eni FIM Superbike World Championship

Phillip Island, Australia

February 22, 2015

Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Leon HASLAM, UK (Aprilia RSV4 RF), 22 laps

2. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -0.010 second

3. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), -0.298

4. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -5.242 seconds

5. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -14.649

6. Nico TEROL, Spain (Ducati Panigale R), -16.025

7. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -22.300

8. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta F4), -23.606

9. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -23.818

10. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -35.775

11. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Ducati Panigale R), -39.929

12. Sylvain BARRIER, France (BMW S1000RR), -46.267

13. Santiago BARRAGÁN, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -57.893

14. Larry PEGRAM, USA (EBR 1190 RX), -62.676

15. Christophe PONSSON, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -65.262

16. Troy BAYLISS, Australia (Ducati Panigale R), -1 lap, pitted

17. Imre TOTH, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap

18. Michael VD MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -4 laps, DNF, crash

19. Jordi TORRES, Spain (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -5 laps, DNF, crash

20. Jed METCHER, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -19 laps, DNF, retired

21. Alex LOWES, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -21 laps, DNF, retired

22. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (EBR 1190 RX), DNS

23. Gabor RIZMAYER, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), DNS

24. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), DNS

25. Mathew WALTERS, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), DNS

World Championship Point Standings (after 2 of 26 races):

1. TIE, Haslam/Rea, 45 points

3. Davies, 32

4. Sykes, 23

5. Guintoli, 20

6. Terol, 18

7. Camier, 14

8. Torres, 13

9. Baiocco, 12

10. VD Mark, 11

18. TIE, Pegram/Metcher, 2

More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:

Haslam snatches victory from Rea at finish line

Davies is again third, van der Mark and Torres crash out of promising position

The second race of the Swann Insurance Australian Round was another one to remember, given the thrilling finale that saw Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) edging out Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) for the win at the finish line by just 0.010. The 31-year-old from Derby, England, enjoyed better drive out of the last turn and managed to get on the outside of Rea, eventually prevailing over his rival by the smallest margin. The two former team-mates are now tied at the top of the standings with 45 points apiece. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team) completed a solid weekend by again finishing in third place.

Ironically enough, the last time Haslam stepped atop the podium was in 2010 at Kyalami (Race 2), when he managed to defeat Rea by half a second.

Leon Haslam: “Yeah I am really happy with the way we operated this weekend and with the team. In Race 1 I made a small mistake which cost me the win but I felt I had a lot in reserve to go faster and the tyre was feeling really good. In Race 2 van der Mark had a really good pace but he was running too fast and I felt that by running at that pace the tyres might have had worn off a bit more. Then, when I made my move I didn’t feel I had the same reserve as the first race. I then made another small mistake and I went from first to third. I had to push very hard in the last two laps and it made it very difficult for me again. In the end we managed to get the win so that’s perfect.”

Jonathan Rea: “It’s really great to come out of here with 45 points, I didn’t think this was going to be the strongest track for the Kawasaki. The guys have worked very hard throughout the weekend on race pace. I would have shook the hand to who would have told me I would have done so well here. Obviously Kawasaki and the team have done a great job, but I admit the Aprilia was really fast on the straight. Anyway this is a great about the result and looking forward to Thailand.”

Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was fourth at the chequered flag, ahead of Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike), Nico Terol (Althea Racing Team Ducati), Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) and Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), with six different manufacturers within the top-8.

Reigning World Supersport Champion Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) had his shot at the lead throughout the race, eventually dropping down to fourth in a single lap. The Dutchman then lost some more ground to the front runners before crashing out of turn 10 at the end of Lap 19, thankfully without injury. Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) also fell a lap earlier, losing the front of his RSV4 RF at Turn 1 on Lap 19 while he was running in fourth place.

Troy Bayliss (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team) started well, once again moving through the field making it as high as 7th until the triple champion entered the pits to change his front tyre on lap 14. He rejoined finishing outside of the points in 16th.

Niccolò Canepa (Team Hero EBR) was ruled unfit following his race 1 while Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) was forced to pull out of the race due to a technical problem at the end of lap 2, after starting the encounter from the pit-lane.

