Lausitz; Xerox Ducati Report
Added on Sunday, September 11th, 2005 by Carole Nash Editor
Lausitz; Xerox Ducati Report
LANZI COMPLETES DREAM WEEKEND FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM WITH SENSATIONAL WIN IN RACE 2
Lausitz (Germany), Sunday 11 September: Lorenzo Lanzi completed a sensational weekend for the Ducati Xerox Team as he stormed to the win in race 2 after being penalized with a ride-through in the first race. The 23-year-old Italian rider, making his debut for the factory team in place of the injured Régis Laconi, might even had a double win today, but was given the penalty for a mistake on the opening lap.
Poleman Lanzi missed a gear as the field went into Turn 1 just after the start and had to pass through the circuit banking, specially created by the organisers as the run-off area. The Italian rider re-joined the race in third position, thus not infringing any sporting regulation, but failed to negotiate the slow-down chicane in the run-off, judging it to be impossibly tight. For the penalty Lanzi had to go through the pit-lane at regulation 60 km/h speed limit and he re-joined the race at the required point, but this time in eleventh place. As Chris Vermeulen took the win, Lanzi eventually finished eighth.
“Vermeulen went a bit wide and as I was trying to take the turn I missed a gear and selected first instead of second, got the bike a bit crossed and went straight on” explained Lanzi. “But I did what the regulations say for this track - I came back into the race in third place. The chicane should be made suitable for bikes, and it was impossible to get through due to its tight layout. I was also given the drive-through quite late after five or six laps, I wasn’t expecting it any more. I’m disappointed because my race pace was capable of taking me to the win”.
Lanzi then made amends in the second race after a spectacular battle throughout the 24 laps, first with Haga (Yamaha) and then with a fast-closing Vermeulen (Honda) towards the end. Lanzi becomes the first Italian rider to win on a Ducati factory machine since Pierfrancesco Chili at Assen in 1998.
“A dream race and a dream weekend” added Lorenzo. “I clearly tried to go at maximum pace throughout the race but also to have a race pace sufficient not to make any mistakes and keep the others behind. I saved my tyres until four laps from the end and then I pushed as hard as possible in the final laps to keep Vermeulen behind me. We showed in race 2 that we could win, and that we could even have won race 1 as well. I am so happy, it’s been a fantastic weekend. It’s the dream of every Italian rider to win a race on a Ducati and this weekend I was able to express all of my potential.”
James Toseland started fourth and finished fourth in race 1 after taking several laps to get past Pitt (Yamaha) following a bad start. He was running well in the same position in race 2 when he lost the front and slipped down out of the top 10.
“It was a difficult weekend, the second race was disappointing because I was catching them and then I lost the front at the first turn. I wasn’t doing anything particularly wrong and it was a pity because I felt I could have got closer to the guys at the front. We had a decent set-up but it wasn’t perfect and were unable to improve as much as we should have. We would have been racing at the front if I had stayed on but that’s racing. Congratulations for Lorenzo, it’s a dream come true. I feel sure we could have both been on the podium and it was certainly possible in that second race.”
RACE 1: 1. Vermeulen (Honda); 2. Haga (Yamaha) ; 3. Corser (Suzuki; 4. Toseland (Ducati Xerox); 5. Kagayama (Suzuki); 6. Pitt (Yamaha); etc.
RACE 2 : 1. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) ; 2. Vermeulen (Honda) ; 3. Haga (Yamaha) ; 4. Kagayama (Suzuki) ; 5. Muggeridge (Honda) ; 6. Pitt (Yamaha) … 11. Toseland (Ducati Xerox).
POINTS (after 10 of 12 rounds) : Riders - 1. Corser 389; 2. Vermeulen 329; 3. Haga 239; 4. Toseland 215; 5. Laconi 214; 6. Kagayama 211. Manufacturers - 1. Suzuki 408; 2. Honda 345; 3. Ducati 331; 4. Yamaha 280; 5. Kawasaki 153; 6. Petronas 37.
