FIM Superbike World Championship Brno, Czech Republic July 9 Final Qualifying Results, After Superpole (all on Pirleli tires): From Superpole Session Three: 1. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:58.580 2. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:58.801 3. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1098R), 1:58.908 4. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:59.055 5. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Ducati 1098R), 1:59.541 6. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:59.908 7. Leon CAMIER, Great Britain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:59.925 8. Tom SYKES, Great Britain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:00.303 From Superpole Session Two: 9. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:59.684 10. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Ducati 1098R), 1:59.800 11. Mark AITCHISON, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:00.362 12. Maxime BERGER, France (Ducati 1098R), 2:01.011 From Superpole Session One: 13. Leon HASLAM, Great Britain (BMW S1000RR), 2:00.252 14. Noriyuki HAGA, Japan (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 2:00.374 15. Lorenzo LANZI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 2:00.619 16. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 2:00.864 The Rest of the Grid: 17. Ruben XAUS, Spain (Honda CBR1000RR), 2:00.681 18. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:00.710 19. Joan LASCORZ, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:00.980 20. Chris VERMEULEN, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:01.447 21. Alex LOWES, Great Britain (Honda CBR1000RR), 2:02.430 22. Viktor KISPATAKI, Hungary (Honda CBR1000RR), 2:02.721 More, from a press release issued by Alitalia Aprilia: FIRST SUPERPOLE FOR MAX BIAGGI AND THE APRILIA ALITALIA RACING TEAM AT THE CZECH BRNO CIRCUIT. WORLD CHAMPION MAX BIAGGI WILL START FROM THE FIRST SPOT ON THE GRID TOMORROW IN THE EIGHTH WSBK ROUND RACES Leon Camier takes the seventh place on the grid with determination. Brno (Czech Republic), July 9th 2011 – On the track which has seen him triumph ten times in all of the categories he’s competed in, Max Biaggi does not betray the particular feeling he has with Brno’s ups, downs and turns. After an impeccably managed Superpole, moving through to the second and third session with the fourth best time in each of the first two, and above all, saving both of his qualifier tyres to use them on his RSV4 in the last, decisive session, Max stopped the clock with the best time at 1’58.580. Behind him Melandri and Checa trailed by 221 thousandths and 328 thousandths respectively. But the good results, the only results that he was lacking on this track where he had never taken pole position in Superbike, does not leave the World Champion serene: “Obviously I’m very pleased to start from the front – commented Max Biaggi at the end – and also to have made a really good lap. Evidently, along with my team, we have adapted well to the track’s extremely fickle conditions. I’m also pleased for the many fans that I have here and for the many who have followed me to be here. But, as always, what really counts are the results tomorrow. And that is a job that still must be done. I won’t delude myself. There are two very long and difficult races ahead of us tomorrow. There are many variables which can affect our performance tomorrow and the weather, which I’m told is uncertain, is the one I’m least concerned about”. For Leon Camier it was a stressful Superpole, but in the end it was anything but negative. Crashing in the first session while still far from the top 12, with only seconds to spare, the English rider managed to get back to the garage, hop on his second RSV4 and complete one last, good lap to pass through to Superpole 2. After coming through the second session with somewhat less drama, Leon battled among the final eight, but was unable to take full advantage of the softer tyres, ending up with the seventh best time. This is a placement which will allow him to start from the second row tomorrow. “Well, at least I can say I picked the right turn to fall on – joked Camier at the end of Superpole – I really thought I’d had it, and I’m not pleased about the mistake, but I was able to recover quite well. Starting from the second row won’t compromise my hopes of doing well tomorrow and, considering how things were shaping up, I have to be happy”. More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki: MICHEL’S BEST SUPERPOLE OF THE SEASON Team Alstare Suzuki rider Michel Fabrizio qualified sixth fastest in Superpole 3 – his best result this year – and will start tomorrow’s pair of 20-lap races from the second row of the grid. All season, Michel has struggled in Superpole, but today he was fifth quickest in regular qualifying, and his sixth in final Superpole was enough for a place on row two of the grid. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) took Superpole – his second of the season – with Marco Melandri (Yamaha) second. Series leader Carlos Checa (Ducati) finished third fastest, with Eugene Laverty (Yamaha) fourth. Michel – 6th, 1:59.908 I am happy to be on the first two rows of the grid, because it feels like a long time since I was there. It was very hard work out there today and I am very tired now because I was riding over my limit. But that’s what you have to do in Superpole and today my reward was the sixth quickest lap time. Our plan, as usual, was to get into Superpole 3 and we did that today by using our two qualifying tyres in Superpoles 1 and 2. That meant that I only had regular race rubber to use in Superpole 3 and so I wasn’t able to go any faster. Yesterday we had some problems with the rear end of the bike moving around on the brakes and today we solved the problem just by changing the tyre. I am happy with the set-up of my bike for the race and I am looking forward to getting two good starts and being right with the leaders from the beginning. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, but I really don’t think any of us want that. It will make life difficult for all of us and I don’t think the fans would be too happy either. I hope it stays dry and I can fight for the podium in both races. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Weather conditions: Sunny. Temperature: Air: 26 31 °C, Track: 43 51 °C Number of riders participating: 22 from 14 teams Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:59.322 min Fastest lap Superpole 3: Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) 1:58.580 min Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport experienced a disappointing Saturday. Factory rider Leon Haslam (GBR) will start the eighth round of the 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship in Brno (CZE) from the fourth row. Leon finished the Superpole qualifying in 13th, missing the second Superpole session only by 0,047 seconds . His team mate Troy Corser (AUS) is with the team at Brno but is not racing in order to give his fractured left forearm time to heal. Ayrton Badovini (ITA) from the BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team will start with his BMW S 1000 RR from ninth. His team mate Lorenzo Lanzi (ITA) qualified 15th. Leon Haslam: Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 2:00.164 min (P9) / Fastest lap FP: 2:00.949 min (P10) / Fastest lap Superpole 1: 2:00.252 min (P13) “As soon as we have rear grip on the bike we come across a lot of issues. The bike gets better the older the tyre gets, but with a new grippy tyre the issues start. The engine still accelerates into the corners, which on this circuit is quite difficult. The rear grip with the bike was really good with the qualifying tyre. I made a mistake on that lap with the engine push. So less than a tenth again and we are out. Our race pace is quite good, and this circuit is a bit wider and flowing, so we just need another good start and then we will try to get the best result we can.” Rainer Bäumel (Head of Race Operations): “It was a disappointing day. This is our worst Superpole result for Brno, as we always started here from the first or second row. Leon reported some issues with the qualifying tyre. This tyre had more grip and we struggled getting into the corners. So he just was not able to ride faster. In the races we will now try to make the best out of our grid position.” More, from a press release issued by Pata Racing Team: Superpole troubled by a misjudgment by Noriyuki Haga. The japanese rider performed a satisfying day of work improving his bike’s setting. He kicked off the Superpole 1 using the soft tyre hitting the 7th time and opting right after for a stop at the box. He kept with the same tyre even for the Superpole 2 fighting for a place among the first 2 rows. Unluckily it turned out as a bad choice and during the finale he’s been left out from the top 12. But his aim doesn’t change and tomorrow he’s ready to give his best both at the start and all the races long. Noriyuki Haga – Aprilia RSV4R #41 – “I’m disappointed about the Superpole. We eventually managed to improve the bike but I misjudged and it costed me at least two rows on the grid. If I’m going to perform a good start, I’m sure I’ll be able to run two good races. We still have to work on the back tyre though, because it wear out pretty fast.” Marco Borciani – team manager – ” The starting position is due to a wrong choice made by Haga. We knew we could have been able to hit the third Superpole but at the same time we improved a lot. Let’s try to complete the work during the warm up so that we can be protagonists during the races.” More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: THIRD PLACE FOR CHECA AND ALTHEA RACING ON TOMORROW’S GRID AT BRNO Brno (Czech Republic), Saturday 9th July: at the end of an intense day of work at the Brno circuit, Carlos Checa and the Althea Racing team closed the eighth Superpole of the season in third position. It is worth noting that this is the seventh time in eight events that Carlos will line up on the front row of the Superbike grid. On a very hot track (43ËšC), the SBK riders were out on track for second qualifying this morning. Times did not improve from yesterday and no-one was able to better Carlos’ best time of yesterday afternoon. Seventh in this session, with a best lap of 2m00.2, Checa’s fastest time from the first qualifying session