Ducati’s dominance in 2009 and since then the titles have been shared between Aprilia, Ducati and Kawasaki, the latter now the dominant force in the series. Indeed, with the manufacturers re-focusing their efforts on MotoGP, the popularity of WSB has tailed off again with diminishing grids and crowds. The championship is regulated by the FIM, the international governing body of motorcycle racing, and managed and promoted by FGSport.

FGSport became part of the Infront Group in 2007 and in 2008 was rebranded as Infront Motor Sports. As of 2013 the championship is organised by Dorna, who also organise MotoGP. Riders Riders from all over the world compete in the Superbike World Championship and the championship is perhaps most closely followed in Italy because of Ducati’s strength in the series and in the UK where Superbike racing has been the most popular form of motorcycle racing for many years. Riders from Australia and the United States have also traditionally been successful in the world championship although there was no American present in the series between 2003 and 2007.

Take a look at this flashback to World Superbike 1994… British rider Carl Fogarty has the record of being the most successful rider in the championship’s history, winning the championship four times, and amassing a total of 59 race wins during the 1990s, although Australian Troy Bayliss, who ironically replaced the British rider at Ducati when he got injured and subsequently retired in 2000, got close with three titles and 52 wins during the 2000s. MotoGP Many riders successful in the Superbike World Championship have gone on to MotoGP, such as 2002 champion Colin Edwards, 2007 champion James Toseland and 2009 champion Ben Spies. In reverse, the championship has seen several former MotoGP riders move to it, usually after failing to earn competitive rides. Max Biaggi, Carlos Checa and Nicky Hayden all raced exclusively in MotoGP before joining SBK, while Bayliss, Noriyuki Haga and Regis Laconi had alternating spells in both.

Except for Frenchman Raymond Roche in 1990, all Superbike World Champions between 1988 and 2010 were native English speakers. Since then though, Max Biaggi of Italy won the championship in 2010 and 2012, Spaniard Carlos Checa took the title in 2011 and Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli became the second Frenchman to achieve the feat in 2014. Germany had to wait until 2008 before they first won a race, Max Neukirchner being the rider although Austrian Andreas Meklau was the first German-speaker to win a race, in 1993. Spain’s first race winner was Ruben Xaus in 2001. Support Classes The Supersport World Championship has been a support class to the Superbike World Championship since 1997 when it was upgraded from European Championship status.

To be eligible for World Supersport, a motorcycle must have a four stroke engine of between 400 and 600 cc for four cylinder, 500 and 675cc for triples and between 600 and 750 cc for twins and must satisfy the FIM homologation requirements. World Supersport regulations are much tighter than in World Superbike. The chassis of a Supersport machine must remain largely as production, while engine tuning is possible, but tightly regulated. As in world superbike a control tyre is used, although Supersport regulations dictate that the tyres must be road legal and therefore race slicks are not allowed. A World Supersport race takes place at every World Superbike round with the class having produced numerous riders who have gone on to compete, and win races, in the World Superbike Championship although not one rider has won world titles in both classes. FIM Superstock 1000 Cup The FIM Superstock 1,000 Cup features machines with the same displacement as superbikes but the rules are much more restrictive and most components on the bike remain stock.

The bikes run on grooved Pirelli tyres with the championship open to riders up to 24 years of age. The European Superstock 600 Championship uses 600 cc production motorcycles and is reserved for riders between 15 and 20 years of age. Same rules as Superstock 1000 apply, but the series is organized by the European Motorcycle Union. WSBK Gallery King Foggy dominated the WSBK series World Superbike Milestones 1988 – Donington Park in England sees the first ever World Superbike Championship round take place on April 3rd with Italian Marco Lucchinelli taking the overall win, the only time points weren’t awarded for both legs. 1988 – American Fred Merkel clinches the inaugural title at the final round at Manfield, New Zealand. 1989 – The points system is changed to mirror that of other World Championships – 20, 17, 15, 13 etc. 1989 – Terry Rymer becomes the first Briton to win a WSB race with victory at Manfield, New Zealand. 1989 – Merkel retains his crown, again clinching it at the final round.

