Gixerjunkies

KNOCKHILL 25th of may.

wee des — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:25:49 GMT

Anyone from on here doing this trackday, me and a few mates are doing it.

STONER RETIRING

fido — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:06:35 GMT

Taken from MotoGP website

Reigning MotoGP� World Champion Casey Stoner confirmed on Thursday that he would retire from the sport at the end of the 2012 season.

The Repsol Honda rider addressed the media at the start of the official pre-event press conference for the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France, making a short statement in which he outlined the reasons behind his decision.

�After a long time thinking, a lot of time talking with my family and my wife, this has been coming for a couple of years now but at the end of this 2012 season I will be not racing in the 2013 Championship. I will be finishing my career at the end of this season in MotoGP, and go forward in different things in my life,� Stoner told the assembled press.

�After so many years of doing this sport which I love, and which myself and my family made so many sacrifices for, after so many years of trying to get to where we have gotten to at this point, this sport has changed a lot and it has changed to the point where I am not enjoying it. I don't have the passion for it and so at this time it's better if I retire now.

�There are a lot of things that have disappointed me, and also a lot of things I have loved about this sport, but unfortunately the balance has gone in the wrong direction. And so, basically, we won't be continuing any more. It would be nice if I could say I would stay one more year, but then where does it stop? So we decided to finish everything as we are now.�

Stoner, who won the 2007 MotoGP� with Ducati and the 2011 crown with Honda, currently leads the 2012 standings by a single point ahead of Jorge Lorenzo heading into this weekend's fourth round.

Spa

Dutch Phil — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:23:26 GMT

Well, 4 day weekend over here. So Friday and Saturday riding Spa :woohoo:

Anyone else going this weekend? I think Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun was possible :drool:

2012 NW 200 Results inc Practice Times

Steve — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:02:48 GMT

Supersport first Qualifying Times
Seeley 113.242
Martin 112.886
McGuinness 112.405
W Dunlop 112.165
G Johnson 110.923
Bonetti 110.362
M Dunlop 103.903
Donald 109.705
Archibald 108.750
Hutchinson 108.443

.....................................

Superbike.
Seeley 120.689
McGuinness 119.253
W Dunlop 118.443
Martin 117.915
Jessop 117.610
Hutchinson 117.564
M Dunlop 117.541
Donald 117.249
Rutter 117.191
Johnson 116.875

..........................

Supertwins.

Archibald 104.357
Rutter 104.024
Hillier 103.855
Farquhar 103.842
Hamilton 103.602
Davison 101.339
Burrows 101.268
Andrews 101.019
McWilliams 100.236
Morell 98.798

.................................

Superstock

Farquhar 117.552
Seeley 117.341
McGuinness 116.632
Thompson 115.042
Ansty 115.037
Donald 114.894
King ham 114.638
Johnson 114.552
Archibald 114.230
Hillier 114.130

Brands Tomorrow- 15th May

0luke0 — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:57:13 GMT

Anyone else doing it??

snetterton double header 11th 12th June

bigjimmyh — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:15:13 GMT

Just booked both days �169.00 cheap as chips anybody else going

Snett today...what a day!!

Raverbiker — Sun, 13 May 2012 19:29:34 GMT

Posted this on killswitch n gotta share on here too..great too seeya again Rob..we had quite a day :)...here we go :0

