eni FIM Superbike World Championship
Misano World Circuit, San Marino
June 19, 2015
Free Practice Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), 1:35.380
2. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), 1:35.631, crash
3. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), 1:35.637
4. Leon HASLAM, UK (Aprilia RSV4 RF), 1:35.652, crash
5. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:35.672
6. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:35.735
7. Jordi TORRES, Spain (Aprilia RSV4 RF), 1:35.966
8. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Ducati Panigale R), 1:36.015
9. Alex LOWES, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:36.052, crash
10. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), 1:36.096
11. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Honda CBR1000RR SP), 1:36.116
12. Markus REITERBERGER, Germany (BMW S1000RR), 1:36.186, crash
13. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:36.510
14. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:36.557
15. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta F4 RR), 1:36.657
16. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), 1:36.796
17. Michael VD MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), 1:36.841
18. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:36.935
19. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:37.230
20. Luca SCASSA, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), 1:37.342, crash
21. G. VIZZIELLO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:38.772
22. Christophe PONSSON, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:38.931, crash
23. Santiago BARRAGÁN, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:39.493
24. Gabor RIZMAYER, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), 1:40.832
25. Imre TOTH, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), 1:43.190
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Biaggi ends opening day on top as Misano times tumble
Eight tenths cover the top 12 riders after second free practice session.
Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) will head into FP3 at Misano tomorrow as the fastest rider on combined times following today’s two 45-minute Free Practice sessions after responding to the improving Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team) who took the challenge to his compatriot before being displaced, finishing second. The younger of the two Roman riders, who was limping following his spectacular highside in morning practice, had another crash in the second session as he lost the rear of his Panigale R machine at Turn 8.
With the top-12 riders covered by less than a second, the battle to make it directly into Superpole 2 was intense as minute by minute the positions of the leading riders changed.
At the end of an enthralling, 45-minute second free practice session, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team) and Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) completed a top-4 featuring only Italian bikes.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and team mate Tom Sykes were fifth and sixth respectively ahead of Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) and Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing Ducati), who both looked very fast and confident in sector one of the newly resurfaced Misano World Circuit.
Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) was ninth ahead of Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing Ducati).
Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike Team), wildcard Markus Reiterberger (Van Zon Rehema BMW), Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia), David Salom (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) and Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) were 11th to 15th respectively.
This afternoon’s session was red flagged owing to a Christophe Ponsson crash; the Pedercini Kawasaki rider’s condition will be reviewed before the start of FP3.
Round 8 of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship began today with the two opening free practice sessions that, combined with the third one scheduled for tomorrow at 9:45am local time (GMT+2) will decide the twenty riders qualifying for the Tissot-Superpole of the PATA Riviera di Rimini Round. Here is what some of the protagonists of today’s action had to say during this afternoon’s official press conference.
Max Biaggi – Aprilia Racing Team – 1st
Twitter: @maxbiaggi
“It’s a great pleasure to be back. I like Misano a lot and today has been very good. I’ve arrived here with the test team from the factory. They are a bit nervous as they have never worked directly inside the paddock, but it’s a great experience for them and for me. I never expected this but after today’s sessions for sure I’m not going to be happy to finish 8th on Sunday. It’s the cherry on the cake and I’m thankful to Aprilia.”
Davide Giugliano – Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team – 2nd
Facebook: Davide-Giugliano Twitter: @DavideGiugliano Instagram: DavideGiugliano34
“I had a very big crash today in Free Practice 1 and then a small fall in FP2 but I’m OK to ride. I don’t have a great feeling with the bike right now so we have to try and improve our settings for tomorrow. It was nice to swap the top time with Max (Biaggi) who like me is a Roman Warrior.”
Chaz Davies – Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team – 3rd
Facebook: chazdavies7 Twitter: @chazdavies Instagram: @chazdavies7
“It’s been a good start for us and a solid Friday.The circuit is a lot smoother than it was, which is good for us. We’re currently trying to fix some issues we had in Portimao and working mostly on the front end of the Panigale R.”
Jonathan Rea – Kawasaki Racing Team – 5th
Facebook: JonathanReaOfficial Twitter: @jonathanrea Instagram: @jonathan_rea
“We’re quietly going about our business and trying to sharpen up our bike. They’ve done a great job with the asphalt here, all the old bumps are gone so it feels nice. Gearing is something we need to improve one as there are a lot of slow-speed corners here in Misano, so we’ll look to try and do something about it tomorrow.”
Markus Reiterberger – Van Zon Remeha BMW – 12th
Facebook: Markus.Reiterberger
“We were really happy with Free Practice 1 in fourth place but we struggled in the second session with a bad feeling at the front of our BMW S 1000 RR machine. We will try and make some improvements for tomorrow. On the quick lap attempt before crashing this afternoon I was setting the fastest time through sector one but then made a mistake and had to abort the lap. I then went for another one and but Turn 2 I tucked the front.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda:
Times close on opening day at Misano
Pata Honda rider Sylvain Guintoli finshed day one of the eighth-round World Superbike championship event at Misano in Italy in 11th place on combined times this afternoon, with WSBK returnee Max Biaggi topping the timesheets.