More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda:

Positive start to Pata Honda’s 2015 SBK campaign

Sylvain Guintoli took two positive results from the opening round of the 2015 World Superbike championship at Phillip Island in Australia this afternoon, with his Pata Honda team-mate Michael van der Mark impressing with a strong fifth place finish in the first race, his WSBK debut.

The two 22-lap races around the 4.445km Phillip Island circuit were won by British riders Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam, with 2014 champion Guintoli riding hard in the first outing from his ninth place on the grid to post a seventh at the flag.

Guintoli’s crew made further changes to his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP for race two, but with temperatures above 30°C, the 32-year-old Frenchman, injured in a big testing crash in Spain recently, endured another tough physical battle to bring the CBR home in fifth place.

Fifth was where Dutch sensation Michael van der Mark finished his debut World Superbike race after starting from fourth on the grid and battling in the early stages with the leading group before dropping into a solitary race and finishing four seconds ahead of 2013 WSBK champion Tom Sykes.

The 22-year-old reigning World Supersport champion enjoyed an even better start to race two, blasting past Rea’s Kawasaki into the lead at the start of the eighth lap. Van der Mark led for the following five laps before rear tyre wear forced him back. He finally crashed out of fourth place with just three laps to go but was more than satisfied with his World Superbike debut.

Sylvain Guintoli – 7th and 5th

I tried everything I could and we did both races with very different set-ups, although the results were much the same. But at least we’ve got some good data that we can work on now. After missing so much winter testing, I’ve really been treating this weekend as another live test session because I’m still not quite yet clicking with the bike. We’ll just keep working though and come back strong in Thailand. To be honest, I’ve never felt so physically drained after two races. I think the injury from Jerez must have somehow added to the dehydration because I felt really ill during both the races. I’ll focus on recovering as much as possible before the next races now. But one of the highlights of the weekend for me was being on the track with Troy Bayliss. He had already retired when I came to SBK but we had a few laps scrapping out there in race two which was a bit special!

Michael van der Mark – 5th and DNF

Friday morning started as a bit of a nightmare really because we changed the bike a lot compared to the test earlier in the week. It was just not working but from the second free practice we started getting faster and faster and when the temperatures went really high yesterday we were still fast and managed the tyres well. I had a good feeling for the races but we were a bit unlucky that the weather was not as hot as yesterday. I had quite a good start to the first race and was aggressive in the first couple of laps, but I couldn’t stay with the front guys. I had a big drop in the tyre as well, so I had to focus on the guy behind me and save some tyre to bring it back in fifth. We made a couple of small electronics changes for the second race but I was hoping for a bit more hot weather. The start wasn’t reall y great but I was really aggressive and could stay with the front guys this time. I even led the race for a few laps which felt really good before I had another big, big drop in the tyre. I tried to follow the guys but just pushed a bit too hard and lost it. But my guys did an amazing job this weekend and to be fifth in my first Superbike race was incredible. To be leading in my second Superbike race was just too good to be true!

Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator

We didn’t have an easy first weekend with Sylvain but we kept changing the CBR to give him more feeling for the race and he finished seventh in race one. For race two we changed the bike again and he finished fifth. He’s fifth in the points and considering everything that’s not too bad. We’ll study everything to consider the best way forward but I’m confident that we’ll be stronger in Thailand. Race one for Michael was a lonely ride but to get fifth in your first Superbike race was a very good effort. We made some changes for race two to work the tyre a little better and it worked out well. He got a good start and even led the race for a few laps before dropping back to fourth. He had a small crash three laps from the end so no points there, but for sure he showed the world that on the Honda he has all the speed and talent needed to run at the front.

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Brilliant First Race Win For Championship Leader Rea

Jonathan Rea (KRT) took his first WSB race win for Kawasaki at the first attempt in a close first 22-lap contest at Phillip Island. He then followed it up with second place to take joint championship lead. Tom Sykes (KRT) had an unlucky raceday and finished sixth and then fourth, after two truly battling rides

In hot conditions the new era of WSB competition got underway with Superpole winner Rea scoring the win by leading for all but one of the 22-laps, and finally taking the race victory by 0.039 seconds from Leon Haslam.

In race two he was unlucky not to make it a double win after another fantastic fight to the flag, but he was beaten by an impossibly small 0.010 seconds across the line by Leon Haslam.

