World Superbike Qualifying Session #1 Valencia, Spain April 9 1. Carlos Checa (Ducati 1098R), 1:34.220 2. Jakub Smrz (Ducati 1098R), 1:34.502 3. Shane Byrne (Ducati 1098R), 1:34.690 4. Max Biaggi (Aprilia RSV4 1000F), 1:34.771 5. Leon Haslam (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:34.780 6. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati 1098R), 1:34.886 7. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati 1098R), 1:34.935 8. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati 1098R), 1:35.049 9. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:35.052 10. Leon Camier (Aprilia RSV4 1000F), 1:35.132 11. Sylvan Guintoli (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:35.189 12. James Toseland (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:35.203 13. Jonathan Rea (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:35.232 14. Troy Corser (BMW S1000RR), 1:35.279 15. Luca Scassa (Ducati 1098R), 1:35.467 16. Max Neukirchner (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:35.555 17. Ruben Xaus (BMW S1000RR), 1:35.641 18. Andrew Pitt (BMW S1000RR), 1:35.906 19. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:35.912 20. Matteo Baiocco (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:36.766 21. Sheridan Morais (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:36.865 22. Roger Hayden (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:36.928 23. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:37.171 24. S. Andrews (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:37.477 25. Roland Resch (BMW S1000RR), 1:37.712 More, from a press release issued by HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship: Checa Fastest In Opening Timed Session The Superbike World Championship riders were welcomed to Valencia by warm sunshine and a dry track surface, allowing them to make rapid improvements in their race set-ups. The battle to set the fastest lap in the qualifying session was won by local rider, Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati), in a good session for vee-twin machines. His 1’34.220 was less than one second from the outright best lap, as the Spaniard once more put himself into the reckoning for a top result on Sunday. It was a great day for the privateers, as Jakub Smrz (Pata B&G Ducati) was an impressive second fastest, and Checa’s team-mate Shane Byrne third. The first non-Ducati was the Aprilia Alitalia machine of Max Biaggi, with points leader Leon Haslam (Alstare Suzuki) fifth. The official Ducati Xerox machines of Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga were down in sixth and seventh places today, with Fabrizio falling late on in the timed session. Another Ducati rider, Lorenzo Lanzi (DFX Ducati) reminded us all he was a winner here two years ago by going eighth fastest, 0.829 from Checa’s best lap. Top Yamaha rider proved to be Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) ninth fastest, while reigning BSB Champion Leon Camier placed the second Aprilia Alitalia factory bike tenth. Honda, BMW and Kawasaki riders had some high points today but Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was 13th in qualifying, Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 14th and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 19th today. Corser was inside the top four in the first unofficial session of practice, but fell late on in the timed session, losing a chance to make an even better lap. Carlos Checa: “This bike works well at this type of circuit, especially in the tighter sections in the middle of the lap. I worked this morning on finding a rhythm and working with the soft rear tyres. I have decided which rear tyre to use already, but not the front yet. There is not such a long straight here, so there are possibilities for us. But it is only Friday and I think Biaggi, Haga and Haslam will be in there also.” Jakub Smrz: “I feel quite confident but we are still working to find a set-up for the race. For some laps the bike feels OK. We just need to improve the set-up and my general feeling on the bike. We are not perfect yet. The bike is basically the same as last year but we have a new front fork.” 1.Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1’34.220; 2. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’34.502; 3. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1’34.690; 4. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1’34.771; 5. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’34.780; 6. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’34.886; 7. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1’34.935; 8. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’35.049; 9. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’35.052; 10. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1’35.132; 11. Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’35.189; 12. Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’35.203; 13. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’35.232; 14. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’35.279; 15. Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’35.467; 16. Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1’35.555 Supersport World Championship Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki Motocard.com) was unbeatable in the first timed session as he set a 1’36.319 lap, resisting the late charge from his team-mate Joan Lascorz. Fujiwara’s opening day fastest lap compares well with the existing best lap, being 0.454 seconds off the 1’35.865 set last year by Cal Crutchlow. Michele Pirro (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) earned a provisional front row start, third fastest, with Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) also in the top four. David Salom (ParkinGO BE-1 Triumph) was the top three-cylinder rider on show, and the second Spaniard in the top five. Times: 1. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’36.319; 2. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’36.585; 3. Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’36.709; 4. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’36.778; 5. Salom D.(ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 1’36.792; 6. Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 1’36.933; 7. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’37.532; 8. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CXBR 600 RR 1’37.541; 9. Di Salvo J. (USA) Triumph Daytona 675 1’37.658; 10. Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’38.020 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) secured the fastest time in the opening qualifying session at Valencia, with a 1’36.952. Next fastest rider, Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Race Junior Honda) was 0.849 seconds off in second, while Davide Giugliano (Team06 Suzuki) was third fastest, close behind Berger. Loris Baz took his Yamaha MRS R1 to fourth spot on the provisional grid, with one more qualifying session remaining. Pere Tutusaus’s Goeleven KTM 1190RC8R, in fifth place, put five different machines in the top five places. Times: 1. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’36.952 (148,713 kmh); 2. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’37.801; 3. Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 1’38.100; 4. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’38.139; 5. Tutusaus P. (ESP) KTM 1190 RC8 R 1’38.251; 6. Lammert D. (GER) BMW S 1000 RR 1’38.347; 7. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’38.415; 8. Barrier S.(FRA) BMW S 1000 RR 1’38.470; 9. Lussiana M. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 1’38.484; 10. Magnoni M. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’38.491 Superstock 600 European Championship Florian Marino (Ten Kate Race Junior) led the pack in the first day of action at Valencia, running his Honda ahead of Bernardino Lombardi (Martini Corse Yamaha), Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Racing Yamaha) and Fred Karlsen (MTM Yamaha). Times: 1. Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’40.324; 2. Lombardi B. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’40.362; 3. Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’40.616; 4. Karlsen F. (NOR) Yamaha YZF R6 1’40.698; 5. Major N. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’41.036; 6. Schacht A. (DEN) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’41.382; 7. Lanusse R. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’41.404; 8. Calero Perez N (ESP) Yamaha YZF R6 1’41.544; 9. Carrillo C. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’41.577; 10. Cecchini R. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 1’41.600 More, from a press release issued by Team Reitwagen BMW: TOUGH TRACK FOR TEAM REITWAGEN BMW Team Reitwagen BMW riders Andrew Pitt and Roland Resch ended the first day of practice and qualifying with the 18th and 25th fastest times respectively. Considering that the team have no previous data to work with, today went more or less as the they expected. The numerous slow corners and tight turns have always favoured twin-cylinder bikes here and there was no surprise when six of them filled the top eight places. Local hero Carlos Checa led the way, with fellow Ducati riders Jakub Smrz and Shane Byrne taking second and third places. Although Andrew only finished 18th today, his fastest lap of 1:35.906 is only 1.7 or seconds slower than Checa, so the field is very close indeed. Roland came though today’s practice and qualifying without any pain or problems from the right shoulder he broke in Australia. For him, the first day here in Valencia was all about getting used to the bike again and getting comfortable with it before pushing for faster times. Andrew – 18th, 1:35.906: “Today wasn’t too bad, especially considering that we are still using the standard electronics on the bike. We’re pretty much at the limit of what can be done with these electronics and we’ll be moving on to a better package as soon as it has been fully tested and ready. So today we focussed on the chassis and suspension side and tried to get the bike to ride the bumps and work well round the whole circuit. We tried a lot of different thing, front and rear, to get a good balance and set-up on the bike. I’m quite pleased because there are only a couple of areas round the track where we’re losing out (especially exiting the turns) and if we can get them sorted out we’ll be far more competitive for sure. Having no data from before doesn’t help us at all, so we have to try and do an awful lot of work in a very short time, but that’s why we’re here and hopefully all the hard work will pay off.” Roland – 25th, 1:37.712: “I have had no problems with my body today and I feel pretty good. I think I’m probably about 95% fit, but my shoulder didn’t give me any concern at all today and that makes me happy. For me, today was not about lap times, but about getting comfortable with the bike again and finding a good rhythm. The more comfortable I get, the more the lap times will decrease. I hope to improve quite a bit tomorrow and then enjoy my races on Sunday.