eni FIM Superbike World Championship
Circuito de Jerez, Spain
September 18, 2015
Free Practice Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Alex LOWES, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:42.047
2. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:42.136
3. Jordi TORRES, Spain (Aprilia RSV4 RF), 1:42.180, crash
4. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:42.263, crash
5. Leon HASLAM, UK (Aprilia RSV4 RF), 1:42.267
6. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), 1:42.629
7. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), 1:42.645
8. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), 1:42.682
9. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), 1:42.781
10. Michael VD MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), 1:42.884
11. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Honda CBR1000RR SP), 1:42.905
12. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:42.969
13. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Ducati Panigale R), 1:42.991
14. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:43.037
15. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta F4 RR), 1:43.160
16. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:43.192
17. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:44.454
18. Christophe PONSSON, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:45.403
19. Gabor RIZMAYER, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), 1:45.693
20. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:46.129
21. Imre TOTH, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), 1:46.622
22. Alex PHILLIS, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:46.717, crashed twice
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Sykes heads opening day of WorldSBK action at Jerez
Rea just 0.024s shy of the lead, Lowes third after FP2 blistering lap.
Sykes remains on top despite an early fall in Free Practice 2.
One further free practice session tomorrow morning will decide which of the WorldSBK riders make it into Tissot-Superpole, as an increase in track temperature in this afternoon’s FP2 prevented many of them from improving at Jerez.
The current running order at the end of Day 1 is mostly unchanged from the morning’s results, with Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) heading team-mate and 2015 World Champion elect Jonathan Rea by 0.024s, the pair a fraction ahead of Alex Lowes. The Voltcom Crescent Suzuki rider elevated himself into the top ten with a time of 1.42.730s which – despite a mid-session tumble – bodes well for FP3, taking place tomorrow at 09:45 local time. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team) clung on to fourth, 0.099s behind Sykes after he too failed to improve.
Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing Ducati) moved one step down to fifth place, while Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) did improve this afternoon, the Spaniard ending the day sixth after losing the front at turn 2, a few metres up the track from where he also fell few hours earlier.
Torres’ team-mate Leon Haslam was seventh ahead of Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing Ducati), Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team) and Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike Team).
11th to 15th positions were the most altered – Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) will head into tomorrow 11th ahead of Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia), Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing Ducati), Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) and Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).
More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda:
Guintoli and van der Mark return in Spanish heat
With air temperatures over 30ºC and track temperatures approaching 50ºC, Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark returned to World Superbike action at Jerez in Spain today.
After a seven-week summer break, the Pata Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP-mounted duo ended the day in 10th and 11th places respectively on combined times but close to the front positions.
With higher track temperatures reducing grip levels in the second free practice session at the 4.423km Jerez circuit this afternoon, many riders found it difficult to improve on their FP1 lap times.
However, those times were close, with Tom Sykes fastest overall and Michael van der Mark just 0.8s off the British rider’s provisional pole time.
Guintoli and van der Mark will both aim for top ten positions in tomorrow morning’s FP3 session at Jerez in order to progress directly to Superpole 2 which will determine final grid positions over the front four rows for Sunday’s two 20-lap races.
Sylvain Guintoli – P10
Well, I can tell you that, after a month-and-a-half off, the CBR feels pretty quick! Especially here in Jerez, which really feels like a stop-and-go track compared to Sepang! It was a decent first day for us to get some feeling back and I think we actually did a pretty good job today. It was a shame that we had a small technical problem at the end of FP2 because we could have gone very close to the top five, which is OK. So it was a good day back at the office and it’s nice to be back on the bike and working with the team again because it certainly felt like a very long break.
Michael van der Mark – P11
This morning was quite OK and I was getting the feeling back lap-by-lap. I didn’t get much more grip with a new tyre but the session was a good way to get back into a rhythm. This afternoon we changed many things on the bike and did quite a long run at the beginning. Even on old tyres we were able to still go quite fast so I was happy with that. We changed a couple of settings after that and, although they didn’t really develop things the way we wanted, I was able to keep improving the time. Overall the result is not too bad so I’m looking forward to getting back to it tomorrow.
Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator
It was not a bad day for both sides of the garage – we had no big problems or issues to deal with, which allowed us to work on improving the setting. Mikey still has some problems on corner entry so we need to make some adjustments to the engine brake. The conditions changed quite a bit from the morning to the afternoon and more track temperature here means less grip is available. With Sylvain 10th and Mikey 11th we are not that far from the front so it’s just basically work in progress.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
ON HIS HOME TRACK JORDI TORRES SETS A GOOD PACE STRAIGHT AWAY WITH HIS APRILIA
LEON HASLAM ALSO PLEASED WITH THE TWO SESSIONS TODAY
Jerez de la Frontera, 18 September 2015 – Despite a long break, the World Superbike riders only needed a few laps to resume race pace on the first day of practice at Jerez de la Frontera. In decidedly summer weather, Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils worked on two fronts: assessing the available tyres and managing them over several laps.
