WSBK - Brands Hatch (spoilers)

[jhansen]

This is the weekend thread for Round 8 of the World Superbike Championship, which is being held at Brands Hatch. Please use this thread to discuss anything related to the race weekend including practice, qualifying, and the race. The riders have already been on track today with the results posted as follows:

Friday Free Practice Results:

http://www.crash.net/news_View~t~WSB...~id~134944.htm

Qualifying 1 Results:

http://www.crash.net/news_View~t~WSB...~id~134967.htm

Bayless is on provisional pole followed by Corser and Haga. And that's just about how it was in free practice. Kurtis Roberts missed free practice due to licensing issues, but was on track for the first qualifying session. Although due to lack of track time he is currently last on the grid.

The top three for WSS qualifying were Sofuoglu, Curtain, and Charpentier.

Should be a cracking weekend!

[jhansen]

Regarding Roberts, apparently he was awaiting a fax from AMA to clear up the licensing issue. Way to go AMA if you were the cause for him missing the first session.

[BootsOntheSide]

Not really good enough from the AMA, as you say. It's not as if Kurtis isn't up to standard to compete at this level.

Interesting to see three of the big guns up at the front straight away, although qualifying 1 doesn't really mean a lot, unless rain is a possibility for tomorrow.

[jhansen]

Do they run the full circuit, or the Indy circuit?

[Dani Filth]

as far as I remember.. they run the full circuit for WSBK

[chunder]

They do run the full circuit for this weekend, there is no way they could get that many people on the little track!!

Brands is one of the most popular bike meetings in Europe, all stemming back to Fogarty and Hodgson winning there years ago, one year over 100,000 people attended.

Palmer has been very careful not to have many meetings on the fulltrack because of the noise police and he can easily run at a loss on the full track, he even stops touring cars running there i think now.

Is a great track though, and a good atmosphere, too bloody hot for me though! Actually J, is probably as close to a yank track as you can get overe here, very dangerous!!

[jhansen]

So chunder, to quote you from another thread, are the Brits utterly obsessed with Brands Hatch?

Bayless and Haga on top after second qualifying followed by Laconi, Corser, and Kagayama.

Corser, Haga and Bayless in the final practice before superpole. Corser's lap is fastest of the weekend so far with a 1:25.730. Superpole should be good.

In WSS, it's Parkes, Charpentier, and Curtain at the front after second qualifying.

Kurtis Roberts is still trying to get up to speed.

[jhansen]

Bayless on pole from Haga, Muggeridge, Toseland and Corser. Pole time was a 1:25.449. Times here:

http://www.crash.net/news_View~t~WSB...~id~135046.htm

[Dani Filth]

Originally Posted by jhansen

So chunder, to quote you from another thread, are the Brits utterly obsessed with Brands Hatch?

from the outside. . i can say .. they kinda are


goodish qualy for Kawa .. and Laconi fastest of them

[nihil]

Originally Posted by jhansen

So chunder, to quote you from another thread, are the Brits utterly obsessed with Brands Hatch?

Lol. And why wouldn't we be?! It swoops and curves through a natural amphitheatre, then blasts out through a forest, only to curve back again like a swift darting around its nest. Its the closest you can get to flying without actually leaving the ground...

Yeah, we like it

[Hazza]

It is a fantastic track, utterly fantastic.

Only issue is if I see Bayless one more time you are banned . Bay-liss, Bay-liss!!!

[Hazza]

Fantastic dogfight so far between Haga and Bayliss! Lets hope that Toes can caut the gap down and buy in on the action. This beats F1 any day.


Ooooh! Toes is in close!

Also point: Barros is on fire, from 18th to 8th. And also, the 999R looks sexy in black, nah, It just looks sexy.

Final note: this will be a last lap bash.

[Hazza]

'Super ride' by Bayliss.

[Hazza]

PS: Dani, you can't ban me.

