FIM Superbike World Championship Portimao, Portugal January 24, 2010 Superbike Test Times, Session Two, Day Three (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Jonathan Rea (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:42.270 2. Leon Haslam (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:42.557 3. Shane Byrne (Ducati 1098R), 1:42.877 4. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati 1098R), 1:43.137 5. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:43.141 6. James Toseland (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:43.157 7. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati 1098R), 1:43.417 8. Max Neukirchner (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:43.471 9. Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:43.508 10. Max Biaggi (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:43.515 11. Carlos Checa (Ducati 1098R), 1:43.629 12. Leon Camier (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:43.749 13. Troy Corser (BMW S1000 RR), 1:43.931 14. Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:44.108 15. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:44.437 16. Ruben Xaus (BMW S1000 RR), 1:44.925 17. Broc Parkes (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:45.038 18. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:45.348 19. Roger Hayden (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:46.990 Superbike Best Overall Times: 1. Jonathan Rea (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:42.270 2. Leon Haslam (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:42.557 3. Shane Byrne (Ducati 1098R), 1:42.877 4. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:42.960 5. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati 1098R), 1:43.137 6. James Toseland (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:43.157 7. Max Biaggi (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:43.364 8. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati 1098R), 1:43.417 9. Max Neukirchner (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:43.471 10. Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:43.508 11. Carlos Checa (Ducati 1098R), 1:43.629 12. Leon Camier (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:43.749 13. Troy Corser (BMW S1000 RR), 1:43.931 14. Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:44.108 15. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:44.365 16. Ruben Xaus (BMW S1000 RR), 1:44.570 17. Broc Parkes (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:44.751 18. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:45.348 19. Roger Hayden (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:46.990 20. Javier Fores (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:47.293 Supersport Test Times, Session Two, Day Three (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Eugene Laverty (Honda CBR600RR), 1:45.104 2. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1:45.394 3. Michele Pirro (Honda CBR600RR), 1:45.671 4. Miguel Praia (Honda CBR600RR), 1:46.478 5. Chaz Davies (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:46.728 6. Fabien Foret (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1:46.836 7. David Salom (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:47.054 8. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1:47.300 9. Jason DiSalvo (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:47.773 10. Danilo Dell’Omo (Honda CBR600RR), 1:48.098 11. A. Lundh (Honda CBR600RR), 1:49.332 12. Sebastien Charpentier (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:49.452 13. P. Cazzola (Honda CBR600RR), 1:49.553 14. B. Chesaux (Yamaha YZF-R6), 1:49.627 Supersport Best Overall Times: 1. Eugene Laverty (Honda CBR600RR), 1:45.104 2. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1:45.292 3. Michele Pirro (Honda CBR600RR), 1:45.587 4. Miguel Praia (Honda CBR600RR), 1:45.834 5. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1:45.988 6. Chaz Davies (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:46.610 7. Fabien Foret (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1:46.836 8. David Salom (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:47.054 9. Jason DiSalvo (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:47.773 10. Danilo Dell’Omo (Honda CBR600RR), 1:48.098 11. A. Lundh (Honda CBR600RR), 1:49.332 12. Sebastien Charpentier (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:49.452 13. P. Cazzola (Honda CBR600RR), 1:49.553 14. B. Chesaux (Yamaha YZF-R6), 1:49.627 More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Jonathan Rea powered to the best time at the end of the three-day Infront Motor Sports official Superbike test session at Portimao in Portugal. The Northern Ireland youngster’s time of 1 minute 42.270 seconds was quicker even than Ben Spies’ 2009 pole mark for Yamaha. The battle between Rea and his fellow-Brit Leon Haslam, who had been quickest on day 1, continued right until the very end, the Suzuki Alstare man ending up three-tenths behind. British rider domination continued with Shane Byrne taking his private Althea Ducati 1098 to third place in the timesheets, and with Cal Crutchlow, one of Yamaha Sterilgarda’s two new 2010 signings, in fourth. In the final stages, after most of the top riders had used their soft tyres normally reserved for Superpole, Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) found himself in fifth place with a time of 1’43.137 ahead of former double world champion James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda), who returns to Superbike after a gap of two seasons. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) was the only one of the leading runners not to go out on softer rubber and the Italian finished the test in seventh place with a time of 1’43.364, just ahead of 2009 runner-up Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), forced to slow with a technical problem during his quick lap. Jonathan Rea: “This test was a lot of fun, we worked through everything methodically and we are in good shape to begin the season. We got most of the big things like suspension spec, linkage and swing-arm teed off so now we can go to Phillip Island and fine-tune our racing. To say we are ready to go racing at Phillip Island, we’re not sure about that, but the bike is ready and now I plan to put the next three or four weeks to good use with my trainer and hopefully I’ll be ready. We’re all excited about the prospect of racing for a world championship.” Leon Haslam: “It’s been a really positive test, we managed to test the Suzuki for the first time in the rain and intermediate conditions. We had a few issues at the end of the day but ended up second and I was really happy with that. Every test I’ve been to so far, this is our fourth, we’ve not been outside the top 2. Hopefully we can continue progressing and I can take it to Phillip Island.” Shane Byrne: “This is my third year riding the Ducati and I honestly thought I knew everything there was to know about these bikes, but this year Genesio (Bevilacqua, team owner) has put together a fantastic team and we have two very good bikes. I have a strong team-mate, everything about the team is very good, the bike is so different from last year, and we made some really good progress in three days. I wish the second day had been dry also, so we still have some more work to do now at Valencia and Phillip Island before the first race.” The 2010 Superbike winter tests will conclude at Phillip Island the week before the start of the season at the same circuit in Australia on February 28th. In the next few days however several teams, including BMW, Aprilia and Ducati, will be heading to Valencia for some extra testing. Times: 1. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’42.270; 2. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’42.557; 3. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1’42.877; 4. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’42.960; 5. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’43.137; 6. Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’43.157; 7. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1’43.364; 8. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1’43.417; 9. Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1’43.471; 10. Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’43.508; 11. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1’43.629; 12. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1’43.749; 13. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’43.931; 14. Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’44.108; 15. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’44.365; 16. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1’44.570 World Supersport Eugene Laverty (Honda Team Parkalgar) finally made the breakthrough he had been looking for in the three-day World Supersport test at Portimao as he knocked Spain’s Joan Lascorz off the top slot towards the end of the final session. Last year’s championship runner-up lapped the Algarve circuit in 1 minute 45.104 seconds, a fraction quicker than Lascorz’s lap record, set last October. The circuit best lap of 1’44.836 remains in the hands of Laverty, with his 2009 pole time. The Irishman was the only one of the leading group to improve in the sixth session and he ended up a tenth quicker than Lascorz, who had dominated Friday and Saturday. Third place, with a time of 1’45.587, went to an impressive Michele Pirro, the Italian putting in some serious lap time on his new Hannspree Ten Kate Honda mount. Team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu was unable to take part in the test as the Turk will still require more recovery time for his fractured left ankle. Sixth place went to Chaz Davies on the Triumph 675 in 1’46.988, while on the same BE1 Racing machine American rookie Jason DiSalvo also eased his way into the picture with tenth quickest time of 1’47.054. Kuja Racing Honda’s Paolo Cazzola, the first woman to take part full-time in the world championship, finished in a respectable 13th place on her debut. Times: 1. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1’45.104; 2. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’45.292; 3. Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1’45.587; 4. Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 1’45.834; 5. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’45.988; 6. Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 1’46.610; 7. Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’46.836; 8. Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 1’47.054 More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: Hannspree Ten Kate Honda’s new World Supersport signing, Michele Pirro, continued to impress this afternoon at Portimao in Portugal where he finished third fastest after a three-day pre-season test. With team-mate and 2007 World Champion, Kenan Sofuoglu sitting out the test due to a fractured ankle, it was left to the 23-year-old Italian to undertake sole testing duties for the team at the 4.592km Portuguese circuit. Over the three days of the test, Pirro has evaluated new electronics and suspension components for the Honda CBR600RR, as well as helping Pirelli to develop the latest generation of Supersport tyres. Michele Pirro 96 laps, 1’45.587s Since I first rode for the team last November, the bike has improved a lot and I have a much better feeling. Electronics, suspension and the engine have all improved and I’m very happy with the work we have done over these three days. Unfortunately, the weather has not been so good and the track has been wet a lot of the time, so I was not able to push as hard as I wanted. It has been an important test though, and it confirmed to me that we can compete for the top positions when the season begins next month. I would like to thank the team for all the hard work they have done to help me. My confidence is building all the time and I believe we can hope for a good result at the first race in Australia. Kenan Sofuoglu I tried sitting on the bike on Thursday evening and on Friday morning with some careful strapping and a special boot. I knew it would be difficult, but we had to try and unfortunately it was not possible for me to ride here at Portimao. If I had damaged my ankle further I would have missed the first race for sure. It’s much better for the championship and for my body to be fit for Phillip Island. It certainly hasn’t been easy to watch everybody else here but this time it has been better for me than riding. I will go home now and keep my leg in plaster for another 10 days and keep cycling to stay as fit as possible. It will be difficult in Australia after more than two months without riding the bike, but Michele and the crew have been working hard here and we made a good test in Valencia in December. Michele has been doing a great job and certainly put his name in the picture for the season ahead. But I’m very confident in myself and the CBR600RR and cannot wait for the first race. Ronald ten Kate team manager After consulting with the doctors at the Clinica Mobile, we took the decision for Kenan not to ride here. It’s always a pity to miss out on a testing opportunity but he has been fast in our other two winter tests and he’ll be fully fit again for Phillip Island. Michele has done a great job here he’s consistently improving himself and working better all the time with his crew. I believe there is a lot more to come and at least he won’t be an unexpected surprise at the beginning of the season. World Supersport test, Portimao combined times: 1 Eugene Laverty (IRL) Honda 1’45.104s 2 Joan Lascorz (ESP) Kawasaki1’45.292s 3 Michele Pirro (ITA) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’45.587 4 Miguel Praia (POR) Honda 45.834s 5 Katsuaki Fujiwara (JPN) Kawasaki 1’45.988s 6 Chaz Davies (GBR) Triumph 1’46.610s More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: Jonathan Rea emerged with the fastest overall time after the World Superbike three-day pre-season test concluded at Portimao in Portugal this afternoon. After a total of 143 laps of the 4.592km circuit, the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider’s time of 1’42.470 set two minutes before the end of the final session beat the circuit best lap of 2009 World Superbike champion, Ben Spies, by two tenths of a second. The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland was also fastest in this morning’s penultimate session, when he beat fellow Brit Leon Haslam by just 0.001s. Haslam was second fastest overall, with another Briton, Shane Byrne third. Rea’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team mate, Max Neukirchner, was ninth fastest overall after finding an improved set-up on his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade just eight laps before the test concluded this afternoon. Jonathan Rea – 143 laps, 1’42.270s These three days have just been part of our preparation for the new season preparation that started almost as soon as last season finished. We were fast at Valencia in December but didn’t get the chance to put all our best settings together. We were able to do that here, and throw in a number of different tyres this afternoon. It was good to see P1 on the pit board for a lot of laps here and we know we have a good package to take to Australia now. We’ve got something that won’t be so hard on the tyres, which was a problem there last year. I’m feeling in great condition and feel that my focus and concentration have improved on last season. The bike itself is now just clicks away, rather than having to change lots of different things. We’re actually not that far away from when we first changed to Ohlins last June and now it’s all about fine-tuning. Max Neukirchner – 166 laps, 1’43.471s The first day here I really didn’t have a good feeling, and then yesterday it was wet. Although it was good to ride the bike in those conditions, it didn’t allow us to improve the feeling. Today we tried a setting similar to Johnny’s but our riding styles are quite different and I ended up having a small crash. Then we made a change to take the bike back towards where we were on the last day at the Valencia test we made the rear a little softer and the bike was completely different. The last eight laps I was really enjoying myself and I think we have a good base to work from now and we can make the bike better suited to my style of riding. Now I can look forward to Australia much more, because I love riding at Phillip Island it’s very fast and my kind of track! Ronald ten Kate team manager Well, the weather didn’t really help us stick to our testing plan, the main thrust of which was to narrow down our options before the start of the season so that both riders might have something they could call a base setting. However, I