Nice to see Haga doing well on the Duke.

Quote from danowat :

I am prepared to be proven wrong, but I am under the impression its still a top 16 superpole (flying lap) system this year.

New system for this year, and I'm pretty sure it's 20. I don't know how many laps they get in each "knockout session", but I also enjoyed the one lap system and it will be hard to beat that, even if we will get to see more of the bikes.

Maybe it'll end up like qualifying practice from the late 90s, where you had everyone trying to find someone to slipstream, but also trying to keep the others off them.

Brands Hatch 1997 is a perfect example, and also marked what I think is the peak of WSBK. You had all the big names like Chili, Fogarty, Slight, Edwards etc. fighting it out, then the mass of British wildcards like Mackenzie and Rutter, and then the privateers (regulars, wildcards and European SBK contenders). 30 riders grids for nearly every round, it was great.

Some rather more unfamiliar names taking up the higher placings for tomorrow's race. Fantastic effort by Spies in his debut! Haga in 13th, Corser mired back in 17th, that'll make for some interesting racing. The only thing missing is the Aussie wildcards in there to mix things up. Bring back Craig Connell and Shawn Giles!

Full results here:

1 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1'31.069
2 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1'31.402
3 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'31.596
4 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'31.600
5 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'31.837
6 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'32.112
7 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1'32.537
8 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098 RS 09 1'32.649
9 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 1'31.843
10 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1'31.860
11 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'31.867
12 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'31.881
13 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'31.907
14 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'31.916
15 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1'32.119
16 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'32.719
17 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'32.873
18 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'32.997
19 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'33.152
20 33 Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'33.363
21 24 Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 1'33.588
22 100 Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'33.709
23 86 Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'34.174
24 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'34.194
25 31 Muggeridge K. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'34.341
26 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'34.390
27 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'35.767
28 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'36.363

Definitely staying up for the races.

well, WELL happy with the Aprilia being 2nd on the grid, and quite pleased to see Spies, Rea, Smrz and Haslam up at the sharp end.

Was wrong about the superpole, I prefer last years system TBH, but it was ok.

Roll on tomorrows race, I'll watch the delayed coverage, can't stay up for it.

Funny to watch Phillip Island, I was there only a few months ago watching MotoGP!!!!!

Mmmmm, that RSV4 looks pretty unstoppable. Hopefully it fails so I can stop dreaming about it.

Hopefully the BMW's will pick up the pace, although midfield is probably to be expected considering it's their first season.

I could be seriously tempted to chop my Aprilia in for a new RSV4.......

I'd wait till next Winter, wait for some decent deals and free kit giveaways. Or whenever they start doing them again!

Quote from danowat :

Was wrong about the superpole, I prefer last years system TBH, but it was ok.

Me too. You saw every rider's meaningful lap in its entirety, which was much more engrossing than getting the occasional glimpse of someone doing a mediocre lap whilst someone else is setting the fastest time, or someone else is messing up. So whilst the bikes are on track for more of the time, what you actually get to see is watered down by comparison.

Watching Qualifying on Eurosport, excellent stuff.

Update - Just started!!

First corner - Rea first, Kiyo goes down and Spies runs off.

Won't ruin it for you anymore.

Fantastic first race, I think this could be the most competitive year since 98.

Quote from ChiliFan :

Fantastic first race, I think this could be the most competitive year since 98.

Yup, brilliant race.

Only disappointment for me was that Shakey came off on the first lap.. I really hope he has the same success in WSB as he did in BSB.

Haga and Neykurcsnica (never can spell his name) over the last few laps was just epic..

E: ROFL!!!!!!!!!!

The interview with Sofouglu made me think of the India ring-ding bloke from Fonejacker. HAHAHAHAHAHHA

Amazing start to the season.

It was a shame to see Spies go off in race 1, but he made up for it in race 2 for sure!!!, a win on your first full race in WSBK is nothing to be sniffed at.

