If you missed Eugene Laverty and the hilarious PJ Gallagher last night on Saturday Night with Miriam catch it on RTE Player. (14 minuets in)
http://www.rte.ie/player/#v=1102285

Eugene Laverty will be a guest on Saturday Night with Miriam tonight. Appearing alongside Eugene will be PJ Gallagher, top Irish comedian and a keen bike racer himself.

Saturday Night with Miriam goes out in front of a live audience every Saturday night at 9.30pm on RTÉ One.

Miriam O’Callaghan returns for the seventh series of her hugely successful summer chat show. The programme will be broadcast live every Saturday night from 11th of June to the 13th of August, 2011.

The Show
Saturday Night with Miriam is now firmly established in the Irish television calendar, and Miriam O’Callaghan as one of the country’s most respected interviewers. This year, the show will be a unique and lively mix of the latest in entertainment, show-biz, sports, current affairs, music and human interest and we promise a bigger, more stylish and more enjoyable run than ever.

Eugene Laverty had a less than perfect start from his sixth place position on this morning’s grid, falling back to eight place in the first turn. Caught up in traffic the Irish Rookie held position for a further five laps before gradually working his way through the pack to cross the line in an impressive fourth place just 0.048 of a second ahead of Sykes.

Race two Laverty struggled as the rear wheel of his machine locked in the first turn of lap one causing him to run wide and fall back to sixteenth place. The Irish man proved to be strong and consistent yet again as he put his head down, working his way through the bunch of riders ahead to claim a remarkable sixth place.

Heading to the next round in Brno on 10thJuly, the Italian is in third place on 195 points, now 66 points behind Checa in the lead. Laverty leaves Aragon with a total of 146 points and with a firm hold of fourth place in the classification, 21 points ahead of Camier.Eugene Laverty

Yamaha World Superbike Team - 4th, 6th
“In race one I wasn’t brave enough on the first corner, which was usually my strongest point and I ended up getting bottle necked. I came through in the end and was very happy with my result. Something similar happened in race two but I felt the rear wheel locking and went wide causing me to lose sveral places. Had I gotten off to a better start, I know I could have been stronger. Considering the difficult weekend I had, I think we made a great breakthrough which will help us for every track. We’ll take the experience to the future and hopefully be stronger in Brno.”

Andrea Dosoli - Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager

“Marco had a fantastic weekend, fast and consistent throughout. He played his cards well, managing the tyres to ensure they’d resist to the end and comes away with two great results. Eugene did a great job to make up so many places lost in the initial stages of both races. He has made progress this weekend but still has some more work to do especially with the steering of the bike in order to be as competitive as the top three.”

2011 World Superbike Spain
Motorland Aragon 19/06/2011 20 Laps
race I
1 Marco Melandri Yamaha ITA 40′01.968
2 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 0′01.572
3 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0′02.432
4 Eugene Laverty Yamaha GBR 0′10.799
5 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0′10.847
6 Noriyuki Haga Aprilia JPN 0′11.931
7 Joan Lascorz Kawasaki ESP 0′12.591
8 Ayrton Badovini BMW ITA 0′16.954
9 Leon Haslam BMW GBR 0′24.205
10 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0′24.694
11 Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 0′24.731
12 Chris Vermeulen Kawasaki AUS 0′30.407
13 Maxime Berger Ducati FRA 0′34.107
14 Roberto Rolfo Kawasaki ITA 0′37.233
15 Mark Aitchison Kawasaki AUS 0′43.004
race II
1 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 40′04.407
2 Marco Melandri Yamaha ITA 0′04.809
3 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 0′06.944
4 Michel Fabrizio Suzuki ITA 0′09.001
5 Joan Lascorz Kawasaki ESP 0′11.562
6 Eugene Laverty Yamaha GBR 0′14.288
7 Noriyuki Haga Aprilia JPN 0′15.138
8 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0′17.660
9 Leon Haslam BMW GBR 0′24.184
10 Ayrton Badovini BMW ITA 0′24.676
11 Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 0′29.300
12 Mark Aitchison Kawasaki AUS 0′33.163
13 Roberto Rolfo Kawasaki ITA 0′38.080
14 Chris Vermeulen Kawasaki AUS 0′49.042
15 Lorenzo Lanzi BMW ITA 0′53.156

