Motul FIM Superbike World Championship

Eurospeedway/Lausitzring

Lausitz, Germany

September 17, 2016

Race One Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), 21 laps, Total Race Time 34:20.100, Best Lap Time 1:37.357

2. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -10.561 seconds, 1:37.909

3. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -11.536, 1:37.965

4. Jordi TORRES, Spain (BMW S1000RR), -12.493, 1:37.892

5. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta 1000 F4), -12.965, 1:37.972

6. Michael VAN DER MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -18.863, 1:38.123

7. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -18.970, 1:38.265

8. Alex LOWES, UK (Yamaha YZF-R1), -27.395, 1:38.254

9. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Yam YZF-R1), -33.221, 1:38.805

10. Xavi FORÉS, Spain (Ducati Panigale R), -33.459, 1:38.582

11. Anthony WEST, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -46.665, 1:39.489

12. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -62.000, 1:39.771

13. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -65.734, 1:39.915

14. Josh BROOKES, Australia (BMW S1000RR), -65.890, 1:40.203

15. Luca SCASSA, Italy (Duc Panigale R), -74.908, 1:40.209

16. Dominic SCHMITTER, Switzerland (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -84.523, 1:41.026

17. Pawel SZKOPEK, Poland (Yamaha YZF-R1), -93.495, 1:40.961

18. Peter SEBESTYEN, Hungary (Yamaha YZF-R1), -1 lap, 1:41.768

19. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -1 lap, jump start/ride-through penalty, 1:41.563

20. Saeed AL SULAITI, Qatar (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -4 laps, DNF, mechanical, 1:41.895

21. Markus REITERBERGER, Germany (BMW S1000RR), -13 laps, DNF, mechanical, 1:38.235

22. Lorenzo SAVADORI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -14 laps, DNF, crash, 1:37.640

23. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -14 laps, DNF, crash, 1:37.811

24. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), -20 laps, DNF, retired, no lap time recorded

More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing BMW:

Convincing fourth place for Torres and Althea BMW in SBK race 1 at the Lausitzring; De Rosa scores STK1000 pole

Klettwitz (Germany), Saturday 17 September 2016

The Althea BMW Racing Team riders Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger were on track today for SBK race 1 at BMW’s home track of EuroSpeedway Lausitz. Torres crossed the line in fourth place, a great result for the Spaniard, but unfortunately Reiterberger suffered a technical problem that prevented him from reaching the line. In the STK1000 class, Raffaele De Rosa has once again scored pole position for tomorrow’s race.

STK1000 – qualifying: De Rosa wasted no time in this afternoon’s qualifying session, immediately improving on his best time set yesterday. Coming into the pits mid-session to make small adjustments to his BMW S 1000 RR, he returned to the track stronger than ever, continuing to lower his time before putting in the fastest time of the session overall – an excellent 1’38.819 – to snatch pole position for tomorrow’s race.

Superpole 2: despite suffering a highside in the wet conditions of FP3, Reiterberger was able to take part in SP2 alongside his team-mate Torres. On an almost dry track, both riders were out on slick tyres. Torres completed a series of fast laps, continuing to increase his rhythm and setting a best of 1.39’220 with the qualifying tyre. Thanks to this very quick time, the Spaniard earned fifth place on the race grid. Markus also lowered his time over the course of the session, despite being in some pain after his earlier crash, to close with a best lap of 1’41.583 which put him eleventh on the grid.

SBK – Race 1: Fourth on the grid, Torres lost a little ground at the start, finding himself seventh through the opening stages. Over the course of just a few laps however, he was able to pass Giugliano before making up another two positions to move into fourth on lap seven. From there, the Spaniard strived to close the gap to Hayden, immediately ahead of him, but the Althea BMW rider also had to defend himself from Camier. He managed the final phase of the race effectively to cross the line in fourth place, equalling his best result of the 2016 season. Reiti, who started the race from the fourth row, was able to make up several positions through the initial stages and was lying eighth on lap seven. On the very next lap he unfortunately suffered an unexpected technical problem that saw him forced to return to the garage and end his race prematurely.

