EMS Racing 2005

• Home Page
• Rece Reports2005
• Magny-Cours 2005
• Imola 2005
• Lausitz 2005
• Assen 2005
• Brands Hatch 2005
• Brno 2005
• Misano 2005
• Silverstone 2005
• Monza 2005

Sunday 9th October 2005

EMS Racing’s Chance Of Title Denied After Being Wiped Out
At Magny Cours

The EMS Racing team were robbed of the chance of winning the 2005 European Superstock Championship after rider Craig Coxhell was knocked out of third place by a fallen rider on lap one. Craig was hit by a fellow competitors bike in a sickening crash that left the young Aussie with a broken collarbone and suspected broken shoulder. It was a bitterly disappointing way to end to a brilliant season, in which the EMS Racing squad have secured third position in the overall championship standings in the highly regarded European Superstock series.

Coming into the final round just 13 points separated the top three men in the championship and Craig was determined to go out and win the race hoping it would be enough to secure the championship. Qualifying for the event went well with Craig feeling comfortable onboard the well sorted EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000 and was on the pace from the opening session on Friday. In final qualifying the team were pipped to a front row start and had to settle for the second row of the grid for the 14 lap race.

In bright sunny conditions, Craig made a good start and soon fought his way up to third place behind his two series rivals Keenan Sofuoglu and Didier Vankeymeulen both riding the Yamaha Germany R1’s. Craig also had to contend with a third Yamaha Germany rider, Stephen Nebel, who was brought in on a one off ride to support Sofuoglu and Vankeymeulen.

With under a lap complete and Craig comfortable in third position, disaster struck at the final corner. A rider behind Craig lost control of his bike on the way into the corner and in a freak accident the bike stayed upright and continued across the grass, back onto the track and into the side of Craig. Craig was knocked off his bike by the heavy impact and after initially getting up, was treated trackside before being moved to the medical centre for further medical attention. The tough 22 year old had his shoulder heavily strapped and despite the obvious pain was soon back on his feet to collect his official FIM medal for finishing in third place at the prestigious WSB award ceremony.

“I’ve broken the collarbone in three places and they’re not sure about my shoulder. The leg took a big knock too, but I’m just so frustrated about not winning the race. The bike felt really good and I’d made a good start. It was my plan to stay in front of the third Yamaha rider – Stephen Nebel, which I did and then pile the pressure on the two leaders. With the way the bike was feeling I feel I could have won the race but I never got a chance.” explained Craig.

“I didn’t really know much about the crash until it happened. All I saw was a bike out the corner of my eye at the last minute before it hit me and then I was on the ground. I got up but then realised my leg was really hurting and there was a nasty grinding noise in my shoulder. All in all though the year has been great and I’m really happy to finish third. We’re are a small private team and the only two guys that have beaten us are on factory supported Yamaha’s. It’s a real achievement and it’s made me even more determined to win the Championship next season.”

Imola Sunday 2nd October 2005

EMS Racing Keep Championship Alive With Podium At Imola

The EMS Racing team had a superb weekend at the historic Imola circuit in Northern Italy by securing a third place podium finish to move to within just 13 points of the championship lead with one round remaining. Rider Craig Coxhell kept his composure in the wet conditions to convincingly out score all of his championship rivals, making next weekend’s season finale at Magny Cours an exciting championship showdown.

After a tough qualifying session where the team struggled with bike set-up and could only manage ninth position, race day was turned on its head when heavy rain hit the Italian circuit. Due to the old and worn out track surface the level of grip was extremely low, making conditions difficult for the 32 strong grid. Craig and the team made some significant changes to the set-up of the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000 to suit the conditions in time for the start of the 13 lap race and were focussed on a strong race.

From the third row of the grid, Craig made a reasonable start but was still down in seventh place at the end of the opening lap. His pace soon began to show and by lap two he was up into fourth and charging hard having passed championship leader Keenan Sofuoglu, who later crashed out of the race. Next on Craig’s hit list was second in the championship standings, Didier Vankeymeulen and by lap five Craig had made a committed pass on the factory supported Yamaha rider to move into third. With eight laps still to go Craig pushed hard to catch the leaders and although he was able to match their lap time was unable to close the gap and rode out the race to claim his fourth podium of the season.

“ The weekend worked out well in the end. Once I’d passed Keenan (Sofuoglu) and Didier (Vankeymeulen) I tried to get on to the back of the leading two but I just didn’t have enough rear grip and the bike was spinning up everywhere. I knew that the two guys in front were behind me in the championship so in the end I decided to let them go and settle for third position.” explained Craig.

