FIM Superbike World Championship Monza, Italy May 7, 2010 Qualifying Session One Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Cal CRUTCHLOW (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:44.577 2. Jonathan REA (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:44.789 3. Michel FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098F10), 1:45.134 4. Troy CORSER (BMW S1000 RR), 1:45.234 5. Leon HASLAM (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:45.303 6. Ruben XAUS (BMW S1000 RR), 1:45.542 7. Max BIAGGI (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:45.592 8. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 1098R), 1:45.603 9. James TOSELAND (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:46.019 10. Luca SCASSA (Ducati 1098R), 1:46.111 11. Tom SYKES (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:46.170 12. Leon CAMIER (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:46.216 13. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:46.402 14. Lorenzo LANZI (Ducati 1098R), 1:46.413 15. Noriyuki HAGA (Ducati 1098F10), 1:46.451 16. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:46.588 17. Carlos CHECA (Ducati 1098R), 1:46.756 18. Shane BYRNE (Ducati 1098R), 1:47.466 19. Daisaku SAKAI (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:47.922 20. Matteo BAIOCCO (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:48.041 21. Chris VERMEULEN (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:48.191 22. Broc PARKES (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:48.254 23. Roger HAYDEN (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:49.217 24. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:49.958 More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: FABRIZIO (DUCATI XEROX) RESERVES A PROVISIONAL FRONT ROW SPOT ON SUNDAY’S GRID AT MONZA Monza (Italy), Friday 7th May : a mixed first day at the Autodromo Nazionale of Monza, with meteorological conditions conditioning performances to a certain extent. Ducati Xerox rider Michel Fabrizio nonetheless put in a very strong performance and concluded first qualifying in third position, reserving a provisional spot on the front row of Sunday’s grid. Noriyuki Haga, still losing time in the last sections of the track, closed this first day fifteenth. Earlier today, in the weekend’s first free practice session, the Ducati Xerox riders got straight to work and it was Michel who made an immediate impression, lapping consistently fast and placing in the top five for almost the duration of the hour-long session. Light rain fell intermittently throughout but this didn’t stop Michel from setting a 1’43.8, in the latter stages of the session, which projected him to the top of the timesheets where he remained right up until the final seconds, when Crutchlow managed to shave a tenth of a second off the Italian rider’s best time. Michel thus closed in a solid second position, while team-mate Noriyuki closed the opening session in twelfth place. Later in the afternoon, after further rainfall, the first qualifying session was declared wet. The track quickly began to dry out however and during the second half of the session times started to tumble. With around twenty minutes to go, both Michel and Noriyuki exchanged their intermediate tyres for slicks and Michel’s lap times in particular continued to drop his until he achieved his final, and best, time of the session in the very last minutes, a 1’45.1, to reserve a provisional third position on Sunday’s grid. Noriyuki meanwhile had a few problems, losing valuable time particularly through the last section of the track and, with more work to do tomorrow, finished in fifteenth position today. Michel Fabrizio “At the start of the session I was not wanting to take too many risks as some of the corners were pretty slippery so I stayed calm and then began to push as the track dried out. It’s a shame the conditions were so mixed because there were a few things we wanted to work on today but this wet weather didn’t give us the chance. Anyway, it’s been a positive first day. I think the testing at Misano last week helped us to get back on the right track and I’m feeling confident.” Noriyuki Haga “Although the lap times were not so great, I’ve actually got quite a good feeling with my 1198. I’m losing time in the last part of the track, from the Ascari corners to the Parabolica, and I need to concentrate on that section tomorrow. We’ll be making a few changes before tomorrow’s sessions and we’ll see how we go, the weather will surely make the difference too.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow made an impressive start to the Monza race weekend, fastest in both the first free practice session and then the first qualifying session of the weekend that followed. Team mate James Toseland made a slower start, finishing fifth in the free practice and then taking ninth in the first qualifying as he and the team tested a number of set up options. The afternoon’s qualifying was complicated by weather, rain before the session meant the superbike riders had to contend with an initially wet but drying track, gradually changing from intermediate to slick tyres as the session went on. The nature of the Monza circuit with its tree lined track meant some areas including chicanes remained greasy and damp throughout. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1st, 1’43.758) “It was nice to top the time sheets in both sessions today. We’re still looking for better grip a bit on the bike and also need to improve when pushing going into the corners, I think we can work on that. We tried a couple of things today which is good and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. It’s great that it’s the team’s home race and we’ll have lots of fans here and Yamaha guests so it’s nice to be on top today for them.” James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (9th, 1’46.019) “It was one of those sessions today where it starts wet then just dries up continually over the heat. We were trying a few different suspension settings over the session but obviously the track was never fully dry, a couple of corners were still quite damp at the end and really quite greasy. With the trees around here in the park it doesn’t dry out too well. All in all we’ve tried some interesting things, and were pretty quick in the free practice, coming in fifth in the dry. We’ve got some work to do tonight, some big things to improve on which is encouraging so I’m optimistic that the changes we’re going to make later which were too long to do today will bring the next step. Fingers crossed again for the weather tomorrow.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “A good start for us today. The weather gave us some trouble but in the end we finished the day in good shape. Hopefully tomorrow will be dry to finalise the set up and tyre choice ahead of Superpole and Sunday’s races.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam endured mixed conditions on the opening day of qualifying at the Monza World Superbike Championship round in Italy, but ended fifth quickest and happy enough with his day’s work. The track was hit by torrential rain yesterday, and although today dawned dry, it was not long before it began raining again. This afternoon’s qualifying session began with a damp track and the first half of the session saw many unfamiliar names at the top of the leaderboard. The track then began to dry out and by the end; there was virtually a dry line round the whole of the 5.777 kilometre circuit. Briton Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) posted the fastest lap with fellow countryman Jonathan Rea (Honda) second. Third went to Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third with Troy Corser (BMW) fourth. Leon Haslam – 5th, 1:45.303: “The morning was good and really all today was pretty good, though there were a few small problems in the afternoon session and some of it was a bit of a waste of time. We had some sort of strange clutch problem with both bikes for a while, so to get fifth was not so bad, especially considering the changing conditions. “This afternoon’s qualifying started with a wet track and then it began to dry. By the end, there was almost a dry line round the whole track, but there were still some places where you had to keep a look out. “The new chicane is a bit safer and it makes the track flow better, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens when the whole pack is charging into it in a race before we can say that it is a success. For me though, the track is now more enjoyable to ride, particularly when you are by yourself. Slipstreaming round here is crucial and will be a big factor in the races. So far, I’ve not had a tow from anybody so I’m looking forward to that tomorrow. Come Race day though, I’d prefer to be a long way out in front and not have to worry about anybody drafting me. That’s my plan anyway.” Sylvain Guintoli – 16th. 1:46.588: “I’ve not been here before, so the new chicane means nothing to me. Today, my first job was to learn the track and that’s what I tried to do. The track is quite technical and there are a lot of high speeds and fast corners and so it’s important to be very accurate if you want to go fast. Conditions were changing a lot in this afternoon’s qualifying session and I think I was a bit too cautious in the first chicane and that’s where I lost a lot of time. If I had been more aggressive there, I would’ve been quite a bit further up the leaderboard for sure. “I know that slipstreaming is going to very important here – especially in the races – but there are a lot of opportunities to do that round here. However, it’ll also be very easy to get done, so I’ll have to watch out for that.” More, from a press release issued by Team PATA B&G Racing: Jakub Smrz continued his brilliant form finishing day 1 at Monza in second row. Despite his great performance, the rider from the Czech Republic is confident he can further improve with help from the team and aims to do just that tomorrow. In the “Temple of Speed”, gaining a good start position is fundamental in order to keep with the front runners on the long straights before