Jordi Torres:

“We came very close to the podium and so it’s a good result. It’s important to do well here this weekend, at BMW’s home track and I’m pleased with the pace we had in the race. Having said that, I was missing a little confidence at the start and so want to do it differently tomorrow, in the hope I can be more competitive. I realise I needed to be more aggressive at the start today, and so will try to adopt that approach, and we may also make a small change to the bike to give me something extra for race 2.”

Markus Reiterberger:

“It was not a good day for me. We were not lucky. The FP3 was a wet session and I had a really big highside, landing on my bottom, similar to Misano. After this I was in pain, both my backside and my neck, and as a result I went a little more carefully in Superpole, meaning that we were only eleventh on the grid. The race got off to an OK start but I was too far from the front. My pace wasn’t bad though, and I thought maybe I could get up to around seventh place, but unfortunately I had a technical problem that forced me to stop. I tried to restart but there was no way. I am very disappointed.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Davies’ Masterclass at Round 10

– Ducati rider makes history with 10.5 second lead –

Davies leading the way in first Round back

Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Chaz Davies won Race 1 at the Pirelli German Round with a 10.5 second lead in a flawless performance, beating Kawasaki Racing Team’s Tom Sykes into second ahead of Honda World Superbike Team’s Nicky Hayden completing the top three.

Davies led from pole into the first corner, before charging ahead to create a gap to his nearest rival Sykes. By lap five Davies was 3 seconds ahead with Sykes, teammate Jonathan Rea and Lorenzo Savadori (IodaRacing Team) fighting for second position.

Chaz Davies:

“I didn’t think it would go like that to be honest, I thought it would be a bit of a lottery in the opening laps,” revealed Davies after the race. “I didn’t know with this harder tyre that we all had to run due to the conditions, well I didn’t put a lot of time on it yesterday. I had to just feel it out. Then when I saw the lap time from the first flying lap I was quite impressed with myself. Then I just kept the hammer down. I wanted to try and break away from the other guys nice and early and that’s pretty much how it went. The bike was mint for the whole race, it has really felt pretty dialed in since the test here.”

Davide Giugliano:

“For the championship it is awesome, so we’ll see,” said Sykes after the race results. “Today we rode in tricky conditions, yesterday we had great pace when the track was bedded in nicely with a lot of rubber. But today it was fresh again and Chaz had great pace in this condition. There was no way we could fight with him. His bike was turning so well and he was riding really well, so it wasn’t to be. Second is acceptable. We had a lot of pressure from some guys, especially Nicky all race, so it was a really nice race from this point of view. For tomorrow we need to try and improve. If we can close the gap to Chaz then that is fantastic but there are certainly a few little problems to iron out. Overall it is an acceptable Saturday. Now we can have a long time to socialise and find a better set-up for the ZX-10R for tomorrow.”

Drama struck early when reigning Champion Jonathan Rea crashed out on lap 8. The Northern Irishman walked away uninjured, but furious after a tough weekend so far. Rea’s retirement means the gap in the overall standings stands with only 26 points separating him from Championship rival and teammate Tom Sykes. Friday’s fastest Lorenzo Savadori crashed out of podium contention just after Rea, and local hero Althea BMW’s Markus Reiterberger was forced to retire early on lap 9 due to technical problems. With Rea and Savadori out, Hayden was able to focus on chasing down Sykes but couldn’t catch him and had to settle for third.

Davies crossed the finish line 10.5 seconds ahead of Sykes. The dominant win making him the third rider in WorldSBK history to win with three different manufacturers in the same country; Davies won in Nurburgring with BMW and Aprilia and can finally cross the Lausitzring off the list on a Ducati.

Althea BMW Racing Team’s Jordi Torres came home in fourth after battling with Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Michael van der Mark (Honda World Superbike Team) for the finish. After battling it out for some laps, Camier and van der Mark finally finished in fifth and sixth place.

