FIM Superbike World Championship Assen, Netherlands April 16 Final Qualifying Results, After Superpole (all on Pirelli tires): From Superpole Three: 1. Carlos Checa, Spain (Duc 1098R), 1:35.292 2. Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic (Duc 1098R), 1:35.560 3. Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Yam YZF-R1), 1:35.580 4. Noriyuki Haga, Japan (Apr RSV4 Factory), 1:35.920 5. Jonathan Rea, Great Britain (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:36.138 6. Max Biaggi, Italy (Apr RSV4 Factory), 1:36.302 7. Tom Sykes, Great Britain (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:36.351 8. Marco Melandri, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), 1:37.036 From Superpole Two: 9. Leon Camier, Great Britain (Apr RSV4 Factory), 1:35.903 10. Troy Corser, Australia (BMW S1000RR), 1:35.954 11. Joan Lascorz, Spain (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:35.983 12. Leon Haslam, Great Britain (BMW S1000RR), 1:36.089 From Superpole One: 13. Michel Fabrizio, Italy (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:36.148 14. Ruben Xaus, Spain (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:36.260 15. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Duc 1098R), 1:36.361 16. Ayrton Badovini, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:36.920 The Rest of the Grid: 17. Maxime Berger, France (Duc 1098R), 1:37.272 18. Chris Vermeulen, Australia (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:37.501 19. Barry Veneman, Netherlands (BMW S1000RR), 1:37.569 20. Roberto Rolfo, Italy (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:37.676 21. Mark Aitchison, Australia (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:37.794 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Alstare: 2011 Superbike World Championship Round 3, Assen, NL Final qualifying and Superpole, Saturday 16th April Circuit: 4.542 kms Conditions: Dry, overcast, 16 C (air), 16-19C (track) MICHEL HELD UP UP Team Suzuki Alstare rider Michel Fabrizio was unable to get into Superpole 2 when he was held up by a slower rider on his final hot lap in Superpole 1. Fellow countryman Ayrton Badovini (BMW) was not going quickly but remained on the racing line instead of moving over. Michel was forced to check his speed and go off line and so lost the chance of getting into Superpole 2 by just one hundredth of a second. Spaniard Carlos Checa (Ducati) took his third Superpole of the season, with a lap of 1:35.293. Jakub Smrz (also Ducati mounted) took second, with Eugene Laverty (Yamaha) third and Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia) fourth. Michel – 13th, 1:36.148 It was a great shame what happened at the end of the first Superpole because it ruined what would’ve probably been a place on the front two rows of the grid. My times on race tyres have been consistently good and I was fairly confident of being on at least the second row. I was on a hot lap, towards the end of Superpole 1, and was thinking that Superpole 2 would be no problem. But then I saw Badovini right on the racing line and had to change my direction. That small change was enough to lose the chance of getting into Superpole 2 and I was angry because he wasn’t even on a fast lap. Racing is like that sometimes, but now it means I have a mountain to climb in the races tomorrow. It’s a pity because I am pretty happy with my race set up and know I can do consistently good times – but the problem is going to be my grid position. Starting from the fourth row of the grid is never easy because everybody is so competitive and it’s going to be difficult to run with the leaders if I do not get good starts. So my aim is to get the best starts I can and see how far up the field I can get in the first lap. It’s going to be another tough day, but I am determined to fight hard and will do the very best I can. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Weather conditions: Mostly cloudy. Temperature: Air: 16 17 °C, Track: 16 19 °C Number of riders participating: 21 from 12 teams Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) 1:36.035 min Fastest lap Superpole 3: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:35.292 min Today Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport put in a strong performance, but did not get the reward it deserved. Works riders, Troy Corser (AUS) and Leon Haslam (GBR), will start the third round of the 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship at Assen (NED) from the third row. Troy finished the Superpole Qualifying tenth, and Leon twelfth. Before that both riders demonstrated the potential of their BMW S 1000 RRs. They finished all practice and qualifying sessions in top positions, with Troy being fastest in the second free practice. But in the second Superpole session the team suffered unexpected