2007 CIK-FIA KF1 WORLD CUP/ASIA PACIFIC KF2 CHAMPIONSHIP - SUZUKA, 25TH -27TH MAY

HATTORI (KF1) AND PATRON (KF2) VERY NEAR TO THE SUCCESS

THE JAPANESE CLOSES TO THE 2ND PLACE GOING BACK FROM THE 21ST PLACE AFTER THE WITHDRAWAL IN PRE-FINAL. PATRON WINS THE PRE-FINAL, BUT IN THE FINAL HE IS BEATEN FROM STEVENS.

Suzuka, 26.5.2007 - Once again the Birel colors occupy the high areas of classification in an International meeting: the Cup of the World of class KF1 and the pacific Asia Championship for category KF2 made the scene on the Suzuka track the last weekend. On the prestigious Japanese circuit both the pilot Hattori in KF1 and Giacomo Patron in KF2 go up on the podium. Positive also Cesetti and Wittmann in KF1, respectively 5th and 6th, as the several Birel pilots in KF2: Merlini has closed to the 5th place before the team partners Sato, Nakayama and Ootani.

World Cup KF1 - The weekend of Birel pilots begins very well in the queen class, especially for Cesetti who, with two withdrawals in the manche, he had to start the pre-final from the last line. It went better to the Japanese Hattori, 6th, and to the couple Wittmann - Ishii both in 5th line.
In Pre-Final then it has been assisted to the exciting Cesetti comeback, gone up again until the 5th final place thanks to many surpasses, among which those in the final laps to the detriments of Ardigò and Ishii who have closed immediately behind him. Instead the victory has gone to Catt who has preceded Nojiri, Bailly and Forè. Great delusion in Birel team for theHattori withdrawal, whereas Wittmann and Croxford have closed respectively to the 8th and 10th place.
To the start of the Final, the race which has assigned the first International title of 2007, Catt is again before everyone, but already from the 4th ride the partner of team Ardigò overtook him. Cesetti in the first phases went to the 6th place, but very soon he surpassed in succession both Bailly and Nojiri, getting to the 4th place.
From the back areas, in the meantime, an unchained Hattori is gone back with a really impressive step: 21st to the start, at the end of the 2nd passage he was already 13th , therefore 10th to the 4th lap after to have surpass Ishii and Manzur and still 7th to the 5th lap thanks to the surpasses on his team partners Wittmann and Croxford. To this point for the Birel Japanese all seemed possible, also to win the race. To the 7th passage he surpassed Bailly for the 5th place, therefore the successive lap he has passed also Cesetti, penalized by the tires pressurized in the big recovery of the Pre-final.
In the last laps Hattori continued his exciting recovery surpassing Forè to the 17th lap, in order then to get to the 2nd place to 4 laps from the end with the surpass of Gary Catt. To this point he has given all in order to attack also Ardigò, but the Italian succeeded to maintain approximately 2"of margin winning the contest. For Hattori, however, the 2nd place is a considerable result that also will motivate him in the next contests in programme.
Catt is gone up on the 3rd step of the podioum preceding Forè, Cesetti and Wittmann. Granted that Cesetti contest has been conditioned by the great Pre-Final chasing, the 6th place of Wittmann is surely an important result for the Tm motors who continue very well in their development. In this way the light negative note is the Croxford withdrawal to the 12th lap while he occupied the 7th position.

Asia Pacific Championship KF2 - After the qualifications and the manche Da Costa and Stevens earn the 1st line for the Pre-Final, but immediately behind Tony pilots there is an army of Birel pilots ready to giving battle. Since the couple Nakayama - Sato both in the 2nd line, up to Patron, Fujii and Merlini, respectively 5th, 6th and 7th.
And the Birel colors are not made to attend: Giacomo Patron, in contest with the Winforce colors (the brand managed from the Birel Pacific in collaboration with Yamaha), wins the Pre-Final marking also the faster lap of the contest. Stevens and From Coast close behind him, then pilots Birel Merlini, Nakayama, Sato and Ootani. To the start of the Final, Patrono begins first followed by Stevens and Da Costa. To the 4th and 5th place Nakayama and Merlini, then Sato and Ootani.
The pilots in the lead continue united for all contest, which live the decisive moment to the 13th passage, when Stevens succeeds to bypass the leader Patrono. In the final phases the Italian Merlini surpass Nakayama for the 5th place, whereas Tarancon goes up again until to the podium area. To the winning post Stevens succeeds to put 1" between himself and Patrono conquering the contest and the title, whereas Tarancon get on the 3rd step of the podium who, to the last lap, bypasses Da Costa. Francesco Merlini is 5th before the Sato team partners, Nakayama and Ootani.