eni FIM Superbike World Championship
Misano World Circuit, San Marino
June 22, 2014
Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 21 laps, 33:55.695
2. Loris BAZ, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -3.083 seconds
3. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -3.413
4. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -5.092
5. Jonathan REA, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), -18.975
6. Toni ELIAS, Spain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -19.365
7. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -20.177
8. Alex LOWES, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -20.439
9. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), -33.820, jump start/ride-through penalty
10. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, -42.156
11. Sylvain BARRIER, France (BMW S1000RR), EVO, -43.581, penalized one finishing position
12. Leon HASLAM, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), -51.993, crash
13. Ivan GOI, Italy (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), EVO, -53.714
14. Riccardo RUSSO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, -59.316
15. Alessandro ANDREOZZI, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, -60.914
16. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), EVO, -61.839
17. Claudio CORTI, Italy (MV Agusta F4 RR), -67.178
18. Bryan STARING, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, -73.510
19. Peter SEBESTYEN, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), EVO, -91.715
20. Jeremy GUARNONI, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, -4 laps, DNF, retired
21. Geoff MAY, USA (EBR 1190 RX), -5 laps, DNF, retired
22. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), -6 laps, DNF, crash
23. Sheridan MORAIS, South Africa (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, -11 laps, DNF, retired
24. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), EVO, DNS
25. Fabien FORET, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, DNS
26. Aaron YATES, USA (EBR 1190 RX), DNS
Subjects to Homologation:
STH. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (Bimota BB3), EVO, -43.176 seconds
STH. Christian IDDON, UK (Bimota BB3), EVO, -19 laps, DNF, crash
World Championship Point Standings (after 14 of 26 races):
1. Sykes, 251 points
2. Guintoli, 212
3. Baz, 210
4. Rea, 199
5. Melandri, 179
6. Davies, 143
7. Giugliano, 111
8. Elias, 109
9. Laverty, 106
10. Haslam, 99
11. Alex Lowes, 88
12. Salom, 67
13. Canepa 43
14. Leon Camier, 30
15. Guarnoni, 19
16. Scassa, 16
17. Foret, 14
18. Corti, 13
19. Morais, 10
20. Andreozzi, 9
21. TIE, Barrier/Glenn Allerton, 6
23. TIE, Kevin Bos/Goi, 5
25. Staring, 3
26. TIE, Russo/Imre Toth, 2
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Repeat performance for Sykes in second encounter at Misano
Misano (Italy), Sunday 22 June 2014 –After winning the opening race of the day reigning champion Tom Sykes was victorious again in race two putting in a commanding performance aboard his Kawasaki Racing Team machine. It was the 20th career individual race win and the third double in the season for the Brit, who is now one success short of two time WSBK Champion Max Biaggi.
Behind Sykes there was an intense race long three rider fight for the final places on the podium with Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) eventually grabbing 2nd ahead of Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) after some hard but fair overtakes between the pair. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) having to be content with fourth.
An equally exciting scrap behind the top four saw Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) emerge 5th ahead of Toni Elias (Red Devils Roma Aprilia),, Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) and Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) who was 8th.
Race 2 was over before it had begun for Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team). The Italian who had finished 8th earlier in the day took the lead into turn one but was judged to have moved before the lights went out and was given a jump start penalty. He would eventually finish 9th after serving a ride through the pits for his mistake. Ducati’s other rider Chaz Davies crashed out of fifth on lap 5.
In the EVO battle the accolade of being the best classified finisher went once again to David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team) despite a valiant race from Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia) on his return to racing.
Christian Iddon (Team Bimota Alstare – EVO) highsided out of contention early on but was thankfully able to limp away. Fellow Brit Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) crashed out of the fight for fifth. Unlike Iddon, Haslam did remount to finish 12th.
Results: 1. Sykes (Kawasaki) 21 Laps/88.746 km in 33’55.695 average 156.942 kph; 2. Baz (Kawasaki) 3.083; 3. Melandri (Aprilia) 3.413; 4. Guintoli (Aprilia) 5.092; 5. Rea (Honda) 18.975; 6. Elias (Aprilia) 19.365; 7. Laverty (Suzuki) 20.177; 8. Lowes (Suzuki) 20.439; 9. Giugliano (Ducati) 33.820; 10. Salom (Kawasaki) 42.156; 11. Barrier (BMW) 43.581; 12. Haslam (Honda) 51.993; 13. Goi (Ducati) 53.714; 14. Russo (Kawasaki) 59.316; 15. Andreozzi (Kawasaki) 1’00.914; 16. Canepa (Ducati) 1’01.839; 17. Corti (MV Agusta) 1’07.178; 18. Staring (Kawasaki) 1’13.510; 19. Sebestyen (BMW) 1’31.715; RT. Guarnoni (Kawasaki); RT. May (EBR); RT. Davies (Ducati); RT. Morais (Kawasaki); NS. Baiocco (Ducati); NS. Foret (Kawasaki); SH.