guaranteed that he qualified in first position for the afternoon’s Superpole. During the early afternoon’s final practice session, the Althea Racing rider consolidated his performance, closing the session with the second overall fastest time on an increasingly hot track (51ËšC). Perhaps due to the heat, the times of almost all the riders were slightly higher than those of the morning, though Carlos was able to record a best of 2m00.1. Superpole 1: Carlos went out for the first Superpole phase on race rubber and just one fast lap was good enough to project him to second place on the timesheets, meaning he could return to the garage, having done more than enough to qualify for phase two. Superpole 2: as in the first session, Althea’s flagbearer needed to make just one lap during this twelve minute session. He immediately recorded a 1m58.9 which remained the fastest lap of the mini-session overall; he thus closed this second phase in first position. Superpole 3: Carlos completed two fast laps during this final phase, the first of which positioned him third in the final standings. Thanks to this time, Checa and the Althea Racing team will line up in third position on the grid for tomorrow’s all-important races. Carlos Checa: “I think we did a great job throughout the whole weekend. We didn’t have any particular expectations; we followed our normal work programme and are happy with the outcome. Qualifying went well and we finished third in Superpole. It will be a tough battle especially against Max and Marco tomorrow as you can see they have a strong pace but I believe we can stay with them at the front, this is the objective at least. Tomorrow’s races will have a lot to do with the tyres, the temperature and the general conditions, and we’ll see how we measure up against the others. But considering that this is not one of our favourite tracks, we are satisfied with today’s result.” More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Brno (Czech Republic), Saturday 9 July 2011 Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) took his second Tissot-Superpole win of the year today by posting a lap of 1 minute 58.580 seconds, holding off the push of his fellow Italian Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike). Third on the grid is championship leader Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati). The top four riders in the championship convened a meeting on the front row when Melandri’s team-mate Eugene Laverty went fourth. Max Biaggi: “It’s been very tough for track conditions, different from last year, different tyres as well. It’s very good for us and I’m so happy for this result to get pole in front of all these people. Brno is a really great track, lots of long blind corners, a lot of exit space and it’s very wide and I have a much better feeling here than at other tracks, but tomorrow is another story, it’ll be a long, long race and hopefully the tyre will do a good job.” Marco Melandri: “Brno has also been a good track for me in the past, and since Friday morning we’ve done a good job with the Yamaha, the bike’s been working well step by step. A second place for sure is a very good position. It’s going to be very tough for the tyres tomorrow, but very interesting and I’m happy with today.” Carlos Checa: “I think we did a great job over all the weekend, at the end of qualifying we are third, which is positive. We know it’s going to be hard against Max and Marco because they have done fast laps. Anyway I did a good lap in Superpole, we knew at the start that this was not one of our favourite circuits, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” Eugene Laverty: “This morning we tried something which didn’t work very well , so we had to take a step backwards. In the free practice session we made progress in the right direction and I topped the times for the first time this year, which I am quite pleased with. Superpole went smoothly. All I wanted was a front row for two good races tomorrow, it’s very important in order to be in a position to fight for a win. That’s what I’m aiming for, but I’d be happy with a podium!” Home rider Jakub Smrz (EffenbertLiberty Racing Ducati) will start from fifth position on the grid, one place up on Suzuki Alstare’s Michel Fabrizio. Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) crashed in Superpole 1 but hurried back to the pits to ride his spare machine and he made it all the way to Superpole 3, and an eventual seventh place ranking. The last place on row two went to Tom Sykes”ƒ(Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike) who had to use his two qualifying rear tyres in the first two Superpole sessions, meaning he had no realistic chance of getting onto the front row in the final run. Ayrton Badovini”ƒ(BMW Motorrad Italia SBK)”ƒheads the third row, from Sylvain Guintoli”ƒ(Effenbert-Liberty Racing) and the ever-improving Mark Aitchison”ƒ(Pedercini Kawasaki). Maxime Berger headed a host of bigger names to take his Supersonic Racing Ducati to 12th on the grid. Times: 1. Biaggi M. (ITA)Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’58.580; 2. Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’58.801; 3. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1’58.908; 4. Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF R1 1’59.055; 5. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’59.541; 6. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’59.908; 7. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’59.925; 8. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2’00.303; 9. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’59.684; 10. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 109 1’59.800; 11. Aitchison M. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2’00.362; 12. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 2’01.011; 13. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 2’00.252; 14. Haga N. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2’00.374; 15. Lanzi L. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2’00.619; 16. Baiocco M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2’00.864; etc. World Supersport Fabien Foret (Ten Kate Honda) took a Honda bike to pole position in Supersport for the second time this year following Sam Lowes’ exploit at Misano Adriatico. The Frenchman’s time of 2 minutes 03.548 seconds came right at the end of the session and it allows the former Brno winner and Supersport champion to launch a major push for the win tomorrow. Foret was just a fraction ahead of the two Kawasaki Motocard.com riders Broc Parkes and David Salom, who are also looking particularly competitive, while Britain’s Gino Rea also consolidated his weekend progress with an excellent fourth place for the Step Racing Honda team. Massimo Roccoli (Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki) heads up the second row of the grid ahead of Parkalgar Honda’s Lowes, with Robbin Harms (Harms Benjan Honda), points leader Chaz Davies (Yamaha ParkinGO) and Roberto Tamburini (Bike Service Yamaha) the next qualifiers. The other top title contender Luca Scassa (Yamaha ParkinGO) was unable to go any higher than twelfth. Times: 1. Foret F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 2’03.548; 2. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2’03.611; 3. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2’03.681; 4. Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2’03.909; 5. Roccoli M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2’04.093; 6. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2’04.123; 7. Davies C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 2’04.610; 8. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 2’04.639; etc. Superstock 1000 Two Ducatis and two BMWs will make up the front row of the starting grid for the Superstock 1000 race. Pole position went to Italian Danilo Petrucci (Barni Racing Team Ducati), who was just a fraction ahead of points leader Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati). German bikes took the remaining two positions, with Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock Team) in front of Markus Reiterberger (Garnier Alpha Racing Team). Row 2 is an all-Italian affair, starting with Lorenzo Baroni (Althea Racing Ducati), followed by Niccolò Canepa (Lazio Motorsport Ducati), Lorenzo Zanetti (BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock Team) and Fabio Massei (Piellemoto BMW). Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Lorenzini) was the first non-Ducati and non-BMW rider in ninth, while rookie Ferruccio Lamborghini (Ten Kate Junior Team) had a good session, qualifying in fourteenth. Results: 1. Petrucci D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2’03.617; 2. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2’03.855; 3. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 2’04.006; 4. Reiterberger M. (GER) BMW S1000 RR 2’04.086; 5. Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2’04.355; 6. Canepa N. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2’04.421; 7. Zanetti L. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2’04.480; 8. Massei F. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2’04.638; etc. Superstock 600 – Race Dino Lombardi (Martini Corse Yamaha) led throughout the entire 10-lap race by a large margin, but was almost caught by three chasing rivals in the final stages. The Italian managed to take the win however by a couple of tenths from Joshua Day (Revolution Racedays Kawasaki), Tomas Krajci (TK Racing Slovakia Yamaha) and Gauthier Duwelz (MTM-RT Motorsports Yamaha), who finished in that order. Stefane Egea (ASPI Yamaha) finished in fifth place, just ahead of Assen winner Michael Van der Mark (Ten Kate Junior Honda), while Riccardo Russo (Trasimeno Yamaha) was next up. In the championship Lombardi now lies second, ten points behind Romain Lanusse (MRS Yamaha Racing France), who crashed out. Third place in the table is in the hands of Jed Metcher (MTM-RT Motorsports Team Yamaha), who retired after a trip into the gravel. Results: 1. Lombardi D. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 21’27.702 (151,051 kph); 2. Day J. (USA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 0.280; 3. Krajci T. (SVK) Yamaha YZF R6 1.133; 4. Duwelz G. (BEL) Yamaha YZF R6 1.450; 5. Egea S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 6.653; 6. Vd Mark M. (NED) Honda CBR600RR 6.797; 7. Russo R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 7.292; 8. Calero Perez N. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R6 10.117; etc. Points (after 5 of 10 rounds): 1. Lanusse 81; 2. Lombardi 71; Metcher 61; 4. Vd Mark, Day, Duwelz 51; etc. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Sykes On Row Two At Blistering Brno Tom Sykes flew the Kawasaki flag highest in qualifying and superpole at Brno, finally ending up eighth overall and on the second row of the grid for Sunday’s 20-lap Superbike World Championship races. Sykes had also been eighth in combined qualifying and continued to be competitively fast even when he had qualifying tyres fitted in Superpole Two. A change of front tyre before Superpole One meant he had to use both his qualifying rears earlier than he wanted to and he could not put in a final challenge for the front row starting spots in Superpole Three. Track temperatures got to over 50 degrees Celcius during superpole and Sykes had expected he would have to work hard to ensure he had a good machine set up in these conditions. Thanks to positive work from both the team and the rider strong pace was found on both qualifying and race tyres. Early falls for both Joan Lascorz and Chris Vermeulen on Friday determined much of their subsequent practice results, with Lascorz 19th and Vermeulen 20th in combined qualifying, and both missing out on a Superpole place. It will be tough for them both in the early race laps at Brno on Sunday, but the great width of this track and the many chicanes along its 5.403km length mean that there will be plenty of opportunities for overtaking. Kawasaki Pedercini Team rider Mark Aitchison has another strong superpole showing, taking his Ninja ZX-10R to 11th in a field of 22 riders. His team-mate Roberto Rolfo was 18th in qualifying. Tom Sykes: “Overall, not too bad because our target is always to get on the front two rows. Our hand got forced and we had to use a qualifier in Superpole one that was not in our script! We put a hard front tyre in thinking we should be OK but the tyre would not dig in and grip and make the apex the way we wanted it to and I almost lost the front a couple of times. In Superpole Two when we tried another option of front tyre and another rear qualifier, everybody saw what we could do. The boys are working hard and I am digging in and we managed to put it on the second row of the grid. Tomorrow is another day and we will keep chipping away and hopefully we can have a bit of a surprise like Misano and Aragon. We were pole and second row there, and were running top five in the races. I just need something I have not quite mastered on this bike yet, a good clean start. If we get that I am confident that I can get away and be top five or six again.” Joan Lascorz: “It has been difficult because I crashed in free practice in the morning yesterday and in the afternoon in qualifying I did not have a good result. I changed the settings for today and we improved the rear shock and in the end I put on a new set of tyres to do a fast time. Then we had a little problem with the filter in the fuel tank being a little blocked, so I could not make the time I wanted to. I missed out on Superpole so it will be difficult because of my starting position but there are some places to pass here at Brno.” Chris Vermeulen: “I fell in the first session yesterday and I landed on my same elbow I had injured previously. It has swollen up quite a lot. There is no major damage and the doctors said I can ride but it will be painful. I also landed on my back, which is quite stiff and sore. We started one session behind because my bike was damaged in the Friday crash and we could not get it fixed in time to go out again. Yesterday afternoon it went well and the times came a bit better. Today we have not been able to improve the bike to get that next half-second, which is what I need to get into that next group ahead.” Mark Aitchison: “Our bike seems to work best when we have a lot of tyre grip. There is a lot of transfer of weight when we have the grip and this helps our situation a lot. When we have less grip there is less transfer and less feeling from the bike. That is what we are trying to understand more fully now. We have changed a few things this weekend and we also changed the settings for Superpole. We are trying something different every time and finding improvements.” More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda: Castrol Honda riders miss out on Superpole Ruben Xaus and Alex Lowes both missed today’s final Superpole qualifying shootout for tomorrow’s two eighth round World Superbike championship races at Brno in the Czech Republic. Xaus has cited lack of rear grip and rear-end chatter on his machine as his main barriers to gaining the additional half second or so in his lap time that would have seen him battling for a place in the top ten or better. Alex Lowes, who is enjoying his first outing on the Castrol Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade at the 5.403km Brno circuit this weekend, continued to make progress today, particularly in adapting his riding to suit the machine’s performance. The 20-year-old from Lincoln in the UK has been trying to alter his braking