Monza: First Qualifying - Toseland Leads with New Best Lap o

CHAMPIONSHIP FRONT RUNNER SETS THE PACE OF HISTORY

It took James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) less than a day to beat the previous circuit best at the classically designed 5.793km Monza circuit, setting a 1’45.953 lap on race tyres. He becomes the first ever rider to break 1’45 on the current circuit layout, which this year features new and smoother tarmac in various sections, but an identical layout to previous years.

HAGA SECOND ON THE OPENING DAY TIMESHEETS

Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) was some 0.363 seconds behind Toseland on day one, as his team-mate Troy Corser, the previous track record holder, finished only 12th overall out of 25 riders. Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda) is a competitor who loves the challenge of Monza and thanks to his pace and a machine that was both fast and sweet handling, he went third today. To add to the joy in a team that had a disastrous Assen race two weekends ago, Muggeridge’s team-mate Josh Brookes was fifth fastest, at a track he is competing at for the first time. Just in front of him was a former Monza race winner, Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Corse Kawasaki), who made the provisional front row a cosmopolitan place with his Kawasaki’s green paintwork.

OFFICIAL DUCATIS DISPLACED BY XAUS

Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) proved to have the early advantage over the official factory squad members on day one, as he pushed

Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) to seventh place. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) struggled to get on form and finished 16th, the last rider in the provisional Superpole qualifying slots

ITALIAN RIDERS LED BY ROLFO

The progress of Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) in recent races was once more underlined when he set the eighth fastest time at Monza, only just one second from his team-mate Toseland, making him the fastest of the nine Italian riders on show. Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki) was the fastest rider on a GSX-R, down in ninth place, with Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) rounding out the top ten.

BIAGGI 11th FIRST TIME OUT ON A SUPERBIKE AT MONZA

Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) had a harsh introduction to the high-speed corners at Monza, finishing day one 1.2 seconds from pole, but ready to improve on day two. Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany) was 13th, and Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda) 14th. Marco Borciani (Team Sterilgarda Ducati) was 15th in his return to SBK action.

WORLD SUPERSPORT - HONDAS RULE THE ROOST AT THE START

The small margin of 0.08 seconds separated team-mates Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) in Supersport and a good day for the CBR men was completed when Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda) went third quickest - only 0.155 seconds from provisional pole.

Fabien Foret (GIL Kawasaki) led the Kawasaki charge in fourth, while Broc Parkes (Yamaha World SSP Racing) was top R6 runner, fifth. A variety heavy top ten featured the Pioneer Hoegee Suzuki of Barry Veneman sixth and another Kawasaki, that of Pere Riba, seventh. Kevin Curtain’s stand-in in the Yamaha WSSP team, Anthony West, was eighth, only just over a second from pole.

SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP - YAMAHA RIDERS MAKE A CLEAN SWEEP

Claudio Corti (Team Lorenzini by Leoni Yamaha) led a three-rider Yamaha freight train at the front of the Superstock field in first qualifying, with his own team-mate Michele Pirro and the Umbria Bike R1 of Matteo Baiocco. The first non-Yamaha rider home was Ilario Dionisi (Cruciani Moto Suzuki Italia), fourth fastest.

SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP - MAGNONI EDGES IT

Michele Magnoni (Bevilacqua Yamaha) held off Danilo Petrucci (Imperiale Corse Yamaha) by only 0.006 seconds in Superstock 600 qualifying, with the top nine riders all circulation Monza within a second of each other. Maxime Berger (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) the joint points leader, was third.

World SBK