eni FIM Superbike World Championship
Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia
August 2, 2015
Race Two Results (All on Pirelli tires):
1. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), 16 laps, total race time 33:36.466, best lap time 2:04.707
2. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -0.091 second, 2:04.730
3. Jordi TORRES, Spain (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -5.008 seconds, 2:05.012
4. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -13.130, 2:05.660
5. Michael VD MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -15.801, 2:05.443
6. Leon HASLAM, UK (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -15.970, 2:05.533
7. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -24.561, 2:06.251
8. Alex LOWES, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -26.526, 2:06.099, ran off track
9. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -28.528, 2:06.454
10. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -31.598, 2:06.431
11. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -33.568, 2:06.038
12. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta F4 RR), -34.806, 2:06.581
13. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -46.521, 2:06.454, ran off track
14. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -48.964, 2:05.015, crash
15. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Ducati Panigale R), -49.865, 2:05.862
16. Christophe PONSSON, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -64.171, 2:08.228
17. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -84.837, 2:09.478
18. Gabor RIZMAYER, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), -85.068, 2:09.536
19. Alex PHILLIS, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -94.051, 2:10.253, ran off track
20. Imre TOTH, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), -120.907, 2:12.012
21. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -15 laps, 2:03.948, DNF, crash
World Championship Point Standings (After 20 of 26 races):
1. Rea, 452 points
2. Davies, 308
3. Sykes, 295
4. Haslam, 259
5. Torres, 186
6. Guintoli, 162
7. VD Mark, 125
8. Davide Giugliano, 119
9. Lowes, 112
10. Baiocco, 107
11. Mercado, 106
12. Badovini, 87
13. Ramos, 67
14. Camier, 62
15. Salom, 57
16. Nico Terol, 54
17. De Puniet, 39
18. Xavi Fores, 38
19. Biaggi, 36
20. Canepa, 27
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Davies denies Rea’s title celebrations with race two win
0.091s between the two riders at the flag as Torres equals personal best in third.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team) has won the second WorldSBK race of the 2015 Pirelli Malaysian Round after a spectacular last-lap battle with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), which saw the two riders separated by 0.091s at the line. This fraction of a second did not allow the series leader to clinch the title on Sunday at the Sepang International Circuit.
Unlike in Race 1, it was Welshman Davies who attempted pull to away from the rest of the field, with champion elect Rea giving chase. The factory Ducati rider managed to keep a fast pace until the last two laps, when series leader Rea began his final charge to the top; after losing the lead in the last sector, Davies hit the brakes as late as he could at the final left-hander to get the better of his rival as the two touched mid-turn.
Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) made the right changes to his RSV4 RF machine between the day’s two races, the Spanish WorldSBK rookie able to lap consistently in the 2.06s bracket for the duration of Race 2 to claim his second podium finish of the season.
Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike) scored another fourth position to complete his best weekend of the season so far ahead of team-mate Michael van der Mark, who made up for his Race 1 retirement with a fine fifth as he edged Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) by a tenth of a second.
David Salom (Team Pedercini), Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing) and Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven) were seventh to tenth respectively, with Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing), Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing) completing the points positions.
Following his return to the podium in Race 1, Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) found himself on the receiving end of a collision also involving the still-reigning WorldSBK Champion Guintoli as well as the aforementioned Sykes and Lowes. Unlike Biaggi, Englishman Sykes did not fall off his bike, although he lost several positions.
Having dropped to 17th place by the end of Lap 1, the former title winner began a recovery ride but crashed at Turn 9 five laps later; he remounted his ZX-10R, eventually claiming 14th place.
Chaz Davies #7 – Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team
Race 1 2nd Race 2 1st
Twitter: @chazdavies
Instagram: @chazdavies7
Facebook: chazdavies7
“Race 1 went really well, especially considering where we were yesterday, when I was thinking we’d do well to finish top six. Anyway, we made some changes overnight that put us in a position to fight for the win, though we were still missing something in the last laps. Then in race 2 I saw that Johnny was closing in and it took everything I had to hold him off.I’m so pleased about today’s results, obtained at one of the most difficult tracks for us. This shows how much progress we’ve made up until now. I’m also pleased to have moved into second place in the standingsThanks go to my whole team, the guys have done a fantastic job here!”
