eni FIM Superbike World Championship
Misano World Circuit, San Marino
June 21, 2015
Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 21 laps, 33:31.716
2. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -1.290
3. Leon HASLAM, UK (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -2.436
4. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), -2.514
5. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -5.694
6. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -5.911
7. Jordi TORRES, Spain (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -7.075
8. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -10.159
9. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -17.476
10. Michael VD MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -17.589
11. Alex BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -21.744
12. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -26.599
13. Markus REITERBERGER, Germany (BMW S1000RR), -30.402
14. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -36.000
15. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -36.186
16. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta F4 RR), -37.572
17. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -55.983
18. Christophe PONSSON, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -70.593
19. G. VIZZIELLO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -76.119
20. Santiago BARRAGÁN, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -76.177
21. Gabor RIZMAYER, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), -91.041
22. Imre TOTH, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), -2 laps, pitted
23. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -6 laps, DNF, crash
24. Alex LOWES, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -13 laps, DNF, retired
25. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Ducati Panigale R), -18 laps, DNF, retired
World Championship Point Standings (after 16 pf 26 races):
1. Rea, 375 points
2. Sykes, 242
3. Haslam, 226
4. Davies, 213
5. Torres, 140
6. Guintoli, 127
7. Giugliano, 106
8. Van Der Mark, 97
9. Mercado, 90
10. Baiocco, 89
11. Lowes, 84
12. Badovini, 77
13. Nico Terol, 54
14. Ramos, 51
15. TIE, Salom/Camier, 43
17. Fores, 38
18. De Puniet, 22
19. Biaggi, 20
20. Barragan, 17
21. Pirro, 16
22. Troy Bayliss, 15
23. Fabrizio, 13
24. Barrier, 10
25. TIE, Canepa/Ponsson, 7
27. Toth, 5
28. TIE, Reiterberger/Rizmayer, 3
30. TIE, Larry Pegram/Jed Metcher, 2
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Masterclass performance gives Rea the win in Race 2
Giugliano misses out narrowly on maiden victory as Haslam takes final place on the podium.
The second race of the PATA Riviera di Rimini round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship was won by championship Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) after a race long fight with Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team).
Giugliano took the lead on lap 7 where he stayed until being passed by Rea with 5 laps to go. The current points leader was kept under constant pressure by the Italian, but held on to record his 11th win of the year by 1.290s. Rea’s double podium finish equals the record set by Troy Corser in 2005 of 16 consecutive podium finishes in a season.
Behind the first two, Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) got the better of Chaz Davies on the second factory Ducati after their own personal race long duel to claim the final podium place.
Race one winner Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was strong for the first half of the second encounter before dropping back to fifth at the flag. The former champion finished just ahead of Max Biaggi and Jordi Torres, the Aprilia Racing pairing swapping places throughout the 21 laps.
Michele Pirro rode a lonely race to finish eighth on the third Aruba.it Racing Ducati, with Pata Honda team mates Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark completing the top ten.
The final 5 point scoring riders were Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia), Niccolo Canepa (Althea Racing), Markus Reiterberger (VanZon Rehema BMW), Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) and David Salom (Team Pedercini Kawasaki).
Leandro Mercado’s run of point scoring finishes in every race came to an end, the Argentine rider retiring his Barni Racing Ducati at the end of lap 3. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) was another of the riders to retire, on lap 9, while Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing Ducati) fell off his Panigale R machine to end as the local rider’s racing weekend drew to a close on a low.
Jonathan Rea #65 – Kawasaki Racing Team
Race 1 – 2nd Race 2 – 1st
Twitter: @jonathanrea
Instagram: @jonathan_rea
Facebook: JonathanReaOfficial
“Obviously we have to start to think about the championship now but I wanted to win today. In race two Davide Giugliano was a good marker to understand my pace and then with a few laps left I made a move to pass. We made a great race and I think at the end we are using our rear tyres better than some others. We changed our rear tyre choice from race one and that was always the plan, as the morning was a bit cooler. Kawasaki has given us a bike to win and they proved that today with Tom winning race one and me winning race two. I am so grateful to be in this position.”
