Hutchinson leads as TT gets rolling

From the Isle of Man TT

A pleasant, dry and sunny day on the Island meant that the 2010 Isle of Man TT Races were able to get underway on Monday and with near perfect conditions all around the Mountain Course, a near full session was completed.

With wispy cloud gradually increasing as the day wore on, a slight breeze also helped keep flies to a minimum and, after a slight delay, the first machines were able to set off down Glencrutchery Road at 6.34pm.

Michael Dunlop and Cameron Donald had the honour of leading the field away, the former on his Supersport machine and the latter on his Superstock. They were followed in pairs by Ian Hutchinson and Ian Lougher, Ryan Farquhar and Guy Martin, Gary Johnson and Keith Amor, Michael Rutter and Bruce Anstey and then Adrian Archibald and Chris Palmer, the latter on his Supersport bike while Rutter and Lougher were the only other riders to be out on the red plated Superstock bikes. Next to go were John McGuinness and John Burrows, the TT legend setting off, as usual, a few riders from the front, both again on Superbikes.

Donald completed the first lap at 122.068mph, his first lap since his practice crash at Keppel Gate last year, but Martin was quickest on the opening lap at 125.007mph. Other notable first lap speeds included Hutchinson at 123.160mph, McGuinness at 123.954mph and Cummins at 122.058mph.

Michael Dunlop was the quickest on the Supersport machines at 120.199mph.

As expected, speeds increased second time around with Martin increasing to 127.056mph and McGuinness going slightly quicker at 127.090mph. Cummins and Anstey weren’t too far behind at 125.748mph and 125.655mph respectively while Dunlop was also impressing on the 600 at 123.960mph.

As the session wore on though, it was Hutchinson and Donald who climbed to the top of the leaderboard, the duo continuing on their Superbikes. Hutchy’s third lap was 126.867mph but on his fourth and final lap of the evening he put in an impressive lap of 128.302mph to jump to top of the leaderboard. Donald improved to 127.274mph with Archibald at 127.056mph and Anstey on 126.020mph. Meanwhile, Farquhar was impressing on the Superstock machine at 126.799mph whilst Olie Linsdell completed one lap on the Moto2 Honda at 115.02mph.

David Johnson and Stephen Thompson were the best of the newcomers, the Australian lapping at a highly impressive 113.020mph.

In the F2 Sidecars, Dave Molyneux/Patrick Farrance led the field away followed by John Holden/Andy Winkle, Tim Reeves/Dipash Chauhan, Klaus Klaffenbock/Dan Sayle, Simon Neary/Paul Knapton and Conrad Harrison/Kerry Williams.

Klaffenbock was quickest at 111.324mph and he improved to 111.761mph second time around, Holden also going quicker at 111.576mph.

Overnight rain is forecast but conditions are expected to improve throughout Tuesday. With speeds already at a high level, more is expected from the leading contenders.

Provisional Times:
Poker Stars Superbike TT
1. Ian Hutchinson (Padgetts Honda) – 128.302mph
2. Cameron Donald (Relentless by TAS Suzuki) – 127.274mph
3. John McGuinness (HM Plant Honda) – 127.090mph
4. Guy Martin (Wilson Craig Honda) – 127.056mph
5. Adrian Archibald (AMA Suzuki) – 127.056mph
6. Bruce Anstey (Relentless by TAS Suzuki) – 126.020mph

Monster Energy Supersport TT
1. Michael Dunlop (600 Street Sweep/Hardship Racing Yamaha) – 123.960mph
2. Guy Martin (600 Wilson Craig Honda) – 121.600mph
3. William Dunlop (600 CD Racing Yamaha) – 121.020mph
4. John McGuinness (600 Padgetts Honda) – 120.289mph
5. Paul Owen (600 #98 Club Yamaha) – 119.222mph
6. Ian Lougher (600 Blackhorse Kawasaki) – 118.799mph

Royal London 360? Superstock TT
1. Ryan Farquhar (1000 KMR Kawasaki) – 126.799mph
2. Michael Dunlop (1000 Hunts Motorcycles/Marlow Construction Honda) – 124.810mph
3. Guy Martin (1000 Wilson Craig Honda) – 124.582mph
4. John McGuinness (1000 Padgetts Honda) – 124.523mph
5. Ian Hutchinson (1000 Padgetts Honda) – 123.459mph
6. Conor Cummins (1000 McAdoo Kawasaki) – 123.456mph

Sure Sidecar TT
1. Klaus Klaffenbock/Dan Sayle (Manx Gas Racing Honda) – 111.761mph
2. John Holden/Andy Winkle (Holden Racing/TAS Suzuki) – 111.576mph
3. Simon Neary/Paul Knapton (600 Dave Hudspeth Carpets/Nick Crowe Racing Honda) – 110.964mph

Checa on Miller World Superbike pole

From worldsbk.com

Althea Ducati rider Carlos Checa dominated the final Superpole session for round 7 of the World Superbike Championship at Miller Motorsports Park on Sunday with a fabulous new track best lap of 1:47.081, beating Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) by 0.333 seconds and Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) by 0.567 seconds.

“I know this track and I really like this track," Checa said. "I always have some success here; always feel well. Even now with the Ducati we have had fantastic performance. I didn’t expect to get this lap time and to get the Superpole win. We know the Aprilia has a lot of speed. With a lot of grip even this makes it more difficult. But finally, this lap time was fantastic.”

Said Biaggi, “I think we have been in a good pace since yesterday and we have found a way to work better with one bike than the other, in chassis and set-up of the suspension. Today we have found a good way in Superpole and we will start from the front row, which is important."

Crutchlow admitted he couldn't touch the two Italian bikes ahead of him on the grid.

“It has not been too bad but the pace was so fast," he conceded. "Carlos and Max have been fast all weekend. All credit to Carlos, what a fantastic lap. I could not get anywhere near that and yet I have been going well in Superpole lately.

"We should have two close races tomorrow [Monday] and we have a good chance of being in the top five, because we have good race pace.”

Jakub Smrz (Pata B&G Ducati) was fourth, one place ahead of championship leader, Leon Haslam (Alstare Suzuki). Smrz was one of a few top riders to crash on Sunday, as track temperatures and the levels of competition heated up.

Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) was happy in sixth place, with Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) overcoming the effects of a huge crash that brought out the red flags to go seventh, one place up on Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia).

Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) was just out of the final Superpole qualifying session, ninth fastest and top BMW rider after Troy Corser fell in Superpole two and finished 15th.

The second factory Ducati of Michel Fabrizio was 10th fastest, ahead of Checa’s team-mate, Shane Byrne.

Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare) went 12th in his first qualifying experience at Miller.

Impressive Ducati privateer Luca Scassa was 13th on his Supersonic Racing team 1098, ahead of struggling James Toseland, from the Yamaha Sterilgarda team.

The official Kawasaki Racing Team duo of Chris Vermeulen and Tom Sykes missed out on Superpole 2, with Sykes having a crunching highside crash in Superpole 1.

Local rider Roger Lee Hayden (Pedercini Kawasaki) went 20th.

Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) took his 10th career World Supersport pole position on Sunday to gain the psychological advantage over Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda).

Sofuoglu's pole time was a remarkable 1:51.281, another new track best.

Third in the ranking is the third place rider in the championship, Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com), who has his team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara for company on the front row.

World Superbike Qualifying Results
1. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1:47.081
2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1:47.414
3. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:47.648
4. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1:47.662
5. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:48.006
6. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1:48.035
7. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1:48.378
8. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1:48.621
9. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000RR 1:48.141
10. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1:48.154
11. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1:48.159
12. Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:48.162
13. Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1:48.274
14. Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:48.640
15. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000RR 1:48.706
16. Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1:48.964
17. Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:49.635
18. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:50.135
19. Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1:50.479
20. Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:50.596
21. Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:52.691

Major offers for new off road riders

From the Canadian Motorcycle Association

The Motopark off road riding facility has announced a free day ride and lesson program for Ontario motorcycle dealers to offer their customers.

The two programs for new and beginner riders are available to purchasers of new off road and motocross motorcycles or ATV’s from Ontario dealers January through June, 2010 and is supported by the Canadian Motorcycle Association.

The program is offered during the month of June. It’s a way for dealers to thank their customers and help insure they receive proper training in the use of their off road vehicle.

Dealers can request a Motopark certificate via email at info@motoparkracing.com. A certificate copy will be emailed to dealers for copying or they can request copies to their dealership. The dealer will print the customer and dealership name on the certificate and sign. Upon presentation the customer will receive a free day ride pass at Motopark good from 12 noon to 5pm Thursday through Monday during the month of June. No reservation is required.

Info on Motopark can be found at www.motoparkracing.com.

A free, two-hour beginner lesson will be offered as well, from 10am to 12 noon the same day as their Free Ride. The customer or dealer must reserve this lesson by email only to info@motoparkracing.com. Students completing the program will receive a free enthusiast membership in the CMA.

For more information on Motopark go to www.motoparkracing.com or email info@motoparkracing.com. Motopark is located on Moto Park Rd. just off Hwy. #6 approximately 20km north of Durham and 20km south of Owen Sound.

Muggeridge sweeps German round

From KTM Racing

The KTM Superbike Team Germany was impressive in the third race weekend of the IDM at the Nurburgring with the official RC8R rider Stefan Nebel on the podium and two fourth places for teammate Martin Bauer on Sunday.

The first race started on a dry track but with just two laps to go in the regular race distance it started to rain. Until then, both of the official KTM riders had worked their way forward from their second row grid positions. Nebel, who went into the first corner in fourth place profited when championship leader Joerg Teuchert crashed in front of him in the middle of the race and was therefore able to celebrate his podium place in his home race.

Bauer also delivered a good race. The double IDM Superbike champion did not take any risks going into a treacherously tight corner after the start but then the Austrian pulled out all the stops to hunt down the lead only to finish behind his RC8R colleague Nebel.

Victory went to the Australian Karl Muggeridge, who finished in front of Werner Daemen.

The second race on the 3.61 km circuit was stopped after a mass pile-up in the first corner. Bauer found the best way through the first corner when the race was restarted. The Austrian speedily worked his way up behind the leaders on his two-cylinder Superbike but despite his efforts, he still didn't quite manage the third place on the podium.

Bauer, who two weeks ago at Oschersleben delivered KTM's first ever Superbike victory in the IDM, battled with a loss of grip in the latter part of the race and finished six seconds behind the winner Muggeridge.

Nebel got hemmed into the first corner and lost a lot of places in the 28-rider field. Riding with a rear tire that was too hard, his efforts to chase down the leaders meant he finished in eighth place.

Race 1 Results
1. Karl Muggeridge (AUS), Honda
2. Werner Daemen (BEL), BMW
3. Stefan Nebel (GER), KTM
4. Martin Bauer, (AUT), KTM
5. Matej Smrz (CZE), Honda

Race Two Results
1. Karl Muggeridge (AUS), Honda
2. Werner Daemen (BEL), BMW
3. Barry Veneman (NL), BMW
4. Martin Bauer, (AUT), KTM
5. Joerg Teuchert (GER), Yamaha

IDM standings (after 6 of 16 races)
1. Karl Muggeridge (AUS), Honda, 123 points
2. Martin Bauer (AUT), KTM, 87
3. Barry Veneman (NL), BMW, 81
4. Joerg Teuchert (GER), Yamaha 76
5. Werner Daemen (BEL), BMW, 73
6. Stefan Nebel (GER), KTM, 71

All Archambault in Amateur opener

By John Hopkins

MIRABEL, QC – St-Colomban, QC’s Raphael Archambault led all 14 laps to win the opening round of the Amateur Sport Bike Championship as part of the Parts Canada Superbike weekend at Circuit ICAR on Sunday.

Riding a Honda CBR600RR with backing from Centre Hamel Honda, Archambault finished 4.873 secs. ahead of Jeremie Hade Precourt of Granby, QC on a Picotte Performance-backed Suzuki GSX-R600.
     
Third place went to Philippe Masse of St-Dominique, QC on a Kawasaki ZX-6R supported by Pete's Superbike.

The race was much closer than the winning margin would suggest, as Archambault was under constant pressure from Hade Precourt and Masse until he managed to get a break while lapping a trio of backmarkers with just over a lap to go.