Jonathan Rea #65 – Kawasaki Racing Team
Race 1 1st Race 2 2nd
Twitter: @jonathanrea
Instagram: @jonathan_rea
Facebook: JonathanReaOfficial
“I’m really happy after a good weekend and happy to go into the summer break healthy and looking forward to Jerez. With three laps to go in race two Arturo my mechanic gave me a bit of a secret signal and I knew if I went then I could catch Chaz. Halfway around the last lap I realised it would be possible. I passed Chaz and went through clean. We had contact but I do not blame him for that – I would do the same – but I almost crashed at the same time. I am really happy because we got another first and second on a race weekend and a bagful of points.”
Jordi Torres #81 – Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils
Race 1 10th Race 2 3rd
Twitter: @jorditorres81
Instagram: @jorditorres81
“First of all I would like to thank my team, because between the two races they have done an incredible job in change the bike setup, especially regarding the electronics and the engine braking. This allowed me to ride smoother. If I followed my instincts I would have ridden a bit more aggressively but in race two I managed the tyres much better and so I was able to finish on the podium. It seems like this year I get good results in the second race only if I struggle in the first one. It was an important race for me as I’ve learned a lot. I cannot wait for Jerez, where I’ll be able to give my best.”
Max Biaggi #3 – Aprilia Racing Team
Race 1 3rd Race 2 DNF
Twitter: @maxbiaggi
“The podium is an incredible result. It is a challenge overcome, the challenge of raising the bar to something that no one had ever done before. My race pace was consistent. After overtaking my team mates I began to focus on Sykes who was getting closer and closer. I managed to catch him up and overtake him right at the last lap. I’m super happy, this is the result I was dreaming of. Now that the weekend is over I can reveal that my crash during the tests last week “gave” me a left shoulder dislocation and an injury that required stitches on my right ankle. It was mainly the shoulder that bothered me, especially in the more flowing parts of the track. But we gritted our teeth and everything went brilliantly.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Davies and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team snatch victory at Sepang!
Sepang (Malaysia), Sunday 2 August 2015 – Chaz Davies, riding with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team, completed two fantastic races at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, reaching the podium in race 1, in second position, before battling with Rea to the line in race 2 to snatch the victory!
Race 1 – from sixth position on the grid Davies got away well, moving into second position through the first corner. By lap nine Rea had closed in on the Welshman, at which point the two riders pushed hard to give chase to Sykes, who had built almost a four second advantage over the pair. Five laps from the end, Chaz passed Sykes to take the lead, followed by Rea. A spectacular battle for victory ensued, and continued all the way to the line, with Davies concluding in second place, just 0.1 of a second behind Rea. A great result for the Aruba Ducati rider, who showed great tenacity on the Malaysian track.
Race 2 – another great start by Chaz put him straight into the lead at the first corner. Lap three saw him set the fastest lap of the race (2’04.707), as he worked hard to gradually build his advantage over Rea, second. Chaz maintained this advantage, of more than 2 seconds, for almost the entire race, having to defend himself from Rea only in the final three laps when his rear tyre lost grip and the Northern Irish rider began to close in, reaching him on the final lap. Despite contact between the pair through the very last corner, it was Davies who crossed the line first, scoring his third win in the last four races, and his fourth win of the 2015 championship.
This means that after ten World Superbike rounds, and having earned 45 points at Sepang, Davies moves into second position in the overall standings, with 308 points, while Ducati continues to lie second in the manufacturer’s standings with 363 points.
Quotes after the races:
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 2nd, 1st
“Race 1 went really well, especially considering where we were yesterday, when I was thinking we’d do well to finish top six. Anyway, we made some changes overnight that put us in a position to fight for the win, though we were still missing something in the last laps in terms of the grip and electronics working together. Then in race 2 I saw that Johnny was closing in but over the last two laps my tyre really dropped off and it took everything I had to hold him off. It was a battle to the line again, and through the last corner when we made contact I thought it was all over, but fortunately we both stayed upright and I was able to cross the line in front! I’m so pleased about today’s results, obtained at one of the most difficult tracks for us. This shows how much progress we’ve made up until now. I’m also pleased to have moved into second place in the standings, having made up a lot of points over Tom this weekend. Thanks go to my whole team, the guys have done a fantastic job here! Now it’s time to relax, and after a good holiday we’ll get back to work.”