Jordi Torres, the home town hero, is particularly keen to do well in this round and he showed it in both sessions today. Fifth this morning, where he also had a crash with no consequences on turn 1, the Spanish rider put the third best time on the sheets in FP2, at just over a tenth from the top time. In the final stages, as he was continuing to improve, he fell victim to a second crash, this time on turn 2. This ended his session early, but with good sensations astride his Aprilia.
Leon Haslam also expressed his satisfaction with his return to the track. The very focused English rider set up both sessions looking for the best way to look after the tyres, a fundamental factor for the race on this track. His fifth place time in FP2 (seventh in the combined standings) is a good starting point for the work that needs to be done.
Jordi Torres: “Today did not go badly but I know that we can do better. I want to do better on my home track. The causes of the two crashes were similar. I’m still struggling in the braking sections, so tomorrow we’ll have to try something a bit more drastic to improve my feeling with the front. Fortunately they were low speed crashes, without any significant damage. If I can manage to stop the RSV4 well going into turns then we’ll also improve performance coming out and that will give us the potential to take another step forward.”
Leon Haslam: “I’m rather pleased with how things went. We’ve had a long break but it’s good to come back to a track where we have already had the chance to ride during our tests. As we always do on Friday we are trying a lot of different solutions. The feeling is good even if I wasn’t super fast on new tyres. We’ve done a good job, so now we just need to collect our thoughts for tomorrow.”
SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP
The free practice sessions at Jerez in preparation for the Spanish race on Sunday, were positive for the Aprilia standard bearers. Calia, Savadori and wild card Andreozzi finished the day respectively with the fifth, seventh and ninth best times, all well within one second of the top time in provisional standings. The team Nuova M2 Racing riders worked mainly on race strategy, trying to find an optimum balance for the setup on their Aprilia RSV4 RF machines.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Davies fourth and Pirro ninth after the opening World Superbike timed practices at Jerez
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), Friday 18 September 2015 – The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team are back on track this weekend, with riders Chaz Davies and Michele Pirro, for the eleventh round of the 2015 Superbike World Championship taking place at the Jerez circuit in Spain. Davies and Pirro closed the day’s opening timed practice sessions in fourth and ninth position respectively.
Warm and dry conditions allowed both Chaz and Michele to make the most of Friday’s two 45-minute practice sessions. In session one, both riders made good progress, with Chaz moving quickly up into the front positions to conclude third thanks to a best of 1’42.056, while Michele closed eighth with a fastest time of 1’42.408.
In the afternoon’s practice both riders continued to work on the set-up of their Panigale R bikes. Due to the higher temperatures and more slippery track conditions, Davies and Pirro were unable to improve on their best times set in the morning but are nevertheless satisfied with the work completed today in preparation for Sunday’s races.
Quotes after the day’s sessions:
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 4th (1’42.056)
“We’ve had no major problems today and are just working steadily to understand the tyres. This afternoon we tried a couple of different of things which didn’t give us the best lap time but did give us a good understanding of how to move forward tomorrow. We made some changes to try and improve the turning of the bike and to give me as much grip as possible for as long as possible. The grip is always an issue at Jerez, so for me it’s important to take things step by step, not make mistakes, and work steadily towards Sunday’s races.”
Michele Pirro – (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #55) – 9th (1’42.408)
“The grip dropped off this afternoon but the positive thing is that my lap time was more or less the same as this morning, which means I’m gradually improving my feeling with the Panigale. The most difficult aspect for me right now is understanding the limit of the tyres; I only used them in Misano and so I have to work step by step to build confidence and gradually improve my lap times, as I’m currently losing four or five tenths. Tomorrow we’ll continue to work to find the right set-up with which to improve my feeling; I’m sure that we can be faster…”
More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing:
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain) 18 September 2015
On their return from the summer break, the Team Althea riders have made a positive start to the Jerez de la Frontera race weekend, taking part in today’s opening sessions of this eleventh round of the 2015 eni FIM Superbike World Championship.
Niccolò Canepa made a solid start, concluding the morning’s session in fourth place with a time of 1’42.125, only one tenth of a second from the first-placed rider. In session two, though dropping a position, the Italian rider was the fastest Ducati man on track despite the fact that track temperatures had risen to almost 50°C.