Just got home from trackdaying it at snetterton..very eventfull here,s how the day went...
Arrived at track with the new brembo race pads n supercorsa bsb tyres on ready to have a good blast..sun was shining..
Park up and Mark (Shadow) is the 1st person i see..quick chin wag n catch up...then get a text from Rob (Hedgecutter) too say he,s just pulled in, a little late as the exhaust had fell off his van on the way and was now held on with various bits of wire... A omen of things too come.
I get noise tested...straight through..Rob fails , even though he had the r6 at donny on the monday and it past!
I have a cracking 1st session, loving the new brakes and tyres..felt on rails..they let Rob do the sighting laps too see if it,d pass when warm
2nd session im rocking round now and loving it..Rob fails noise test again...even after taping a big socket too his bafffle ..his bike goes back in the van..pissed off he says he,s gonna blast home in the van..and come back on his roadbike for the afternoon sessions and off he goes
Herbalistic Harry and Suzy his missis arrive as im getting ready for session 3..and out i go...
About 4 laps in hitting 170+ down the back straight..sat up..hit the brakes mashed it down the box and felt a "pop shudder", threw it as usual into the left handerand could feel the bike slide...flick it over to the right hander and the front just washed out from me...Save it with my knee..snap the throttle shut moving the weight back onto the bike and managed to stand it up staying on 2 wheels.
Hand straight in the air and limp back too the pits...rear tyre blowout...hole the size of a airgun pellet in it .. Fella behind me said it was a awesome save...i wouldnt know i was too busy shitty meself at the time.
240quid and 1 session missed later the bike is now sporting a set of 2cts ( bought a matched pair to carry on )
Break for dinner and Rob arrives back on his gixer rd bike...through noise testing and he can do the 3 afternoon sessions
Cheers Harry n suzy...they put my surviving front tyre and my blown rear in there motor too bring home...your both stars..dinner eaten and off we go again.
I wasnt feeling the brand new 2cts but went straight out n ragged em...the bsb,s were def better
Did 2 more sessions and called it a day too head home..said me goodbyes n set off
Halfway home and i notice my front brake resivor is flapping about...the bracket has snapped..should imagine it happened when i had my moment
n some pics too prove there is a sun :)

RAVER

CAMIER TOP-5 IN FRIDAY DONINGTON QUALIFYING

Beckers — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:42:20 GMT

FIXI Crescent Suzuki racer Leon Camier produced an encouraging first day's work at Donington Park in England to get the fifth round of the World Superbike Championship off to a positive start for the team.

Camier signalled his intentions by recording the second quickest time in this morning's first free practice session and then followed that this afternoon by taking over a second off that time. Camier finished the 45-minute session in fifth place, but was only 0.278 seconds from provisional Pole Position. He held the lead for a large part of the session and only slipped to fifth when his rivals put on fresh rubber in the closing stages. Camier and his crew opted to continue working on a race set-up instead of changing to softer tyres. He was pleased with his first day's work and is convinced there is more to come from his Yoshimura-powered Suzuki GSX-R over the weekend.

Replacement rider Peter Hickman made an impressive start to his weekend onboard the FIXI Crescent Suzuki, as he immediately settled in with his temporary team and made several adjustments to the GSX-R to suit his riding style. Hickman used the first session to familiarise himself with the bike around the 4.023m Donington Circuit before stepping up his pace in the afternoon to knock over two seconds off his morning best time. He finished the day in 17th place, only 1.568 seconds from the top spot.

Hickman is representing FIXI Crescent Suzuki at Donington as a substitute for injured rider John Hopkins. The regular Suzuki star broke his right foot and damaged his left hip at Monza last Sunday and is unable to ride in this weekend's event.

This afternoon's qualifying session was held in dry conditions with track temperatures reaching 15�C, but with air temperatures only getting up to 11�C and a strong wind giving a chilly feel to the day's events. Today's fastest time was set by Jakub Smrz on a Ducati.

Camier and Hickman have one more Qualifying session tomorrow morning when the pair will be going all-out to get into the top-16 to make sure they qualify for the Superpole session in the afternoon that will decide grid positions for the first four rows. Sunday's first race gets underway at 12.00hrs local time (13.00hrs CEST); with the second outing scheduled for 15.30hrs local time (16.30hrs CEST).

Leon Camier:

"It's nice to be up at the front for a change, even though four riders went faster at the end of the Qualifying session. It was good to be top of the leader-board for a while and I might have been able to stay there until the end, but we decided to concentrate more on getting a good race setting. It's hard to get a perfect bike set-up at Donington, but we'll keep trying to improve the bike tomorrow and hopefully the weather will stay dry. It's been so good to have dry conditions today and manage to just put in the laps - something we've missed recently."

