eni FIM Superbike World Championship

Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours, France

October 3, 2015

Qualifying Results (all on Pirelli tires):

From Superpole Two (wet conditions):

1. Leon HASLAM, UK (Aprilia RSV4 RF), 1:56.404, crash

2. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:56.408

3. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), 1:56.912

4. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), 1:57.049, crash

5. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Honda CBR1000RR SP), 1:57.839, crash

6. Luca SCASSA, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), 1:57.991

7. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta F4 RR), 1:59.768

8. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 2:00.676

9. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:01.144, crash

10. Markus REITERBERGER, Germany (BMW S1000RR), 2:01.800

11. Alex LOWES, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 2:02.227, crash

12. Jordi TORRES, Spain (Aprilia RSV4 RF), 2:02.379

From Superpole One (wet conditions):

13. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), 1:59.117

14. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Ducati Panigale R), 1:59.446

15. Michael VD MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), 2:00.528

16. Pawel SZKOPEK, Poland (Yamaha YZF-R1), 2:02.809

17. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:03.982

18. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:04.796

19. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 2:06.621, crash

20. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), no time recorded

The Rest of the Grid:

21. Christophe PONSSON, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:41.249

22. Gabor RIZMAYER, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), 1:41.961

23. Alex PHILLIS, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:42.823

24. Imre TOTH, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), 1:43.953

More, from a press release issued by World SBK Press Office:

Haslam splashes his way to French Tissot-Superpole win

The Aprilia rider on pole despite a late crash, Rea only 0.004s away in second.

Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) has taken the penultimate Tissot-Superpole of the 2015 season, the first fully wet qualifying of the year after the heavens opened at the Circuit Nevers de Magny-Cours shortly before Superpole 1 began. Despite ending the session in the gravel after crashing in the final moments of SP2, the Briton edged out the newly crowned World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) by 0.004s. This is the second pole position for Haslam this year and only the third of his long World Superbike career.

Joining Haslam and Rea on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s 21-lap races will be, for the second consecutive round, Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing), after the wet conditions threw up some surprises at the front of the grid.

Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike Team), Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team) and Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) all crashed, Lowes’ incident bringing out the red flags. The session restarted with two minutes and 46 seconds remaining meaning that it was a one lap shoot-out to decide the grid.

Row two will see Davies, Guintoli and Luca Scassa (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team), while a competitive Leon Camier heads up the third row that also comprises Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) and Tom Sykes. Scassa and Camier were the two riders who made their way through Superpole 1 and into the final session.

Tenth on the grid will be Markus Reiterberger (VanZon Rehema BMW), with Alex Lowes and Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) rounding out row the top 12.

Leon Haslam #91 – Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils

Tissot-Superpole – 1st

Twitter: @realleonhaslam

Facebook: Leon-Haslam

“The last lap in Superpole I was determined to push. I thought a lot of others would be improving. I left a lot of space between me, Scassa and Jordi, but I caught them up faster than I had expected and when I tried to overtake them I ended up on the kerb and took a slide. I didn’t think I had held onto first place. I realized it only because the track marshals took me to the winner’s circle instead of the garage! I had a good feeling in the wet. Throughout the weekend we’ve been close to the top times despite focusing on our race pace. The guys at Aprilia did a brilliant job. I’m sure that tomorrow we’ll be able to make a play for it no matter what the weather brings.”

Jonathan Rea #65 – Kawasaki Racing Team

Tissot Superpole 2nd

Twitter: @jonathanrea

Instagram: @jonathan_rea

Facebook: JonathanReaOfficial

“I was so nervous because going down the last hill into the final complex it is like a sheet of water and there were no riders in front to make a line. I saw on the big screen that my sectors were red, red, red, meaning I was fastest but I just bottled it in the last part! Everything was going good earlier in Superpole and I was P2, P2 and then the red flag came. The problem is keeping heat in the tyres.I had some moments on my out lap under deceleration, which is the main issue we need to improve in wet conditions. But it was fun. To be on the front row is good because we have done a lot of work over the weekend in dry conditions.”