Standings (Round 7 of 13): 1. Sykes 251; 2. Guintoli 212; 3. Baz 210; 4. Rea 199; 5. Melandri 179; 6. Davies 143; 7. Giugliano 111; 8. Elias 109; 9. Laverty 106; 10. Haslam 99; 11. Lowes 88; 12. Salom 67; 13. Canepa 43; 14. Camier 30; 15. Guarnoni 19; 16. Scassa 16; 17. Foret 14; 18. Corti 13; 19. Morais 10; 20. Andreozzi 9; 21. Barrier 6; 22. Allerton 6; 23. Bos 5; 24. Goi 5; 25. Staring 3; 26. Russo 2; 27. Toth 2; 28. Fabrizio 2; 29. Lanusse 1.
Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 266; 2. Aprilia 244; 3. Honda 199; 4. Ducati 178; 5. Suzuki 156; 6. BMW 42; 7. MV Agusta 13.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
MELANDRI TAKES A DOUBLE PODIUM IN MISANO AND CONFIRMS THE COMPETITIVE EDGE THAT HE REACQUIRED WITH THE WINS AT SEPANG
WITH TWO PLACINGS GUINTOLI DEFENDS HIS SECOND PLACE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Misano, 22 June 2014 – Finishing on the podium twice in Misano, Marco Melandri confirms the competitive edge that he reacquired with the double win at Sepang in Malaysia, while team mate Sylvain Guintoli managed to defend his second place in the championship standings.
The 32 points earned in Emilia Romagna – thanks to two third place finishes – are the second major spoils for Marco Melandri in his first season astride the Aprilia RSV4 and allow him to continue his climb in the upper part of the world championship standings. At Misano Marco gained 12 points on Rea and reduced the gap behind fourth place to 20 points.
In Race 1 Melandri got stuck in the pack through the first turns, then having to fight to regain positions from eights place, a job he carried out skilfully, finishing in third place for his first podium of the day. Race 2 was an exciting duel behind Sykes, battled out between Melandri and Baz to the excitement of the Italian crowd with Marco finishing the race in third place.
Marco Melandri: “I’m pleased with the way I rode today. I had a good feeling with the bike. In Race 1 after a few mistakes at the start I was able to overtake the riders in front of me, but the Kawasakis were quite simply faster. I’m disappointed about Race 2 because I was able to make up some ground thanks to the work done in the garage. Unfortunately it is very difficult to overtake here and Baz rode very well and didn’t make any mistakes. I think I could have given Sykes a run for it. I wouldn’t have made it easy for him. It’s a shame that we weren’t able to fully verify the progress we made. After Sepang I was consistently fast here too. We are on the right track in terms of feeling so we just need to keep improving from here. Portimao, with its layout, will be able to give us a hand”.
Sylvain Guintoli was one of the protagonists of the day, battling in the top spots but stopping at the foot of the podium twice, finishing fifth and fourth, placements that allowed him to fend off the attack by countryman Baz and hold onto second place in the championship standings.
Sylvain Guintoli: “In terms of the championship at least I am holding onto second place in the standings. But I definitely was expecting more. We are not missing any pure speed, but we need to work on consistent performance as far as race pace goes. In Race 1 we made the wrong tyre choice, whereas in Race 2 with the right options and a few changes to the bike geometry we were able to significantly reduce the gap behind the leaders. While I was with Marco and Baz I made a few mistakes too many which kept me from battling for the podium in the end. It’s a shame there is no Race 3… All joking aside, we need to keep working to be more consistent in the race”.
More, from a press release issued by Voltcom Crescent Suzuki:
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki fight hard in Misano heat
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki racer Eugene Laverty took a hard fought seventh place at the Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’ in Italy today in the second of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship races.
Having slipped back in the first race due to a complication with his previous foot injury, Laverty displayed a strong and determined performance for the day’s second outing. Fighting with a number of riders and initially dropping to tenth place at the beginning of the afternoon’s contest, the Irishman dug deep to regain positions, crossing the line in seventh place to score a further nine championship points.