Peter Hickman:

"I am pretty happy with everything today and I hope that it continues the same way tomorrow. This is my first time on the FIXI Crescent Suzuki and I've been spending the time learning the bike and getting as much experience of it as I can. The bike feels as if it is on rails and I felt comfortable on it pretty-much straight away. I would like to thank the team for giving me this great opportunity and my aim now is to finish in the top-16 in tomorrow's Qualifying. I know there's more in me to come, so we'll see what happens tomorrow."

Jack Valentine - Team Manager:

"It's been a very satisfying day for the FIXI Crescent Suzuki team. Leon has been on the top of his game all day and was fastest for quite some time in this afternoon's Qualifying. He only ended 0.278 off Pole, despite not being on soft tyres at the end. Peter has done everything that's been asked of him. I am confident in his ability and have given him the realistic goal of qualifying in the top-16 tomorrow. He's very happy with the GSX-R and has worked well with the team. The dry conditions today have allowed us to get some decent laps in and it has made me feel that we're actually going racing - and that's a nice feeling!"

Donington FIM Superbike World Championship Friday Qualifying: 1. Jakub Smrz (Ducati) 1'29.336: 2. Jonathan Rea (Honda) 1'29.394: 3. Carlos Checa (Ducati) 1'29.507: 4. Leon Haslam (BMW) 1'29.604. 5. Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) 1'29.614. 17. Peter Hickman (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) 1'30.904.

silverstone gp. 7th august

mattmech — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:15:26 GMT

full gp circuit with focused events.
six of us going so far. can't wait

Almeria - September 20th Focused

gixer1979 — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:31:44 GMT

Just booked this one, who else is going ?

BSB Oulton Park Race 3 Result & Round Up

Steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 00:50:44 GMT

BSB Oulton Park - Race results (3)

Full race results (3) for the third round of the 2012 MCE British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park

1. Shane Byrne GBR Rapid PBM Kawasaki ZX-10R 29m 08.916s
2. Tommy Hill GBR Swan Yamaha YZF-R1 +2.612s
3. Stuart Easton GBR Rapid PBM Kawasaki ZX-10R +5.481s
4. Josh Brookes AUS Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000 +6.093s
5. Tommy Bridewell GBR Supersonic BMW S1000RR +10.464s
6. Noriyuki Haga JPN Swan Yamaha YZF-R1 +13.209s
7. Michael Laverty GBR Samsung Honda CBR1000RR +13.637s
8. Graeme Gowland GBR WFR Honda CBR1000RR +13.865s
9. Chris Walker GBR Pr1mo BKR Kawasaki ZX-10R +18.276s
10. Alex Lowes GBR WFR Honda CBR1000RR +18.514s
11. Alastair Seeley GBR Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000 +19.623s
12. Dan Linfoot GBR Buildbase BMW S1000RR +27.607s
13. Ian Lowry GBR Padgetts Honda CBR1000RR +29.088s
14. Patric Muff SUI Supersonic BMW S1000RR +29.603s
15. Michael Rutter GBR MSS Bathams Kawasaki ZX-10R +29.668s

16. James Westmoreland GBR WFR Honda CBR1000RR +34.052s
17. Luca Scassa ITA Padgetts Honda CBR1000RR +34.434s
18. Luke Quigley GBR GBmoto Honda CBR1000RR +55.309s
19. James Hillier GBR Pr1mo BKR Kawasaki ZX-10R +56.752s
20. Aaron Zanotti GBR A Plant Suzuki GSX-R1000 +1m 11.645s
21. John Laverty GBR Splitlath Redmond Aprilia RSV4 +1m 13.508s
22. Tristan Palmer GBR GBmoto Honda CBR1000RR +1m 15.055s
23. Tom Tunstall GBR Jentin Doodson Ducati 1199 +1m 28.002s

Not Classified

24. Freddy Foray FRA Quattro Plant Kawasaki ZX-10R 12 laps completed
25. Florian Marino FRA Splitlath Redmond Aprilia RSV4 8 laps completed
26. Peter Hickman GBR MSS Bathams Kawasaki ZX-10R 8 laps completed
27. Barry Burrell GBR Buildbase BMW S1000RR 7 laps completed
28. Gary Mason GBR Quattro Plant Kawasaki ZX-10R 7 laps completed
29. Alex Polita ITA Jentin Doodson Ducati 1199 7 laps completed