A good first day also for Matteo Baiocco who closed the sessions in eighth place overall (seventh in the morning session), with a best of 1’42.341. Starting with the set-up used in Malaysia, he worked hard with his crew to try and limit the grip problems that can arise in such high temperatures.
The Superstock 1000 Championship also starts back up this weekend. Raffaele De Rosa is Team Althea’s sole representative this weekend at the Andalusian track. Luca Salvadori is unable to participate after sustaining an injury during testing last week. De Rosa closed day one in sixth place (1’44.179) after having tested various set-up solutions for the Ducati Panigale R ahead of Sunday’s race. Tomorrow’s work will focus on obtaining the best time to score pole position.
Niccolò Canepa: “I’m really pleased with how today went, especially in the afternoon as to be the fastest Ducati rider, in this heat, was totally unexpected; I thought I’d have more trouble. The important thing now will be to continue on in the same direction…”
Matteo Baiocco: “I’m pleased to have got back into a rhythm without any problems after the summer break. Already in this morning’s session we found a good set-up, starting with the base that we had at Sepang, while tomorrow morning it will be important to drop our times and take another step forward.”
More, from a press release issued by Voltcom Crescent Suzuki:
Lowes tops Jerez FP2 for Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s Alex Lowes returned from the summer break in fine form as he topped the afternoon practice at the Jerez Circuit in Spain today, to take third in the overall times as the eni FIM Superbike World Championship got back underway
A cooler start – despite the morning’s temperatures already heading in to the mid 20’s (with the track at 31°C) – saw Lowes struggle with a front brake issue in FP1, preventing him from utilising the full 45-minute session. However, once rectified, the British racer quickly re-familiarised himself with his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R and the Andalucían layout. As the afternoon asphalt recorded 48°C, Lowes’ exploited his July experience from the Sepang and Suzuka heat, to advance his morning best by eight tenths and claim the fastest time of the second free practice.
Randy de Puniet began his first day back on his Suzuki Superbike by comparing settings used both during winter testing and the Malaysian race, last time out. Looking to improve straight-line braking performance, the Frenchman is more confident with original settings used at Jerez in January and will continue to refine these as he returns to the track tomorrow morning.
Bathed in Spanish sun throughout the day, the Jerez circuit saw Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes retain the top spot in the combined times after setting a 1’41.957 mid-way through the morning’s opening free practice.
The action returns to the Spanish track at 09:45hrs local time (08:45BST) tomorrow morning for Lowes and de Puniet’s final timed free practice, with Superpole qualifying getting underway from 15:00 (14:00BST) Saturday afternoon.
Alex Lowes:
“We had a difficult start to the day as we missed a lot of the first session, and after not riding for six and a half weeks I felt a bit rusty! We are actually running a setting we have not tried in Jerez, it’s more of a similar balance to what we used in Malaysia when the conditions were warmer, and I felt really good. The bike under braking and the front end feel, for the hotter conditions, is feeling really good – it’s something we’ve struggled with in the past so I’m pleased. I really enjoyed today, I’m happy to be back on the bike and back with the lads – who are all working hard as usual – but it is only the first day and everyone is just getting up to speed I need to continue to work really hard tomorrow and hopefully we can stay close to the front this weekend.”
Randy de Puniet:
“We started this morning with the settings from Malaysia, combined with a new brake system, but I was not confident with this and the brake power was not enough. This afternoon we returned to the settings used during the winter test and my feeling was better but I still have an issue stopping the bike, which is now our main focus – I am losing a lot of time everywhere as it is difficult for me to decelerate the bike in the way I want to. I hope we can find a solution to this tomorrow and then we can improve the lap time a lot. I really enjoy this track and the weather is perfect, so once we can fix the brakes we can have a good weekend.”
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“It is good to get back to work after the extended summer break, and the summer has certainly stayed with us here in Jerez. The track here is always very different by comparison to the winter testing and it is always difficult to know how much relevance we can place on the data collected, based on the new character of the track in the summer temperatures. We had some brake problems with Alex in the first session which took a bit of solving, and cost him some time, but aside from that the day has gone very well, with progressive improvements every time the bike has gone on track and very good performance both on used tyres, and at the end of the session on a new tyre to top the standings. I think it’s only the second time we’ve topped a session this season, and that was in Thailand where Alex finished on the podium so fingers crossed we can keep the momentum and aim for some positive results.
“Randy is not far away at all, exactly one second from the fastest, and has tried both winter test and the evolved settings – used last in Malaysia – so his guys will be carefully considering the best ways forward for tomorrow and trying to find some small improvements that allow Randy to close the gap on the top ten.”