Tom Sykes #66 – Kawasaki Racing Team
Race 1 – 1st Race 2 – 5th
Twitter: @TheRealTomSykes
Facebook page: Tom-Sykes-66
“A lot of people would dream about a weekend with a pole position, a win and a fifth place but we were just not able to do it in race two. I do not think I started very well in race two but from the beginning I was lacking some grip and it was very difficult to recover. When I started fighting with other riders I was not able to be strong where I needed to be but we tried everything we could. I knew both races would be difficult today but we had a great race one. We were just not able to repeat it in race two. We have had positives and negatives this weekend and we will move on to America now.”
Davide Giugliano #34 – Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK
Race 1 – 4th Race 2 – 2nd
Twitter: @davidegiugliano
Instagram: @davidegiugliano34
Facebook Page: Davide-Giugliano
“We were so close to the podium in race 1 and then got there in race 2 but I’m a little disappointed because I wanted to win here. Unfortunately Friday’s session and the fact I couldn’t work effectively due to my physical condition didn’t help us. Today I was missing a little grip in both races, the rear tyre was sliding around and that made it difficult to ride as I wanted in the final laps. But all in all, I’m pleased because I was able to hold the lead for many laps in race 2 and, seeing that I only came back at Imola, this shows that the bike has developed and that we are working really well.”
Max Biaggi #3 – Aprilia Racing Team
Race 1 – 6th Race 2 – 6th
Twitter: @maxbiaggi
“I’m happy with this weekend. Everything went well and we didn’t make any mistakes. Once again I’d like to thank the Piaggio Group, Aprilia and the guys from Noale for all this Race 2 went better than the first. I finished about 5 seconds behind the winner, which is really not much at all. It’s a shame about the first laps when you find yourself following from behind it’s a struggle. I am still unable to take full advantage of the tyres straight away, whereas from mid-race I felt fast but struggling to overtake I lost a few tenths every lap. This type of return is definitely not easy, but it was a great weekend, tackled with a different spirit than the full-timers. Now I’m hoping for the cherry on the top: Sepang. This round was sort of a test, next time we’ll do well.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda:
Top tens all-round for Pata Honda in Italy
Pata Honda riders Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark finished in ninth and tenth places respectively in both races at today’s eighth-round World Superbike championship event at Misano World Circuit in Italy. The races at the 4.226km circuit were won by Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea.
Guintoli enjoyed good starts in both races but, despite running as high as seventh in the early stages, the French rider was unable to hook up with the leading groups, instead becoming embroiled in battles with local rider Ayrton Badovini and his own Pata Honda team-mate, van der Mark.
For van der Mark, a grid position of 15th following problems during qualifying yesterday was a difficult place to start the two 21-lap races. However, the 22-year-old Dutch rider enjoyed flying starts in both outings, with an intermittent electrical issue hindering his progress in the opening race.
The Pata Honda team is now packing its Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machines and all associated equipment into flight cases for the next WSBK round at Laguna Seca in the USA on 17-19 July.
Sylvain Guintoli – 9th & 9th
I had to fight hard today in both races; all I saw on my board was +0 – I was being hunted down by everyone! In race one, with the colder track, we had some significant tyre wear in the second half of the race and the rhythm went a little. Race two was more consistent but we’re still missing some pace from the guys at the front. I gave everything I could today and won my personal battles in each race. We have a bit of time now before the next race to try to make some different plans and strategies for the second half of the season, but we need to find something because there is still some pace missing.
Michael van der Mark – 10th & 10th
In race one I had a really good start and made up some places early on. I had a good feeling and was quite fast, closing the gap to the guys in front of me. I passed Sylvain but then I had an issue which seems to have happened quite a lot this season. In the end I finished 10th just behind Sylvain, which was quite disappointing. I got another good start in race two but I was missing a lot of grip from the start. It was difficult to maintain the lap times but in the last couple of laps I was able to close the gap again to Sylvain and had a nice battle with him and Badovini. Sylvain passed Badovini and I went with him and I wanted to attack in the last lap but he was strong and in the end he finished in front of me. I think this is the best we can do at the moment because we are both doing very similar lap times.
Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator
It was not an easy day, that’s for sure. Michael didn’t qualify that well but he had two really good starts, which is not always the case! He fought his way to the back wheel of his team-mate again and that was the maximum for this round I think. Sylvain started further ahead and had two reasonable starts but the pace of the front guys was just too fast for us today. I think both riders are getting the best out of the package at the moment, so it’s up to us to see how we can improve the package for the guys.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Davies, Giugliano and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team score Ducati its 800th and 801st SBK podiums at Misano
Misano Adriatico (Italy), Sunday 21 June 2015 – Great results for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team, racing in Round 8 of the Superbike World Championship at the Misano World Circuit. Second and fourth for Giugliano, third and fourth for Davies, and two eighth place finishes for Pirro at his first World Superbike event of the season.
Race 1 – race one took place in warm and sunny conditions. Giugliano, from third on the grid, was lying second through the opening laps, positioned behind Sykes. On lap three, the Roman rider set a new lap record thanks to a very impressive 1.34’855. Retaining second position until two laps from the end, a drop in tyre performance slowed him down and, reached by both Rea and Davies in the final phase, the Italian had to be satisfied with final fourth position.
Thanks to his very fast pace, Chaz, 11th on the grid, used the opening laps to cut his way through the field, moving into fourth place by lap seven. On lap sixteen he reached Rea, at which point both riders gave chase to Giugliano, battling amongst themselves before passing the Italian in the final stages. Davies therefore crossed the line in third place, followed by his teammate Giugliano, fourth. The podium achieved today by Davies is particularly significant as it brings the number of podiums scored by Ducati to an incredible total of 800.
Having started the race tenth, Pirro lost a little ground at the start but a solid pace allowed him to make up several positions, moving from fourteenth to tenth by mid-race. Continuing to push, he was also able to pass VD Mark and Guintoli in the second half, meaning that the Italian wildcard concluded this first race in eighth place.
Race 2 – in race 2 Davide wasted no time in catching up to and then passing leader Sykes, taking command on lap seven. He remained in front until the fifteenth lap when Rea found a way past time. The Roman nevertheless continued to fight but a lack of grip in the later stages prevented him from scoring the win, meaning that Davide crossed the line in final second position.
Chaz made an excellent start, immediately making up seven positions to place fourth after just one lap. Fighting first with Sykes, then with Haslam, the Welshman pushed hard for a podium finish but this time he had to settle for fourth place, crossing the line less than a tenth of a second behind Haslam, third.
Pirro again lost out somewhat at the start but, as he had done in race 1, he was able to make up a lot of lost ground in the space of just a few laps. A constant pace saw him move into eighth place by the mid-race point, a position he was able to hold all the way to the line.
This means that as round 8 of the 2015 championship draws to its conclusion, Davies retains fourth place in the overall standings, with 213 points, while Giugliano moves up into seventh place, having earned 106 points. Pirro, having scored 16 points today, lies 21st in the standings. Ducati holds second position in the manufacturer’s standings with 268 points.
Quotes after the races:
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #34) – 4th, 2nd
“We were so close to the podium in race 1 and then got there in race 2 but I’m a little disappointed because I wanted to win here. Unfortunately Friday’s session and the fact I couldn’t work effectively due to my physical condition didn’t help us. Today I was missing a little grip in both races, the rear tyre was sliding around and that made it difficult to ride as I wanted in the final laps. But all in all, I’m pleased because I was able to hold the lead for many laps in race 2 and, seeing that I only came back at Imola, this shows that the bike has developed and that we are working really well.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 3rd, 4th
“It’s nice to know that I’ve given Ducati its 800th Superbike podium. Race 1 was really enjoyable. I knew it was important to get away well, considering my grid position, and I was able to do that, before getting into a real battle with Rea. We both had good pace and, despite a few hairy moments, it was a clean, fair race, one of the best of the year actually, and so I’m pleased with that result. I’m disappointed that I didn’t reach the podium in race 2, but I suffered more with a lack of grip and couldn’t find a way past Haslam. Anyway, we have to be pleased with today’s results and now look ahead to Laguna Seca.”
Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #55) – 8th, 8th
“Firstly I want to thank both the team and Ducati. As always I felt very much at home with the guys and it’s been a great experience to ride the Superbike here, with Pirelli tyres. I’m just disappointed that my races were both conditioned by my starts because if I’d got away faster I could have scored better results. So that’s a shame because I know we had good potential. Having said that, considering I only got here on Saturday and had never ridden with these tyres or the Superpole qualifying tyre, I think the overall outcome is a positive one.”
Ernesto Marinelli – Ducati SBK Project Director
“We’ve had a positive weekend. Both Davide and Chaz have completed two great races, further reducing the gap that has kept us from victory in recent events. These two rostrum finishes are important in that we have scored the 800th and 801st Superbike podium finishes for Ducati, a significant milestone that repays the work carried out by everyone at Borgo Panigale and the support shown by the many Ducatisti who came to Misano this weekend. Michele also did well considering the fact that he only rode from Saturday onwards and had some problems off the line. It was a real shame about Luca Scassa and we of course wish him a speedy recovery. We won’t rest, as our objective remains to win, so we must continue to work in order to find those few tenths that we are missing in the final phase of the race.”
More, from a pres release issued by Aprilia:
APRILIA ON THE PODIUM WITH LEON HASLAM
GREAT RETURN FOR MAX BIAGGI: HE BATTLED SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH THE CHAMPIONSHIP PROTAGONISTS AND FINISHED THE WEEKEND WITH TWO EXCELLENT SIXTH PLACES AND… 20 POINTS IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Misano Adriatico (Italy), 21 June 2015 – It was expected to be a celebration and a celebration it was. Max Biaggi – who will be 44 on Friday, wild card three years after retiring from racing – brought the skills of a six-time World Champion to the track: speed, precision and an always impeccable riding style.
Max finished both Race 1 and Race 2 in sixth place. Despite hindrances due to tyre wear problems, Biaggi raced an exceptional second race, keeping pace with the leading protagonists of the World Superbike championship and finishing just 2 tenths of a second behind Sykes and about 5 seconds behind the winner.
“Today Max did something wonderful for us at Aprilia and for all motorcycle racing fans” commented Romano Albesiano, Aprilia Racing Manager. “His domination on Friday was understandable, even if it was extraordinary. But today Max battled on the same level as the riders who fight for the World Championship in every race and he did it at a fantastic race pace. I’m pleased with the way everyone here at Aprilia, from the first to the last, interpreted this occasion. There were no problems, the riders and mechanics did great and Max had fun battling even with Leon and Jordi, our factory riders. We wanted to give ourselves, and everyone, a brilliant moment which has already gone down in Superbike history.”
Albesiano also expressed his satisfaction with Haslam’s podium, third in Race 2: “I’m happy about Leon’s nice podium finish, especially because he finished very close to the leaders. Really a great performance. Without the tyre wear problems we had in Race 1, the RSV4 showed its potential and Leon was able to demonstrate all of his great personality on the track.” Romano Albesiano was also pleased with the Superstock 1000 results where Lorenzo Savadori and his RSV4 RF rode to victory: “A great job as always. Once again, he proved himself authoritatively in his home round.”
As for the Aprilia Racing – Red Devils riders, Leon Haslam – once the tyre wear problem that hindered him in the first race was solved – rode the second race as a key player, battling with Davis for third place and finishing on the podium at just under 2 second behind the leader. Jordi Torres finished his Adriatic weekend with seventh place in Race 2 (battling with Biaggi) which is excellent in consideration of the tiny gaps behind the leaders, and thereby redeeming himself for his sliding crash that put him out of Race 1 in the third lap.
Max Biaggi files away the Misano Sunday with 20 points in the championship standings: for statistics lovers, in his first wild card race he has already won the long-distance duel with Troy Bayliss, who in the four races at Phillip Island and Buriram earned 15 points in all.