Did Not Start

Scott Smart GBR Moto Rapido Ducati 1199 < b="">
Jenny Tinmouth GBR Hardinge Honda CBR1000RR
Jon Kirkham GBR Samsung Honda CBR1000RR
Abdulaziz Binladin KSA Moto Rapido Ducati 1199 <>

Byrne shows class to seal first victory of 2012

Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki ace Shane Byrne rounds off Bank Holiday meeting with victory at Oulton, team-mate Easton also on rostrum in third

Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki's Shane 'Shakey' Byrne seized his first victory of 2012 in the second MCE British Superbike Championship race at Oulton Park.

Byrne made steady progress through the field on his ZX-10R and the PBM rider closed right in on Swan Yamaha's Tommy Hill as the race reached a climax, timing his move to perfection to hit the front two laps from the end of the 18-lap race before pulling away to win by 2.6 seconds from Hill.

Stuart Easton capped a terrific day for the Rapid Solicitors team to secure the final spot on the podium in third.

It was a special moment for Scottish rider Easton, who was back on the rostrum again after battling back from serious injuries sustained in a crash at the North West 200 road races almost a year ago.

Tyco Suzuki's Josh Brookes, Tommy Bridewell on the Supersonic BMW S1000RR and Hill's team-mate Noriyuki Haga rounded out the leading six.

It was Easton who stormed into the lead of the race from earlier winner Chris Walker and WFR Honda's Graeme Gowland, who started from pole position.

Easton still led on lap three as Brookes moved into third place on his GSX-R1000 Suzuki behind Walker, with Gowland dropping to fourth.

Hill was on a charge and by lap seven he was into third place, less than half a second behind Brookes, with Easton holding a lead of just over one second.

At this stage Byrne was fourth ahead of Gowland, Bridewell and Samsung Honda's Michael Laverty.

Hill overhauled Brookes before snatching the lead of the race from Easton at the start of the tenth lap. But Byrne was now in hot pursuit and edged ahead of his team-mate before chasing after Hill.

He rattled off a series of fast laps to put Hill under extreme pressure on lap 14 and inevitably powered through into the lead with two laps of the scheduled 18-lap distance remaining.

Easton held third from Brookes, with Bridewell next and Haga sixth.

Two-time champion Byrne had the victory in his sights and stretched away from Hill, going on to win by more than two and a half seconds.

Easton held on for third, hotly pursued by Brookes, with Bridewell, Haga, Laverty, Gowland, Walker and Alex Lowes the top ten.

Alastair Seeley was 11th on the second Tyco Suzuki ahead of Dan Linfoot and Ian Lowry.

Attached Images

PA1141608.jpg (42.8 KB)

BSB Oulton Park Race 2 Result & Round Up

Steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 00:48:16 GMT

BSB Oulton Park - Race results (2)

Full race results (2) for the third round of the 2012 MCE British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park

1. Chris Walker GBR Pr1mo BKR Kawasaki ZX-10R 32mins 20.110s
2. Shane Byrne GBR Rapid PBM Kawasaki ZX-10R +1.790s
3. Josh Brookes AUS Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000 +4.212s
4. Tommy Hill GBR Swan Yamaha YZF-R1 +14.886s
5. Stuart Easton GBR Rapid PBM Kawasaki ZX-10R +17.512s
6. Alastair Seeley GBR Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000 +18.071s
7. Tommy Bridewell GBR Supersonic BMW S1000RR +18.356s
8. Patric Muff SUI Supersonic BMW S1000RR +29.967s
9. Dan Linfoot GBR Buildbase BMW S1000RR +33.632s
10. Alex Lowes GBR WFR Honda CBR1000RR +34.810s
11. Peter Hickman GBR MSS Bathams Kawasaki ZX-10R +35.654s
12. Michael Laverty GBR Samsung Honda CBR1000RR +39.966s
13. Noriyuki Haga JPN Swan Yamaha YZF-R1 +40.812s
14. James Westmoreland GBR WFR Honda CBR1000RR +44.611s
15. Graeme Gowland GBR WFR Honda CBR1000RR +55.761s