entering the First Variante and the Parabolica. It was a positive day for Lorenzo Baroni as well, who, after crashing this morning, posted the eleventh fastest provisional time, which he hopes to improve tomorrow. It’s Superbike fever for the approximately 100.000 fans expected to turn up at the track to enjoy the great season start in WSBK. JAKUB SMRZ | Ducati 1098R | 8th in 1’45.603: “I’m happy I was able to continue on the same path. We’ve worked all day long searching the right set-up and in the end we made it, although we still have to make some adjustments to get full efficiency. I preferred not to ride on the wake of the others and this allowed me to focus more on the machine”. LORENZO BARONI | Ducati 1098R | 11th in 2’05.066: “After crashing this morning, I wasn’t willing to take much risks in the wet because the starting grid will be determined tomorrow and no rain has been forecast”. More, from a press release issued by Infront Motorsports: Monza opening day belongs to Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) The opening day of action at the Autodromo di Monza belonged to Britain’s Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda), who confirmed his excellent qualifying form this year with provisional pole position, after topping the timesheets also in the morning’s free practice run. The World Supersport champion set a time of 1 minute 44.577 seconds to go two-tenths faster than Assen double winner Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), while third quickest time went to Michel Fabrizio on the Ducati Xerox 1098, who looked to be in fine form after his recent Misano test. The BMW Motorrad team continued to make headway in qualifying with first Ruben Xaus and then Troy Corser both lying at the top of the timesheets for a while. In the end the Australian set the fourth time, ahead of points leader Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) . Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia), who had set an astonishing record top speed of close to 327 km/h in FP1, finished seventh, while Jakub Smrz with the PATA client Ducati ended up in eighth. The last two top 10 positions went to James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda) in ninth and Luca Scassa (Sueprsonic Ducati), who on the damp track had been as high as third. Yoshimura WSB debut rider Daisaku Sakai had a tough baptism with the Monza track, earning himself a provisional nineteenth place together with a morning and an afternoon crash. Times: 1. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’44.577; 2. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’44.789; 3. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1198 1’45.134; 4. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’45.234; 5. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX R 1000 1’45.303; 6. Xaus R.(ESP) BMW S 1000 RR 1’45.542; 7. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV 4 1’45.592; 8. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1198 1’45.603; 9. Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’46.019; 10. Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1198 1’46.111; etc. World Supersport A fantastic lap of 1 minute 48.303 seconds by Ireland’s Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) was enough to knock Triumph BE1 Racing’s David Salom off the top slot in the last few minutes of qualifying at Monza. The Spanish rider has been looking competitive all day however and he was able to place his Triumph 675 machine in front of the Kawasakis of Joan Lascorz (Motocard.com) and Fabien Foret (Lorenzini). The third major championship contender Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was next up in fifth ahead of his Italian team-mate Michele Pirro. Times: 1. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’48.303 (192,028 km/h); 2. Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 1’48.523; 3. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’48.663; 4. Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’48.743; 5. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’48.938; 6. Pirro M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’49.448; 7. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’49.534; 8. Lagrive M. (FRA) Triumph 675 Daytona 1’49.620; etc. Superstock 1000 Ayrton Badovini (BMW) continues to lay down the law in Superstock 1000, as he notched up the quickest time in qualifying. The Italian was unable to get under the two-minute mark on the damp track, but he did end up over half-a-second quicker than Austrian Rene Mahr (Suzuki). Third quickest was Andrea Antonelli (Honda). Davide Giugliano could only manage seventeenth quickest time as he was still in pain from a crash in the morning’s free practice session. Times: 1. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2’01.246 (171,529 km/h); 2. Mahr R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX R 1000 K 9 2’01.817; 3. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 2’02.400; 4. Lussiana M. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 2’02.805; 5. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 2’03.485; 6. Beretta D. (ITA) BMW S 1000 RR 2’03.500; 7. Jezek O. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 1000 2’03.544; 8. Lacalendola R. (ITA) Ducati 1198 2’03.818; etc. Superstock 600 Federico D’Annunzio (Yamaha Martini Corse) set the quickest time of 1 minute 52.232 seconds in the first qualifying session for the European Superstock 600 race. The young Italian was more than four-tenths quicker than one of the title chasers, Frenchman Florian Marino (Honda Ten Kate). Two Italian wild-cards, Riccardo Russo (Bike & Motor Yamaha) and Stefano Casalotti (Media Action Yamaha) showed good form as they notched up fifth and sixth quickest times respectively. Times: 1. D’Annunzio F. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’52.232; 2. Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’52.669; 3. Marcado L. (ARG) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’52.777; 4. Lombardi B. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’52’956; 5. Russo R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’53.596; 6. Casalotti S. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’53.882; 7. Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’54.036; 8. Calero Perez N. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R6 1’54.264; etc. More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY HAPPY WITH TOP FOUR ON DAY ONE. Troy ended a day of mixed conditions with the fourth fastest lap in qualifying at Monza and was happy with the way his BMW S 1000 RR is progressing. Monza has a much revised first chicane, which has cut the lap times and although the new design is theoretically safer (according to Troy) there is still the possibility of a pile-up on the exit. This afternoon’s qualifying session started with a damp track and the first half saw the lead change hands several times and unfamiliar names often at the top of the leaderboard. As the track dried, more or less normal service was resumed. At the end, there was virtually a dry line round the whole of the 5.777 kilometre circuit and it was Briton Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) who posted the fastest lap. Second was fellow countryman Jonathan Rea (Honda), with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third and Troy fourth. Troy – 4th, 1:45.134 I’m happy with how things went today and once again I can just go out and ride the bike instead of testing, like we’ve had to do in the past. It was good for the team that we had some damp and some dry conditions here today and they were able to collect a lot of useful data as a result. The bike feels good and I haven’t had to ride beyond myself today at all. The top speed is pretty good and the acceleration also feels strong. The new chicane is not too bad and it’s safer when you are by yourself. But it’s maybe not so safe in a race situation because if somebody outbrakes himself and goes straight on then there is a chance that they will T-bone you when they come back on to the track. To me, it looks like it has been designed for F1 and us bikes just have to put up with it. Monza is a track where slipstreaming is all important. In the old days, when the finish line was further up the track, you could be fifth going into the Parabolica on the last lap and still win the race. Now, because the flag is closer to the Parabolica, if you are fifth going in you will not win the race. Now it’s better to be fifth or so exiting the Ascari and then be leading going into the Parabolica. Normally, if you do that, then you will not be beaten. More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: Monza, 7th May 2010 The fifth round of the 2010 World Superbike championship takes place this Sunday, at the historic Monza track, that plays host to the first of the series’ three Italian events. Expectations are high for the two Althea Racing riders, who will do their utmost to consolidate the solid results already attained in the first part of the season. This afternoon the Ducati riders were out on track for the first official qualifying session, conditioned in the initial stages by the wet asphalt. A provisional seventeenth position for Carlos Checa; the Spaniard is fourth in the championship standings and on Sunday will aim to take a first ever podium place at Monza. “We need to improve in two sections mainly, at the first chicane and through the long corner – said Carlos – Tomorrow we’re continue to work, concentrating on the gear box set-up, which is one of the tricky issues. Even though it won’t be easy, we know that we must, and can, improve. I’m ready and will do my best to close the gap that separates me from the leaders.” Fifth row too for Shane Byrne, who closed this first session in eighteenth position and who will be looking for an improvement on his unlucky outing at this track in 2009. “This morning we had a problem with bike one and so, this afternoon, on a dry track, I went out on the second bike that was set-up for the wet – said Shakey – I’m confident however and am sure that tomorrow, with both my Ducatis and both set-ups available, we will able to improve. I’m