TROY FIGHTS WITH THE ‘RING LEADERS at Nurburgring in BMW's Home World Superbike Event
07/09/2009 08:28:02

Troy finished eighth in the first race today and then a strong sixth in the second to show that the BMW S 1000 RR’s recent improvement is no flash in the pan.

But, more importantly maybe, was the fact that Troy was able to fight with the front runners in both 20-lappers. He was fourth for the first ten laps of race one and would’ve maintained that position had it not been for the rear spinning a little in the second half of the race. He made such a good start in race two that he nearly got the holeshot, but Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) and Carlos Checa (Honda) just about managed to get in front before the drag downhill to turn one. The day started eventually when race one was red-flagged on the opening lap, due to a pile-up of riders in the first left-hander. The field lined up again, minus John Hopkins (Honda) and this time there was no drama on the first lap. Haga and Spies (Yamaha) disputed the lead for most of the race, but in the end Spies took the win by nearly four seconds. Third went to Carlos Checa, with Rea (Honda) fourth, Biaggi (Aprilia) fifth and Haslam (Honda) sixth. Haga crashed out early in race two and Rea took over the lead. Spies tried to pass him, but Rea kept in front to record his second win of the season. Spies took second, with Carols Checa again third and Haga’s DNF now means that Spies leads the championship by 18 points.

Troy - Race 1: 8th, Race 2: 6th

I’m having fun on the bike! It’s been a while since I said that this season, but our recent step up at Brno has carried on here and there’s more to come. The bike is easier to ride and is definitely more comfortable. The team have done really well and now the bike feels much more consistent - it’s like a normal bike!

I got the results today that I more or less expected, but it was fun to run with the leaders for a while (half distance in the first race) and I know that’s going to happen more often now. I made good starts in both races and very nearly got the holeshot in one!

There is still more work to do on the bike of course and today I sort of felt that we were missing out a bit on mid-range acceleration. I’m sure the boys are working on a solution to that and I am looking forward to getting back on the bike in Imola in a couple of weeks time and fighting with the leaders again.

See ya,

Troy