16. Luke Quigley GBR GBmoto Honda CBR1000RR +1m 09.362s
17. Alex Polita ITA Jentin Doodson Ducati 1199 +1m 14.169s
18. Gary Mason GBR Quattro Plant Kawasaki ZX-10R +1m 15.236s
19. Freddy Foray FRA Quattro Plant Kawasaki ZX-10R +1m 22.805s
20. Aaron Zanotti GBR A Plant Suzuki GSX-R1000 +1m 28.875s
21. Ian Lowry GBR Padgetts Honda CBR1000RR +1m 31.517s
22. Barry Burrell GBR Buildbase BMW S1000RR +1m 38.944s
23. John Laverty GBR Splitlath Redmond Aprilia RSV4 +1 lap
24. Tom Tunstall GBR Jentin Doodson Ducati 1199 +1 lap

Not Classified

25. Scott Smart GBR Moto Rapido Ducati 1199 15 laps completed
26. Luca Scassa ITA Padgetts Honda CBR1000RR 13 laps completed
27. Florian Marino FRA Splitlath Redmond Aprilia RSV4 10 laps completed
28. Michael Rutter GBR MSS Bathams Kawasaki ZX-10R 8 laps completed
29. James Hillier GBR Pr1mo BKR Kawasaki ZX-10R 3 laps completed

Did Not Start

Tristan Palmer GBR GBmoto Honda CBR1000RR
Jenny Tinmouth GBR Hardinge Honda CBR1000RR
Jon Kirkham GBR Samsung Honda CBR1000RR
Abdulaziz Binladin KSA Moto Rapido Ducati 1199

Walker winds back years with stunning win

Victorious Chris Walker returns to top step of rostrum with clinical ride in difficult conditions at Oulton Park

Veteran Chris Walker wound back the years with a stunning performance in mixed conditions to claim his first MCE British Superbike race win in 12 long years at Oulton Park in Cheshire.

The Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki rider battled his way through to fourth place from his third row start by the start of lap three and set about reeling in leader Shane 'Shakey' Byrne on the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki ZX-10R.

He first passed reigning British champion Tommy Hill on the Swan Yamaha before setting his sights on Tyco Suzuki's Josh Brookes, who was over two seconds in front, with Byrne a further 2.6s clear as he set the pace in the damp conditions.

The front three broke clear of the chasing pack of Hill, Stuart Easton on the second Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki, Samsung Honda's Michael Laverty, Patric Muff, Tyco Suzuki's Alastair Seeley and Tommy Bridewell.

Byrne stretched his lead to 3.4s over Brookes after eight laps, but the Aussie was beginning to come under pressure from Walker and as the pair increased the tempo, they began to reduce the deficit to the leader.

Wet weather specialist Michael Rutter, who had been fastest during the wet qualifying session prior to the race on his MSS Bathams Kawasaki, crashed out unhurt at Druids.

Walker made a move on Brookes at Knickerbrook but couldn't make it stick and the Tyco Suzuki ace regained second position, albeit temporarily as Walker eventually forged his way through and began to eat into Byrne's lead.

By lap 15, Walker was now riding in Byrne's wheel tracks and with the smell of victory in his nostrils he made a clinical move at Island to snatch the lead.

Walker pulled away in the closing stages of the race to win by 1.8s from Byrne, with Brookes finishing 4.212s behind the winner to secure a podium for the Northern Ireland Tyco Suzuki outfit.

It was Walker's first return to the BSB rostrum since Donington Park in 2009.

Hill came home in a lonely fourth place on his YZF-R1, almost 15 seconds in arrears.

Easton, Seeley and Bridewell had a personal battle of their own as the race reached a climax, with the diminutive Scotsman holding on for fifth as they finished in that order to round out the top seven.

Muff, Dan Linfoot and Alex Lowes were the top ten.
Michael Laverty dropped to 12th position behind Peter Hickman, with Noriyuki Haga � who claimed his first podium in BSB in Sunday's race �13th.