Sykes was fighting to make up for an unhappy eighth place on the starting grid in each race, after the second Superpole contest had been cut short on Saturday. He was dicing with another rider on lap five of race one when he was left no choice but to run wide at the fast turn one and he dropped to the back of the loose leading pack, and had to work hard for his eventual sixth place.

In race two Tom was on course for a fight for the podium places until his pace was slowed by a lack of feeling from the front and he had to settle for fourth place.

The overall championship points sees leaders Haslam and Rea tied on 45, with a win and a second place apiece, while Sykes is sixth overall, on 23 points.

The next round will take place a month from now, in Thailand, for the first ever WSBK round at the new Chang International Circuit near the town of Buriram.

Jonathan Rea: “I could not have had a better weekend. The team were not so optimistic about winning races or being on the podium here with the pace of some other bikes but together with Pere, Paolo, Javier, all the guys from Showa, all my mechanics, we worked really hard and never lost sight of our goal, which was to be strong for 22-laps each time. Leon just had more pace today in each race, so race one fell in my hands a little, but I am so happy to be getting out of here with 45 points and starting the season strongly. I did not expect these results at all. We were not the most optimistic so to be just pipped by a small margin in race two, and by my old team-mate Leon, I am happy for him. We did the maximum we could and came away with the maximum points we could have had. I am happy and excited to move on from here with 45 points.”

Tom Sykes: “In race one I was given no room going into turn one and had to run wide. It was one of those things and he could have easily left me some room, but he didn’t. It changed the outlook of my race but we have come away with some points on the board. In race two we made some changes to the bike set-up and I was able to be with the leaders in the beginning of the race but unfortunately we had some limitation with the front feeling. I was not quite able to put the bike where I wanted it and suffered a little but in the middle to exit of the corners. Jonathan did a great job for Kawasaki and that was good to see. Now we will leave Phillip Island with a lot more information and I hope we can use this to be stronger in the next rounds.”

After his big crash on Saturday David Salom (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) did not race but he escaped with a broken right middle finger and heavy bruising. He hopes to be fit for the next round in one month’s time.

Wildcard Aussie Jed Metcher (Race Centre Demolition Plus Kawasaki) was top non-KRT finisher for Kawasaki in race one, going 14th and scoring two points. In his first WSB weekend for Kawasaki Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) turned a no-score of 16th place in race one into tenth in race two.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team celebrates its first podium successes of the 2015 season with Chaz Davies at Phillip Island

Phillip Island (Australia), Sunday 22 February 2015 – A fantastic start for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team today at Phillip Island, with Chaz Davies scoring two third place finishes in these opening races of the 2015 Superbike World Championship season.

Race 1 – Today’s races took place in hot conditions with track temperatures of 42°C for race one. Davies, from second on the grid, was lying third through the opening stages, right behind Haslam and Rea. This British trio battled it out for the podium positions for the entire duration of the race, passing and re-passing each other in what was a spectacular opening race. Welshman Chaz pushed hard all the way to the line but, struggling to find acceleration through the turns in the final laps, he was unable to get ahead of his rivals, crossing the line in third position. This is an important result both for the team, that opens the season in a positive way, and the rider, who steps up to the Phillip Island podium for the first time in his career.

Bayliss, twelfth on the grid, got away well and was up into seventh place by the second lap. The Australian rider battled with various riders throughout the race, Torres, Guintoli and Sykes included. Unfortunately tyre performance dropped off significantly in the later stages of the race and Troy gradually lost ground as a result. The three-times world champion crossed the line in final thirteenth position.

Race 2 – In race 2, and in very similar conditions, Davies made a strong start, and was up in second by the end of lap one, together with Rea and Haslam, as in race one. On lap two his pace was such as to record the best lap of the race (1’31.725). The Ducati rider was lapping in third/fourth position for a good part of the race and, able to manage the tyre situation effectively, he even took the race lead at one point in the final stages. A fantastic battle to the line ensued, and saw Chaz finish once more on the third step of the podium, earning himself more important points for the championship.

Bayliss made up several positions in the initial stages and was lying eighth through the opening laps. Similarly to race one, he started to suffer from significant tyre wear towards the mid-race point with the situation becoming serious enough for him to return to the garage on lap thirteen for a tyre change. Returning to the track in eighteenth place, he could only do so much in the limited time remaining, finishing his race in sixteenth place.

