FIM Superbike World Championship Imola, Italy March 30 Qualifying Session One Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Ducati 1098R), 1:48.146 2. Joan LASCORZ, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:48.176 3. Tom SYKES, Great Britain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:48.246 4. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:48.247 5. Jonathan REA, Great Britain (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:48.321 6. Leon HASLAM, Great Britain (BMW S1000RR), 1:48.328 7. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1098R), 1:48.375 8. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Ducati 1098R), 1:48.555 9. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:48.555 10. Leon CAMIER, Great Britain (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:48.556 11. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:48.728 12. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:48.741 13. Lorenzo ZANETTI, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:48.762 14. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:48.773 15. Chaz DAVIES, Great Britain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:48.959 16. Maxime BERGER, France (Ducati 1098R), 1:49.343 17. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:49.617 18. John HOPKINS, USA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:49.790 19. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:50.031 20. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:50.085 21. Mark AITCHISON, Australia (BMW S1000RR), 1:50.810 22. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:51.511 23. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:51.645 24. Brett McCORMICK, Canada (Ducati 1098R), 1:51.703 25. Lorenzo ALFONSI, Italy (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:52.993 More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Smrz heads up astoundingly close first qualifying session Imola (Italy), Friday 30 March 2012 Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Effenbert Ducati) took provisional pole position in the first qualifying session at Imola, right at the very end of the day, displacing the potential Kawasaki 1-2 of Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) and his team-mate Tom Sykes. Smrz’s time of 1 minute 48.146 seconds was only 0.030 faster than Lascorz after a day characterized by extraordinarily close competition. Fourth in the early rankings was the perennially competitive Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing). Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) had a strong Friday and ended up fifth, his fellow Briton Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) sixth and best BMW rider. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati), defending his championship crown this year, was seventh in timed qualifying. Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati’s Sylvain Guintoli held off the push of Eugene Laverty’s Aprilia Racing works bike in eighth place, with the top ten being rounded out on day one by Leon Camier and his Crescent Fixi Suzuki. The top ten riders were covered by a remarkable 0.410 seconds, the top 15 by only 0.813 seconds. Althea Racing’s second rider Davide Giugliano was 11th today, one place up on this morning’s fastest man Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia Gold Bet). Times: 1. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’48.146; 2. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’48.176; 3. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’48.246; 4. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’48.247; 5. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’48.321; 6. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 1’48.328; 7. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1’48.375; 8. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’48.555; 9. Laverty E. (IRL) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’48.555; 10. Camier L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’48.556; 11. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R��� 1’48.728; 12. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’48.741; 13. Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’48.762; 14. 33 Melandri M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’48.773; 15. Davies C. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’48.959; 16. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’49.343; etc.� More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: ALTHEA RACING’S CHECA SEVENTH, GIUGLIANO ELEVENTH IN TODAY’S FIRST SBK QUALIFYING AT IMOLA Imola (Italy), Friday 30 March 2012: after a month’s break the second round of the World Superbike Championship got underway today at the historic Autodromo di Imola. Team Althea Racing, and its riders Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano made a solid start, closing first qualifying in seventh and eleventh position respectively. 