Finally....

[f1manoz]

Although it was the predictable result in the first race, with Neil Hodgson holding off an ever-impressive Pierfrancesco Chili, finally the stranglehold of Hodgson on the winners step was broken in Round 10 at Oschersleben when 22-year-old James Toseland took his first victory in the WSBK, withstanding lap after lap of immense pressure from the experienced factory Ducati rider.

Regis Laconi and Chris Walker also experienced solid weekends regarding performance, with Walker taking a podium in race two. Gregorio Lavilla had a weekend to forget with a double-retirement.

Race One:

1 Hodgson Neil Ducati Fila Ducati 999F03 28 41'29.894

2 Chili Pierfrancesco Team PSG-1 Ducati 998RS 28 41'30.450

3 Toseland James HM Plant Ducati Ducati 998F02 28 41'42.859

4 Laconi Régis Caracchi NCR Nortel Net. Ducati 998RS 28 41'46.524

5 Walker Chris HM Plant Ducati Ducati 998F02 28 41'46.648

6 Martin Steve D.F.X. Racing Team Ducati 998RS 28 42'08.036

7 Borciani Marco D.F.X. Racing Team Ducati 998RS 28 42'13.390

8 Iannuzzo Vittorio Alstare Suzuki Suzuki GSX 1000R 28 42'15.346

9 Pedercini Lucio Team Pedercini Ducati 998RS 28 42'20.048

10 Bussei Giovanni UnionBike GiMotorsport Yamaha YZF R1 28 42'21.112

11 Sanchini Mauro Kawasaki Bertocchi Kawasaki ZX7RR 28 42'34.247

12 Corser Troy Foggy PETRONAS Racing Petronas FP1 28 42'40.537

13 Russo Nello Team Pedercini Ducati 998RS 27 41'34.246

14 Foti Serafino Team Pedercini Ducati 998RS 27 41'51.203

15 Mrkyvka Jiri JM SBK Team Ducati 998RS 27 42'02.782

Race Two:


1 Toseland James HM Plant Ducati Ducati 998F02 28 41'20.103

2 Hodgson Neil Ducati Fila Ducati 999F03 28 41'27.519

3 Walker Chris HM Plant Ducati Ducati 998F02 28 41'35.417

4 Laconi Régis Caracchi NCR Nortel Net. Ducati 998RS 28 41'39.380

5 Xaus Ruben Ducati Fila Ducati 999F03 28 41'44.331

6 Martin Steve D.F.X. Racing Team Ducati 998RS 28 42'03.751

7 Borja Juan Bautista D.F.X. Racing Team Ducati 998RS 28 42'06.971

8 Iannuzzo Vittorio Alstare Suzuki Suzuki GSX 1000R 28 42'07.910

9 Borciani Marco D.F.X. Racing Team Ducati 998RS 28 42'09.033

10 Pedercini Lucio Team Pedercini Ducati 998RS 28 42'22.617

11 Chili Pierfrancesco Team PSG-1 Ducati 998RS 28 42'30.497

12 Sanchini Mauro Kawasaki Bertocchi Kawasaki ZX7RR 28 42'32.789

13 Clementi Ivan Kawasaki Bertocchi Kawasaki ZX7RR 28 42'33.122

14 Corser Troy Foggy PETRONAS Racing Petronas FP1 28 42'47.490

15 Foti Serafino Team Pedercini Ducati 998RS 27 41'34.469

[Dave Brand]

Three English riders on the podium!

[BootsOntheSide]

Is that a first, Brits sweeping the podium? It's brilliant for my nation, and James really deserved to win one. SOunds like a great race.

[rdjones]

Yes - Is that a First?

[Dave Brand]

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
Brits sweeping the podium?

ENGLISH!!!!!

[Yoong Montoya]

I rekon Toseland would make a good replacement for Xaus in the factory Ducati team

[Rambo]

Oi! They're BRITS. I'm English but I prefer to be called British. The English as a race are bloody foreign invaders anyway!

