Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Losail International Circuit
Doha, Qatar
October 28, 2016
Free Practice Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), 1:57.712
2. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:57.759
3. Xavi FORÉS, Spain (Ducati Panigale R), 1:58.015
4. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:58.167
5. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta 1000 F4), 1:58.207
6. Alex LOWES, UK (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:58.241
7. Jordi TORRES, Spain (BMW S1000RR), 1:58.303
8. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (Honda CBR1000RR SP), 1:58.365
9. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:58.415
10. Lorenzo SAVADORI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), 1:58.523
11. Leon HASLAM, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:58.639
12. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), 1:58.745
13. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (Aprilia RSV4 RF), 1:59.011
14. Michael VAN DER MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), 1:59.032, crash
15. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:59.192
16. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), 1:59.198
17. Markus REITERBERGER, Germany (BMW S1000RR), 1:59.526
18. Josh BROOKES, Australia (BMW S1000RR), 1:59.877, crash
19. Saeed AL SULAITI, Qatar (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:00.156
20. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:00.387
21. Luca SCASSA, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), 2:00.635
22. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:00.900
23. Pawel SZKOPEK, Poland (Yamaha YZF-R1), 2:01.633
24. Dominic SCHMITTER, Switzerland (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:02.307
25. Peter SEBESTYÉN, Hungary (Yamaha YZF-R1), 2:03.625
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Davies Steals the Spotlight in Qatar
– Ducati rider tops the timesheets on Friday evening –
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing –Ducati) stole the show in the floodlit desert when the stars of WorldSBK commenced battle at 21:00 local time (GMT+3) on Friday evening for Free Practice 2. The top ten gained direct entry to the grid-deciding Tissot-Superpole 2 session to be held on Saturday before lights out for the penultimate Race of the 2016 season.
FP2 saw Davies and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) fight for the fastest combined time, with the Welshman prevailing in the final minutes of the session. Rea finished second fastest ahead of Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) who set the third quickest time of the night.
The action packed FP2 session saw Rea go on a desert trek in the gravel at the halfway mark, after he ran wide at turn 9. However, he quickly recovered and maintained his place in the top three. Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) improved his times from the earlier session to bring his Yamaha home in fourth ahead of Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in fifth. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) easily moved through to Superpole 2 with the sixth fastest time, while Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) trailing just behind him in seventh and Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) in eighth.
The struggle from FP1 continued for Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) when he ran off-track soon after Rea’s desert excursion. His rear locked up in the gravel and caused the frustrated Yorkshireman to head back to the pits. Sykes only re-joined the session in the last 15 minutes and in a desperate dash not to let his teammate and Championship rival out of his sights, he finally finished in ninth, comfortably ensuring his entry to Superpole 2.
Lorenzo Savadori (IodaRacing Team) was the last man home in tenth and safely through to Superpole 2. Leon Haslam (Pedercini Racing) made a great start to his weekend after a year out of WorldSBK competition, to finish with the 11th fastest time. Though he didn’t make it directly into Superpole 2, his pace shows he could be a serious top ten challenger ahead of the weekend’s races.
An early spill at the beginning of the session for Michael van der Mark (Honda World Superbike Team) saw the Dutchman struggle to maintain his top ten position. He just missed out on Superpole 2 after finishing in 12th and will now have to fight in Superpole 1 on Saturday if he wants to take advantage of a top ten grid position.
Once the grid has been decided in Saturday’s Superpole sessions, the lights will go out for the second to last time at 20:00 local time (GMT+3) at the incredible Losail International Circuit.
More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing BMW:
The final SBK round gets underway at floodlit Qatar
Doha (Qatar), Friday 28 October 2016
The Althea BMW Racing Team, competing in the final round of the Superbike World Championship at the Losail international circuit in Qatar, have completed day one of practice under the floodlights. While Jordi Torres positions seventh on the timesheets, Raffaele De Rosa and Markus Reiterberger lie 15th and 17th respectively.
