FIM Superbike World Championship Motorland Aragon, Spain June 29, 2012 Provisional Qualifying Session One Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:58.608 2. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:58.973 3. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:59.123 4. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:59.263 5. Leon HASLAM, UK (BMW S1000RR), 1:59.396 6. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:59.751 7. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:59.770 8. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 2:00.146 9. Leon CAMIER, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 2:00.147 10. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1098R), 2:00.401 11. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 2:00.514 12. John HOPKINS, USA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 2:00.570 13. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 2:00.615 14. Jonathan REA, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), 2:00.617 15. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Ducati 1098R), 2:00.640 16. Loris BAZ, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:00.690 17. Maxime BERGER, France (Ducati 1098R), 2:01.151 18. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (Honda CBR1000RR), 2:01.827 19. Lorenzo ZANETTI, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 2:01.965 20. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Ducati 1098R), 2:02.032 21. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:02.616 22. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:02.630 23. Norino BRIGNOLA, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 2:07.213 More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Melandri the top man on the opening day Motorland Aragon (Spain), June 29, 2012 – Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) took the fastest time in the first qualifying session of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship weekend at MotorLand Aragon in Spain. He overtook this morning’s free practice fastest man Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) who finished up second, with Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) third. Eugene Laverty, Biaggi’s team-mate, was fourth quickest with an improving Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) fifth. A good day for the German manufacturer saw BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet riders Ayrton Badovini and Michel Fabrizio go sixth and seventh respectively. Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Racing Aprilia) completed the provisional second row in eighth. Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) rode his way to ninth in a hot qualifying session, with Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) the first Ducati rider home on day one, tenth. Checa’s team-mate Davide Giugliano secured 11th place, with Camier’s team-mate John Hopkins 12th. Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) was 14th in his first visit to the MotorLand Aragon racetrack for a race weekend. One more qualifying session and then Tissot-Superpole will take place tomorrow to determine the final grid places for Sunday’s races. Times: 1. Melandri (BMW) 1’58.608 average 162.202 kph; 2. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1’58.973; 3. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1’59.123; 4. Laverty (Aprilia) 1’59.263; 5. Haslam (BMW) 1’59.396; 6. Badovini (BMW) 1’59.751; 7. Fabrizio (BMW) 1’59.770; 8. Davies (Aprilia) 2’00.146; 9. Camier (Suzuki) 2’00.147; 10. Checa (Ducati) 2’00.401; 11. Giugliano (Ducati) 2’00.514; 12. Hopkins (Suzuki) 2’00.570; 13. Canepa (Ducati) 2’00.615; 14. Rea (Honda) 2’00.617; 15. Guintoli (Ducati) 2’00.640; 16. Baz (Kawasaki) 2’00.690; etc. World Supersport Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda) secured the provisional pole starting spot by putting over half a second between himself and second place rider Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) in the first qualifying session at Aragon. The Kawasaki Intermoto Step machine of former champion Fabien Foret was a late third in the rankings at the end of day one, with Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Racing Parts Honda) fourth. Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Lorenzini) and Roberto Tamburini (Team Lorini Honda) completed the top six with a great effort from Jed Metcher (Rivamoto Junior Team Yamaha) taking him seventh ahead of another 2012 WSS rookie, Joshua Day (Team GO ELEVEN Kawasaki). Times: 1. Lowes (Honda) 2’03.067 average 156.325 kph; 2. Cluzel (Honda) 2’03.635; 3. Foret (Kawasaki) 2’03.771; 4. Parkes (Honda) 2’03.955; 5. Morais (Kawasaki) 2’04.385; 6. Tamburini (Honda) 2’04.411; 7. Metcher (Yamaha) 2’04.516; 8. Day (Kawasaki) 2’04.838; etc. Superstock 1000 Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) set the fastest time of the first day, just ahead of his own team-mate Lorenzo Baroni in second. Markus Reiterberger (Team Alpha Racing BMW) posted third, making it a clean sweep for S 1000 RR machines in the early exchanges. Two Kawasaki riders followed closely behind today, Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS) and Bryan Staring (Team Pedercini). Fabio Massei (EAB Ten Kate Junior Team Honda) secured sixth place, with the top ranked Ducati Panigale rider Lorenzo Savadori (Barni Racing Team Italia) in seventh. One more qualifying session remains, on Saturday. Times: 1. Barrier (BMW) 2’02.741 average 156.740 kph; 2. Baroni (BMW) 2’02.833; 3. Reiterberger (BMW) 2’03.230; 4. