eni FIM Superbike World Championship

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Monterey, California, USA

July 19, 2015

Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), 25 laps, 35:13.816

2. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -1.406 seconds

3. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -1.982

4. Jordi TORRES, Spain (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -16.551

5. Leon HASLAM, UK (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -17.772

6.  Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -31.735

7. Michael VD MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -34.446

8.  Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -38.048

9. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Ducati Panigale R), -41.755

10. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta F4 RR), -49.105, ran off track

11. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -56.249

12. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -61.630

13. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -72.647

14. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -1 lap

15.  Christian PONSSON, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -1 lap

16. Gabor RIZMAYER, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap

17.  Imre TOTH, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), -2 laps

18. Santiago BARRAGÁN, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -3 laps

19. Alex LOWES, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -19 laps, DNF, retired

20. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -22 laps, DNF, retired

21. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -24 laps, DNF, crash

22. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -24 laps, DNF, crash 

Championship Point Standings (after 18 of 26 races):

1. Rea, 407 points

2. Sykes, 282

3. Davies, 263

4. Haslam, 240

5. Torres, 164

6. Guintoli, 136

7. Giugliano, 119

8. Van Der Mark, 114

9. Mercado, 104

10. Lowes, 94

More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:

Davies on the double at Laguna Seca

Carbon copy of race one podium with Sykes and Rea on the remaining steps.

Chaz Davies has made history at Laguna Seca by taking the first double win for the Panigale and with it, wins number 11 and 12 for the Italian manufacturer at Laguna Seca, California. For Davies it was an almost perfect weekend with him taking Pole Position, both race wins and the fastest lap in the day’s earlier race. This is Davies’ second WorldSBK double and the first one for Ducati since Imola 2012.

Once again leading from the start, the Welshman tried to pull away immeditaly but unlike race one he was closely followed in the early stages by the Kawasaki Racing Team pairing of Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea, with Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) running strongly in fourth.

Behind Davies at the flag were Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea, the podium in race 2 being a carbon copy of the first encounter.

Aprilia Racing riders Jordi Torres and Leon Haslam were fourth and fifth, respectively, after a long and enthralling duel. Both riders finished comfortably ahead of Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia), who had a lonely ride to sixth after failing to finish in the first encounter.

Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) got the better of Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing) in their hectic on-track tussle for seventh with Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing) once again ninth ahead of Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).

The remaining point scorers were Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven), Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing), Gianluca Vizziello (Grillini Racing) and Christophe Ponsson (Team Pedercini).

As the rain began to fall at the start of lap two Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team) was caught off guard, and the Italian crashed heavily at Turn 6; he was taken to the Medical Centre for precautionary checks. The Italian rider escaped major injuries having been diagnosed with only right knee and heel contusions.

It was an unfortunate race for the reigning Champion Sylvain Guintoli, who was closely tailing Alex Lowes when the Briton decided to slow down to enter the pits in order to go for an early tyre change. A collision was almost inevitable and, despite returning to the track, Lowes had to retire shortly after, as the decision did not work in his favour.

Despite losing a handful of points from Tom Sykes, Jonathan Rea still holds a solid 125-point lead over his team mate Tom Sykes, while hero of the day Chaz Davies has consolidated the third place in the standings with four rounds remaining. WorldSBK action will resume in a fortnight’s time at Sepang.

Chaz Davies #7 – Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team

Race 1 1st Race 2 1st

Twitter: @chazdavies

Instagram: @chazdavies7

Facebook: chazdavies7

“I’m really, really happy with these results, and we’ve definitely seen the fruits of our labour here. The track here perhaps limits our weak points and plays to our strengths, and we were able to put together two really good races that went almost exactly to plan. I didn’t think we’d be able to lap in 1.23s but I was able to make some really quick first laps in Race 1. We made a few small tweaks for race 2 and I think those changes were useful. I took a lot of risks with the rain but luckily it stopped and things went smoothly from there to the finish line. I thank my entire team, Ducati and our sponsors – it’s been a really solid weekend.”

