World SuperBike - Bayliss sets Vallelunga track record

Bayliss sets Vallelunga track record - takes SuperPole

(World SuperBike Release) BAYLISS BREAKS RECORDS, BIAGGI SOARS, TOSELAND CRASHES

CORSER HAS TO GIVE BEST TO SUPERMAN BAYLISS Three crashes in the pre Superpole sessions at Vallelunga failed to dent the indestructible force field of self-belief and speed that surrounds double world champion Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox), as he went on to score his 18th career Superpole win. He set the new track best lap of 1'35.890 in doing so, and is the only rider into the 1'35s this weekend. Bayliss's 18th career Superpole now puts him a clear third in the all-time pole winner's list. The first day fight for supremacy on the stopwatches between Bayliss and Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) continued on to day two, with Corser's 1'36.016 looking unbeatable until Bayliss set out on his special lap. He was the last rider away after finishing regulation qualifying fastest of all. In the overall Superpole totals, Corser has 40 wins, Fogarty 21, and Bayliss, now out on his own, has 18.

XAUS THIRD AND BIAGGI IN THE HUNT Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) followed up his good testing performance at Vallelunga earlier in the year with a front row start of third, showing that Ducati power is as good a way to get around this track of two characters as any other. The last rider on the front row was the first one in the local fan's hearts, as Max Biaggi did not disappoint his legions of local 'tifosi' and rode his way onto the front row - despite a sometimes challenging pre-Superpole qualifying experience.

HAGA FIFTH AS TOSELAND CRASHES OUT OF SUPERPOLE Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) will start on the same row as the rider he is chasing in the championship battle, James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda). Haga earned fifth by riding to a time just over a second slower than Bayliss. Toseland was on his way to a front row start in Superpole when he fell on a left hand corner in the tight infield section of the circuit, but having previously set a top four time in regulation qualifying, the Superpole rules ensured that he only dropped to eighth place on the grid, for a second row start. Sandwiched between Haga and Toseland comes Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) and another local lad, Michel Fabrizio (DFX Honda Corse).

ROLFO HEADS UP THIRD ROW Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) is the fourth Italian rider in the top ten after Superpole, going ninth fastest, only one place ahead of the remarkably fast Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha YZF Team). Wild card for this race, if an experienced SBK rider of yesteryear, Marco Borciani (Team Sterilgarda Ducati) scored 11th fastest time, ahead of series regular Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany).

FOURTH ROW FEATUREDS THREE KAWASAKIS Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) was the first rider on the fourth row, with a Kawasaki trio being split by the Caracchi Ducati of Jakub Smrz, 14th fastest. Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) was last rider in Superpole, one place down on wild card rider for PSG-1, Vittorio Iannuzzo. Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda) failed to qualify for Superpole by one place, after he met traffic when going for his absolute best lap time on three occasions.

POS NO. RIDER BIKE TIME
1 21 Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 999 F07 1'35.890
2 11 Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 1'36.016
3 111 Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 999 F06 1'36.737
4 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K7 1'36.925
5 41 Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1'36.996
6 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 999 F07 1'37.428
7 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'37.430
8 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 0.000
9 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'37.589
10 38 Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1'37.775
11 20 Borciani M. (ITA) Ducati 999 F06 1'37.902
12 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K6 1'37.942
13 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'38.067
14 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 999 F05 1'38.110
15 13 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'38.153
16 10 Nieto F. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'38.619

WORLD SUPERSPORT - JONES TAKES FIRST CAREER POLE Craig Jones (Revè Ekerold Honda) was good value for his first pole position in the WSS class, scoring two successive fast laps to keep second place rider Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) at arm's length. New world champ Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was third fastest, with local regular WSS rider, Gianluca Vizziello (RG Yamaha) fourth. Joshua Brookes (Stiggy Motorsports Honda) - the fastest man during mid-season Vallelunga tests - finished seventh on the grid.

SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP - CANEPA TOP IN QUALIFYING Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) scored pole in the big Superstock class, with the front row completed by Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia), Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki) and yet another Roman competitor, Ilario Dionisi (Cruciani Suzuki). Mark Aitchison (Celani Team Suzuki Italia) was eventually fifth, with championship leader, Matteo Baiocco (Umbria Bike Yamaha) only ninth.

SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP - BERGER THE CHAMPION Maxime Berger (Trasimeno Yamaha) won the 2007 title by finishing third in the Vallelunga race, behind winner Roy Ten Napel (MQP Racing Yamaha) and second place rider Andrea Antonelli (Team Italia Megabike Honda AX). Berger's total of 179 points in now untouchable but with Antonelli and Michele Magnoni (Bevilacqua Yamaha) on 142 points, who finishes second will only be decided in the final round at Magny-Cours next week.