“ From a championship point of view we’re back in with a chance, although it’s still not going to be easy. We’ve been lucky that Keenan crashed out of the race and with only 13 points separating the three of us anything could happen at Magny Cours next weekend.” continued Craig.


Imola Saturday 1st October 2005

Tough Qualifying For EMS Racing In Italy

EMS Racing had a tough two days of qualifying for the penultimate round of the European Superstock championship finishing final qualifying in ninth place. Rider Craig Coxhell felt comfortable around Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit but was unable to match his usual first or second row qualifying position and had to settle for ninth spot and a place on the third row of the grid.

The EMS Racing squad arrived in Italy in determined mood given their excellent results at the circuit over the past two years. Imola is also one of the few circuits that Craig has experience of after racing at the track in the World Supersport Championship during 2004. Despite his previous knowledge he was unable to get the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000 set-up for the undulating and bumpy track but remains confident that he can secure another strong result in tomorrows race.

“ It’s been a frustrating weekend so far. Since Friday the bike has felt good but the times just haven’t been there. I’ve struggled with rear grip and tyre life, which has made things difficult and on my fast lap I got baulked and that probably cost me at least a position on the second row.” explained Craig.

“ I’m still feeling pretty confident for the race though and we’re not actually that far away from the front guys. I know what starts I’m capable of making and if I can get up the front in the first couple of corners I should be OK. We’ll make a few changes with the rear shock in warm-up to try and improve grip and get the tyres lasting a bit better but I definitely think the race should be a lot better.” he continued.

The scheduled 13 lap race of the 4.993KM circuit gets underway at 10.40 Sunday 2nd October 2005.

Lausitz Sunday 11th September

EMS Racing Battle Hard For Fifth Place Finish At Lausitz

EMS Racing had to dig deep in the eighth round of the European Superstock Championship at Lausitz, but still managed to claim a hard earned top five position. Despite being plagued by set-up problems all weekend at the technical German circuit, rider Craig Coxhell refused to give up and claimed fifth place which was good enough to move him back up into third position in the overall championship standings.

After qualifying on the second row in fifth position, Craig was determined to make a strong start and did not disappoint when he fired his EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000 in to second place. Unfortunately it became clear over the next few corners that Craig had some sort of problem as he dropped down to fifth spot over the course of the opening lap.

Unable to match the pace of the leaders, Craig was forced to ride as hard as possible just to stay in contention and focussed on a damage limitation exercise in an effort to salvage as many points as possible. The 22 year old Aussie used his racing pedigree to ride around the problems as best he could and when it mattered was able to fight for position and still come away with a top five finish.

“ I got a good start but as I went in to turn one and braked the front forks bottomed out which put so much force on to the front wheel that it moved the tyre on the rim. From then on the front wheel was out of balance and I was struggling to keep up a good pace. The problem was that as the race went on it was getting worse and by the end of the race it was vibrating so bad that I could hardly see where I was going. There just wasn’t anything I could do and whenever I started really pushing I was getting chatter and nearly losing the front on the way into the corners.” explained Craig.

“ I’m just disappointed because I feel that I should have got third or fourth place. I was struggling with speed today as well, which didn’t help. Usually the bike is strong on speed but today I couldn’t pass anyone on the straights. I don’t know why but we’re going to have to have a good look at the bike before the next race, maybe something got damaged in the crash I had at Assen a couple of weeks ago and that’s affecting it.” he continued

“Despite the disappointing result I’ve actually moved up in the championship standings which is good. It’s going to be hard to win the championship with only two rounds to go but I'll be going all out for race wins and we just have to see what happens.” he concluded.

Lausitz Saturday 10th September

EMS Racing Fifth on the Grid Despite Problems

The EMS Racing team had to dig deep during today’s final qualifying for the eighth round of the European Superstock championship, but still managed to secure fifth spot and a place on the second row of the grid. Rider Craig Coxhell had to overcome set-up problems on the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000 caused by the high number of bumps around the Euro Speedway Lausitzring circuit in Germany.

After last weekends dramatic race at Assen where Craig and the team were denied the race win in the final corner, they arrived in Germany determined to make amends. Unfortunately despite previously testing at the circuit in July the team were unable to get the optimum set-up for the EMS Racing Suzuki throughout the two days. With less than ten minutes to go in the final session, Craig managed to ride around his problems and escalate himself up from 13th on the grid to a top five position for the race.