Ulsterman Ian Lowry, the championship leader coming to Oulton, could only manage 21st on the Padgetts Honda.

Graeme Gowland will start from pole position in the second race after setting the fastest time of the race on his way to 15th place.

As it stands, Brookes has moved into the championship lead by a point from Hill, with Byrne third (63), Lowry (49) fourth and Seeley (44) fifth.

Attached Images

PA1141615.jpg (48.9 KB)

BSB Oulton Park Race 1 Result & Round Up

Steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 00:45:11 GMT

BSB Oulton Park - Race results (1)

Full race results (1) for the third round of the 2012 MCE British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park (Re-run of cancelled Brands Hatch race two)

Race stopped after 8 laps, second part run over 8 laps

1. Tommy Hill GBR Swan Yamaha YZF-R1 12m 55.805s
2. Noriyuki Haga JPN Swan Yamaha YZF-R1 +1.525s
3. Josh Brookes AUS Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000 +1.685s
4. Alastair Seeley GBR Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000 +4.320s
5. Tommy Bridewell GBR Supersonic BMW S1000RR +4.460s
6. Michael Laverty GBR Samsung Honda CBR1000RR +6.340s
7. Chris Walker GBR Pr1mo BKR Kawasaki ZX-10R +6.879s
8. Michael Rutter GBR MSS Bathams Kawasaki ZX-10R +9.223s
9. Stuart Easton GBR Rapid PBM Kawasaki ZX-10R +9.252s
10. James Westmoreland GBR WFR Honda CBR1000RR +9.661s
11. Shane Byrne GBR Rapid PBM Kawasaki ZX-10R +9.702s
12. Patric Muff SUI Supersonic BMW S1000RR +12.247s
13. Luca Scassa ITA Padgetts Honda CBR1000RR +12.529s
14. Luke Quigley GBR GBmoto Honda CBR1000RR +13.320s
15. Dan Linfoot GBR Buildbase BMW S1000RR +13.537s

16. Peter Hickman GBR MSS Bathams Kawasaki ZX-10R +14.135s
17. Tristan Palmer GBR GBmoto Honda CBR1000RR +16.793s
18. Barry Burrell GBR Buildbase BMW S1000RR +16.854s
19. Scott Smart GBR Moto Rapido Ducati 1199 +20.775s
20. John Laverty GBR Splitlath Redmond Aprilia RSV4 +28.231s
21. Aaron Zanotti GBR A Plant Suzuki GSX-R1000 +29.118s
22. Florian Marino FRA Splitlath Redmond Aprilia RSV4 +34.986s
23. Tom Tunstall GBR Jentin Doodson Ducati 1199 +35.609s
24. Jenny Tinmouth GBR Hardinge Honda CBR1000RR +1m 18.433s

Not Classified

25. Graeme Gowland GBR WFR Honda CBR1000RR 6 laps completed
26. Ian Lowry GBR Padgetts Honda CBR1000RR 4 laps completed
27. Alex Polita ITA Jentin Doodson Ducati 1199 1 lap completed
28. James Hillier GBR Pr1mo BKR Kawasaki ZX-10R 0 laps completed

Unable to restart

Jon Kirkham GBR Samsung Honda CBR1000RR
Gary Mason GBR Quattro Plant Kawasaki ZX-10R
Alex Lowes GBR WFR Honda CBR1000RR
Freddy Foray FRA Quattro Plant Kawasaki ZX-10R
Abdulaziz Binladin KSA Moto Rapido Ducati 1199

Hill edges out Haga for Oulton win

Swan Yamaha's Tommy Hill denies team-mate Noriyuki Haga maiden success in British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park

Swan Yamaha's Tommy Hill emerged victorious following an eight-lap sprint in the MCE British Superbike race at Oulton Park, taking the honours from team-mate Noriyuki Haga on a magnificent day for Shaun Muir's team.

The race was initially red-flagged following a crash involving Samsung Honda's Jon Kirkham, who came off at Clay Hill after appearing to lose the front end of his CBR1000RR Fireblade.

Kirkham was treated in the medical centre for concussion.