At the end of the opening round of the 2015 Superbike World Championship, Davies lies third with 32 points, and Troy Bayliss takes 3 points to place nineteenth. In the manufacturer’s championship, Ducati positions third with a total of 32 points.

The next appointment for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team will be Round 2 of the championship, taking place at the Chang International circuit in Buriram, Thailand over the weekend of 20-22 March.

Quotes after the races:

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 3rd, 3rd

“I’m finally on the podium at Phillip Island, and twice over – having tried every year to get here, I’ve finally done it. I would have liked to be able to do something more but it wasn’t possible, I was just missing a little more drive in the final laps and tried to conserve the tyres as well as I could. I personally have always started the championship a little badly and so this result is extremely important. It confirms that we are starting at a different level with respect to last year, and I was able to stick there with Rea fairly comfortably. We’re worked hard this weekend, concentrated on race distance, and it seems to have paid off. I thank my whole team but also all of the technicians back at Borgo Panigale for their hard work over the winter. The results obtained here are a good base on which to build.”

Troy Bayliss (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #21) – 13th, 16th

“I’m feeling a real mix of emotions at the end of the weekend. I came here to have fun, and for the fans and the Phillip Island circuit. I thought that maybe I wouldn’t have the pace to be able to run with these guys anymore but instead I’ve seen that I can still be fast and, if it hadn’t been for the tyre issue, I think I could have done a lot more. So I don’t know, it’s a pity I didn’t have more time on track, and I didn’t have time to train properly ahead of the event of course, but all in all it’s been a really fun weekend, and in many ways it feels like nothing has changed since 2008. I thank Ducati for giving me the opportunity and also all of the fans and ducatisti for their continued support.”

Stefano Cecconi – Team Principal

“I think we can say that the Superbike season has got off to a great start for us here. Chaz was fantastic in both Superpole and today’s races, and his results here demonstrate that all of the work done over the winter is taking us in the right direction. Particular thanks go to Troy, for what he has done – he’s definitely lived up to reputation as a legend. Our thoughts go to Davide of course, and we hope he can be back on the bike as soon as possible.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

APRILIA RACING TEAM – RED DEVILS

VICTORY AND SECOND PLACE FOR HASLAM IN THE TWO AUSTRALIAN RACES. THIS IS APRILIA’S 50TH WIN IN WSBK.

LEON HASLAM LEADS THE RIDER CHAMPIONSHIP, APRILIA AT THE TOP OF MANUFACTURER STANDINGS

Phillip Island (Australia), 22 February 2015 – Aprilia never gets tired of winning.

The RSV4, reigning World Champion bike, and the new Aprilia Racing – Red Devils team, pick up where they left off in November, on that magical night in Qatar when the Italian team took the double world title.

On the Phillip Island track Leon Haslam made his début astride the RSV4 and brought home Aprilia’s 50th win in World SBK.

The first victory was in 2000, right here at Phillip Island with the RSV Mille ridden by Troy Corser. But it has been in the last 5 years, and with the RSV4, that Aprilia has won all its championships in the factory derivative category, taking 4 Manufacturer and 3 Rider titles and racking up 42 of their 50 total wins.

With these results Aprilia comes home from the Australian round with first place both in the Rider (with Haslam) and Manufacturer standings.

Romano Albesiano, Aprilia Racing Manager had this to say about the 2015 opening round: “After a long winter where the guys in the racing department worked hard we arrived here at Phillip Island with a lot of question marks. These were all erased by this fantastic Sunday where Leon came so close to bringing home a double win, in any case putting in an excellent result in his first races with the RSV4. This promises to be a very well balanced season, with several riders in contention for the win, but I believe that our performance today once again confirms our competitiveness. Leon showed incredible courage and determination today, while Torres continues to improve and has already reached an enviable level for a rookie in this category.”

Arriving at the Australian round with two new riders and the new RF version of the RSV4, Aprilia found itself in the limelight straight away with Leon Haslam. The fast English rider, making his first curtain call on the Italian V4, confirmed the RSV4’s ability to win with riders of any style, and he was a key player in both races, battling courageously and cleanly with his countryman Jonathan Rea.

In the first of the two races, after they pulled ahead of the pack along with Davies, they engaged in a memorable duel overtaking one another several times before the spectacular last lap. In the final race for the chequered flag, Rea broke through by just 39 thousandths of a second.

