Poor old Nori. Everyone likes the Japanese enigma, for his fabulous riding style if nothing else. That outrageous move at Hockenheim in Y2K on the R7 is reason enough to love him, but Nori has always been up there, bar one or two seasons- the Aprilia year wasn't great, nor was the MotoGP entry in 2001. But for years he rode a Yamaha two inches from the rear wheel of a Ducati, consistently battling for the race win on Sunday. So many of us Nori fans felt this was the year, the best chance since Y2K and the slimming supplement scandal that robbed of him of 45 points and a deserved WSB title. He looked rigid with tension before the first race, as they baked in the Portuguese heat on the grid. Spies was by contrast looking cool, relaxed and in command of the task at hand. Starting with a 10 point deficit, a massive advantage in wins meant equal points would suffice should they have needed to count back.Two wins and the title would be Spies, no matter what.

He had to win the first race, then it would depend on where Haga had finished for Race 2. Things couldn't have gone better for the Texan. He hit the front and held a small gap for most of the race. Biaggi threatened to get within range after 10 laps, but each time Spies picked up the pace just enough to stay safe from attack, or Biaggi would run wide in an error strewn day. When Haga went in to the tricky downhill switchback too hot on lap 7, he tried to hold the apex instead of running wide,and went down. Disaster !

So Haga went into Race 2 15 points behind. He had to win and hope Spies finished worse than sixth. It was a classic tension filled battle, like the Sugo race when Fogarty had a similar task as Spies. Ben played it safe and settled into a rhythm in fifth, letting the front runners go. Only Johnny Rea had the pace to stay with the Xerox Ducatis and Shane Byrne on the Sterligarda Ducati, who lead for the first half of the race. Fabrizio came charging though and took the lead with 6 laps or so to go. Team-mate Haga was close behind him and before long they were first and second, after Rea ran wide on the Ten Kate Fireblade. With Max Biaggi trying to pass Spies, things really were perilous for the young Texan.

All Fabrizio had to do was let Haga through, and anything might have happened. Biaggi might have forced Spies off the track with another leary move. Camier lead the chasing pack, and was only a couple of seconds back. Any error by Spies, and the title would have been Hagas. So how utterly bizarre that Fabrizio never once looked back, never once tried to slow the pace to help Haga pass Rea. His mind was on the win, and when he rounded the final turn and approached the chequered flag, I fully expected him to roll off and let Haga through. Instead he gunned it and grabbed a selfish and meaningless win, and like his behaviour in Magny Cours, he had no thought for helping his team take the title. No wonder Tardozzi grabbed him by the back of the head and had a lengthy rant into his ear in Parc-Ferme. Delight with the win it was not.

So poor old Nori. Second again. Next year he has a better chance. There will be no Spies, but Toseland will be the man most likely to deprive the Japanese from getting their first WSB champ. The bike is brilliant, and as for Spies, what a class act he is. Can he take it to Rossi and co next year? We will see...
(PM)

Spies makes history with Yamaha to claim first ever World Superbike victory

Ben Spies and Yamaha made history today, claiming the first ever Word Superbike title for the Yamaha World Superbike Team. In yet another Ben Spies Masterclass of riding, The American rookie sensation took a race win and a well executed fifth place finish to lift the title for Yamaha for the first time. Race one saw a textbook performance from Spies, taking the holeshot on the first corner and leading from the first lap. Perfectly executed lines and smooth riding saw him cross the line nearly two seconds ahead of a determined Biaggi who had stalked him for the entire race. Championship rival Noriyuki Haga crashed out six laps into the race, leaving Spies some breathing room for race two.

With the extra points behind him and less pressure for an outright race win Spies kept himself in check for race two, monitoring Haga's position and keeping a steady race pace as he counted the laps down to victory. The American let a couple of riders passed then tucked in behind Biaggi for a number of laps. After the Italian rider ran wide a couple of times, Spies turned on some extra speed to pass him and brought his championship winning Yamaha R1 home in fifth place to take victory.

Spies can now claim 14 Superbike race wins and 11 pole position race starts in his rookie year, breaking all records since the championship began. He leads the standings with 462 points, six clear of rival Haga.

Yamaha World Superbike rider Tom Sykes unfortunately missed out on the last two races of the 2009 Championship. The British rider continues to struggle with an injury sustained to the Labrum in the shoulder socket following a collision with Carlos Checa at the previous round in Magny Cours. Sykes gave 100% effort in the early riding sessions of the weekend but struggled to cope with the very physical Portimao circuit. The Yamaha Superbike Team expressed disappointed not to have been able to end their one year relationship with Tom on a high note, but supported his decision not to ride, putting riders safety and health first.

Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team, (1st, 5th)

" I've got to thank Yamaha for giving me the bike I need to win. We had a really good first race, in the second we did what we had to do to win. It was quite difficult to keep it in check as the pace was pretty fast, I saw I had a couple of people behind me and I knew that if Nori won I had to be in sixth and that's where I was so I tried to get a bit of a gap on them and stay out of trouble. Max came through the inside of me and ran off a couple of times which really freaked me out so I went to get past him and then settled in for some nice fast laps to the end. It's been a spectacular day and I can't thank those people enough that have been behind me. It's been incredible to do it for Yamaha, and especially in my first year here. I don't think I really realize what's happening right now but I'm sure it's going to hit me in a couple of days!"

Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team

"We came here this weekend aware of the injury but still looking to give it everything and end the season on a high. Unfortunately further x-rays yesterday at the Clinica Mobile revealed a potential crack in the bone which riding is aggravating further. I'm not able to ride to my best ability so unfortunately for my health needed to sit out the last two races. I'm very disappointed for the team as I wanted to repay them for the hard work they have put in for me all year."

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager

"I feel great! This is the first time I've had this victory feeling. I was so nervous for this whole weekend. Ben showed us that the speed he had was ok but I know Nori very well and Ducati as well so I was always worried that something was going to come. Fortunately we finished very well. I want to thank everyone, not just the people here in the team and Yamaha but the people at home, mine and the team's families, they give us a lot of support and are patient, I think it is hard for them to so thank you to my wife!"

Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe

"A fantastic day for Yamaha! Today was the crown of a year's hard work for Ben and the team. From the first moment we started to work with Ben it was clear he was something special. He did an amazing job in his rookie season, not knowing many of the circuits in Europe. This victory is also very well deserved for the team who have given 100%. I know how hard we have all been trying and coming close for such a long time. This championship success is a clear testimonial of the competitiveness of the new R1 and a validation of Yamaha's vision of production bike development and so is also shared with the engineers in Japan."

Circuit Length: 4692

Fastest Lap Ever: 1'42.412 (Ben Spies, 25/10/2009)

Last Years Winner: Troy Bayliss


2009 WSB Portugal - Portimao 25/10/2009

Race 1

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time

1 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 38'15.390

2 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 0'01.697

3 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 0'02.113

4 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'02.757

5 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 0'14.753

6 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0'20.044

7 Carlos Checa Honda ESP 0'25.634

8 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 0'31.104

9 Matthieu Lagrive Honda FRA 0'36.689

10 Matteo Baiocco Kawasaki ITA 0'39.331

11 Broc Parkes Kawasaki AUS 0'41.827

12 Makoto Tamada Kawasaki JPN 0'41.882

13 David Salom Kawasaki ESP 0'54.967

14 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'38.533



Race 2

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time

1 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 38'19.654

2 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 0'01.195

3 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 0'01.494

4 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'05.553

5 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 0'05.842

6 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 0'07.374

7 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0'09.658

8 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'10.434

9 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'17.010

10 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'24.509

11 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'27.195

12 Broc Parkes Kawasaki AUS 0'34.825

13 Matthieu Lagrive Honda FRA 0'35.135

14 Luca Scassa Kawasaki ITA 1'01.842

15 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'09.782


Best Lap

Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time

Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'43.529

Rider Standings 25/10/2009

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points

1. Ben Spies Yamaha USA 462

2. Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 456

3. Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 382

4. Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 319

5. Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 315

6. Leon Haslam Honda GBR 241

7. Carlos Checa Honda ESP 209

8. Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 192

9. Tom Sykes Yamaha GBR 176

10. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 169

11. Ryuichi Kiyonari Honda JPN 141

12. Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 128

13. Troy Corser BMW AUS 96

14. Shinya Nakano Aprilia JPN 86

15. Regis Laconi Ducati FRA 77

31. James Ellison Yamaha GBR 8

37. David Checa Yamaha ESP 4



Manufacturer Standings 25/10/2009





Pos. Manufacturer Points

1. Ducati 572

2. Yamaha 505

3. Honda 431

4. Aprilia 329

5. Suzuki 173

6. BMW 141

7. Kawasaki 79



World Supersport 25/10/2009

Crutchlow takes control to deliver the World Supersport title for Yamaha

Cal Crutchlow was on incredible form at Portimao today, displaying an intelligent level of riding belying his age as he set himself a comfortable race pace to maintain his points advantage over rival Laverty and ultimately take the well deserved World Supersport title. Crutchlow started well and settled into a fourth position spot behind Lascorz until the third lap when the Spanish rider crashed out, promoting him to third. He maintained his position until lap seven where he let Gary McCoy through at the end of the start finish straight and dropped back into fourth again. Crutchlow then tucked in behind McCoy and followed him home to the finish line for victory and the title of World Champions for himself and the Yamaha World Supersport Team.



