At long last, the testing and development added up to the race in Brno, Czech Republic being the best weekend of the season to date for the BMW Motorrad World Superbike team. Troy Corser finished a superb fifth in race one, after leading the race for the first couple of laps. He followed up with a tenth place in race two, despite tire problems. Ruben Xaus qualified alongside Troy on the second row of the grid and was looking forward to challenging the leaders in both the 20-lap races. But a crash on the opening lap of the first race put paid to any chance of glory, leaving Ruben in the medical center.
After X-rays, it was discovered he had broken the top of his right femur. So his right leg and hip area were put in plaster to keep it stable and prevent further damage. Ruben will fly to Barcelona this week, where a specialist will assess the situation and decide what course of action is required.
Max Biaggi (Aprilia) won the first race, after Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) took out Ben Spies (Yamaha) after just four laps, with Honda teammates Carlos Checa and Jonathan Rea in second and third. Spies won the second race and closed the gap on injured series leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) to just seven points. Second was Biaggi, with Fabrizio third.
"I'm generally happy with how the weekend went," said Troy Corser after the weekend. "It was good to be consistently in the top seven or eight in every session and qualify for Superpole. I felt much more comfortable on the bike and don't feel as tired after each race as I have been. The recent tests helped a lot and it's good to know we're going in the right direction. It's a shame Ruben crashed because I'm sure he would've been right up there in both races. He's as happy with the rideability of the bike as I am and both of us are beginning to enjoy ourselves."
For Ruben Xaus,, there were mixed emotions: "The crash was a shame because I'd been so happy about the bike this weekend as it was much easier to ride. Finally we were getting somewhere, but then I crashed!
"I guess the rear tire was a bit too hard and a bit too cool when it happened," he explained. "I didn't highside, I just fell off. I was sliding along OK but then hit some deep gravel. It spun my right leg around and that's when the damage was done. On a positive note, at least the injury happened when we're about to have five weeks off, so that will give me time to recover. I can't wait to get back on my bike and carry on with the recent improvements."
Results
Race 1:
1 Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia)
2 Checa (ESP-Honda)
3 Rea (GBR-Honda)
4 Byrne (GBR-Ducati)
5 Corser (AUS - BMW)
6 Smrz (CZE-Ducati)
Xaus (ESP-BMW) DNF
Race 2:
1 Spies (USA-Yamaha)
2 Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia)
3 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati)
4 Rea (GBR-Honda)
5 Checa (ESP-Honda)
6 Haga (JPN-Ducati)
10 Corser (AUS - BMW)
Xaus (ESP-BMW) DNS
Points:
1 Haga 326
2 Spies 319
3 Fabrizio 273
4 Rea 206
5 Biaggi 200
6 Haslam 180
16 Troy Corser 53
17 Ruben Xaus 50