Max Neukirchner on Utah WSB Podium
Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner continued his good run of form with a hard-fought fourth place in race one at the Miller Motorsports Park today before following it up runner-up spot in race two.He was at the forefront in both races; had to give way to Carlos Checa (Honda) both times; but knows that his next victory is only a matter of time.
Troy Corser (Yamaha) and Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) were second and third in race one and Fabrizio again took third spot in race two behind Checa and the Alstare Suzuki rider.
Team Suzuki Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto and Yukio Kagayama finished fifth and eighth respectively in race one and then reversed the positions in race two. Series leader Troy Bayliss had a day to forget - he crashed out of race one and finished out of the points in race two after being forced to pit and have his gearlever repaired.
Max Neukirchner - Race 1: 4th, Race 2: 2nd, "I'm very happy today, but I am destroyed! It's been a hot, long, hard day and the races were very tough. Early in race one, Biaggi braked too late for the first turn and I had to change direction which cost me some time and places. I was also very close to Bayliss when he crashed and I think I'm lucky not to hit him or his bike. I soon settled into a rhythm and began to charge again, but in the latter part of the race I had some front tyre problems and I couldn't attack the leaders as I wanted. We changed the bike a little for race two, because I had been having some problems entering the turns in the first race and the bike was better, but Checa got away again and was too far ahead to catch. Considering the problems we had at the start of the weekend, I am happy. I have the best team in the paddock: They worked so hard for me and I want to thank them for these good results"
Fonsi Nieto- Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 8th, "Race one was not so bad and, to get fifth, considering that I had to start from the fourth row of the grid, was quite good. Also, when Haga crashed, I had to go off the track to avoid hitting him and because of that. I lost time and positions. After that, I really had to work hard to get back into the top six. I used the same bike in race two, but we made some small adjustments to the front forks and the feeling was better, especially on the brakes and into the turns. However, it came with a little loss of traction. I didn't get a good start and later I had trouble with Laconi, who made me go wide a few times. Funnily enough, my last lap in the race was the fastest! Today, I gained a place in the championship, but I know we can do a lot better."