Crutchlow's team mate Fabien Foret dropped one place off the start line to eighth as the race got underway, and then spent the duration chasing down seventh placed rider Aitchison for the next spot. As the pace continued he was unable to catch him but was fast enough to keep his spot, crossing the line in eighth position. Foret takes eight points from the race, and so will keep his fifth place in the 2009 World Supersport Championship.

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team, (4th)

"Fourth is the worst finish I've had this year! Obviously I've had a couple of DNFs but when I've finished fourth has been the worst. I just wanted to bring it home. I didn't need to push Eugene. He's been riding really well all weekend and keeping the pressure on me. I didn't want to get into any battles, I followed Kenan at the start but his pace was just too fast so I let him go. I let Gary past then settled in behind him and let him bring me home for the race so thank to him. It's been a tough season and all credit to Yamaha they've done a fantastic job, I'm elated! I want to thank the team and all my sponsors for their support, and my family, my dad and my mum and Lucy my girlfriend who has put up with me!"

Fabien Foret, Yamaha World Supersport Team, (8th)

"it was a tough one today. I really wanted to be a bit closer to the front of the grid but I wasn't so happy with the feeling in the front end in qualifying. We made some improvements for the race but it still wasn't perfect so I just kept my head down and did the best I could to keep a consistent pace. I want to say a big thank you to the team for all their support this year, and congratulations to Cal for winning the title."

Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager

"We are delighted with the results from today, I think everybody at Yamaha must be happy with Valentino and Ben and Cal all winning. Of course for me I'm especially happy for Cal and our team for winning the championship. We rode a really tactical race I have to say and he brought it home and did the job really well, I think he was the fastest guy out there the whole season. I want to thank the team who have worked so hard to make this possible for him as well. Fabien worked hard today despite not having 100% confidence with the feeling of his bike and was consistent throughout to the finish."

Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe

"It's great to see a rider like Cal progressing in his career with Yamaha, from his early success with the R6 cup to World Supersport Champion today. He has shown dominating speed on so many occasions this season and today showed his maturity to grab the title. The R6 as a production bike continues to build on its racing heritage as confirmed today here in Portimao. The team did a super job and it is with mixed feelings that we have not yet been able to finalize our plans for 2010 with them."


Circuit Length: 4692

Fastest Lap Ever: 1'44.836 (Eugene Laverty, 25/10/2009)

Last Years Winner: Kenan Sofuoglu


2009 WSS Portugal - Portimao 25/10/2009

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time

1 Eugene Laverty Honda GBR 35'17.044

2 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 0'03.443

3 Garry McCoy Triumph AUS 0'13.874

4 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'15.144

5 Mark Aitchison Honda AUS 0'16.608

6 Michele Pirro Yamaha ITA 0'20.008

7 Chaz Davies Triumph GBR 0'22.007

8 Fabien Foret Yamaha FRA 0'22.034

9 Barry Veneman Honda NED 0'23.031

10 Miguel Praia Honda POR 0'24.002

11 Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 0'31.794

12 Martin Cardenas Honda COL 0'31.811

13 Katsuaki Fujiwara Kawasaki JPN 0'32.218

14 Michael Laverty Honda GBR 0'33.196

15 Kev Coghlan Yamaha GBR 1'02.386

16 Doni Tata Pradita Yamaha IDN 1'06.401

18 Yannick Guerra Yamaha ESP 1'18.977


Best Lap

Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time

Joan Lascorz Kawasaki ESP 1'45.186


Rider Standings 25/10/2009

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points

1. Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 243

2. Eugene Laverty Honda GBR 236

3. Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 189

4. Joan Lascorz Kawasaki ESP 163

5. Fabien Foret Yamaha FRA 123

6. Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 119

7. Anthony West Honda AUS 117

8. Garry McCoy Triumph AUS 98

9. Mark Aitchison Honda AUS 93

10. Katsuaki Fujiwara Kawasaki JPN 73

11. Massimo Roccoli Honda ITA 70

12. Michele Pirro Yamaha ITA 70

13. Barry Veneman Honda NED 58

14. Matthieu Lagrive Honda FRA 45

15. Miguel Praia Honda POR 40

22. Sheridan Morais Yamaha RSA 10

24. Doni Tata Pradita Yamaha IDN 8

26. Kev Coghlan Yamaha GBR 6

27. Franco Battaini Yamaha ITA 5

34. Hudson Kennaugh Yamaha RSA 2

35. Yannick Guerra Yamaha ESP 1


Manufacturer Standings 25/10/2009

Pos. Manufacturer Points

1. Honda 297

2. Yamaha 284

3. Kawasaki 186

4. Triumph 114

5. Suzuki 30




Yamaha Racing Communications