Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
Imola, Italy
May 12, 2017
Free Practice Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale R), 1:46.229
2. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:46.694
3. Tom Sykes, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:47.125
4. Marco Melandri, Italy (Duc Panigale R), 1:47.191
5. Xavi Fores, Spain (Duc Panigale R), 1:47.862, crash
6. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 1:48.089
7. Leon Camier, UK (MV Agusta F4 RC), 1:48.101
8. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Apr RSV4 RF), 1:48.284
9. Eugene Laverty, UK (Apr RSV4 RF), 1:48.312, crash
10. Jordi Torres, Spain (BMW S1000RR), 1:48.336
11. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), 1:48.386
12. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:48.766
13. Nicky Hayden, USA (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:48.809
14. Roman Ramos, Spain (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:48.855
15. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:49.261
16. Alex De Angelis, San Marino (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:49.560
17. Riccardo Russo, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), 1:49.608
18. Ayrton Badovini, Italy (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:49.640
19. Lorenzo Savadori, Italy (Apr RSV4 RF), 1:49.844
20. Ondrej Jezek, Czech Republic (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:50.016
21. Raffaele De Rosa, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:51.132, crash
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Second And Third For KRT After First Day
The fifth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship kicked off in bright sunshine and warm conditions at Imola today, with championship leader Jonathan Rea (KRT) second fastest after two hours on track, and his team-mate Tom Sykes third fastest. Both have thus qualified for Superpole 2, which will take place shortly before race one on Saturday 13th May.
The 4.936km long Imola circuit is a venue both Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea have won at with Kawasaki in the recent past and today they continued their strong form on the Ninja ZX-10RR. Rea’s best opening day, and the second fastest so far, was a 1’46.694. That was just under the existing lap record pace and Sykes was just over the previous record on race tyres with his 1’47.125.
The second qualifying session was interrupted by a red flag after a competitor crashed and his machine re-entered the track, blocking the potential path of any following machine. This unexpected halt and restart prevented Rea from making a full long run in one go but he is still confident that after some chassis set-up modifications overnight he will be in even better shape for Superpole, and the first 19-lap race of the weekend on Saturday.
Sykes, who is now recovering from an intestinal illness, used his qualifying time well and is also looking to Saturday’s FP3 session to implement some of the things he learned on his Ninja ZX-10RR today.
For both KRT riders it was a productive opening day in almost ideal riding conditions and they will each try to close in even more on Friday’s fastest qualifier Chaz Davies, before Superpole 2 commences at 10.55 tomorrow.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “In agility and handling the bike is working really well and it is really consistent. We just need more stability in the front – and we can only change that with more time. We worked with the spring balance in that second session and the more spring I had the more potential I was able to use. That means we need to change some bigger settings than those tomorrow to use all the potential on the brakes. I did an interrupted long run, because of the red flag, but in the last laps I did one of my personal best times. It looks like we can push the tyre a bit more and I have some ideas about that. I am optimistic but for sure we need to bridge the gap to the fastest rider from today.”
Tom Sykes, stated: “I feel my physical condition is not perfect but it is better than it was at Assen, which is good thing all round. I think, overall, today has gone relatively well. We have been working hard to evaluate some set-up and to be honest our race pace is pretty good already. We just have to understand a couple of more things in FP3 tomorrow but we have an acceptable bike balance. I am also learning and finding out a few new things on the track. Overall, that was a good day. Chaz’s riding style goes with the bike, and goes with this track. His speed is great here, so tomorrow we will try and improve again.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Positive start for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team at Imola: Davies sets the best time on Friday, Melandri is 4th
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team started its quest at Imola, home of the fifth round of the 2017 WorldSBK Championship, in a strong fashion, as Chaz Davies posted the best provisional time during Friday’s free-practice sessions and Marco Melandri closed in fourth position.
Second in the morning, Davies made a decisive step forward during FP2 to take about one second off his best times and improving the previous lap record (set by him in 2016) by almost half a second. Melandri also showed steady improvements despite some issues under braking, closing within 0.962 seconds from his teammate. Both riders thus gained direct access to Superpole 2.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will resume action tomorrow at 08:45 (CET) for the third and final free-practice session ahead of Superpole and Race 1 (scheduled for 13:00).