“ It’s been a tough weekend from the start. The track is very bumpy and that makes it difficult to get the bike working how I’d like. We were making progress but in the final session we needed to find something extra to get ourselves closer to the front and we went the wrong way with the settings and made the bike worse,” explained Craig.

“ It made the bike really hard to ride and I had to give it everything I had to set the time. The other big problem today was the amount of traffic I got caught up in. I just didn’t get a chance of a clear lap and even on my fastest laps I had to pass people. Now my focus goes to tomorrows race. We’ve got a lot of work to do in warm-up tomorrow with the bike if we’re going to have any chance of getting on the podium.“ he continued.

Saturday 3rd September

EMS Racing Denied Race Win at Final Corner

EMS Racing's Craig Coxhell was less than 200 metres away from winning the European Superstock race at Assen when he crashed out defending his lead at the final chicane. In a race watched by 50,000 sun-drenched spectators, Craig rode an incredible race to stay with championship leader Keenan Sofuoglu, but was desperately unlucky and suffered his first crash of the season with the chequered flag in sight. Despite being spectacularly hit by Sofuoglu’s Yamaha, Craig was able to pick himself off the ground, remount the EMS Racing Suzuki and still cross the line in 11th place to claim what could be vital championship points.
 
From his front row grid position Craig stormed off the line to hold second place on the opening lap. Although it was Craig’s first ever race at the 5.997KM track he was able to stay in contention with Sofuoglu whilst defending spirited challenges from Luca Scassa and Alessandro Polita. With eight of the 11 laps complete Sofuoglu upped the pace again and Craig was able to respond keeping the Yamaha supported rider under pressure before making a stunning move for the lead with one lap to go.
 
Craig looked to have ridden the perfect final lap to keep Sofuoglu at bay, but at the final chicane the two riders were side by side on the brakes. Craig kept the lead into the chicane but ran slightly wide and crashed out. With nowhere to go, Sofuoglu collided with the EMS Racing Suzuki before running over Craig’s legs.
 
“ It was certainly some race. It all went to plan at the start and I got behind Keenan (Sofuoglu) and was able to stay with him OK. I was hoping we were going to be able to make a break at the front but then I got passed by Scassa and Polita. I could see Keenan starting to get away so I had to get back into second to stop him making a break.” explained Craig.
 
“ Then I just tried to put Keenan under as much pressure as possible, hoping he would make a mistake. He was holding me up everywhere apart from the final section of the track and once I got passed him I was trying to pull a little bit of an advantage, but he stayed with me and we were side by side going into the final chicane. I thought I had the win, but right at the last minute I lost rear grip and low sided the bike. Keenan ran right over my knee, which is pretty bruised now, so I was pleased that I was able to get back on the bike and finish the race.” he added.
 
“ From a championship point of view it was a race that I had to win. Unfortunately it didn’t quite happen but it’s just made me more determined than ever for Lausitz next weekend. I’ve got nothing to lose so I’ll be going all out for victory once again.” he concluded.

Saturday 3rd September

EMS Racing Stun Their Rivals In Assen Qualifying
 
EMS Racing’s Craig Coxhell took the European Superstock paddock by storm after qualifying in second position despite it being his first visit to the awesome Assen circuit. Out of all the tracks on the World Superbike calendar, Assen remains one of the most technically demanding due to it’s long length (5.997KM) and fast flowing corners, but that didn’t stop Craig putting in a brilliant qualifying performance to secure a place on the front row of the grid.
 
Knowing it would be a hard circuit to learn, Craig and the team got to the Dutch circuit early so that he could spend time running and cycling around the track. The young Aussie even got some advice from WSB series leader Troy Corser as to the best lines around the circuit. His progress initially started slowly and at the end of first qualifying on Friday Craig was down in eighth place, but for the final session the team worked hard to improve the bike and Craig was able to reward them with a front row start.
 
“ It’s working well so far. We had a few dramas with the bike early on but we worked hard to get them sorted for today. The bike’s how I like it and I was able to do that qualifying time pretty easy. I actually made a couple of mistakes on my best lap so I’m confident for tomorrow.” explained Craig.
 
“It’s been a tough weekend already because I’m having to learn the track from scratch. I’ve been watching videos from Assen for the last couple of weeks and since being here I’ve done about a million laps on the scooter, cycling and running. It’s a great track as it’s so fast and flowing but it’s really hard work. It’s very demanding because of the amount of direction changes and we’ve been working to get the bike easier to turn, which should help us tomorrow.” he continued.