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Alstare: HASLAM FIFTH IN VALENCIA SUPERBIKE PRACTICE Team Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli ended the first day of practice and qualifying for round three of the World Superbike Championship in Valencia with fifth and eleventh-fastest times, but are confident of improvement tomorrow. The Spanish Circuit Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo is a tight, twisty track and has mainly favoured twin cylinder bikes in the past, so it was no big surprise to see six of them in the top eight today. Topping the leaderboard after qualifying was Carlos Checa, with fellow Ducati riders Jakub Smrz and Shane Byrne in second and third places. Just ahead of Leon is Max Biaggi (Aprilia), with Ducatis filling sixth, seventh and eighth places. Leon Haslam – 5th, 1:34.780: “We’ve got some work to do to make me happy, but it’s just the usual stuff really, so nobody is getting worried at this stage. Really only Carlos (Checa) has been consistently -aster than me today and the ones who finished ahead of me in qualifying did their times as one-offs, so I am not too concerned. Everything has been progressing well today and we didn’t have any major problems. This is a fairly unique track and there are quite a few slippery bits that you have to be aware about. The nature of it favours twins, as you can see by the standings today. But I’m confident that the fine tweaks we will make tomorrow will improve the bike and let me lap more quickly.” Sylvain Guintoli – 11th, 1:35.189: “This track is very different to other tracks in that it is fairly flat and there are lots of corners and no big straights. For this track we changed the bike’s geometry quite a bit and improved the feel of the bike in the afternoon. Then it felt more comfortable and I am sure that the work we will do tomorrow will be another improvement. I hope that’s the case, because I don’t want to be in a situation where we have to pull a rabbit out of the hat to find a good set-up. This series is so competitive, that just two-tenths-of-second can lose you two rows of the grid, so I have to qualify as high up as possible to have any chance of a podium.” More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: Jonathan Rea and Max Neukirchner finished in 13th and 16th places respectively in today’s first qualifying session at Valencia in Spain in preparation for Sunday’s two third round World Superbike championship races. The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda duo were unable to match the times they set during a pre-season test at the twisty 4.005km Ricardo Tormo circuit last December as local rider, Carlos Checa, took the provisional pole position. Rea and Neukirchner go straight into the second qualifying session tomorrow morning at 10.45 before a 45-minute free practice ahead of Superpole, which will determine final grid positions for Sunday’s two 23-lap races. Jonathan Rea P13 We’ve had some issues today and a few things have gone wrong and conspired against us. However, we can see that all the problems with the bike point to the same sort of area, which is the overall balance, and we need to put some more weight on the front to help with the steering. Of course, I’m disappointed to be where I am and we’ve got to find some time to close the gap to the guys at the front. It’s not going to be easy, but we’ll work through it and come back tomorrow morning with a fresh approach. Max Neukirchner P16 OK, so I’m back in 16th, but at least the problems we had today are not as bad as they were at Portimao. I had some chatter problems this afternoon and it’s difficult to hold a line and speed going into and through the corners. The exit is OK though, and we’re following a certain direction that is improving things they are just not improving fast enough at the moment. Ronald ten Kate team manager I think it’s safe to say that we are disappointed with these initial qualifying results today. We need to make quite some changes for both riders in order to contest for decent grid positions tomorrow. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: ENCOURAGING RESULTS FOR THE DUCATI XEROX TEAM ON DAY ONE AT VALENCIA Valencia (Spain), Friday 9th April: The Ducati Xerox Team got back to work today as the third round of the World Superbike Championship opened at Valencia and the two Ducati factory riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio are very keen to fight for the podium places this weekend in Spain. In the first few minutes of the free practice session, which took place in the early afternoon in warm, sunny conditions, Michel was unfortunately victim of a crash at the first corner. Unhurt, he was able to get back out on track on his second bike just minutes later and was able to find good pace and put together several fast laps in the final stages, registering the second fastest time of the session in the process, just one tenth off Carlos Checa’s pace. Team-mate Noriyuki made gradual progress throughout the sixty-minute session, using the harder tyre solution and concluding with the eighth fastest time. Later, in the first qualifying session, and with a track temperature of approximately 33°C, Nori and his technicians concentrating on tyre testing, carrying out a long run with very encouraging results. By the end of the session Noriyuki had set the seventh fastest time, just a tenth slower than his team-mate Michel, in sixth. In the final minutes Michel, pushing hard to lower his time, lost the front and fell, but without injuring himself. Michel states that he is still experiencing problems with the front of his 1198 but was nevertheless able to set a fast time to take the sixth slot on today’s timesheets. Michel Fabrizio 1m34.8s “I still have a problem with the front of the bike, and this was what caused me to fall this afternoon. Having said that, the feeling I have with the bike was better now that it was in the free practice earlier. There’s still more to do and my team will work to find a good solution for me this evening so that we can try to improve tomorrow. I’m not totally at ease but I was able to make a few fast laps, especially on used tyres. I hope we can improve further tomorrow.” Noriyuki Haga 1m34.9s “We started today with the setting that we had worked with during the last tests here, also using the tyre that worked best for us during those January sessions and, although the track conditions were not great today, I think that tyre will last the race distance. This afternoon I also did an endurance run of fourteen laps with the same tyre and it held up well. We need to make a few more modifications to refine the set-up of my 1198 but I’m confident we can perform better tomorrow.” TIMES: 1. Checa (Ducati) 1m34.2s; 2. Smrz (Ducati) 1m34.5s; 3. Byrne (Ducati) 1m34.6s; 4. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1m34.7s; 5. Haslam (Suzuki) 1m34.7s; 6. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1m34.8s, 7. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 1m34.9s; 8. Lanzi (Ducati) 1m35.0s”¦ More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: It wasn’t the easiest start to the Spanish race weekend for Yamaha Sterilgarda riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland today. The unforgiving Ricardo Tormo circuit proved challenging for both British riders with low grip on the track surface. Crutchlow made several changes to the bike during the qualifying session, leaving little time for an unbroken run to fully test the changes, ending the heat in ninth. Team-mate James Toseland had found a set-up to test, but then suffered a small crash as he settled in for some quick laps at the end of the session. Although uninjured and able to continue, it left not enough time to improve on his 12th place time. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (9th, 1’35.052) “Today wasn’t easy. We made good progress up to Portimao, unfortunately we are now at a track with much less grip which makes it again more difficult for us. Hopefully we can make improvements over the evening and into tomorrow. I look forward to getting started again in the morning and seeing how it goes.” James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (12th, 1’35.203) “A frustrating session for me today. I’d just put the softer tyre in at the end of the session, I came out of turn one really well but unfortunately I got my finger stuck under the brake lever and couldn’t stop in time. I only just got the bike stopped right up by the barrier and then tipped it over. Luckily no damage to me or the bike so I got back on but by the time I’d cleaned all the dirt off them the performance of them had just dropped slightly. I was three tenths quicker than this morning and the time was there to be had but I ran out of time, frustrating as it was my error. We’ve got a lot of information from today so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “A difficult day, but it seems for many of the 4 cylinder machines it wasn’t easy to get good grip here. With chassis set up changes and adjustments in the electronics area we hope to improve this for tomorrow and also help to reduce tyre wear. I’m confident we will be more competitive tomorrow in the next session.” More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing Ducati: Valencia, April 8th 2010 – There was no doubt that Carlos Checa felt very much at ease on his “home” track of Valencia this afternoon and to demonstrate this he recorded the fastest time in the first qualifying session of this, the third round of the World Superbike Championship. The Spaniard, clocking up 25 laps, was recording times quicker than the lap record set by Haga (Ducati) last year and he seems to have the potential to improve further. “Iʼm fairly happy with the rear”, declared Carlos at the end of the session, visibly satisfied, “while I need to improve the feeling I have with the front. The Ducati has however proved itself to be very fast on this track and I will try my best to take advantage of this potential”. A good result also for Shane Byrne, back on form after the accident in Australia, who recorded the third fastest time, less than half a second off Carlos’ pace. The Englishman completed twenty four laps and hopes to improve further tomorrow. “Our performance highlights the strength of the package that we have put together in collaboration with Ducati”, declared Genesio Bevilacqua, team owner. “At this point it seems quite clear that the Phillip Island performance was not a one-off and that the teamʼs hard work allows us to be among the frontrunners. I would like to highlight Byrneʼs performance, confirmation that we have made the right decision as to which riders to choose. Tomorrow, once we make some changes during the free practice, we hope to be able to improve further.”. The second qualifying session will take place tomorrow at 10.45am and this will determine the twenty riders who will battle it out in the Superpole at 3pm. More, from a press release issued by Team PATA B&G Racing: Great weekend opening for team Pata B&G Racing as Jakub Smrz closed the first qualifying practice session of round 3 in second place, while Lorenzo Baroni took eleventh. Two positive results if taken into account that the Czech rider decided to change his work method and used both sessions to prepare the race, while Baroni only had one full session after running into electronic issues in free practice. The goal for both riders will be to keep up the pace and capture starting positions that allows them to battle for the top positions from the start. JAKUB SMRZ | Ducati 1098R | 2nd in 1’34.502: “We started working with a full fuel tank and one set of tyres and did the same in the afternoon session. This allowed us to work efficiently on setup and we tried out different solutions on both bikes. We can however improve because we start losing grip after a few laps and so we have to be constant in preparing for the race. By the end of the session, I put on new tyres and set a very good time”. LORENZO BARONI | Ducati 1098R | 11th in 1’38.548: “We had some electronic problems in the first