Davies’ teammate Davide Giugliano finished in seventh position ahead of Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team’s Alex Lowes, who came home in eighth after starting from P12 on the grid after crashing out in the morning’s warm up and sitting out Tissot-Superpole 2. Lowes’ teammate Sylvain Guintoli gave a solid performance in his first race back from injury, leading Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) and Anthony West (Pedercini Racing) home to ninth position. Alex De Angelis brought his Aprilia home in P12 ahead of Roman Ramos on Team GOELEVEN in P13. Australian Josh Brookes (Milwaukee BMW) and Luca Scassa (VFT Racing) rounded out the top 15.

The WorldSBK field will hit the track again on Sunday 18th of September at 13:00 local time (GMT+2). Will we see Davies win again or will Rea find redemption? Be sure to watch live on WorldSBK.com.

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Contrasting Fortunes For Kawasaki Racing Team Riders Sykes And Rea

With Tom Sykes finishing the first race of the Lausitzring weekend in second place, and his team-mate Jonathan Rea crashing out after finding a false neutral in the entry to a turn, it was a day of diverging fortunes for the official Kawasaki WorldSBK riders.

Early in the 21-lap first race Sykes was sitting second and Rea third on their Ninja ZX-10Rs, having started second and sixth on the grid respectively. Rea had to qualify out of Superpole 1 in order to join the top 12 riders in the second Superpole contest, but did so with ease and ended up in a second row starting position.

A dry race unfolded after a wet track surface had welcomed the riders in the final free practice session, and Superpole 1, earlier in the day. As Sykes set about trying to keep pace with runaway race winner Chaz Davies, Rea was settling into his rhythm behind.

Sykes held a good pace to the end to make sure he kept second place from a closing Nicky Hayden but a gearchange issue on lap seven saw Rea run wide on corner entry, at turn ten, and then crash out as his bike re-engaged gear, suddenly regaining rear traction.

With Rea and Sykes 1-2 in the championship before the Lausitzring weekend had begun they enter the second and final day in the same order, but with Rea’s points advantage now reduced to 26.

In the Manufacturers’ Championship Kawasaki still has a very healthy leading advantage, now set at 90 points.

One more 21-lap race will take place on Sunday 18th, again at 13.00 CET, before the championship heads to France for the 11th round at Magny Cours in early October.

Tom Sykes, stated: “I feel we have had an acceptable race. For sure not perfect but second position compared to many others is fairly good. I would like to say a big thank you to Marcel, Danilo and my side of the garage because I feel we achieved the best we could in the short time available. We had no previous data reference here and we were able to make a good race. We had to experiment a lot and I think we found an acceptable set-up. Not perfect, because ten seconds to the lead is quite a gap, but I was able to react to my pit board with Nicky Hayden sitting behind me. Tomorrow we need to find a bike set-up where I can do the lap times a little bit more easily. Today I was missing some apexes and tomorrow we need to try and iron that out. There is a lot of pressure at this time of the season and we have seemed to find some kind of momentum, so we have to build on that.”

Jonathan Rea, stated: “It is a very disappointing way to end the first race. After a difficult start to the weekend we had been managing quite well. I had a good start and settled into a rhythm behind Tom, but Chaz Davies’ pace saw him in a different race. I found a false neutral entering turn 10 and tried to get it into first gear before the corner. Right at the exit of the track it went into first gear and highsided. I was not injured in the crash. This is the first time that my Alpinestars air-bag race suit has been called on to go off, so I was happy to be protected by that. Yesterday we did not have the pace but we made changes today. Now we will think about what we need to do to improve the bike a little again tomorrow. I need to understand what the bike needs now, especially under acceleration. It is a frustrating way to end the fist race day but we still have the championship lead, which is important. We will come out and fight another day.”

Anthony West (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) came close to a top ten race ranking in 11th place on his Ninja ZX-10R. Roman Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) also scored points as he finished 13th. Dominic Schmitter (Grillini Racing Kawasaki) was one place away from scoring a point, 16th. A jump-start penalty saw Gianluca Vizziello (Grillini Racing Team) finish a lap down on the leaders and Saeed Al Sulaiti (Pedercini Racing Team) had a DNF today.

More, from a press release issued by Honda:

Superb third place for Hayden in race one at Lausitzring

Round 10 – Germany

Lausitzring, Germany

The first World Superbike race of the German Round has been contested this afternoon at the Lausitzring, with Nicky Hayden able to claim his fourth podium of the season courtesy of a third place finish. His Honda WorldSBK team mate Michael van der Mark was sixth at the chequered flag.

