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DARK DOG riders record superb debut of the
Superbike World Championship 2010:
Two sensational podiums for Team Suzuki Alstare in Australia
Phillip Island, Australia: DARK DOG rider Leon Haslam achieved a fantastic victory last weekend at the first race of the Superbike World Championship 2010 at Phillip Island where DARK DOG gave his debut to the season 2010 together with Team Suzuki Alstare. After an unlucky season in 2009, the team is totally new lined up with two new riders:
Leon Haslam (GB) and Sylvain Guintoli (France) who already proved to be ready for the World Championship 2010. Team Suzuki Alstare and DARK DOG are convinced that the season 2010 will be a very competitive one but are sure that the whole team will fight its best for the champion's title.
The Superbike World Championship - with this year 13 races on 4 continents - is one of the most prestigious motorbike series on international level as it presents the world's main manufacturers competing in high-tech and highly-tuned versions of powerful street bikes. Held since 1988, this championship is currently recognized as a premier competition in close-to-production motorbikes' world.
Last weekend, the debut of the Superbike World Championship 2010 was given in Phillip Island, Australia where Team Suzuki Alstare together with Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli proved their high potential: Leon had consistently being in the top two or three throughout practice and qualifying and took his first ever Superpole victory by storming to a lap of 1:31.299 (over half a second inside the lap record) in Superpole 3.
For a while it looked like Leon's team mate Sylvain would be joining him on the front row of the grid for the Sunday races, but at the end of the Superpole, the French rider took fifth place and row two. The two Sunday races were accompanied by sunshine, a dry race track and fantastic performances of the two DARK DOG riders. Leon Haslam recorded a fantastic start, leading race one from start to finish, took the flag and was
entirely happy about his first ever World Superbike win in the first race, just four thousandths of a second ahead of Michel Fabrizio (Ducati).
Then, Leon and his Suzuki Alstare team mate Sylvain Guintoli disputed the lead for most of the second race, but Leon's dreams of a superb double were dashed right at the death by Spaniard Carlos Checa (Ducati). Nevertheless, Leon's tremendous win in race one and runner-up spot in the second puts him on the very top of the Superbike World Championship, nine points ahead of his nearest rival. Also very encouraging was Sylvain's ability to run at the front and be in contention - especially in race two. The Frenchman led his team mate eight laps out of twenty-two and did not look out of place at all.
This was his first race of the year, on a new (2010) bike, with a new team, but Sylvain has also showed that he too will be a force to be reckoned with this year. Although he missed out on the podium, he did receive a trophy - for the fastest lap of race two! Team Alstare Suzuki's performance during the first Superbike race 2010 showed definitely that both riders and the Suzuki Alstare GSX-R1000 will be a potent combination this season.
DARK DOG congratulates Team Alstare Suzuki and both riders to this fantastic debut of the Superbike season 2010 and is very pleased to work once again along with Team Suzuki Alstare, looking forward to a season full of success!
Results / Race 1:
1 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare), 2 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati), 3 Haga (JPN-Ducati), 4 Rea (GBR-Honda), 5 Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia), 6 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare)"¦
Results / Race 2:
1 Checa (ESP-Ducati), 2 Leon Haslam (GBRSuzuki Alstare), 3 Fabrizio, 4 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare), 5 Haga, 6 Rea"¦
Overall standing
1 Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) 45, 2 Fabrizio 36, 3 Checa 34, 4 Haga 27, 5 Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare) 23, 6 Rea 23...
Leon Haslam
Date of birth: 31st May 1983
Place of birth: England
World Superbike Championship 2009: 6th
British Superbike Championship 2008: 2nd, 2007: 3rd, 2006: 2nd, 2005: 4th, 2003: 12th
Winner at the BSB race at Brands Hatch 2004, named "Rookie of the Year"
GP class 2002: 7th in Portugal in debut season in 250cc
World Championship 2001: Youngest ever rider to compete in 500cc
SBK Phillip Island, Australia : Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 2nd
"I am so happy to get my first WSBK win and it feels great! I want to thank the team and all the staff back at the workshop for all their support and hard work and I'd also like to thank Francis and Patricia Batta for having faith in me. The first race was such hard work and it was impossible to relax for a second. I knew that I had Michel and Nori breathing down my neck, but I just kept concentrating on my lines and my braking points and tried to hold them off. I realised that Michel was in my wheel tracks going into the last turn and would try and use the draft to get past me, but I kept my head down and charged to the flag. At the end, I didn't know if I'd won or not, but when I realised that I had, I was so unbelievably happy and it was such a fantastic feeling. All weekend I knew that a win was possible, but thinking about it and happening are two different things. In race two, I had some problems with rear traction but I still thought I could win. I had a great fight with Sylvain and when I finally got ahead of him and made it stick, I thought he might act as a buffer between me and the rest. Then suddenly, Carlos was there. He dived under me just three corners from the end, on the last lap. I tried to get it back, but he managed to hold me off and take the flag. But, it feels good to take a win and a second in my first race with the team and it feels fantastic to be leading the Superbike World Championship."
Sylvain Guintoli
Date of birth: 24th June 1982
Place of birth: Montélimar, FRANCE / Residence: England
British Superbike Championship 2009: 11th
MotoGP Championship 2008: 13th, 2007: 16th
250 GP Championship 2006: 9th, 2001: 14th
250 Championship 2005: 10th, 2004: 14th, 2003: 10th
Tech3 MotoGP 2002: Test rider
250 European Championship 2000: 3rd
French Open 125 Championship 1999: 1st
French Aprilia 125 Cup 1998: 2nd
French Honda 125 Cup 1997: 2nd
French Scooter Championship 1996: 3rd
SBK Phillip Island, Australia : Race 1: 6th, Race 2: 4th
"I have really enjoyed today and it's been great fun. I can't remember the last time I was leading a world champion ship race, so to lead quite a lot of race two was a great feeling and now I want to do it again. When I was in front, I felt comfortable and I knew I could keep up a good pace. Everything felt very smooth and it was all going to plan until I made a small mistake and Leon and then Carlos went through. Carlos and I touched in turn 8 when my elbow was in contact with his front wheel and then I tried a bit too hard to get back straightaway when perhaps I should've been a bit more patient and that's where I lost ground. I could've made a better result in the first race if I hadn't had such a bad start. My pace was good, but I was too far off the leaders, but I am learning about WSBK race pace and also the fact that the races are longer than what I have been used to. I am very happy with all the work we've done and am enjoying riding this bike so much. It was nice to get a trophy (for the fastest lap in race two) and I hope that it will just be the start of many to come. I am looking forward to Portimão and my next trophy."