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 2’03.508; 5. Staring (Kawasaki) 2’03.870; 6. Massei (Honda) 2’03.984; 7. Savadori (Ducati) 2’04.492; 8. Coghlan (Ducati) 2’04.533; etc. Superstock 600 Riccardo Russo (Team Italia FMI Yamaha) took the provisional pole position in the Superstock 600 European Championship class today, followed by another top championship contender, Michael van der Mark (EAB Ten Kate Junior Team Honda). Gauthier Duwelz (Team MTM Racing Yamaha) and his team-mate Adrian Nestorovic were third and fourth fastest. Another pair of team-mates, Tony Covena and Christian Gamarino, from the GO ELEVEN Kawasaki team, finished fifth and sixth in the heat at Motorland, with one more qualifying session left to run tomorrow before the race itself takes place on Saturday afternoon. Times: 1. Russo (Yamaha) 2’06.129 average 152.530 kph; 2. Vd Mark (Honda) 2’06.492; 3. Duwelz (Yamaha) 2’06.635; 4. Nestorovic (Yamaha) 2’06.782; 5. Coveña (Kawasaki) 2’07.189; 6. Gamarino (Kawasaki) 2’07.605; 7. Suchet (Honda) 2’07.790; 8. Ponsson (Kawasaki) 2’07.812; etc. KTM European Junior Cup Lukas Wimmer was clearly the fastest man in the first practice session for the European Junior Cup, the Austrian heading up local Spanish riders Christian Vidal and Javier Orellana. Giuseppe Scarcella, from Australia, was fourth. Gaston Garcia rode to fifth and Federico Fazzini from Italy rounded out the top six in a session with 23 competing riders. Times: 1. Wimmer (KTM) 2’19.907 average 137.508 kph; 2. Vidal (KTM) 2’20.475; 3. Orellana (KTM) 2’20.555; 4. Scarcella (KTM) 2’20.840; 5. Garcia (KTM) 2’21.272; 6. Fazzina (KTM) 2’21.313; 7. Lewis (KTM) 2’22.924; 8. Demoulin (KTM) 2’23.139; etc. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Aragón Free Practice & Qualifying Practice 1. Friday, 29th June 2012. Weather conditions: Sunny and hot. Temperature: Air: 33 37 °C, Track: 49 60 °C Number of riders participating: 23 from 13 teams Fastest lap Free Practice: Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) 1:58.837 min Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1:58.608 min Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport secured provisional pole position for the eighth round of the 2012 FIM Superbike World Championship. Factory rider Marco Melandri (ITA) set the fastest time in today’s first qualifying practice at Motorland Aragòn (ESP). His team-mate Leon Haslam (GBR) qualified fifth which puts him on the provisional second row. BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team’s Ayrton Badovini and Michel Fabrizio (both ITA) finished the session in sixth and seventh, thus four BMW S 1000 RRs are on the first two rows. It was a hot start to the second half of the 2012 season with air temperatures near 40 degrees Celsius and track temperatures up to 60 degrees Celsius making the day a challenge for riders, crews and bikes. Marco Melandri: Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:59.576 min (P5)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: 1:58.608 min (P1) “Every day is a new day but it is always important to start with a good pace. The bike is working very well here and we can focus on our target which is to get a good race rhythm so I am confident. Today it was very hot and we have never ridden in these conditions. We struggled with the consistency at the front of the bike. The lap times were really good, but after two laps the front tyre had already become unstable so I think that it will be difficult for everybody, because on this track with long braking in a leaning position the front is under a lot of stress. With these temperatures the race is going to be tough physically. Maybe it is going to be little bit cooler on Sunday, but it is okay. It is the same for everybody and I have trained very well on my fitness.” Leon Haslam: Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:59.718 min (P8)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: 1:59.369 min (P5) “Today we were just doing our normal work. The pace is not too bad. We started off here as we finished at the test last week and the lap times were okay, even in the hotter conditions. We are getting closer but we just need to keep working. Today we were focusing on race set-up and the race tyre which I think is going to be the key for Sunday, especially in conditions like this. We had a few issues in the afternoon when we were struggling with the rear. Today was certainly very hot which changes the bike quite a lot. Obviously the tyres are a big factor in the heat. The tyre we would normally use doesn’t seem to be ideal for hotter conditions so we have to try to make the softer tyres work and last.” Andrea Dosoli (Head of Race Operations): “For sure we are happy with today’s result. It was a good start to the weekend but we must remember that it is only the first day. We could see that all the guys who tested here last week were in the top ten so we expect the others to come further up the grid tomorrow. Marco started this morning with a slightly different set-up to last week’s