Tom Sykes #66 – Kawasaki Racing Team

Race 1 – 2nd Race 2 – 2nd

Twitter: @TheRealTomSykes

Facebook page: Tom-Sykes-66

“Jonathan and I had a great battle for the entire first race. I had plus zero on my pit board, so I just had to manage the situation. Overall I am happy with second position considering the circumstances. We made two small changes for race two and it was strange because at the beginning I felt I had a really good bike set-up but in the rain Chaz took a couple of more risks. It paid off because he made a big gap and I think that was probably the deciding factor in the race. We had a couple of warnings and I was just not able to stick with Chaz. Overall, I am fairly satisfied but we were just not close enough. Two second places are acceptable but another rider took the prizes this weekend.”

Jonathan Rea #65 – Kawasaki Racing Team

Race 1 – 3rd Race 2 – 3rd

Twitter: @jonathanrea

Instagram: @jonathan_rea

Facebook: JonathanReaOfficial

“I tried a lot but there was nothing I could do to go through on Tom in race one. He also had a good pace but I am sure I had a higher pace. I just could not through him. He was riding quite smart. In the final corner I was a little bit behind and it was one of those where you had to be clever as well, because 16 points is a lot better than zero. We also had a good pace in race two but it was a little bit my fault because I made too many mistakes. Tom and I both lost a lot of time to Chaz when the rain was coming but we ended up with a really good pace together. Today we played the long game a little bit and third is where I could finish.”

More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda:

Positive steps for van der Mark in USA

Michael van der Mark took his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP to eighth and seventh place finishes respectively in today’s two ninth-round World Superbike championship races at Laguna Seca in the USA.

Both 25-lap races were won by British rider Chaz Davies as van der Mark, 22, got two good starts from a lowly 15th place on the grid. Race one turned out to be a relatively lonely affair, the Dutch rider finishing in eighth place, nine seconds behind Pata Honda team-mate Sylvain Guintoli.

Guintoli himself enjoyed an impressive start in the first outing, running as high as fifth in the early stages after starting from ninth place on the grid. The reigning World Superbike champion eventually finished seventh.

Rain threatened the 3.61km Laguna circuit for race two and, indeed, spots began falling early in the race but they amounted to nothing. However, during the uncertainty and following a solid start, Guintoli was jostling for position towards the end of lap two when Alex Lowes entered pit lane, colliding with the 33-year-old Frenchman. Guintoli damaged his right thumb in the ensuing crash but was otherwise unhurt.

Van der Mark was left to fly the Pata Honda flag alone, bringing his CBR home in a creditable seventh place. He leaves California immediately to fly to Japan where he is targeting a third successive victory in the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race next Sunday.

Michael van der Mark – 8th and 7th

It’s been quite a difficult weekend and, together with trying to learn this amazing circuit, we have struggled to get the bike set up properly, so I had to come a long way from 15th on the grid. I made a really good start in the first race and moved forward about five places. But I couldn’t keep up with the guys in front of me and ended up in a lonely and boring race for eighth. In race two I had another good start and had a better feeling with the CBR. I was able to keep pushing throughout the race so, in the end, I’m quite happy to get two solid top ten finishes. I’m in a good frame of mind for the 8 Hours now, which I’m really looking forward to.

Sylvain Guintoli – 7th and DNF

I had a really good start to race one but I wasn’t able to keep the pace after the first few laps. I felt I was losing out on corner exit and having to try really hard to make it up on the brakes, which was difficult. In race two, the start was OK but on lap two I was lining up to pass into the last corner when [Alex] Lowes entered the pit lane without any signal and I crashed. It was a really, really upsetting way to finish the weekend, but we’ll just have to come back fighting in Sepang in two weeks.

Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator

Sylvain had a great start in race one but he had to drop the pace a little bit and finished seventh, which was OK, but we all want to be closer to the front, of course. On the second lap of race two he collided with Alex Lowes who decided to pit when Sylvain was on the left-hand side, which was the wrong side for him. That was a very unfortunate way to finish the weekend. Michael had to come from a long way back in 15th on the grid but got a really good start in race one. He immediately jumped to tenth place and finished in a lonely eighth. He had quite a good race two and was a long time behind Canepa but eventually passed him and got away, but by then the front runners were gone. Considering his starting position, eighth and seventh are two solid results and we’ll take those to the next round.

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

THE AMERICAN SUPERBIKE WEEKEND FINISHED WITH A SPECTACULAR DUEL BETWEEN THE APRILIA RIDERS

FIFTH AND FOURTH PLACE FOR JORDI TORRES, LEON HASLAM TOOK A SPILL IN RACE 1 AND FINISHED RIGHT BEHIND HIS TEAM MATE IN RACE 2

Laguna Seca – Superbike race number 200 for Leon Haslam, Race 2 at Laguna, will long be remembered for the spectacular and clean battle between the English rider and his team mate, Jordi Torres. It was the Spanish rookie who succeeded under the chequered flag at his début on the difficult California track, bringing home an encouraging fourth place finish.

In Race 1 Leon, who started from the second row, didn’t get off to the best start and was forced to fight to recover positions. Hindered by poor grip, the English rider took a slide which also damaged the gear shift lever on his RSV4. At that point Leon had to settle for a thirteenth place finish.

Leon Haslam: “Unfortunately in Race 1 we struggled. I had trouble maintaining the pace and after the crash the only thing on my mind was finishing the race, given the damage to my bike as well. We took a big step forward for Race 2. I rode much better, especially in the initial phases of the race. Then our pace dropped off a bit and I’m disappointed about that because I know that my bike had great potential. The biggest problem was consistency, in addition to a couple of turns where I was struggling. We’ll evaluate some further changes now that we can make for Malaysia, which is a track where we can definitely be very competitive.”

After his best qualifying phase of the season (third best time), Jordi Torres had his sights set on two good races. In the start of the first race he stuck close to Giugliano until a lack of feeling forced him to maintain his own pace without being able to make a play for fourth place. That was a position he achieved in Race 2, however, at the end of a battle with his team mate which kept fans and the Team Aprilia Racing – Red Devils garage on the edge of their seats. After swapping out positions several times, Jordi and Leon finished the race in fourth and fifth place respectively.

Jordi Torres: “Today we did a great job. We knew we would be able to do well after our third place time in qualifying. Our pace wasn’t the best, especially in Race 1 where I struggled with rear grip and wasn’t able to keep up with Giugliano. In Race 2 things went much better. In the first few laps I struggled in the braking sections because of the new pads, but once they worked themselves out I was able to set my pace to overtake Leon. The changes we made between the two races allowed me to do the times we had expected. I’m also pleased because we identified one of the areas where we’ll make some changes for the coming races which will make my RSV4 perform better in mid-turn.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Davies and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team score a fantastic double win with the Panigale R at Laguna Seca!

Monterey (USA), Sunday 19 July 2015 – A perfect race day for Chaz Davies and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team who triumphed in both of the Superbike races at the Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway! Davide Giugliano achieved a solid fourth place finish in race 1 but unfortunately crashed at the start of race 2; the Italian is unhurt.

Race 1 – after the hot and sunny conditions seen up until today, this morning rain made an appearance but fortunately the track was totally dry for race one. Chaz got away extremely well from pole position, immediately taking control of the races. He set the fastest lap of the race on lap five (1’23.739), after which he continued to push and build on his advantage over the chasing pack. Putting together the perfect race, the Welshman knew how best to manage each phase of the race, riding his Ducati Panigale R to its second victory of the season and crossing the line almost two seconds ahead of second-placed Sykes.

Davide lost a few positions at the start and was lying fifth after lap one. In the first phase he unfortunately lost contact with the leading group while trying to pass Torres. Able to pass the Spaniard on lap thirteen to move into fourth place, Giugliano was unable to do any more due to the gap of more than 8 seconds that had opened up in the meantime between him and the trio up ahead. The Italian therefore finished the race in fourth position.