"All weekend long I had a lot of difficulty with traffic," the 16-year-old Archambault admitted. "Today I was just lucky. I took three guys in a row."

All three podium finishers are graduates of last year's Suzuki SV650 National Cup, where Archambault was the champion, and Archambault and Hade Precourt also raced against each other in the inaugural Honda CBR125R Challenge in 2008. Archambault also won that title with a perfect season of five wins in five races.

The Amateur Sport Bike opener was Archambault's first race on the Honda CBR600RR, although he had tested at Calabogie Motorsports Park and ICAR. He qualified on pole with a new class record to complete a perfect weekend.

Hade Precourt and Masse exchanged second spot a couple of times, but neither rider was able to wrest the lead from Archambault.

"It was really close and lapped traffic is part of the race," said Hade Precourt of the closing laps. "I had a choice of making a hard pass or playing it safe and being sure of the points, and I chose the points."

Masse admitted to battling arm pump late in the race, which also caused him to drop back.

Despite picking up a five-second jump start penalty, St-Eustache, QC's Simon Proteau was fourth on a Kawasaki ZX-6R and Sylvain Dery of St-Colomban, QC took fifth aboard a Yamaha YZF-R6.

Number two qualifier Joey McRae was running fourth when he went down on lap 12. The Orangeville, ON rider recovered to place 20th on his R6 and claim the last championship point.

Ryan Appenrodt of Quesnel, BC claimed his second straight victory in the Honda CBR125R Challenge at Circuit ICAR on Sunday.

In a race very similar to Saturday’s season opener, Appenrodt finished 0.316 secs. ahead of Loic Viscasillas of Laval, QC, with Sarnia, ON’s Will Hornblower completing the podium in the 10-lap race, just 0.735 secs. behind the winner. The three had finished in the same order on Saturday after fighting each other for the win.

"I had a little bigger gap than yesterday but it was still a good fight," Appenrodt said. "I just tried to stick to my lines and on the last lap I stayed inside."

Appenrodt and Viscasillas made slight contact on the final lap as Viscasillas tried a run around the outside of turn 8.

Scott Lingelbach took fourth and Cedric Martineau came back from a crash on Saturday to place fifth.

Robert Busby of Brantford, ON won the opening round of the Sport Twins championship, riding his Buell XB12R to a 10.684-sec. victory over the Suzuki SV650 of Mississauga, ON’s Brent Strong. White Rock, BC racer Olivier Spilborghs was third on a Buell XB9R.

Amateur Sport Bike Race Results
1. Raphael Archambault, St-Colomban, QC, 14 laps, Honda CBR600RR       
2. Jeremie Hade Precourt, Granby, QC, +4.873, Suzuki GSX-R600  
3. Philippe Masse, St-Dominique, QC, +5.985, Kawasaki ZX-6R    
4. Simon Proteau, St-Eustache, QC, +19.642, Kawasaki ZX-6R (5 second jump start penalty)
5. Sylvain Dery, St-Colomban, QC, +20.800, Yamaha YZF-R6       
6. Bodhi Edie, Warman, SK, +25.063, Honda CBR600RR     
7. Steven Nickerson, Hamilton, ON, +27.423, Honda CBR600RR     
8. Alain Lefebvre, Rouyn-Noranda, QC, +30.655, Suzuki GSX-R600 
9. Aubrey Bailey, Parry Sound, ON, +31.780, Suzuki GSX-R600 (5 second jump start penalty)
10. Etienne Giguere, Levis, QC, +37.184, Honda CBR600RR
11. Bill McKay, Tavistock, ON, +38.778, Kawasaki ZX-6R 
12. Natalie Catherine Provost, Laval, QC, +42.064, Honda CBR600RR      
13. Vanessa Gareau, Montreal, QC, +47.961, Suzuki GSX-R600     
14. Samuel Proulx, Magog, QC, +48.078, Suzuki GSX-R600 
15. Dominic Dupont, Laval, QC, +49.314, Kawasaki ZX-6R 
16. Marco Dias, Bradford, ON, +50.837, Yamaha YZF-R6   
17. Lee Kuhn, Hamilton, ON, +52.978, Triumph Daytona   
18. Amy Szoke, Brantford, ON, +58.523, Honda CBR600RR  
19. Alex Coelho, Longueuil, QC, +59.763, Kawasaki ZX-6R
20. Joey McRae, Orangeville, ON, +1:24.700, Yamaha YZF-R6      
21. Andrew Morrissey, St. Thomas, ON, +1:25.900, Yamaha YZF-R6 
22. Daniel-Eric Ouimet, Lasalle, QC, +1:29.100, Suzuki GSX-R600
23. Etienne Deblois, Longueuil, QC, +1 Lap, Kawasaki ZX-6R     
24. Philippe Bonin, St-Colomban, QC, +1 Lap, Suzuki GSX-R600   
25. Jean-Sebastien Perreault, Becancour, QC, +1 Lap, Kawasaki ZX-6R (5 second jump start penalty)
26. Patrice Vachon, Quebec, QC, +1 Lap, Suzuki GSX-R600
Did Not Finish
Steve Greene, Laval, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600       
David Tremblay, Longueuil, QC, Honda CBR600RR  
Claude-Etienne Borduas, Montreal, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600  
David Mongrain, St-Jerome, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600 
Did Not Start
Roxanne Gravelle, Gatineau, QC, Yamaha YZF-R6
Fastest Lap: 1:28.553 by Jeremie Hade Precourt on lap 14

Amateur Sport Bike Standings
1. Raphael Archambault, 56
2. Jeremie Hade Precourt, 44
3. Philippe Masse, 37
4. Simon Proteau, 33
5. Sylvain Dery, 29
6. Bodhi Edie, 27
7. Steven Nickerson, 25
8. Alain Lefebvre, 23
9. Aubrey Bailey, 21
10. Etienne Giguere, 19
11. Bill McKay, 17
12. Natalie Catherine Provost, 15
13. Vanessa Gareau, 13
14. Samuel Proulx, 12
15. Dominic Dupont, 10
16. Marco Dias, 8
17. Lee Kuhn, 6
18. Joey McRae, 4
19. Amy Szoke, 4
20. Alex Coelho, 2

Honda CBR125R Race Results
1. Ryan R. Appenrodt, Quesnel, BC, 10 laps     
2. Loic Viscasillas, Laval, QC, +0.316
3. Will Hornblower, Sarnia, ON, +0.735
4. Scott Lingelbach, Wellesly, ON, +30.380
5. Cedric Martineau, Ste Catherine, QC, +33.547
6. Cody Conrad, Calgary, AB, +35.647
7. Robert Haynes, Calgary, AB, +37.996
8. Sam McManus, Calgary, AB, +40.355
9. Ryan McCormick, St-Lazare, QC, +46.363
10. Rheanna Christie, Keene, ON, +47.219
11. Eric Green, Richmond, ON, +1:04.943
12. Leah Vignale, Kemptville, ON, +1:21.786
13. Young Jae Kim, Mississauga, ON, +1:26.761
14. Karolina Pelc, Guelph, ON, +1:50.863
15. Stacey Nesbitt, Saint-Lazare, QC, +1:53.857
16. Seth Van Dongen, Belle River, ON, +1:57.519
17. Toni Nesbitt, Saint-Lazare, QC, +2 Laps
18. Allyssa Fox, Calgary, AB, +2 Laps
Did Not Finish
Austin Shaw-O'Leary, Falmouth, NS
Nicole Pilkington, Blackstock, ON
Fastest Lap: 1:49.900 by Loic Viscasillas on lap 3

Honda CBR125R Standings
1. Ryan Appenrodt, 107
2. Loic Viscasillas, 88
3. Will Hornblower, 76
4. Scott Lingelbach, 64
5. Robert Haynes, 54
6. Cody Conrad, 48
7. Sam McManus, 48
8. Rheanna Christie, 46
9. Ryan McCormick, 40
10. Cedric Martineau, 30
11. Leah Vignale, 30
12. Young Jae Kim, 30
13. Eric Green, 29
14. Austin Shaw-O'Leary, 23
15. Seth Van Dongen, 21
16. Karolina Pelc, 20
17. Stacey Nesbitt, 20
18. Toni Nesbitt, 12
19. Allyssa Fox, 8

Sport Twins Race Results
1. Robert Busby, Brantford, ON, 12 laps, Buell XB12R
2. Brent Strong, Mississauga, ON, +10.684, Suzuki SV650
3. Olivier Spilborghs, White Rock, BC, +22.383, Buell XB9R
4. Guy Lagace, Levis, QC, +32.094, Suzuki SV650
5. Philippe Bonin, St-Colomban, QC, +46.585, Suzuki SV650
6. Stuart Pilkington, Blackstock, ON, +57.014, Suzuki SV650
7. Tiberius Trifu, Kingston, ON, +1:32.296, Suzuki SV650
8. Stephane Leduc, St-Colomban, QC, +1 Lap, Suzuki SV650
Did Not Finish
Francois Chartrand, Repentigny, QC, Suzuki SV650

Sport Twins Standings
1. Robert Busby, 55
2. Brent Strong, 46
3. Olivier Spilborghs, 37
4. Guy Lagace, 34
5. Philippe Bonin, 30
6. Stuart Pilkington, 27
7. Tiberius Trifu, 25
8. Stephane Leduc, 23

Szoke takes Sport Bike win at ICAR

By John Hopkins

MIRABEL, QC – Jordan Szoke (Waznie Racing / Ciclo Werks BMC / DeWildt Honda) got his bid for a fifth straight Pro Sport Bike championship off to an excellent start with a narrow victory over Jodi Christie (Jodi Christie Racing / Durham Honda) in the season opener at Circuit ICAR on Sunday.
       
Szoke crossed the line 0.503 secs. ahead of Christie in a Honda CBR600RR 1-2 in the eight-lap race, which was shortened from the originally scheduled 14 due to an accident on lap 9.
       
Ste-Adele, QC’s Jean-Francois Cyr completed the podium on his Suzuki GSX-R600.

In a preview of the Superbike race later in the day, Christie got the holeshot from polesitter Szoke and led at the end of the first lap before a red flag brought the action to a halt.

The Keene, ON teenager duplicated his heroics on the restart but before the end of the opening lap Szoke was in front and these two pulled clear of Cyr and the rest of the field.

Christie never got a chance to work any last lap magic, as another red flag on lap 9 put an end to the race, leaving Szoke with the win.

"I was a little surprised he [Christie] was able to keep the pace," admitted the 31-year-old Szoke. "I couldn't get away enough and I had one little moment out there."

Szoke had opted to race with Pirelli's SC1 tire rather than the new SC3.

"I wanted to put in a couple of hot laps at the start, but then we got the red and that allowed the tire to cool a bit," Szoke said. "We should have gone with the [SC]3. Tire choice was a bit of a gamble, but it paid off today."

Christie said he felt comfortable in second place and thought there were a couple of places where he might have been able to pull a move on Szoke.

"I think our tire choice was a good one and I had a good pace going," said Christie, who used the SC3 rear. "I was just trying to stay as close as I could and wait for the end."

Cyr was never able to make an impression on the leaders but was able to stay well clear of a four-bike scramble for fourth spot.

"The bike is there, it makes me look good," Cyr admitted. "I got the bike about a week and a half ago and I'm still not really comfortable on it. It's not to the point where I can fight for a win. That will come."

Kenny Riedmann (Compulsion Racing / Pro 6 Cycle) led the battle for fourth for the first half of the race on his Triumph 675 Daytona before Frank Trombino (ProStar Motorsports / Sturgess Cycle) was able to get by and pull clear to finish fourth on his Honda CBR600RR.

Riedmann's fellow rookie Pro Cody Matechuk (Acceleration Racing) also got by on his Suzuki GSX-R600 and finished fifth.

"It was a good battle, lots of fun," the Cochrane, AB rider said. "I was getting my confidence back after a crash yesterday and I was pushing a little harder today."

Riedmann was left to hold off the Buell 1125R of Dave Estok (Ruthless Racing / Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada) for sixth.