Ernesto Marinelli – Ducati SBK Project Director
“I’m really happy with the results here at Sepang. Last season we had a lot of trouble at this track and to do well was a difficult target. The team has worked very hard, making the most of the evolutions and experience gained over recent months. Chaz topped off the weekend with his skillful riding and incredible temperament, bringing the Panigale home in first place, once again, in race 2. Now we will enjoy a few weeks’ break before getting back to work. These results are undoubtedly a great morale boost and we will be keener than ever on our return.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda:
Double fourth in Malaysia for Sylvain Guintoli
Honda’s Sylvain Guintoli finished fourth in both tenth round World Superbike championship races which were held at a hot and steamy Sepang International Circuit near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia today. The races were won by British riders Jonathan Rea and Chaz Davies.
Starting from the front row of the grid, Guintoli was aware of how important tyre management would be on his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP over the 16 laps of the 5.543km Sepang circuit and the French rider dropped a few places in the early stages of the first race.
However, as the laps were ticked off, Guintoli reeled in several riders with tyre performance issues in front of him, including British rider Tom Sykes on the final lap, to record his best result of the season.
Guintoli, 33, got a superb start to race two and was able to avoid a crash that took out wildcard Max Biaggi. He was also able fend off the attentions of his Pata Honda team-mate Michael van der Mark, 22, who enjoyed a great surge forward from his starting position of 12th on the grid.
Van der Mark had suffered an electrical problem that had forced his retirement from race one but the Dutch rider was happy enough to battle back to a top five finish to take into the summer break, following which the series will reconvene at Jerez in Spain on 18-20 September.
Sylvain Guintoli – 4th & 4th
It’s been a really good weekend for us and we were able to find some pace on the qualifying tyre yesterday which gave us a front row start for the races. It’s very positive for us and, at the risk of repeating myself, the whole team has been working very hard throughout the season and it looks like it’s paying off. They were both very tough races today and I had to push very hard but it’s good to take those performances into the summer break. Unfortunately, there are no prizes for fourth but we’re chipping away; we are not too far off now and we’re getting a better understanding. We’ll work hard to find extra performance and we’ll try to finish the championship strong over the last three rounds.
Michael van der Mark – DNF & 5th
We must be happy with fifth place in race two but I’m not so happy with the DNF in the first race and with the way that some of our race days have gone this season. I got a great start in race two and had a good battle with Sylvain and I was able to pass Leon Haslam on the last lap. I think I would have been able to battle for fourth or fifth also in race one but it was not to be.
Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator
We’ve had quite a good day, which followed Sylvain’s front row qualifying yesterday. He didn’t have a great start to race one but he kept a good rhythm and was able to pass some riders who had tyre problems later in the race. He got a really good start in race two and ran in second for a while before dropping to fourth again, but we are quite pleased with those results. Michael had an unfortunate DNF due to a technical issue in race one but he also had a good start to race two and worked his way to the front had a fight with Sylvain and Leon Haslam, who he was able to pass on the last lap for fifth. That was a really good effort, especially after his disappointment from race one. The hard work of the team this season has started to pay off at last in the last few races and these results today are a real ly positive way to go into the summer break.
More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing:
Sepang (Malaysia), 2 August 2015
Round ten of the 2015 eni FIM Superbike World Championship concludes with two good races for the Team Althea riders.
A positive weekend at the Sepang International Circuit for Niccolò Canepa and Matteo Baiocco who achieve two good results and score important points for the championship.
Matteo Baiocco, racing here for the first time, worked well across the qualifying sessions to start today’s races in tenth position on the grid. He concluded them both inside the top ten with an eighth place finish in race 1 and ninth in race 2. The Italian rider did well to manage the tyres that are always quite quick to drop off at this track, and was able to be consistent lap after lap. He earns important points for the standings, in which he now positions tenth.