Sunday August 7th

EMS Racing Go Second in the Championship
After Tough Brands Hatch Race

EMS Racing claimed fifth place in the sixth round of the European Superstock Championship at Brands Hatch in front of a weekend crowd of 104,000 race fans. Although it wasn t the result Craig Coxhell and the team were looking for, it has escalated them up into second in the championship standings after out-scoring two of his closest rivals.
 
The team arrived at Brands Hatch in high spirits and confident of a good result after winning last time out at Brno. With previous experience at the Brands Hatch, Craig knew what he needed from the EMS Racing GSXR-1000 and the team worked hard throught practice and qualifying to achieve it. Despite their efforts Craig struggled with grip, which meant he was losing time on the way into and out of the corners. Craig rode well to overcome the problems and managed to claim fifth to secure a place on the second row.
 
The 15 lap race of the 4.197KM Brands Hatch circuit got underway in bright conditions in front of the huge crowd. Knowing the importance of a good start Craig fired the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000 off the line well and scythed in to second place behind pole man Keenan Sofuoglu. Craig was desperate to get away at the front, but as the race progressed he began struggling with the grip levels and set-up of the bike and dropped down to fifth at the finish.
 
That was really hard work. We haven t had a good set up all weekend and we were hoping that we were going to be able to find a good setting right up until the end of warm-up this morning. I ve been chasing the front end of the bike and the rear end has been backing into the turns and spinning up on the exit. I just didn t have any confidence in the front end today and that meant I was losing a lot of time on the brakes and by running wide. explained Craig.
 
At the start I tried to stay with Keenan (Sofuoglu) who was away at the front of the race but I just couldn t physically do it. I was trying so hard that I had to have a bit of a breather three quarters of the way through the race so that I could get back in to my rhythm. I was just trying to force the bike to do something it didn t want to do.
 
We re second in the championship now but we re actually further away from the lead than we were and I m really disappointed with that. It hasn t been a good weekend and I think that we re fortunate that I beat Vankeymeulen and that Roccoli crashed out. He concluded.

Sunday July 17th

Stunning Victory For EMS Racing At Brno
 
EMS Racing s Craig Coxhell took a brilliant race win in the fifth round of the European Superstock Championship at Brno in Czech Republic. The 12 lap race turned into an epic battle with the top four riders in the championship trading places continuously in the last few laps with Craig coming out on top to secure his first win of 2005 and move to within eight points of the championship lead.
 
After qualifying on the front row, in fourth position, Craig made a break with the leaders and managed to hold onto fourth position throughout the opening laps, but was unable to challenge for a higher position. With each lap Craig became more comfortable on the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000 and let his three rivals fight for the lead whilst he maintained his pace and conserved his tyres in preparation for the finish.
 
His strategy worked perfectly and with three laps to go Craig started pushing even harder and began mixing it with his three championship rivals, Didier Vankeymeulen, Keenan Sofuoglu and Massimo Roccoli (All Yamaha). With the lead changing at virtually every corner Craig had to be aggressive and committed to gain a single position, but his progress was relentless, taking the lead on the last lap to secure his maiden win in the European Superstock Championship.
 
It s been a great weekend and today I feel like I ve ridden as well as I did in 2003 when I won the Australian Superbike championship. I got away with the leaders but I had to work hard at the beginning because with a full fuel load the bike was pretty hard to turn. After a few laps the top three started to pull away a little bit and I started to get a bit concerned but then they started to dice and I was able to get onto the back of them. I just had to wait but then with three laps to go I thought this is the time . I really wanted to win here as none of us had raced at Brno before so I went for it. explained Craig
 
In the early laps I tried to save my rear tyre because this had been a problem all weekend but at the end of the race I had good grip. With six laps to go I felt really comfortable on the bike and I had no problem doing the times so then I just waited for the right opportunity. I got up into second and was planning my attack on Sofuoglu but then Roccoli came up the inside so I had to do it all again. Once I was passed him I set Sofuoglu up again and made a good pass. Then I just tried to pull a couple of meters so that they wouldn t be able to get back at me. he said.  
 
It s been the perfect result for the championship and I m now up to third and only eight points off the lead. The next race is Brands Hatch which is a track I know pretty well so I m hoping I can get another win there. he continued.