The first timed practice session took place in the early evening and in typically hot conditions (air temperature 30°C, track 33°C). The Althea BMW trio went straight to work in terms of adapting their BMW S 1000 RR bikes to the Qatari track. Jordi closed ninth, followed by Raffaele, riding the BMW Superbike for the second time this season, in tenth place. Markus, riding at Losail for the first time, finished in 18th position.
In the second timed practice, which took place at 9pm local time, all three Althea BMW men improving on their performance. Torres was able to lower his time by almost a second, to close seventh (1’58.303). The Spaniard will therefore take part in Superpole 2 tomorrow. De Rosa recorded a best time of 1’59.192, to finish 15th and Reiterberger positions 17th thanks to a time of 1’59.526, meaning both will compete in tomorrow’s Superpole 1.
Jordi Torres:
“Session one didn’t go as expected because we had some problems, with a lot of movement at the rear of the bike. My technicians worked like champions to solve this issue before session two and we were able to do a lot better. We also made a long-run in order to understand which tyre to use in the race. We’ve seen that we have the pace today, now we have to see if conditions are the same tomorrow… We’re feeling quite confident though.”
Markus Reiterberger:
“I’m enjoying the track, a new one for me. Unfortunately, I probably lost about 80% of session one due to some technical problems, so it was hard to learn the track as I only completed about eight laps. The second session started better but I had some more problems. So it was not an easy day and I’m down in seventeenth place, which isn’t good of course. I need more track time. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”
Raffaele De Rosa:
“For the first day here in Doha it’s not gone too badly, and I’m happier than I was after the first day at Laguna Seca. We are also a little closer in terms of lap times which is good. I know that we, both me and my BMW, can improve further, and the important thing is that I’m having fun riding the bike. We’ll see what tomorrow brings but I hope to be able to do well in both the Superpole and the race.”
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:
CAMIER CLOSED 5H ON OPENING DAY IN QATAR
It began today the last Round of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season 2016, with MV Agusta Reparto Corse Team which sees Leon Camier close in 5th position after the first FP manche at Losail circuit, in Qatar.
WorldSBK – FP1, FP2
Losail circuit, in Qatar, is not one of the circuits most rewarding for the feature of the MV Agusta F4 RC machine; Yet, Leon Camier and his team have managed to progressively improve their score, starting from the 14th position of FP1 until the 5th position of FP2, only -0.5s from the first. Thanks to the excellent feeling with his bike, tomorrow the British rider will be back on track for the WorldSBK Tissot-Superpole2, searching for the best position possible on starting grid.
WorldSSP – FP1, FP2
In WorldSSP, Jules Cluzel did a great start for the FP1 session, managing to finish in 3rd place, only 0.3s far from the leader Kenan Sofuoglu. In FP2 the French rider wasn’t able to replicate the excellent afternoon’s performance but managed to closes in 8th place, entering the Tissot-Superpole2.
After winning the Italian Supersport Championship a few days ago, Massimo Roccoli joined the MV Agusta Reparto Corse Team for this last round of the WorldSSP Championship. The Italian rider – who had already raced in Qatar in 2014, always in WorldSSP with Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse, closing in Top10 – decided to focus on establishing a good feeling with the new bike and the new team, finishing in 18th position at the end of the day.
Leon Camier #2 WorldSBK – I am really happy with this result. First session was really difficult since I had a few problems at the chassis and the electronics but we made some little changes for the second session and we definitely improved. 5th position in this track for us is an impressive result and even if race won’t be so easy, I think we can be really satisfied.
Jules Cluzel #16 WorldSSP – This morning we started very well and I found a good feeling with the bike. Unfortunately, in the afternoon we had some more problems and we stepped down till the 8th position. The guys on the team are working hard on the bike and tomorrow I will do my best to get a good placement in Superpole2.