2011 World Champion Checa got straight down to work in the first free practice session his morning, which took place in warm and sunny conditions (26ËšC air temperature, 34ËšC track). The Spaniard has always enjoyed racing at Imola, Ducati’s home track, and after just a few laps he was already near the top of the timesheets. He continued to improve during the session, particularly in the final stages, and concluded the session with the third fastest time (1m49.2), just behind Badovini and Guintoli. His team-mate Davide, rather than concentrating on lap times, worked with his technicians to refine the set-up of his Ducati 1198 so as to be fully prepared for the afternoon’s first qualifying. He therefore closed the session in 17th position, with a best of 1m51.4. In the afternoon’s qualifying session and on a hotter track (41ËšC), both Althea Racing riders continued to make good progress, lowering their lap times in line with their closest rivals. The first ten riders closed the session within 0.4 seconds of each other, Carlos finishing in seventh position with a best time of 1m48.3 while Davide, taking two seconds off his morning’s best time, closed just outside the top ten, in eleventh place, but with a fastest time of 1m48.7. Carlos Checa: “Tomorrow we’ll work more on race pace but, considering the fact that the conditions of this particular track tend to improve over the weekend, I’m feeling confident. We are, as usual, very close in terms of times but some of the frontrunners have only done a couple of flying laps so it’s doesn’t tell us very much really. Even here, a track that should be more ‘Ducati-friendly’, we are seeing the difference with regard to top speed but there’s not much we can do about that. We’ll see tomorrow. A lot will depend on track conditions and tyres but, as I said, I’m feeling good about things.” Davide Giugliano: “This morning I didn’t rush into things, I saw that on new asphalt it was more sensible to take things slowly and work on the bike. This afternoon went really well, my head and my bike were both in a good place and I was able to make some good laps. I wanted to try a different tyre as I thought that with that I could have gone better but today I’m satisfied, also because we’re only seven tenths from pole and that is very encouraging.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Crescent Fixi Suzuki made a positive start to the second round of the World Superbike Championship at Imola in Italy with Leon Camier finishing 10th and John Hopkins 18th in today’s opening Qualifying session. Camier was joined by team mate Hopkins for the first time in a race weekend and both riders immediately began to get back into the groove. Camier last rode at Phillip Island in Australia nearly five weeks ago, but Hopkins’ last competitive laps were in October 2011 – he missed the opening race in Australia after breaking his hand testing – so his priority in the first Qualifying was to get comfortable again on the Yoshimura-powered GSX-R1000 before pushing too hard. In this afternoon’s Qualifying, Camier charged into the top three before being shuffled down the order at the end of the session when there was more traffic on the track. Hopkins – who had not ridden at Imola since a test in 2009 – spent time relearning the circuit. He was hampered by a technical problem in the morning and was unable to do as many laps as he wanted, but managed to go one-and-a-half-seconds faster in the afternoon qualifying session. Leon Camier – 10th, 1:48.556: “Today was not so bad and I’m pretty happy. I would’ve been further up the standings today but got held up by slower riders at the end of the session. The track has good grip and it’s consistent, so today we were able to just go out, put in the laps; and try some ideas. After the long gap since Phillip Island, I felt a bit stiff on the bike at first, but soon started to get a good feeling with the Crescent Fixi Suzuki again. We have a good base set-up and the only thing we need to work on is the gearing and the gearbox. If we can get that sorted out, I can consistently go about three-tenths-of-a second quicker – I want to be in the fight with the front guys here in Imola.” John Hopkins – 18th, 1:49.790: “Today was all about getting back in the groove and being comfortable on the bike and I am happy with what we did. The hand feels good and there were no problems with it at all. I lost some time in the morning session, but went one-and-half-seconds quicker this afternoon, so we’re heading in the right direction for sure. Apart from a few laps in the Phillip Island tests, the last time I rode a bike was five months ago, so I took it prettily steadily today. We have a good base setting and now we need to push harder and see what we can achieve.” Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “I think today went pretty well. Leon was happy with his base set-up and spent a lot of the time trying different tyres to see which worked well and which didn’t. He was well up the leaderboard this afternoon and probably would’ve stayed in the top six if it hadn’t been for the traffic. John did what we wanted him to do; he built up gradually and got used to the bike again. He went quite a bit quicker this afternoon and we know there’s more to come. I’d be happy for John to keep improving and get into Superpole. “We have a slightly upgraded Yoshimura engine for both riders for tomorrow and race day and, with some setting tweaks tonight; we hope the package will be competitive.” More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Imola Free Practice & Qualifying Practice 1. Friday, 30th March 2012. Weather conditions: Sunny. Temperature: Air: 26 28 °C, Track: 34 41 °C Number of riders participating: 25 from 14 teams Fastest lap Free Practice: Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team) 1:49.081 min Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert) 1:48.146 min Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport started the race weekend with a place on the provisional second row at Imola (ITA). The “Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari” hosts the second round of the 2012 FIM Superbike World Championship. Factory rider Leon Haslam (GBR) finished the first qualifying practice in sixth. His team mate, Marco Melandri (ITA) qualified a provisional 14th on his BMW S 1000 RR. The team is confident it is heading in the right direction and will move further up the grid in tomorrow’s Superpole qualifying. BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team rider Ayrton Badovini (ITA) finished qualifying practice in 12th, and his team mate Michel Fabrizio (ITA) was 19th. Leon Haslam: Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:50.337 min (P15)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: 1:48.328 min (P6) “In the qualifying practice we worked on chassis set-up and on engine management. The new characteristic of the engine feels better, but it is more sensitive to the grip level. We are working on finding a strategy that is well balanced to the different grip levels. Last year we didn’t get any benefit from a new tyre and that has improved a lot this year. Now, we just need to find the right set-up for the new engine spec. For race distance it is working quite well, but we still have some more work to do. My leg is not affecting me too much. I don’t need any painkillers and I have minimal strapping on it, so it is definitely better than in Australia.” Marco Melandri: Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:49.657 min (P8)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: 1:48.773 min (P14) “It was not an easy day. In the morning, the balance was okay, but unfortunately we were struggling with some chattering in the afternoon. We tried to fix it but went the wrong way. In the end it was difficult and I could not go into the corners optimally. That is why I made some mistakes in the more difficult parts of the track, for example at Acque Minerale and it was also difficult for me to go into the second chicane. We will now analyse the data and we will try some modifications for tomorrow, for example regarding weight distribution.” Andrea Dosoli (Head of Race Operations): “We started with both riders using the latest spec of the engine, which shows its potential on this track and is working well which is good. In the colder conditions of the morning, Marco was quite fast with the hard tyre. In the afternoon with a higher track temperature, he was struggling a bit more with chattering. We are confident that we will be able to reduce that for tomorrow. Leon has done a good job. Even in the afternoon, when the conditions were more difficult, he was able to go consistently fast. We are confident that we can improve our set-up for tomorrow to enable both riders to fight for the first row.” More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: NEW PIRELLI DIABLO SUPERCORSA SC TYRES MAKE DEBUT AT IMOLA WITH THE SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP RIDERS In the 120/70 ZR17 size for the front and 200/55 ZR17 for the rear, the new tyres will be used from this year in the SC2 compound version by the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup riders Multiple world Superbike champion Troy Bayliss had this to say after testing them: “Simply excellent tyres. I know Pirelli quality well, but this time they’ve managed to astonish me. Good job, Pirelli” Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari (Imola), 30 March 2012 The newest member of the Diablo family, introduced in a world sneak peek during EICMA 2011 at the first flagship Pzero Moda Store which opened last September in Milan, are ready to hit the track. The new tyres will take centre stage at the Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari at Imola for the first Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race. In fact, from this year all the riders in this category will use the SC2 compound version of the new Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SC tyres in sizes 120/70 ZR17 for the front and 200/55 ZR17 for the rear. Pirelli will introduce this new tyre gradually into the top racing world with only the SC2 compound