Sunday was emotionally
charged day for Ducati Corse at Magny-Cours in France as
the Italian factory team signed off from the World
Superbike Championship after more than two decades of
simply unrivalled success with a podium finish for
Michael Fabrizio in the yesterday's second race while
his team mate Noriyuki Haga made it two of the red bikes
in the top-five.
The first race of the day was challenging
for both of the Ducati Xerox riders. Michel made a good
start, up in third after the first corners; the first
half of his race consisted of a battle for the top three
places against Max Biaggi, Cal Crutchlow and Sylvain
Guintoli. Fabrizio held third place until the fifteenth
lap, after which Carlos Checa and Leon Haslam, lying in
fourth and fifth respectively, picked up their pace,
managing to get past Michel who was by that point
struggling with a lack of front grip.
The Italian rider
continued to push until the very end but ultimately had
to be satisfied with sixth position. Noriyuki on the
other hand lost a couple of positions off the line and
struggled to catch faster riders ahead of him. By
mid-race he had regained some of the lost ground but
there was already a three second gap between him and Jakub Smrz, ahead of him in seventh, and he was unable
to catch the Czech rider who had a slightly faster pace.
The Japanese rider closed Race 1 in seventh position.
There were very similar conditions in
Race 2, with a track temperature of 30°C. Both Noriyuki
and Michel got away well this time, lying in third and
fourth place respectively by the end of the first lap.
When Cal Crutchlow got past both of them, Noriyuki lost
some ground while Michel was able to maintain a strong
pace, fighting against Sylvain Guintoli for the third
podium spot for the best part of the race. Fabrizio
oscillated between third and fourth place until the last
lap when a final attack on the French rider paid off;
Michel crossed the line in third, a fraction of a second
ahead of Guintoli. Haga held fifth position from the
third lap to the finish line, running a solitary race
sandwiched between the leaders and chasing group.
At the end of the 2010
World Superbike Championship, Noriyuki finishes in sixth
position in the riders classification, with 258 points,
while Michel Fabrizio closes out in eighth, having
accumulated 195 points. The team has celebrated
victories at Valencia, Kyalami and Nürburgring and,
thanks also to these results, Ducati finishes second in
the manufacturers championship, emphasizing the
potential of the Ducati 1198. Sunday's races were the
last for the Ducati Xerox factory team and as already
communicated Ducati instead only support satellite teams that
participate in the 2011 SBK championship rather than run a factory outfit. Over the last 22 years of
competition, Ducati has amassed 16 manufacturer’s
titles, 13 rider’s titles and a total of 718 podiums,
291 of which race wins.
Michel
Fabrizio (Race 1 – 6th, Race 2
– 3rd)
“The first race didn’t go as planned and front tyre wear
gave me a lot of problems, preventing me from catching
those ahead. In Race 2 I had a great battle with
Guintoli. I was braking as hard and as late as possible
in order to make up what I was losing on the straights
and I had to attack for third right on the last lap.
Sylvain wanted the podium because it’s his home race but
I wanted it for my team and to wrap up the last three
years with the Ducati Xerox team in the best possible
way. I thank Ducati, my entire team, the sponsors and
the fans; this is our day and I’m going to enjoy it with
my team.”
Noriyuki Haga
(Race 1 – 7th, Race 2 – 5th)
“I was expecting a much faster second race to tell the
truth. In Race 1 I was having problems with the rear
tyre and so I thought that the changes we made before
the second race would improve the situation. But in Race
2 it was difficult to push because I didn’t have great
balance. Anyway, I want to thank my team. The guys have
been absolutely fantastic, especially before yesterday’s
Superpole and ahead of this morning’s warm-up when they
performed miracles to prepare my bike in time. We close
this chapter sadly but for the Ducati Xerox Team I have
an incredible respect that I will always carry with me.”
Ernesto
Marinelli
“It has been a very special weekend and race day. In
Race 2 I saw in Michel a determination that made me
truly proud, proud not just of him but of the entire
team, a unique group of people with whom I have had the
honour to work for all these years. To change a frame
like they did this morning in 45 minutes or to repair a
bike in under 30, is an achievement that can only be
accomplished by extraordinary people, thanks to their
professionalism, ability and coordination. The biggest
thanks therefore goes to them, “thanks guys”. Thanks
also to Daniele Casolari and Feel Racing that has helped
us along this journey full of successes, to Xerox for
the six wonderful years of partnership, to Valsir,
Shell, TIM and all the other sponsors that have
supported us.”
RESULTS: Race 1 –
1. Crutchlow (Yamaha); 2. Haslam (Suzuki); 3. Checa
(Ducati). Race 2 - 1. Biaggi (Aprilia); 2. Crutchlow
(Yamaha); 3. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox).
CLASSIFICATION:
Riders – 1. Biaggi (Aprilia) 451; 2. Haslam (Suzuki)
376; 3. Checa (Ducati) 297; 4. Rea (Honda) 292; 5.
Crutchlow (Yamaha) 284; 6. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 258; 7.
Guintoli (Suzuki) 197; 8. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 195;
9. Toseland (Yamaha) 187; 10. Byrne (Ducati) 169;
Manufacturers – Aprilia 471; Ducati 424; Suzuki 412;
Yamaha 352; Honda 313; BMW 201; Kawasaki 113.