[Dave Brand]

Originally posted by Rambo
Oi! They're BRITS. I'm English but I prefer to be called British.

I'm English, & I refuse to be lumped in with a ragbag of Scots, Welsh, Irish & the like!

I hate the term 'Brit'.....it's an ugly word which I, rightly or wrongly, feel is usually applied to the sort of people who I don't really want to be associated with - football hooligans, lager louts, etc.

[DavidStHubbins]

Jeez, Toseland is really showing the Stalker the way on those Dukes... And Xuas is further off the pace of Hodgson than he was of Bayliss. Is he getting worse? Or is Hodgson better than Bayliss (wind up the aussies )

[racer69]

Toseland rode very well in both races, great to see him take the win. Chili almost had Hodgson in race 1, he obviously had a problem in race 2.

I'm pretty sure there has been an all-British podium a few times in the past.

I'm all for new winners, but what does that result in some ways say about the Ducati 999, that it can be beaten (and challenged in the last few races) by the older 998 (and an ancient 998 in the hands of Chili).

[BootsOntheSide]

Originally posted by racer69
Toseland rode very well in both races, great to see him take the win. Chili almost had Hodgson in race 1, he obviously had a problem in race 2.

I'm pretty sure there has been an all-British podium a few times in the past.

I'm all for new winners, but what does that result in some ways say about the Ducati 999, that it can be beaten (and challenged in the last few races) by the older 998 (and an ancient 998 in the hands of Chili).

It says that Xaus is an imposter who doesn't belong on a top bike, and that Hodgson isn't neccessarily the best out there.

[ATF]

Well done to James! So Hodgson didn't get 10 straight wins! How many rounds left...14...well still time left!

[garcon]

From the post race interview, Hodgson may have missed out on his perfect 10, but he was genuinely pleased for the boy Toseland.

"I taught him well!..."

[Knowlesy]

Brits have won every race this year! Oh no, sorry, English. I am English. I cannot stand those smelly haggis merchants, stupid accented dragon-flagged welks and those bloody Northern Irish bin liners. I'm sorry, I came over all English there....

[Rambo]

Originally posted by Dave Brand
I'm English, & I refuse to be lumped in with a ragbag of Scots, Welsh, Irish & the like!

I hate the term 'Brit'.....it's an ugly word which I, rightly or wrongly, feel is usually applied to the sort of people who I don't really want to be associated with - football hooligans, lager louts, etc.

Strange though how it's ENGLISH football hooligans that are the problem, then!


Unless you're blonde, you aren't English anyway! The BRITISH were the original inhabitants of this country and, unless you hadn't noticed, it's still named after them. The English are foreign, illegal-immigrant Johnny-come-latelies!

[ChrisUSA]

pardon my ignorance, but what exactly is the difference between "British" and "English"? is it that folks living on the mainland of England are called "English", and the inhabitants of Great Britain(Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland) are called Brits? clue me in thanks!

by the way, over here we get the speedchannel feed for the race, and they showed very clearly how much more stable around corners Chili's 998 was versus Hodgson's 999. they replayed video of both bikes around the same corner and clearly Chili's was more stable. whether this translated to the rider being more stable i'm not sure, but i thought it was quite interesting.

[Rambo]

Wales and scotland are part of the "mainland"... 'English' people are, yes, people who live in England, but really originally they are germanic invaders/settlers who started living here after the Roman's left c.400 AD. Scots, Irish and Manx are Gaels ("Scots" are originally from Ireland, or at least, those who came to rule originally did) whereas the rest of us were "Britons" (including those people who moved to Brittany in France - hence the name - at about the same time the English turned up in Britain). English are Teutonic, of the same stock as the germanic/scandinavian countries (Blonde hair), whereas Britons and Gaels are of "celtic" stock (dark or red hair) - but Celtic languages were spoken by a wide variety of people, and not just those of "Celtic Blood".

But anyway, the people of England are a race of mongrels who've interbred with every successive race of invaders, so I really don't know what he's complaining about being "lumped in" with a "ragbag" for!