version first in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup and only in the specified sizes. At the beginning of 2013 Pirelli will also make the SC0 and SC1 compounds available for the SC version as well as 150/60, 160/60, 180/55, 180/60, 190/55 sizes for the rear and 110/70 for the front in order to extend use of the new tyre to national championships. The new Diablo Supercorsa SC, destined solely for competition use, is the evolution of Pirelli’s most victorious racing supersport product: first made in 2007, in just four years the Diablo Supercorsa won 65 victories in 18 countries and it has raced in more than 60 national and international open tyre championships in 9 countries. In fact, the new Diablo Supercorsa SC is the highest performance street legal racing tyre ever made by Pirelli, designed to hold precise racing lines on straight stretches as well as curves. It provides a profile which favours handling, less wear during track use, unparalleled grip and unprecedented racing performance. “Simply excellent tyres”, was the enthusiastic comment from Troy Bayliss, the Superbike champion who had the opportunity to test them on the Yas Marina track in Abu Dhabi a few weeks ago.”These tyres in the SC2 compound brought me back to an absolute total racing feel. I know Pirelli quality well, but this time they’ve managed to astonish me. Good job, Pirelli!” A feature which was particularly appreciated by the Australian rider is the extraordinary capacity to attack curves in braking with extreme neutrality until reaching the apex, guaranteeing grip and an absolute level of stability in the subsequent acceleration phases. The new Diablo Supercorsa SC has an exclusive and aggressive single element tread design, which is repeated six times on the tyre surface. The result is that the “naked” area of the slick shoulders is 24% wider compared to the previous Diablo Supercorsa, increasing contact area and grip. The long longitudinal grooves which reach the tyre’s shoulder from the central area of the profile ensure even wear even in the most severe use. The 200/55 ZR17 rear tyre has been completely redesigned and, compared to its predecessor from last year, has a profile which is 3 mm wider to increase the contact area, grip and rapid descent to a leaning position. However, this made it necessary to use a new structure which is able to provide greater resistance to deformation. This is why the rear tyre now has a carcass made from an innovative high module fibre, patented by Pirelli and developed in WSBK, with a considerably lower deformation index than the fibre normally used in street tyres. The result is a new carcass which is more rigid, both at the centre and in the shoulder area. This provides greater resistance to the stress created by aggressive cornering or when accelerating early out of turns with the bike still in a leaning position. The new carcass helps the bike achieve better performance each time the weight shifts from the front to the rear and vice versa, a characteristic which is even more evident as the lean angle increases. The new Diablo Supercorsa SC 120/70 ZR17 front tyre, on the other hand, has a 4 mm wider profile than last year’s tyre which favours greater control and support in high speed curves and better support during braking, as well as making the ride more intuitive and holding the line more precisely. The harmony of the front and rear profiles therefore ensures greater handling and agility. The new tyre has also been available from January in the race replica SP (Sport Production) version, for now only in the sizes which will be used by the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup riders. Then, at the beginning of 2013, in addition to the SC range for professional use on the track, Pirelli will also expand the SP street legal range with the 180/55, 190/50 and 190/55 for the rear. Compared to the compound version, the Diablo Supercorsa SP offers a dual blend rear tyre in order to better adapt to street use, as well as more regular wear which favours mileage. Both Diablo Supercorsa SP and Diablo Supercorsa SC lets you personalise your tyre with special rubber labels that can be applied to dedicated spaces on the front and rear sidewalls. Each rider can create a completely customized label for these spots on the Pirelli web site and have them delivered directly to their door (service available in Europe and Australia). More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: THE FIRST VERDICTS ARE IN FOR THE IMOLA SUPERBIKE ROUND. MAX BIAGGI STAYS AMONG THE TOP FOR THE FRIDAY TEST SESSIONS. EUGENE LAVERTY CONTINUES WORKING ON HIS RSV4 AND IS IN NINTH PLACE. Imola, 30 March 2012 The first day of tests and the first verdicts are in at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola. The Aprilia Racing Team arrives at the first Italian round after the excellent start at Phillip Island, which saw Max Biaggi as key player in both races. The Corsair aims for the first success of his career on the track that saw his world victory in 2010, an ambitious