Riding a somewhat solitary race on his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R for the majority of the first outing, Laverty set his fastest time of the morning’s race on his 17th revolution of the Italian circuit. Having damaged his already injured right foot in the opening laps, the Irishman had slipped back and considered retiring from the race. Regrouping and adjusting his riding position towards the latter stages Laverty reignited his race to regain his grid position and although he was swiftly closing the gap to Ducati’s Davide Giugliano, he ultimately ran out of laps as the chequered flag was raised, to finish ninth.
Alex Lowes showed impressive pace in both of the day’s races, finishing eighth this afternoon after a crash in the morning’s action. Recording a 1’36.621 on his ninth lap of the opening race Lowes had been quickly closing the gap to Honda’s Jonathan Rea for eighth position before a fall at turn 5 on lap 13 saw him leave the fight early.
A difficult start to the second race had left the Englishman circulating in 11th but his consistent pace on the Suzuki GSX-R allowed him to challenge the fight for fifth position, claiming seventh by lap 14 and narrowly losing out to his teammate at the flag to take the eight points.
Despite an overcast start to the day, race one maintained the weekend’s high temperatures of 29°C with the track already topping 38°C and as the skies cleared the afternoon saw track temperatures peak at 44°C. Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes took a double win at the Misano Adriatico circuit, with teammate David Salom reflecting the achievement in the EVO class.
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki will continue its championship fight in two weeks’ time at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Portimao in Portugal, on 6th July after a break from racing sees the team attending the Goodwood Festival of Speed from 27th-29th June.
Eugene Laverty:
“That was definitely not the easiest of days! In race one, a few laps in at turn five while I was pushing on the footrest I felt something snap inside my foot. There was a lot of pain and I struggled to ride for the next five laps but I didn’t want to pull in so I just adjusted my foot and for the last five or six laps I was able to ride again and start pushing. For the second race I sought medical attention which allowed me to ride in a different way – I had to keep my foot in a strange position on the footrest but at least that allowed me to fight and race, because I thought I wouldn’t be able to race again. It’s unfortunate because I thought the foot was coming ok; it’s ok to walk, but to ride the bike the break is exactly at the point I need to push on the footrest and I think I’ve done more damage now than originally. I’ll do my best to be as strong as I can be in Portimao, and hope we can get the GSX-R close to the front.”
Alex Lowes:
“I’m really disappointed with the first race, I made a mistake but I was riding quite well. In the second race I did my best and got an eighth place, which I can’t really be happy with but I worked hard. It’s all experience for me, I still need to adjust my riding style for the hot temperatures but it’s my first time here on the Superbike and I felt I held my own. We still have improvements that we need to make both for me and my understanding of the GSX-R and how to get the best from it but I’m looking forward to Portugal. We had a good test there before the season started so hopefully we can continue to improve and come back fighting at Portimao.”
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“A tough weekend all in all! This championship is so competitive; if you miss just a small percentage of your best performance it makes a good result impossible. Both riders made a huge effort and Eugene did very well to race in the second outing – he was clearly in a lot of discomfort. We have a good consistency on worn tyres but both riders struggle to use the grip of a new tyre at the start of the race, so this is our biggest focus in terms of improvement.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Two Wins For Sykes As KRT Riders Dominate Misano Podiums
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) grew his career total of WSB wins to 20 today after taking two clear victories in the 21-lap Superbike races at Misano. Each time he headed up his own team-mate Loris Baz by one place in the results on a great day for the official Kawasaki riders. The joy of the KRT team was boundless when David Salom (KRT SBK Evo) won both Evo races at Misano, extending his championship lead in the Evo classification.
In race one Sykes pushed on ahead to lead every lap and although Baz was able to stay close to him for some time Sykes had the pace at the end to win by 5.012 seconds after 21 laps of intense action at the 4.226km Misano circuit.
In the even hotter track conditions of race two Sykes made a harder push to get away and after early leader Davide Giugliano had to take a ride through penalty for jump-starting Sykes made the best of a clear track ahead to ride clear to his second win of the day. Baz was even closer to him in race two than race one and rode with full commitment to keep the highly experienced Marco Melandri behind him on the final laps of the race.
For Sykes his fifth and sixth wins of the year came as a result of his third double win, following his successes at Motorland Aragon and Donington Park. His latest wins came despite painful hand, wrist and leg injuries he carried over from the previous round. Tom left Misano with a Superpole win and new lap record, set in race one, of 1’35.629.
An extended championship lead of 39 points was Sykes’ final reward after a tough but truly rewarding weekend in Italy. Kawasaki now leads the Manufacturer’s Championship by 22 points.