The top 12 riders today were covered by just 0.8s and despite French rider Guintoli, 32, and his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP being only 0.3s from a top six position he and his team are confident of further improvement in tomorrow’s free practice and Superpole sessions.
Guintoli’s Pata Honda team-mate Michael van der Mark had a dramatic crash in the first of today’s two 45-minute free practice sessions at the 4.226km Misano World Circuit. The 22-year-old Dutch rider parted company with his CBR at the fast turn 10 at a speed of 263kph but fortunately walked away unscathed.
The crash required some smart work from his crew who were able to finish repairs to his damaged CBR just before this afternoon’s FP2 session; but van der Mark, too, is confident of improvements tomorrow, specifically in the braking areas of Misano’s tighter sections.
Sylvain Guintoli – P11, 1m36.116s
Today was interesting! We’re very close to the top, so that’s encouraging – it’s just a shame that our position is down the order. The rhythm is quite good, and the ideal time, too, so we are quite close. We’ll have to pull something out of the bag to qualify well tomorrow but I think if we keep doing the good work that we’ve been doing we can make another couple of solid races. The new surface makes the track feel better; there’s a bit more grip and it’s a lot less bumpy so it feels nicer to ride. It’s a bit more aggressive on tyres but not as bad as we thought it might be. We’re happy with the tyres, but we need to improve a bit on acceleration. It’s not a good position on the time sheet but it’s not really been a bad day.
Michael van der Mark – P17, 1m36.841s
I think that was probably my fastest ever crash today. I tried to go faster through turn ten but it was not possible! The guys did an awesome job getting the bike back together because it was quite badly damaged. They finished rebuilding just before we went out in the second practice and the CBR was working again without any problems, so full credit to the guys for the job they did. My main issue overall is getting the bike stopped. In the fast-flowing parts of the track I’m quite fast but the problem is in the slower sections. I’m quite sure that tomorrow we’ll find a solution to this.
Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator
Michael certainly did not have an easy day. He had a crash this morning at the fastest corner but thankfully he was not hurt. Of course, it doesn’t help to build a rhythm so this afternoon we tried to find some solutions for the front especially. We haven’t found a good compromise so far, there’s some more work to do on the electronics and I think Michael can improve a bit himself as well. I’m sure that it’ll be a different day tomorrow after a good night’s rest. Sylvain has had a positive day. We tried some different settings this afternoon to improve the bike but we’re not quite there yet. Two tenths more would put him higher in the standings and his ideal time is better, too; in the fast split he is quickest, so we need to fix the other splits tomorrow and make a few more steps.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Second and third for Giugliano, Davies and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team at Misano; Scassa fractures his collarbone
Misano Adriatico (Italy), Friday 19 June 2015 – positive results for Chaz Davies and Davide Giugliano in today’s first timed practices at the Misano World Circuit, despite two crashes for the Italian rider. A more unlucky day for Luca Scassa who has fractured his collarbone in a nasty crash that took place during the second session of the day at Turn 3.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team began the weekend with the opening timed practice which took place this morning in dry conditions. Davies started off well, working with his team to identify a good set-up for his Ducati Panigale. Finding good pace, he was able to record a best of 1’36.156 in the final moments to close the session second. Unfortunately a crash for Giugliano on his exit lap prevented him from continuing with the session and, as a result, he did not complete even one timed lap. The Italian rider suffered a serious blow to the right hip and gluteus but was nevertheless able to participate in the afternoon’s session. Scassa, who has not raced for more than a year, went out with the intention of using this first session to build confidence with both his Panigale and the track. Improving on his times lap after lap he concluded the session with a 1’37.243 that placed him fourteenth.
Both Davies and Giugliano made good progress during the afternoon. Despite being in a lot of pain, the Roman rider completed sixteen laps, the best of which (1’35.631) positioned him second overall. A small crash during his final exit, due to a lack of traction at the front on entering a corner, prevented him from further improving on his time. Chaz continued to work to refine the front of his Panigale, managing to lower this morning’s time by another half a second to conclude third (1’35.637), just 0.006 of a second from his teammate. Luca was also working well with his technicians but was unfortunately the victim of a crash ten minutes before the end in which he fractured his right collarbone. Scassa has therefore been ruled unfit to continue the weekend.