Niccolò Canepa #59 – Althea Racing Ducati

Tissot-Superpole 3rd

Facebook: NickCanepa59

Instagram: NiccoloCanepa

“I was really nervous before Superpole because after the good performances in free practice I knew I could have been very fast in dry conditions. It was very difficult as we had a new wet tyre to try, which we never used before. I had to adjust to the track under these conditions and do my best to get to grips with the tyre. I did my best on my last lap and I’d say third place is an amazing result for us. I will do my best tomorrow to get a good result, my pace is not bad!”

Sylvain Guintoli #1 – Pata Honda World Superbike

Tissot-Superpole 5th

Twitter: SylvainGuintoli

Facebook: SylvainGuintoliOfficialPage

Instagram: sylvainguintoli

“Fifth is OK I guess, especially after crashing. I was improving during the session and getting the lap time down, so it’s not so bad, but it might have been better without the crash. In the wet so you have to keep going, build the temperature in the tyres and build your confidence at the same time, step by step. You can very easily make a mistake, but to be fair the bike felt quite good. I was just building the session towards the end but then we couldn’t restart after the red flag because the handlebars were broken. It’s a shame about the little slide, but no damage and no injuries, so we’ll be alright for tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Rea Second After Wet Superpole At Magny-Cours

New World Champion Jonathan Rea (KRT) was only 0.004 seconds from the Superpole winning time at Magny-Cours and thus he will start Sunday’s races from second place on the grid after a dramatic and wet Superpole 2. Tom Sykes (KRT) fell in the tricky conditions and despite being unable to make the restart of Superpole 2 he finished ninth, for a third row start to Sunday’s races.

Rea had been fastest in regular qualifying and Sykes fourth, but with a sudden change in weather conditions Superpole was run in full wet conditions, undoing all the team’s preparations for a time.

It was looking good for Rea to earn another Superpole win right at the end of the restarted session, but he lost his advantage in the final sector by exercising caution in the final downhill run to the last corners. Leon Haslam (Aprilia) took pole despite having crashed out shortly before the end.

Sykes was unable to get the required heat into his wet tyres and slid off without injury at high speed. He had already set a time good enough to get him into the top ten. He will now have work to do to clear traffic in the early laps of Sunday’s races at a circuit he has enjoyed success at in the past.

Whatever the race day weather brings now the team and riders have gained experience in all track conditions, and will be ready to face the scheduled 21 laps in each race.

Jonathan Rea stated: “I was so nervous because going down the last hill into the final complex it is like a sheet of water and there were no riders in front to make a line. Every lap I was so nervous there. I saw on the big screen that my sectors were red, red, red, meaning I was fastest but I just bottled it in the last part! Everything was going good earlier in Superpole and I was P2, P2 and then the red flag came. I went back to pitlane and nobody was in the Superpole enclosure. My crew chief Pere said, “pitlane opens again in ten seconds.” So I had to go again, with the same tyres. The problem is keeping heat in the tyres because I had slowed down and come back into pitlane. I had some moments on my out lap under deceleration, which is the main issue we need to improve in wet conditions. But it was fun. To be on the front row is good because we have done a lot of work over the weekend in dry conditions. Then being suddenly thrown a wet session, which I was nervous of, a front row start was the best we could have hoped for.”

Tom Sykes stated: “It was such a shame to fall but we did not have the initial grip in the first two laps and I was waiting for the tyre to come to me. I had a crash with no warning so it is just one of those things. The track grip was at a low level and the temperature was very low. It was a very fast crash and there was no time to save it. With the one bike rule, it was game over, so I was disappointed with that. After the fall I was expecting to be last in the session so I was much better off than I thought. From the third row tomorrow it will be a little bit harder in the beginning. Tough, but not impossible. At the start you are only a few metres off the leading bike so we just need to make it count in the first few laps.”

David Salom (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) was 20th after not setting a lap in Superpole 1. Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) placed himself 18th on the grid for Sunday’s races.

More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:

Davies and Scassa score a second row start for the Magny-Cours SBK races

Magny-Cours (France), Saturday 3 October 2015 – The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team and riders Chaz Davies and Luca Scassa were back at the French circuit of Magny-Cours today for the final timed practice and Superpole sessions.

In the morning’s final timed practice, Chaz found a good rhythm and was able to remain close to the top of the timesheets for the session’s duration. Finding an extra tenth of a second in the closing stages, the Welshman qualified for Superpole 2 in second position thanks to a best lap completed in 1’37.938.