goal, but one that Max and his Team began working on from the first Friday test sessions. The day ended with a fourth qualifying time with extremely close times: an astonishing 15 riders are grouped to within less than one second of one another. This is a characteristic of the Imola track, decidedly improved (according to the riders) after the partial resurfacing. The last few tenths, notoriously the most difficult, will have to be shaved off tomorrow before the Superpole which will decide the starting order for the races on Sunday. “As often happens here at Imola the times are really close confirms Max Every tenth of a second is important here because it can mean various positions in the race. We’re quite happy with the work we did today, I’m back on this track after missing the races last year due to an injury. I found it pleasantly improved after the resurfacing, but it is still an old school track. Tomorrow we’ll build on what we started today to improve even more. I saw a lot of riders in excellent shape who will definitely put the pressure on during the races on Sunday”. Continuing his apprenticeship on the bike from Noale is Eugene Laverty, on the heels of a bit of an unlucky Australian round. The Northern Irish rider’s physical conditions are good, so now what Eugene is missing is the right feeling with his RSV4 that he’ll be riding on the Imola track for the first time. The twelfth time he put on the boards during the free practice session and the ninth during qualifiers are a testament to his improvement. Tomorrow Eugene will have to look for an edge in order to turn up at the races in the best possible condition. “This morning I struggled a bit to find the best setting but in the afternoon we moved in the right direction. Now we’re 4 tenths behind the front runners which is a good place to start for tomorrow. In any case we need to keep improving if we want to fight for a spot on the podium. A good outcome here would be very important for the season and that is certainly our goal, especially since my fitness is good and I can finally give 100%”. More, from a press release issued by Team Pro Ride Real Game Honda: Team Pro Ride Real Game Honda and Lorenzo Alfonsi started their road together at the first sessions in Imola at the World Superbikes Imola The Team Pro Ride Real Game Honda restarts in Imola at the World Superbike Championship with Lorenzo Alfonsi focused on defining a setting that can fit in the Tuscan rider’s riding style. The team from Lucca has never made a test with Alfonsi before and the first sessions today were for searching for some data for the second qualifying tomorrow. The team knows that there are a long road ahead to reach a competitive lap time, but the aim is not that far. Pro Ride staff finds himself in a good working atmosphere and the challenge now is to stay the most possible on the track, once only making so many laps we will have enough data to understand where to go. Besides, the more Lorenzo stays on the track the faster he remembers his Superbike way of riding. Lorenzo Alfonsi, rider “We have worked well today, we actually found some solutions. Let’s say that the bike has been built based on my profile and this is a quite good starting point. We still need to define some details and from tomorrow on we are ready to prove those solutions. I think the bike will be better, of course I knew it would be hard mainly because we haven’t tested before. Anyway, once we can improve some points I believe we will get some positions.” Eng. Marco Nicotari, team manager and technical director “Seguiamo nel passo a passo, desta mattina a sto pomeriggio Lorenzo ha migliorato praticamente 3 secondi e comincia a riprendere di nuovo un può la mano di cosa è una Superbike, ma non abbiamo fatto nessun test prima e quindi sappiamo che per avere dei risultati lui deve girare ancora tanto in pista. Domani speriamo, non nel qualifying, ma a fine giornata avere sceso ancora con questo tempo, il nostro target è girare intorno ai 1’50, se riusciamo a girare in ’50 entro domani sarà per noi una vittoria. Poi in gara sono sicuro che lui girerà ancora più veloce, perché più va in pista più si ricorda di cosa è una superbike e più va forte. Comunque stiamo lavorando e siamo già contenti per i passi avanti che abbiamo fatto oggi.” “We are moving step by step. From this morning up to the afternoon Lorenzo improved almost 3 seconds and then he starts to get his Superbike style back, but we haven’t tested before, Pro Ride have never raced in Imola before with a Superbike so we know we need so much lap time before starting to make some results. Tomorrow we hope, not at the qualifying but at the end of the day to have improved the lap time. Our target is 1’50, if we can get ’50 tomorrow it will be for us a victory. Then for the race I am sure that Lorenzo will be faster, he will more and more be more a Superbike rider again and each day he will be better and more prepared and stronger on the race track. Anyway we are working hard and we are happy for the improvements we have made today.”