1990 – Raymond Roche becomes the first non-English speaking rider to win the Championship, also giving Ducati their first title. 1991 – Doug Polen becomes the second American to win the Championship with a record 17 wins. 1991 – The lead riders boycott the Canadian round at Mosport due to safety conditions. 1992 – Carl Fogarty takes his first WSB race win at Donington Park, England. 1992 – The 100th WSB race takes place at Jarama, Spain and is won by Australian Rob Phillis. 1992 – Belgium hosts a round for the first and only time with the race taking place at Spa-Francorchamps. 1993 – American Scott Russell gives Kawasaki their first rider’s championship and the only time the title was won by a 750cc across-the-frame four cylinder machine. 1994 – Carl Fogarty takes his first WSB Championship and becomes the first British rider to claim the title. 1996 – John Kocinski wins the 200th WSB race at Laguna Seca, America.

1997 – Akira Yanagawa becomes the first Japanese rider to win a race away from Sugo, Japan. 1997 – John Kocinski becomes the first rider to win both the WSB crown and one of the traditional World Championships (250cc in 1990). This is also the last time a 750cc machine wins the Championship. 1999 – Fogarty takes his fourth title which remains the most anyone has ever won. 2000 – Fogarty crashes in Australia and later announces his retirement from the sport. 2000 – Misano, Italy hosts the 300th WSB race with victory going to Australia’s Troy Corser. 2001 – Steve Hislop sets pole position at Donington Park with the fastest ever lap around the Leicestershire circuit, quicker than Valentino Rossi’s fastest ever MotoGP lap.. 2002 – Colin Edwards wins the title in the final race after a year-long battle with Troy Bayliss – just nine points separate them after 26 races.

2003 – Organisers increase the capacity for four-strokes from 750cc to 1000cc but Honda, Kawasaki, Aprilia and Yamaha withdraw from the series. 2003 – The Foggy Petronas FP1 makes its series debut. 2004 – WSB organisers introduce a control tyre, Pirelli. 2004 – The UK hosts another landmark WSB race with the 400th race taking place at Silverstone. Chris Vermeulen takes the win. 2005 – Troy Corser wins his second WSB title but the first for Suzuki. 2007 – James Toseland wins his second Championship. 2008 – Troy Bayliss wins the 500th WSB race at Brno, Czech Republic. 2008 – Australian Troy Bayliss takes his third title but retires at the end of the season with a total of 52 wins, the second highest of all time. 2009 – Yamaha rejoins the series and American Ben Spies dominates the championship. 2010 – The factory BMW team join the series for the first time.

2010 – Max Biaggi becomes only the second non-English speaking rider to become world Champion and the first from Italy. 2011 – Carlos Checa becomes the first and only Spaniard to become World Superbike Champion. 2012 – Checa wins the 600th WSB race at Miller Park, USA. 2013 – Turkey hosts its first and, to date, only round. 2013 – Tom Sykes gives Kawasaki their first WSB crown since 1993. 2014 – Sylvain Guintoli gives France their second WSB title. 2015 – Jonathan Rea wins the title for Kawasaki, becoming Northern Ireland’s fourth world Champion after Ralph Bryans (50cc-1965), Joey Dunlop (Formula One – 1982-86) and Brian Reid (Formula Two – 1985-86) 2016 – The 700th WSB race is held at Aragon, Spain with victory going to Chaz Davies.

2016 – Nicky Hayden becomes the latest rider to have won races in both the 500cc/MotoGP race and World Superbike Championships. 2016 – Jonathan Rea becomes the first person since Carl Fogarty in 1999 to retain his title. Kawasaki also claim their first ever 1-2 in the Championship with Tom Sykes in second overall. See how much you really know about the World Superbike Championships and take our quiz… Words by Phil Wain. quote line: 0345 872 3614 8.30am-7pm Monday-Friday | 9am-5pm Saturday | 10am-4pm Sunday claim line: 0345 872 3611 24 hours, 7 days a week...

2005 World Superbike & Supersport Championships - Round 1 2005 World Superbike & Supersport Championships - Round 1 View gallery - 13 images February 28, 2005 The 2005 World Superbike Championship is shaping as the most exciting in years, with at least a dozen riders with a realistic chance of taking the title and four marques competing for each race win after the first round was held at the Losail circuit in Qatar on the weekend - a distinct change from the Ducati processions of the last few years. The surprise winner of the first of twelve rounds of the World Superbike Championship was Yukio Kagayama, indicating that the new Suzuki GSX-R1000 is likely to be as competitive on the racetrack in superbike form as it is on the road, and the Suzuki quinella has installed former World Superbike Champion Troy Corser as favourite for the title after one round.