Together with his technicians, Luca continued the set-up work on his Panigale R and was also able to improve on his best time set yesterday, scoring a fastest lap of 1’38.766 to finish the practices in overall eleventh position, thus qualifying for entry into Superpole 1.

Superpole 1: Superpole took place in wet conditions with riders having to deal with persistent rain. Scassa immediately took to the track, positioning himself behind Camier to make a couple of laps in order to get a better idea of the track conditions. Continuing to build confidence throughout the 15-minute session, Luca lowered his times lap after lap, recording a best of 1’58.131 in the final seconds; a time that guaranteed him overall first place and, therefore, access to Superpole 2.

Superpole 2: In the second session both Chaz and Luca were setting some fast lap times right from the outset. Davies, while completing his fast lap, unfortunately suffered a small crash at turn 15, just a few minutes from the session’s end. Straight after this, when Lowes also crashed, a red flag brought the session to a brief halt. Davies’ mechanics did all they could to fix his bike in record time, sending the Welshman back out on track with just over two minutes left on the clock. Unfortunately however Chaz did not have enough time to complete a further lap, meaning that he closed the session in overall fourth position (1’57.049). Scassa, despite making a few small mistakes, managed the situation well, also avoiding contact with Haslam at the session’s end and closing in overall sixth place, thanks to a fastest time of 1’57.991. Both Aruba Ducati riders will line up on the second row for tomorrow’s two 21-lap races.

Quotes after the day’s sessions:

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 4th (1’57.049)

“Superpole went fairly well considering. I was forced a bit wide going into the final corner and had to brake a little too hard causing me to crash, which was a bit of a shame as I think we were on for a fast lap. Anyway, fourth isn’t bad; I actually expected worse, because in these conditions anything can happen and you can fall behind. The position is good actually, as it means I’m behind pole on the outside heading into turn 1. As for the races, I think it should be dry tomorrow and we have good pace; we’ll just have to see whether it’s good enough to be able to take a win…”

Luca Scassa (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #99) – 6th (1’57.991)

“I’m very happy with sixth as a result. I hadn’t ridden in the rain for five years and so it was all new, a new bike and in wet conditions. In Superpole 1 I decided to follow Englishman Camier to gain a little confidence. I made my fastest lap right at the end of the session, despite having limited visibility due to a fogged-up visor. In Superpole 2 I had more confidence, having already completed the first session. I made a couple of mistakes, but for me it was important to do as well as possible while keeping calm and trying to avoid a crash. I’m really pleased with the result and hope we can continue like this tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda:

Second row for Guintoli at home

Sylvain Guintoli will start tomorrow’s two 12th round World Superbike championship races from the second row of the grid after setting the fifth-fastest time in Superpole at Magny-Cours in France.

With steady rain falling on the second Superpole session of the afternoon, the Pata Honda rider took his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP around the damp 4.411km Magny-Cours circuit in a time of 1m57.839s as British rider Leon Haslam took pole position.

Guintoli pushed a little too hard to improve his time and crashed unhurt exiting the infamous Adelaide hairpin. The 33-year-old French ace was able to rejoin but a red flag shortly afterwards brought all riders back into the pits. With two-and-a-half minutes remaining, Guintoli was planning another assault on the front row but handlebar damage from the earlier crash ended his Superpole.

His Pata Honda team-mate Michael van der Mark, endured a difficult day at Magny-Cours, despite making a step forward in the final free practice session. The Dutch rider was forced to sit out much of the earlier FP3 following a technical problem and could not elevate himself on the timing sheets for a Superpole 2 slot.

Instead, van der Mark, 22, started well in Superpole 1 but found that a lack of grip at the rear prevented any further progress. He came into the pits for some adjustments to his CBR but was unable to improve and will consequently start tomorrow’s two 21-lap races from 15th place on the grid.

Sylvain Guintoli – P5

Fifth is OK I guess, especially after crashing, and I think it’s probably as good as we could have hoped for in the dry. I was improving during the session and getting the lap time down, so it’s not so bad, but it might have been better without the crash. There’s not too much grip here in the wet so you have to keep going and build the temperature in the tyres and build your confidence at the same time, step by step. You can very easily make a mistake, exactly like I did, but to be fair the bike felt quite good. I was just building the session towards the end but then we couldn’t restart after the red flag because the handlebars were broken. It’s a shame about the little slide, but no damage and no injuries, so we’ll be alright for tomorrow.