[Dani Filth]

Haga drove the last 5 laps of Race 2 like a man possessed .. "super ride" by Haga
also very good rides for Pitt and Laconi . to finish 4th ahead of the Suzukis and Toesland ..

PS .. how do you know . did you try to ban yourself ??

[BootsOntheSide]

Good stuff, with 2nd place in the championhip changing hands twice. Having 2 bikes from each constructor in the top 10 of race 2 was an interesting show of parity.

As for ITV, I enjoyed the Jenson Button victory parade, but seeing some bike racing would have been nice. I think Angus Scott mentioned Jenson's name more than anyone else's. The lack of even brief highlights of race 1 was embarassing.

[jhansen]

Looks like the racing was great. Can't wait to watch. Speed wont show it till Tuesday though.

I'm very happy for Haga, as he is brilliant to watch. And yes, that Troy BayLISS chap is pretty good to. I can't get enough of Troy BayLISS on the Xerox Ducati. Yes, Troy BayLISS is making quite a statement this year.

[Hazza]

Race 2 was by far the better race, there were a couple of times I thought Bayliss would put in the Banzi move, but no avail.

[HDTVKSS]

only cauhgt race 1 and start of WSS but damn, was good gotta love Brands.

" super" human effort from Bayliss in race 1. thumbs up for Pitt and Haga as well.

Interesting that Corser could be without an Alstare ride next year as well. the bike just does not seem to be able to keep in touch with yamaha's, Ten Kate Honda's and the Superman Mobile.

and FFS can we get one race where they dont talk about the " vastly superior " traction control on the Duc? if it was that good Laconi would be visbible on track instead of fighting it out for 10th.... HOw bout you tell us how the Duc is so disadvantaged due to its engine configuration not being able to put out enough HP

[nihil]

Yeah, thanks to ITV we only got to see race 2, but what a race! Bayliss seems a much smoother rider these days. He was chasing Haga really hard on those last couple of laps. I remember seeing him chase Colin Edwards at Laguna Seca and it was all rear end steering, black lines, and tyre smoke, but apart from kicking up a little dust on one of the corners he seemed comparitively graceful.

[Gerben24]

Once again, it was a great day out yesterday. The superbikes blow my mind everytime again. The atmosphere was great and the weather was fantastic. For some reason the atmosphere is totally different at Brands compared to when cars are racing there (and the T-shirts are better as well). And I have never seen so many people at Brands. Unfortunatelly this was probably my last visit at Brands for a very long time , as I will cross the pond with all my properties. The second race was a good way to say good bye (and the supersport was quite good as well with Curtain overtaking Sofuoglu round the outside at Paddock Hill bend)!

[nihil]

Originally Posted by Gerben24

(and the supersport was quite good as well with Curtain overtaking Sofuoglu round the outside at Paddock Hill bend)!

Woah! I would have liked to have seen that! Don't know whether it was the camera angles, but there were a couple of moments when I thought Haga was going to try that, but on the inside. To go the long way round Paddock is a very commited move.

[gwar]

[QUOTE=Gerben24]For some reason the atmosphere is totally different at Brands compared to when cars are racing there (and the T-shirts are better as well). And I have never seen so many people at Brands. Unfortunatelly this was probably my last visit at Brands for a very long time , as I will cross the pond with all my properties. QUOTE]

There's no harm in coming back over for next year. We are going over to Assen at the beginning of next month to marshal at the WSBKs. Make a holiday of it, have bike/car, will travel.

Bikes are totally different from cars, they do this thing called "overtaking" and it's exciting to watch.

[jhansen]

Erm, they actually do multiple overtaking manuvers!

Personally, I can't wait to see the footage. Tuesday night with WSBK and a few cold ones.

[nihil]

Originally Posted by gwar

Bikes are totally different from cars, they do this thing called "overtaking" and it's exciting to watch.

Oooh. Bit blasé, aren't we? Going round the outside at Paddock is a special category of overtaking called 'spectacular'. (unless of course the overtaken rider was going so slow as to..... awww, never mind...)