test. He and his crew have made some adjustments and Marco improved in the afternoon, but there is room for improvement at the front end. Leon’s lap time was not so far away from Marco’s, but he was not yet happy with how the bike feels. There are a few areas on the chassis and electronics set-up we have to work on but we are confident that tomorrow both of our riders can take a step forward.” More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: CHECA AND GIUGLIANO (ALTHEA RACING) BATTLE THE HEAT TODAY AT MOTORLAND ARAGON Aragon (Spain), Friday 29th June 2012: The Althea Racing team today concluded the first qualifying session of the eighth round of the 2012 World Superbike Championship, taking place this weekend at the Spanish track of MotorLand Aragon. Riders Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano closed first qualifying in tenth and eleventh position respectively. In the first practice session, Checa, competing at what is his home track this weekend, got straight to work on what was already a hot track (49ËšC) but, perhaps due to the high temperatures, or a change in track conditions since last year’s event, he had difficulty finding the right sensation with the front of the bike. His fastest lap was a 2m00.0, recorded in the early stages of the session which put him in ninth position at the end of the session. The session of his team-mate, Davide Giugliano was conditioned by a lack of rear grip which prevented him from pushing as he wanted to. He made a fastest time of 1m02.3 which positioned him 20th at the end of the session. Later in the afternoon, in even warmer conditions (air temperature 39ËšC, track 60ËšC), Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano returned to the track, ready for first official qualifying. In the first phase of the session it looked like the problems of the morning were set to continue, with both riders experiencing a lack of grip that was causing problems especially thought the corners. Carlos’ session was also briefly interrupted when a bee flew into his leathers and stung him. Despite these issues, both riders were able to make some improvement in the final minutes, closing the session with the tenth (Carlos) and eleventh (Davide) fastest times. Today was nevertheless a special day for Carlos Checa, as the management of the MotorLand circuit of Aragon has decided to dedicate Turn 3 of the track to the Catalan rider, meaning that from now on Turn 3 will be officially known as the “Carlos Checa corner”. A great honour for the Althea rider who goes down in the motorcycle history books once more. Carlos Checa: “Today we had some difficulty and the times didn’t come. Losing so much on the straightway means that we need to make up as much as possible in the corners but this is difficult in these conditions where I didn’t have the necessary rear grip. It seems strange that we are losing so much to the others. I know we didn’t test here as many others have done but we have the same bike as last year and those references. Maybe today it’s hotter than last year or maybe the track has changed, I don’t know but I hope we can find something tomorrow.” Davide Giugliano: “Today’s conditions were really extreme and as a result I unfortunately wasn’t able to ride as I wanted to. I had trouble braking and the bike was moving around a lot, I don’t have a good feeling, especially at the front of the bike. Towards the end of the session I was able to make a small step forward but I hope to get back on the right path tomorrow, it would be useful if the temperatures came down a little too.” More, from a press release issued by Effenbert Liberty Racing Team: The hole circus of the Wsbk obviously knew that the high temperature of the Aragon MotorLand, in which takes place the eighth round of the World Superbike 2012 edition, would have create a lot of difficults . The temperatures of the track, near 50 degrees, have scorched since from the Q1 the atmosphere already “hot” of the Sbk. The Liberty Racing Team, like the other team ” Twin-cylinders”, paid in terms of performance the climatic conditions and the particular shape of the track, clocking a disappointing Q1. Kuba Smrž, crashed down during practice this morning, closed twentieth with a time of 2’02 “032. Sylvain Guintoli with a time of 2’00 “640 is fifteenth on the borderline to enter into Superpole. Out of the sixteen instead the Frenchman Maxime Berger, that stopping the clock at 2’01 “151 time closed the seventeenth place. The top speed of the four cylinders speaks clear, the gap between the two cylinders is about twenty km / h, this says a lot about the different performance of the bike on the Aragon track. For the Liberty Racing Team will be a real bullfighting not only tomorrow for the Superpole, but also Sunday for the two race. On Aragon the Effenbert Team riders must not only contend with the fiercest opponents but they will handle with the hot temperature, which makes everything more difficult. More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: FIRST TEST SESSIONS AT ARAGON. POSITIVE FRIDAY FOR MAX BIAGGI, FIRST IN THE FREE PRACTICE SESSIONS AND SECOND IN THE QUALIFIERS. A PROMISING THIRD AND FOURTH PLACE FOR EUGENE LAVERTY IN THE TWO SESSIONS. Aragon, 29 June 2012 The first sessions of the Spanish World Superbike round were held on the fiery hot