TRACK RECORD AND TWO NATIONAL CHAMPIONS ON PIRELLI TiRES IN WORLD SBK WINTER TEST Portimão (Portugal) When newcomer and British SBK champion Shane Byrne finished his second day of testing and discovered that he had broken the track record on Pirelli DIABLO SUPERBIKE tires, a record set by world champion Troy Bayliss just this past November, it was his eye-opening initiation to the upcoming season. Byrne’s new rival and 2008 AMA Superbike champion Ben Spies, another recent addition to the Superbike paddock and new to Pirelli Tires, finished the same session less than 0.2 seconds behind on his Yamaha R1. These new additions to the Superbike starting grid, along with Noriyuki Haga taking over for the retired Bayliss on the Ducati Xerox team, promises a season filled with talent and valuable new feedback for Pirelli tire development. The commitment from BMW Motorrad and Aprilia to enter the series with factory teams completes this rich and competitive environment, both manufacturers who have the experience and technical competence to compete for the title. With the reconfirmation of its agreement with Infront Motor Sports for the supply of tires through the year 2012, the support from Pirelli will not waiver as the series’ visibility on a worldwide stage increases. 2009 may very well prove to be the year of World Superbike. For this preseason test, Pirelli offered approximately 4,500 tires with 40 different solutions for the two classes in participation, Superbike and Supersport, assembling a variety of racing-slicks, intermediate, full-rain and DOT tires, with the goal of combining ultimate performance, safety and durability. As is typical, on the first day Pirelli technicians do not use the newly developed tires but reviewed the best solutions selected from the previous season. The technical staff of Pirelli that is committed to improving lap times is comprised of team support staff, compound experts and dynamic modelling engineers (3D). Pirelli technicians arrived to the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve prepared to continue this season’s development, which began in South African, on a track proving to be the ideal test environment, considering the challenging elevation changes, a new surface and variable weather conditions. The Superbike riders were given ample time on Saturday morning to utilize the various wet solutions which are often necessary at tracks like Donington Park and Magny-Cours, as the rain had been off and on since arrival to the track on Thursday. Anxious to work in these conditions, the two brand new BMW S1000RRs of Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus posted the two fastest times of 1’50.946 and 1’51.269 on Pirelli DIABLO RAIN tires. Once the track dried out in the afternoon, Pirelli DIABLO SUPERBIKE tires were mounted and times were steadily decreasing until Shane Byrne ran his fastest time on the 15th lap of the session, breaking Bayliss’s track record of 1’43.340 by just 0.05 seconds. Ben Spies, the lone American in the superbike grid and 2008 AMA Superbike champion, began his experience with Pirelli at the very top, having posted the second best time of the day. Haga nearly equalled Spies time with just three thousandths of a gap, having made a smooth jump from Yamaha to Ducati. Pirelli and Infront Motor Sports agreed last year to a modification of the Superpole process, in which the first 20 riders from qualifying, instead of the one-lap qualifying for Superbike grid, make three 12-minute qualifying sessions in 7-minute intervals, a method which is adopted for a more exciting television broadcast. The first session will eliminate four riders, and the second session will eliminate eight, thus accounting for the first five rows of competition. This shall require more tire-strategy calculations, as riders are permitted to change tires during the intervals between the three Superpole sessions. This testing weekend offered the first demonstration of this new format, during which Byrne took the pole on his Ducati 1098R, almost besting his track record set the day before. Max Neukirchner was up to speed, finding the right setting and taking advantage of the qualifiers with a time just 0.091 seconds off pace. The second rule change affecting this season’s racing structure is the new flag-to-flag procedure to be followed once the green flag drops. In this rule, a Superbike race will no longer be called on account of weather, thus requiring all riders to have a second bike prepared with rain setup, if weather is predicted to change at the start of the race. Supersport is the class in which Pirelli is developing products dedicated to the end-user, having been able to transfer many the performance characteristics of the DIABLO SUPERCORSA to street products which are now fitted on bikes such as the Ducati 1198 and Triumph 675. The Spanish Kawasaki rider Joan Lascorz dropped his times by 4 seconds over the sessions from Friday, posting the best time of 1’45.214 just 0.5 seconds in front of former British Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow, now riding for Yamaha World Supersport team. Kenan Sufuoglu, world champion rider from 2007 HANNspree Ten Kate team, has returned to his 600cc bike and put in the third best time of the day with 1’45.397. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Ninja ZX-10R And Parkes Meshing Well New signing Broc Parkes took his Kawasaki World Superbike Team Ninja ZX-10R to 15th place in the overall WSB ranking after three days of testing, despite frequent interruptions due to rain. Parkes has raced in World Supersport for many years recently and the team is new to Kawasaki machinery this season; facts which make the final mid-placing on the time-sheets highly respectable, particularly given the strength and depth of the 2009 WSB entry. Makoto Tamada was recovering from a bout of illness as he recorded 21st position overall, also fighting against the poor weather which disrupted many practice sessions. His physical problem did not help his stamina as he evaluated many parts and settings for the 2009 specification machine. Each rider set his personal best time, 1’44.704 for Parkes and 1’45.446 for Tamada, on day two, which had the longest spells of dry track conditions. There will be one more test before the first race on March 1, each to be held at Phillip Island, Australia. Broc Parkes: “When we came here we didn’t really know what expectations we should have. We were always around 14th to 15th and we ended up 15th. We tried a lot of things in these tests but now we need to go back to the workshop and fine tune a lot of stuff. For us this was sort of a shakedown test and it all went pretty well. There are a lot of guys with more experience behind us and we were surprised to be quite far up there a few times. I hoped we would be between tenth and 18th so we are in the middle of that, I suppose. The weather didn’t help and we lost a lot of track time but it was a good all round effort. We have a test in Australia before the first race and we will have even more new things to try because of what we learned from here.” Makoto Tamada: “We have been getting better all the way through. It’s a good team and we worked well, and on many things. Our suspension settings and electronics in particular, and we did a lot of testing with the KHI machine. The performance is good. I am still not 100% fit after suffering food poisoning during this test, so I have had nothing to eat for a couple of days. That made me very tired today.” Overall Best Times 1 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1’43.294 “2 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’43.484 “3 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1’43.487 “4 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’43.546 “5 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’43.657 “6 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’43.674 “7 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’43.767 “8 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’43.951 “9 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’44.115 “10 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’44.170″¦ 15 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’44.704″¦ 21 100 Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’45.446 More, from another press release issued by Kawasaki: 2009 Ninja ZX-6R Fastest Of All As Lascorz Shines The brand-new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R set the fastest lap of the official three-day World Supersport test at Portimao, in the hands of new signing Joan Lascorz. Lascorz’ Provec Motocard Kawasaki World Supersport team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara was 17th fastest after spending his three days on track working though a variety of engine and chassis set-ups, all of which allowed the new Kawasaki team to make improvements, despite the ever changing weather conditions. Each rider’s best time was set on day two, as this offered the driest tack surface and a reduced force from the blustery and sometimes challenging wind. On the final day Fujiwara was second fastest in the wet conditions that plagued the morning session. Lascorz had a fantastic debut in Kawasaki colours against all his peers, fastest on day one and day two, and fully competitive throughout. For the enthusiastic team one final test session at Calafat in Spain precedes the first round of the championship, at Phillip Island in Australia. Joan Lascorz: “Obviously the bike is competitive, even if we still have work to do to get the set-up 100%. I think we have a good chance because Sofuoglu, for example, knows his bike very well and his team very well. It is all-new for us, but we are at more or less the same level. By working in better directions we can be even more competitive. We will be concentrating on the suspension at our Calafat tests but we have been able to make good laps here and we have more to come.” Katsuaki Fujiwara: “I spent a lot of time at this test working with the engineers to try out a lot of different settings and parts. I did that more than think about lap times. We made very good progress, on both engine and chassis settings, and I think we are in a good place. We are ready to take on the championship next month in Australia. I think the bike is already at a very good level, in many areas.” Overall Best Times 1 26 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’45.214 “2 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1’45.264 “3 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1’45.397 “4 117 Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 1’45.757 “5 1 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’45.817 “6 50 Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1’45.960 “7 77 Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 1’45.971 “8 51 Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’46.018 “9 69 Nannelli G. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 1’46.024 “10 99 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’46.036 “¦ 17 21 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’47.095 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha World Superbike Team on top form in Portimao despite bad weather The first test of 2009 for the Yamaha World Superbike Team at the Portimao circuit in Portugal was hampered by bad weather for the duration of the three days. Despite this setback both new riders performed well, fine tuning their set ups for the upcoming test and first race of the 2009 World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island in Australia. Young American three-time AMA Superbike star Ben Spies was consistently on the pace, and finished the test second fastest with an overall time of 1’43.484, less than two tenths of a second off fastest rider Shane Bryne. Spies team mate, Young rising British star Tom Sykes, took advantage of the test to catch up on time missed due illness at the previous test in South Africa and flew up the times, ending the test an impressive fourth, less than a tenth of a second from his team mate with a time of 1’43.546. This was only the third outing for the riders on the M1 derived 2009 Yamaha WSB YZF-R1. The advantage of the revolutionary cross plane crankshaft and uneven firing interval resulted in more grip and smoother torque delivery for Spies and Sykes, enabling both riders to achieve faster times in the dry and in the wet. With more fine-tuning to come the team are looking to be serious contenders in the 2009 WSB Championship. From the South Africa test to Portimao, the Yamaha team achieved a big power output, clearly demonstrated when the R1 claimed the maximum top speed of all teams at the Portugese test. Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team “For sure it was good to be here and get more time on the bike and work with the team, the rain was a bit dodgy so it’s been frustrating to get some decent track time. In the first of the new format Superpole test sessions on the last day we were quickest, unfortunately for the second session it rained and I didn’t want to do anything silly so didn’t push too hard. We worked on some settings over the test and got down to some pretty quick times. We got to try a few things with the bike and made a big step up, taking half a second a lap off, but the weather didn’t allow us to get more. The bikes got good straight line speed now and we’re continually improving. I’m very confident we’ve got what it takes to win. The team have been great, we’re working really well together. I’m looking forward to getting to Australia and getting stuck in again!” Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team “Yesterday when we had a bit more stable weather I had two hours good track time. We used the time wisely and chipped away every time went out, a bit of improvement with everything and I got a nice feeling with the bike and got fast consistent laps so was more than happy. I’m very satisfied with how the test has gone, we’ve made up for lost time in South Africa, I was a little behind before but have caught up! I’m looking forward to getting to Australia. A couple more questions we need to answer with the bike then we’re ready for the race!” Massimo Meregalli Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager “The test went well, unfortunately the weather was bad every day and we only had two practices in the dry. But anyway, no matter what the conditions we were in front, in the top five. We didn’t test as much as we would have liked to here, we didn’t make a lot of changes but in the end the guys performed brilliantly and worked well with the team. There’s still stuff we have to fix, but considering we have a new bike and new riders we are pretty satisfied and confident. We know we still have a lot of jobs to do but we will get them done. In the end we have only had three months with this new bike so we have done a great job! We will have more performance from the bike in Phillip Island. Tom did a really good job yesterday, looking to find a good set up without pushing too much and Ben was consistently fast and on the pace. In the end to be in the front with both riders is very positive!” More, from another press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Crutchlow shines in the wet and windy Portimao test World Supersport rookie Cal Crutchlow performed brilliantly at his second ever test ride on the Yamaha World Supersport machine. The young British rider battled high winds and adverse weather conditions to finish the three day test an impressive second place overall, less than a tenth of a second off fastest rider Lascorz with a time of 1’45.214. French team mate Fabien Foret proved that any demons from his crash in 2008 had been put firmly to rest, finishing the test with a competitive time of 1’46.036, less than a second from his new team mate. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team “I enjoyed the test although I was a little bit disappointed with the weather. We wanted to get quite a lot done but didn’t manage to get as much as we would have liked due to the changing conditions. We won’t be out testing again now before Australia so the final test there will be a crucial one for us. Our time here in Portugal has proved we’re up there in the championship and highly competitive. The team are working really well with me, we understand each other really well and I’m working well with the R6 too. It’s been good for me and I’m looking forward to the next session.” Fabien Foret, Yamaha World Supersport Team “It’s been wet in the mornings and half dry in the afternoon, for me it’s pointless to push too hard in these conditions. We tried to work as much as possible on the second day and we found a pretty good bike for me. I was getting the confidence back, it was getting easier to relax on the bike and I got up to fourth until a few minutes before the end when the other riders switched to fresh tires for a fast lap. My speed is back and my confidence too, I am back to how I was before my crash last year. I’m very happy, not just about the tests but about myself. I knew I would get my speed back and I was sure I would be fine but it’s good to actually see it for real!” Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager “Of course we were not really pleased with the weather, we had only 70 or 80 laps for both riders over the three days. We are quite pleased with the final results though. Fabien improved a lot over the last test in Portimao, in the first three splits he was as fast as the top guys. We are really pleased as we know after a big crash you have to see if everything is ok, but he’s able to give 110 percent. Cal was consistently fast, there are no technical problems at all. I think it will be close racing this year but I’m confident we can fight for the championship. We have a very competitive package and we’re looking forward to the season. There are some very strong riders but we have two of them!” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Suzuki Alstare’s Max Neukirchner blasted the new 2009-model Suzuki GSX-R1000K9 to the second fastest time under heavy weather conditions at the first official World Superbike test at Portimao in Portugal. Neukirchner lapped the 4.5 kilometre Autodromo Internacional Algarve circuit – which also tested the new Superpole procedure where three separate sessions are used to determine the grid positions – just a tenth-of-a-second behind fastest rider Shane Byrne (Ducati). Yukio Kagayama kept the Suzuki Alstare flag flying by posting the seventh quickest lap of the new procedure to end up on what would have been the second row of the grid. Max Neukirchner (best lap – 1:43.965 in ‘Superpole’, 1:43.674 overall in tests): “Over the three days we’ve tried a lot of different things to do with chassis, traction control, wheelie control and engine and have learnt a lot about the new bike. For me, like all of us, the biggest problem has been the rain and the fact that we have not been able to do as many laps in the dry as we would have liked, but our understanding of the bike is a lot better. The lap times are very close, so this year’s championship is going to be really hard and it’s going to be important to be consistent. I think the 2009 bike handles better and I have a better feeling for it in the corners, but it’s not really easier to ride yet because we are going much faster! Overall I am happy because our knowledge is improving and I think we are in pretty good shape for the year ahead.” Yukio Kagayama (best lap – 1:44.586 in ‘Superpole’, 1:44.425 overall in tests): “Generally I feel that the conditions have been difficult and I wanted more dry track time. The conditions changed many times and each time we made a change to the bike, the conditions would alter and we would have to change the bike again! The track’s grip level in the wet was not so bad, but this year I can push a bit harder in the wet because the 2009 bike is less hard work in the rain. This bike has good potential and all we need is more time to understand it better and then we will improve a lot. I am not happy about my lap times and the weather, but I am happy because of all the good work we’ve done and the progress we are making.” More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: Team Pedercini’s new riders made their debut on Portimao track for a pre-season three days testing. SBK Italian Champion Luca Scassa and the young former WSS Spanish rider David Salom took to the track the Kawasaki ZX 10 R 2009 version. Donato Pedercini declares to be satisfied with the three days of testing although the rain decreased the time at disposal of the teams and wasted all the morning sessions. Anyhow the riders were able to practice hard during the three afternoons and they reached a good basic set-up especially testing the Microtec electronics by which the Team Pedercini is going to equip his machines in the next season. Luca Scassa | Kawasaki ZX-10R: “The motorbike is really different form the MV Augusta I drove during the last season, but the first touch with the bike is good. I got a good feeling with the machine and we was able to test all the parameters controlled by the electronics, beside some solution for the set-up. I also have immediately found a good feeling with the team and I hope it will grow race by race”. David Salom | Kawasaki ZX-10R: “I have immediately found an excellent feeling with the bike and I did not suffered the change of category. Great power bikes suit my riding style and I was able to record good times with ease. My goal was to get a good feeling with the bike and I think I’ve reached it”. Donato Pedercini | Team Manager: “Even though we did a good job with the electronics I would have had more time in order to start working on the set-up. We also tested a new kind of fork which showed to be forceful although we must work hard on it still. In few days the bike will leave for Australia for the season opening round. We will be back on track for a new test once back in Europe for two days at Valencia”. More, from a press release issued by Team Sterilgarda: The first meeting of 2009 Superbike World Championship confirmed Team Sterilgarda as one of the most promising team of the contest. After three days of testing on Portimao track, the team’s latest signing Shane Byrne recorded the quikest time. As well the British was the fastest rider during the first four testing sessions, both on wet and dry track and today he has confirmed his score in the simulation of the new Superpole. The BSB champion has immediately found a great feeling with the bike, also thanks to the hard job of the team which has worked according to Shakey’s precious guidelines. Byrne has left the Portuguese track with the belief of having found an excellent basic set-up. Good job done by Alex Polita too. The ‘Pirate’ focused his work especially on getting a good feeling with the Superbike machine, which is very different from the Superstock bike by which he grabbed the third final place in the last championship. Unfortunately an hitch at the front of his machine has partially prevented the session and it has been fixed only at the end of the Superpole. Shane Byrne | Ducati 1098 RS: “The last three days of testing have been really useful. I got a good feeling with the bike and I was able to test different solutions especially on the set-up and on the suspension. The team did a really good job and they made the bike more suitable for my riding style: as consequence we recorded excellent times. Being the quickest rider for three days in a row is a big satisfaction and it allows me to hope for the future”. Alex Polita | Ducati 1098RS : “My priority was beginning to get a good feeling with the bike and starting to realize its reactions to the changes. I was able to do the work partially, I would have been able to get a better feedback with more time. Unfortunately all the morning sessions were wet and in addition I got an hitch at the fork which was fixed only at the end of the week-end. Anyhow it has been an helpful week-end and I will carry on my testing in Australia, where the championship will start”. Marco Borciani | Team Manager: “I’m really satisfied with the job done. I would like to congratulate with both the riders for their professionalism and the way they faced this testing. The three days of test have been really hard both for the team and the riders but it allows us to view the future with optimism. I got very impressed by Shane’s ease to find the feeling with the bike. As well Polita did a good job although the hitch at the fork influenced partially his work”. TIMES: Summary of the 3 days 1 