Bookmakers have installed the 1996 world champion as a firm favourite for the title ahead of Regis Laconi (Ducati 999), 2004 Champion James Toseland (Ducati 999), Chris Vermeulen (Honda CBR 1000RR) and hard-charging crowd favourite Nori Haga (Yamaha R1). Pictured above are Laconi, Kagayama and Corser on the podium at Losail, Qatar, Corser finished the round with a first and third on his Alstare Corona Suzuki, collecting 41 points and giving him second place on the day behind Kagayama's second and first place (45 pts). For Corser, who has been in motorcycling's wilderness for the last few years as the lead rider on the Foggy Petronas Team, he clearly enjoyed having a motorcycle that was powerful and competitive from the outset and had luck gone his way, he could easily have left Qatar with a double victory.

Bookmakers are quoting Corser at 2.6 for the title after the first round, which could be termed surprising given that he finished ninth and twelfth in the title in the last two years and scored no points at all in 2002. But in his tenth year on the World Superbike circuit (he began in 1995 but sat out the entire 2002 season waiting for the Foggy petronas Team to finish building the bike), he has been around for long enough to know every track on the circuit (he won the first race at Qatar, a track completely new to everyone), and he's now back on a very fast bike and clearly as hungry as ever to show he can deliver. Corser was comfortably leading the first race when the rain came after ten laps. By the time it was restarted, the track had dried and this time Corser was third, behind team mate Kagayama and the Ducati of Regis Laconi. Corser was so close to Laconi that he knew he would win on aggregated time.

It was Corser's first SBK race win since 2001 and as he spoke to the press after the first race it was clear he was relieved to have returned to the winner's circle and clearly demonstrated to everyone he was still a force, not least to himself. In a year that has seen the birth of his son Kalani and marriage to long-term partner Sam, Corser looks set to be a major part of the 2005 season outcomes. It was also Suzuki's first win since 2001, though the 1000cc four is clearly a very different beastie to the 750 that took the 2001 win. While the wet weather testing just prior to the Qatar race and the wet practice and first race made it difficult to sort a set-up that worked for most teams, the overwhelming message is that Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda all have competitive machines this year, and Ducati will need to really stretch itself if it is to keep its remarkable Superbike record going.

Since missing the title by one point to Honda-mounted Colin Edwards in 2002 (when Honda pulled out of the Superbike Competition), Ducati has won all but four of the 48 races in the last two seasons and quite frankly, the championship had all but lost its credibility - how can you have a world motorcycle championship based on street machines without the participation of any of the "Big Four" Japanese factories. Even though the rules still heavily penalise the four cylinder 1000cc machines in comparison to the Ducati V-twins (with air inlet restrictions), the fours have now clearly reached competitiveness and we can expect to see some great racing again this year. Yukio Kagayama took second spot in race one with Regis Laconi third. Kagayama has been a Suzuki factory rider since 1993 and has been a regular journeyman around the world, spending the last two years on the British Superbike circuits, picking up wins here and there but failing to get close to a title. Though the BSB is known for its cut-and-thrust, it's unlikely that Kagayama will be a match for Corser or the others on the world stage in his first full-season attempt at the title.

Just the same, he was ranked a 16/1 outsider to win the first round of the season before he set himself up permanently at the top of the leaderboard in practice and its likely that bookmakers will be less generous in future with his odds. DUCATI Laconi's two podiums indicate the Ducati is far from a spent force, though it's also clear that as the big 1000cc four cylinder machines are developed across the season, the Ducati is likely to become less competitive rather than moreso. Laconi was unlucky, and rightfully complained at being third overall when he'd finished second in both races. Current Champion Toseland crashed heavily the week prior to the race so his results were never going to be great. He started his 2005 Ducati 999 from thirteenth on the grid but had a particularly good final few laps to finish in sixth position. "I got two good starts and we hung in there. I was two-tenths off getting fifth in the aggregate but considering everything that's happened this week, it's a solid start. The confidence is coming again, I needed some dry time and I can only get that in the races".