Only Baz put up a serious challenge to Sykes this weekend and in taking two second places he drew himself to within two points of second place in the championship standings as the championship now enters the second half at the next round in Portugal.
David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team SBK Evo) was on great form in both races to win each Evo class contest outright on his Ninja ZX-10R, and move to an impressive lead of 24 points over the next best rider in the championship after seven of 13 rounds.
The next SBK event takes place at the Portimao circuit in Portugal on Sunday 6th July.
Tom Sykes: “I am very pleasantly surprised at these results but I knew that the adrenaline and the concentration would give me something extra. I honestly was not expecting to get that much extra but massive credit to all the team. It all went to plan in race one. I knew I had some limitation all weekend and I said that to my crew chief, and what the issues were. After that you need to get on and do the job. We have been working a lot all weekend and we have been fine-tuning the set-up of the Ninja ZX-10R. Finally when it came to crunch time I was able to give that final little bit myself, and I am happy about that. The lap times were quite surprising at the start and I was surprised to keep that pace in race one. The front and rear were moving a lot but the feedback from the bike was fantastic, so I have to thank Marcel and Danilo and all the mechanics who have all worked over time a long time to deal with my fussy requests! In race two it was even more difficult, the bike was moving a lot more and I was over compensating with my left arm. I had to stay focused but at the end the control of the second race was probably a bit more relaxed than in race one.”
Loris Baz: “I think today Tom was just too fast and I could not go with him in each race. In the first race I thought I could but after ten laps I could see he was faster. I thought I could go fast in the last few laps, but Tom had a great pace and also made a new track record, turning in a 1’35 – a time that no one had done before. In race two Tom was faster from the beginning. I had Marco Melandri behind me in that race and kept him behind. I am really happy to have done that because he tried to pass a few times. We know how experienced he is so I think that is the best race I have ever done. I did not make any mistakes so it was hard for him to overtake me. I am really happy and I cannot wait for the next race at Portimao as I am sure that first win of the season will come pretty soon.”
David Salom: “We took two race wins at Misano in the Evo class but it was very hard. The end of the first race was perfect for us, we made a good start and in the first laps I followed Canepa and Baiocco but at the end I passed Canepa and pushed hard. I took a good advantage then and I pushed all the way. In race two it was more difficult because some other riders were strong and fast and I had a very good fight. I knew if I pushed very hard at the end I could not be passed before the line. It ended up a very good day for Kawasaki. We have more points in the championship and that is the main thing.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Hero EBR:
DNF For Team Hero EBR In Misano
The optimism ahead of the 7th round of the World Superbike championship turned into a feeling of disappointment and frustration after both Team Hero EBR riders were unable to finish the day’s opening race and only Geoff was able to contest race two after Aaron’s machine developed a technical issue that prevented him starting.
After having to start from the pitlane in both races Geoff retired his EBR 1190RX after 3 laps in race one because of an issue with the clutch before riding well to climb to 22nd in race two before retiring for a second time to avoid troubles at the front riders on the last lap.
Aaron was running 24th in race one before a technical problem forced his retirement leaving him unable to start the following race as there wasn’t enough time to rectify it.
Of course after such a positive result in Sepang the team leave Misano a little downhearted but will come back positive and ready to fight again in Portimao in a fortnight.
Aaron Yates: “There is nothing much to say apart from that I am very disappointed about my retirement because we made good improvements during the weekend and I really wanted to ride in both races. The whole team is working hard and I am sure in Portimao we will make another step forward in the development of the bike.”
Geoff May: “I tried to push hard in both races but a technical problem with the clutch put me out of Race 1 and in Race 2 I preferred to stop to prevent any problem for the guys fighting for the podium. Starting from the Pitlane left me too far from the other riders and it wasn’t easy to close the gap. We are doing our best and I really hope for a better result in Portimao.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda:
Pata Honda works hard for points on Misano raceday
Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea finished in seventh and fifth positions in today’s two seventh-round World Superbike championship races at Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’ in Italy.
With temperatures hovering around 30°C and the track in the mid-40s, the two races were won by Tom Sykes as Rea, 27, fought to harness as many championship points as possible after a testing race weekend. At the halfway point of the season, he holds fourth place in the standings.
His Pata Honda team-mate Leon Haslam endured an eventful raceday, finishing 10th in race one after an electronics glitch just three laps from the end. The 30-year-old crashed on the last corner of the 4.226km Misano circuit in race two but minimal damage to his CBR1000RR Fireblade SP allowed him to re-mount and take 12th place at the flag.