Hayden had a rough start to the day as he crashed out at turn ten during FP3. His crew worked against the clock to fix his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machine, which had been severely damaged during the tumble. The bike was ready moments before the start of SP2, although Hayden had to return to the pits due to a small rear brake issue, which left him with only two quick-lap attempts before the chequered flag. Hayden made good use of the last one and, by clocking in 1’38.875, he claimed the third spot on the grid.

As the race went underway, Hayden got a great launch from the front row but ended up losing four positions as he was pushed wide at turn one. With two good early passes on Torres and Giugliano, the 35-year-old American moved up to fifth and was promoted to third place once Rea and Savadori crashed out of the encounter on lap 7 and 8, respectively. As the race progressed, Hayden did all he could to bridge the gap to Sykes while, at the same time, he was put under pressure from a recovering Torres. In the end, Hayden managed to seal third place as he crossed the line only 0.9s shy of second position.

After a difficult performance in Superpole 2, Michael van der Mark had a good start from the fourth row of the grid and ran as high as fifth while showing a good race pace and battling for fourth. As the race entered its second half, the 23-year-old Dutchman began experiencing some rear-grip issues, which forced him to slow down his pace. Nevertheless, van der Mark successfully defended his position until the end of the race and that allowed him to move up to fourth in the championship standings.

Nicky Hayden 69

3rd

It hasn’t been a silky smooth day, but that’s a lesson because normally in racing things never go exactly as you draw them up. It was definitely not smart to crash this morning during FP3 but the guys did a really good job,, because with red flags and delays they had even less time than usual. The bike was ready just on time but when I went out there was a little cut in the brake line in the rear, so I had to come back in. In the end I had time for a warm up lap and then I was able to go from eleventh to third. It was my best qualifying of the year on my very first flying dry lap of the weekend! I got a decent start to the race but I got pushed off line. My bike was really good on the brakes so I was able to recover a couple of places. I set a good pace and I was able to close the gap down to Tom; I really wanted to beat him because he’s a former champion and because I wanted to give the fans a bit of a show. I was also pushed from behind so I had to give my very best, but unfortunately I wasn’t close enough for a pass. Congratulations to Chaz, he was one step ahead of the rest of us today; we, on the other hand, will try to do even better tomorrow.

Michael van der Mark 60

6th

Our FP3 session was OK: the track was wet and we needed to ride in those conditions, because the weather forecasts for the race were still uncertain. The track was drying up during Superpole so I kept an eye on the first session to see how it was; the track turned out to be almost fully dry during Superpole 2 and I was improving lap by lap, but unfortunately we ran out of time when it came to use the qualifying tyre. We surely didn’t need that mistake. I had a good start to the race but in the first corner I found myself stuck in traffic, although I think I still was able to make up a couple of places. From the first moment I started struggling with rear grip and, towards the end of the race, the problem became bigger and bigger, up to the point I wasn’t able to make any speed. I was able to pass Giugliano and stay with Torres for many laps, although it was almost impossible to pass him. In the end I finished ahead of Davide and that means I am now fourth in the standings. He and Nicky are just few points away, though, so for tomorrow we definitely need to step up our game.

Pieter Breddels

Technical Manager

Nicky’s crash surely didn’t help our cause: he went a bit off line and that’s what triggered the tumble. His crew did a fantastic job to put the bike together for Superpole 2, although there was one more complication after he went out for the first time. In the end, he put in an incredible time in what was his second and last flying lap, so hats off to him. His pace in the race was really good, in all ways similar to the one he showed during the test; too bad he was pushed wide in turn one. With Michael, when he came back to the pits to put the qualifying tyre on, it was simply a bit too late. In the race, unfortunately, he had a big problem with rear grip; he got a great start to the race but he simply wasn’t able to match the pace shown yesterday during practice. In the end he was able to salvage sixth place: it’s not a disaster but we know he has the potential to do much better, so we’re looking forward to tomorrow.