  Saturday July 16th

EMS Racing Take Impressive Front Row Start At Brno
 
The EMS Racing team took their first front row start of the 2005 European Superstock Championship with a fine fourth position in round five of the series at Brno in the Czech Republic. EMS Racing s rider Craig Coxhell showed a brilliant turn of speed to secure a front row start, but the highly competitive Aussie was disappointed not to take pole position.
 
Last month Craig and the team spent two days testing at the Brno circuit, which enabled them to establish a good base setting for the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000. The testing clearly helped, but any advantage they had was eliminated because the factory supported Yamaha Germany team of his rivals also tested at Brno and that meant Craig and the team had to push 100% to match their pace.
 
Throughout the two Free Practice and Qualifying sessions Craig was consistently in the top four and even topped the time sheets early on. In the all-important final qualifying, Craig bettered his lap time once again but was unable to get the best out of his new tyre due to an incident that brought out the Yellow flags and left oil on the track. Despite this Craig was able to secure a front row start - his best grid position of 2005.
 
Commenting after the session, Craig said:
I gave it everything I ve got so I m disappointed not to be on pole position. I wanted pole and although it s my first front row of the year it doesn t mean that much to me because I know I can make a good start from the second row if I have to. I ve come to this meeting to win it so to be fourth on the grid after testing here is pretty disappointing. The bike feels pretty good and although we had a set-up good enough to be fastest we need to find something else because I ve pushed my hardest and haven t been able to do the times.
 
I ll be going all out for the race win tomorrow and I think it will be down to me and the two Yamaha Germany riders and we could end up making a bit of a break. I think Vankeymeulen will be the one to watch so I ll try and tag on to him at the start. he continued

Sunday June 26th

Solid Points For EMS Racing At Scorching Misano
 
EMS Racing secured another impressive result and valuable championship points at the fourth round of the European Superstock Championship held at Misano in Italy. Onboard the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000, Craig Coxhell battled through the scorching temperatures to take a determined sixth place finish and consolidate fourth place in the overall championship standings.
 
After struggling with bike set-up during qualifying, Craig started the race in eighth place and on the second row of the grid, but that didn t stop him making a strong start and make a break with the leading group. Despite 30-degree air temperatures and 37-degree track temperatures, Craig went even faster than he d managed in qualifying but unfortunately it wasn t enough to stay in contention with the trio of riders who started to ease away at the front. Instead the 22 year old Australian was left to fight it out for fourth position with new championship leader Massimo Roccoli and Suzuki man, Alessandro Polita.
 
Craig looked set to make his trademark strong finish to the race and up his pace in the closing laps, but began struggling with excess front tyre wear and was forced to reduce his pace. At the end of the 15 lap race, Craig claimed sixth spot and ten valuable championship points.
 
I m pretty disappointed with the result, but on the other hand I m glad that I was able to get that high after the problems we had in qualifying. I got a pretty good start but the top three got away and I just wasn t able to match their pace today. I was behind Roccoli and really wanted to beat him from a championship point of view, he was actually spinning the rear up a lot so I felt confident I would be able to pass him and pull a gap by the end of the race. Unfortunately with about three laps to go my front tyre started sliding really badly and by the end of the race the tyre was destroyed. explained Craig.
 
The championship is still pretty tight and it s the three guys in front of me that are going to be feeling the pressure. There are still six rounds of the championship to go and apart from Lausitz in Germany and Assen in Holland I ve got experience of the rest of the tracks. The next round is in Brno and we tested there before Misano so I ve already got a good base setting for the bike and then in August it s Brands Hatch and I know the track well so I m hoping for a good result there. I m determined to win a couple of races and with the championship being so close, that would will be enough to get me up front. he continued.

Saturday June 25th

EMS Racing Dig Deep To Secure Second Row Start
 
EMS Racing s Craig Coxhell claimed eighth position and a second row start for the fourth round of the European Superstock championship at a scorching Misano today. It was a typically determined performance from the 22 year old Australian who had to learn the track and endure 32 degree temperatures before being able to set a competitive time onboard the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000.
 
During Friday s free practice and qualifying, Coxhell was uncharacteristically off the pace and was left down in 19th position at the end of day one. It would have been easy for Craig and the team to lose focus but instead they worked long into the night to understand the problems they were having and find a much improved set-up for the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000 in time for the final qualifying session.
 
With only minutes to spare in final qualifying, Craig was able to up his pace considerably and drop into the 1m 39s second barrier and secure his place on the second row for the 15 lap Sunday race.
 