Niccolò Canepa’s tyre management was a little less efficient and in the final phase of both races deterioration of the rear tyre made it impossible for him to take the kind of results that should have been well within reach. Canepa, starting from ninth, was able to be fast in both races, lapping in around seventh place until a few laps from the end when tyre wear caused his lap times to rise. He therefore had to settle for ninth place in race 1 and eleventh in race 2.
After the summer break, the World Superbike riders will return to track over the weekend of 20 September at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in Spain.
Matteo Baiocco: “We made two good races considering that it was my first visit to Sepang. The races were difficult today and I had to manage the tyres well, though I could have done a little better in the final stages. Overall it’s been a positive weekend also in terms of the championship as I’ve earned important points in the standings. Now we take a short break and then we return to Europe where I’ll try to do even better.”
Niccolò Canepa: “I’m only half pleased because if the race had been four laps less I could have definitely scored two great results, both in terms of position and gap from the leaders. Unfortunately in both races the rear tyre dropped off dramatically and I was lapping a lot slower in the final four laps as a result. I tried to manage them but it wasn’t enough, I should have gone slower through the opening laps and conserve them better. I’m disappointed because the team had worked so well. Anyway, now we will look ahead to the three remaining rounds.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
MAX BIAGGI WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY PODIUM FINISH AT SEPANG
THIRD PLACE FOR TORRES IN RACE 2
Sepang (Malaysia), 2 August 2015 – In the Malaysian World Superbike round Max Biaggi, with a race strategy worthy of a multiple world champion, took third place astride his Aprilia RSV4 RF. It was an extraordinary result taken in Race 1 at his second wild card of the season, three years after retiring from racing and at 44 years of age. Begun as an exciting and impossible challenge with his participation in the Misano race, Biaggi’s return astride his Aprilia has now been solidified with an exceptional result, his 71st SBK podium.
Max, who started from the second row thanks to his excellent performance in the qualifiers, battled with the official Aprilia riders for fourth place in the first part of the race. After overcoming Haslam and Torres, Biaggi focused on pushing hard, maintaining a fast and consistent pace which allowed him to look after his tyres and, above all, make a brilliant comeback against Sykes who had begun to drop back and lose contact with Rea and Davies. After an impressive progression it was in the final, exciting lap that Biaggi overtook the Brit, taking third place and stepping onto the podium for the first time since Portimão in 2012, the last full season of his career.
Having trouble managing their tyres, Torres and Haslam finished Race 1 far from the podium after having been protagonists at the beginning of the race on fresh tyres. The Aprilia Racing – Red Devils riders finished seventh (Haslam) and tenth (Torres).
In Race 2, with Biaggi crashing out due to contact with Sykes after an excellent start that had placed him in the lead at the first turn, it was Jordi Torres who held the Aprilia colours high with a third place finish. The Spaniard’s second podium of the season can at the end of an extremely consistent race where he broke away from the group and managed his placement behind Davies and Rea. Haslam was a bit behind again, finishing in seventh with tyre management troubles.
Max Biaggi: “The podium is an incredible result. It is a challenge overcome, the challenge of raising the bar to something that no one had ever done before. My race pace was consistent. Rea, Davies and Sykes pulled away at the front straight away. I tried to find my pace without destroying the tyre by overheating it. It wasn’t easy because at the same time you have to push. After overtaking my team mates I began to focus on Sykes who was getting closer and closer. I managed to catch him up and overtake him right at the last lap. I’m super happy. This is the result I was dreaming of, a real cherry on top and the best I could have hoped to achieve. The crash in Race 2 doesn’t take anything away from my satisfaction. Now that the weekend is over I can reveal that my crash during the tests last week “gave” me a left shoulder dislocation and an injury that required stitches on my right ankle. It was mainly the shoulder that bothered me, especially in the more flowing parts of the track. But we gritted our teeth and everything went brilliantly – just one more reason to rush into a happy holiday break.”