The script was much the same with the players reversed in the second race. Haslam and Rea did battle, doing full honours to the spirit of this championship – which promises to be particularly spectacular this year – taking turns in the lead, once again down to the last lap. At the last turn Haslam came around in his countryman’s slipstream, looking for the pass in the final run. And that is exactly how it went, with Leon Haslam winning his first championship race on an Aprilia 10 thousandths of a second ahead of Rea.

Leon Haslam: “This race brings back great memories. My last win was at Kyalami in 2010 after a great battle with Rea. My compliments to my team. They did a great job all weekend. In Race 1 I unfortunately made a mistake, but luckily I felt like I had a wide enough margin and I was able to rejoin the pack and finish second in the final dash by just a few thousandths. I started Race 2 even more motivated to win. Despite feeling like I had less “reserve” after the halfway point, everything went according to plan. In the last turn I opened up the throttle at the right time and I realised that I had overtaken Rea straight away right on the finish line. I am truly happy to finally be back on the top step of the podium!”

The young Spanish rider, Jordi Torres, also had an opening day full of positive notes. In his first SBK race he stayed in the top spots of the standings, showing no reverential fear for the big names in the Championship and, after battling with the likes of Guintoli and Bayliss, he made an excellent fourth place finish. This was a great placement well within his reach in Race 2 as well, but just after overtaking Sykes after a long battle for fourth, he fell victim to a sliding crash without any physical damage, but which ended his race.

Jordi Torres: “This was a Sunday where I learned a lot. In the first race we performed well. I was fast from the start and I learned a lot about tyre wear and what sort of riding style to use to conserve it. You have to avoid leaning all the way over and be very careful on the gas – a lesson that I was putting to good use in Race 2. Unfortunately Sykes really brakes hard, so I struggled to overtake him and just when I thought I could do it I pushed to hard and crashed. I need to take away all the good we did this weekend and stay calm. I can be fast but I need to improve the way I manage the race.”

Andrea Petricca: “Today Haslam and the entire team won, a group of professionals who are accustomed to winning. We were well aware of the great potential that both Haslam and the RSV4 have and today at Phillip Island we received confirmation that Leon is capable of riding a top level championship to fight for the title. It won’t be easy because we are competing at a very high level, but we will give it our best effort. Torres was making his début in the Superbike championship but he showed that he can compete with the fastest and most expert riders in the category, so we are confident that in the coming races he will bring home great results.”

More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing:

POSITIVE RACE DAY IN PHILLIP ISLAND

Team Althea Racing makes a positive start to the season at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia, where the 28th Superbike World Championship got underway this weekend

Nico Terol and Matteo Baiocco concluded two solid races, a positive end of a weekend in which the team made continuous improvement, increasing the experience that will serve them in the next championship races.

Nico Terol, started race 1 from the second row, in sixth position, and finished in eighth position, after making a fast start that saw him lapping with the leading group for the first few laps of the race. Strong winds caused him to struggle a little more and he was forced to slow down, nevertheless obtaining a solid result. In race 2 he suffered from a few problems at the start, committing a few errors that caused him to lose ground. From the mid-race point he regained his rhythm and the right concentration, managing to finish in sixth place and earning important championship points.

Matteo Baiocco, who started from eleventh on the grid, just missed out on a top ten finish, closing race one in eleventh position. He had better pace in race two, with the team having made small changes to the bike, and he was able to conclude in ninth position. It was not easy for Matteo, with two tough races in the same day, but he achieved positive results and important points.

Now the team prepares for the next round, scheduled for the 22 March at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand.

Comments at the end of the day:

Genesio Bevilacqua: “This first weekend with the new team and two new riders has been, all in all, a positive one. Nico Terol achieved great results despite this being the first time he has raced twice in one day, and Matteo Baiocco also managed to close in the top ten, which was his goal today. We need to gain experience before we are able to fight for the podium in the next races. As an opening race weekend it’s been good experience which will surely be useful as we work to prepare for the next races.”

Nico Terol: “In race 1 I made some really great laps at the start and I was pleased, but then strong winds gave me some problems and I struggled to retain the pace I had at the start, and ended in eighth position. In race 2 I didn’t have the right concentration at the start because I thought one of the lights was on on my dashboard and so I kept looking down, distracting myself, which led to some mistakes. From the mid-race point I found the right concentration and did my best. Sixth position is a good result but I’m sorry because if I’d made a few less mistakes I could have finished further up.”