YAMAHA The Yamaha R1-based machines of Andrew Pitt and Nori Haga filled out fourth and fifth places in the first race, indicating that the Yamaha will be a force this season once it has some race development miles behind it. Haga is being quoted as equal second favourite by the bookmakers for the title and in the second round of the title at Phillip island, expect both Haga and Pitt to be at the fore. Haga is always competitive, and can be expected to be much faster with more miles under his belt on the R1. Pitt is a classic series rider, always ensuring the maximum points haul and always ensuruing he gets points. HONDA Honda's top finisher in the both races was Chris Vermeulen. The Dutch Honda TenKate team has Australian duo Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge, and both were suffering from the flu and significantly curtailed pre-season testing on their Honda 1000 machines. Interestingly, Vermeulen got it all together in the latter stages of the second race, and finished fourth, lapping much faster than anyone else on the circuit and had the race gone another lap or two, he would have picked up third place from Corser.

Vermeulen won four races on the Ten Kate Honda last year - the only non-Ducati rider to win a race in the last two years. He did so in his first season of Superbikes, on a machine that was under development and he represents excellent value at 5/1 from the bookies for the title at this stage. Now sitting fourth in the championship fight, Vermeulen will figure in the overall championship result. Similarly, Muggeridge has no fear, no regard for reputations and by the time the Ten Kate CBR 1000RR reaches Phillip Island it will be a far more sorted machine with the customary turn of speed the boys at Ten Kate seem to always be able to extract from their bikes. Indeed, the Honda CBR 1000RR is for our money, the most likely bike to win the title this year - apart from the Ten Kate duo, Honda also numbers amongst its riders Pier Francesco Chili, Ben Bostrom and A much improved performance from the young Aussie, winner of four races for Honda last season, saw him fourth in race two, and rookie Max Neukirchner who was a remarkable fifth in qualifying prior to superpole, in his first superbike race.

Chili will benefit from what will possibly be the fastest bike in the field by mid-season, and Bostrom certainly has the talent to win the title, having been the American Superbike Champion in 1998 and having many wins under his belt for Ducati. An inexplicable loss of speed saw him dropped from the Ducati team and if he can regain his form of 2000/1, he would be a force to be reckoned with. KAWASAKI The only one of the big four to fail to show a turn of speed in the first round was Kawasaki. With a fabulous, powerful and light ZX10 roadster to begin with, the best result on the weekend was Giovanni Bussei's eleventh in the first race. Kawasaki's failure to put a top flight rider on the machine might cost it valuable publicity during the year - the bike is fast enough. SUPERBIKE Race 1: Pos /Rider /Nat.

/Team /Gap 1 / Troy Corser (AUS) Alstare Suzuki Corona GSXR1000 2 / Yukio Kagayama (JPN) Alstare Suzuki Corona GSXR1000 / 3.1 3 / Regis Laconi (FRA) Xerox Ducati 999F05/ 3.5 4 / Andrew Pitt (AUS) Yamaha Italia YZF R1/ 14.7 5 / Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Yamaha Italia YZF R1/ 20.3 6 / James Toseland (GBR) Xerox Ducati 999F05 / 20.6 7 / Ivan Silva (ESP) La Glisse Yamaha YZF R1/ 22.0 8 / Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR 1000RR / 22.2 9 / Karl Muggeridge (AUS) Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR 1000RR / 26.9 10 / Norick Abe (JPN) Yamaha Motor France-Ipone YZF R1/ 27

.2 11 / Giovanni Bussei (ITA) Kawasaki Bertocchi ZX10 / 38.9 12 / Marco Borciani (ITA) DFXtreme Sterilgarda YZF R1/ 42.2 13 / Fonzi Nieto (ESP) Ducati SC Caracchi 999RS/ 43.4 14 / Chris Walker (GBR) PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse ZX10/ 44.8 15 / Steve Martin (AUS) Foggy Petronas Racing FP1/ 49.6 Fastest Lap 12 Yukio Kagayama 2'02.1 158.6 kmh SUPERBIKE Race 2: Pos /Rider /Nat.