Quotes after the day’s sessions:
Davide Giugliano – (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #34) – 2nd (1’35.631)
“I took quite a blow in this morning’s crash but was able to get back on the bike this afternoon, even though it was painful to ride. It’s very positive that we have finished in the top two, especially seeing as we missed this morning’s session entirely. We’re not yet there in terms of bike set-up, and there’s still work to do tomorrow but, despite the two crashes, results for now are looking positive.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 3rd (1’35.637)
“My Panigale is working reasonably well here and the track, which has been resurfaced, seems to be quite smooth though I think conditions will continue to improve over the course of the weekend. We are continuing to concentrate on working on the front of my bike, as we did a Portimao, and even though we haven’t found anything revolutionary I think we’ve seen some improvement today. We also have good pace which is important. All in all, a good start to the weekend.”
Luca Scassa – (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #99) – 20th (1’37.342)
“It’s a real shame because things were going well. We made a modification at the start which didn’t work but then, having changed direction, it was all going a lot better and I was lapping faster. I was using Chaz and his times as a reference and I could see that we were gradually improving. But then unfortunately I had a highside and have fractured my right collarbone. The doctors say I need to rest for three weeks and, in addition, I found out yesterday that I have a problem with my meniscus too, so I guess I need to take a break and get myself fit.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
A RETURN TO EXCEED ALL EXPECTATIONS: MAX BIAGGI IS IN THE LEAD IN THE FIRST TWO PRACTICE SESSIONS AT MISANO SBK
HASLAM IN FOURTH AND IMPROVING
TORRES FINISHES THE DAY IN SEVENTH PLACE JUST BEHIND THE LEADERS
Misano Adriatico (Italy), 19 June 2015 – It was expected to be a great return and a great return it was. On his return as a wild card in a World SBK round, Max Biaggi dominated the two free practice sessions on Friday.
Astride “his” Aprilia RSV4 – a bike that he has contributed to developing since it was introduced in 2009 and which he rode to win (the only Italian to do so) two SBK Rider World Championships – Biaggi astonished everyone by finishing the first morning session (FP1) with a time of 1’35.684. But the six-time World Champion improved even more in FP2, once again putting the best time on the sheets and improving on it with an amazing 1’35.380.
It was also a positive day for the Aprilia Racing – Red Devils regular championship riders. Leon Haslam worked hard on race pace, finishing with a strong fourth place at 1’35.652 on an extremely tight time sheet that has 10 riders grouped within just 7 tenths of a second. Jordi Torres, who is tackling the Adriatic circuit for the first time in World SBK, improved steadily during the day, finishing in seventh place at 1’35.966.
Max Biaggi: “I’m happy to be here and I want to sincerely thank Aprilia and the Piaggio Group for having given me this fantastic opportunity. I’m working with the guys from the Noale test team whom I tested with these past months for MotoGP and Superbike and it is both fun and strange to be here in what is no longer a testing atmosphere but a race situation. I am really pleased for them as well. Here I am back in my element of riders, friends, fantastic knights on steel steeds who ride fast, and seeing them from the inside of the competition is much different than commenting them on TV. Now we are thinking about Saturday. I think the farther forward we go the harder it will be. Times will start dropping in practice, tyre availability will go down and we’ll be tackling the electronics that I’ve never tested. We’ll see. It won’t be simple and we’ll also need a bit of luck.”
Leon Haslam: “I’m rather satisfied. We made good progress in the afternoon compared to the morning session. I made a mistake at the end of FP2 on the fast section – maybe one of the fastest crashes of my career! Fortunately there were no consequences, but unfortunately I gave the guys on the team a bit of extra work this evening. The feeling is good and step by step we’re finding a good pace, so I’m confident that tomorrow we’ll improve even more.”
Jordi Torres: “Today was a good day. I had raced here with Moto2 and despite the fact that the references change quite a bit, it didn’t take me long to learn. This lets us start working straight away on tyre life. We weren’t able to do that at Portimão and we can’t afford not to. I need to improve, especially on the front, both in terms of the RSV4’s reactions and my confidence. There are two phases: the setup and my confidence, which must improve hand in hand.”
Romano Albesiano (Aprilia Racing Manager): “An exciting day for us at Aprilia and I’d say a historic day for World SBK. Seeing Max back on the track, seeing him ride that way and achieve this performance, even though he decided a little while ago to really attempt this adventure, it’s a great gift for all the fans of our sport. I’m also happy with the performance of our official riders. Leon did very well. He is fine tuning the optimum setups and it’s a shame about his crash at the end which will force us to work overtime, but we are obviously on the right track. Jordi is also doing well and he is right there, just behind the leaders in some very tight standings. I think we’ll be able to improve with him tomorrow as well.”
More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing:
Misano Adriatico (Italy), 19 June 2015 – Team Althea Racing took part in the first day of qualifying making up round 8 of the eni FIM World Superbike Championship and taking place today at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
A great performance by Matteo Baiocco who closed this first day in final tenth place with room for improvement tomorrow. The Team Althea rider concluded the day with a best of 1’36.096, very close to the frontrunners’ times, with the first thirteen riders all within one second of each other. The only rider who seems to be making a difference for now is Max Biaggi who also benefits from great track experience. Tomorrow morning the work will concentrate on testing further set-up solutions that could further improve performance.