Massimo Roccoli #52 WorldSSP – Let’s say I’m struggling a bit ‘longer than expected, because this bike is very different from the one I rode in the Italian Championship and I need time to get used to it. Moreover, Losail circuit is definitely not an easy track. We are working hard for tomorrow and I hope to get close to the score- points position.
More, from a press release issued by Honda Superbike Racing Team:
Mixed feelings for the Honda WorldSBK Team after day one in Qatar
Round 13 – Qatar
Losail International Circuit, Qatar
The opening day of action at the final round of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship drew to an end with Nicky Hayden eighth on the combined timesheets from the day’s two free practice sessions at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. Hayden’s Honda WorldSBK teammate Michael van der Mark was twelfth after an early FP2 crash halted his progress, so tomorrow the young Dutchman will try to earn a spot in Superpole 2 during the first session, scheduled at 17:30 local time (GMT +3).
Nicky Hayden jumped back on his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP and quickly got back up to speed around the long and fast-flowing Losail track. The 35-year-old American rider was elevated to first place in the early part of Free Practice 2 but, as the session went on, he was unable to improve his pace enough to stay near the top. His eighth fastest lap-time, though, was only three and a half tenths off third place.
After getting off to a good start in the morning with third place in FP1, Michael van der Mark crashed unhurt at turn two in the early stages of the afternoon session. Due to the considerable damage suffered by his Fireblade machine in the process, the 24 year-old from Rotterdam in the Netherlands was unable to return to the track. As the chequered flag was deployed, he found himself in twelfth place – although still within 0.150s of a top-10 finish.
Nicky Hayden 69
8th / 1’58.365
Things went pretty good in the first session: immediately, I was able to make some pretty decent lap-times. I surely expected the track to be more dirty that it was in the first session. I was also able to make quite a long run and keep a good pace and, even in the afternoon, things were going well. I thought everything was going pretty smooth but in the second half, everybody seemed to improve a lot more than I did, so we ended up in a position that surely doesn’t make us happy. We improved a tenth here and a tenth there, just not enough. We have a lot of data to work on, but to be honest I don’t have big problems with the bike and I don’t see anything that is really holding me back, so I think we all need to find a little bit extra and see how it goes tomorrow.
Michael van der Mark 60
12th / 1’58.673
The track conditions improved quite quickly this morning but at the beginning I wasn’t feeling good with the front of the bike. We made some changes during the session and I started to feel better and better; the final lap didn’t feel too fast to me but in the end it was a really good one. In the afternoon we made some more changes to the front and I was feeling OK on the bike. Then, unfortunately the crash happened and that was basically it. Shame, because we were building some momentum and I feel I could have done really well. Tomorrow won’t be easy because we will start from Superpole 1, but we will do our best.
Pieter Breddels
Technical Manager
In the morning session, both guys were really quick and we were happy with their positions at the end of FP1. With Nicky, we played a little bit with the setup and we were able to find a better front tyre for him. He is happy with the bike and comfortable with his race pace, but now we need to find some more speed on the single lap. Michael was really doing well in the early moments of free practice two: the crash was not a big one, but the bike was so damaged up to the point that the guys have to basically build a new one. Things like that can happen, though, but on the bright side he was quite happy with the set-up, so we won’t need many changes for tomorrow. Too bad for the time lost, but I’m confident he’ll make it to Superpole 2 and we will use the 15 extra minutes for some more track time.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
First Two Practice Sessions See Rea Second And Sykes Ninth
The final round of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship began with two free practice sessions under the floodlights of Losail in Qatar on Friday 28th October, with Jonathan Rea just 0.047 seconds from the fastest time and his team-mate Tom Sykes overcoming a technical problem with his rear brake to score the ninth fastest lap.
In a close combined free practice ranking, after two hours of dry track time, the top 12 riders were separated by less than a second at this long 5.380km circuit.
The fast and flowing track layout makes for generally high corner speeds and corner entries and each KRT rider was caught out at one stage of the second session, despite making good progress with their overall set-up at this unique venue.
