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From Pirelli WSBK Press
ROUND 6 – SALT LAKE CITY – 1st JUNE 2008 – RACE REVIEW
1ST June 2008, Miller Motorsports Park (USA) – A new circuit in an old WSBK country, Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City welcomed the series back to America for the first time in four years. The
beautifully appointed 4.907km circuit, surrounded by snow-capped mountains,
hosted some astonishing race action, even though none of the top World
Superbike riders have ever ridden at Miller before. Pirelli arrived fully
prepared for the challenge of Miller, however, after two years of competition
in the AMA Formula Extreme class, using 16.5 inch tyres. For two years AMA used
the same layout as World Superbike ran this year, but direct comparisons with
this year’s AMA series are impossible to make, as the US series used the full circuit this
time around.
From the
very beginning the Pirelli Superbike tyres were on the pace at Miller, beating
the previous AMA race lap record even on day one, and then creating new levels
of excellence once the Pirelli qualifying tyres were used. The new absolute
best went to Carlos Checa, who set a 1’48.193 to take his first ever Superpole
win.
With no
other SBK support classes at Miller, Pirelli brought 2600 individual SBK tyres
to America, sent by sea as long ago as April, with each rider having a choice
of three front specifications and three rear fitments in their overall
allocation, including SC2 and SC3 fronts and rears. Good weather was in
evidence all weekend, with track temperatures sometimes climbing into the 50s centigrade.
Race1:
The new track had a whole new race winner, as Carlos Checa took his
first ever SBK race win and Honda’s first win of the 2008 season. It has taken
only 11 races for four manufacturers - Ducati, Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda - to
record a victory using the same selections of Pirelli DIABLO SUPERBIKE tyres.
Checa also scored the fastest lap of the race to add to his new Superpole
record, with a 1’50.091 coming on the fourth lap, but numerous riders were
still able to record 1’50 laps even in the final sector of the 20-lap race.
Checa was able to use the softest front tyre in each race, with most other
riders on the B or C choices.
The
race was only 20-laps long after a delayed start was declared, when some riders
lined up on the wrong grid slots. Crashes from Bayliss and Haga (the latter
riding with a broken collarbone) took out two big names early, but Troy Corser
and Michel Fabrizio ensured that there were three different manufacturers’
machines filling the race one podium, while Max Neukirchner put the top Suzuki
in fourth place, proving that all competing machines could be competitive on
Pirelli’s tyres. The Kawasaki of Regis Laconi made a good showing early in the
race, but he fell on lap five, while in seventh place.
A fantastic race weekend ended with a second win for Checa and the
Championship blown wide open by a second no score for Bayliss. Checa also set a
new lap record of 1’49.703 on lap 11, a remarkable feat in WSBK’s first visit
to Miller.
Checa took the lead on lap nine and led to the finish, beating
Neukirchner by 3.5 seconds, and the slow starting, fast finishing, Michel
Fabrizio by 6.6 seconds. Bayliss was forced to retire and this opened up the
championship fight once more. Bayliss is now on 194, Checa 166 and the coming
man Neukirchner 144. Noriyuki Haga rode an impossible race after his serious
collarbone fracture, and he secured sixth place in race two, gaining ten points
on Bayliss.
Pirelli DIABLO SUPERBIKE tyres proved highly adept at allowing the SBK
riders to first learn and then master the Miller circuit, and the entire
meeting was voted a success.
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