The red flag on lap 2 was the result of two separate incidents involving Louie Raffa in turn 3 and Genevieve Lesieur in turn 13. Lesieur was able to take the restart and Raffa was on the Superbike grid later in the day.

The second red flag came about when Alain Campagna crashed and Billy Shields was caught up in the incident. Shields was not seriously hurt, while Campagna was taken to hospital with possible rib injuries.

Race Results
1. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, 8 laps, Honda CBR600RR 
2. Jodi Christie, Keene, ON, +0.503, Honda CBR600RR    
3. Jean-Francois Cyr, Ste. Adele, QC, +11.31, Suzuki GSX-R600  
4. Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, +15.198, Honda CBR600RR      
5. Cody Matechuk, Cochrane, AB, +16.428, Suzuki GSX-R600       
6. Kenny Riedmann, Belfountain, ON, +18.46, Triumph Daytona 675
7. Dave Estok, New Smyrna Beach, FL, +18.643, Buell 1125R      
8. Darren James, North Vancouver, BC, +27.616, Buell 1125R     
9. James Collins, Kaladar, ON, +35.719, Yamaha YZF-R6  
10. Scott Rupert, Gadshill, ON, +40.593, Suzuki GSX-R600       
11. Marie-Josee Boucher, Montreal, QC, +41.778, Honda CBR600RR 
12. Sebastien Tremblay, Sherbrooke, QC, +42.113, Honda CBR600RR (5 sec. Jump Start Penalty)
13. Alain Campagna, Mascouche, QC, +40.985, Yamaha YZF-R6      
14. Billy Shields, Unionville, ON, +41.305, Yamaha YZF-R6
Fastest Lap: 1:25.529 by Jodi Christie on lap 2
Did Not Finish 
Genevieve Lesieur, Quebec City, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600    
Did Not Start
Robert Busby, Brantford, ON, Kawasaki ZX-6R    
Louie Raffa, Ste-Marthe, QC, Yamaha YZF-R6

Point Standings
1. Jordan Szoke, 56
2. Jodi Christie, 45
3. Jean-Francois Cyr, 39
4. Frank Trombino, 32
5. Cody Matechuk, 29
6. Kenny Riedmann, 28
7. Dave Estok, 25
8. Darren James, 23
9. James Collins, 21
10. Scott Rupert, 19
11. Marie-Josee Boucher, 17
12. Sebastien Tremblay, 15
13. Alain Campagna, 13
14. Billy Shields, 12

Szoke edges Christie for Superbike win

By John Hopkins

MIRABEL, QC – Veteran Jordan Szoke (Waznie Racing / BMC Ciclo Werks / DeWildt Honda) held off young upstart Jodi Christie (Jodi Christie Racing / Durham Honda) to win the opening round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Circuit ICAR near Montreal on Sunday.
       
The 31-year-old Szoke led all 18 laps of the race around the 2.8km (1.74-mile) circuit on his Honda CBR1000RR but couldn’t shake 17-year-old Christie and his Honda CBR600RR. Despite a couple of late challenges by Christie, Szoke was able to hang on to win by 0.668 secs.

Kevin Lacombe (Lacombe Racing Suzuki) completed the podium on his Suzuki GSX-R1000.
       
“I get older and I keep getting these younger and younger guys chasing me,” said Szoke, who scored a perfect 56 points from the weekend by starting from pole position, leading the most laps and taking the win. “It’s a long race and I thought I might be able to break away, but Jodi stuck right there.”
       
The win was Szoke’s 30th career national Superbike triumph, the most in series history. He is trying to win his record seventh Canadian Superbike crown and fifth straight Parts Canada Superbike title.
       
“This takes a lot of weight off us,” the Brantford, Ont. rider said. “It’s a real good start for the championship, because Kevin and the rest of the guys are only going to get faster as the year goes on.”
       
Christie grabbed the holeshot off the start but Szoke was into the lead before the end of the first lap. But the Keene, Ont. racer never fell more than a second behind in his pursuit of the leader.
       
“I was trying really hard and I thought I could make a move on the last lap but I messed up the chicane,” said Christie, who won last year’s HJC Pro Rookie of the Year award. “I knew it was doable and I tried hard to stick behind him. I have to be satisfied with my weekend.”
       
Despite giving away 400cc to Szoke, Christie was able to make the CBR600RR work to his advantage on the tight and technical ICAR track, and Szoke survived a couple of moments near the end as his rear Pirelli started to show its wear.

"Superbikes will spin up and mine was spinning up a lot at the end," Szoke admitted. "You have to just trust it, but it's hard to do here and I had a few little moments. I hit a seam a couple of times and it spit me off a bit."

Lacombe was seventh at the end of the first lap and wasn’t able to work his way up to third until lap 10. By then Szoke and Christie were eight seconds ahead, and the Granby, QC rider eventually finished 14.717 secs. behind the winner.

Two-time Parts Canada Superbike champion Pascal Picotte came to the track late on Saturday to help Lacombe with the set up of his bike, which he had purchased from Picotte's dealership just a couple of weeks ago.

"Today it was like a new bike," said Lacombe, who was within two tenths of a second of Szoke in the morning warm up after qualifying seventh. “For sure I could have run with those guys [Szoke and Christie] the whole race. With the set up I had I was able to brake really deep and that’s where I made my passes.”

Frank Trombino (ProStar Motorsports / Sturgess Cycle) emerged from an exciting battle to take fourth on his Honda CBR1000RR. The Kleinburg, ON racer was as far back as seventh at half distance but worked his way forward, finally passing Francis Martin (Rush HD / BMW Motorrad Canada) four laps from the end.
       
Mississauga, ON’s Michael Ferreira (Rush HD / BMW Motorrad Canada) also got by his team-mate to take fifth on his BMW S1000RR, with Sherbrooke, Que. ace Martin settling for sixth on another BMW S1000RR. After qualifying third on Saturday Martin hit tire trouble at half distance in the race, while lying third. Shortly after Trombino passed him Martin suffered a big moment and decided discretion was the part part of valour.

"I was fighting to keep the bike on two wheels," he admitted. "I'm not sure what the problem was. We tested with the same tire the whole weekend with no problems. Maybe we got a bad tire, or it was because the weather changed a bit."
       
Alex Welsh of Uxbridge, ON's (Competition Systems Kawasaki Race Team) on a Kawasaki ZX-10R just held off the BMW S1000RR of Andrew Nelson (Orion Motorsports / BMW Motorrad Canada) for seventh.
       
Kars, ON’s Nelson had qualified second for the race but ended the first lap in fourth and was unable to threaten the frontrunners. He said a minor pre-race change had upset the handling of his BMW right off the bat.
     
In another close call at the line top rookie Cody Matechuk of Cochrane, Alta. (Acceleration Racing) finished ninth on his Suzuki GSX-R600 ahead of the GSX-R600 of Ste-Adele, Que.’s Jean-Francois Cyr (CyRacing). Cyr made an impressive recovery after crashing on lap 2 and dropping to the back of the field.

Kenny Riedmann (Compulsion Racing / Pro 6 Cycle) ran a lonely race to 11th on his Triumph 675 Daytona while Marie-Josee Boucher (Excel Moto Honda) passed Ross Millson (RMP Motorsports Suzuki) on the final lap to snatch 12th.

Scott Rupert completed the finishers on his Suzuki.

Race Results
1. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, Ont., Honda CBR1000RR, 18 laps
2. Jodi Christie, Keene, Ont., Honda CBR600RR, 18
3. Kevin Lacombe, St-Cesaire, Que., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 18
4. Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, Ont., Honda CBR1000RR, 18
5. Mike Ferreira, Mississauga, Ont., BMW S1000RR, 18
6. Francis Martin, Sherbrooke, Que., BMW S1000RR, 18
7. Alex Welsh, Uxbridge, Ont., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 18
8. Andrew Nelson, Kars, Ont., BMW S1000RR, 18
9. Cody Matechuk, Cochrane, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R600, 18
10. Jean-Francois Cyr, Ste-Adele, Que., Suzuki GSX-R600, 18
11. Kenny Riedmann, Belfountain, Ont., Triumph Daytona 675, 18
12. Marie-Josee Boucher, Montreal, Que., Honda CBR600RR, 18
13. Ross Millson, Hamilton, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 18
14. Scott Rupert, Gadshill, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17
Did Not Finish
Louie Raffa, Ste-Marthe, Que., Yamaha YZF-R6, 13
Franklyn Dominguez, Montreal, Que., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 2
Sean Huffman, Kemptville, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1
Did Not Start
Alain Campagna, Mascouche, Que., Yamaha YZF-R6
Martin Ricard, Montreal, Que., Kawasaki ZX-10R
Sebastien Tremblay, Sherbrooke, Que., Honda CBR600RR
Margin of Victory: 0.668 secs.
Fastest Lap: 1:25.289 by Jordan Szoke on lap 8

Point Standings
1.Jordan Szoke, 56
2. Jodi Christie, 43
3. Kevin Lacombe, 37
4. Frank Trombino, 32
5. Francis Martin, 29
6. Mike Ferreira, 29
7. Andrew Nelson, 26
8. Alex Welsh, 25
9. Cody Matechuk, 21
10. Jean-Francois Cyr, 19
11. Kenny Riedmann, 17
12. Marie-Josee Boucher, 15
13. Ross Millson, 13
14. Scott Rupert, 12

Provost powers to second straight win

By John Hopkins


MIRABEL, QC -- Natalie Catherine Provost scored her second straight Pro Honda Oils Women's Cup victory at Circuit ICAR on Sunday.


The Laval, QC racer started from pole and grabbed the lead from Vanessa Gareau Dominguez on the opening lap before pulling clear to a convincing win on her Les Soeurs en Vrac Honda CBR600RR.


Provost finished the 12-lap race 6.664 secs. clear of Genevieve Lesieur on the Sport Patoine / Laval Moto Suzuki GSX-R600 and the Seamont Brokerage Suzuki GSX-R600 of Gareau Dominguez.

"I didn't want to make any mistakes so I slowed the pace down," said Provost, who made the pass for the lead exiting turn three. "Then I got the signal that Gigi [Lesieur] was catching me and I had to pick it up again. But everything was perfect. I made no mistakes and the race went super well."

Lesieur grabbed second from Gareau Dominguez on lap five and immediately started to close the gap on Provost, getting to within three seconds by half distance. But Provost turned her fastest lap of the race, a 1:30.818, on lap eight and opened up her lead again.

"It was a really fun race," said Quebec City's Lesieur. "I worked hard to catch Vanessa, but I couldn't catch Natalie. She was too fast today."

Despite being penalized five seconds for a jump start Gareau Dominguez took a safe third. The Montreal racer did well to recover from a crash on Saturday that badly damaged her new GSX-R600.

"I had a small crash in turn three that turned into a big crash when my bike hit the guardrail," she explained. "But the racers in this paddock are incredible. My bike was in pieces but so many people helped out. Clint McBain even brought me a new shock. I'm happy I was able to bounce back like this today."

After originally being part of the battle for second Amy Szoke of Brantford, ON dropped back to a lonely fourth place finish on the Waznie Racing Honda CBR600RR and Ottawa's Samantha Goyer completed the top five riding a Suzuki GSX-R600.

Race Results
1. Natalie Catherine Provost, Laval, QC, 12 laps, Honda CBR600RR
2. Genevieve Lesieur, Quebec City, QC, +6.664, Suzuki GSX-R600
3. Vanessa Gareau Dominguez, Montreal, QC, +16.407, Suzuki GSX-R600 (includes five-second Jump Start penalty)
4. Amy Szoke, Brantford, ON, +24.816, Honda CBR600RR
5. Samantha Goyer, Ottawa, ON, +39.551, Suzuki GSX-R600
6. Roxanne Gravelle, Gatineau, QC, +1:26.324, Yamaha YZF-R6
7. Michelle Tennier, Trenton, ON, +1 Lap, Suzuki GSX-R600
8. Sunny Park, St. Thomas, ON, +1 Lap, Suzuki GSX-R600
Fastest Lap: 1:30.818 by Natalie Catherine Provost on lap 8

Smrz fastest at Miller

From worldsbk.com

Jakub ‘Kuba' Smrz (Pata B&G Ducati) boomed his big Ducati to provisional pole after the first World Superbike qualifying session at Miller Motorsports Park on Saturday, setting a 1:48.517 that was under the existing race lap record, if not quite beating the absolute track best.

Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) was a close second, and the Yamaha Sterilgarda four-cylinder machine of Cal Crutchlow third.

World Championship leader Leon Haslam was fourth on his Suzuki Alstare machine. Althea Ducati riders Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne mixed it up with the factory bikes once again, fifth and sixth respectively. The top 13 bikes were within the same second.

In Supersport, Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) once more made a good start to his race weekend, posting a 1:51.652 second lap to break the outright Supersport best lap at Miller. He has a clear early advantage over Kawasaki Motocard.com rider Joan Lascorz, who set a 1:52.211.

David Salom (ParkinGo BE-1 Triumph) ensured there was variety in the top slots by finishing third quickest, one place up on supported Kawasaki rider Fabien Foret (Lorenzini by Leoni).

World Superbike Qualifying Results
1. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1:48.517
2. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1:48.670
3. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:48.682
4. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:48.734
5. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1:48.742
6. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1:48.853
7. Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:48.887
8. Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1:48.945
9. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000RR 1:49.040
10. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1:49.191
11. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1:49.281
12. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1:49.386
13. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1:49.443
14. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:49.748
15. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000RR 1:49.961
16. Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1:50.121
17. Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:50.133
18. Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:50.806
19. Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1:51.074
20. Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:51.122
21. Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:53.724

Wet start for Isle of Man TT

From the Isle of Man TT

The scene for the start of the 2010 Isle of Man TT Road Races is now set although weather conditions are currently inclement with consistent drizzle and heavy cloud blanketing the Island on Saturday, the first official day of TT10.

Saturday’s practice session wwas changed to a speed controlled session just for solo and sidecar newcomers.

With no date clashes this year, all of the leading competitors will be out in force with a number of them looking to get their first taste on new machinery at the earliest possible opportunity, including recent HM Plant Honda recruits Keith Amor and Michael Rutter on their Superbike and Superstock machines respectively.

Olie Linsdell and his Moto2 machine were also expected to take to the track Saturday evening, the debut appearance in the UK of one of the new GP machines.

Honda riders John McGuinness and Ian Hutchinson starred at the recent North West 200 meeting as did Amor on his privately entered machinery so all three come into this year’s event high on confidence and form.

As is often the case at the North West, there was little to choose between the racers and that trend is set to continue on the Island. The TAS Suzuki pairing of Bruce Anstey and Cameron Donald had low key days in Northern Ireland and they will be eager to make their mark here.

However, when it comes to the TT, the benchmark for everyone continues to be McGuinness. Now with 15 wins to his name, the Morecambe rider shows no signs of slowing down and he’s back to his best on the short circuits too. Relaxed as always, McGuinness is, arguably, in the form of his life and continues with the same set up as in previous years, riding in the colours of both HM Plant and Padgetts, a combination that will, again, take some stopping.

The North West 200 saw McGuinness, Hutchinson and Amor all perform well while Conor Cummins and Ryan Farquhar were other podium finishers but other riders that can be added into the mix over the next fortnight include Guy Martin (still striving for that first TT win), Gary Johnson, Ian Lougher, Adrian Archibald, Dan Stewart, Carl Rennie and James Hillier.

The Dunlop brothers are also expected to shine with Michael keen to prove himself on the Superbikes this year and William hoping to build on his impressive results from last year.

The Sidecars teams will also be eager to get their first taste of the Mountain Course this year as soon as possible with Dave Molyneux, John Holden, Tim Reeves and Simon Neary expected to be the four main contenders in the two three-lap races. Strong challenges will also come from Klaus Klaffenbock, Steve Coombes, Roy Hanks, Gary Bryan, Tony Elmer and Greg Lambert.

Hatton survives opening day

From Rally Raid Canada

DUNCAN, BC -- Canadian Don Hatton has completed the first day for racing in the 2010 Sardegna Rally Race in Sardinia, Italy.

“Exciting day! Long stages with average speed of only 40 km/hr. Very narrow and rocky, just like riding the deer or mountain bike trails back home,” Hatton said.

It was pouring rain during the special stage, making it even tougher for the competitors more used to riding in the North African sand dunes. The four-foot deep water crossing was exceptionally tough.

Marc Coma is leading the race overall, but Hatton's position is currently unavailable.

The second stage is the 'Marathon Stage', ending at the Polygon Military compound in the Sardinian mountains. This means the riders will not have their support teams to help with the maintenance or repair of the bike. Also all the competitors are housed in large communal tent in an 'African Style' bivouac for the night.

Appenrodt wins Honda CBR opener

By John Hopkins

MIRABEL, QC – Racing action at the opening round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Circuit ICAR got underway on Saturday with Quesnel, BC’s Ryan Appenrodt edging Loic Viscasillas of Laval, QC by 0.017 secs. in the Honda CBR125R Challenge race.

Sarnia, ON’s Will Hornblower placed third, just 1.465 secs. behind the winner after a dramatic battle between the top three in the 10-lap race.

Viscasillas had qualified on pole earlier in the day but it was Appenrodt who grabbed the initiative off the start. He ended up leading across the start/finish stripe nine times, although he was under constant pressure from Viscasillas and Hornblower. Appenrodt managed to get a slight break in traffic on the final lap, only to have Viscasillas close back up and make a run on him out of the final corner, coming up less than a wheel length short of the win.

"I had no idea who had won," Appenrodt admitted. "I looked at Loic, and he looked at me, I don't think he knew either. I thought I got an advantage [through traffic], maybe Loic was held up a bit, but apparently not. If this is a sneak peak at what the season is going to be like, it's going to be a fun year."

Viscasillas had some good coaching in the form of his mother, Pro Honda Oils Women's Cup frontrunner Natalie Catherine Provost.

"She helps me a lot," he said. "She helped with the set up and my pit board. After I got pole I thought I had a good chance of winning."

Hornblower lost touch with the top two in traffic just a couple of laps from the end of the race.

"I need to work on my conditioning," said the third place finisher, who is making his racing debut this season. "I was pushing pretty hard. I tried to go around some lappers and I ran wide, and I couldn't make it back up."

There were close battles further down the field as well. Scott Lingelbach of Wellesley, ON took fourth while Keene, ON's Rheanna Christie -- sister to top Pro Jodi Christie -- held off Sam McManus of Calgary and Falmouth, NS's Austin Shaw-O'Leary for fifth at the line.

Calgary's Cody Conrad came back from a qualifying crash to finish eighth, gaining two spots on the final lap at the expense of St-Lazare, QC's Ryan McCormick and Young Jae Kim of Mississauga, ON. McCormick also did well to make up ground after almost being left on the line at the start.

The Honda CBR125R Challenge competitors have another 10-lap race on Sunday.

Race Results (All competitors on Honda CBR125Rs)
1. Ryan R. Appenrodt, Quesnel, BC, 10 laps
2. Loic Viscasillas, Laval, QC, +0.017
3. Will Hornblower, Sarnia, ON, +1.465
4. Scott Lingelbach, Wellesly, ON, +36.524
5. Rheanna Christie, Keene, ON, +51.069
6. Sam McManus, Calgary, AB, +51.426
7. Austin Shaw-O'Leary, Falmouth, NS, +51.474
8. Cody Conrad, Calgary, AB, +1:17.9
9. Ryan McCormick, St-Lazare, QC, +1:18.0
10. Young Jae Kim, Mississauga, ON, +1:19.5
11. Leah Vignale, Kemptville, ON, +1:30.5
12. Seth Van Dongen, Belle River, ON, +2:00.2
13. Eric Green, Richmond, ON, +1 Lap
14. Stacey Nesbitt, Saint-Lazare, QC, +1 Lap
15. Karolina Pelc, Guelph, ON, +1 Lap
16. Toni Nesbitt, Saint-Lazare, QC, +2 Laps
17. Allyssa Fox, Calgary, AB, +2 Laps
Did Not Finish
Cedric Martineau, Ste-Catherine, QC
Nicole Pilkington, Blackstock, ON

Fastest Lap: 1:51.097 by Loic Viscasillas on lap 10

Szoke cruises to Sport Bike pole

By John Hopkins

MIRABEL, Que. – Jordan Szoke (Waznie Racing / BMC Ciclo Werks / DeWildt Honda) easily grabbed pole position for this weekend's Pro Sport Bike national season opener at Circuit ICAR with a lap record effort on Saturday.

The Brantford, ON racer finished the half-hour session with a time of 1:24.769 on his Honda CBR600RR to lead the field by almost a full second. Jodi Christie (Jodi Christie Racing / Durham Honda) completed a Honda 1-2 with a 1:25.700 on another CBR600RR and Jean-Francois Cyr (CyRacing) placed third at 1:26.364 riding his Suzuki GSX-R600.

Brett McCormick held the previous class record of 1:24.794.

Szoke turned a time of 1:25.154 early in the session using Pirelli's new SC3 DOT tire, before reverting to the SC1 just past the halfway point to set his record time.

"I've been riding with the SC3 all weekend and I did a really good time on it, but we decided to try the [SC]1 and I went a little quicker," said Szoke, who is trying to win a fifth straight Pro Sport Bike championship this summer. "Tomorrow morning we'll do a few more laps on the '1' and make a decision on which to use in the race. The '3' is good for 100 fast laps and comes in quickly. It's quite a tire."

The SC3 was introduced into the World Supersport Championship last year by Pirelli and was brought over to Canada for the start of this season.

Christie started with an SC3 tire and turned his quick lap early in the session. He was unable to improve on that time with the SC1 later.

"I just couldn't get a good, consistent lap in," he explained.

Impressive rookie Pro Kenny Riedmann (Compulsion Racing / Pro 6 Cycle) completes the front row of the Pro Sport Bike grid after turning a 1:27.045 on his Triumph 675 Daytona.

The second row will be made up of Frank Trombino (ProStar Motorsports / Sturgess Cycle) on a Honda CBR600RR, Dave Estok (Ruthless Racing / Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada) riding a Buell 1125R and another rookie Pro, Suzuki GSX-R600 rider Cody Matechuk (Acceleration Racing).

Raphael Archambault of St-Colomban, QC qualified on pole for Sunday’s Amateur Sport Bike season opener with a time of 1:29.437 on his Honda CBR600RR. His effort beat the previous class lap record of 1:29.513 set at this event last year by Matechuk.

The 16-year-old Archambault, who won last year's Suzuki SV650 Cup title and was the 2008 Honda CBR125R Challenge champ, battled through some suspension issues to turn his pole lap right at the end of Saturday's qualifying session.

"I was a little scared because my Dad was showing me 'P2' on the pit board all along," Archambault said. "I knew I had to drop four-tenths so I tried to stop worrying about the suspension and just do good lines. The suspension was a little soft but it will be better tomorrow."

Orangeville, ON’s Joey McRae will start second after setting a time of 1:29.728 on a Yamaha YZF-R6 and Granby, QC racer Jeremie Hade Precourt was third fastest at 1:29.778 riding a Suzuki GSX-R600. The front row is completed by Simon Proteau of St-Eustache, QC on a Kawasaki ZX-6R.

Mississauga, ON’s Brent Strong set the fastest time in qualifying for the Sport Twins class with a time of 1:31.809 on his Suzuki SV650. Rob Busby of Brantford, ON was second quickest at 1:32.205 on his newly acquired Buell XB12 after also trying his SV650.

White Rock, BC racer Olivier Spilborghs set the third best time of 1:34.079 riding a Buell XB9 for the Ruthless team but was penalized for exceeding the class horsepower limit of 95hp in post race tech, coming in at 98.87. That promoted Suzuki rider Guy Lagace of Levis, QC to third on the grid.

Laval, QC's Natalie Catherine Provost will start from pole in Sunday’s opening race of the day for the Pro Honda Oils Women’s Cup after setting the fastest time of 1:32.221 in qualifying on her Honda CBR600RR. Provost, whose son Loic Viscasillas finished second in the Honda CBR125R Challenge race earlier in the day, won last year's Women's Cup race at ICAR.