Hill headed a Swan Yamaha one-two, with Aussie Brookes filling the final rostrum position ahead of team-mate Alastair Seeley, who earlier crashed at Cascades during qualifying.

Tommy Bridewell continued to impress on the Supersonic BMW as he took fifth place on the S1000RR with Samsung Honda's Michael Laverty rounding out the top six.

Japanese star Haga led the re-started race on his YZF-R1 until after the half-way point. The World Superbike hero passed Tyco Suzuki's Josh Brookes in the opening stages to hit the front.

However, reigning champion Hill was always poised to strike behind his team-mate after moving through to challenge the leader in today's race, which was rescheduled from the opening round of the championship at Brands Hatch last month due to poor weather and deteriorating surface conditions.

Hill, who was lying in fourth place at the end of lap one, picked off Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki's Shane 'Shakey' Byrne and Brookes before shadowing Haga.

Once he made his move at Island he put the hammer down to open a one-second lead by the end of the penultimate lap.

Hill was the only rider to achieve a sub-1m 36s lap as he blasted around the Cheshire course in a time of 1m 35.842s on his final lap to cross the line with a 1.5s advantage over the ever-improving Haga, who claimed his maiden BSB podium.

Brookes was 2.6 seconds clear of current British Supersport champion Seeley on the second Tyco Suzuki, who put his disappointing results at Thruxton behind him with an strong ride to fourth.

Laverty will be pleased with his performance after clawing his way through the pack from almost last place on the grid to finish behind Bridewell, with veteran Chris Walker, Michael Rutter, Stuart Easton and James Westmoreland the top ten.

Padgetts Honda rider Ian Lowry was forced out of the race with bike trouble.

Hill starts from pole position in tomorrow's races after lapping half a second faster than Byrne and Brookes.

Attached Images

PA1140796.jpg (55.9 KB)

WSBK Monza Race 2 Result & Round Up

Steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 00:42:09 GMT

WSBK Monza - Race results (2)

Full race results (2) for the fourth round of the 2012 World Superbike Championship at Monza, Italy.

Race stopped after 8 laps, half-points awarded

1. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki Racing ZX-10R 14mins 08.800s
2. Leon Haslam GBR BMW Motorrad S1000RR +9.709s
3. Eugene Laverty IRL Aprilia Racing RSV-4 +10.119s
4. Marco Melandri ITA BMW Motorrad S1000RR +10.294s
5. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 +10.527s
6. Jonathan Rea GBR Honda WSBK CBR1000RR +10.638s
7. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Ducati 1098R +10.899s
8. Davide Giugliano ITA Althea Ducati 1098R +12.195s
9. Jakub Smrz CZE Liberty Effenbert Ducati 1098R +13.199s
10. Ayrton Badovini ITA BMW Italia Goldbet S1000RR +19.372s
11. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN Honda WSBK CBR1000RR +24.551s
12. Chaz Davies GBR ParkinGO MTC Aprilia RSV-4 +24.655s
13. Maxime Berger FRA Effenbert Liberty Ducati 1098R +24.662s
14. Lorenzo Zanetti ITA PATA Ducati 1098R +24.668s
15. Leon Camier GBR Crescent Fixi Suzuki GSX-R1000 +24.810s

16. Leandro Mercado ARG Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +24.935s
17. Niccolo Canepa ITA Red Devils Ducati 1098R +25.278s

Not Classified

18. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Effenbert Liberty Ducati 1098R 0 laps completed
19. Michel Fabrizio ITA BMW Italia Goldbet S1000RR 0 laps completed

Did Not Start

David Salom ESP Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R
Sergio Gadea ESP Kawasaki Racing ZX-10R
Mark Aitchison AUS Grillini Progea BMW S1000RR
John Hopkins USA Crescent Fixi Suzuki GSX-R1000

Sykes wins halted race, half-points given

Sykes dominates from the start, but is prevented from taking it to the chequered flag.

Tom Sykes has won his first World Superbike Championship race of the season at Monza, but he will receive just half points for his efforts after the race was halted at the midway point.