Matteo Baiocco: “It’s been a very positive Friday because we’ve been able to close inside the top ten and with times very close to the leaders. I’m very pleased because as well as being very close, we still have work to do on the bike to try and reach the positions that count. So I’m feeling confident ahead of tomorrow.”
‘New-entry’ Niccolò Canepa was on board the Ducati Panigale R in its Superbike version for the very first time today. His work focused on gaining confidence with his bike, regulating the height of the bike and riding position. Canepa closed the session with a time of 1’36.796 that sees him placed 16th for now but not far off the top ten. The Genoan rider is optimistic and pleased with his first day on the Team Althea bike. He is certain that he’ll find a solution tomorrow that will allow him to move up the timesheets, hopefully gaining entry to Superpole 2.
Niccolò Canepa: “I’m pleased with my first day on board the Ducati Panigale R. Today’s work was useful in starting to find feeling with the bike, setting it up for me, and in the end the gap between me and those ahead is fairly contained. I like the bike and am feeling at ease, and tomorrow I will strive to further close the gap.”
More, from a press release issued by Voltcom Crescent Suzuki:
Test translates to the track for Voltcom Crescent Suzuki at Misano
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki made a positive start to the Misano World Superbike round in Italy today concluding free practice sixth-tenths from provisional pole as Alex Lowes claimed ninth in the combined times.
With improvements to his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R evident from the off, Lowes completed 39 laps of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli across the day’s two 45-minute sessions – matching the total of returning Aprilia rider Max Biaggi. Less than half a second separated the top nine riders for the majority of the afternoon session, with Lowes initially running top-three after just five laps on track. A small crash in the closing minutes prevented the British racer from making any late advances, however, his 1’36.052 keeps him firmly in contention with the front runners heading into Saturday’s final timed practice.
A disappointing morning gave way to a promising afternoon for Randy de Puniet with significant developments made to his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Navigating the Rimini circuit for 29 laps – despite early technical issues grounding some of his first session – the Frenchman undertook extensive set-up changes to reduce his pace by two seconds. Concluding the day in 18th but just 1.5 seconds from the top, de Puniet is confident of more to come from the weekend.
Announcing his return to the Championship with a dominating performance, Biaggi headed both of the day’s sessions – his 1’35.380 best set in the final 5 minutes as the new Misano surface reached 43°C
Lowes and de Puniet return to the World Circuit at 09:45hrs local time (08:45BST) for the final timed free practice ahead of Saturday’s Superpole at 15:00hrs (14:00BST).
Alex Lowes:
“It’s been a positive day. Everything we found at the Portimao test is working at Misano this weekend. Realistically at the moment, it’s looking like we have a motorcycle that is capable of challenging the top six. We have some changes with the electronics and the chassis to make tomorrow to hopefully find two or three tenths and be a bit more competitive. I had a small crash at the end of the last session but it was nothing, I knew I was on the limit with the front and it just tucked, so lesson learnt and we’ll keep moving forward.”
Randy de Puniet:
“This morning we struggled again and unfortunately I broke the engine at the end, so it was not so good for us. This afternoon everything was much better and we really started to work. It was a very interesting session for me after so many frustrating weekends, being able to work on more than just the electronics. I really hope we can improve tomorrow as we improved between today’s two sessions and to continue to reduce the gap. We did quite a few laps today so I’m feeling confident for more tomorrow.”
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“Portimao was the first opportunity to test since we implemented the new Marelli ECU and we hoped the improvements there would translate to Misano. Fortunately they have and today was a more normal Friday. We are looking for the performance to improve in handling, engine braking and all the usual areas as the weekend progresses. The GSX-R is behaving normally around the Misano track and whilst we’re not quite as quick as we would like to be, the gaps are very small and we’ve been able to do a high number of laps with perfect durability so it’s a solid start to the weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Michele Pirro to substitute for Luca Scassa, riding the Panigale R of the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team at Misano
Misano Adriatico (Italy), Friday 19 June 2015 – The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team announces that Michele Pirro will ride the Italian team’s third Ducati Panigale R this weekend in place of injured rider Luca Scassa.
Scassa, who was participating in this eighth round of the Superbike World Championship as a wildcard entry, was unfortunately the victim of a serious crash in today’s second timed practice at the Misano World Circuit. Unfortunately the accident has left him with a fractured right collarbone which prevents him from continuing this weekend, and so the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team has asked Michele Pirro, Ducati MotoGP test rider and current leader of the Italian CIV Superbike championship, riding the Panigale R with Team Barni Racing, to ride Scassa’s bike for tomorrow’s sessions and Sunday’s races.