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1’43.294 2 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’43.484 3 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1’43.487 4 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’43.546 5 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’43.657 6 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’43.674 7 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’43.767 8 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’43.951 9 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’44.115 10 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’44.170 11 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’44.261 12 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’44.425 13 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’44.546 14 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1’44.610 15 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’44.704 16 53 Polita A. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’45.108 17 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 1’45.179 18 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1’45.199 19 24 Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 1’45.278 20 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’45.393 21 100 Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’45.446 22 36 Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’45.672 23 33 Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’45.679 24 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’45.820 25 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1’46.128 26 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’46.916 27 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’46.971 Day 3 Superpole test 1. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1’43.874; 2. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’43.965; 3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’44.144; 4. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1’44.157; 5. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’44.217; 6. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’44.261; 7. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’44.586; 8. Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’47.057; 9. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’49.387; 10. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’52.340; 11. Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 1’56.553; 12. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1’56.643; 13. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’44.119; 14. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’45.182; 15. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’45.624; 16. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1’45.931; 17. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’46.181; 18. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’46.260; 19. Polita A. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’46.849; 20. Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 1’46.897 Day 2 1 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1’43.294 2 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’43.484 3 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1’43.487 4 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’43.546 5 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’43.657 6 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’43.674 7 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’43.767 8 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’43.951 9 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’44.115 10 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’44.170 11 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’44.425 12 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’44.479 13 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’44.546 14 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1’44.610 15 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’44.704 16 53 Polita A. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’45.108 17 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 1’45.179 18 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1’45.260 19 24 Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 1’45.278 20 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’45.393 21 100 Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’45.446 22 36 Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’45.672 23 33 Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’45.679 24 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’45.820 25 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1’46.128 26 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’46.916 27 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’46.971 Day 1 1 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1’44.265 2 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’44.468 3 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’44.652 4 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’44.931 5 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1’44.976 6 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’45.266 7 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’45.323 8 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’45.329 9 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’45.373 10 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’45.448 11 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’45.558 12 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’45.914 13 53 Polita A. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’46.110 14 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’46.121 15 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’46.261 16 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1’46.440 17 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1’46.586 18 36 Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’46.948 19 100 Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’46.957 20 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1’47.340 21 33 Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’47.639 22 24 Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 1’47.699 23 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 1’48.269 24 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’48.274 25 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’49.800 26 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’50.187 27 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’53.550 More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY POSITIVE, DESPITE THREE DAYS OF DIFFICULT CONDITIONS The first official WSBK test of 2009 took place at the superb 4.592 kilometre Autodromo Internacional Algarve in Portugal with difficult conditions throughout the three days. Dry track time was very limited but, despite the tricky conditions, Troy and the team gained a lot of useful info and are now looking forward to the next test and hopefully better weather. The three-day tests also witnessed a try-out of the new Superpole procedure, in which three separate sessions are used to determine the grid positions. Troy finished eleventh fastest in the overall standings and sixth in Superpole. Briton Shane Byrne (Ducati) ended quickest overall, with a lap of 1:43.294, with Ben Spies (Yamaha) second and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) third. Troy (overall best lap – 1:44.261) The weather didn’t help any of us during these three days and I’m guessing that we only got about two and a bit hours or so dry track time. Considering that, I think the tests weren’t too bad for us and although there is still a lot of work to do, we are continuing to make good progress and learn more every time we go out. We did managed to test some stuff we didn’t have time for in the last tests, specifically different links and different geometry settings. Considering I’m not completely comfortable on the bike, I’m pretty surprised how good my lap times are. If I can do these times, whilst not being completely comfortable, just think what I might be able to do when I am! I’m happy now with the clutch and now we need to work on smoothening out the throttle response. I feel that the bike is powerful and that’s a good feeling to have at this stage. Once we harness that power and smooth out a few things, we can exploit the bike’s potential. I don’t know how soon or how long that’s going to be, but everybody is working hard and we should have an indication of our rate of progress in our next tests. Hopefully the weather will be good and we will get a lot more dry track time. More, from a press release issued by Team ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing: Portimao Infront Sport WSS Official Test Team ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing leaves Portimao with a smile on its lips. Gianluca Nannelli and Garry McCoy showed the big potential of Triumph Daytona 675 on the Portuguese track, where all the Supersport permanent riders met for three days of intensive testing. Both the Italian and the Aussie were constantly quick although the weather conditions influenced all the morning sessions, making the track wet and letting the riders test only in the afternoon. In addition, Gianluca Nannelli brought to the team the icing on the cake: he recorded the second quickest lap of the testing in the last session. Garry McCoy | Triumph 675: “I tried to capitalize the time on the dry track, testing several setting solutions and reaching to find a good basic bike trim. I also had the opportunity to start working on the electronics and I hope to complete it during the next test at Phillip Island. I appreciated the work of the team on the machine which has moved another step forward respect to the 2008 version”. Gianluca Nannelli | Triumph 675: “I leave Portugal with a lot of satisfaction. I’ve found an excellent feeling with the bike immediately, and I was able to be constantly quick. In the last session I tried to open the gas despite the high wind and I recorded the second quickest time. That’s really good for our spirit!”. Giuliano Rovelli | Team Manager: “We have done an hard work during the last three days but we still have a lot to do before the Championship opening. In order to test and set the last details we will fly to Australia one week before the first round for two days of testing on Phillip Island track. We want to do all the necessary to get everything ready for the opening round”. 1 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1’47.314 2 69 Nannelli G. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 1’47.965 3 26 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’47.983 4 51 Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’48.248 5 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1’48.458 6 1 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’48.467 7 50 Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1’48.614 8 55 Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1’48.874 9 99 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’48.973 10 127 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 1’49.372 11 14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1’49.457 12 24 McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 1’49.650 13 8 Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’49.657 14 21 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’49.998 15 19 Szkopek P. (POL) Triumph Daytona 675 1’50.122 16 117 Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 1’50.232 17 83 Holland R. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’50.446 18 96 Smrz M. (CZE) Triumph Daytona 675 1’51.282 19 13 West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’51.341 20 77 Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 1’51.347 21 7 Vostárek P. (CZE) Honda CBR600RR 1’51.554 22 28 Vos A. (NED) Honda CBR600RR 1’52.123 23 32 Lai F. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1’52.404 24 30 Günther J. (GER) Honda CBR600RR 1’52.845 25 9 Dell’Omo D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1’53.537 26 88 Guerra Y. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R6 1’54.920 27 71 Morillas J. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R6 1’55.103 28 5 Pradita Doni T. (INA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’56.258