Race 2 – once again Davies made a very fast start to take the lead. Despite a rain shower during the early stages of the race, the Welsh rider did not slow his pace, again building up a considerable advantage over Sykes, lying second, just as in Race 1. In what was almost a replay of the first race, Chaz kept his head, maintaining both his advantage and his concentration right to the line, finishing first and achieving what is a first double win of the season for him and the team.

Giugliano, fifth through the first lap, was unfortunately the victim of what appeared to be a serious crash at Turn 6 on the very next lap. The Italian rider has contusions to the left heel and right knee but doctors confirm that he has sustained no serious injuries.

After nine championship rounds, and thanks to the results at Laguna Seca, Davies moves into third place in the overall standings, with 263 points, while Giugliano retains seventh, having earned 119 points. Ducati positions second in the manufacturer’s standings with 318 points.

Quotes after the races:

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) 1st, 1st

“I’m really, really happy with these results, and we’ve definitely seen the fruits of our labour here. The track here perhaps limits our weak points and plays to our strengths, and we were able to put together two really good races that went almost exactly to plan. I didn’t think we’d be able to lap in 1.23s but I was able to make some really quick first laps in Race 1, pushing hard for the first twelve or so and then it was all about gap management. We made a few small tweaks for race 2 and I think those changes were useful. I took a lot of risks with the rain, and was very worried about crashing but luckily the rain stopped and things went smoothly from there to the finish line. I thank my entire team, Ducati and our sponsors – it’s been a really solid weekend, and a lot better than last year’s outcome of course.”

Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #34) – 4th, DNF

“It was not my day. In race one I lost a lot of time trying to get past Torres and then, once I’d done that, there was no chance to catch the three guys up ahead and so I had to be happy with fourth. We made some changes for race 2 but they were not needed in the end as I crashed almost immediately. To be honest, I was really scared as I thought I’d hurt my back again, but the doctors assure me that I am ok. I’m really sorry as we had a good chance to do well…”

Stefano Cecconi – Team Principal –

“It’s been a fantastic, emotional weekend, made possible by Chaz’s superb performance and incessant work by Ducati and all of the team members. This season is really rewarding us and this first double win will allow us to face the next races with extremely high morale.”

Ernesto Marinelli – Ducati SBK Project Director

“Today’s result is a very important one. To be on pole and then score a double win tops off a perfect weekend, that Chaz completed like a real artist, right from the first session, confirming his talent and the competitiveness of our Panigale. Huge thanks to him from everyone in Ducati for having given back the “double” that we’d been missing for some time. This result would not have been possible without the hard work of everybody, both at home in the factory and at the track, who contributes, day after day, to building a level of performance that allowed us to make the difference today. It was a real shame for Davide who could have done well in race 2, but having seen the crash we consider ourselves lucky that he has suffered no serious injury and so I’m sure he’ll be straight back to fighting as one of the frontrunners in Malaysia.”

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Double Podiums For KRT Duo At Laguna Seca

At the ninth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship season, held at Laguna Seca in the USA, KRT riders Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea battled with each other in both races, with Sykes scoring two second places and Rea taking two thirds. The KRT riders are still 1-2 in the championship itself, with Rea on 407 points and Sykes on 282.

In the first 25-lap race of the day Sykes set about trying to chase down eventual race winner Chaz Davies but ended up in a defensive battle with Rea as they vied for the 20 points available for second place. Sykes was to hold on to his runner-up position, with Rea scoring third, finishing right behind his team-mate.

In race two Sykes led Rea in the early laps, with an attempted pass from the championship leader being rebuffed by his team-mate in definite fashion. Light spots of rain on the track shortly after the start had caused some anxious moments for all the riders but the track conditions rapidly improved, allowing Sykes to take the fastest lap of race two, 1’23.842, on lap ten.