Matteo Baiocco: “Two positive and constructive races after testing and qualifying. In the first race I just missed out on the top ten, closing eleventh, but I was able to make it in race 2, finishing ninth. I made a small mistake on the last lap but all in all I’m satisfied because we’ve grown a lot. It’s been a while since I made two races so close together at this level but it’s a good starting point for the future. I’ve collected important points and the team has worked really well, making modifications before race 2 that allowed me to be faster. Now we will continue to work in preparation for the next races.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

BRAVE DE PUNIET SEVENTH AT PHILLIP ISLAND WSB

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s Randy de Puniet completed his debut weekend in the World Superbike Championship with a seventh place finish in the final race of the afternoon at Australia’s Phillip Island today.

Motivated by his initial outing on the Yoshimura-powered Superbike, and with 22 race laps under his belt, de Puniet ran a determined race two. Fighting his way up from his 11th place start, he joined the top-10 battle on his second lap, rising to seventh with four laps to go and claiming nine points at the start of his campaign.

Struggling with his injuries from the earlier testing accident which caused a severe case of arm pump, the Frenchman fought hard for the beginning of his debut race, circulating strongly in eighth before a collision with another rider at turn two saw him run wide, crossing the line in 17th.

Relegated to 15th at the start of the opening race, Alex Lowes fought back hard on his Suzuki GSX-R1000 regaining six places as he moved his way through the pack, tussling with Troy Bayliss and his team-mate at the half-way stage, to finish ninth at the flag. Regrouping for the second race, a technical issue saw the young Briton pull in on the sighting lap, but after re-joining the race from the pit-lane Lowes was forced to retire.

With air temperatures a steady 30°C throughout, the light cloud allowed track temperatures to drop slightly between the two races, the midday outing peaking at 42°C. Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea and Aprilia’s Leon Haslam battled for first and second positions, sharing one a piece across the two races with Ducati’s Chaz Davies collecting third position in both.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki returns to its UK base to prepare for the second round of competition as the World Championship travels to Asia for its inaugural race in Thailand on Sunday March 22nd.

Randy de Puniet:

“It was a horrible Sunday for me, I was in a lot of pain and the first race was a disaster. After six laps I was not able to ride because I had pain everywhere, plus arm pump, so it was impossible to brake or to accelerate, and I tried to manage a good position – I think I was ninth and should have been able to finish 10th. Unfortunately Camier hit me, I went straight on and finished 17th so I’m a little bit disappointed. I was worried again about my physical condition for race two but luckily I was able to manage it better, and I finished seventh. Until the middle of the race I was only four seconds from the lead but after that I started to struggle again, I tried to keep a good rhythm and finished seventh, which is a good result in this condition. Without the no score in the first race it would have been possible to be seventh in the Championship, I’m 11th which is a shame but after everything this week this is not so bad. Now it’s time for me to recover and get fit for Thailand. I want to thank the team for everything and also the Clinica Mobile for helping me to ride this weekend.”

Alex Lowes:

“I just don’t know what to say. Me and the team have put in so much work all week to have a strong package for today and from the very start of the warm-up session to the end of my second race, everything that could go wrong, did. It’s impossible to point the finger at anyone or anything, everyone has been putting in so much effort to support me and get the GSX-R in the front group and we managed that all week but today it fell apart. Right now I just feel flat but we’ll get back, get re-focused and rebuild for the second round of the Championship. There is still a lot of racing left to do!”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“To detail the problems we had today would need a lot more than a quote in a press release so I’m not going to try, just suffice to say that this is the most disappointed I think I’ve ever felt at a race track at the end of the day based on the potential of what we could have achieved compared to what we did. If I was forced to pick any bright spots then Randy’s very brave performances, especially in race two, would be one. He really wasn’t in the condition to be riding a motorcycle so to finish seventh in the amount of pain and discomfort he was suffering was a great effort.

“As a team we will regroup, take the positives of the really strong performance potential shown by the bike, and of course Alex, this week and make sure that we approach round two in a positive way and get back involved with the fight at the front because there is no doubt that rider and machine are capable of that.”