Best Lap
Marco Melandri Yamaha ITA 1′59.159

World Superbike World Standing
Rider Standings After Race 7 of 13
1. Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 245
2. Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 173
3. Marco Melandri Yamaha ITA 150
4. Eugene Laverty Yamaha GBR 123
5. Leon Haslam BMW GBR 106
6. Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 101
7. Michel Fabrizio Suzuki ITA 95
8. Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 94
9. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 83
10. Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 72
11. Ayrton Badovini BMW ITA 72
12. Noriyuki Haga Aprilia JPN 70
13. Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 65
14. Joan Lascorz Kawasaki ESP 53
15. Troy Corser BMW AUS 49
16. Ruben Xaus Honda ESP 44

The Italian completed two laps in the opening Superpole heat and confident to have recorded a sufficiently fast pace decided to save his qualifiers for the coming heats. The nail-biting dying seconds of the session saw several riders improve their lap times, bumping Melandri back to 12th.Team-mate Laverty wisely changed to a set of qualifiers with just 3 minutes to go and produced a flying lap taking him comfortably into Superpole two in first place. The second phase of the Superpole knockout was equally impressive with Laverty and Melandri concluding in third and seventh place respectively. Melandri performed impeccably in the third and final session, producing his fastest time on the first lap, setting the record time on the new Spanish track and claiming his maiden pole position in his World Superbike career. Having used his qualifiers in the previous heats, Laverty completed Superpole three in sixth place on a set of used race tyres.

A track temperature of at least 20 degrees less than that recorded in yesterday’s first qualifying session permitted all riders to improve their lap times in this morning’s second qualifying. Eugene Laverty had a less than perfect session, struggling with wheelie issues which he managed to improve prior to the afternoon’s free practice. A competitive qualifying session saw all 16 riders heading into the Superpole knockout with less than a second between them

Both Yamaha World Superbike rookies face tomorrow’s two races confident to be on top form and proving strong contenders for a Spanish podium. Melandri has his sights on a victory, in what will be a very competitive race day, on higher track temperatures.

Eugene Laverty
Yamaha World Superbike Team - 6th, 1′58.756
“It was a very tough morning. I didn’t find a good set up, so I wasn’t very confident. The team worked hard and we made huge improvements in the afternoon’s free practice and I regained confidence prior to Superpole. I knew I had to go out again in the first heat and improve my time even if that meant using a qualifier and only have one left. Unfortunately I also knew that then I couldn’t produce a faster lap in the third session. Marco, Checa and Biaggi will be very strong tomorrow but I’m sure I’ll be competitive as well.”

Andrea Dosoli - Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“A great result for Marco today. He has had a good weekend overall and has found a good race set-up. He was fortunate in the first Superpole, having saved his qualifiers for the final heats. It’s important to be on the front row and it will be crucial to get ahead and try and save on tyre wear. He did a long run in the afternoon which highlighted the necessity not to over use the tyres in the first few laps. Eugene struggled this morning but managed to improve on his race setting before the afternoon’s session. The second row is a very good result and from there I’m confident he will be strong and battle for a position amongst the leaders.”

2011 World Superbike Spain
Motorland Aragon 18/06/2011
1 Marco Melandri Yamaha ITA 1′57.634
2 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1′57.790
3 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1′58.279
4 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1′58.472
5 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 1′58.641
6 Eugene Laverty Yamaha GBR 1′58.756
7 Joan Lascorz Kawasaki ESP 1′59.194
8 Ayrton Badovini BMW ITA 1′59.591
9 Noriyuki Haga Aprilia JPN 1′58.566
10 Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 1′58.640
11 Michel Fabrizio Suzuki ITA 1′58.950
12 Mark Aitchison Kawasaki AUS 1′59.680
13 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1′59.355
14 Leon Haslam BMW GBR 1′59.367
15 Maxime Berger Ducati FRA 1′59.507

Eugene Laverty was also on form today in the Spanish sunshine. The World Superbike Rookie spent the morning getting re-acquainted with a decisively hotter track than that tested just a month ago, following his double victory in Monza. Laverty proceeded to make improvements throughout the afternoon’s qualifying session, modifying the geometry and the electronics of his machine in search of the optimal chassis settings ahead of Sunday’s races, before completing the session in ninth place.

Yamaha World Superbike riders also recorded the fastest speeds of the day. Marco Melandri rode his powerful YZF- R1 to a maximum of 316.5 km/ph while Eugene Laverty was the second fastest on the track, reaching a high of 314.6 km/ph.

Eugene Laverty Yamaha World Superbike Team- 9th, 2′00.377
“Overall, I’m quite happy with today. In qualifying I felt we had made an improvement from this morning’s free practice. We definitely made a step in the right direction but it wasn’t quite enough. I think we can be stronger tomorrow in the second qualifying session and hopefully it will also be a little bit cooler. With a little work tomorrow, I’m confident that I’ll be where I want to be by Sunday.”