/Team /Gap 1 / Yukio Kagayama (JPN) Alstare Suzuki Corona GSXR1000 / 2 / Regis Laconi (FRA) Xerox Ducati 999F05/ 2.4 3 / Troy Corser (AUS) Alstare Suzuki Corona GSXR1000 / 5.9 4 / Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR 1000RR / 7.2 5 / Pier Francesco Chili (ITA) Klaffi Honda CBR 1000RR / 8.6 6 / James Toseland (GBR) Xerox Ducati 999F05 / 8.6 7 / Norick Abe (JPN) Yamaha France-Ipone YZF R1/ 9.7 8 / Max Neukirchner (GER) Klaffi Honda CBR 1000RR / 11.5 9 / Andrew Pitt (AUS) Yamaha Italia YZF R1/ 11.8 10 / Sebastien Gimbert (FRA) Yamaha France-Ipone YZF R1/ 

11.8 11 / Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Yamaha Italia YZF R1 / 21.4 12 / Lorenzo Lanzi (ITA) Ducati SC Caracchi 999RS / 25.8 13 / Fonzi Nieto (ESP) Ducati SC Caracchi 999RS / 34.1 14 / Giovanni Bussei (ITA) Kawasaki Bertocchi ZX10 / 34.1 15 / Mauro Sancini (ITA) PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse ZX10/ 47.4 Fastest Lap 4 Sebastien Gimbert 2'01.8 158.9 kmh Riders Championship Standings: 1 KAGAYAMA 45, 2 CORSER 41, 3 LACONI 36, 4 VERMEULEN 21, 5 PITT 20, 6 TOSELAND 20, 7 HAGA 16, 8 ABE 15, 9 CHILI 11, 10 SILVA 9, 11 NEUK

IRCHNER 8, 12 MUGGERIDGE 7, 13 BUSSEI 7, 14 GIMBERT 6, 15 NIETO 6.

Manufacturers Standings: 1 SUZUKI 50, 2 DUCATI 36, 3 YAMAHA 22, 4 HONDA 21, 5 KAWASAKI 7. HONDA RIDERS MONOPOLISE SUPERSPORT PODIUM IN QATAR As it did last year, the Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR looks set to provide the winner of most races and the World SuperSport title in 2005. The two new riders to the team dominated just about everything on the weekend, with Katsuaki Fujiwara bogging down on the line and entering the first corner almost last. While Fujiwara set about carving his way through the field, his team mate Sebastien Charpentier streeted the field and it was only the scorching pace of Fujiwara on an identical CBR600RR that was able to run down the Frenchman and catch him on the 16th lap.

From that point Fujiwara ran away to record a five second victory and Honda riders filled both remaining podium places, with Michel Fabrizio (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) third, proving the prowess of the latest version of the all-conquering CBR series. Such is the dominance of the Honda that bookmakers already have the machine a 1.2 favourite to win the manufacturers title (that is, 5/1 ON, or bet $1 now and get $1.20 back if it wins). Yamaha's YZF-R6 is second favourite at 5.00 (that's 4/1 against) with Kawasaki's ZX-6R and Suzuki GSX-R 600 given little chance (both at 15.00) and Ducati's 749-R at 25.00 After a peerless qualifying performance from Charpentier gave him pole position in his first race for the Winston Ten Kate team, his early lead hinted at invincibility, but a worn front tyre dropped his pace and allowed Fujiwara to catch him.

Sebastien nonetheless set the new fastest lap at this new WSS venue, with a time of 2:04.686. Fujiwara's win saw him overcome odds which looked insurmountable after the first lap and have installed him as a red hot favourite to take the Supersports title - perhaps the hottest favourite in history at this stage of the usually closely contested season. SUPERSPORT: Pos /Rider /Nat. /Team /Gap 1 / K. Fujiwara (Jpn) Winston Ten Kate Honda / 37'54.414 / 2 / S. Charpentier (Fra) Winston Ten Kate Honda / 5.462 3 / M. Fabrizio (Ita) Italia Megabike / 13.970 4 / K. Curtain (Aus) Yamaha Motor Germany / 28.713 5 / F. Foret (Fra) Team Megabike / 31.316 6 / B. Parkes (Aus) Yamaha Motor Germany / 32.459 7 / S.

Chambon (Fra) Gil Motorsport / 36.842 8 / J. Fores (Esp) Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra / 42.491 9 / G.Nannelli (Ita) Ducati Sc Caracchi / 54.930 10 / T. Lauslehto / Fin / Klaffi Honda / 59.092 11 / A. Berta (Ita) Ducati Selmat / 1'31.728 12 / T. Miksovsky / Cze / Intermoto Czech / 1'36.071 13 / P.