tyre issues. Troy Corser: Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:36.322 min (P4) / Fastest lap FP: 1:35.818 min (P1) / Fastest lap Superpole 2: 1:35.954 min (P10) “On race tyres the bike feels good. We are able to run consistently good lap times and our race pace looks good for tomorrow. Superpole today was certainly disappointing, as we struggled to get the optimum performance from the qualifying tyres. So tomorrow we will have to focus on getting a good start and try and push to run with the riders on the front row. Still I am confident enough in my starts to hopefully achieve that.” Leon Haslam: Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:36.455 min (P6) / Fastest lap FP: 1:36.457 min (P6) / Fastest lap Superpole 2: 1:36.089 min (P12) “Today was a tough day, as we have good race pace and our times on race tyres are good. We have worked on fine tuning our set-up for the race this weekend, and we are happy with the progress we made on that side. Sadly when we put on the qualifying tyres we suffered from some issues that prevented me from going any quicker. It’s a shame to finish up in twelfth because my times on race tyres were good enough to get me through to Superpole 3. The qualifying tyre just didn’t work for us today. It’s frustrating because this is the first time I have been off the front row. Still we now need to forget about this and concentrate on the tomorrow’s races.” Rainer Bäumel (Head of Race Operations): “Unfortunately in the second Superpole session we struggled with our qualifying tyres. Both riders were affected by this, so we only qualified for the third row. Tomorrow we will try to make the best we can out of it. We are quite confident because our long run performance with race tyres is still very good. I expect very close races – the same as we saw here last year. We have to try to be in the leading group, and then a lot will be possible.” More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda: Second row for Rea in Assen Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea will start tomorrow’s two third round World Superbike races at Assen in the Netherlands from the second row of the grid after setting the fifth fastest time in this afternoon’s Superpole sessions. Pole position was taken by Spain’s Carlos Checa as Rea’s Castrol Honda team-mate Ruben Xaus set the 14th fastest time for a fourth row start in tomorrow’s two 22-lap encounters at the historic 4.452km Assen circuit. Rea and his crew made significant improvements overnight to the stability under braking of his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, which allowed the 24-year-old from Northern Ireland to set the fastest time in this morning’s second regulation qualifying session. However, in the first Superpole session, a lack of confidence in his front tyre required Rea to use one of his two allocated qualifying tyres, forcing him to use a race tyre for the final, eight-rider sh oot-out in Superpole 3. Jonathan Rea P5 Today’s been much more positive and we made big improvements with our clutch set-up today which has allowed the bike to be a lot more stable under braking. It’s been a big step forward that we’ve lacked so far this season. Session two was good today and we got long runs on both options to try and sort the race tyre out, so we’ve covered our bases whether the temperature rises or falls tomorrow. Unfortunately we had to use a Q in the first Superpole because the front tyre wasn’t quite right. Superpole 2 was fantastic and we were third fastest with good pace but then we were out of Qs for Superpole 3. I tried to recycle one, which wasn’t so good and went back out on a used race tyre. We should probably have used a new one but with the available quantities that wasn’t an option. We’re still evaluating whether to run to softer tyre tomorrow, so we nee ded to keep some back. But I went quite quick on the used one so I’m happy with that. The plan is still to aim for the podium in both races tomorrow. Ruben Xaus P14 We’re getting better but it’s been a bit like Donington here the morning warmer than the afternoon and then we lose grip. Tyre quantity has also been an issue here, so we have been changing the set up to suit the tyres that we have available, so it has been difficult. I was about one tenth from getting into Superpole 2 which was closer than Donington and Phillip Island. Tomorrow I’ll try to make a good start and go for two more top ten placings, or better. I hope from Monza onwards that the weather will be a little warmer and that might suit both me and the bike. Ronald ten Kate team manager After a difficult day yesterday, today was really quite a lot better for Jonathan and we managed to improve the bike a lot by making some rather big changes. They worked out well for him but the Superpole sessions were really strange. First