Michael van der Mark – P15

We had a little problem this morning which took away some track time but we changed a couple of things and made a step forward in FP4. In the end the lap time was OK and the overall pace wasn’t too bad and I think we made some progress but then the rain came down before Superpole. There was just no grip and I had to come in because it didn’t feel good. We changed a bit but there was still no grip and very little feeling from the rear.

Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator

This morning was not so good for Michael but FP4 was a much better session and he improved his lap time quite a bit, so there was some progress in the dry. Superpole was wet, however, and he came in after a small moment. We tried to do something with the tyre pressure and the settings and sent him back out again but, in the end, he didn’t have quite enough laps to get into a rhythm. With Sylvain we continued looking for an improvement in the set-up and ended up close to the setting we started with yesterday. That was enough to see him go directly to Superpole 2, which was wet. He ended up fifth, in spite of a small crash, so it’s all to play for tomorrow.

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

EXTRAORDINARY SUPERPOLE FOR LEON HASLAM, RIDING HIS APRILIA TO THE TOP OF THE LIST

FOURTH ROW FOR JORDI TORRES

EIGHTH FOR LORENZO SAVADORI, LEADER OF THE SUPERSTOCK 1000 STANDINGS

Magny Cours (France), 3 October 2015 – The forecast was correct and the rain arrived just in time to condition the Magny-Cours Superpole. For Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils things fell into place straight away, with Leon Haslam consistently one of the fastest riders in the wet and ahead of everyone three minutes from the end. Just at that moment the red flag came out due to a crash, so all the riders returned to pit lane, going back out almost immediately for one last go.

While trying to improve, and succeeding, Leon attempted to overtake in order not to miss his chance but he found himself on the kerb, losing control of his RSV4 RF. After the marshals gave him a lift to pit lane he realised at that moment that he had held onto the top time, which means he will start the two races tomorrow from the coveted spot on the grid in front of the rest.

Jordi Torres, on the other hand, struggled with his lack of experience in the wet on a track he is tackling for the first time. After putting the fifth best time on the sheets in FP3, reporting good sensations in the dry, in Superpole the Spanish rider had to settle for twelfth place. So tomorrow he will have to come back from behind in both races, starting from the fourth row of the grid.

Leon Haslam: “The last lap in Superpole I was determined to push. I thought a lot of others would be improving. I left a lot of space between me, Scassa and Jordi, but I caught them up faster than I had expected and when I tried to overtake them I ended up on the kerb and took a slide. I didn’t think I had held onto first place. I realized it only because the track marshals took me to the winner’s circle instead of the garage! I had a good feeling in the wet. Throughout the weekend we’ve been close to the top times despite focusing on our race pace. The guys at Aprilia did a brilliant job. I’m sure that tomorrow we’ll be able to make a play for it no matter what the weather brings.”

Jordi Torres: “This morning in FP3 we took a good step forward, both with the setup and my feeling. There are still a few problems with the braking sections where the rear end tends to move around too much. I tried to change my riding style a bit, as well as making some changes in the setup for FP4 and I did that with a different tyre than the one we had used up to that point to save a bit in view of the race. In the wet, on the other hand, I stepped a bit lightly. On a track this difficult I need to fully understand the way the bike moves on grooved tyres and change my lines a bit as well. Tomorrow we’ll have to fight. Unfortunately the warm up session won’t be much of an indication, but in the race I’ll be ready to give it my all.”

SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP

The Superstock 1000 FIM Cup qualifiers were also held in the wet, where Aprilia standard bearer and current leader in the standings Lorenzo Savadori placed on the third row for the race tomorrow. The Team Nuova M2 rider needs just one point to earn the category championship crown.

The two RSV4 RF machines ridden by Kevin Calia and Alessandro Andreozzi also performed well, respectively finishing fifth and eleventh.

More, from a press release issued by Voltcom Crescent Suzuki:

Superpole spills for Voltcom Crescent Suzuki at Magny-Cours

Blue skies and sunshine gave way to the first wet qualifying of the year for Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s Alex Lowes and Randy de Puniet as the heavens opened at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours this afternoon.