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 1:46.229 (1st)
“This morning we weren’t too comfortable out there, but we changed a few things in terms of tyres and setup in FP2, which allowed us to make a good step forward. We set a good lap time, but the most important thing is our pace on used tyres, which is really close to our best lap, even though we still have a couple of areas to improve. To race here in Italy, so close to Ducati’s headquarters, is special. Our supporters give us an extra motivation to do well.”
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – 1:47.191 (4th)
“It’s been a positive day for us. I found myself at ease right away on a track that is always difficult to interpret, and the team did a great job. Chaz set a quick lap time, and I’m not surprised. On our part, we have to keep working because we still miss something under braking and corner entry, but we made a good step in the right direction compared with Assen and I’m confident ahead of the race. We’ll go at least for the podium. The atmosphere at Imola is fantastic. The support from our fans gives us an energy boost, and we hope to give them a good show.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Determined Davies Friday’s fastest in front of Imola crowds
Ducati man secures strong opening pace at teams home track
The first day of action at the Motul Italian Round saw Chaz Davies conclude FP2 as the fastest rider on track, with a superb 1’46.229 lap for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider putting him ahead of his rivals on the timesheet, as Kawasaki Racing Team pair Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes also registered top three times.
Nobody could match double 2016 Imola race winner Davies, who was a significant 0.465s margin quicker than Rea and almost ninth tenths ahead of Sykes. Earlier in the day Rea was the pace setter in FP1 with a 1’47.023 best effort.
The top five on the timesheet also featured home rider Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Spaniard Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team). Ducati-equipped Fores had two similar crashes on Friday, one in FP1 and the second in the afternoon session, tucking the front end at turn 2.
Also making it straight through to Tissot Superpole 2 on Saturday courtesy of top ten times were Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), Leandro Mercado (IODARacing) and Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia).
Early in the FP2 session the red flag came out after a crash for Laverty left debris on track, but the action was soon back underway. Laverty was not hindered significantly by the crash and ended the day in tenth.
Just missing out on automatic SP2 entry in 11th and 12th places respectively were Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) and Nicky Hayden (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) – the American having crashed at the end FP1 earlier in the day.
Several riders saw lap times cancelled due to off track excursions at the Variante Bassa chicane and that is something they will have to keep an eye on during this weekend’s races which take place at 1pm local time on Saturday and Sunday.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team:
Hayden and Bradl on the chase on day one at Imola
Italian Round
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Italy
The first day of World Superbike action has drawn to a close at Imola’s ‘Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari’, with Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team’s Nicky Hayden and Stefan Bradl 12th and 13th, respectively, in the combined times of today’s two free practice sessions around the spectacular 4.9 km Italian racetrack. Both riders will therefore take part in tomorrow’s Superpole 1, with the goal to advance to the final qualifying session and battle for a spot on the first four rows of the grid for race 1.
Hayden had an encouraging start to the day, as the 35-year-old American spent most of the first hour of action in eighth place only to drop down to 10th in the final minutes, when he also crashed unhurt at turn 2. The former World Champion had more of a difficult time in the afternoon, as he was unable to improve on the 1’48.541secs lap-time set in FP1 on board his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 machine, which turned out to have suffered some damage after the morning’s tumble.
Having never ridden at Imola prior to today, Stefan Bradl had to get familiar with the twisty layout of the track before starting to work on the bike set-up with his crew. The 27-year-old German rider was able to improve by eight and a half tenths of a second between one session and the other and ended the day 0.225secs behind his team mate in 13th place.
The action for the 2017 FIM Superbike World Championship will resume tomorrow for the 25-minute FP3 session scheduled to begin at 08:45am local time (GMT +2).
Nicky Hayden 69
12th
This morning the bike felt OK: we were doing some decent lap times and made a couple of improvements during the session, especially with wheelie control and stability. I had a crash at the end of the session, and after that this afternoon I could not find the same feeling with the bike. Later we found out that it was damaged, although it was something very hard to detect for the boys especially between one session and the other. I hope we can pick up from where left off this morning and build up a nice rhythm into Superpole 1 and then the race.
Stefan Bradl 6
13th
It’s a nice track! I really enjoyed riding here today because it’s a unique layout and has a bit of everything: fast chicanes, slow corners, downhill braking sections etc. Because of that, though, it took me quite a while to find the right line around the circuit – a lot more than in Thailand, for sure. Unfortunately, we’re not where we’d like to be and the area where we need to improve the most is the acceleration out of corners. So, we hope to make a step forward tomorrow morning and have a strong qualifying session.