Andrea Dosoli - Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“Today was a very good start to the weekend. The tests we had last month after Monza were useful and provided us with a good base setting to start off with. This morning Marco worked on weight distribution and in the afternoon he progressed to work on the tyres which will be critical in such hot conditions. Eugene hasn’t found the optimal chassis set-up yet. He needs to still work on turning in and taking the curves where he is having difficulty. He didn’t use the soft tyres and therefore must be satisfied with his lap times.”

The Misano world circuit was host to a dramatic race day today with both highs and lows for the Yamaha World Superbike Team.

There were no easy points to be had on the Italian race track today for Melandri and Laverty. After initially falling back to fifth from his fourth place start on the grid in race one, Melandri hastily regained position, tucking in behind Haslam and awaiting the opportunity to push to third. Struggling to maintain the pace the Italian was unable to fight for a victory and crossed the chequered flag in third place with a much desired podium at his home race. Team-mate Laverty completed the first race of the day in fifth place, just losing out on fourth position in the final stages of the last lap as Sykes took advantage of the Irish-man’s struggle with gradual tyre wear.

Race two was filled with drama as Melandri and Camier crashed out in the tenth lap, causing the race to be red flagged. Both riders were unable to re-enter the pit boxes with their machines in the time required by the regulations in order to be permitted to participate in the 14 lap second part of race two. Team-mate Eugene Laverty also experienced a tough second race. Following a perfect start off eighth place on the newly formed grid, Laverty shot into fourth place. After just one lap the Irishman overtook Haslam to take position of third place behind Checa, winner of the previous race before he unfortunately lost the front of the machine, causing him to crash out. Unhurt Laverty returned to the track and completed the race in 13th place.

Following the difficult race day in Misano, Marco Melandri will head to Aragon this coming weekend sitting in third place in the World Superbike standings with 150 points, 95 points behind Checa in the lead. Laverty still occupies fourth place with a total of 123 points, 17 points ahead of Haslam in fifth.

Eugene Laverty - Yamaha World Superbike Team - 5th, 13th
“We took a gamble with the rear tyre in race one and it was ok until about four laps to go. The left side of the tyre was completely worn which is very strange considering it’s a right handling track. I was very disappointed to lose fourth position just at the end. In race two once the red flag came out, I changed tyre choice and used the same tyre as in race one and immediately had better feeling with the bike. I thought I could fight with Checa and Biaggi in the lead but most importantly I wanted to pull away from the bunch behind and get a clear third. Unfortunately I lost the front and crashed out. We just have to forget what happened and look forward to Aragon. It’s a track we tested just recently and we should be strong.”

Andrea Dosoli - Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“A difficult race day today even if we managed to get a podium in race one with Marco and could have had the opportunity to be back on the podium again in race two before he unexpectedly crashed mid race due to possible traces of fluid on the track . It was a pity to have lost out on vital points for the Championship. Eugene, after experiencing an issue with the rear tyre in race one and the first part of race two was unable to demonstrate his potential, follow the leaders and earn a well-deserved podium. Unfortunately he lost the front of the bike and was unable to carry on as he aimed. We expected Biaggi to be strong and competitive and also Checa and Ducati who have won more than 75 per cent of the races here in the last ten years but we can expect the coming four race tracks to suit our machine better. We have to work harder than ever and be more competitive in the next round in Aragon, where we have good data from recent tests. We are leaving Misano knowing that we could have fought for a podium with both riders and with bitterness for the points lost and the further gap created with the leaders.”

Beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures provided ideal track conditions for Yamaha World Superbike riders Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty to complete a successful first qualifying session in Misano world circuit. Both World Superbike Rookies took to the track in this morning’s free practice on their YZF-R1s for the first time and got straight down to business testing various set ups on their machines ahead of the afternoon’s first qualifying session. Unlike most other competing riders Melandri and Laverty, did not test in Misano last month, but despite this disadvantage they completed first qualifying practice in third and sixth position respectively.

Eugene Laverty was on top form making constant progress throughout the 18 laps completed and ended the session in sixth place, less than two tenths off his Italian team-mate.

Eugene Laverty - Yamaha World Superbike Team - 6th, 1′36.713
“This morning didn’t go so well, we ended the session down in 17th position but I wasn’t concerned because I had quite a good feeling on the bike. Having said that we did have a little wheeling issue but seen as it’s my first time riding a Superbike, I think that was to be expected. The team worked hard and improved that before this afternoon’s session which went much better. Checa was fast in the tests here a month ago, he was fast again today so it was great to be so close to him after just one day on the track with my R1. Hopefully tomorrow will be dry enabling us to work some more on the Sunday’s race set up which is already at a good point.”

