Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Chang International Circuit
Buriram, Thailand
March 10, 2017
Free Practice Two Results (All on Pirelli tires):
1. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:33.573
2. Tom Sykes, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:33.783
3. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale R), 1:33.895
4. Marco Melandri, Italy (Duc Panigale R), 1:33.996
5. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 1:34.016
6. Xavi Fores, Spain (Duc Panigale R), 1:34.174
7. Jordi Torres, Spain (BMW S1000RR), 1:34.245
8. Michael van der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), 1:34.291
9. Markus Reiterberger, Germany (BMW S1000RR), 1:34.410
10. Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Apr RSV4), 1:34.518
11. Lorenzo Savadori, Italy (Apr RSV4 RF), 1:34.554
12. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:34.691
13. Nicky Hayden, USA (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:34.949
14. Leon Camier, UK (MV Agusta F4RC), 1:34.953
15. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:35.147
16. Ricardo Russo, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), 1:35.465
17. Alex De Angelis, San Marino (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:35.817
18. Roman Ramos, Spain (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:36.198
19. Ayrton Badovini, Italy (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:36.249
20. Ondrej Jezek, Czech Republic (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:36.568
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea And Sykes Excel On Opening Day
After two one-hour long practice sessions at the Chang International Circuit Kawasaki Racing Team riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes occupied the first and second places in the qualifying times with their Ninja ZX-10RR machines.
On the opening day of the second FIM Superbike World Championship round of the season the official Ninja ZX-10RR riders proved to be a step ahead of their rivals, with both Rea and Sykes under lap record pace with their respective best laps.
Rea’s 1’33.573 put him 0.210 seconds ahead of Sykes, with both riders improving their morning lap times this afternoon despite a significant increase in track temperature at the 4.554km long Thai circuit.
Today the Buriram asphalt was fully ten degrees warmer in the afternoon than the morning. With these hotter conditions the most likely ones to be experienced in the two 20-lap races on Saturday and Sunday, both Tom and Jonathan worked on finding a race set-up, before going for a faster qualifying lap.
Overall track conditions are much improved compared to last year, when two sections of recently resurfaced asphalt had to be avoided by the riders. With the freedom to use the whole track surface, and good grip from the track even despite some recent heavy rain, lap times were fast and consistent from the beginning today.
On Saturday 11th March FP3, Superpole 1 and 2 and then the first race of the weekend will take place, with Rea and Sykes already comfortably inside the guaranteed Superpole 2 places. Rea (with three) and Sykes (with a single) are the only riders to have won races at Chang since it was first added to the championship calendar in 2015.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “We focused on a race simulation at the start of the afternoon session and then at the end I just waited to set a time until the last laps. We did not want to put too many laps on my preferred tyre choices. We do not have a massive allocation of my favourite front tyres so I was testing the one-step softer front tyre, in readiness for Superpole. It wasn’t so bad but with more grip the bike worked quite differently on track. At the end of the race simulation, the bike was working really well. But when we added more grip was a bit different. So I will have to change some things in my riding style, to be honest, when I go on a time attack tomorrow in Superpole. All on all, we are pretty OK.”
Tom Sykes, stated: “I am fairly happy because we started off steadily in the morning. In the last moment of FP2, because of the changes we made during the sessions, we got to where we needed to be before the first race on Saturday. That gives me satisfaction about today’s work. Overall the lap time was not too bad but obviously we need to look to improve the set-up slightly. As Fridays go, I am quite happy with what we did. The track is quite grippy in general, offering consistency too. A couple of other guys have really strong pace but hopefully we will be part of the leading train like last year.”
More, from a press release issued by Althea BMW Racing:
Althea BMW pair qualify directly for Superpole2 at Buriram
Buriram (Thailand), Friday 10 March 2017
Round 2 of the 2017 Superbike World Championship got underway today at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand. The Althea BMW Racing Team took to the track with riders Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger, participating in the timed practice sessions that establish entry to tomorrow’s two Superpoles.
In the day’s first session, which took place in inevitably hot conditions (air temp 31°C, track 35°C), both Althea BMW men made good progress on board their BMW S 1000 RR machines. The pair set their best times towards the session’s end, a 1’34.710 for Torres and a 1’34.864 for Reiterberger, times that positioned them eighth and ninth respectively on the timesheets.
Despite a rise in temperature for the afternoon session (air 35°C, track 45°C), Jordi and Markus were able to improve on the morning’s times by almost half a second apiece, closing Friday seventh (1’34.245) and ninth (1’34.410) respectively. Thanks to these encouraging results, both Torres and Reiti have gained direct access to tomorrow’s Superpole2.