Rea ran on at one corner under braking to make sure he did not risk a crash, while Sykes was forced off track to a halt when his rear brake locked and pushed him onto the gravel. Getting back to pitlane for repairs he completed his first day on a well-used front tyre, but still made it directly into Saturday’s Superpole 2 qualifying, along with Rea.
As the official Ninja ZX-10R riders approach the first race of the Losail weekend on Saturday both Rea and Sykes are the only two riders who can still win the championship, with Jonathan enjoying a 48 point lead over Tom but with 50 points available for any rider who wins both races.
Both KRT riders know the possible significance of the first race on Saturday, when Tom has to win and Jonathan score less than two points for Sykes to keep the championship fight going through to the final race of the year on Sunday.
Neither rider is taking anything for granted and both have already expressed a desire to race for wins at the end of a season in which Kawasaki has already won the Manufacturers’ Championship.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “I think we can make some improvements to be there with Chaz Davies tomorrow and I feel comfortable with the bike. We have been making some good changes in the bike set-up and we worked a lot with our Showa suspension set-up, so we will look to improve even further tomorrow. This is the first race in a long time that we have managed to do a long run on a Friday. We did 15 laps, which is almost race distance, so I am quite happy. This is probably the cleanest and most positive Friday we have had, even though I ran on at one corner. I just braked that little bit late and with the track being dirty I ran off line a little bit to try and make the corner. I decided to abort it and I did not realise the gravel was so close. We got going again right away and did another lap in the 1’58s to finish the run. Out and out laps times are very close but I think race pace is a different story.”
Tom Sykes, stated: “On paper ninth looks a lot worse than it is, but for sure we lost a lot of time and almost had a crash on the entry of T2 when we had a brake issue. We were a bit lucky with that. We got the general set-up workload done, which was good, but we ended up not being able to use two fresh tyres to go for a fast lap. I put a big flat spot on the rear tyre when I ran onto the gravel and my best lap time was with an already used front. I was making the times with seven laps on the rear and 18 on the front, which is not bad. We have done a lot with the general feeling of the bike and components so I feel that now we have the chance to put everything together for Saturday.”
One-off Losail rider Leon Haslam (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was 11th fastest despite losing some time in the pits this morning. He was less than a second from the overnight pole time in his return to WorldSBK after a season in BSB. Local rider Saeed Al Sulaiti (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) took his Ninja ZX-10R to 19th place in the combined times. Roman Ramos (GoEleven Kawasaki) was one place behind, with Gianluca Vizziello 22nd and Dominic Schmitter 24th for the Grillini Racing Kawasaki team.
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Flourishing Fourth for Guintoli in Final Friday at Qatar
Free practice
The lights of the Losail International Circuit illuminated a strong performance from the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK riders as the closing weekend of the 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship commenced on Friday evening. Sylvain Guintoli finished the two hours of free practice fourth fastest in the overall times, with teammate Alex Lowes narrowly behind in sixth.
The Qatari circuit has long been a favourite of the French rider and this evening proved no exception. Instantly getting down to business as the opening session began, Guintoli regained a smooth rhythm with the circuit on his YZF-R1 as he worked through tyre options and preparation for the weekend’s two 17-lap races. Concluding the first hour on track in fifth position, and already inside the 1’59 mark, he continued his progression in the concluding 60-minutes to close the day just four-tenths from the provisional pole with a best lap of 1’58.167, and confident there is further potential on hand.
Lowes was equally optimistic with his Yamaha Superbike’s capacity, having taken fourth in the first practice by recording a 1’58.889 on his final lap after a strong session of set-up work. Returning to the Losail track in the late-evening, Lowes launched into a race simulation, successfully completing the long-run with consistent and confident pace before switching to new tyres for the final flourish. The British rider’s best effort of the night, a 1’58.241, sits him sixth in the combined times and joining his Pata Yamaha teammate in tomorrow’s Superpole 2, on track at 17:55 local time, as the grid for Saturday’s 20:00 race is decided.
