The Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team got the 2010 Hannspree World Superbike Championship season underway at Phillip Island earlier today with new signings Tom Sykes and Chris Vermeulen enduring mixed fortunes at the Australian track.
With last year's rookie season behind them, the Paul Bird Motorsport Team were optimistic regarding their progress with the factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and following the test a few days earlier, both Sykes and Vermeulen were in buoyant mood going into the season opener.
Aboard the www.supercasino.com, Vent Axia and Henleys-backed machines, it was Yorkshireman Sykes who posted 12th fastest time in Superpole to claim a row three start, followed two places and one row back by Australian former MotoGP race winner, Vermeulen at his home track.
Scorching conditions had been prevalent in the week preceding the race day but by the time the riders lined up for race one, it was overcast and straightaway Vermeulen showed the Kawasaki will be a force to be reckoned with this year as he was up to 7th position until he crashed out on lap three after losing the front end. Sykes battled hard just outside the top ten and eventually crossed the line in 13th place, claiming his and the team's first points of the season.
Race two saw both riders looking to improve and Vermeulen was again in impressive form as he circulated inside the top five in the early stages with Sykes again battling for the lower leaderboard placings. However, it all went wrong for Chris when he crashed heavily on lap 11 and was taken to the medical centre for treatment and any hopes Tom had of salvaging some points from the race disappeared when he suffered a problem with the steering damper which, despite his best efforts to ride around, saw him eventually retire.
Chris Vermeulen: "I'm obviously very disappointed how the weekend has turned out as I was feeling positive for the race after our two-day test and qualifying sessions. I enjoyed the new Superpole format but felt that I could have possibly gained a few places on the grid had I got a clear run. In both races I had really good starts but in the first race I lost the front early on and in race two I had a gear problem which resulted in a high-speed crash. I'm bruised and battered but am feeling OK considering the speed of the crash. I had a heavy impact to my lower right leg and my finger is pretty smashed up but preliminary X-rays have shown no breaks but for precaution I am heading to Melbourne for a more detailed scan. I'm glad we have a month before Portimao so I can ensure that I am back to full fitness."
Tom Sykes: "I was happy enough with our qualifying result and felt we had a good setting coming into the race. The morning warm-up started well and we changed a few settings which seemed to work well but didn't pay off in race one. I struggled with rear grip towards the end of the race and had to push hard to maintain a position in the points. In race two I was amongst a lot of traffic and was forced out to 16th position and also suffered a problem with the bike which forced me to enter the pits. I rejoined the race and was happy with my lap times considering but came across the problem again. Overall we are making good steady progress with the bike and I'm really happy with the effort the team and Kawasaki are putting in. I am confident and am looking forward to Portimao and hopefully being able to close the gap with the guys in front."
Paul Risbridger (Team Manager): "This weekend saw us find a significant improvement in the performance of the bike and throughout free practice and qualifying it continued to get better. We lapped almost two seconds faster than this time last year at Phillip Island. Unfortunately race day was a huge disappointment for the team as we did not achieve the results the bike was capable of this weekend. However we firmly believe that the improvements we have made will carry forward to the next race at Portimao and we have every confidence in challenging for championship positions. On behalf of the whole team, I would like to wish Chris a speedy recovery from his injuries sustained in the accident during the race today."
Details and profiles of the riders, team and bikes as well as championship information, pictures and calendar etc can be found at www.kawasaki-racingteam.eu/road-race.
RACE 1 RESULTS
13. T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 3 points
DNF. C. Vermeuelen (Kawasaki Racing Team)
1. L. Haslam (Suzuki Alstare)
2. M. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox Team)
3. N. Haga (Ducati Xerox Team)
4. J. Rea (Ten Kate Honda)
5. M. Biaggi (Aprilia Racing)
6. S. Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare)
7. C. Checa (Althea Ducati)
8. J. Smrz (Team PATA B&G Racing)
9. T. Corser (BMW Motorrad)
10. L. Lanzi (DFX Corse)
RACE 2 RESULTS
DNF. C. Vermeulen (Kawasaki Racing Team)
DNF. T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team)
1. C. Checa ((Althea Ducati)
2. L. Haslam (Suzuki Alstare)
3. M. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox Team)
4. S. Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare)
5. N. Haga (Ducati Xerox Team)
6. J. Rea (Ten Kate Honda)
7. T. Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport)
8. M. Biaggi (Aprilia Racing)
9. C. Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda)
10. J. Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda)