Round 8, Autodromo do Algarve, Portimao, Portugal
Sunday 6th July
Conditions: Race1 – Overcast, 21C(air), 29C (track), Race 2: Wet, 21C (air), 27C (track)
AYRTON AND CHRISTIAN LEAD THE EVO CHARGE
Team Bimota Alstare riders Ayrton Badovini and Christian Iddon finished first and second in the EVO class in race 2 at the eighth round of the World Superbike Championship at the Autodromo do Algarve today. But not only did they take first and second in the race, but Ayrton’s lap times consistently matched some of the riders in the Superbike class – pretty impressive considering that he had started from the fifth row of the grid. Christian also put in a string of ‘Superbike equivalent’ lap times as he and Ayrton continued the remarkable progress of the BB3 racebike.
The team tried many different setting this weekend and made a big step forward in the development of the bike and are now looking forward eagerly to the next race weekend and improving the bike even further.
Ayrton Badovini – Race 1: 3rd (EVO), Race 2: 1st (EVO)
“I am not so happy with Race 1, because I didn’t have much feeling for the rear tyre and that made the race not so easy. It was my choice, so maybe I didn’t get it quite right. Race 2 was a wet race and I had a good feeling about the bike straightaway. As the race progressed I became more and more confident and my lap times improved – on par with some of the riders in the Superbike class. We had changed the bike set-up for Race 2 and although it wasn’t perfect it felt pretty good and made the conditions easier to manage. I know it sounds strange, but I enjoyed the race, despite the rain, and it was great to finish the top EVO bike. We are learning more and more about the bike every time we go out and I am happy that we are making progress and looking forward to the next race.”
Christian Iddon – Race 1: 4th (EVO), Race 2: 2nd (EVO)
“I felt that Race 1 was a really strong race for me and I am really happy because my lap times were consistently good. I think I could’ve won the EVO class, but I had a couple of false neutrals and that slowed me down a bit. It felt good to be fighting with the top EVO boys though and it just shows how much progress we have made. Race 2 started wet and when the track was fully wet, the bike was brilliant! The lap times were coming easily and I was enjoying myself. I had a false neutral going into turn 1 and lost some places but fought back and recovered them again. As the track dried a bit, the bike became harder to ride and I began to have some problems with grip. Without that I feel sure that I would’ve been able to challenge for the top EVO spot, and maybe even take it!”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Palmeto PL:
Damage Control: Noyes Survives Albacete
American Kenny Noyes (Palmeto Kawasaki ZX10R) saw his 14-point lead in the FIM CEV International Championship converted to a 9-point deficit at the tight and slippery Albacete circuit that produced many crashes on a hot Spanish day. After qualifying second, Noyes went into the lead from the start and had opened a lead of four tenths of a second when he crashed on lap 5 at the entrance to the Albacete chicane and was unable to continue.
The race was won by Ángel Rodriguez (Suzuki GSX-R 1000) when leader Ivan Silva (BMW S1000RR) ran wide and off the track with two laps to go, dropping from first to fifth and giving away 14 points. Even so the BMW rider moved to within three points of Noyes.
Race began with Noyes, Silva, Rodriguez and Dani Rivas (BMW S1000RR) in a tight group. Rodriguez crashed out of fourth on lap 5 as Silva and Noyes opened a slight gap over Rivas. On lap 10 Noyes went into the lead but a lap later Silva passed him at the end of the straight and left the American no room and no choice but to go on to the gravel at over 100 miles per hour. He managed to avoid a crash and get the bike turned in the short run-off area, losing 12 seconds and rejoining the race in 6th place.
Silva went on to win, but Noyes fought back to finish fourth, salvaging 13 valuable points. With four races to go, Noyes trails Silva by nine points and with 100 points still in play.
Kenny Noyes: “I think we were really unlucky in Albacete. We could have left there with at least two podiums and it was disappointing to lose so many points on a day when we were fast in all sessions and both races. I struggled during the weekend with front-end feel, but we seemed to have a good set-up in race one until I lost the front with no warning and in a place where I wasn´t expecting it.
In race two I was being more conservative but Silva got into me pretty hard at the end of the home straight. It was a dangerous pass. He hit my brake lever and I had to run off the track. Luckily I kept it on two wheels and was able to save some points.