Jordi Torres:
“We’re completed this first tough day! It’s extremely hot and it’s not easy to be on the bike when it’s like this but having said that we’ve worked well. This morning we understood which tyre to use and didn’t have any particular problems. In the afternoon, we made some small changes to the electronics and it went a little better but the frustrating thing is that we have some vibration. For tomorrow I want to be more relaxed and ride more smoothly, because at this track I only complicate things if I ride aggressively.”
Markus Reiterberger:
“A positive day here. We made a good start in FP1 and I immediately felt better here than I did at Phillip Island. In the second session, we made a change to the rear shock and this improved my feeling with the rear, especially in braking, so I thank my team for that. We still need to make some improvements at the front but our pace is not bad right now. I hope to improve further tomorrow, if we can find another couple of tenths then I’m sure we can run two strong races on Saturday and Sunday…”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Positive start for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team in Buriram: Marco Melandri is 3rd, Chaz Davies 4th on Friday
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team resumed action today in Buriram (Thailand) for the second round of the 2017 WorldSBK Championship. The first two free-practice sessions yielded positive results for both Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies, who set the third and fourthbest time respectively on Friday.
Despite the fact that the Buriram track has been historically difficult, Melandri and Davies immediately found a good feeling with their Panigale Rs. To this end, the Italian and the Welshman were second and third at the end of FP1.
In the afternoon, with higher temperatures, both riders worked extensively on used tyres, focusing on race pace. Melandri basically posted identical times compared with FP1, closing in third position in the combined rankings, +0.279 slower than the provisional best time of 1:33.573 (Rea). Davies, on the other hand, was able to improve by another tenth of a second in the final minutes, posting the third-best time of FP2 and fourth overall, only 43 thousandths of a second behind his teammate. Both riders thus gained direct access to Superpole 2.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will be back on track tomorrow at 10:45 local (CET +6) for FP3 ahead of Superpole and Race 1, which is scheduled to start at 16:00 local time.
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – 1:33.852 (3rd)
“I’m happy because the team has done a great job and my Panigale R immediately gave me good feedback. This track is more technical than what it looks like: it features hard-braking areas, fast corners, a bit of everything…It’s fun to ride, but I still need to improve under braking and in terms of my lines, especially in the third sector. Still, today went better than what we expected. It will be hard to race in such hot conditions. It would be great to secure front row once again and get a good start. I think the Kawasakis still have an advantage, but we’re ready to make things difficult for them.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7)
“Today we’ve been working on our program to get the bike in the ballpark, building our confidence progressively, and it looks like we’re all quite evenly matched in the four top positions. It’s the first time here that the track actually allows us to attack from the very first laps. We’ve made good steps forward in between sessions, but there’s still a couple of areas in which to improve, especially the third sector. We need to find one or two tenths there, but our pace is quite competitive nonetheless. I did my best lap on used tyres this afternoon, so overall it’s been a good first day.”
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Honda WSBK Team:
Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team with some work to do after day one in Thailand
Thai Round
Chang International Circuit, Thailand
The first day of WorldSBK action at the Chang International Circuit has drawn to a close, with the Red Bull Honda World Superbike duo of Stefan Bradl and Nicky Hayden 12th and 13th respectiely in the combined times of today’s two free practice sessions at the Thai circuit. Both riders will therefore have to try and make their way through Superpole 1 in order to battle for a spot in the first four rows of the grid for race one.
Both riders spent the entirety of their track-time evaluating the new solutions and settings developed for their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 machines by the team and its technical partners after the opening round. With 45 and 40 laps completed during the day, Bradl and Hayden have given the team a significant amount of information to work with ahead of tomorrow.
Superpole 1 at the Chang International Circuit begins at 13:30 local time (GMT +7), with race one scheduled to get underway at 16:00.
Stefan Bradl 6
12th / 1’34.691
We were expecting a bit more of an improvement this morning but in the afternoon we did make a step in the right direction on many areas that were affecting our performance in Australia, such as engine brake but also traction, spinning and wheelie control. Still, we are trying to put everything together so we need to keep working in this same direction but we indeed found some improvement. We are still chasing and we don’t have the right tools to be up there with the fastest riders, but we are moving upwards.
Nicky Hayden 69
13th / 1’34.949
Today we had some inconsistency with the bike on corner entry: because of that it was hard for me to try and find the limit as well as pushing for a competitive time. This prevented me from finding the right feeling with the bike. However, we know where the problem is, so it’s a matter of keep working hard and come back stronger tomorrow.