Saturday’s two free practice sessions began by enjoying similar conditions to the previous 24-hours, as Lowes continued hunting in the top-six. His lap-times consistent as he worked through his 38 revolutions, the British racer was confident of his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R heading into the Superpole qualifying. The curse of the Magny-Cours weather, however, had other ideas, with heavy rain engulfing the circuit just minutes before qualifying commenced. Lowes struggled to find a rhythm with his Suzuki’s wet-settings, succumbing to the conditions at the sweeping Estoril, turn three, his 2’02.227 lap-time placing him 11th in the times and sitting on row four for Sunday’s contests.

De Puniet also fell-foul of the rain-soaked circuit, crashing at the same corner as his teammate on his third lap of the opening Superpole session. His previous lap’s time of 2’06.621 left the French racer ninth in the session and places his Suzuki GSX-R1000 19th on the grid for his two 21-lap home races tomorrow.

The dedicated spectators remaining through the downpour witnessed Aprilia’s Leon Haslam snatch the pole position with a 1’56.404, despite also taking a tumble in the session’s dying minutes, as Superpole claimed six crashes and two trips through the gravel during its 30 minutes of track time.

Hoping for a brighter forecast, Voltcom Crescent Suzuki returns to Magny-Cours at 08:40hrs local time (07:40BST) tomorrow for warm-up ahead of the day’s two races at 10:30 and 13:10 (09:30 and 12:10BST) respectively.

Alex Lowes:

“I’ve not got much to say as it was my worst qualifying of the season. I will start 11th on the grid for tomorrow so I’ve not made it easy for myself. Hopefully the conditions will be better for the races and we can put in a good fight. We’ve had a good weekend so far, so this is disappointing but as always we will be back doing our best and hope to enjoy the races tomorrow.”

Randy de Puniet:

“Today is the worst weather I have ridden in for a long time, there was no grip and the track was so slippery. I crashed at turn three but I don’t really know why. I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike from the start of the session and my lap times were slow, Alex crashed as well so it was a session to forget. I am hoping for better weather for tomorrow, to make some adjustments during warm up and to enjoy two consistent races and score some good points for my home round.”

More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing:

A fantastic Superpole for Niccolò Canepa who scored a front row start, in third position, for tomorrow’s races. Matteo Baiocco will line up on the fifth row, in fifteenth place.

The rain made an appearance at the French track of Magny Cours today, starting to fall heavily just before the start of the Superpole. The difficulty for the riders who were straight out on track lay in identifying the best wet set-up and making best use of the tyres.

Canepa who, thanks to the seventh fastest time in qualifying, progressed directly to Superpole 2, immediately found the right feeling with his bike and, lap after lap, he improved his times, to close in overall third position. The Italian did well to not lose his concentration, something that can happen in these conditions, causing a crash. Many other riders did crash in fact while pushing for the fastest time. A front row start for Canepa, making it two in a row after that of Jerez two weeks ago.

Baiocco was obliged to take part in Superpole 1 after having closed qualifying in twelfth place. Despite setting best time of 1’59.117 that positioned him first until one minute from the end of the session, he was unable to complete the final lap that would have undoubtedly positioned him in the top two. Camier and Scassa were able to do so on the other hand, making the most of the final two minutes and moving in front of Matteo, who closed in third position. Only the first two riders in Superpole 1 proceed to Superpole 2.

In the Superstock 1000 championship, Raffaele de Rosa will line up in ninth position tomorrow after a qualifying session in which he rode his Ducati in the wet for the first time. Having never tested it in the rain, De Rosa made a cautious start and, in trying to find the right feeling, he crashed, fortunately without consequences, four minutes from the end while improving his times. Tomorrow he will try to make a good start and fight for the podium, well within his reach.

Niccolò Canepa: “Having not yet ridden in the wet this weekend, I preferred to use the first few laps to find the right feeling with the bike. The set-up was good and lap after lap I found the right confidence that allowed me to achieve final third place. I am pleased with this front row start and confident ahead of the races.”

Matteo Baiocco: “The session didn’t go as I wanted. I was fast and missed out on participating in Superpole 2 by so little. I’m sorry because with my time I could have started much further forward but I’m optimistic ahead of the races anyway. I could have done a lot more but the potential to do well tomorrow is there and I want to complete two top-level races.”