Looking back at a tough weekend, we crashed out of the lead in one race and got knocked off the track while leading in the other, so we just need to keep doing what we´re doing and hope for a little better luck next time.
I also want to congratulate my teammate Robertino Pietri for his two podiums.
Race 1.
1. Rodriguez (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
2. Barragan (Kawasaki ZX10R) +2.875
3. Pietri (Kawasaki ZX10R) +3.756
4. Rivas (BMW S1000RR) +9.349
5. Silva (BMW S1000RR) +15.209
Race 2.
1. Silva (BMW S1000RR)
2. Rivas (BMW S1000RR) +3.189
3. Pietri (Kawasaki ZX10R) +12.316
4. Noyes (Kawasaki ZX10R) +18.155
5. Barragan (Kawasaki ZX10R) +21.405
FIM CEV International Superbike Championship
1. Silva 97 (1 win); 2. Noyes 88 (3 wins); 3. Pietri 86; 4. Barragan 85; 5. Rivas 69; 6. Rodriguez 49 (1 win); 7. Ferrer 49; 8. Morales 45 (1 win); 9. Garcia 36; 10. Mateos 32.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
DUNLOP TAKES SUPERSPORT WIN AT SKERRIES ON RETURN FROM INJURY
Skerries Road Races 2014
William Dunlop made a winning return to racing yesterday at Skerries in County Dublin, taking the Supersport victory by six seconds aboard his Tyco Suzuki GSX-R600 at the Irish National event.
It was Dunlop’s first time back on a bike since his crash in the Senior TT just four weeks ago, and prior to this week’s Southern 100 on the Isle of Man, the Ballymoney man is pleased to be back racing.
William Dunlop:
“It seems that my osteopath Micky Kerr has the magic touch: he got Tom Sykes back on track a couple of weeks ago and onto the top step of the World Superbike podium; now he’s helped me do the same on the roads.
“We only took the Supersport bike to Skerries as it was planned to be a weekend to just have a run out and see how my leg felt prior to the Southern 100. Everything went to plan, I felt quite good out on track and as I’ve said all year, the Tyco Suzuki GSX-R600 is a great wee bike to ride.”
Philip Neill – Team Manager:
“Like any rider, William was eager to get back to racing as soon as possible after his leg injury at the TT. From my side it’s always difficult to know when a rider is ready to race again, but thanks to some great treatment from Micky Kerr, William has recovered well. His win at Skerries certainly shows he hasn’t lost any of the form he’s shown since jumping on the GSX-Rs this season. We will now concentrate on planning the best schedule to set William up for the Ulster Grand Prix in August.”
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More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:
UNLUCKY WEEKEND FOR THE MV AGUSTA REPARTO CORSE TEAM
Varese, 6 July 2014 – Bad luck marred the MV Agusta Reparto Corse team’s efforts during this race weekend in Lusitania. In the Superbike category Claudio Corti experienced a nasty fall during SP1 between corners 8 and 9 of the Portuguese track, the violent impact with the tarmac costing him a dose of concussion and some temporary amnesia. Preliminary X-rays carried out at the circuit showed there were no broken bones despite the rider experiencing acute wrist and leg pain. Corti had been clocking up some good lap times and was just outside the top ten, a good sign, hopefully, of better things to come at Laguna Seca next weekend.
In the Supersport World Championship Jules Cluzel put in a good performance during qualifying and the initial stages of the race. The Frenchman was fighting for a place on the podium until three laps from the end when he ran off the track twice, taking him out of the points zone and making him opt for retirement. The gap separating him from championship leader van der Mark is now 53 points.
Wild card Massimo Roccoli finished in the top ten despite a fourth sector of the track that seemed to cause him one or two problems.
Jules Cluzel: “Despite the good start there were tyre problems almost straight away. We knew the Portimão track, with its ups and downs, was a complicated one, and that’s why we had trouble finding an optimal race setup.”
Massimo Roccoli: “At the weekend we made a lot of modifications to adapt my riding style to the tricky, winding Portimão track. Unfortunately, a couple or errors and runoffs saw me finish back in 10th place. After the excellent results achieved in the CIV (Italian Motorcycle Championship), I was delighted at being given the opportunity to compete in these two world championship races with the MV Agusta Reparto Corse team. It’s a pity I couldn’t thank the team properly by bringing home a better result.”