the front didn’t work and then the qualifier didn’t work and it was all just a bit weird. Anyhow, coming to fifth position was good and we believe that there will be quite a big leading group in the races so we’ll just have to make sure he’s in there. With Ruben, the softer tyre is running nice but on the harder tyre there seems to be no grip at all. We were hoping we would continue the improvements he’s been showing since the start of the season but it seems it came to a bit of a stop here. We definitely need to find something different for him for tomorrow. More, from a press release issued by PATA Racing Team: Goal hit for Nitro Nori Haga, that will sprint from the first row during the two races, tomorrow. The PATA Racing Team rider has optimized the today’s practices reaching a setting-level that led to be fast both during the free practices and the Superpole. A thrilling one, with all the riders closed to eachother by few second’s fraction. After he got through the first third of sessions, Haga was able to hit the top 8 and to fight the placing among the first two rows. During the third session he gave his best gaining the fourth placement on the starting grid. Noriyuki Haga – Aprilia RSV4R #41 – “I’d love to win tomorrow, even if it won’t be easy. The aim is to obtein two great results to dedicate to all the japanese supporters that are going through hard times. So far we’ve been able to do everything at the best, we still have doubts about the setting that could let the tyre stays in good conditions until the end of the race and we’ll work during the warm up tomorrow to do the best choice.” Marco Borciani – team manager – “Today’s result confirm that Nori has already reached a good feeling with the bike. He’s been really quick even during the free practice where we ended the setting in sight of the race, this way, we are expecting to be protagonists during the races as well. It won’t be easy but so far, this is the wee kend where we’ve seen the highest level-balance with all the riders close to eachother.” More, from a press release issued by Alitalia Aprilia: SECOND AND THIRD ROW FOR THE APRILIA ALITALIA RIDERS AT ASSEN IN THE THIRD ROUND OF WSBK. Max Biaggi was forced to face Superpole with the second bike, two mistakes compromise Leon Camier’s performance. Assen, 16 April 2011 A light and dark Superpole was the scene on the Assen track for the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team. A series of mishaps plagued the two riders, jeopardizing the starting positions in spite of the good times achieved during the practice sessions. Reigning champion Max Biaggi had to face Superpole with his second RSV4 due to a crash in the last free practice session. An abnormal quirk which returned during Superpole as well, although in a less pronounced way, is the reason for the sixth place which means the second row of the starting grid tomorrow. Leon Camier, particularly quick throughout the day, came through the first Superpole session without any problems. During the second, in which the 12 best times compete, the English rider made two simple mistakes in the last section while on pace for one of the top times. Quite a disappointment for him, but also a positive assessment of a competitive race pace in spite of finding himself starting from ninth place. “Everything started with the crash in the last practice session comments Max Biaggi which forced me to use the bike which I’ve used the least for Superpole. The inexplicable jerk which caused the crash came back in a lesser form on the second bike as well. In the end we earned this sixth place which isn’t bad if we consider the circumstances, but I can’t say that I’m completely sorted for tomorrow. Maybe we needed a little more time. Now we’ll have to try and shave something off during the warm-up and give it our most during the two races”. Leon Camier does not hide his misdeeds: “I’m really disappointed. In the second Superpole session I made two mistakes that ruined some very quick laps. We could have been out front. It’s a shame because as far as the race pace goes, we are in good shape. This should make me feel better, but I know how difficult it is to start from behind, losing precious time in the first laps. I’ll have to make a good start and stay focused in order to recover as many positions as possible taking advantage of my race pace”. More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: 3 OUT OF 3; CHECA AND THE ALTHEA RACING TEAM CELEBRATE THIRD CONSECUTIVE POLE OF THE 2011 SEASON Assen (The Netherlands), Saturday 16th April 2011: after two rather difficult qualifying sessions, the Althea Racing team and rider Carlos Checa knew exactly how to fight back, snatching their third consecutive pole of the 2011 SBK season today at the TT Circuit of Assen, which came as something of a surprise to the rider