More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:

Superb victory by Chaz Davies in Race 1 at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, 7th place for Davide Giugliano

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team took the top step of the podium in Race 1 at EuroSpeedway Lausitz (Germany) with Chaz Davies. The Welshman, who earlier in the morning claimed his second pole position of 2016, secured the lead after a strong start and then imposed an unequaled pace to win the race with a ten-second advantage over his closest opponent. Davies thus collected his fifth win of the year after the doubles achieved in Aragon (Spain) and Imola (Italy), while also posting the fastest lap with a 1’37.357.

After taking part in Superpole 1, which he closed with the fastest time, Davide Giugliano secured third row on the grid in eighth position. The Italian rider climbed back up to fourth place at the start and fought tenaciously in the second group despite some braking issues, especially in the early phases of the race with a full fuel tank, to finish in seventh position. The strong pace shown in the second half of the race leaves Giugliano hopeful ahead of tomorrow.

Both riders will be back on track tomorrow at 09:25 for a fifteen-minute warm-up session ahead of Race 2, scheduled for 13:00 (CET).

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) 1st

“After such a long break, I was a bit apprehensive before our first race, but today everything worked out perfectly since Superpole. The two tests done during the summer proved to be crucial, because we found once again the feeling I had missed in a few races this year. Thanks to my team and Ducati, we now have a package that I feel ‘mine’ again. I was confident about my pace, but honestly I’m surprised with the gap. It’s not impossible to cut our deficit in the championship, we saw that everyone can make mistakes so we’ll try to win as many races as we can until the end of the season, without worrying too much about the standings.”

Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34) 7th

“We fought hard to overcome some limitations that slowed us down a bit up to this point, but unfortunately it wasn’t possible for us to do better today. Still, it was important to finish the race and collect as much data as possible to improve our package. We’re still struggling under braking, which hinders corner entry and doesn’t allow me to make the most of my riding skills, but in the second half of the race at least we were able to lap with practically the same pace as Sykes’. Now we will study some ideas to get closer to the front. I’m happy for the team, Chaz raced flawlessly.”

Stefano Cecconi, Aruba S.p.A CEO and Team Principal

“It was important to restart on the right foot ahead of the last stretch of the season. We’ve missed the taste of victory and this result proves how well the whole team worked during the summer-break tests, in which we collected some really positive feedback. We’ll do our best to try to maintain this momentum until the end of the championship.”

More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta Reparto Corse:

LEON CAMIER CLOSE TO THE PODIUM AFTER A SOLID RACE 1 AT EUROSPEEDWAY 

17 SETTEMBRE 2016

After 9 years, the German circuit EuroSpeedway again host a race of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. For Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse the first WorldSBK race of the Pirelli German Round had a very positive outcome, with Leon Camier who finishes 5th within a whisker by the Spanish rider Jordi Torres.

WorldSBK – FP3, Superpole, Race1

After the early morning rain, the WorldSBK Superpole2 session took place in dry conditions and saw Leon Camier gain the 7th place on the grid, with a time of 1’39.525, without using the qualifying tyre. In race, the British rider put on track a brilliant performance, and despite he was slowed down by the initial traffic, he managed to finish in 5th position, very close to the podium.

WorldSSP – FP3, Superpole

Even the WorldSSP riders took the track in dry weather conditions during the Superpole sessions. Zanetti started from the Superpole1 and he managed to qualify in second place, reaching Cluzel in the fight at the top 12 positions. In Superpole2 the Cluzel-Zanetti duo got respectively the second and third row on the grid, with Cluzel in 6 th place, followed soon after by Zanetti, 7th.

Leon Camier #2 WorldSBK – I am really happy with the result, it is really important to get so close to the podium. I am sure if we could improve the power we could be a lot stronger. We made some progress and we still have something to improve with the chassis for tomorrow and all in all I am confident we can have another solid race.

Jules Cluzel #16 WorldSSP – It was a quite strange qualifying session, we made some changes to the bike but it didn’t work as we expected. We wanted to stay with the top riders but I struggled too much and the second row it is a positive result anyway. We need to stay focused now, as we still have work to do to find a better pace for the race tomorrow.

