| 3rd
RACE - ALBACETE, Spain
October,
12th 2008
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS
2008:
NINA PRINZ - Superstock 1000
IRIS TEN KATEN - Superstock 600
GALLERY
RACE
RESULTS
CHAMPIONSHIP
STANDING
 During
a race declared wet, but where the rain stops some minutes
before the start and the riders go for different choices,
some with dry and some with rain tyres, the difference is
made by who choose the right type.
The riders of the first two rows are starting with rain tyres,
except for Nina Prinz that has a dry one on the rear wheel,
Sharon Mermet and Deb Cartwright with dry tyres on both wheels
as most of the riders in third and forth row.
Since from the first lap, the right choice appears to be the
rain compound, infact the Spanish Rosell and the Hungarian
Kovacs take the lead immediately leaving behind the group
with Mermet, Katen, Janakova and Katrasnik.
 Bad
start for Nina Prinz that, equipped with a dry rear tyre,
can't keep the pace of the first ones and ends the first lap
in seventh position, a situation absolutely unusual for her
in the women championship.
Meanwhile Rosell and Kovacs are giving a show in the lead,
overtaking each other during all the race and finishing by
a distance of more than 30 seconds from the rest of the group.
The winner, after a last overtaking during the seventh lap,
is the young Spanish rider Elena Rosell (pole position on
Saturday in the 600 class, 1.36.6) who had already displayed
her talent during the Saturday sessions.
Behind them another race is on the way, the fight for the
title of European Champion of the Superstock 600 between Iris
Ten Katen and Marketa Janakova. The Dutch woman passes Mermet
during the second lap and begins a solitary race, but after
a while the Czech starts to close the gap, fighting before
with Katrasnik, then passing Mermet at the fifth lap and finally,
with nobody ahead, increases the pace and catches up with
the rival but Katen resists and passes under the chequered
flag with 0.6 seconds of advantage. For the second year in
a row, the title of European Champion goes to the Flying Dutchwoman
Iris Ten Katen who has declared her retirement from the competitions
after this wonderful prize to devote herself to the doctor's
profession.
 Behind
these two breathtaking duels, the German Prinz (pole position
saturday 1.33.3) gets back few
positions up to the fifth and first in the 1000 class, this
guarantees her second title of European Champion for this
category in a row. It's been an exhausting day for her given
that, just after the podium, she started in the men's Superstock
1000 race where she achievied an excellent 14th place and
a best lap just 2 seconds away from the European Champion
Carmelo Morales. Thirtytwo laps in just a bit more than an
hour for this great talent of the female motorcycling who
announces a participation as wild card in a Superbike race
for the next year.
Fifth position in the 600 class for the young Slovenian rider
Tina Katrasnik, still suffering for an injury occurred at
Rijeka few weeks ago, that loses the third position in the
final standings of the Championship with Kovacs (both of them
have 43 points but the Hungarian benefits of a second place
in a race). Tina overtakes Mermet during the tenth lap; the
Italian finishes in sixth position, first of the riders equipped
with dry tyres on both the wheels.
 Vice-Champion
in the Stock 1000 class is the Italian Lara Cordioli that
ends the race in eleventh position in spite of a bike failure
during the last lap, just behind the Spanish Ingrid Cornet,
Ana Mulero and the Russian Natasha Lyubimova. Not much to
do for the English Deb Cartwright using dry tyres, twelfth
whereas the other English, but with Spanish licence, Elisabeth
Hoyle is thirteenth and on the third place of the podium in
the 1000 category. Last place for the Spanish M. Jesus Vano,
while the Spanish Eva Blanquez does not finish the race, due
to a fall during the third lap, even though she had proved
to deserve a better result after the position on the second
row of the starting grid.
Seventeen riders were attending this
race and thirtytwo was the total number of riders competing
in this Championship, on behalf of eleven countries (Holland,
United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic,
Slovenia, Hungary, Russia and Belgium)
Qualifying
Practice
pole
position Superstock 1000: Nina
Prinz - 1.33.3
pole position Superstock 600: Elena
Rosell - 1.36.6
 1st
Qualifying Practice
17 riders of the European Championship are present for the
Saturday morning qualifying session at 10:00.
Strong wind and worrying big clouds cannot stop Nina Prinz
in a fantastic shape, she scores the best time of 1.33.345
with her Yamaha R1 of the Official Yamaha Germany team.
Prinz is followed by the 22 years old Spaniard Elena Rosell,
new entry in this Championship but comfortable on her home
circuit. She holds the temporary pole position for the 600
class with a time of 1.36.688. In her young career, Elena
has some Spanish Championships (CEV Supersport, Suzuki Cup)
to her's credit besides several international participations
at Endurance competitions like last year at the 24h of Montmelo
in Barcelona in a only women team together with Paola Cazzola,
Eliana Pezzilli and Urska Tursnek.