but serves as a huge confidence boost ahead of tomorrow’s races. The Superbike riders were out on track this morning for the second qualifying session in temperate conditions similar to yesterday. Carlos, continuing the tyre work started yesterday, began to improve on his times in the second half of the session, closing qualifying in ninth position overall, easily progressing to the afternoon’s Superpole. Superpole 1: In this first phase Carlos made two exits with his 1198 on race rubber. The second exit left him in tenth position, sufficient to pass to the second phase and a tactic that left him with both qualifying tyres available for the successive sessions. Superpole 2: making use of the first of two qualifying tyres, the Spaniard made two laps, the second faster than the first, to close the session in second position. Superpole 3: the second qualifier behaved well and allowed Carlos to complete a clean, error-free lap for which he was rewarded with pole position for tomorrow’s races. This is the third time in three races that Carlos and Althea Racing have enjoyed this privilige, and they hope to take advantage of the opportunity tomorrow. Carlos Checa “The result, to tell the truth, came as a surprise because we were struggling a little in the first phase of the Superpole and it is easy to find yourself knocked out for just a tenth of a second. We risked going out but were luckily able to continue and the qualifying tyres in the second and third sessions really worked well for me. In the final session I was able to make two very fast laps, one of which was very clean, without mistakes, and this way we took the fastest time. I didn’t expect it because in the final minutes other riders were lapping very fast too but of course I am extremely happy with the result. The third pole in three races, incredible! I must however remain realistic; tomorrow will not be easy because we’ve seen that times are closer than ever. I’ll do my best to get a strong start and stick with the leaders and we’ll see what we can do.” Genesio Bevilacqua General Manager of Althea Racing “Everybody was thinking we had a lot of problems but we want to tell our fans and supporters that we always work with the race in mind and don’t use the practice sessions solely as an opportunity to make the fastest times, though that is nice if it happens. In order to guarantee a solid performance come race day, we must work in race mode all weekend. I thank the whole technical team who gave their all today, a difficult day, and of course I thank Carlos who demonstrated once again that he is a top rider able to work in all conditions.” More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Carlos the red fox takes Superpole number three Assen (Netherlands), Saturday 16 April 2011 – Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) secured his third pole in three race meetings with a fabulous 1 minute 35.292 second lap in the final Superpole session, leading home Jakub Smrz (Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati) and Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team). Checa had been only ninth in combined qualifying, even through the times were tight through the field, but left his best for last again and took pole by 0.268 seconds from Smrz. The final place on the front row for Sunday’s races was taken by Noriyuki Haga (Pata Racing Team Aprilia) meaning that three privateer riders earned places on row 1. Carlos Checa: “We were struggling a little in Superpole 1 because we used a race tyre. We expected to be inside but it was crazy with a few riders in a few tenths of a second and you can be in or out just like that. Then we worked well with the qualifying tyre, in session 2 and especially the last one where I did a really good lap without any mistakes. It’s a great satisfaction for me but honestly it was quite hard!” Jakub Smrz: “I wanted the pole today but I had some trouble with the tyres. The bike was good, but Carlos was very fast today. It’s good to be on the front two, the team and everyone did good work. I learnt that I was only 12th after Superpole 1 because I didn’t see the lap times, so I was lucky in the first one. Then I started pushing in the second session, but here it’s always very close and it’s never easy.” Eugene Laverty: “It was an eventful session, we used the qualifiers up during the Superpole so in the end I had to use a softer race tyre, I surprised myself with the lap time when I saw it on the dash. That was great! I knew it was going to be enough for the front row, but it was tough. I could do times like that for a couple of laps but we’ve got some work to do for the races to make the bike more stable.” Last year’s double winner Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) went fifth fastest, and world champion Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) was sixth. Top Kawasaki rider was Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike) but Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) lost his chance of pole by crashing in the final minutes and he now starts the races from the back of row two. Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) and Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) just missed out on the final period of Superpole qualifying but made it into the top ten. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) went 11th after an incredibly close second Superpole session, but Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) could not make the most of his qualifying tyres and went from a Superpole contender to 12th. Competition has been so close at Assen that the top 15 riders were within one second after combined qualifying, and all 21 riders were grouped within 1.759 seconds pre-Superpole. Times: 1. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1’35.292; 2. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’35.560; 3. Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF R1 1’35.580; 4. Haga N. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’35.920; 5. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’36.138; 6. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’36.302; 7. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’36.351; 8. Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’37.036; 9. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’35.903; 10 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR; 1’35.954; 11. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’35.983; 12. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 1’36.089; 13. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’36.148; 14. Xaus R. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’36.260; 15. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’36.361; 16. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’36.920; etc. World Supersport Championship leader Luca Scassa (Yamaha ParkinGO Team) set the pole time in the Supersport class with a 1 minute 38.008s lap, his second such pre-race performance this year. Close behind was Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) with the rest of the top riders a little way back and led by Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Motocard.com). The last rider on the front row was Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda). New young star in this class and Foret’s team-mate Florian Marino, was fifth in the grid rankings and Chaz Davies was sixth for the Yamaha ParkinGO team. Spanish competitor David Salom (Kawasaki Motocard.com) and Italian Roberto Tamburini (Bike Service RT Yamaha) closed out the second row, with 30 riders qualifying in total. Seasoned privateers Robbin Harms (Harms Benjan Racing) and Massimo Roccoli (Lorenzini by Leoni) rounded out the top ten. Times: 1. Scassa L. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’38.008; 2. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’38.289; 3. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’38.647; 4. Foret F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1’38.870; 5. Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1’38.945; 6. Davies C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1’39.007; 7. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’39.191; 8. Tamburini R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’39.483; etc. Superstock 1000 Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia STK) pushed his way to the front of the qualifying pack at Assen, ahead of three Italian riders. David Giugliano (Althea Racing), Danilo Petrucci (Barni Racing Team) and Luca Baroni (Althea Racing), all on Ducati 1098Rs, filled the final front row places for Sunday’s race, with local man Roy Ten Napel (Domburg Racing Honda) the top Fireblade rider. Next up was Andrea Antonelli (Team Lorini Honda) with the best Kawasaki rider so far proving to be South African favourite, Sheridan Morais (Lorenzini by Leoni). Morais was the last rider to qualify within a second of pole. Times: 1. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 1’39.208; 2. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’39.338; 3. Petrucci D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’39.470; 4. Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’39.733; 5. Ten Napel R. (NED) Honda CBR1000RR 1’39.811; 6. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’39.943; 7. Morais S. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’40.021; 8. Zanetti L. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’40.208; etc. Superstock 600 – Race The first Superstock 600 race of the season was a thrilling three-rider fight all the way, with Michael van der Mark (Ten Kate Junior Honda) holding off a last chicane charge from Romain Lanusse (MRS Yamaha Racing France) and a race-long challenge from Aussie Jed Metcher (MTM-RT Motorsports Yamaha). After 12-laps of intense competition the local 18-year-old rider enjoyed a margin of victory of 0.540 seconds from Lanusse, with Metcher almost snatching second place as an audacious move by Lanusse on van der Mark saw the Frenchman have to run wide and fight hard to keep second place. Results: 1. Vd Mark M. (NED) Honda CBR600RR 20’23.765; 2. Lanusse R. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 0.540; 3. Metcher J. (AUS) Yamaha YZF R6 0.590; 4. Lombardi D. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 8.960; 5. Cocco F. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 10.854; 6. Calero Perez N. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R6 16.024; 7. Russo R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 16.315; 8. Duwelz G. (BEL) Yamaha YZF R6 16.322; etc. European Junior Cup The new European Junior Cup for youngsters on Kawasaki Ninja 250 machines also produced its first pole sitter today, Australian Matt Davies getting the top slot ahead of Germany’s Tom Busch and Spain’s Ruben Fenoll. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Maiden Front Row in Assen Superpole for Laverty Yamaha World Superbike Team riders Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri provided impressive performances in Assen for today’s Superpole sessions to secure first and second row grid starts respectively ahead of tomorrow’s two races. Both riders dominated the first heat putting in the fastest laps on a set of qualifying tyres to take them comfortably into round two in first and second position. Eugene Laverty provided a nail-biting second session, battling to put in a series of fast laps before going through to the third and final heat of the day in seventh position, just over two tenths of a second behind first place. The final heat of this afternoon’s Superpole saw the talented young Irishman achieving his fastest lap on a softer race tyre to score his first front row start of his World Superbike career. Teammate Marco Melandri was also on top form throughout the afternoon, finishing the first two heats in second and fourth place respectively. A less fortunate third round saw Melandri lose the front of his bike on turn eight of the track, seconds before completing the session. The Italian heads into tomorrow’s two races in eighth position on the second row of the grid, determined to get off to good a start. Eugene Laverty Yamaha World Superbike Team – 3rd, 1’35.580 “That was certainly an eventful Superpole today. We used our qualifying tyre early on in the session and then had to use a softer race tyre in the final round. I surprised myself with the lap time I achieved. I knew I could make it into the front row but it was a tough battle. We have to concentrate on making the bike more stable for tomorrow’s race in order to be able to put in consistently fast laps throughout the race. I’m aiming for a podium but a win would also be very nice indeed.” Marco Melandri Yamaha World Superbike Team – 8th, 1’37.036 “We experienced both ups and downs today. Unfortunately I crashed in the final heat and lost out on the opportunity to be on the front row. On the other hand we made progress on the bike set up in this morning’s qualifying and that’s a step in the right direction. It’ll be a difficult two races tomorrow, Assen isn’t an easy track and a good start off the grid is necessary. We’ll do our best and see what happens.” More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: Second day of qualifying for team Pedercini’s Superbike and Superstock 1000 riders in a sunny and warm Assen TT circuit. In Superbike the twentieth and twenty first fastest times for Roberto Rolfo (1’37″676) and Mark Aitchison (1’37″794) respectively in today’s morning qualifying means they will start from the fifth and sixth rows of the grid in tomorrow’s Superbike races. Both Team Pedercini riders were hoping for more today on the Dutch TT track. They improved on their best lap times during the morning qualifying session but unfortunately not enough to enter the Superpole. In the afternoon free practice both Rolfo and Aitchison worked with their technicians to be ready for tomorrow’s 22-laps races. The Italian rider was twenty first (1’38″791) while the Aussie finished in seventeenth place (1’37″894). Superbike Saturday qualifying : 1) Rea (Honda) 2) Smrz (Ducati) 3) Biaggi (Aprilia) 4) Corser (BMW) .”¦..20) Rolfo (Kawasaki) 21) Aitchison (Kawasaki) Superbike Saturday free practice : 1) Corser (BMW) 2) Smrz (Ducati) 3) Camier (Aprilia) 4) Rea (Honda) “¦”¦. 17) Aitchison (Kawasaki) “¦”¦ 21) Rolfo (Kawasaki) Superbike – Superpole : 1) Smrz (Ducati) 2) Checa (Ducati) 3) Rea (Honda) 4) Haga (Aprilia) “¦.”