We got the bike working in the end but I m a bit disappointed with my lap time because it could have been better. It was so hot I knew that I was only going to get two or three laps on my tyre before it started to lose grip, but when I went out on track some of the other riders were trying to race me and holding me up. When I did finally get clear of them it was three laps later and the best of my tyre was gone. I managed to put in a couple of OK laps but I still got caught up with lapped traffic both times. That s where I lost my time and I think that if I d had a clear lap I could have been on the front row. explained Craig.
 
It s my worst qualifying position this year but I m not too worried. I think the heat is going to get to a few people tomorrow. It s actually taken me a while to get myself used to the heat as I ve been out of Australia for a while. Yesterday I felt really flat, but today has been much better and I m confident I ll feel fine tomorrow. I m pretty optimistic for the race because I know I ll get stronger as the race goes on where as I think some of the other guys will fade. he continued.

Saunday May 29th

EMS Racing Take Brilliant Podium at Silverstone

EMS Racing secured their best result of 2005 by taking a superb second place finish in the third round of the European Superstock championship at Silverstone. On board the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000, Craig Coxhell closed down the leaders and keep his cool when it most mattered to secure his second consecutive podium in the hotly contested class. It was an accomplished performance by the 22 year old Australian and the valuable 20 points scored now moves him up to third in the championship, 19 points off the series lead.
 
After qualifying in sixth position for the 15 lap race, Craig made a stunning start to move up into third position after pushing hard through the fast turn one. Despite his excellent start the leading duo of Keenan Sofuoglu and Massimo Roccoli had already made a break leaving a big gap to bridge to get to the front. Craig responded and showed his class to reel in and catch the leaders. After sitting in third place, Craig pushed hard to pass, but due to a lack of grip was unable to make a move so consolidated his position and stayed as close as possible so that he could capitalise on any mistakes. At the final chicane on the last lap, Craig s strategy worked perfectly when series leader Sofuoglu made a last ditch effort to take the lead and ran wide allowing Craig to slip through and claim second spot.
 
I got a great start and got up to third but it was really tough and I was having to push hard to stay with the leaders. They pulled away to begin with but I managed to reel them back in and when I got on the back of them I felt pretty comfortable. Unfortunately by that stage I was struggling with rear grip and just couldn t get the drive out of the turns to get close enough to make my move on the brakes. Sofuoglu and Roccoli were practically out braking each other at every turn and I didn t want to get involved in that so I just waited for them to take each other out, which they nearly did at the final chicane. explained Craig.
 
It s good to get second and its another strong result but we need to be getting the bike set-up quicker in qualifying if we want to start winning races. I came in to the year wanting to be consistent and build up to good results and I think that by finishing in the top three every weekend along with some race wins, we ll have a good chance of winning the championship. he continued.
 
The EMS Racing team are now on their way to the Czech Republic where they will be conducting a two day test at the spectacular Brno circuit alongside the factory Ducati Xerox team of James Toseland and Regis Laconi.

Saturday May 28th

EMS Racing line Up Sixth For Silverstone Race

EMS Racing s Craig Coxhell made the most of his Silverstone track knowledge to secure sixth place in final qualifying for the fifth round of the European Superstock Championship today. Riding the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000, Craig and the team were slightly disappointed to be on the second row of the grid after being on the podium last time out at Monza.
 
Throughout practice and qualifying the EMS Racing team worked hard to set the Suzuki GSXR-1000 for the demanding Silverstone International circuit. The track layout features a mixture of low and high speed turns combined with heavy braking and bumps, which made the it very difficult and it wasn t until the dying minutes of final qualifying that the team felt they had a set-up to race.
 
Despite qualifying in sixth place, 1.2 seconds off pole position, Craig was able to lap consistently even when his tyres lost grip where as his rivals were setting one quick lap and then coming into the pits.
 
I ve been struggling with the front end all weekend and we had the same problems at Monza which makes it frustrating. We made a huge step on Friday with the bike but today we ve been struggling with under steer from the front in the tight corners and its still running wide through the fast stuff. We re heading in the right direction and I m happy about that but it s taking us a long time to get where we need to be. explained Craig.
 
I m really looking forward to the race and this is now the third time I ve qualified in sixth position so hopefully we can be on the podium like we were at Monza. My times have been pretty consistent today but I just wasn t able to put in that one real quick lap because of the high winds. It was too risky to push in the conditions and although some of the other guys were prepared to really push I opted to concentrate on my race set-up. he continued.
 