Pieter Breddels
We made quite a number of changes from Phillip Island to here: with Stefan they worked out quite well and we were able to make some steps forwards. We’re still 12th and 13th after today, but these positions do not reflect our potential. He is steadily building a bit of confidence with the bike and with some more tweaks this will carry over into tomorrow. The Fireblade is giving him a consistent response and there’s a clearer direction to follow with the setup. Nicky had more of a difficult day and different issues to address, but we are investigating and analysing the data in order to come up with a plan for tomorrow.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Chang International Circuit Day One
Rea takes first Asian honours in Buriram
Tight at the top in Friday’s Free Practise
MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship riders took to the 34 degree Thai heat for free practise two, as they battled it out for the final spots in Superpole 2, which will take place before Saturday’s opening race at the Chang International Circuit.
Setting the fastest time in the morning FP1, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) continued his impressive pace around the swooping 4.554m circuit. Ending day one on top, his time of 1.33.573 out him 0.210 ahead of the field and is already looking like the man to beat. Whilst Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was able to put in a late fast lap to take second position with a time of 1.33.783.
Following a late spurt in FP1 as they begin to understand the circuit aboard their Panigale R machines, Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took the third spot overall on Friday, 0.279 off Rea’s time, despite the Italian being unable to improve on his time from this morning. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing –Ducati) finished just behind his team-mate in the humid Asian conditions.
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) continued to build on his pace at a track he has stood on the podium at before, ending the day in the top five with safe place in Superpole. Team-mate Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) also will take part in the second Superpole session, ending in eighth – lapping at 1.34.291.
Spaniard Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) continues to impress following a strong opening round and after finishing in the top four in FP1, he heads into day two at Chang International Circuit in sixth position, 0.601s off the fastest time.
Markus Reiterberger (Althea BMW Racing Team) narrowly secured a position in the fight for pole position tomorrow, with a top nine finish on Friday. Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) is still working through his new issues with his Italian machine; and despite a moment at turn three he ended in the top ten and will go straight into Superpole Two.
Just missing out on a spot in the all important second Superpole session, meaning they will fight for the top two spaces in Superpole 1 was Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia), with a time of 1.34.554. He sits just above Nicky Hayden (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) and Stefan Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) who continue to work through frustrations aboard the new for 2017 Fireblade.
In a similar turn of events to the opening day at Round One in Phillip Island two weeks ago, Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was unable to head out in FP1 with a mechanical problem. However the afternoon session saw the Brit continue with his frustrations, putting in 16 laps and finishing in 14th position.
Saturday will see riders take on the Asian challenge on Saturday from 13:30LT for Superpole One, before the racing action begins at 16:00LT (+8 GMT) in Buriram.
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Pata Yamaha Riders Make Strong Early Progress In Thailand
Free practice
Despite rising afternoon temperatures and characteristic high humidity in Thailand both Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark made real progress with their official YZF-R1 machines around the 4.554km Chang International Circuit. Lowes posted fifth best time of all, even after concentrating most of his efforts on finding a race set-up rather than pushing for a fast lap time early in the sessions. His fellow R1 riding team-mate van der Mark was as high as fourth in the timesheets at one stage, completing his own long run and being finally ranked eighth overall.
With their top eight performances today both Alex and Michael have comfortably taken starting spots in Superpole 2, which will finally determine their starting position for race one on Saturday afternoon.
Alex and Michael have taken podium finishes in WorldSBK races at Buriram in the recent past and will be out to replicate those kinds of showing in the first 20-lap race of the weekend, which gets underway at 16.00 on Saturday 11th March.
Before they have the chance to score more championship points tomorrow the riders have to take part in a 25-minute FP3 session, then Superpole 2 and finally the opening race of the weekend – the third of the 2017 season. The Sunday race, again over 20-laps, also takes place at 16.00.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team
“We did another good job today. I made a race run at the start of the afternoon session and although I am not 100% comfortable on the bike yet we got a lot more information for tomorrow. I would like to have a bit more feel on the front end, that is an area I want to work on, but considering this I am quite happy and feel OK. Everything else feels fine on the bike. I am looking forward to tomorrow and with more confidence on the front, especially when releasing the brake, we should be in a decent position. The track conditions were better than last year and it is hot, which is always nice. I quite enjoy the challenge of those conditions! The bike looks really strong already so I am looking forward to a good race on Saturday.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team
“It was a really good day and I felt fine on the bike. This morning was not too bad and this afternoon I did a long run. It was OK but I missed a bit of lap time in the beginning. I was too slow at that stage but after a 17-lap run I was consistent, and quite fast. After that, we changed the gearing and then I did my fastest lap. Then we changed a few more things on the bike and I did a similar lap time to my best – so I am happy. I have a feeling that tomorrow my race pace will be even better. I think everybody would have expected the track conditions to be worse this afternoon in the heat but almost everybody improved their lap times. It was fast. When it was really warm this afternoon it was better for us to understand things, because the races will take place well into the day on Saturday and Sunday.”