The Kawasaki rider was cruising to a dominant victory during the second Monza race as he put seconds per lap over the competition, but the arrival of rain after eight of the 16 laps would force organisers to deploy red flags and call the result.

A frustrating end to a chaotic day at Monza following the cancellation of the first race on safety grounds, there were fears the second race wouldn't get underway either as riders returned from the warm-up feeling dissatisfied with the dry, albeit patchy, conditions.

After around 15mins of discussion, the race did eventually get underway, but without pole sitter Sylvain Guintoli who, along with Michel Fabrizio, would suffer cruel technical issues on the new warm-up lap to prevent them from starting.

Inheriting an effective pole position, Sykes stormed into the lead at the first turn and proceeded to scythe away from the opposition, the Briton's margin growing by a second with every lap to leave the competition floundering in his wake.

However, with dark clouds looming overhead and threatening to deposit their contents on the Monza circuit, the inevitable eventually occurred on lap eight, organisers immediately drawing the red flags to prevent any incident.

Coming after race one was cancelled due to the riders' concerns over the sodden track surface and the quality of the wet Pirelli tyre around the high-speed circuit, just 8 laps and 14mins of Superbike racing would take place on the weekend the series celebrates its 25th Anniversary.

With not enough of the race completed to award full points, Sykes instead only receives 12.5 points, rather than a full 25 points. Although it remains an impressive result for a rejuvenated Kawasaki, Sykes will rue the fact that he would have possibly stood to take the championship lead had the race gone full

Behind him, the battle for second place piqued the interest of the restless crowds as their heroes Max Biaggi and Marco Melandri diced with their respective Eugene Laverty and Leon Haslam team-mates.

In the end, the 'away' riders would triumph over the local favourites, Haslam giving a hint as to what could have been as he grabbed an excellent second place finish � his best yet for BMW � from 13th on the grid.

Laverty, a double winner at Monza last season, also had the honour of beating his team-mate to claim his second consecutive podium finish of the season, while Melandri and Biaggi followed up in fourth and fifth.

Jonathan Rea was also embroiled in the podium fight but would be forced to settle for sixth, ahead of Carlos Checa, who will at least be satisfied to see honours fairly even at the end of what he was expecting to be a far more difficult weekend.

Davide Giugliano and Jakub Smrz followed up on their Ducatis in eighth and ninth, while Ayrton Badovini rounded out the top ten.

Further back, Hiroshi Aoyama, Chaz Davies, Maxime Berger, Lorenzo Zanetti and Leon Camier rounded out the points' paying positions.

In all, just 17 riders started the second race, with six riders missing the start, including the unlucky Guintoli and Fabrizio, while David Salom, Mark Aitchison, Sergio Gadea and John Hopkins were also unable to start due to their race one incidents. Indeed, Hopkins is believed to have fared particularly badly in his Parabolica fall, the American reported to have broken his foot.

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WSBK Monza Race1 Result

Steve — Fri, 11 May 2012 00:38:52 GMT

WSBK Monza Race One cancelled on safety grounds

Poor weather conditions and concerns over the state of Pirelli's treaded tyres have forced organisers to cancel the opening World Superbike race at Monza.

The first 2012 World Superbike Championship race at Monza has been cancelled after concerns with the treaded tyres in wet conditions prompted organisers to play safe.

The race originally started in dry conditions but was halted after three laps when a brief shower brought down John Hopkins, David Salom and Sergio Gadea.

With intermittent showers at different parts of the circuit causing further havoc as the bikes lined up on the grid for a restart, an impromptu meeting on the home straight suggested the riders were not keen to head out onto an ever evolving track.

However, just as a handful of riders went onto a track inspection, the heavens opened properly and rain began falling heavily, a worst case scenario following the riders' pre-race declaration that they wouldn't be able to race on Pirelli's wet weather tyres.

Indeed, the riders have been vocal about the state of the rear wet weather tyres throughout the weekend, which have been quickly breaking up after just a handful of laps under the high-speed conditions.

With this in mind, organisers have taken the decision to cancel the race altogether, while the World Supersport race � which is scheduled to start at 12.30GMT � may also be canned.

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