Max Biaggi: “I’m happy with this weekend. Everything went well and we didn’t make any mistakes. Once again I’d like to thank the Piaggio Group, Aprilia and the guys from Noale who helped me take perfect advantage of this fantastic opportunity. Race 2 went better than the first. I finished about 5 seconds behind the winner, which is really not much at all. It’s a shame about the first laps when you find yourself following from behind it’s a struggle. I am still unable to take full advantage of the tyres straight away, whereas from mid-race I felt fast but struggling to overtake I lost a few tenths every lap. This type of return is definitely not easy, but it was a great weekend, tackled with a different spirit than someone who races full time in the championship. Now I’m hoping for the cherry on the top: Sepang. This round was sort of a running-in and we can consider it to be truly satisfactory. Next time we’ll be able to do well.”
Leon Haslam: “In Race 2 we took a big step forward, especially thanks to the higher temperature where my Aprilia RSV4 RF performs really well. It was a shame about the first phases. We were all very close and I lost a few precious metres in traffic. In Race 1, on the other hand, I made a few small mistakes. Grip wasn’t the best and even though I felt fast on most of the track I lost ground at some points. Of the two available rear tyre options we went with the one that gave us more confidence even if the second, used by a few rivals, proved to work well in the this morning’s conditions. All things considered I’m pleased with the two results. A podium in front of Italian fans is always a nice feeling. We were able to grow consistently throughout the weekend, improving precisely those critical points of our package. In hotter races like Malaysia and the USA we’ll be able to do well.”
Jordi Torres: In Race 1 I made a small mistake and unfortunately I crashed. In the second race, on the other hand, I learned from my mistakes and didn’t repeat them. I started well and I wanted to stay with the leaders, but I was hindered by a strange vibration from the front wheel only at maximum lean in the left-handers that kept me from riding the way I wanted to, taking advantage of my best riding quality which is the way I ride in turns. In any case I think it was a positive weekend for me where we took a good step forward to stay with the leaders for the entire race.”
SUPERSTOCK 1000: A GREAT SAVADORI, ONCE AGAIN AT MISANO AN APRILIA IN FRONT OF THE REST
Lorenzo Savadori’s masterpiece season continues, with the rider taking his Aprilia RSV4 RF to the lead in the Misano race as well.
The Team Nuova M2 rider is dominating the category thanks to 4 wins out of the 6 races held thus far, with just two left in the season. His team mate, Kevin Calia, just missed the podium, taking the lead at the start and finishing fourth under the chequered flag by just one tenth of a second.
More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing:
Misano Adriatico (Italy) 21 June 2015 – A fantastic podium for Raffaele De Rosa in Superstock 1000 after a hard-fought battle all the way to the line.
De Rosa closes this weekend’s racing at the Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’ with a brilliant second place finish scored at the end of a what was a very hard-fought race. The Team Althea Racing rider, who started from the front row, moved into the lead on lap three. Unable to get away from the pack, he tried to match the pace of new leader Savadori. Towards mid-race, the leading group of five riders bunched together and this made for a great show with many passes as they all fought for podium places. De Rosa was a protagonist, together with Tamburini, and this unfortunately benefitted Savadori who built up a small advantage, preventing Raffaele from scoring his first win in this championship. The rider and team completed great work and will next race at the Jerez round in September.
Luca Salvadori, was unfortunately declared ‘unfit’ to compete in today’s race after yesterday’s crash.
The championship resumes in September and the Team will take advantage of this break in order to carry out some tests.
Raffaele De Rosa: “I’m pleased with this result after battling hard with Roberto Tamburini, even though we lost a little ground to Savadori. We struggled at the start compared to some other riders who had already tested here, but together with the team I’ve worked well and my pace has really picked up. I’m pleased with the result and thank the team and everyone who always supports me.”
Genesio Bevilacqua: “The Superstock race was an exciting one. Raffaele had the chance to win his first race in this championship, he did his best and just missed out on the win by a fraction. What we didn’t expect was Tamburini’s presence in the final laps as he put paid to Raffaele’s chances of passing Savadori. He had to settle for second place after a race that was rich with passes, but we saw that Raffaele was at ease on the bike and we’re able to fight for the win every Sunday. I congratulate him for his race conduct which augers well for the future.”