Lorenzo Zanetti #87 WorldSSP – Compared to yesterday we managed to find an even better setting. Our primary goal was to enter the SP2 and fight with the best riders. We did it and I am happy. Unfortunately in SP2 I made some mistake and in the end I only had one good lap to improve my time. Tomorrow I will start from the 7th position and I will do my best to stay into the Top10

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

Lowes Opens Lausitz Account with Strong Eighth, Guintoli’s Return Takes Ninth

Race

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team endured a rollercoaster Saturday at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz as the morning’s heavy rain attempted to interrupt what looked to be a promising weekend. Alex Lowes, determined as ever, battled back on his YZF-R1 as the race began to take eighth at the flag, with teammate Sylvain Guintoli just behind, securing ninth on his comeback.

Lowes went in to the German round’s opening race having set just a single lap in the final free practice, becoming one of many to fall foul of the morning’s tricky conditions and suffer an early crash. The Briton was hampered further as delays to the final preparation of his YZF-R1 eventually prevented his participation in Superpole. Lining up 12th on the grid due to his solid Friday performance, he faced a battle with the majority of the pack through the opening lap’s initial tight corners before beginning to find his pace as the race unfolded. Released into clear air at the mid-way stage, Lowes attempted to bridge the gap to the front group as he picked up momentum but the difference was too steep to fully recoup. Crossing the line in eighth, the number 22 rider brings his championship total to 102 points ahead of tomorrow’s second encounter.

Showing promising pace in the wet conditions of the morning practice, Guintoli finished the 15 minute session in fourth, before entering the Superpole qualifying to experience further unknown conditions. A short session on the drying track brought a quandary for the French rider as he chose to remain on track and maintain his rhythm on the race rubber expecting the conditions to remain stable. However, the surface improved faster than expected allowing his competitors to set times on the qualifying Pirelli’s while he circulated. Starting his returning WorldSBK race in ninth place Guintoli concluded his comeback 21-lap contest by maintaining position, his resulting seven points promoting him to 13th in the championship standings.

Sunday sees the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team on track at 09:25 local time as Lowes and Guintoli warm up for their final race at the Lausitzring, scheduled for 13:00.

Alex Lowes

Race: 8th / +27.395. Championship: 11th / 102 points.

“It was a difficult race for me today and obviously I’m disappointed to be so far from the guys at the front. I missed qualifying totally so 12th on the grid was not ideal as the first four or five corners are quite tight and I got stuck behind a few guys. Once I got some clear track my times were better but in general we just didn’t have the speed and my times just weren’t fast enough so we need to look at how to improve for tomorrow. Hopefully we can have a dry race and close the gap on the front group.”

Sylvain Guintoli

Race: 9th / +33.221. Championship: 13th / 65 points.

“It was good to get my first race back on track done. The qualifying didn’t really go to plan, the track conditions were quite tricky and in the end I decided to stay out on track, which was the wrong call. I got caught out and didn’t have time to come in for the qualifier so we could have done better with this. The race for me was quite a struggle as I couldn’t find the same pace as I had in practice. In the end to be back after almost five months and finish not far behind Alex was a positive first race back in the saddle. There is still quite a big gap to the front guys so we now need to work on improving the feeling to close this ready for tomorrow.”

Paul Denning ? Team Principal

“The pace of the YZF-R1 and the riders looked very positive in FP1 yesterday, and even with Alex missing most of FP2 after his crash we still felt reasonably confident of a decent showing today. Unfortunately Alex’s crash in FP3 on a track that had extremely low grip set us back another step and missing qualifying altogether obviously didn’t help. From there Alex rode a solid race but struggled to pass his competitors in the early laps and frankly speaking even with the problems faced, didn’t have as much pace over race distance as we had expected or hoped for.

“For Sylvain it’s the first day back at school after a very long break. He rode well, made no mistakes and can’t be too disappointed with his level given the circumstances. For both riders we will be working hard this evening to make sure there is nothing left in the pit that we might be able to do to help them achieve better performance tomorrow and we hope for an improved performance in WorldSBK’s first event back in Germany for some years.”