Szkopek / Cze / Intermoto Czech / 1'47.590 14 / M.Baiocco (Ita) Lightspeed Kawasaki / 1 Lap Fastest Lap Sebastien Charpentier 2'04.686 155.3 kmh Riders Championship Standings: 1 FUJIWARA 25, 2 CHARPENTIER 20, 3 FABRIZIO 16, 4 CURTAIN 13, 5 FORET 11, 6 PARKES 10, 7 CHAMBON 9, 8 FORES 8, 9 NANNELLI 7, 10 LAUSLEHTO 6, 11 BERTA 5, 12 MIKSOVSKY 4, 13 SZKOPEK 3, 14 BAIOCCO 2.

Manufacturers Standings: 1 HONDA 25, 2 YAMAHA 13, 3 SUZUKI 8, 4 DUCATI 7, 5 KAWASAKI 2 Soup :: World Superbike Quote Factory Monza (Superpole) 2005 Various and sundry press releases from today's World Superbike Superpole qualifying at Monza: WSB : Haga fights back as Pitt goes fastest Round: 4 - Italy Circuit: Monza Date: 7 May 2005 Temp: 40�C Weather: Sunny Yamaha Motor Italia riders Andrew Pitt and Noriyuki Haga showed true grit to post second and third row starts in today's grid deciding superpole session at Monza. Pitt will start tomorrow's two 18-lap places from sixth on the grid, holding his position from the two combined qualifying sessions. The Australian made good progress throughout the day, slicing almost 1.4 seconds from his best time on Friday.

The 29-year-old, whose parents have travelled over from Australia to watch him race this weekend, also demonstrated the pace of the rapidly improving Yamaha by taking his YZF-R1 through the speed trap at a mind boggling 310kph during the afternoon practice session - the fastest of the weekend. Superpole proved to be a test of team-mate Haga's resolve as he fought injury to post his fastest lap of the weekend and move up to 11th on the grid, an improvement of one place on his pre-superpole position. The Japanese ace had been involved in a nasty tangle with Yamaha Motor France rider S�bastien Gimbert in the preceding free practice session. Haga sustained injuries to his left hand and upper arm and although initial tests show no broken bones, Nitro Nori was clearly in pain as he mounted his spare YZF-R1 for his flying lap. Despite riding a machine running different specification suspension to his preferred machine, Haga's 1:49.279 lap time was his best of the weekend.

Yamaha Motor France rider Norick Abe will start his first race at the historic Monza circuit from 14th on the grid after improving his Friday time by almost two seconds. The Japanese rider was once again the most active rider on the track, clocking up 50 laps of the 5.7km circuit over the two one hour qualifying sessions. Team-mate Gimbert was unhurt in the incident with Haga, although he too was forced to use his spare bike in superpole. The Frenchman was understandably below par in superpole and ended the day qualifying in 16th position. Pole position for tomorrow's races goes to Haga's friend and birthday boy Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki), whose 1:47.439 lap time narrowly edged out team-mate and championship leader Troy Corser. R�gis Laconi (Ducati) and Karl Muggeridge (Honda) complete the front row. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "Sixth is good but I'm still a bit disappointed not to have done my best lap of the weekend in superpole.

I know that I can go faster and I think that really I took it a bit to carefully, but we're ready for the races and that's the main thing. We should be in pretty good shape tomorrow: we've found a good set-up and we've been able to improve the stability under braking from yesterday. Our top speed has been good too and this is obviously very important around here." Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "Superpole was difficult as I had to use my spare bike and I this had different settings to the one I used most of the weekend. It's ok that I did not lose any places in superpole but I think that without injury and on my other bike I could have made the second row. My hand is hurting and also I do not have much feeling in the top of my arm. The doctor took some X-rays and it looks like a T-bone steak - but no broken bones! For the race I hope to get a good start. If I can get away well then I am sure we can get a good result." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator, Yamaha Motor Italia) "I have a positive feeling for the race tomorrow.

Every race we make a small improvement and that has continued here. We worked hard to improve the top speed and although we expected some gains we did not expect quite such big improvements. Tomorrow it is very important to make a good start and be involved with the train for the lead. If our riders can get away at the front then I am confident that we can have a good result. Noriyuki did a good job today and we hope that the injuries cause him no problems tomorrow. I am not so worried about the hand, but maybe if the feeling is not there in his upper arm then this could cause him some problems changing direction through the high speed corners. Andrew again gives us a good feeling and tomorrow I think that he is able to make some more improvement." Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "Today I was able to learn more about the circuit and improve my position. So far every circuit we have raced at is also in MotoGP, so this is the first superbike race where I have also had to learn the circuit.