The 15 lap race of the 3.561KM circuit starts at 10.40am on Sunday 29 May 2005 where Craig and the team will be going all out for another podium position.

Sunday May 8th

EMS Racing Secure Podium In Thrilling Monza Race

EMS Racing stormed to a brilliant third place finish at the second round of the 2005 European Superstock Championship held at Monza this weekend. Riding the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000 Craig Coxhell stunned the factory supported teams and riders to catch and pass the championship regulars and came close to winning the race.

After qualifying in sixth place, Craig and the team were confident of a good result as each time he went out on track he improved his lap time and in the race it was no different. From the second row of the grid, Craig fired the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000 off the line and slotted into fifth position for the opening five laps before catching and passing factory Suzuki rider, Ricardo Chiarello for fourth spot.
 
With six laps of the historic 5.793KM circuit remaining Craig was over a second behind Yamaha Germany rider Didier Van Keyemeulen but within two laps he d caught and passed the Belgian and was into third place. With clear track in front of him, Craig set about reeling in the leaders Kenan Sofuoglu (Yamaha Germany) and Massimo Roccoli (Lorenzini by Leoni). As each lap passed Craig got closer and by the end of the penultimate lap he was on the back wheel of Roccoli and immediately mounted a challenge for the lead. Going into the first turn he looked like he could take the lead but was unable to squeeze through and with only one lap remaining he ran out of time to take the victory.
 
I got a good start and went for the inside line into the first corner just to stay clear of all the other traffic. In the first couple of laps I just settled into it to see what was going on and then I started to build my pace and began catching the guys in front so I got my head down and went for it. On the last lap I was going to pass them into the first corner because I knew I was faster than them there and through the back section but Kenan (Sofuoglu) shut the door pretty hard and there was no way through. I nearly got second on the line, and I think one more lap and I would have had them and got the win. explained Craig.
 
The bike was really good and the team worked well. It s been a good weekend all round and now we re going back to the UK for the Silverstone race. I ve ridden at Silverstone when I raced in British Superbikes last year, but I ve not ridden on the International circuit, so I ve still got some learning to do but at least I know half of it. he continued.
 
The third round of the prestigious European Superstock Championship takes place at Silverstone in the UK on 27th to 29th May 2005. Craig and the team have some knowledge of the circuit and will be going all out for another podium result.

Saturday May 7th

EMS Racing Sixth Fastest In Monza Qualifying

EMS Racing continued their brilliant start to the 2005 European Superstock Championship with an impressive qualifying performance at the historic Monza circuit in Northern Italy. Riding the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000, Craig Coxhell scorched to sixth position to secure a second row start for Sundays 11 lap race.
 
It was Craig s first visit to Monza and he was at an even bigger disadvantage than he was at Valencia in terms of knowing the circuit. The reason for this was that there was a round of the Italian Superbike Championship at the track last week, which gave his Italian rivals a big advantage in terms of track time. However that didn t faze the former Australian Superbike Champion and he soon got dialled in to the ultra fast circuit.
 
During the two practice and qualifying sessions the team worked hard to improve the set-up of the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000. Due to the combination of long fast straights leading in to slow chicanes, the team s focus was on the front end of the bike and the brakes. After experiencing a number of problems early on the team were able to make positive changes which allowed Craig to up the pace and run with the leaders.
 
In the final session, Craig held eighth spot, but with just minutes to go he upped the pace even further in search of a front row start. With just a couple of corners left to go, Craig was up to third position, but as he exited the second chicane he lost rear wheel grip and was nearly high sided off the bike, which lost him valuable time and he dropped to sixth.
 
I m still not used to the track so I m making some mistakes when I push hard. I m finding the last chicane really difficult and out of ten laps I m probably only getting it right once. We had a lot of problems to start with on the forks and brakes, but we ve got them sorted. The only problem is that now we re able to go faster I ve run into some other issues with the rear of the bike. If we can get these problems sorted in warm-up then we should be able to challenge for the win because I m doing good lap times even though I m making mistakes. If we can stay out of trouble during the first couple of laps then we should be OK. said Craig.