Haga was top again, he is certainly a contender for the title (bookies fav I would say), but other than that, its tough to call, Neukirchner had a good ride, Haslam was on fire, even though he kept making the same mistakes.

I was dissapointed with the Aprilia finishes, but its early days yet.

Roll on 14th March!!!

a real shame about shakey! I know he can pull back the points, my hopes are pinned on him!

I think he's a little bit arrogant TBH

Quote from danowat :

I think he's a little bit arrogant TBH

You don't say.

Still, I hope it achieves good things this year - He's done really well in BSB and I think he sort of deserves some sort of WSB success. Although he will have to earn it. Ideally, all the new British riders in the WSB will be winning and it'll sort of be the international BSB.

Thats the thing, I think HE thinks he deserves WSB success, but he is now a (very?) small fish, in a big pond.

He won BSB on a bike that was leaps and bounds ahead of everything else, but apart from that, he hasn't really done a great deal in his career.

Quote from danowat :

He won BSB on a bike that was leaps and bounds ahead of everything else, but apart from that, he hasn't really done a great deal in his career.

They said that about Ben Spies' Suzuki in AMA Superbike too.

Quote from Forbin :

Spies for '09 WSB champ.

You heard it here first.

I put my money on Haga after seeing his performance at Phillip Island.

way, WAY to early to say Spies will win, theres a HECK of a long way to go.

TBH, apart from Haga, there are no real clear winners at this point in the season.

Spies round the outside of Biaggi in T2 even after Biaggi put him off the race prior. I don't think even Haga would have done that. Maybe Corser.

Quote from danowat :

Eurosport have confirmed full coverage (Stocks and WSS too)

B*llox Got nothing against Eurosport, except that I don't have (and have no intention of getting) Sky and I'm not prepared to pay the premium that Virgin want just to get one extra channel that I want out of all the other rubbish they'll include for the money. To be honest though, I've got lazy when it comes to motorsports. If it's not on a primtime channel at a convenient time, I never bother watching it. I'd rather watch the Rugby

Spies on top in Qual 1, looking good for him again, nice to see the Aprilia up there again, shame the beemers are low again though.

Don't forget Qatar races are saturdays not sundays

1. Ben Spies USA Yamaha WSB YZF R1 1min 58.886s
2. Jonathan Rea GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 59.177s
3. Carlos Checa ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 59.731s
4. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 1min 59.826s
5. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 59.937s
6. Shane Byrne GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R 1min 59.980s
7. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 2mins 00.024s
8. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1098R 2mins 00.101s
9. Regis Laconi FRA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 2mins 00.232s
10. Shinya Nakano JPN Aprilia Racing RSV-4 2mins 00.238s
11. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1098R 2mins 00.254s
12. Tom Sykes GBR Yamaha WSB YZF R1 2mins 0.283s
13. Max Neukirchner GER Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 2mins 00.345s
14. Roberto Rolfo ITA Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR 2mins 00.374s
15. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 2mins 00.398s
16. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR 2mins 00.455s
17. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR 2mins 00.610s
18. Broc Parkes AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-0R 2mins 00.769s
19. Leon Haslam GBR Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR 2mins 00.799s
20. Makoto Tamada JPN Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R 2mins 01.222s
21. Karl Muggeridge AUS Celani Suzuki GSX-R1000 2mins 01.224s
22. Tommy Hill GBR HANNspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR 2mins 01.336s
23. David Salom ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 2mins 01.464s
24. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR 2mins 01.560s
25. Luca Scassa ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 2mins 01.607s
26. Brendan Roberts AUS Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 2mins 01.779s
27. Ayrton Badovini ITA PSG-1 Kawasaki ZX-10R 2min 02.272s
28. Matteo Baiocco ITA PSG-1 Kawasaki ZX-10R 2mins 02.917s

Seems a very interesting grid! Tomorrow will sure be fun as hell, wsb it's even better this year!

Quote from danowat :

Don't forget Qatar races are saturdays not sundays

You saved me!