track of Aragon . The Aprilia Racing Team demonstrated excellent form, both with ranking leader Max Biaggi and his team mate Eugene Laverty. The Corsair, first in the morning free practice sessions and second in the qualifiers, worked hard to optimise tyre wear on several laps, a fundamental element given the high asphalt temperatures. In the second session Max was also involved in a sliding, but harmless crash on the last turn, in any case managing to get back to the garage without any physical or technical damage. “We started off well confirmed Max Biaggi maybe we’re not the absolute fastest out there, but we have a good pace. With these temperatures (about 60 degrees on the asphalt) the main problem is tyre life, which deteriorate quickly and make it difficult to be fast over a lot of laps. In any case the conditions are difficult. We’ll evaluate what choices to make based on the weather and track conditions tomorrow and Sunday. I like this track, so we’ll see how the weekend develops”. Eugene Laverty also got off to a good start, benefiting as Max did from a day of testing on this track last week. The rider from Toomebridge made no secret of his desire to leave the last three, not particularly favourable race weekends behind him: today’s third and fourth place seem to be a good calling card, even though there is still much work to be done. “This was definitely the best Friday of the season. We knew we could be fast straight away after the good test sessions last week. I really want to forget about the last three races. Aragon could very well be the turning point for my season. Anyway there is still a lot of room for improvement before we can aim for the podium, which is still my goal. The temperatures are definitely not normal, especially for me, so Sunday I’ll be expecting two hard races”. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: FIXI Crescent Suzuki racers Leon Camier and John Hopkins had a profitable first day at the eighth round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship at Aragon in Spain today. Camier and Hopkins are comfortably within the provisional top-16 for tomorrow’s Superpole after they recorded the ninth and 12th quickest times respectively during this afternoon’s first qualifying session. Camier recorded a best time of 2’00.147 from his 12-laps around the 5,344m Motorland Aragon circuit. Hopkins (2’00.570) saved his best till last as he posted his quickest time on his 11th – and final – lap of the afternoon onboard his Yoshimura-powered Suzuki GSX-R1000. Camier and Hopkins produced one of their strongest joint first days of the season so far today. This is especially encouraging for the team as it’s the first visit Hopkins has made to Aragon for a race weekend and also that both riders are confident there is more to come as the weekend progresses. Today’s practice and qualifying were held in very hot conditions as air temperatures reached 37°C and the track surface hit 60°C at its peak during this afternoon’s session. Marco Melandri took provisional Pole Position this afternoon on a BMW with current World Championship leader Max Biaggi on an Aprilia in second. FIXI Crescent Suzuki will have a final qualifying session of 45-minutes tomorrow morning when Camier and Hopkins will be aiming to cement their positions in the final-16 shoot-out for the afternoon Superpole. Their goal will be to secure the best grid places for Sunday’s two races, the first of which gets underway at 12.00hrs local time (11.00hrs BST). Leon Camier: “I would’ve been higher up the grid if it wasn’t for a little mistake on my fast lap. Coming out of the last turn, I ran a bit wide and went onto the grass and lost time. I’m sure I would’ve easily got my FIXI Crescent Suzuki into the 1:59s otherwise. This is the kind of track where you need to be smooth and flowing, but sometimes I was a bit too aggressive and so the lap times didn’t come. We tried quite a few different settings today and I’m confident that there’s room for improvement tomorrow and I’m looking forward to that.” John Hopkins: “The high track temperatures affected us adversely, because normally we can make up time on the others on our speed into the turns and in the turns themselves. But when the track is so hot, the tyres limit what can be done and make it the same for everybody and so the advantage is lost. I had a little fall this morning, at the slowest corner on the circuit, but picked the bike up and rode it back to the pits undamaged. I only saw this track for the first time last week and although it is a bit of a challenge, I really like it. There’s more to come from me and the GSX-R tomorrow and the cooler it is, the better we’ll go.” Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “I think that today was not a bad day for us. Both riders finished comfortably in the top 12 and I’m sure they’ll be quicker tomorrow. This morning Leon showed good pace and was only 0.8 seconds off the fastest time. He was also quicker than he was in last week’s tests. John was also running very well in the morning free practice and was fourth fastest for a while, but a small fall cost him time. Otherwise he probably would’ve finished in the top six. We’re ahead of all the Ducatis and the factory Hondas and hopefully tomorrow we’ll see more improvement and a decent and positive qualifying.”