Andrea Dosoli - Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“It was a good start to the weekend for both riders considering that we have’t tested the track unlike many other riders out there today. We made the most of this morning to gather data and see how to improve from there. Both riders made great progress. Eugene suffered from a wheeling problem in one particular section in this morning’s practice so he and the team worked hard to resolve this before this afternoon session. Marco had a chance to regain confidence after the disappointing weekend in Miller. It’s important to be consistent throughout the race to enable him to get good results and reduce the gap between him and Checa in the lead. Both teams worked hard on finding a suitable the race set up, considering they may not have the same opportunity tomorrow if the rain doesn’t hold off. They still need to choose the right tyre depending on track temperatures but we are satisfied with the results today.”

Just less than two weeks after the US calendar stop off in Salt Lake City, the Yamaha World Superbike Team are preparing for Round Six of the championship, closer to home on the well know Italian Romagnola Riviera. Misano, situated on the Adriatic coast is to host the second of three Italian rounds on the 2011 World Superbike Championship, this weekend.

Laverty is familiar with the track where he has been victorious on the Supersport bike in previous years. The Irishman, currently fourth in the classification after climbing even further up the ladder at Miller, is determined to continue on the consistently strong and competitive path which has been evident in the previous races and deliver another victory on his powerful YZF-R1.

Eugene Laverty - Yamaha World Superbike Team
“I’m really looking forward to Misano. Last year on the Supersport bike I won the race with a significant margin so I have fond memories. Some of the Superbike teams have tested there earlier in the season so it’ll definitely be a challenging race weekend. It’s really important for me to continue on the good run that I’ve been on since Monza so I’ll be pushing my hardest and doing my best to get back on the podium again. I’m particularly excited about riding my Superbike through the fast section at the end of the back straight. That was very enjoyable on the Supersport bike and I’m sure it will be even more so on my R1.”

Andrea Dosoli - Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“It will be important to try and reduce the gap between both Marco and Eugene and Checa who is in the lead. I hope we’ll get stable weather conditions for the weekend in order to provide the riders with enough track time to enable their crews to find the ideal race set up ahead of Sunday’s races but also and very importantly to have sufficient consistent track conditions to guarantee that the tyres are providing the stable performance expected and required over the full race distance.”

Over the past few weeks I’ve learnt how to play blackjack, turned 25 years old, and moved up to 4th in the World Superbike Championship. Pippa and I flew to Las Vegas for a few days ahead of the race in Salt Lake City. I didn’t get involved in any gambling until we returned to Vegas after the race weekend along with Leon Haslam. We played blackjack into the wee hours and Leon’s experience shone through as he walked away more than 500 dollars up! The race weekend itself was pretty bizarre with the weather resembling Ireland. I hadn’t bothered packing a coat nor a beanie hat but I did have two pairs of flip flops in my suitcase. The weather had been fantastic when we raced there in ‘09 and ‘10 so I figured a jacket would take up unnecessary space in my suitcase but I was soon regretting that decision when the temperature was hovering a short way above freezing. The rain made Superpole really interesting but fortunately I managed to make it through to the final eight unscathed.

I started both races on the front row but in race one I completely screwed myself by missing a gear on the long run to turn one. On the exit of the first corner I found myself outside the top 10 with a lot of work to do but I managed to claw my way up to 2nd before my tyre went off at mid-distance. I was forced to settle for 5th position but race two faired better as I gained a place finishing in 4th. It may not have been a double win but I was pretty content with my day’s work.

My brother Michael’s season finally took a turn for the better as he landed his first victory of the season at Thruxton. I know he has the potential to win the title onboard the R1 so hopefully his season will now start to take shape. John on the other hand (no pun intended) missed Round Two after having his finger operated on. Things can only get better for John, he showed last year that he’s more than capable but he has his hands full with the temperamental BMW this season.

I enjoyed my birthday weekend at home with my family and a few friends. If you’re wondering what’s happening in the photograph Pippa bought a piñata, filled it with sweets and I battered the hell out of it! Very mature of us I know. We’ve arrived in Misano a day earlier than normal to enjoy a little sunshine by the sea but I’m not sure that Mother Nature got the memo. Thunderstorms are forecast so it could be an interesting few days!

Catch you soon,

Eugene