Pieter Breddels
Nicky went quite well this morning, but unfortunately in the afternoon he did struggle a bit and couldn’t improve. We found out what the problem was and it was a consequence of the crash he had at the end of FP1, so now we know what needs to be done in order to make some more progress ahead of Superpole 1. Considering it was his first time here, Stefan did well and steadily improved throughout the two sessions. Obviously the goal is to make another big step closer to the front, but I think if we work in the same direction we will gradually build speed upon speed tomorrow.
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:
ALL THE MV AGUSTA’S RIDERS ENTER THE TISSOT-SUPERPOLE2 AT IMOLA
The iconic Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit – located in the heart of the town of Imola, 40km south-west of Bologna in northern Italy – plays host to the 5th round of the 2017 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse opened the home round in a positive way, with Leon Camier ending 7th after WorldSBK Free Practices and the WorldSSP duo Jacobsen-Zaccone closing respectively 7th and 10th (Zaccone is 1st in ESS) after their FP2 session.
WorldSBK – FP1, FP2
First free practice sessions at legendary Imola circuit took place under a very sunny and warm weather conditions. Leon Camier and his MV Agusta Reparto Corse team found a very good bike’s setting and the British rider was able to push hard from the very first moment, securing a 7th place at the end of the practice day.
WorldSSP – FP1, FP2
The WorldSSP class opening day at Imola ended up with a positive provisional 7th place for the MV Agusta Reparto Corse’s rider Patrick Jacobsen, after a challenging FP2 red-flagged session. His teammate Alessandro Zaccone took advantage of the experience on his home track to make the most from his MV Agusta F3 675 machine’s setting, ending up 10th after making some positive change at his bike’s rear setting.
Leon Camier #2 WorldSBK – It has been a good session, especially from a speed point of view. In the middle of the second session I found a very good pace but we still have a couple of things to set in order to be faster. Of course we need time on track to figure this out and hopefully we can fix this little problem tomorrow morning during the FP3.
Patrick “PJ” Jacobsen #99 WorldSSP – Today wasn’t the best day for me but it was a positive day all in all. We made some good progress with the bike and even if we are a little bit far from the podium area, I know we can do better in tomorrow’s qualifying sessions. I really want repay my team with a great race here in our home-round.
Alessandro Zaccone #61 ESS – During the last lap after the Red-Flag we made an impressive step forward. The bike has now really changed, it is more easy to ride, especially in the corners. The previous round at Assen we did a good step but today I know I have found the right feeling with my bike, and tomorrow I will try to make another step forward in order to star fighting with the top positions.
More, from a press release issued by Althea BMW Racing:
Curtains up on the Imola SBK weekend for Althea BMW
Imola (Italy), Friday 12 May 2017
The Althea BMW Racing team is at the Imola racetrack for round 5 of the 2017 Superbike World Championship with its SBK riders Jordi Torres and Raffaele De Rosa, e its STK1000 representative, Marco Faccani.
SBK: Both Torres and De Rosa used the first timed practice session to work on the settings of their BMW S 1000 RR. At the end of the 60 minutes available, Torres closed eighth (1’48.334) while De Rosa, who continues his apprenticeship with the Superbike, closed in nineteenth place with a time of 1’50.294.
During the afternoon’s second session, which took place in slightly warmer conditions, the Althea BMW squad continued to work hard. Unfortunately, De Rosa suffered a crash in the early stages which then affected the rest of his session. Neither he nor Torres were able to improve on the times they had set earlier in the day, which meant that Jordi closed in eleventh place overall, Raffaele twenty-first.
STK1000: In the weekend’s opening practice session, Faccani began work to set-up his BMW, making good progress together with his technicians to close in fifth place, with a fastest time of 1’51.536. Later in the day, in session two, the Italian was able to lower his time by just over a tenth (1’51.423) to close day one in eleventh place.
Jordi Torres:
“This morning didn’t go too badly but we’re having some anti-wheelie issues, it’s one of the main things we need to work on because it has an effect on my confidence but also on my reference points when it comes to braking. If we can solve this, I think we can do well. Tomorrow’s aim is to get into the top ten to access the SP2, we have to do it because we’re here at Imola, where the team’s many fans are counting on us…”
Raffaele De Rosa:
“The second session had got off to a better start, in the sense that I was feeling good on the bike. Unfortunately, there was a red flag in the early stages, after which I went back out feeling sure I could improve but sadly I crashed at turn 11. This compromised the whole session really and I’m very sorry that I made the mistake, especially for my guys who are working so hard.”