Montreal's Vanessa Gareau Dominguez bounced back from a morning crash to qualify second on her Suzuki GSX-R600 and Genevieve Lesieur of Quebec City was third fastest on another Suzuki.

Pro Sport Bike Qualifying Results
1. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, 1:24.769, Honda CBR600RR
2. Jodi Christie, Keene, ON, 1:25.700, Honda CBR600RR
3. J-F Cyr, Ste. Adele, QC, 1:26.364, Suzuki GSX-R600
4. Kenny Riedmann, Belfountain, ON, 1:27.045, Triumph Daytona 675
5. Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, 1:27.301, Honda CBR600RR
6. Dave Estok, New Smyrna Beach, FL, 1:28.292, Buell 1125R
7. Cody Matechuk, Cochrane, AB, 1:28.559, Suzuki GSX-R600
8. Louie Raffa, Ste-Marthe, QC, 1:28.587, Yamaha YZF-R6
9. James Collins, Kaladar, ON, 1:28.945, Yamaha YZF-R6
10. Darren James, North Vancouver, BC, 1:29.020, Buell 1125R
11. Billy Shields, Unionville, ON, 1:29.401, Yamaha YZF-R6
12. Alain Campagna, Mascouche, QC, 1:29.422, Yamaha YZF-R6
13. Robert Busby, Brantford, ON, 1:29.826, Kawasaki ZX-6R
14. Sebastien Tremblay, Sherbrooke, QC, 1:29.911, Honda CBR600RR
15. Marie-Josee Boucher, Montreal, QC, 1:30.075, Honda CBR600RR
16. Scott Rupert, Gadshill, ON, 1:30.601, Suzuki GSX-R600
17. Genevieve Lesieur, Quebec City, QC, 1:32.281, Suzuki GSX-R600

Amateur Sport Bike Qualifying Results
1. Raphael Archambault, St-Colomban, QC, Honda CBR600RR, 1:29.437
2. Joey McRae, Orangeville, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:29.728
3. Jeremie Hade Precourt, Granby, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:29.778
4. Simon Proteau, St-Eustache, QC, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:30.097
5. Philippe Masse, St-Dominique, QC, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:30.270
6. Aubrey Bailey, Parry Sound, ON, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.468
7. Etienne Giguere, Levis, QC, Honda CBR600RR, 1:30.759
8. Sylvain Dery, St-Colomban, QC, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.338
9. Steve Greene, Laval, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:31.545
10. Bill McKay, Tavistock, ON, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:31.689
11. Alain Lefebvre, Rouyn-Noranda, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:31.718
12. Bodhi Edie, Warman, SK, Honda CBR600RR, 1:31.727
13. Natalie Catherine Provost, Laval, QC, Honda CBR600RR, 1:31.879
14. Steven Nickerson, Hamilton, ON, Honda CBR600RR, 1:31.909
15. Vanessa Gareau, Montreal, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:32.398
16. David Mongrain, St-Jerome, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:33.024
17. Marco Dias, Bradford, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:33.120
18. Dominic Dupont, Laval, QC, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:33.730
19. Samuel Proulx, Magog, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:33.912
20. Patrice Vachon, Quebec, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:34.095
21. Amy Szoke, Brantford, ON, Honda CBR600RR, 1:34.421
22. Lee Kuhn, Hamilton, ON, Triumph Daytona 675, 1:34.785
23. Daniel-Eric Ouimet, Lasalle, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:35.110
24. Jean-Sebastien Perreault, Becancour, QC, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:35.248
25. Etienne Deblois, Longueuil, QC, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:35.301
26. Alex Coelho, Longueuil, QC, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:35.370
27. Andrew Morrissey, St. Thomas, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:37.756
28. Claude-Etienne Borduas, Montreal, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:38.549
29. David Tremblay, Longueuil, QC, Honda CBR600RR, 1:38.969
30. Philippe Bonin, St-Colomban, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:39.348
31. Roxanne Gravelle, Gatineau, QC, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:41.717

Sport Twins Qualifying Results
1. Brent Strong, Mississauga, ON, 1:31.809, Suzuki SV650       
2. Robert Busby, Brantford, ON, 1:32.205, Buell XB12   
3. Guy Lagace, Levis, QC, 1:36.133, Suzuki SV650       
4. Philippe Bonin, St-Colomban, QC, 1:37.075, Suzuki SV650     
5. Tiberius Trifu, Kingston, ON, 1:38.310, Suzuki SV650
6. Stephane Leduc, St-Colomban, QC, 1:42.949, Suzuki SV650     
7. Stuart Pilkington, Blackstock, ON, No Time, Suzuki SV650    
8. Olivier Spilborghs, White Rock, BC, 1:34.079, Buell XB9 (Penalty for exceeding horsepower limit)

Pro Honda Oils Women's Cup Qualifying Results
1. Natalie Catherine Provost, Laval, QC, 1:32.221, Honda CBR600RR
2. Vanessa Gareau Dominguez, Montreal, QC, 1:32.764, Suzuki GSX-R600
3. Genevieve Lesieur, Quebec City, QC, 1:32.780, Suzuki GSX-R600
4. Amy Szoke, Brantford, ON, 1:33.421, Honda CBR600RR
5. Samantha Goyer, Ottawa, ON, 1:36.200, Suzuki GSX-R600
6. Roxanne Gravelle, Gatineau, QC, 1:39.798, Yamaha YZF-R6
7. Michelle Tennier, Trenton, ON, 1:49.180, Suzuki GSX-R600
8. Sunny Park, St. Thomas, ON, 1:53.543, Suzuki GSX-R600

Szoke on pole at ICAR

By John Hopkins

MIRABEL, QC – Jordan Szoke (Waznie Racing / BMC Ciclo Werks / DeWildt Honda) continued a perfect weekend at Circuit ICAR by qualifying on pole position for this weekend’s opening round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship on Saturday.

The Brantford, ON racer took his Honda CBR1000RR around the 2.8km (1.74-mile), 14-turn track near Montreal in one minute, 24.910 seconds (118.714km/h) during Pirelli SuperPole qualifying to claim the $500 Inside Motorcycle Pole Position Award and four points toward his bid for a fifth straight Canadian national title.
       
“I think I could have beaten the lap record but we took the tire off the warmer too early and the tire cooled down a bit,” said the 31-year-old Szoke, who used a Pirelli SC1 slick on the rear. “I couldn’t get heat into it and it spun up a couple of times. It's a great tire but it takes a while to get some temperature into it.”
       
The Superbike lap record at Circuit ICAR is 1:24.359, set last year by Brett McCormick.
     
Andrew Nelson (Orion Motorsports / BMW Motorrad Canada) of Kars, ON qualified second for Sunday’s race with a lap at 1:25.470 on his BMW S1000RR and Sherbrooke, QC’s Francis Martin (Rush HD / BMW Motorrad Canada) was third at 1:25.542 on another BMW.
       
Keene, ON’s Jodi Christie (Jodi Christie Racing / Durham Honda) completes the front row after turning a lap at 1:25.758 on his Honda CBR600RR.
       
Szoke has been quickest in every session at ICAR this weekend as he debuts his own Honda race team. Szoke is gunning for a record seventh Canadian Superbike title and fifth straight Parts Canada crown.
       
“I’ve put all my savings, my earnings, mortgaged my house to do this,” Szoke said. “Pole position is the biggest reward right now.”

SuperPole was Szoke's first venture below the 1:25 barrier, although he came close with a 1:25.027 in Saturday morning's prequalifying, which set the field of 10 for the afternoon's SuperPole session.

"I think we can be consistent with these times," said Szoke after his SuperPole performance. "We still need a little more rear grip. We tried a link earlier in the week that gave to much rear grip and we're trying to meet somewhere in the middle. We were here pretty late last night changing the offset and working on the suspension."

Nelson produced his best ever Superbike national qualifying performance and gave BMW an impressive debut in the feature class with his second place, surpassing even the BMW factory bikes of Martin and Michael Ferreira. Nelson had been sixth coming into the SuperPole session after recording a 1:26.251 in prequalifying.
       
“I was trying very, very hard,” said the 25-year-old, who finished third in last year’s Superbike race at ICAR. “We made some changes just before we went out and I wasn’t sure what to expect.”
       
BMW managed to place three bikes in the top six, as Mississauga, ON’s Ferreira (Rush HD / BMW Motorrad Canada) qualified sixth with a time of 1:26.074 on his S1000RR.
       
“I think this is great for our first time out,” said Martin, a two-time Canadian Superbike champion, who was seventh after prequalifying with a 1:26.252. “I think the team has done a great job and this is an awesome bike.

"We made a change to the suspension that helped me big time. I think with the set up we have now we can do a whole race at this pace. We have a good shot at the podium."

Ferreira was stunned by his SuperPole lap after turning a 1:26.276 in the morning prequalifying. He also survived a couple of scary moments on his SuperPole lap.

"I ran way wide in turn two," he explained, "and then I pushed hard into turn three to try and get back some time and lost the front. I thought I was going to crash."

Christie bounced back from a minor crash on Friday to earn his best Parts Canada Superbike starting position in SuperPole qualifying. He had been fifth after prequalifying with a time of 1:26.193.
     
“I had a slide out of turn two when I tried to open the throttle a little early, but it was nothing too serious,” said last year’s HJC Pro Rookie of the Year.
       
St-Cesaire, Que.’s Kevin Lacombe (Lacombe Racing) qualified a disappointing fifth on his Suzuki GSX-R1000 with a time of 1:25.887 after placing second in Saturday morning’s pre-qualifying session at 1:25.794. He was one of five riders who were unable to better their morning times in SuperPole.
       
He will be joined on the second row by Ferreira and Frank Trombino (ProStar Motorsports / Sturgess Cycle) of Kleinburg, Ont., who was seventh fastest in Pirelli SuperPole with a time of 1:26.388.
       
Uxbridge, ON’s Alex Welsh (Competition Systems Kawasaki Race Team) placed eighth fastest at 1:26.678 on his Kawasaki ZX-10R and Jean-Francois Cyr of Ste-Adele, QC (CyRacing) will start ninth on Sunday after recording a 1:27.117 riding his Suzuki GSX-R600.
       
Kenny Riedmann (Compulsion Racing / Pro 6 Cycle) crashed his Triumph 675 Daytona in turn one on his SuperPole lap and the Belfountain, ON rookie Pro will start 10th on Sunday.

Fellow rookie Cody Matechuk (Acceleration Racing) completes the third row of the grid after setting the 11th fastest time in prequalifying and missing SuperPole. The Cochrane, AB rider missed the last 10 minutes of the prequalifying session after crashing his Suzuki GSX-R600 in turn eight.

Qualifying Results
1. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, Ont., 1:24.910, Honda CBR1000RR
2. Andrew Nelson, Kars, Ont., 1:25.470, BMW S1000RR
3. Francis Martin, Sherbrooke, Que., 1:25.542, BMW S1000RR
4. Jodi Christie, Keene, Ont., 1:25.758, Honda CBR600RR
5. Kevin Lacombe, St-Cesaire, Que., 1:25.887, Suzuki GSX-R1000
6. Mike Ferreira, Mississauga, Ont., 1:26.074, BMW S1000RR
7. Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, Ont., 1:26.388, Honda CBR1000RR
8. Alex Welsh, Uxbridge, Ont., 1:26.678, Kawasaki ZX-10R
9. Jean-Francois Cyr, Ste-Adele, Que., 1:27.117, Suzuki GSX-R600
10. Kenny Riedmann, Belfountain, Ont., No Time, Triumph Daytona 675
11. Cody Matechuk, Cochrane, Alta., 1:27.109, Suzuki GSX-R600
12. Louie Raffa, Ste-Marthe, Que., 1:29.351, Yamaha YZF-R6
13. Scott Rupert, Gadshill, Ont., 1:29.392, Suzuki GSX-R1000
14. Franklyn Dominguez, Montreal, Que., 1:29.626, Kawasaki ZX-10R
15. Sean Huffman, Kemptville, Ont., 1:29.868, Suzuki GSX-R1000
16. Ross Millson, Hamilton, Ont., 1:29.981, Suzuki GSX-R1000
17. Alain Campagna, Mascouche, Que., 1:30.114, Yamaha YZF-R6
18. Marie-Josee Boucher, Montreal, Que., 1:30.417, Honda CBR600RR
19. Martin Ricard, Montreal, Que., 1:31.000, Kawasaki ZX-10R
20. Sebastien Tremblay, Sherbrooke, Que., No Time, Honda CBR600RR

*--Top 10 positions set in Pirelli SuperPole qualifying

Szoke leads Sport Bike practice

By John Hopkins

MIRABEL, QC – Jordan Szoke (Waznie Racing / Ciclo Werks BMC / DeWildt Honda) led practice for the Pro Sport Bike division of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Circuit ICAR on Friday with a time of 1:25.102 on his Honda CBR600RR. Interestingly, Szoke's time, set in the afternoon session, was quicker than his best effort in the Superbike feature class (1:25.262) on his CBR1000RR.