¦..20) Rolfo (Kawasaki) 21) Aitchison (Kawasaki) Roberto Rolfo : “I’m really disappointed that I was not able to enter the Superpole as it was an attainable goal for me. The bike is much better than yesterday and during the afternoon free practice the technicians worked hard to reach certain objectives for tomorrow’s race. I have some problems in the first sector of the track while I’m very fast in the last one. In the afternoon we worked also on the electronic and general set-up of the bike. Tomorrow I’ll start from the fifth row of the grid and it won’t be easy, but my pace is not so bad and I’ll try to do my best to reach good results”. Mark Aitchison: “In the qualifying session this morning we have improved our lap time by more than one second, which is a big improvement for my team and I. Again we are working on very small modification to our bike and I think this is helping us understand a better direction for our set up. Our lap times seem to be consistent and I am enjoying riding my Kawasaki, so I look forward to our races tomorrow”. More, from a press release issued by Supersonic Racing Team: Maxime Berger missing Superpole for only 86 milliseconds, will start tomorrow from the fifth row. The Supersonic Racing Team missed some luck today in gaining a better position on the grid for Maxime Berger at the TT circuit in Assen, The Netherlands. The Frenchman has been excluded from Superpole by only 86 milliseconds and a seventeenth position in qualifying today. Maxime will start tomorrow from the fifth row of the grid. It promises to be a tough race for Maxime, but he has shown a good rhythm during the qualifying. The team from Danilo Soncini used the practice session from the afternoon to work on the set up from the Ducati 1198 and to choose tires to be used in the two races tomorrow. As announced earlier, Stefano Tacconi has joined the team of Danilo Soncini. The former goalkeeper of Juventus and the Italian national football team will start at Assen to work within the team to increase the motivation and all its components. Maxime Berger: “What a pity! 10 minutes before the end of the qualifying session we mounted a soft rubber tyre to improve again my lap time, unfortunately, I found a slower rider in front of me and it slowed down a bit,when I passed him,it was too late. I did not enter into Superpole for less than a tenth of a second, but I am satisfied with my race pace and the good feeling that I’ve found with my Ducati. My team helped me to find the right set up for my bike and although I’ll leave from the fifth row, with a good start I could get a good result.” Burgatti Filippo (Technical Manager): “Maxime has unfortunately found traffic on the track and could not take advantage of the soft rubber. However, we have great expectations for the races tomorrow. We have found the right tire and Maxime has shown today to have a good pace over a distance. Of course we feel a little disappointing for not entering into Superpole, but the team and Maxime worked very well this weekend and we are hopefully get a good result in the two races tomorrow.” Stefano Tacconi: “A “new adventure”. The beginning of a new collaboration that fills me with stimuli, so that I seem to be the eve of an important game, a game that I want to win with my new team. I’m learning about the environment of Superbike which is undoubtedly very attractive and animated by passion and enthusiasm. I am looking forward for tomorrow to attend my first live race of the Superbike World Championship.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Second Row For Sykes At Third Round Tom Sykes continued his good qualifying form and now starts seventh on the 21-rider grid for Sunday’s 22-lap Assen Superbike races. Joan Lascorz was 11th and Chris Vermeulen 18th. The three-strong official Kawasaki Superbike World Championship effort delivered two riders into the top 16 places after an astoundingly close combined qualifying result. Only 1.759 seconds covered the entire field before Superpole kicked off, with Sykes 13th and Lascorz 14th at that point, but only around 0.7 seconds from the fastest rider. Sykes made it through to the final Superpole 3 session but could not use his qualifying tyre and he proved to be a second row starter, still well on course for two potentially strong races on Sunday. Lascorz is also ready to make gains from his starting position and try to improve on his impressive season best of fifth. He was unlucky that the competition was particularly close in Superpole 2, meaning he could not challenge for a starting place on the front two rows. For Vermeulen a Superpole place would have been within his grasp but for a couple of issues that affected both the first practice session and the first qualifying session on Friday, reducing his available track time. His knee recovery is continuing apace and his confidence was boosted