Chris Vermeulen

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

It starts at the time for the Kawasaki factory team in the Superbike World Championship. In memory of Barry Sheene Idol and supporters, he starts with the starting number for the 2008 season 7

Vermeulen has Dutch ancestors, which explains its unusual for Australians last name. His trademark is a slouch hat, which he carries on any occasion.

Career

Early years

In 1999 Chris Vermeulen took part in the Australian Superbike Championship, although he had previously denied only a few professional races. He reached the eighth place overall on his Yamaha and was the best privateer rider. His mentor at this time was Barry Sheene, who immediately arranged with his good contacts missions in the British Supersport and Superstock classes for him. After successful performances in the UK Vermeulen has been committed by the Castrol Honda team for the World Supersport Championship. The initial success in the last race of the 2000 season continued in 2001, but discontinued, he managed only one top 5 result. Nevertheless, the Australians joined for the 2002 season for the Dutch Ten Kate team, drove a few pole positions and podiums and finished the season in seventh place overall. Chris Vermeulen then became the number 1 driver for 2003 and won superior in this year's World Cup.

Superbike World Championship

The Ten Kate team threaded into a contract for the Superbike World Championship with Chris Vermeulen for 2004. He got a Honda Fireblade, which was set up to a race bike from the team itself from a normal street bike and developed. He won four races this year and led the meantime the overall rankings, in the end, he finished fourth overall and was best non - Ducati rider

The 2005 season played Chris Vermeulen continues for the Ten Kate team. He took second place overall and was behind compatriot and Suzuki rider Troy Corser Vice World Champion.

MotoGP class

His debut in the MotoGP class of the Motorcycle World Championship celebrated Chris Vermeulen for the Camel Honda team of Sito Pons at the Grand Prix of Australia in 2005. He started as a replacement for his injured compatriot Troy Bayliss, finishing in eleventh place.

Vermeulen wanted to continue his career then in the MotoGP class, but Honda wanted to let him go one more year in the World Superbike Championship and offered him only for this class a contract to. Then he decided in 2006 for Suzuki in the MotoGP class as team-mate John Hopkins to compete.

In the 2006 season Vermeulen was already at the third race, the Grand Prix of Turkey, retract his first pole position, even when the U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca launched Vermeulen from the pole position and later divorced lying in third place with a technical problem of. At his home race at Philip Iceland he took second place in an environment of changing weather conditions race. At the end of his first full MotoGP season Chris Vermeulen finished with 98 points in eleventh place overall.

In the 2007 season, he formed together with John Hopkins, the Suzuki factory team. After a turbulent rain race at the French Grand Prix him with a clear lead scored his first win in the MotoGP class. In the rest of the season the Australians get three more podium finishes, he finally reached with 179 meters the sixth World Cup overall.

In the 2008 season, the Italian rider Loris Capirossi, who is moving from Ducati to the Japanese, Vermeulen's new team-mate in the Suzuki factory team.

Statistics

• 2000 - Supersport World Championship - Castrol Honda, Race 3, 21, 16 points
• 2000 - FIM Superstock 1000 Cup - Sanyo First National, 1 race, 18, 25 points (1 win, 1 pole position, one fastest lap )
• 2001 - Supersport World Championship - Castrol Honda, 17, 27 points
• 2002 - Supersport World Championship - Van Zon Honda TKR, 7th, 90 points (2 podiums, 2 pole positions, 1 fastest lap )
• 2003 - Supersport World Championship - Ten Kate Honda, World Champion, 201 points (4 wins, 8 podiums, 3 pole positions, two fastest laps )
• 2004 - World Superbike - Ten Kate Honda, 4, 282 points (4 wins, 9 podiums, 3 Fastest laps )
• 2005 - World Superbike - Winston Ten Kate Honda, 2nd, 379 points (6 wins, 14 podiums, 3 pole positions, 4 fastest laps )
• 2005 - MotoGP - Camel Honda Pons, 2 races, 21, 10 points
• 2006 - MotoGP - Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 11th, 91 points ( 1 Panel, 2 pole positions )
• 2007 - MotoGP - Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 6th, 179 points ( 1 win, 4 podiums, one pole position, one fastest lap )
• 2008 - MotoGP - Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 8, 128 points (2 podiums )
• 2009 - MotoGP - Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 12th, 106 points
• 2010 - World Superbike Championship - Kawasaki WSRT, 20, 10 points
• 2011 - World Superbike Championship - Kawasaki Racing Team, 21, 14 points