Monza looks very simple but actually it is not so easy to learn, so I am happy with the improvement we made." S�bastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "This is my first time at Monza and I have made improvements in every session - until superpole. I had to ride my spare bike after the crash with Haga. There was a misunderstanding and we touched on the entry of the corner. I am ok and I hope Noriyuki is too. For the race we are feeling ok but will just have to see." ****************** LACONI TAKES FRONT ROW START FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM AT MONZA WITH TOSELAND ONE ROW BEHIND Monza (Italy), Saturday 7 May: Ducati Xerox Team riders R�gis Laconi and James Toseland both produced positive performances today in the second and final day of qualifying for round 4 of the World Superbike Championship at Monza.

Frenchman Laconi showed no ill-effects from his Valencia crash by slotting in third quickest time of 1m47.885s in Superpole, while his British team-mate James Toseland received a confidence boost with a row 2 start after clocking eighth quickest time in 1m48.695s. Laconi was particularly satisfied with his Superpole performance after struggling to set good times on qualifying tires during the day. "We did a good job this weekend, especially to try to be fast over one lap, because in today's two sessions we had big problems to do one lap on the qualifying tire and in fact I set my best time on race tires this morning" declared R�gis. "We found some new settings for Superpole and the bike was then a lot better to ride. OK, the two Suzuki guys were too fast but I did a good lap time. We will see for tomorrow but I'm also happy about my lap times on race tires and I am feeling good. Now it's time for Ducati to come back and win, for sure it won't be easy but we are in Monza, with all the Ducati fans behind me so I will certainly try my best tomorrow".

Toseland has been back in the groove all weekend with a positive showing in all practice and qualifying sessions, and although his Superpole lap only netted him eighth place, he is feeling confident for the race. "My Superpole lap was a bit disappointing really because I had a big slide coming out of the Parabolica on my exit lap and started my one lap way too slow so that was it for me. I'm feeling confident about the race however because we had a good long-run in the afternoon's free practice session on race tires. A front-row start is not paramount here with all the slipstreaming so row 2 is OK and we've certainly got a chance of a good result. I really love riding around this circuit, it's the home of Ducati so we know we've got to do well tomorrow." ****************** KAGAYAMA'S SUPERPOLE BIRTHDAY TREAT Team Suzuki Press Office - May 7, 2005.

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Yukio Kagayama gave himself the best possible birthday present by taking Superpole today at Monza with a faultless lap of 1:47.143 which beat his team mate Troy Corser by just 7000ths of a second. Corser was lucky not to crash in Superpole after hitting a bird on his out lap which became struck in between his brake lever and the brake cable,. The Australian had to flick it out and make sure it had not caused any damage before getting up to speed for his flying lap. Third quickest today was Regis Laconi (Ducati) with Karl Muggeridge (Honda) fourth. Yukio Kagayama - 1st, 1:47.439: "I am very happy to get Superpole today and because it is my birthday, it is a nice present. It was a good lap and a perfect lap because I did not make any mistakes. I have been very happy with the qualifying tires here but I am not so sure about my race tires.

One tire I like only lasted five or six laps before it went off, so I will have to try another type in the morning warm-up tomorrow and then decide what to do. "Tomorrow, strategy is going to be very important. I must not go out very hard from the start and make the tire wear out. I must use my head throughout the race and especially think what to do at the end. People tell me that I had some slides on my Superpole lap, but I did not feel them. It's better that way!" Troy Corser - 2nd, 1:47.446: "Two things cost me some time in Superpole. On my warm-up lap, a bird hit my bike and then hit me and there was blood all over my right arm and shoulder. I guess I was lucky because it could have been much worse - especially if it had happened on my flying lap. Also, I made a small mistake when I ran a little wide exiting on of the chicanes and that lost me some time. But all credit to Yukio because he managed to beat me today - even though it was only by seven thousandths of a second!

"This afternoon he followed me for a while and that helped him learn the track a bit better and of course do a good Superpole lap. I am very happy with my bike set-up and, apart from adjusting the mapping a little in the morning warm-up tomorrow, I think we are all set. I don't think anybody is going to get away in the races and expect four or five of us will be pretty close to each other at the end and that should be great for all the fans." ENDS

Question: Who became the World Superbike Champion in 2005?
Answer: Troy Corser