style to carry less speed into Brno’s corners. As a result, Lowes’s lap times have continued to fall throughout his first four sessions on the bike. However, starting from 17th and 21st p laces on the grid respectively will leave both Xaus and Lowes plenty to do in tomorrow’s two 18-lap Brno races. Ruben Xaus 17th, 2m00.681s It’s been a very tough weekend for me so far and we have not been able to dial out the chatter problem I’ve had. Also, with the higher track temperatures today, the grip level fell and we have been looking for the right balance today. It didn’t come unfortunately and that will mean two difficult races tomorrow but I think temperatures will be lower tomorrow which might help a little bit. Alex Lowes 21st, 2m01.724s I definitely made some improvements on the braking side today and you can see from the data that, in some places, I’m braking twice as hard as yesterday. It’s difficult to make such a major change to my riding and I’ve been concentrating so hard that sometimes it’s affected other par ts of my riding! But I’m loving it and learning all the time about the bike and about how I can improve how I ride it. I’ve knocked about three seconds off my lap time since yesterday and I’m going to shave some more off tomorrow and try to have two mega races. I can’t wait for the lights to go off now! Ronald ten Kate team manager This is definitely not where we want to be on the grid, but Alex is learning to adapt to the CBR. He has made some improvements today and I’m sure there will be more progress tomorrow that will allow him to enjoy the races. It’s not an easy job and the standard in this championship is very high but, as long as he continues to improve in each session, it will continue be a solid experience for him. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Yamaha Secure Front Row for Brno Race Day Yamaha World Superbike Team riders Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty delivered impressive performances in sweltering sunshine in Brno today to secure two front row positions on tomorrow’s starting grid. Melandri kept his cool on the hot track to comfortably complete Superpole one in first place on a race tyre while team-mate Laverty, qualified for the second session in ninth place. Both riders switched to qualifiers for the Second Superpole to complete the heat with Laverty in second place and Melandri in fourth before being bumped down a position in the dying seconds and consequently finishing up third and sixth. The final heat saw the Yamaha World superbike riders immediately produce a flying lap to secure two front row positions on the starting grid of the historical Brno Automotodrom. Melandri will start tomorrow’s two races from second place, while Laverty is in fourth. The Italian also registered the top speed in all three Superpole sessions todays, reaching an impressive high of 295.9 Km/h on his Yamaha R1 machine This morning’s second qualifying session saw Melandri completing a series of laps, focusing on tyre wear ahead of tomorrow’s races with the hope the threatened rain storms hold off. Team-mate Laverty tried some new changes to his bike’s chassis set-up. Failing to improve on yesterday’s performance, the Irishman returned to the original base set-up and completed the afternoon’s free Practice session topping the time sheets for the first time in his World Superbike rookie year. Melandri Melandri Yamaha World Superbike Team – 2nd, 1’58.580 “It was a good day for me, my Yamaha worked very well. My team has done a great job, working hard and step by step making improvements, so thanks a lot to them! We knew the qualifying would be difficult so I’m really happy with my second place. It’s not pole position but that’s not important for me. The main thing is to be on the front row. The weather conditions tomorrow will make it interesting. We are expecting rain so anything can happen. But also if it’s hot like today the race will be difficult too, as it won’t be easy to keep the pace.” Eugene Laverty Yamaha World Superbike Team – 4th, 1’59.055 “This morning we tried something which didn’t work very well, so we had to take a step backwards. In the free practice session we made progress in the right direction and I topped the times for the first time this year, which I am quite pleased with. Superpole went smoothly. All I wanted was a front row for two good races tomorrow so that’s what I’m hoping for. A good starting place on the grid is very important in order to be in a position to fight for a win. That’s what I’m aiming for, but I’d be happy with a podium!” Andrea Dosoli – Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager “A front row start for both riders shows how the teams have worked hard and Marco and Eugene are both very competitive. They were fast on the qualifiers but also on the race tyres and this is important. Marco improved the chassis set up and the gearbox this morning while Eugene made progress on the front end. The times he put in during the free practice prove how strong he can be tomorrow. We expect very different weather conditions tomorrow so it will be difficult for everyone to choose the suitable tyres. I am confident that we can be strong no matter what the weather is like.”