2015 eni FIM Superbike World Championship – Two unlucky races for Matteo Baiocco who suffered tyre problems in race one and crashed in race 2.
Somewhat excessive tyre wear for Baiocco in race 1, which prevented him from keeping pace with the others and meant that his race did not pan out quite like other recent races. In race 2 he unfortunately crashed five laps from the end after having lapped inside the top ten in the opening stages.
Matteo Baiocco: “We definitely didn’t have the kind of races we expected to see here. In race 1 we had tyre problems that didn’t allow me to keep pace with the leaders. In race 2 I had grip issues and unfortunately I lost the front and crashed. But we use the problems to find a way to improve for the following race, something we’ve done in the past and will do again now.”
Niccolò Canepa, taking part in his first races on board the Ducati Panigale R, was unfortunately forced to retire in race 1 due to a technical problem. In race 2 he proved to have strong pace, even if his first approach with the bike didn’t allow him to keep pace with the leaders. Canepa closed in final twelfth place. Having gained more experience on the Ducati he will surely be well prepared for the next round, taking place in three weeks’ time at Laguna Seca.
Niccolò Canepa: “I’m pleased after this first weekend with the new bike. I’ve been able to be consistent in both races, despite having to stop in race one. We are setting up the bike around me and I can’t wait to get to Laguna Seca because the bike is working really well and the feeling I have with the team is the same as last year. I’m very, very confident.”
More, from a press release issued by Voltcom Crescent Suzuki:
Challenging Misano event for Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
A challenging day at Misano World Circuit ended early for Alex Lowes with just four points and a 12th place to show from his efforts in the first World Superbike race.
A difficult start saw Lowes drop out of the top ten from his seventh place grid position in the morning’s battle on his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R, where despite pushing to the maximum over the 21 lap encounter the British racer could not achieve better than 12th position. An overheated clutch at the start of race 2 unfortunately began to lose drive in the early laps and became progressively worse, causing his eventual retirement six laps later. Lowes leaves Italy 11th in the Championship with 84 points and desperate to make amends in the USA in July.
Randy de Puniet completed the afternoon race taking 17th at the flag, after retiring from the opening action with braking problems.
Cooler 23°C temperatures greeted the 32,000 fans at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli today as the Kawasaki’s of Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea shared the two race trophies.
The Championship now sees a month break between races with Voltcom Crescent Suzuki returning to the UK in preparation for the trip to America, and the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, on Sunday 19th July.
Alex Lowes:
“Misano was a really difficult track for the whole team last year and this year wasn’t any different. The GSX-R is a lovely bike to ride but is getting on a bit I guess, and with the field so stacked with good riders on factory bikes here we only needed a bad start and to be a little bit away from our ultimate pace to end up 12th. For the second race we made a change that should have helped us move forward but the clutch dragged off the line and overheated, after that the slip got worse and worse so there was no choice but to stop in the end. I really feel I’m riding well, and the team is doing everything it can to be competitive, but maybe at this track our level just wasn’t good enough. Laguna should be better, I love the track so I’ll arrive there with a positive attitude and we’ll give it 100%.”
Randy de Puniet:
“It has been a hard Sunday. In race one I had a problem with the front brake so I stopped to try a different system but there was not the improvement I was looking for. In race two we changed everything, it was better for four laps but after that I struggled again. Now we need to focus on Laguna Seca, resolve the brake issue and improve the chassis setting. I’m disappointed because after the Portimao test I was more confident for this race but unfortunately it was not to be.”
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“I think the riders have said it all – a tough weekend and we struggled here a lot, as we did in 2014. Alex was able to ride around the performance deficiencies in qualifying and be quite competitive, but to do the same over 21 laps is impossible. The bike is working quite well in isolation – the new ECU system is behaving normally, control is good but entry grip, drive off the slippery corners and outright performance were simply lacking compared to the top competitor machines. We will not give up at all, the guys in the team are committed to further increases in performance – we wish Laguna was next week so that we could make amends and move forward quickly.”