Jordi Torres: “First of all I would like to thank my team. Between Race 1 and Race 2 the guys did an incredible job, changing the bike, working on the setup and the electronic adjustment, particularly on the engine brake. This let me ride much more smoothly. I may have wanted to be more aggressive just out of my own instinct, but this let me look after my tyres well in the second race and take this podium which makes me happy. Evidently it’s just my destiny this season – I need a bad Race 1 to have great results in the second one. It was an important race for me because it taught me a lot and that is what I want out of this season. Now I can’t wait to get to Jerez and give 100%.”
Leon Haslam: “I had problems in both races. I had a lot of trouble losing the front. If I tried to conserve the rear tyre it would stress the front and I would lose speed going into turns. In the first race the tyres wore out very quickly and I wasn’t able to maintain a fast enough pace. In the second I started well, but at the end I was lapping slower than the first race. Toward the end of the race I made a last ditch effort to overtake the riders ahead of me but I just didn’t have the grip. I’m very disappointed because on this track the goal was to get onto the podium but we didn’t manage to do that.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Wins Race One As Championship Fight Continues
Jonathan Rea (KRT) secured his 12th race win of the year in the first 16-lap FIM Superbike World Championship contest at Sepang in Malaysia, and followed it up with a near win in race two to keep his podium run going through all 20 races in the season so far. Tom Sykes (KRT) led race one for some time but dropped down to an eventual fifth place, while he scored 14th place in a drama-laden race two.
Despite his first and second places at Sepang, and a last lap attempted overtake on eventual race two winner Chaz Davies that would have made him champion, Rea was not quite able to close out the championship today.
Rea had managed to pass Davies on the last lap in race one, to win by 0.121 seconds, but lost out on race two by only 0.091 seconds after a final corner contact between the leading riders. Jonathan has an advantage of 144 points over second place Davies now, with three rounds remaining.
Sykes led race one for 11 of the 16 laps and posted a remarkable new lap record time of 2’03.654 on lap two before he was forced to slow near the end with traction issues.
In race two Superpole winner Tom was involved in a first corner incident when Max Biaggi was pushed wide exiting the corner and he and Sykes collided. Sykes continued, dropped some places he would late make up again, before falling as he tried to recover even more positions. He restarted at the back and fought back to score 14th and two points. He is now third overall in the championship standings.
Rea has a total of 452 points after Sepang, Davies 308 and Sykes 295. In the manufacturers’ championship Kawasaki enjoys a 112-point lead.
The next race will be held after a long summer break, at Jerez de la Frontera, on September 20th.
Jonathan Rea: “I’m really happy after a good weekend and happy to go into the summer break healthy and looking forward to Jerez. With three laps to go in race two Arturo my mechanic gave me a bit of a secret signal and I knew if I went then I could catch Chaz. Halfway around the last lap I realised it would be possible. I passed Chaz and went through clean. We had contact but I do not blame him for that – I would do the same – but I almost crashed at the same time. I am really happy because we got another first and second on a race weekend and a bagful of points. If I had won the championship here maybe my wife would not have spoken to me for a day or two because she is at home! I just wanted to have a really good weekend and we did that.”
Tom Sykes: “We were unlucky in race two as someone got on the inside of Max and he was pushed wide. He had nowhere to go and he picked it up. I was on the outside, so bad luck really. I was catching the group in front and felt good after making a change to the bike after race one. It was better but not perfect. I struggled with a bent brake lever after the contact and then when I fell later on I bent the gearlever up about 15mm and broke the footpeg off, so I only had a little stub. We were unlucky today, which is a shame because we had great pace on the bike. The tyre dropped a lot in race one and we never expected that.”
David Salom (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) secured 11th and seventh places at Sepang, Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) was 14th and tenth. Roman is 13th overall and David 15th.
More, from a press release issued by Voltcom Crescent Suzuki:
Top 6 in spirited performance at Sepang for Lowes and Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s Alex Lowes took a top six first race finish at the Sepang International Circuit today after dramatic first corner chaos saw him fight from the back in race two.