that after such a long layoff he still has good pace at this stage of his recovery to full race readiness. He was less than 1.5 seconds from the pre-Superpole best in combined qualifying. Dry and occasionally sunny spring weather has been a constant highlight of the weekend so far and expectations are that the weather will remain fine right through an eagerly anticipated raceday. Supported Pedercini Team Kawasaki riders Roberto Rolfo and Mark Aitchison had a tough period of qualifying in relative terms, but were still not far from the leaders in their overall best lap times. Tom Sykes: “It has been quite good for us during practice and qualifying and ending up on the front two rows in Superpole is always our aim this season. We have reached goal number one for the weekend so now we have to achieve the goals for tomorrow. We are relatively happy but because things have been so close in lap times I had to use one of my qualifying tyres in Superpole 1, and we ended up with an unexpected problem with a wheel that meant I had to use a tyre choice that would not have preferred. As we discovered it was not so good for just one or two laps of Superpole and Assen is a circuit that demands the right tyre. On race times we are not very far away at all so I am looking forward to tomorrow and getting away from the startline cleanly. I have done a couple of practice starts so hopefully we can make that count. There is no reason why we cannot go with them. Qualifying is unbelievably close, which shows how high the level of competition is in World Superbike this year.” Joan Lascorz: “That was quite a tough period of qualifying and the times are very close, so I can say we are not so bad, maybe somewhere in the middle. For one tenth of a second I could have moved into the third and last Superpole session, but we just missed out. With a race tyre I have a good feeling and the qualifying tyre was almost the same as the race tyre; maybe we gained one tenth of a second using it. The tyres we will use tomorrow depend on the track temperature but we should have a good choice whatever the conditions. Changing direction in the fast corners is the main issue for me now, partly because my shoulder is still not 100% recovered yet. I am not sure what will be possible in the races tomorrow but we only work to finish in the top position, for the win!” Chris Vermeulen: “We had a bit of bad luck yesterday, and lost a lot of track time. We basically had a bout 40 minutes out of the two hours, and it was not what we needed as I am still trying to get a better understanding of the bike. Today we improved a lot and we were only a few tenths away from qualifying into Superpole, simply because the qualifying session was held in the morning. In the afternoon free session we set a time that would have got us into Superpole. I’m only a tenth or so off some of the other guys so it shows we are improving and getting used to the new bike.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY DISAPPOINTED WITH 10TH Troy once again endured a frustrating time with his qualifying tyres and could not realise the potential he had shown in practice and qualifying. Until Superpole Troy had been consistently high up, even finishing fastest in this morning’s free practice, but problems using the soft qualifying tyres in Superpole 2 prevented any further progress. Carlos Checa (Ducati) took his third Superpole of the season, with a lap of 1:35.293, with Jakub Smrz (also Ducati mounted) second. Third went to Eugene Laverty (Yamaha), with Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia) fourth. Troy – 10th, 1:35.954 After our recent tests and yesterday and today’s practice and regular qualifying sessions, we thought that we had the bike sorted. On race tyres, I am confident that I can run with the best, but our problem today was once again how the bike behaves when it is on qualifying tyres. There’s more grip, particularly edge grip, but the bike begins to spin and the clutch control and engine braking also seem to get affected. Unfortunately, we never get qualifying tyres just to test for a long period of time, so we cannot make the necessary changes that the bike obviously needs for them. My team mate Leon is having the same issues, so I know that it’s not just me experiencing this situation. I can have a bike that’s working perfectly well on race rubber, but feels completely different on qualifying tyres. It’s frustrating for sure and, although it’s not a new problem, it is one that we have to sort out if we are to make the next step forward. The good news is that my bike feels good on race tyres – they are lasting pretty well and the engine braking feeling is probably the best it has been. Also the bike has good acceleration and, as I normally make good starts, I hope I can be in with the mix at the front on the first lap.