In finishing second twice today Sykes minimised his loss of points to double race winner Davies. Despite recording his two smallest points scores of the season Rea still holds a strong 125-point advantage over Sykes, with four rounds of the championship remaining. Rea has continued his remarkable run of finishing on the podium at every single race this year.

In the Manufacturers’ Championship standings, Kawasaki leads by 112 points.

The Sepang International Circuit will host the tenth round of the series, from Friday 30 July to Sunday 2 August.

Tom Sykes: “Jonathan and I had a great battle for the entire first race. I had plus zero on my pit board, so I just had to manage the situation. I felt the rear tyre drop and had to compensate in some areas, trying to do some things slightly differently. It was not ideal but overall I am happy with second position considering the circumstances. We made two small changes for race two and it was strange because at the beginning I felt I had a really good bike set-up but in the rain Chaz took a couple of more risks. It paid off because he made a big gap and I think that was probably the deciding factor in the race. We had a couple of warnings and I was just not able to stick with Chaz. Overall, I am fairly satisfied but we were just not close enough. Two second places are acceptable but another rider took the prizes this weekend.”

Jonathan Rea: “I tried a lot but there was nothing I could do to go through on Tom in race one. He also had a good pace but I am sure I had a higher pace. I just could not through him. I tried a few times and ran wide and it was very clear if I was to stick a pass it had to be an aggressive one and in the last laps I did not get an opportunity. He was riding quite smart. In the final corner I was a little bit behind and it was one of those where you had to be clever as well, because 16 points is a lot better than zero. We also had a good pace in race two but it was a little bit my fault because I made too many mistakes. Tom and I both lost a lot of time to Chaz when the rain was coming but we ended up with a really good pace together. Today we played the long game a little bit and third is where I could finish.”

David Salom (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) was unable to finish the first race at Laguna while Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) secured 12th spot. In the second 25-lap race Salom retired again and Ramos repeated his 12th place from race one. Ramos has 59 championship points, in 13th position, while Salom has 43, and is placed 16th.

More, from a press release issued by Voltcom Crescent Suzuki:

Laguna Seca top 6 for Lowes and Voltcom Crescent Suzuki

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s Alex Lowes scored a stellar sixth place finish for the opening race of the World Superbike weekend at Laguna Seca in America today.

A great start off the lights saw the British racer sitting sixth on his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R for the initial three laps of the morning’s action before a small error dropped him back slightly to eighth. Digging deep for the mid-race, Lowes increased his pace to take seventh from World Champion Sylvain Guintoli on lap 17. Lowes then closed the gap on Leon Haslam, pressing the Aprilia rider into an error and claiming sixth and 10 points at the flag.

Race two looked to be an equally strong performance for Lowes as he held seventh on lap one after another good start. However it wasn’t to be, as an issue with the front tyre and an early incident on lap two brought about his eventual retirement on lap nine. Lowes leaves America 10th in the standings with 94 championship points and ready for two races in the far-east in the coming weeks.

Recovering his weekend’s early form, Randy de Puniet took his Suzuki GSX-R1000 from 17th on the grid to a double 11th place finish for the day’s two races. Battling hard just outside of a top ten position, the Frenchman collects 10 points from his American visit and is looking forward to continuing the developments made.

A mixed day of humid clouds, sunshine and the threat of rain saw lower than normal track temperatures (peaking at just 33°C) as Ducati’s Chaz Davies converted his pole-sitting pace into a double race win.

As the freight is packed up to travel directly to Malaysia, Voltcom Crescent Suzuki now prepare to journey east for round ten at the Sepang International Circuit on Sunday 2nd August, while Alex Lowes flies first to Japan for the Suzuka 8Hours endurance race next week.