Water under the bridge now. Whatever - I'm British, not English. Foggy preferred to carry a cross of St. George, so fair enough. Hodgson has a Union flag on his leathers, so if it's good enough for him, it should be good enough for you.


Funny you should mention corner stability though - I thought Neil looked more stable to start with, and it was only as the race wore on he was backing it in and wobbling as he held it on the power, but I guess only Hodgson would be able to say for certain. The bike is certainly quick in a straight line but it doesn't seem to go round the fiddly bits faster - but there again, I don't know how much pain Neil was in from his elbow - especially in the second race - or how happy he was with the set-up. It's not like Jamie had more outright pace than Neil - he just did it more consistently whereas Neil only put in a couple of really hot laps - maybe something to do with tyres?

[KayBee]

Great Britain is the biggest island in the British Isles and translates from the french for grand=big. Little Britain is in France and is better known as Brittany.

Further, Great Britain comprises of the Kingdoms of Scotland and England and the Principality of Wales.

The Union Flag not Jack is the union of the flags of England and Scotland in 1707 and then Ireland in 1801. The English, St George, flag is white with a red cross and the Scottish, St Andrew, blue with a white saltire (diagonal cross) as shown in the top left hand corner on the on the Hawaii state flag. The Irish one, St Patrick, white with a red saltire, is made up to fit with the existing flag.

As a point of interest all Church of England churches, the state/established church, fly the English flag at all times.

Hope this helps.

[garcon]

Has this got anything to do with bike racing? I've forgotten...

Oh yeah - the Welsh don't ride bikes cos it's too dangerous with all the mad taffs rallying Ford Escorts round the lanes; and when they stop, their bikes get nicked. And any Scots who start riding bikes quickly change to cars cos it's too scary.

So it must have been an English podium then...

[av8rirl]

Originally posted by Dave Brand
I'm English, & I refuse to be lumped in with a ragbag of Scots, Welsh, Irish & the like!

The Irish have never been British. Never have been. Never will be. 800 years of oppression by the English did not make us British. Glad to clear that FACT up for you Dave Brand.

Originally posted by Dave Brand
I hate the term 'Brit'.....it's an ugly word which I, rightly or wrongly, feel is usually applied to the sort of people who I don't really want to be associated with - football hooligans, lager louts, etc.

I'm not getting involved in an us against them debate but you are right here about not wanting to be called a 'Brit'. You should be called English football hooligans, English lager louts, etc.... The Welsh and Scottish can travel without trouble!!!! Personally I think its the soccer.

[garcon]

You might be right there. Irish, Scots and Welsh football fans know very well that their teams are hopeless, so travel without pressure or expectation and manage to have a thoroughly good time. English fans meanwhile are continually suffering under the bizarre misapprehension that we may actually, one day, win something. Such thoughts inevitably lead to frustration, drinking and unfortunate confrontations with locals and police who've never really understood us.

Or something.

I'm English, but I find it hard to be 'patriotic' about being English. The English don't seem to have much of a national identity (apart from boozing and misbehaving when abroad).

Not yet been to Ireland, but will do soon and I'm sure I'll love it. Been to Wales alot, but I'm still pretty neautral about the place. I've been to Scotland lots, and worked in Glasgow for a while. I absolutely love the country and the poeple. I try to cling on to the faint trace of Scottish blood I have left from distant McIntosh clan ancestors, and one day I'll probably move there, maybe Glasgow, maybe Western Highlands...

[av8rirl]

But weren't we all supposed to be congratulating young Toseland?

[BootsOntheSide]

Well reminded av8rirl! Fantastic ride, whether he's English, British, American, Spanish or Martian.

[garcon]

Indeed. Toseland! Well done my son!!

You sure he's not Indian??

(Sorry, poor Goodness Gracious Me! reference... )

[Dani Filth]

why toseland .. he has a quite a competitive bike .. a 998Fo2 ... look what Laconi .. or even Chilli .. is doing on a bike .. a Ducati 998RS ... lol ...