Sylvain Guintoli
4th / 1’58.167 / 38 laps
“The YZF-R1 handles very well here so I’m feeling quite good after our first day. We’ve done some good laps on new tyres and hopefully we can keep a good rhythm over the race distance, have some fun and enjoy it as I really like this track! We’ve worked hard on all the tyre options today so we know the direction that works for us and hopefully we can have a fast race tomorrow. My fast lap was actually not that clean, I made two big mistakes so I know I have more but we’ve got to be competitive for the race so that has been our main target today.”
Alex Lowes
6th / 1’58.241 / 41 laps
“It’s really cool to ride at night under the lights, it’s something a little different for us so it’s always really nice, and the YZF-R1 is working well so today has been good. This afternoon I completed an almost full-race-distance simulation which I was quite happy with. With new tyres at the end I probably didn’t go quite as fast as I had wanted but I’m trying to concentrate on improving my pace for the races, as I need two good results for the final weekend. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, I think we did a good job today with plenty of laps so hopefully the lads can use the data, fine tune the bike a little to improve my feeling on corner entry and see if we can make a step for race one.”
Paul Denning – Team Principal
“A positive first night here in Qatar under the lights for both riders, it’s the last race of the season but it’s impressive to see that the focus from everyone involved is the same as the first race of the year. Sylvain came here knowing it was one of his favourite tracks and that he has the ability to win – having sealed the 2014 championship with a double victory – so it was no surprise to see him in a good rhythm and performing well from the start. He feels he could have been faster and also that there is some more performance to be found in the YZF-R1, so we’ll keep the focus for tomorrow and continue the progression from the positive performance in Jerez.
“Alex also had a very solid day, even more so having completed a 15-lap long-run in FP2. These race simulations are always so useful in terms of technical information but also in the rider understanding more clearly where the bike can be improved to get the best result after the lights go out for real. Tomorrow is when it counts – both in qualifying and the first race – but based on today we go into Saturday evening with optimism.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Chaz Davies sets the fastest time on Friday in Qatar, Davide Giugliano is 13th
The first day of practice of the 13th and final round of the 2016 WorldSBK championship, held under floodlights in Qatar, saw the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team claim the top of the time sheets with Chaz Davies. The Welshman rider, who has won five out of the last six races scoring back-to-back double wins, confirmed his top form also on the Losail track to post the provisional fastest time with a 1:57.712. Starting off on the right foot in FP1, closed in second position, Davies worked on his race pace with encouraging results and then made the decisive step forward in the final minutes on fresh tyres.
Davide Giugliano, on the other hand, faced a more difficult day. Eighth after FP1, the Italian rider didn’t find the optimal feeling on his Panigale R and, despite taking about half a second off his best lap times throughout the day, had to settle for 13th position. The particularly narrow gaps in the combined time sheets, however, leave him hopeful ahead of Superpole 1.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will resume action tomorrow at 15:30 local for the third and last free-practice session ahead of Superpole and Race 1.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) 1st
“It seems that we hit the ballpark right after unloading the bike from Jerez. We’re carrying on that good feeling, and we’ve been quite competitive in the same conditions that theoretically should characterize tomorrow’s race, so I’m happy overall. The track progressively improved throughout the day, and towards the end we actually weren’t able to do a perfect lap with a bit of extra grip, but it was good enough. The package is strong overall and our pace is quite solid, but we can still try to grab a couple of tenths overnight. We’ve also done our homework with the tyres, and we made our choice for the race.“
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34) 13th
“Unfortunately we had a bit of a difficult day. FP1 wasn’t so bad overall, even if we still had to tailor the setup to my exact needs. In FP2, however, we weren’t able to find the best feeling and, due to different issues, we couldn’t do many laps. The narrow gaps also didn’t help us. We surely won’t give up though, and we’ll analyze the data in detail to make the right changes ahead of tomorrow. Physically I feel better, and I’m determined to give my best to climb the rankings and make the most of our potential.”