Alex Lowes:

“I felt good in race one. I made a small mistake in the first turn, but I recovered from that and it was great to race, catch and pass Sylvain and close down on Leon on the factory Aprilia. The bike felt much better than it has done recently and we made good progress over the course of the weekend. The second race I was fully fired up for a good fight to try and get involved at the front but immediately on the first lap it felt like I had a front puncture, the bike was folding everywhere and I had no choice but to come into the pit. The bike itself felt perfect, the same as race one, but we will have to investigate the situation with the tyre Because it was spitting with rain and the race was effectively over having come in, we threw wet tyres on just in case the rain got heavy which would have allowed us to get back involved. Unfortunately the rain didn’t come, I was out for a few laps but it was clear there was nothing more to be gained. A disappointing end to a really good weekend but the first race has set me up well for the 8Hour next week and I will be coming back to WSBK in Sepang knowing that we can fight with the group.”

Randy de Puniet:

“Two 11th places, so it’s better than the previous races, but I am a little disappointed because we started the weekend very well. I crashed in FP4 when I had a very good place and qualified 17th on the grid. To start on the sixth row here is not so easy and the feeling was not quite as it was before the crash so I tried to manage as best I could. We made some small adjustments between the two races but it was not enough. I also struggled a little for the second half of race two with the brake, race one was ok, but race two was not as easy, so we will look to improve this and a little more with the chassis for a better corner-entry feeling. Now with this base we can look to improve further at Malaysia. It’s a track I know well and enjoy, after my time in MotoGP™, so I can get into the rhythm quickly and look to have a better feeling with the GSX-R.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“As Alex said, the weekend has ended disappointingly with a strange problem with the front tyre feeling in race two, but we still have to take the positives from the improvements that have come over the course of the weekend. A far more competitive showing in race one, catching and passing Sylvain – who we have to remember is the current World Champion – and closing down the factory Aprilias shows very good progress.

“On Randy’s side, two points scoring finishes is a good step in the right direction. Less than we had hoped for after a good start on Friday but the huge crash in FP4 took the wind out of Randy’s sails a little bit and it was difficult to rebuild to the same level after that but we will look to continue the progress in Malaysia in a fortnight’s time.”

More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing:

Laguna Seca (California) 19 July 2015

The ninth round of the 2015 eni FIM Superbike World Championship has concluded at Laguna Seca.

Team Althea returns home dissatisfied with the double DNF in race 1 due to technical issues. On the race grid, the two riders Matteo Baiocco and Niccolò Canepa suffered the same mechanical problem off the line. Both were forced to retire immediately due to the jamming of the clutch of both bikes. The team has never suffered such a problem before and so the technicians and engineers are working to understand the cause.

In race 2 the team decided to change many of the bikes’ components and the two Team Althea riders took to the grid anxious to bring home a strong result. Canepa, having made a good start that saw him battle for fifth place, had to deal with the onset of rain which made an appearance in all sectors and which strongly affected his race. After scoring zero points in race 1, the Genoan rider preferred to play safe and bring home important points, closing in final eighth place.

Baiocco surely suffered as a result of his inexperience at this track and the lack of kilometres clocked up contributed to the race 1 stop. He found himself in a complicated situation when rain appeared unexpectedly and his only aim at that point was to complete the race as best he could. In the end he did not complete exactly the race that he and his Team had hoped for but that’s the way it went today. He crossed the line in thirteenth position. Baiocco and his bike still have eight more races in which to express their potential, having seen highs and lows during the season thus far.

Round ten will take place on 2 August 2015 at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.

Niccolò Canepa: “I’m so sorry I didn’t achieve the expected result, considering the positive times set during the practices. Unfortunately we had a technical problem in race 1 while in race 2 track conditions changes compared to yesterday and it wasn’t easy to adapt to running the opening laps in the rain, so we suffered there. We’ve worked well this weekend and we had the pace but unfortunately some things happened that we had little control over. Now we look ahead to the next race.”

Matteo Baiocco: “It’s really a pity that we couldn’t complete the warm-up in the dry and we didn’t need the technical stop in race 1 as it would have given us the chance to set a few things on the bike that I hadn’t previously had the opportunity to do. In race 2 we made some changes that I didn’t like and I really struggled. I finished the race though, trying to score some more championship points. Now we have to prepare well for Sepang so that we arrive there with clearer ideas.”