session and so we didn’t work as we wanted to. The team did a great job solving the issue in the qualfying session during which we worked on setup. I’m confident for tomorrow and will try my best to get a good starting position, hopefully in the first two rows”. Mirco Guandalini: “Both riders did well. They were focused, we just hope that their work will bear fruit in race. If they keep it up, we can aim high”. More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: First day of qualifying for Pedercini team in Valencia for the third round of the Superbike world championship and the second round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. After a successful two-day test on this circuit on 30th and 31st March, both Roger Lee Hayden and Matteo Baiocco are fully prepared to meet the challenge on Sunday 11th April. In morning free practice they attempted to match their machine’s settings and initial tyre choices. Hayden (1’37″169) was twenty first with Baiocco (1’37″764) following in twenty second place. In afternoon first qualifying session Baiocco (1’36″766) improved his best lap time of one second reaching the twentieth place and the provisional Superpole. Teammate Hayden (1’36″928) finished in twenty second position. In Superstock 1000 morning free practice, Petrucci (1’38″920) reached the ninth position while Leeson (1’40″459) finished in twentieth place. In afternoon first qualifying session, Danilo Petrucci (1’38″773) improved his best lap time, but unfortunately he reached only the fourteenth place on the provisional starting grid.. Also Chris Leeson (1’39″663) was able to improve his best lap time, confirming his morning’s twentieth position. Superbike qualifying 1 : 1) Checa (Ducati) 2) Smrz (Ducati) 3) Byrne (Ducati) 4) Biaggi (Aprilia) 5) Haslam (Suzuki)”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦20) Baiocco (Kawasaki”¦”¦..22) Hayden (Kawasaki) Roger Lee Hayden : “This morning we started with the same set up we found last week during our private test. Unfortunately I found very soon some small problems on my bike’s setting and we’ve been working out a couple of changes for the afternoon qualifying. In the qualifying session I worked with my team improving the feeling with my Kawasaki. I’m looking forward to being stronger on the circuit and faster as a result. I like the track and tomorrow we should be in for some good improvements. I hope to enter the Superpole that’s only few tenths away.” Matteo Baiocco : “In morning free practice we tested some different components that we were not able to try one week ago, during our test here in Valencia. In afternoon first qualifying session I preferred to work more on my bike set up. We started from the same setting we used in our private test, but today we found different climatic conditions and it was difficult for me to reach the right feeling with my bike’s front wheel. I know we can go faster and I think I can improve me best lap time for more than one second”. Superstock 1000 qualifying 1 : 1) Badovini (BMW) 2) Berger (Honda) 3) Giugliano (Suzuki) 4) Baz (Yamaha) 5) Tutusaus (KTM)”¦”¦14) Petrucci (Kawasaki)”¦”¦”¦.20) Leeson (Kawasaki) Chris Lesson : “In the free practice I was not able to find the right feeling with my bike, but this afternoon my technicians worked hard on my bike’s suspension and that’s why I was able to improve my best lap time in the qualifying session. I’m not satisfied with my twentieth position, but we still have some set up problems that we hope to solve tomorrow during the free practice. I’ll try my best to reach one of the first ten position on the starting grid”. Danilo Petrucci : “I’m really disappointed because in afternoon qualifying session when I changed my rear tyre I have begun to having problems. I did not succeed to ride my bike as I would have had and I was not able to improve my position on the provisional starting grid. Without this problem I could have reached one of the first five or six positions. Tomorrow with a different tyre I’m sure to improve my today’s performances. I want to reach a good position in one of the first two rows of the starting grid”. More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY WORKS ON GETTING CONSISTENCY Troy spent the first day of practice and qualifying at Valencia working on getting an all-round consistent feeling from his BMW S 1000 RR and didn’t push for any lap times. At the end of the day, he was happy with the progress he and the team had made. Once again qualifying was close fought affair and although Troy only finished fourteenth, he is just one second off provisional pole man Carlos Checa (Ducati). Second quickest today is Jakub Smrz (Ducati), with Shane Byrne (Ducati) third. Troy – 14th, 1:35.279 The circuit definitely has a few more bumps than last year – especially at the second right hander and in the uphill chicane. It’s something to be aware about and it means that it is important to get the bike working well around here. The engine feels nice and strong and the top two gears are better than they have ever been. The new work done on the traction control has made it better and the next thing we have to improve here is the consistency of the engine braking. At the moment, it is a bit inconsistent and that’s making the bike a bit harder to ride. But the boys have had a quick look at the data and they know what has to be done to improve it. I had a little tip-off right towards the end of qualifying when the bike either jumped out of gear or got a false neutral. I banged my left arm a bit in the fall, but it’s no problem at all. Tomorrow we’ll carry on working on the engine braking and getting the bike right for qualifying and Superpole. This track has many slow corners and the twins do well here, so it’s up to me and the four cylinder boys to see what we can do tomorrow and raceday.