Jonathan Rea – 7th and 5th
It’s been a disappointing weekend for me because it feels like we’ve made zero progress here. It was frustrating to be unable to pinpoint and fix the problems we’ve had and, while I don’t want to sound like a broken record, I feel a bit like one with my comments in the garage. We were able to salvage a top five in race two after some brave passing in the fast parts of the circuit but the group at the front was too far away. I can only ride the bike as well as it’s working, but I want to be able to race it again. We can’t just hope that the next round will be better; we need to evaluate what’s been going wrong and try to find some different solutions. It’s been frustrating for the whole team because I know we haven’t been able to get the best out of the CBR this weeken d. I know that on the right day and in the right environment, the bike is capable of much, much more. The whole team feels like we’re under-achieving right now so we need to do our homework and fix things as quickly as possible.
Leon Haslam – 10th and 12th
I got a bad start in race one and got stuck for a couple of laps before working my way up. By then, I was about four seconds off the group in front, which included Johnny [Rea] and I felt like I was holding my own. I had a few little issues but then, with three laps to go, the ECU seemed to just cut-out. I pulled off the track, re-booted it using the kill-switch and managed to get going again to finish tenth. In race two my start was better but I had a bit of a yo-yo race, losing time in some corners and making it up again in others. I was right on the group that went up to fifth but then had another issue that led to the crash. We need to assess what that problem was and go from there. I think we’ve made some progress this weekend and I was able to do some better lap times in the races but there’s more work to do before Portimao.
Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator
Leon was riding quite well today and doing some decent lap times. The bike had a technical issue just before the end of race one, which was disappointing for everyone. In race two, he was in the second group and had a small crash, which he was able to recover from to finish 12th. The results are not satisfying of course, but again we made progress. Leon is closer to his team-mate and we’ll take that positive to Portimao, which is a track that he likes. We wanted to battle for the podium here again but Jonathan had too many issues and it took us too long to make a good setting for him. We have a lot of work to do and we need to aim for the Portimao podium with him because it’s one of his favourite tracks and we know how well he and the bike can go there.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
An unexpectedly difficult day for the Ducati Superbike Team today at Misano
Misano Adriatico (Italy), Sunday 22 June 2014 – The Ducati Superbike Team and riders Chaz Davies and Davide Giugliano experienced a more difficult race day than they had perhaps expected today at the Misano World Circuit. After strong performances by both riders throughout the practice and qualifying sessions, Davies closed race 1 fourth before retiring from race 2 after a crash, while Giugliano battled his way to eighth and ninth position.
Race 1 – Conditions were warm and dry for the first race with a track temperature of roughly 38°C. Giuugliano, starting from second place, was lying fifth through the opening corners, with teammate Davies hot on his heels in sixth. After only a few laps the Ducati Superbike pair swapped place, with Chaz able to increase his pace through the central phase of the races. Davide, held back by bike vibration issues, maintained sixth place for the best part of the race, but from the fifteenth lap onwards the problems became more difficult to manage and, also due a drop in rear grip in the final stages, the Italian rider was passed by two riders to cross the line in final eighth position.
Chaz, fifth at lap seven, pushed hard to reach Melandri, managed to get to within 0.2 of a second within the space of only a few laps. He did all he could to pass him but had to settle for fourth position in the end.
Race 2 – the track temperature had risen to 44°C for race two. Having changed tyre, Giugliano got off the line extremely quickly to position first. Unfortunately he then received a ‘ride through’ penalty as his start was considered to be a jump start by Race Direction. As a result the Ducati man went from first to seventeenth after completing the ride through on lap five. He immediately fought back, pushing to move through the field and was up to thirteenth by lap nine and ninth by lap twelve. Unfortunately the gap between him and the eighth placed rider was too large and although he did his best to reduce the distance, he was unable to gain any more positions, therefore closing in final ninth position. Chaz too started fast and was lying fifth by lap four. Unfortunately he then suffered a small crash at Turn 4 when, pushing on entry, he lost the front of his bike. Although he was able to return to the track without issue, he was down in 24th position. The British rider decided to remain out on track, in case something happened to cause a race restart, but once he’d completed fifteen laps, two thirds of the race distance, the rider returned to the garage.
After seven of fourteen scheduled rounds, Davies holds sixth position in the general standings, with 143 points, while Giugliano is seventh with 111 points. Ducati lies fourth in the manufacturer’s classification with 178 points.
