Chris Vermeulen

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Chris Vermeulen 2007

Chris Vermeulen (born June 19, 1982 in Brisbane , Queensland , Australia ) is a former Australian motorcycle racer .

In memory of idol and supporter Barry Sheene , he started with the number 7 in the 2008 season .

Vermeulen has Dutch ancestry, which explains his surname, which is atypical for Australians. His trademark is a slouch hat, which he wears on every occasion.

Career

Early years

In 1999, Chris Vermeulen took part in the Australian Superbike Championship, although he had only competed in a few professional races before. He reached eighth place overall with his Yamaha and was best private rider. His mentor during this time was Barry Sheene , who with his good contacts soon arranged for him to play in the British Supersport and Superstock classes. After successful appearances in Great Britain, Vermeulen was signed by the Castrol Honda team for the Supersport World Championship . The initial success in the last races of the 2000 season did not continue in 2001, however, he only achieved a single top 5 result. Nevertheless, the Australian switched to the Dutch Ten-Kate team for the 2002 season , achieved a few pole positions and podiums and finished seventh overall at the end of the season. Chris Vermeulen then became the number 1 driver for 2003 and won the world championship that year.

Superbike World Championship

The Ten Kate team arranged a contract for the Superbike World Championship with Chris Vermeulen for 2004 . He got a Honda Fireblade , which the team built and developed from a normal street bike to a racing bike. He won four races that year and was now leading the overall standings, in the end he finished fourth overall and became the best non- Ducati driver.

The 2005 season denied Chris Vermeulen continues for the Ten Kate team. He finished second overall and was runner-up behind his fellow countryman and Suzuki driver Troy Corser .

MotoGP class

Chris Vermeulen made his debut in the MotoGP class of the Motorcycle World Championship for the Camel Honda team from Sito Pons at the Australian Grand Prix in 2005 . He started as a replacement for his injured compatriot Troy Bayliss and finished eleventh.

Vermeulen then wanted to continue his career in the MotoGP class, but Honda wanted him to race in the Superbike World Championship for another year and offered him a contract only for this class. He then decided in 2006 for Suzuki to compete in the MotoGP class as a teammate of John Hopkins .

Vermeulen 2006 on Suzuki

In the 2006 season , Vermeulen was able to secure his first pole position in the third race, the Turkish Grand Prix , and at the US Grand Prix in Laguna Seca , Vermeulen started from first position and later retired in third place with a technical problem . At his home race in Philip Island , he finished second in a race characterized by changing weather conditions. At the end of his first full MotoGP season, Chris Vermeulen finished eleventh overall with 98 points.

Also in the 2007 season he formed the Suzuki works team together with John Hopkins. After a turbulent rain race at the French Grand Prix , he achieved his first victory in the MotoGP class by a clear margin. In the further course of the season, the Australian achieved another three podium finishes, and with 179 points he finally achieved sixth overall place in the World Cup.

In the 2008 season , the Italian Loris Capirossi , who moved from Ducati , was Vermeulen's team-mate in the Suzuki factory team.

statistics

Web links

Commons : Chris Vermeulen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Chris Vermeulen on the official website of the Motorcycle World Championship.
  • Chris Vermeulen on the official website of the Superbike and Supersport World Championship
personal data
SURNAME Vermeulen, Chris
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian motorcycle racer
DATE OF BIRTH June 19, 1982
PLACE OF BIRTH Brisbane