Jodi Christie (Jodi Christie Racing / Durham Honda) made it a Honda 1-2 with a lap at 1:25.966 on another CBR600RR and Ste-Adele, QC's Jean-Francois Cyr (CyRacing) completed the top three at 1:27.719 aboard a Suzuki GSX-R600.

"We didn't make any drastic changes," said Brantford, ON's Szoke, who is trying to become the first rider since Don Munroe in the 1990s to win five consecutive Pro Sport Bike titles. "We took some oil out of the forks and that actually was a big improvement. I'm very impressed with this bike."

Keene, ON's Christie had been within two tenths of a second of Szoke in the morning practice, but couldn't maintain the pace in the afternoon, when Szoke lowered his top time by one second.

Kleinburg, ON's Frank Trombino (ProStar Motorsports / Sturgess Cycle) was fourth with a 1:28.009 on his Honda CBR600RR and rookie Pro Kenny Riedmann (Compulsion Racing / Pro 6 Cycle) of Bellfountain, ON placed fifth aboard a Triumph 675 Daytona with a time of 1:28.041.

Orangeville, ON’s Joey McRae was fastest in practice for the Amateur Sport Bike class with a time of 1:30.125 on his Yamaha YZF-R6. Last year's Suzuki SV650 Cup champion Raphael Archambault of St-Colomban, QC was quickest in the morning session on his Honda CBR600RR and his time of 1:30.733 held up as second fastest for the day. Bodhi Edie turned a 1:31.304 in the morning on another CBR600RR but the Warman, SK racer failed to set a time in the afternoon after crashing. His morning best ranked third overall for the day.

Quesnel, BC’s Ryan Appenrodt stole the quickest time in the Honda CBR125R Challenge with a 1:52.887 on the final lap of the day. Will Hornblower of Sarnia, ON had been fastest up to that point but had to settle for second with a 1:53.141. Cedric Martineau of Ste-Catherine, QC placed third at 1:53.465.

Brent Strong of Mississauga, ON led Sport Twins practice with a 1:34.205 on his Suzuki SV650. White Rock, BC's Olivier Spilborghs was second at 1:34.557 and Brantford, ON ace Rob Busby was third on a Buell XB12R with a time of 1:34.831.

Natalie Catherine Provost of Laval, QC led the Pro Honda Oils Women’s Cup class with a time of 1:32.771 on her Honda CBR600RR. Provost won the Women's Cup race here last year and is enjoying a strong start to her season after recovering from back trouble that spoiled her 2009 campaign. Montreal's Vanessa Gareau Dominguez was second at 1:32.995 on a Suzuki GSX-R600 and Genevieve Lesieur of Quebec City was third with a time of 1:33.810 on another GSX-R600.

Defending class champion Vicki Schouten is at ICAR but not competing after badly breaking her foot in a fall at Shannonville Motorsport Park two weeks ago.

Szoke fastest in practice at ICAR

By John Hopkins

MIRABEL, QC – Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke got his bid for a fifth straight Parts Canada Superbike Championship title off to an impressive start at Circuit ICAR on Friday.

Szoke (Waznie Racing / BMC Ciclo Werks / DeWildt Honda) set the pace in both practice sessions for this weekend’s season opener, ending the day with a fastest lap of one minute, 25.262 seconds (118.224km/h) around the 2.8km (1.74-mile), 14-turn track located just north of Montreal.

Kevin Lacombe of St-Cesaire, QC (Lacombe Racing) was second quickest with a lap at 1:25.914, 0.652 secs. behind Szoke aboard a Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Keene, ON’s Jodi Christie (Jodi Christie Racing / Durham Honda) ended the day third fastest with a time of 1:25.963 on his Honda CBR600RR.
       
“I thought we could get into the 24s but we hit a bit of a wall on set up,” said the 31-year-old Szoke. “It was a little bit hotter this afternoon and we lost a little bit of traction, it was a little squirmy.”

Szoke had paced testing on Thursday with a 1:26.305 but found some overnight changes to his CBR1000RR paid dividends. He spent the afternoon on a couple of longer runs with a soft tire and was very impressed with the wear of the Pirellis.

"I think if we'd run this [afternoon] set up in the morning we would have got into the 24s for sure," he said.

Szoke admitted he was relieved to lead the pack as the new season got underway.

"After all the bull I went through this winter, this feels nice," he explained. "I think a lot of people had counted me out. But this bike's good. I think the only bike I've been on before that felt wicked like this was the RC51. This feels like a race bike."

Lacombe improved his time by over half a second from the morning session to end Friday second fastest ahead of Christie, who set his best lap in the morning before suffering a minor fall.

Lacombe conceded that it would take him most of the weekend to feel settled on the Suzuki after he spent last year aboard Yamaha's distinctive crossplane crank YZF-R1.

"I plan to catch up slowly," he said. "We have no spare stuff, so I can't afford any mistakes. This bike is 65 lbs. lighter than the Yamaha and has 10 more horsepower, so I'm learning how the bike reacts to my riding style.

"I want to keep something for tomorrow. It's not important for me to win every practice. I want to have something for the race."

Christie was unable to improve on his morning time after he was forced onto his back-up CBR600RR for the afternoon session. He turned a best lap of 1:26.473 after lunch. The 2009 HJC Pro Rookie of the Year winner was trying a soft Pirelli for the first time in the morning session when he low sided near the end of a flying lap. However, he was showing good form on a track where he struggled last year.

Jean-Francois Cyr of Ste-Adele, Que. (CyRacing) was fourth fastest on Friday with a time of 1:26.595 on his Suzuki GSX-R600 and Sherbrooke, Que.’s Francis Martin (Rush HD / BMW Motorrad Canada) completed the top five with a 1:26.950 riding a BMW S1000RR.

Next up was Alex Welsh (Competition Systems Kawasaki Race Team) on his Kawasaki ZX-10R at 1:27.064. The top 10 was rounded out by Frank Trombino (ProStar Motorsports / Sturgess Cycle Honda CBR1000RR), Andrew Nelson (Orion Motorsports / BMW Motorrad Canada BMW S1000RR), Mike Ferreira (Rush HD / BMW Motorrad Canada BMW S1000RR) and Cody Matechuk (Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R600).

Payton to join Hall of Fame

From the American Motorcyclist Association

PICKERINGTON, OH -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has announced the first member of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2010: accomplished race team owner Mitch Payton. Payton, whose teams have collected 26 AMA Pro Championships in Motocross and Supercross since 1991, will be among the legends of motorcycling honoured at the 2010 induction ceremony at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas this Nov. 19.

"In AMA Pro Motocross and Supercross, one team is perhaps more synonymous with winning than any other, Pro Circuit, and the motive force behind that team is one of the industry's most driven individuals, Mitch Payton," said Jack Penton, incoming AMA director of operations and a Hall of Famer himself. "Payton is an architect of not only championship teams, but champions, having developed some of this sport's greatest racers."

Payton's parents, James and Norma Payton, introduced him and his brother, James Jr., to motorcycling at a young age. By the time he was 10, Payton was competing in family enduros and a few years later was racing competitively in AMA District 37. In 1977, at the age of 17, Payton was one of the district's top desert racers and won the 125 class in that discipline. Unfortunately, the next year Payton's racing career was cut short by injury.

Instead of allowing discouragement to turn him away from motorcycling, Payton refocused his efforts on the business side of the sport. At 18, he bought and ran a local Husqvarna shop. His skill and reputation as a tuner grew, and his parts were being used by some of the biggest motocross teams of the mid-1980s. Then, in 1991, Honda asked Payton to run its 125 team. Payton accepted, and over the next 19 years, racing other brands as well, his teams won more championships than any other.

Payton, an AMA Life Member, said that he's honoured by his induction into the Hall of Fame. But, he said, he recognizes the legends he looked up to in his youth are the true heroes of the sport.

"I look around the industry, and there are a few guys I hold in real regard," Payton said. "One is Malcolm Smith. When I was a kid, we'd go to Malcolm's shop, and I was the 10-year-old punk who would bother the guys at the counter for stickers and sit on all the bikes. Another is Roger DeCoster. Those guys are just awesome. So, to be in the same Hall of Fame, for that honour, I'm really proud about that. It's there forever. It means that anyone looking back on history years from now will see what you've done."

The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame honours individuals who have made lasting contributions to protecting and promoting the motorcycle lifestyle. Its members include those who have excelled in racing, road- and off-road riding, pushed the envelope in motorcycle design, engineering and safety, and championed the rights of riders in both the halls of government and the court of public opinion.

More information about the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame can be found at MotorcycleMuseum.org.

Hatton tackles Sardegna Rally

From Rally Raid Canada

DUNCAN, BC -- Fabulous food, lovely people, warm Mediterranean weather and gorgeous scenery: this is Rally Raid racing in Sardinia.

On the other hand there are long days in the saddle over tough terrain. There is a little bit of everything for the competitive rider: rocks, sand, lots of mountains to climb and descend, and water crossings up to four feet deep.

The Sardegna Rally Race is the third round of the FIM Rally Raid World Championship and this is what Duncan, BC’s Don Hatton of Rally Raid Canada is participating in from May 27-June 1.

Hatton is riding with world champion Cyril Despres’s Team KTM along with six other riders from around the globe. It is a chance to ride with and learn from the three-time Dakar champion.

The first stage of the rally from San Teodoro to Arbrorea will be 406km long with 187km of it the timed special.

The event is being organized by the Italian Motorcycle Federation and fans can follow along on their website at http://www.bikevillage.it/

Schouten to Miss ICAR

From Vicki Schouten

OTTAWA, ON - The Parts Canada Superbike series kicks off this weekend at Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, QC. One rider who will not be on the grid this weekend is Kahuna Powersports Kawasaki-sponsored rookie Pro rider Vicki Schouten.

A highside crash at the last RACE SuperSeries regional at Shannonville Motorsport Park two weeks ago resulted in a compound fracture in Schouten’s right foot. She was ambulanced to the Belleville hospital where she later underwent surgery.

“I have seven pins and a couple of plates holding my foot together right now,” explained Schouten. “It’s not my shifter foot, which is a good thing, but the pain and swelling is still insurmountable and doctors figure it’s going to take some time to heal.”

Prior to her crash, Schouten was a force to be reckoned with, having set pole and a new lap record in the Women’s Cup Challenge qualifying heat race and qualified in eighth position in the Pro 600 class. She raced the Women’s Cup Challenge on Sunday with a broken foot and managed to pilot her Kawasaki ZX-6R to a strong third place finish.

Schouten would like to thank all of the corner workers, medical crew and friends who helped her following her crash. She would also like to thank her sponsors who have been extremely understanding during her recovery. Schouten is supported by Canadian Kawasaki Motors, Parts Canada, Kahuna Powersports, Alpinestars, HJC helmets, Galfer brakes, Motul lubricants, AutoTrim & Signs and Bickle Racing.

XR1200 series ready to roll

From AMA Pro Racing

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - The inaugural AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series motorcycle race will take place at Elkhart Lake, WI's Road America, June 4-6. This new spec series featuring Vance & Hines modified Harley-Davidson XR1200 motorcycles will once again provide Harley-Davidson enthusiasts the opportunity to race the iconic brand in a road racing format under the halo of an AMA Pro Road Racing event.