ready to make a great race at my team’s home racetrack.” Genesio Bevilacqua, team owner, declared. “I don’t think we have any particular technical problems and so I’d say that today’s performances were conditioned more by the uncertain track conditions and the riders’ caution; perhaps the situation distracted them slightly. Tomorrow we’ll be back on track, focused from the word go, with the goal being to work hard, to get into the Superpole and to find the ideal set-up ready for race day.” Tomorrow’s programme at Monza begins at 10:45 with the second qualifying session; then at 15.00, straight after free practice, the Superpole. More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: Jonathan Rea was second fastest in today’s opening qualifying session for round five of the 2010 World Superbike championship at Monza in Italy, just two tenths of a second behind provisional pole sitter, Cal Crutchlow. Despite a dry opening free practice session earlier in the day, the revised 5.777km Monza circuit was damp following afternoon rain as Rea and his Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, began this afternoon’s hour-long qualifying period. After his double win at Assen two weeks ago, Rea concentrated on further developing the revised chassis settings on his Honda CBR1000RR while Neukirchner continued to adapt his riding style to suit the bike’s handling characteristics. Jonathan Rea P2 1’44.789s I’m having a lot of fun here, actually! The bike is really good and that’s allowing me to enjoy the circuit. I’m especially pleased with t he long run I did in this morning’s free practice. This afternoon’s session had mixed conditions and we’ve still got some work to do to get the final sector nailed. But luckily the Assen set-up is working well, although there’s still some fine-tuning to be done to get it right for Monza. We’ll study the data later and see what we can do to improve it for tomorrow. Max Neukirchner P13 1’46.402s Everything’s OK at the moment, but the first sector stayed quite wet during the qualifying session and I was stuck behind Xaus for a while. The other sectors seem to be not too bad and my riding style is still improving. It’s quite good through most of the corners, but in others I’m probably concentrating on the exit a bit too much. The team’s working really well, though, and the bike is pretty good too. I probably need to wake myself up a bit for tomorrow, so maybe I&rsq uo;ll take an extra coffee in the morning! Ronald ten Kate team-manager The changing conditions made today’s qualifying session very different from a normal Friday and we decided to go out early in the session to see how the intermediate front tyre would behave. Towards the end we should have probably put in a new rear tyre as well, but at least we now have an extra tyre for tomorrow. Both riders are in a position to qualify for Superpole, so we’ll go through everything tonight, improve where we can for tomorrow’s sessions and look forward to the rest of the weekend. More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: The Friday Superbike and Superstock 1000 free practice sessions commenced this morning with grey cloudy skies overhead and with the distinct possibility of wet qualifying sessions later in the day. In the Superbike category Matteo Baiocco and Roger Lee Hayden spent their morning free practice on a dry track, working through various machine settings. Hayden (1’46″812) was twenty second, while Baiocco (1’46″924) followed in twenty third place. Afternoon qualifying session started on a wet track but near to the middle of the session the rain stopped and the track became partially dry. Baiocco (1’48″041) was able to reach the twentieth position and a provisional qualification for the Superpole. Hayden (1’49″217) faced some problems on the wet Monza’s track, a completely new circuit for the American rider, obtaining the twenty third place. Superbike qualifying 1 : 1) Crutchlow (Yamaha) 2) Rea (Honda) – 3) Fabrizio (Ducati) 4) Corser (BMW) 5) Haslam (Suzuki) ..”¦20) Baiocco (Kawasaki)”¦”¦23) Hayden (Kawasaki) Roger Lee Hayden : “I like this track because it’s really very fast. This morning I enjoyed my free practice and I was able to work with my team on my bike set up. This afternoon my qualifying session was very difficult. In USA we don’t race when the track is wet and so it was really difficult for me to ride on a wet track. I tried to ride less aggressive as I preferred not to risk too much, and I hope tomorrow the weather conditions will be better and so I’ll try to enter the Superpole. My team is working very well as usually and I would like to thank all of them”. Matteo Baiocco : “This morning I worked a lot with my team on my bike’s balance and setting to be ready for this afternoon qualifying. In the qualifying session unfortunately we found difficult track conditions and it was difficult to understand where the track was wet and where it was dry. We still have some setting problem that we hope to solve tomorrow if we’ll have the possibility to work on dry track. For tomorrow I really hope to enter the Superpole”.