Sunday April 24th

EMS Racing Claim A Top Five Finish At Season Opener
 
EMS Racing got their season off to a flying start at the opening round of the European Superstock Championship at Valencia by taking a brilliant fifth place finish. Onboard the new EMS Racing GSXR-1000, Craig Coxhell showed his class to run at the front throughout practice, qualifying and the race. This strong result was even more impressive given that Craig had never raced at the Spanish circuit before and that the EMS Racing Suzuki GSXR-1000 is still in practically standard trim as the team are awaiting new performance parts to become available for the 2005 model.
 
In qualifying, Craig and the team worked hard to get the new bike set-up for the technically demanding 4.005 Km circuit. In each session the bike improved and Craig was able to better his lap time every time he went out on track, eventually securing sixth position and a place on the third row of the arrow shaped grid.
 
The 13 lap race got underway in dry conditions and Craig fired the EMS Racing Suzuki off the line well and made the break with the leaders. Craig was immediately in the thick of the action and was lucky to survive a multiple rider pile up on the first lap. As the race progressed Craig set an awesome pace, lapping quicker than last years lap record, but was losing ground to his rivals when accelerating on to the fast start/finish straight, which made it difficult to move further up the field.
 
At the finish, Craig secured an impressive top five finish and claimed the honour of top Suzuki rider in his debut for the EMS Racing team.
 
I m reasonably happy with the result and I m pleased with the way I rode. In every session over the weekend I went quicker and then in the race I took another half a second off my lap time, but the downside to that was that we ran into new set-up problems with the bike, said Craig. In the race I was losing about five or six metres accelerating on to the straight but then I was getting held up around the rest of the circuit. We ve still got a fair way to go with the new Suzuki but we ve made the right choice of machine and once we get the bike working we can be as fast, if not faster than the Yamaha s. added the 22 year old.
 
Team Coordinator, John Preston commented:
To qualify sixth, finish fifth and be the top Suzuki is a good solid start to the season. There was some pretty wild riding going on out on track from some of the other riders and Craig kept his composure and dealt with it very well. At the finish he was only 6.5 seconds off the winner, which is very encouraging given that he s never raced at the track before and that we ve still got a lot of development and improvements to make on the EMS Suzuki.

April 18th

Craig Coxell (in red) at this weekends Le Mans 24 hour - finished in third position. Off to Valencia now for next weekends European Superstock round

Aussie Superbike Champion Joins EMS Racing
 
EMS Racing are delighted to announce that Australian Craig Coxhell has joined the team to contest the prestigious European Superstock Championship in 2005. Craig won the Australian Superbike Championship in 2003 and after a year in British Superbikes last season is determined to win the European Superstock title for the EMS Racing team.
 
Craig s arrival is not the only change for the Irish based team, for 2005 they ll switch from the Yamaha R1 to the all new Suzuki GSXR-1000 K5. Last season EMS Racing made their mark in the tough European series and despite competing against factory supported teams they ran at the front with a best result of fourth place. Craig is desperate to get back to the front of the field after a disappointing season on an uncompetitive package in BSB making it an ideal rider and team combination for 2005.
 
Preparation for the forthcoming season is well underway and the team are currently in Craig s homeland Australia completing valuable testing onboard the all new Suzuki. Thanks to extended support from Suzuki Australia, Craig has been one of the first riders to get out on track onboard the Suzuki GSXR-1000 but spares and race components have been difficult to obtain which has slowed down initial development.
 
Craig s arrival in the championship is sure to make people stand up and take note in the predominantly Italian and Spanish series. The new partnership emphasises EMS Racing s commitment and desire to win the tough European Superstock Championship.
 
Craig Coxell said: For our first test the bikes were still in road trim, so we just went to Winton for some laps so that I could get a feel for the new bike. Already I m very happy and it s the best standard road bike I have ridden by far. Even though it was standard the times were good. I m happy with the way John and the team works and I m looking forward to racing in the European Superstock Championship this season with the EMS Racing.
 
Team Coordinator John Preston said: To get a rider of Craig s quality in the team is superb. As a team we ve been competing in the European Superstock Championship for three years. We ve won and been on the podium but now we are set to challenge for the overall championship. Preparation is going well and we ve already had valuable track time in Australia thanks to Craig s excellent relationship with Suzuki Australia.

Jan 2005

EMS Racing are proud to announce that Australian Craig Coxhell (Australian Superbike Champion 2003 )has joined the team and will take part in the Superstock FIM Cup this year. For details on Craig see the riders section on the home page.
EMS have also decided to change machinery in the Superstock class from Yamaha to Suzuki in the form of the new GSXR K5, but will remain with Yamaha here at home in the National 600cc Championship with a new R6.