Tyre management being the order of the day, Lowes rode a determined race as the Malaysian track recorded 43°C for the opening contest. A difficult start to race one left the British racer circulating just inside the top 10 for the first half, before digging deep on his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R. Claiming a position a lap as the race concluded, Lowes crossed the line in sixth for 10 championship points.
Forced to take avoiding action after a dramatic first corner crash by Aprilia’s Max Biaggi on the opening lap of race two, Lowes found himself with an uphill battle from last position. Again finding initial ultimate pace difficult but regrouping as his rhythm increased, Lowes rode an unwavering race for the remaining laps, claiming a well-deserved eighth for eight further points and promoting him up to ninth overall in the Championship standings.
Prevented from advancing his Suzuki GSX-R1000 beyond his grid position for much of the early afternoon action in a race-long battle with Ducati’s Matteo Baiocco, Randy de Puniet looked to have secured an eighth place finish on his final lap. However, a final corner error saw the frustrated Frenchman recover only four points from his 12th place finish. Running strongly in the top 10 as race two began, de Puniet struggled to maintain his pace in the midsection of the concluding battle, consolidating 13th, and three points at the flag.
Championship contenders Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) and Chaz Davies (Ducati) shared a victory each as the Sepang circuit avoided the threatening tropical showers – the cloud cover cooling the track (39°C) if not the air (31°C) for the second encounter.
A long summer break now beckons for Voltcom Crescent Suzuki with the team returning to its UK Headquarters. Lowes and de Puniet will join the team in Verwood, Dorset, for a Suzuki test ride and open day on Saturday 8th August to meet the fans, with the next race scheduled for September as the Championship returns to Spain, and the Jerez circuit on Sunday 20th.
Alex Lowes:
“It was a difficult day but I feel like I rode really well. I’m disappointed with the sixth and eighth results on paper but riding wise I think I did a good job. Obviously I just got unlucky in the second race with the incident in turn one – it can happen anytime but when everything is going a bit uphill it seems to happen to us! Apart from that I did my absolute best, caught up as much as possible without crashing and went forward in both races. We struggled a bit for out-and-out pace here so we tried to set our bike up for 16 laps, as it’s a bit of a peculiar track for tyre life.
“It’s been a tough weekend but I feel like I’m starting to learn how to ride in this heat a lot better and without the race two incident at the start there was the potential to battle for fourth place. I’m looking forward to a few weeks off before we have the last three rounds of the year and I’m hoping for a really strong finish as I’m really starting to build back some confidence and belief in myself now.”
Randy de Puniet:
“A difficult race day! In race one I finished 12th but I was able to finish 8th as I had a good race, but I made a mistake in the last corner overtaking Baiocco. I broke too late and ended up on the grass, restarted and finished 12th which was disappointing but the pace was there. In race two I had a better start, I was 10th by the first lap – in race one I was 13th – so it was much better but I struggled a lot with the feeling throughout. I’m disappointed because if the feeling was the same as race one I am sure seventh position would have been easy. We have continued to make progress in the last few races but I’m still not where I want to be, so we will keep working.”
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“A hot and humid day, as always, at Sepang but one of Alex’s best performances of the year so far. Sixth and eighth doesn’t automatically back that up but being completely honest, our bike simply didn’t have the acceleration and speed required to compete with the top challengers here and we had to take a different approach – which was to use the harder tyre, try and keep consistent and grind out the best results we possibly could. Sixth in race one was a good reward for that strategy for Alex but being outgunned at the start and then being pushed wide by the Biaggi crash in turn one meant race two was always going to be difficult. The team was extremely impressed with how Alex dug in and pulled his way back from last position to eighth at the end, increasing his pace to the point where on some laps at the latter stages his lap-times were the same as the podium finishers.
“Randy looked like he could have challenged for his best results of the season here today and on paper it looked like it might have come, but after a very strong first race, a last corner error knocked him back to 12th and in the second race he struggled with tyre performance.
“We enter into the summer break now and with all the freight going directly from here to Jerez we don’t have the opportunity for any development in that time, so we will be looking to maximise the performance of the GSX-R when we get to Spain and continue the upward trend in the championship positions.”