The first team to post an entry for the new spec motorcycle class is the Richie Morris Racing Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing team. AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike rider Jake Holden will be leading the No. 3 team with valuable support from the team's successful sponsorship group, GEICO Powersports, Lucas Oil and Revolution Performance. 

The Richie Morris Racing Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing partnership is returning to the track following its successful 2009 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Championship season with Danny Eslick and in celebration of that historic achievement, Eslick will be riding the No. 9 GEICO Powersports Lucas Oil Revolution Performance Harley-Davidson XR1200 at Road America.

The Richie Morris Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing team has entered two additional Vance & Hines modified Harley-Davidson XR1200's, which will be ridden by Kyle Wyman and Joseph Rozynski, both with support from GEICO Powersports, Lucas Oil and Revolution Performance. Each rider will also feature their own personal sponsors, in Kyle Wyman's case, he brings support from Harv's Harley-Davidson and he joins his brother Travis in the field, who will be riding his own No. 24 Harv's Harley-Davidson Racing XR1200 entry. 

Wisconsin is the home of Harley-Davidson and the Badger state will be strongly represented by three Wisconsin riders. Hailing from nearby Sheboygan Falls, Shawn Conrad will be riding his No. 7 WFO Racing Falls Tap XR1200. Two other riders will be competing with Conrad for best in state honours, Aaron Frank lives in Milwaukee and will be on the No. 72 Team MS Racing Harley-Davidson XR1200 entry and Waukesha resident Paul James will be riding his James Gang-Hoban Brothers Racing Harley-Davidson.

AMA Pro Road Racing veteran John Ashmead has made a number of starts in AMA Pro Racing since 2002 and joins the Vance & Hines XR1200 Series after making at least one start every year in a number of different classes such as Formula Xtreme, American SuperBike and most recently Daytona SportBike in 2009. 

Regular AMA Pro SuperSport competitor Eric Stump will also be competing at Road America on the Jones Brothers XR1200.

BAD Ride rolls Sunday

From Toronto Distress Centres

TORONTO, ON - The Bikers Against Despair (BAD) Ride is Canada's largest and longest running fundraising motorcycle ride dedicated to crisis support for people in the Greater Toronto Area. Net proceeds from the event will directly support Distress Centres, the oldest crisis line in Canada.

This fundraising campaign launches with a free pre-registration party at the Silver Dollar Room at 486 Spadina Avenue. The motorcycle ride starts at 9:45am on Sunday, May 30, leaving from the AMC Complex at 30 Interchange Way in Concord.

Over the past 13 years, the BAD Ride has been a financial lifeline for Distress Centres. As the agency’s most important fundraising event, the Ride has provided much needed funds to support important services for the vulnerable and at risk. One hundred percent of money raised by participating riders goes directly towards life-sustaining programming.

"Since 1967, the Distress Centres have provided 24-hour crisis telephone support, 365 days a year," said Karen Letofsky, executive director of Distress Centres. "Hundreds of thousands of calls later, we continue to offer essential support response to people in need of crisis intervention and suicide prevention.

"We rely on the generosity and goodwill of the Bad Riders every year. In 2009, more than 1200 motorcyclists raised over $200,000 for Distress Centres. We help an astonishing number of people with issues that are extraordinarily difficult and the Bad Ride helps us to do it."

For the first time, the end-of-ride biker party will be held at the centrally-located Markham Fairgrounds. There’s an all-new entertainment package including a stunt-riding performance, classic car display, celebrity guests, manufacturers’ booths and live music provided by the Gary Kendall Band.

"We are truly honoured to launch this year's BAD Ride to help raise funds, build awareness and ultimately, to save lives in the GTA," said Stan Letofsky, event co-founder. "We know that bikers are always happy to support Distress Centres and we're hoping that this year's contribution will help us surpass our goal of raising $250,000 dollars for the BAD Ride."

A donation can be made at any time during the campaign online at www.torontodistresscentre.com or (416) 598-0292.

Szoke sets early ICAR pace

By John Hopkins

MIRABEL, QC – Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke set the fastest time in testing for the opening round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Circuit ICAR on Thursday.

The four-time defending series champion turned a lap at one minute, 26.305 seconds around the 2.8km (1.74-mile), 14-turn circuit for an average speed of 116.795 km/h (70.077 mph) on his Waznie Racing / Ciclo Werks BMC / DeWildt Honda CBR1000RR.

Jodi Christie of Keene, ON was a strong second fastest with a time of 1:27.037 on the Jodi Christie Racing Honda CBR600RR and Kevin Lacombe of St-Cesaire, QC turned the third fastest time, a 1:27.717 on the Kevin Lacombe Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000.

“We’re certainly off to a good start,” said Szoke, who is now running his own team with Honda motorcycles after four years leading the Kawasaki factory team. “The biggest thing is me making the switch and getting used to the bike. It’s a big change and adapting my riding style is the biggest adjustment so far.

"I can't say anything bad about Kawasaki, but it's ridiculous how much better this bike is than the bike I rode last year, or the Honda I rode before [Szoke raced a CBR1000RR in 2004 and '05]. I have to really rethink the set up. It's a different feeling and I have a huge learning period."

Christie did well to set the second quickest time after having a rough outing at ICAR as a rookie Pro last year.

Lacombe's third place was also a good effort considering he only recently took delivery of the GSX-R1000, which he bought from Picotte Performance.

"It's just a matter of getting used to the bike," Lacombe said earlier in the week. "I'm not afraid of anybody out there. It's a good bike and I've bought everything to be competitive."

Francis Martin of Sherbrooke, Que. enjoyed an encouraging debut with the Rush HD / BMW Motorrad Canada BMW S1000RR by setting the fourth fastest time, a 1:28.004. The two-time Canadian Superbike champion turned his best lap right at the end of the hour-long afternoon session.

Uxbridge, Ont.’s Alex Welsh rounded out the top five with a 1:28.153 on the Competition Systems Kawasaki Race Team Kawasaki ZX-10R.
       
In other action at Circuit ICAR on Thursday, Szoke was also fastest in testing for the Pro Sport Bike class with a time of 1:27.196 on his Honda CBR600RR.

"We're waiting for some transmission pieces and trying to get the gearing set up," Szoke said.

Szoke enjoyed an edge of over three seconds on Jean-Francois Cyr of Ste-Adele, QC, who had the next best time of 1:30.519 on his Suzuki GSX-R600. Christie was third best at 1:30.682.

Etienne Giguere of Levis, QC led the way in the Amateur Sport Bike division with a time of 1:32.211 riding a Honda CBR600RR.

Brantford, ON’s Robert Busby set the pace in Sport Twins with a 1:35.735 riding his Suzuki SV650. The former SV Cup stalwart is expected to take delivery of a Buell XB12R before the weekend is over.

Will Hornblower of Sarnia, ON was fastest in the Honda CBR125R Challenge with a time of 1:55.605.
       
Laval, QC’s Natalie Catherine Provost was quickest in the Pro Honda Oils Women’s Cup class at 1:34.259 riding a Honda CBR600RR. Defending class champion Vicki Schouten has been forced to miss the race after breaking her foot in a crash at Shannonville Motorsport Park two weeks ago.

Practice for this weekend’s event begins on Friday. Qualifying, including the Pirelli SuperPole for the Inside Motorcycles Pole Position Award in the Parts Canada Superbike class set for Saturday. Races in all national classes will go Sunday.

The Honda CBR125R Challenge also has a race set for Saturday afternoon.

Szoke takes aim at seventh heaven

From Professional Motorsports Productions

MIRABEL, QC – Jordan Szoke begins his quest for more Canadian Superbike glory at Circuit ICAR this weekend as the 2010 Parts Canada Superbike Championship launches into action.

The 31-year-old road racer from Brantford, ON is trying to notch his seventh national Superbike crown and his fifth in a row. He is currently tied with Maple Ridge, BC legend Steve Crevier for the most Superbike titles at six. Szoke became the first racer to win four consecutive Canadian Superbike championships in 2009.
       
But despite his run of success Szoke has had a hectic off-season. After winning his four straight titles for the Canadian Kawasaki Motors factory team, Szoke will not be back on the green bikes this summer. Instead, he has set up his own racing program using Honda motorcycles. He will be competing on board a Waznie Racing / Ciclo Werks BMC / DeWildt Honda CBR1000RR at Circuit ICAR.

Szoke’s closest challenge will likely come from his old team and his former teammate, as Alex Welsh leads the Kawasaki assault for 2010. The 21-year-old Welsh joined the factory Kawasaki team as Szoke’s understudy last season and enjoyed a promising campaign, finishing seventh in the Superbike point standings.

This year the Kawasaki squad has been heavily reorganized, with Competition Systems taking over the handling of the Kawasaki ZX-10Rs to be ridden by Welsh.

The third of the major teams gunning for glory at Circuit ICAR will be the Rush HD / BMW Motorrad Canada factory effort, which makes its debut in the Superbike class. Two-time Canadian Superbike champion Francis Martin of Sherbrooke, QC and Mississauga, ON’s Michael Ferreira will ride the new BMW S1000RRs.

A third BMW pilot who could make an impression this weekend is Andrew Nelson of Kars, ON. The 24-year-old will race a bike with backing from Orion Motorsports and BMW Motorrad Canada. Nelson finished third in the ICAR Superbike event last year, so he clearly has a soft spot for the circuit.

The Honda ranks will be swelled by the ProStar Motorsports / Sturgess Cycle entries for Frank Trombino and Sebastien Tremblay. The 35-year-old Trombino, from Kleinburg, ON, has enjoyed some of his best performances recently with ProStar. Longueuil, QC’s Tremblay finished second in last year’s Amateur Sport Bike Championship with a win at ICAR to his credit, although he is coming back from an injury suffered at Shannonville Motorsport Park earlier this spring.

Another potentially potent Honda effort will be the Jodi Christie Racing team with Jodi Christie on a Honda CBR600RR. The Keene, ON rider won last year’s HJC Pro Rookie of the Year Award and was the Amateur National Sport Bike champion in 2008.

Perennial Superbike frontrunner Kevin Lacombe of Granby, QC has entered a GSX-R1000 and last year’s Amateur National champion, Cody Matechuk of Cochrane, AB, is on an Acceleration Racing GSX-R.

Szoke’s 2010 campaign will also include a bid for a fifth straight title in the Pro Sport Bike category as he debuts on Honda’s CBR600RR. Should he pull off the feat, he would equal the record established by Don Munroe, who won the class five years in succession between 1994 and 1998.

Szoke will face challenges from within the Honda ranks. Christie was seventh in last year’s Pro Sport Bike series as a rookie and got stronger as the season wore on. ProStar’s Tremblay should also be at home on the Honda CBR600RR after his strong Amateur campaign.

Welsh will also be out to end Szoke’s reign on his Kawasaki ZX-6R after finishing fourth in last year’s series and challenging for victory on numerous occasions.

The Ruthless Racing / Deeley Harley-Davidson Buell 1125Rs are back in the hands of North Vancouver’s Darren James and Dave Estok of New Smyrna Beach, FL.

This weekend’s action also sees the season openers for the Amateur Sport Bike, Sport Twins and Honda CBR125R Challenge classes, and the second round of the Pro Honda Oils Women’s Cup Challenge.

Practice for this weekend’s event begins on Friday with qualifying, including the Pirelli SuperPole for the Inside Motorcycles Pole Position Award in the Parts Canada Superbike class set for Saturday. Races in all national classes will go Sunday.

Canada's Hatton teams up with Despres

From KTM Racing

The idea has been trotting around in his head for a while now and finally in Sardinia it has come to fruition - Team KTM Cyril Despres - a team of seven amateur riders to whom the Frenchman can pass on his years of experience and ‘savoir-faire'.  
       
"I have always enjoyed explaining things and passing on my knowledge and here in Sardinia is the perfect opportunity to help out some privateers," Despres said. "The rally isn't too hard and not too different from what an enduro rider is used to. Plus the road book here is ideal for learning the ‘black art' of navigation."

Seven riders have taken up the opportunity, traveling, literally, from the four corners of the globe to take part in the third round of the FIM Rally-Raid World Championship.