 Second
position in the 600 class for the Czech Marketa Janakova (Suzuki
Gsx600 of the Mayer Team, 1.37.8) who's fighting for the title
of Champion on that class with Iris Ten Katen (Honda CBR600,
Duntep team), both of them with 45 points. Forth position
for the Italian Sharon Mermet, followed by the Hungarian Nikolett
Kovacs, the Spaniard Eva Blanquez, the English Cartwright
and the Slovenian Katrasnik, right now at the third place
in the Championship with 32 points.
2nd Qualifying
Practice
Pouring rain
during the second qualifying practice, only few riders are
going in just to try the settings for an possible wet race
of tomorrow given that it's not possible to improve the morning
results.
Once more the Dutch Ten Katen shows to be the favourite under
the rain, obtaining a best time of 2.07.2, more than 2 seconds
better than Kovacs and especially almost 7 seconds better
than the rival Janakova.
 Good
results on the wet tarmac for the Russian Natasha Lyubimova
(third best time)
But, for the positions on the starting grid, the reference
times are the ones achieved in the morning. Only one rider
has not qualified, the Spaniard Laura Martinez that didn't
take part at the first session and could not do any better
under the rain of the afternoon practice.
First row and pole position for the German Nina Prinz (Pole
for Superstock 1000 class with 1.33.3), the Spaniard Elena
Rosell (Pole for Superstock 600 class with 1.36.6), the Czech
Marketa Janakova and the Dutch Iris Ten Katen.
Second row for the Italian Sharon Mermet, the Hungarian Nikolett
Kovacs, the Spaniard Eva Blanquez and the English Deb Cartwright.
Third row for the Slovenian Tina Katrasnik, the English Elisabeth
Hoyle plus the Spaniard Ingrid Cornet and Ana Mulero.
Last row on the grid made by the Italian Lara Cordioli, the
Russian Natasha Lyubimova and the Spaniard Maria Jesus Vano
and Tamara Gordillo.
Nina Prinz will compete even in the men's Superstock 1000,
where she got a best time of 1.33.3 in the first qualifying
practice. There will be another woman racing in Albacete out
of the Women Championship, the 17 years old Frend Ornella
Ongaro in the 125 GP class.
Results www.europeanchamp.com
 
GRAND
FINALE AT ALBACETE
 The
engines are warming up in sight of the European motorcycle
racing big event: from this year, the European Championship
will take place just in one final at Albacete (Spain) on the
12th of October and it will be organized by UEM
and promoted by Dorna and FGSport.
The strongest European riders, winners of the respective National
Championships, will fight for the title of European Champion
in this race, in front of an exceptional audience including
MotoGP and SBK promoters.
This is a great opportunity for the riders of the European
Women's Championship: to compete in the last race of the Championship
inside this event of high international importance
and get themself noticed by important media and operators.
All the riders,
both the ones already listed in the Female Championship standings
and the wild cards who will compete just in the Spanish race
(it's possible to require a one-event promotional
licence to the UEM: please send asap your details
to info@motocicliste.net
for all the info) - will be able to take part in the final
of the EWC.
While in the
Superstock 1000 the German Nina Prinz
is really close to the title, having 18 point of advantage
on Lara Cordioli, in the Superstock 600 class the Czeck Marketa
Janacova and the Dutch Iris Ten Katen,
both of them with 45 points, will dispute the title in this
last race, even with a large number of other contenders not
yet mathematically out of the picture, as the young Slovenian
Tina Katrasnik, the Hungarian Nikolett
Kovacs and the Italian Sharon Mermet.
18 riders:
Janakova Marketa (CZ,
ACCR, Suzuki)
Nina Prinz (D, DMSB, Yamaha)
Ana Belén Mulero (E, RFME, Suzuki)
Ingrid Cornet (E, RFME, Yamaha)
Maria Jesus Vaño (E, RFME, Suzuki)
Tamara Gordillo (E, RFME, Yamaha)
Eva Blanquez (E, RFME, Kawasaki)
Laura Martinez (E, RFME, Honda)
Elena Rosell (E, RFME, Honda)
Deb Cartwright (GB, ACU, Yamaha)
Elisabeth Hoyle (GB, ACU, Suzuki)
Nikolett Kovacs (H, MAMS, Yamaha)
Sharon Merret (I, FMI, Kawasaki)
Lara Cordioli (I, FMI, MV Augusta)
Iris Ten Katen (NL, KMNV, Honda)
Natasha Lyubimova (RUS, MFR, Yamaha)
Nadezhda Yakhnich (RUS, MFR, Yamaha)
Tina Katrasnik (SLO, AMZS, Suzuki)
This is an
extraordinary opportunity for the riders and the teams to
finish the racing season with a special prize: to race in
front of the international motorcycling protagonists and show
to everybody (the promoters confirmed a remarkable television
coverage) the level achieved by the female motorcycling in
the last years.
For
info: www.europeanchamp.com
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