Quotes after the races:
Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 4th, DNF
“Fourth in race one wasn’t bad. In the final stages I was riding at the limit and although I got close to Marco at one point, he was able to pick up the pace at the end and I couldn’t match that. I’m a bit frustrated about the time I lost at the start when Elias ran off track – he was right in front of me and I was forced to brake.
“In race two I had a bit of a strange feeling with the front of the bike right from the start. We hadn’t made any big changes between race 1 and 2, but I guess the higher temperatures caused the change in feeling. The problem is that you need to get away strong and stick with the front guys – if instead you have to push to make up lost ground the tyre deteriorates more quickly. I also had a damaged footpeg after the crash but I stayed out until we were two thirds of the way through the race, just in case there was a red flag for any reason. After 15 laps I decided to come in, also because coming in meant the engine did a few laps less.”
Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team #34) – 8th, 9th
“It was a tough day. In practice we hadn’t tried the other rear tyre, the one that many of the other riders used, because the lap times recorded on the used tyre were consistently good in the practices. Unfortunately it was a very difficult race, I had a lot of vibration at the rear and the grip really dropped off in the second half. Then in race 2 I made a mistake – in trying to start as well as possible I did too much and made a jump start. I wanted to get away as fast as possible and not get trapped in traffic like in race 1, and from the pace I had through the first laps I know I could have done that. A pity, as the tyre was working well and I was happy with the bike. I’m sorry for both me and the team, especially on a weekend in which we were constantly fast in every session. We are continuing to improve and I’m certain that it’s only a question of time before we are able to bring full satisfaction to the team, Ducati and all of our supporters and fans.”
Ernesto Marinelli (Ducati Superbike Project Director)
“The weekend definitely didn’t end as we had hoped but unfortunately this is racing and it’s important that we react in a constructive and determined way. We nevertheless achieved good results in practice and in race 1 Chaz again just missed out on the podium. Davide was constantly fast but unfortunately in race 1 an unexpected problem at the rear slowed him down significantly. In race 2 he got away fast but the error off the line was identified by race direction who rightly applied a ride through penalty. Chaz’s crash then ended our chances. Our work continues and we have more data to analyse. We will do all we can to improve for the next races.”
More, from a press release issued by Alstare Bimota:
2014 World Superbike Championship
Round 7, Riviera di Rimini, Misano World Circuit
Sunday 22nd June
Conditions – Hot, sunny/cloudy 29-28C (air), 38-44C (track)
Crowd: 59,424 (3-day)
AYRTON TAKES A SUPERB PAIR OF SECONDS IN THE EVO CLASS
Team Bimota Alstare rider Ayrton Badovini finished runner-up in the EVO class of both World Superbike Championship races at a scorchingly hot Misano today. He also ended 12th overall in the first race and 11th overall in the second.
His team mate, Christian Iddon, started both races from the seventh row of the grid, but rode strongly in race one to finish 17th overall and 5th in the EVO class. He was on course for a better result in race 2, but highsided on lap 3 and was unable to continue.
Ayrton Badovini – Race 1: 12th overall, 2nd EVO class, Race 2: 11th overall, 2nd EVO class
“In the first race, I had a little clutch problem and my start was a normal one, rather than a great one. In race two, I made a good start, but I touched a couple of other riders and that upset my rhythm for a lap or two. I then settled down to a good race pace and was able to have a good fight with a group of riders – and it felt good that I could compete with them.
“I am happy with my two runner-up spots in the EVO class today. The temperatures were very high and that could’ve caused some problems, but my bike worked well and my condition was good at the end. Our bike continues to improve and the good thing is that we know which areas we need to work on, so I am sure that our future will be good. The gap between our bike and the competition is not big and I think we will become more and more competitive. I would like to dedicate my results today to Francis Batta.”
Christian Iddon – Race 1: 17th overall, 5th EVO class
“I feel quite positive about today, even though I only completed a couple of laps in race 2. Starting from so far down the grid is always a struggle, especially as the level of the competition is so high. It was difficult to get into a good rhythm at the start of the first race, but after about four laps, I managed to settle down to a good pace. I had a little bit of a chatter in the last corner, but apart from that the bike worked pretty well.
“Race 2 started well and I had a better feeling about the bike because we fixed the chatter problem. There was a definite improvement and I was really looking forward to the race. Somebody began to hold me up and I got a bit too eager to get past and highsided. It was a slow speed highside and I got banged about a bit, but that was all. It was a shame because I’m sure I could’ve improved on my race one result.”