FP1 challenge exhausted in Monza.

Foggy Petronas Racing had to settle for Troy Corser's sole 13th placed finish in an unlucky fourth round of the World Superbike championship for Carl Fogarty's team at Monza today.

Both Corser and team-mate James Haydon were black-flagged in the second race when their silencers caught fire towards the end of the race.

FP1 challenge exhausted in Monza.

Foggy Petronas Racing had to settle for Troy Corser's sole 13th placed finish in an unlucky fourth round of the World Superbike championship for Carl Fogarty's team at Monza today.

Both Corser and team-mate James Haydon were black-flagged in the second race when their silencers caught fire towards the end of the race.

The extreme speeds of the long straights at the historic Italian circuit had been expected to pose the biggest challenge to date in the team's debut season on the FP1, the Malaysian superbike.

So new silencers featuring a type of carbon that was hoped to be resistant to the higher temperatures generated around this circuit were used, as an interim measure while new titanium versions are being developed. But deteriorating padding left the carbon exposed to the exhaust gases, causing the flames.

Team manager Nigel Bosworth explained: "This was not the flame-out that we have been trying to eradicate all season. We anticipated the silencer issue after Phillip Island, the other high-speed track we have raced on, but this stop-gap measure proved insufficient for Monza. These are the kind of things you learn during a development season and, while this has been a tough weekend for the team and the riders, we will be stronger and more knowledgeable for the next round at Oschersleben."

Team owner Carl Fogarty gave his take on the day: "This season was never going to be all plain sailing and, after a promising start, we have identified a number of issues that are exposed at circuits like Monza. These will have to be solved straight away if we are to turn the potential of the FP1 into more positive results this season."

Following on from a challenging first race when Troy finished 13th and James retired with four laps remaining, as well as two days of qualifying dogged by mechanical problems, both riders were glad to put the weekend behind them.

"This round has shown we still have a lot of work to do yet," explained Corser afterwards. "I changed my tyre for the second race to a softer compound, which worked better and I could run with my pack down the straights but I riding it as hard as I could. I felt my seat getting hotter and hotter but was just hoping to be able to bring it home when I saw the black flag. I'm pretty glad this weekend is over!"

Haydon meanwhile had his own take on the day "In some ways it was quite apt that my weekend ended with my bike parked, in flames, while a heavy marshall struggled to reach it with an extinguisher," said Haydon. "In hindsight I should have tried harder to work through the difficulties with my bike and finish the first race. I have never had a more painful weekend - and I guess frustration goes hand in hand with that. It has certainly been the most testing part of our season and we are now at a point where all parties in this project have to work that much harder in order to make sure we don't get stuck in a rut. It was a weekend to forget but, at the same time, one to learn from."

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