"We have an Australian, two South Africans, a Guatemalan, a Canadian, a guy from Portugal and a guy from the UK, Despres added. "Yesterday we went out with an old road book and had a practice session and I think they picked up some useful tips. Hopefully it will set them in good stead for the rest of the week."

Commented Canadian team member Don Hatton of Duncan, BC, "This isn't my first rally but I really learnt a lot yesterday. To be honest I always thought navigation was my strong point but yesterday brought it all together. In addition the bikes are really nicely prepared, the team as well organized as you'd expect and the atmosphere super friendly. I am really looking forward to the rally getting underway."

Ontario Cross Country kicks into gear

From World Enduro Canada

World Enduro Canada has released an updated schedule for the Ontario Cross Country Championship - Spring Series, which kicks off this Sunday, May 30 at the Sturgess Cycle round 1 in Port Colborne, ON.

The Niagra Timberline Riders have been hard at work on a course with a number of changes from last year. The WEC crew will be there with the Royal Distributing race truck, professional timing crew, PA system and race announcer. 

There are also reports that Offroadmotorcycles.ca is going to have an eye in the sky with someone filming the event from an ultralight and putting the footage on Youtube. In addition, the word is a few of the National level MX riders could be arriving to try their hand at cross country racing.

The full schedule is as follows:

May 30 - Port Colborne, ON
June 13 - Burnt River, ON
June 20 - Moto Park - Chatsworth, ON
June 27 - Vienna, ON
July 11 - Moorefield, ON
   
For more information please visit http://www.worldendurocanada.com/cross_country.htm.

Deuces wild for Jervis

By John Hopkins

Oliver Jervis picked up a trio of second place finishes in the opening round of the Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association season at Portland International Raceway last weekend.

The Victoria racer took his Zlock-prepared Kawasakis to runner-up finishes in 600 Superbike and 600 Supersport, as well as the first of two Formula Ultra races. He rounded out his weekend with a fourth in the other Formula Ultra event.

The weekend was marked by wild and unpredictable weather. In the 600 Supersport race, Jervis started his Kawasaki ZX-6R on wet Pirelli tires but was caught out by a steadily drying track. He did well to survive for a second place finish.

The 600 Superbike race started in torrential rain and was called after a few laps. Jervis battled for the lead in the restarted race but came up just short of the victory.

"To be completely honest I messed up this race and I need to apologize to the team, and especially my crew chief Don Beck," Jervis admitted. "I ended up in a great battle for the lead which by the half waymark I knew was going to come down to the last lap. I had my timing down and where I felt I was stronger but I misjudged a lapped rider in the last few turns and completely blew it, handing the win away."

Riding the Competition Motors-backed Kawasaki ZX-10R in Formula Ultra, Jervis was fighting with Alan Schmidt for the lead in the first race when a bobble on the penultimate lap forced him to settle for second. Jervis opted to use his 600 with rain tires for the second Formula Ultra race but was again left struggling on a drying track and slipped back to fourth at the finish.

Husqvarna dual sports heading to Canada

From Husqvarna Motorcycles Canada

The Husqvarna 630 Dual Sport motorcycles are en route to Canada. For the first time time since Husqvarna re-entered the Canadian market in 2004 its highly sought after dual sport models will finally be available on dealer's showroom floors.

When Barrett Marketing took over Canadian distribution last fall its first priority was to get the street legal models homologated with Transport Canada. The competition ready TE and SMR units were the first to arrive and now the all new TE630 and SM630 are on their way from Italy as early release 2011 models.

The Husqvarna TE 630 (pictured) benefits from having many parts in common with other four-stroke racing Enduro Husqvarnas. With the TE 630, Husqvarna intends to widen its range to include Enduro enthusiasts who use their bikes every day and need more comfort and practicality but want to combine this with the thrill of owning a race bike.

The main news item on the new TE 630 is the engine that has been bored out from 98 to 100mm to give a capacity of 600cc. The head now has a red rocker box like the race machines and houses DOHC valve gear from the racing 450/510 that provides 20 percent more power than the previous 570cc version. The TE 630 now has an electronic injection system that was developed in collaboration with Mikuni.

The big news on the new SM 630 is the engine that has been bored out from 98 to 100mm to give a capacity of 600cc. The head now has a red rocker box like the race machines and houses DOHC valve gear from the racing 450/510 that provides 20 percent more power than the previous 570cc version.

Technical difficulty with some of our websites...

(2:52 p.m. - Tuesday) Our web host is having a technical issue with their system. As a result, the Inside Motorcycles homepage and Pit Board Forum are inaccessible for the next little while. They've assured us they're working on it. We apologize for the inconvenience. The Inside Motorcycles Breaking News Blog is on the Blogger system and is therefore not affected.

Lorenzo tops Rossi in French GP

From motogp.com

Jorge Lorenzo’s lead at the top of the MotoGP World Championship is now nine points after the Spaniard won the third round at Le Mans, his second victory of the season, triumphing in the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France ahead of Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso on Sunday.

Lorenzo’s commanding win not only extended his lead at the top of the MotoGP World Championship but also delivered the 23-year-old back-to-back victories in the premier class for the first time in his career.

"I am so happy to win for the second race in a row, it's the first time for me in MotoGP and it makes me feel very confident in myself,” enthused Lorenzo, whose practice of his race starts paid off. “Finally I made a good start, which I'm really happy about, then I easily got past Pedrosa.

“Passing Valentino wasn't so easy because he was braking so deep and I had to be very patient, something that I might not have managed one year ago! Finally I overtook him but I didn't expect to be able to get away like that. My bike and Bridgestone tires just felt so good and it wasn't difficult for me to keep this pace up.”

Lorenzo’s success also made it three Yamaha wins in the opening three races of the season for the first time since 1980.

A superb start from Rossi from his pole position saw the Italian lead into the first turn ahead of Dani Pedrosa and Lorenzo, but the latter quickly moved into second and set his sights on his Fiat Yamaha team-mate.

The early race order saw Ducati Marlboro pair Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner and Dovizioso inside the top five, while San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Melandri shot up from 11th on the grid to sixth.

A decisive moment in the race came on only the second lap when Stoner slid out at Turn 6, and the Australian was unable to get back on his Desmosedici GP10 machine as he experienced the second non-finish of his season.

Shortly after the race of Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech3) was ended prematurely with a fall, and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) was forced to retire too after damaging his bike when he went down.

The fight for the win started on lap 7 when Lorenzo took the lead from Rossi, only to see the Italian immediately reclaim it. Undeterred, Lorenzo pushed again on lap 10, this time making his move stick as he moved into first and began to open up an advantage.

As the Fiat Yamaha riders occupied the top two positions, the battle for third was also an extremely engrossing one and involved another pair of team-mates. Repsol Honda’s Pedrosa and Dovizioso were tight in third and fourth, with Hayden refusing to lose touch in fifth as well.

Lorenzo’s lead over Rossi at the front had stretched to over four seconds with four laps to go, and Pedrosa and Dovizioso were by now locked in a marvellous duel for the final podium spot.

Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team), Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech3) and Héctor Barberá (Páginas Amarillas Aspar) were involved in another tricky encounter for eighth position, as was Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP) until a moment on his bike saw him lose valuable seconds.

A thrilling last lap played out as Dovizioso forced his way through on Pedrosa to take third, and Hayden also squeezed past the Spaniard.

Lorenzo crossed the line to take victory by a gap of 5.672 secs. from Rossi, with Dovizioso taking his second podium of the season in third place.

There was also another interesting celebration from the Spaniard as he pulled up a chair in front of a big screen at the circuit and ate popcorn, following on from his water-based antics at the last round at Jerez.

Rossi was quick to offer his congratulations to Lorenzo and knows that his second place finish in the third round at the French circuit was vital to maintaining his bid to defend his title.

“I got a very good start but I knew from the beginning that we lacked some pace compared to Lorenzo and we had some unexpected problems in the race, mainly to do with grip on exit and acceleration from the corners,” he said. “I expected to be faster but it wasn't the case today. I tried to stay in front of Lorenzo but it wasn't possible and I couldn't go with him once he was past. Congratulations to him because he was very strong today.”

Rossi’s recovering shoulder did not cause him the level of discomfort he thought it would, and the 31-year-old was delighted to have taken a valuable 20 points from the race.

“I can't blame my shoulder; I had expected it to be a bigger problem but in fact it was okay until six or seven laps from the end and by then the race was over for me,” he explained. “I knew it was important to finish and take the 20 points. It's a long Championship and we are only nine points behind."

Dovizioso was extremely pleased with his third place, a result he feels proved that his opening-race podium in Qatar was not a one-off. Third place at Le Mans took the Italian to third spot in the Championship standings, two points above his Repsol Honda team-mate Pedrosa.

“I’m so happy to have made the podium here. It was very important because I wanted to confirm that the result in Qatar was not a one-off. We have improved a lot during the winter, so this is another important step forward,” said Dovizioso, who missed out on the podium at the French track last season when Pedrosa beat him to third.

“It was a tough race. At the beginning I took a lot of risks to recover from starting on the third row. Once I caught Dani it was hard to get past and I knew Nicky was very close behind so I had to find a way past. I waited for four laps, worked out my strategy and I made my move on the last lap at the corner I’d planned.”

Hayden finished fourth for the third consecutive race, with Pedrosa ending the race in fifth.

Melandri was sixth as a switch of suspension paid off for him, with Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) taking seventh in his home GP.

The top 10 was completed by Barberá, Aleix Espargaró (Pramac Racing) and Simoncelli.

Aoyama took 11th place, and was followed by Edwards and Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing).

Focusing on the fourth round at Mugello in a fortnight, a track at which he finished second last season, Lorenzo expects a tough battle to maintain his advantage at the top of the standings.

“It is fantastic to be leading the Championship but there is a long way to go and now we go to Mugello, a track that I love but where my rivals are very strong,” he concluded.

Toni Elías opened up an 18-point lead at the top of the Moto2 World Championship standings with victory at the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France, his second win of the season. The Spanish rider led a podium which was completed by Julián Simón and Simone Corsi at the Le Mans circuit, in a race that was extremely eventful in its opening stages.

Pol Espargaró (Tuenti Racing) took victory at Le Mans with a fantastic ride in the 125cc race, edging out Nico Terol (Bancaja Aspar) for the victory and narrowing his rival’s lead at the top of the World Championship standings to two points.

MotoGP Race Results
1. Jorge LORENZO (SPA) Fiat Yamaha 44:29.114
2. Valentino ROSSI (ITA) Fiat Yamaha +5.672
3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (ITA) Repsol Honda +7.872
4. Nicky HAYDEN (USA) Marlboro Ducati +9.346
5. Dani PEDROSA (SPA) Repsol Honda +12.613
6. Marco MELANDRI (ITA) San Carlo Gresini Honda +21.918
7. Randy DE PUNIET (FRA) LCR Honda +29.288
8. Hector BARBERA (SPA) Paginas Amarillas Aspar Ducati +33.128
9. Aleix ESPARGARO (SPA) Pramac Ducati +33.493
10. Marco SIMONCELLI (ITA) San Carlo Gresini Honda +33.805
11. Hiroshi AOYAMA (JPN) Interwetten Honda +34.346
12. Colin EDWARDS (USA) Monster Tech 3 Yamaha +37.123
13. Mika KALLIO (FIN) Pramac Ducati +55.061
Not Classified
Loris CAPIROSSI (ITA) Rizla Suzuki +22 Laps
Ben SPIES (USA) Monster Tech 3 Yamaha +22 Laps
Casey STONER (AUS) Marlboro Ducati +26 Laps

MotoGP Standings
1. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha) 70
2. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha) 61
3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda) 42
4. Dani PEDROSA (Honda) 40
5. Nicky HAYDEN (Ducati) 39
6. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda) 26
7. Marco MELANDRI (Honda) 21
8. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha) 16
9. Marco SIMONCELLI (Honda) 16
10. Hector BARBERA (Ducati) 15
11. Hiroshi AOYAMA (Honda) 13
12. Mika KALLIO (Ducati) 12
13. Casey STONER (Ducati) 11
14. Ben SPIES (Yamaha) 11
15. Aleix ESPARGARO (Ducati) 8
16. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki) 7
17. Alvaro BAUTISTA (Suzuki) 6