believe we’ve achieved a lot here and we are better prepared than we’ve ever been at the start of a season. Max is on schedule and, although he has some ground to make up, he is improving step-by-step. Jonathan has been quick in all conditions and the smile on his face and his apparent sheer joy of riding the bike, tells us more than megabytes of data from his bike! World Superbike test, Portimao official combined times: 1 Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’42.270s 2 Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki 1’42.557s 3 Shane Byrne (GBR) Ducati 1’42.877s 4 Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 1’42.960s 5 Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati 1’43.137s 6 James Toseland (GBR) Yamaha 1’43.157s 9 Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’43.471s More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing Ducati: Carlos Checa and Shakey Byrne have today concluded the tests taking place at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve near Portimao in Portugal. After yesterday’s rain, the track was still very wet for the morning practice but the sun came out mid-session and on a dry track Byrne was able to finish twenty eight laps with a best lap time of 1,44,527. Teammate Checa finished twenty two laps and his best time was 1,44,599. The afternoon session took place on a sunny and dry race track. Both riders worked through electronic and chassis settings on their Ducati 1198 superbikes, showing their growing improvement with every outing. Byrne scored an excellent third position (1,42,887) while Checa ended in eleventh place (1,43,629). The Althea Racing team now move on to Valencia in Spain for two more test days on 27th and 28th January, to take the next steps in the development of the bikes. Portimao test – third day : 1) Rea (Honda) 2) Haslam (Suzuki) 3) Byrne (Ducati) – 4) Crutchlow (Yamaha) 5) Fabrizio (Ducati) – 6) Toseland (Yamaha)”¦”¦”¦11) Checa (Ducati) Carlos Checa :”It was good to be here and get more time on the bike and work with the team. We worked on some settings over the test we got to try a few things with the bike and made a big step up. Unfortunately the weather didn’t allow us to get more. Unfortunately this afternoon I was not able to take any advantage from the soft tyre. Anyway we’re continuing to improve and I’m confident for the incoming season. The team have been great and we’re working really well together. Now I’m looking forward to getting to Valencia for two more days of testing “. Shane Byrne :”I think that all my team done a very good job this weekend and I want to thank Genesio Bevilacqua for his great work and also Ducati, because they gave us a really strong bike. It has been hard work and I was surprised to see how difficult it was to go fast with this bike. I started the test with exactly the same setting from my race bike from last year so the bike should be easy for me to ride, but the electronics of my 1198 are really very advanced and it took all Friday and today’s test to make the most from my Ducati. I think I learned more in these test than in all last year. It has been a very good test and I’m very happy with the team and I hope to continue to work like this for all the season and now I look forward to the next test in Valencia”. Genesio Bevilacqua Team General Manager :”As a first test, I think it went really well. We didn’t have any problems and both riders did a very good job and so I’m very satisfied with how the test has gone. We didn’t test as much as we would have liked to here, but in the end our riders performed brilliantly and worked well with the team. I would like to thank all our technicians for their big effort and also Ducati who put our team in the condition to reach these good results. There’s still stuff we have to fix, but considering we have a new bike and new riders we are pretty satisfied and confident. For sure we will have more performance from the bike next week at the Valencia test”. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Vermeulen And Sykes Join Their Rivals At First Official Test Sessions Chris Vermeulen and Tom Sykes had a chance to ride their Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R machines alongside many of their rivals during the first official tests of 2010, at Portimao, between 22 and 24 January. The three day test was often affected by adverse weather conditions, with the first day proving dry and sunny, then the second one was wet to start and the track never quite dried out. The final day eventually offered a dry track surface, but the early sessions had been still damp from the previous day’s rains. With some of the team’s testing plans interrupted by the constant changes in track grip, both Chris and Tom still got a chance to try out their latest Showa suspension developments, and felt an improvement. In terms of lap times Chris set a best of 1’44.108 on the final day, with Tom just behind on a 1’44.365. These times put them 14th and 15th respectively in the final rankings, with Jonathan Rea fstest, on a 1’42.270. There will be one more major pre-season test for all the top riders in WSB, at Phillip Island on 21 and 22 February, shortly before the first round in Chris’s native Australia, on 28 February. In Portimao the final calendar was announced for 2010, and Silverstone will now replace Donington as the British venue of WSB and WSS, on August 1. Chris Vermeulen “It went quite good but we were a bit unlucky with the weather. It is great to have learned the track before we come back here to race. We have different issues, some of the same issues, but we are definitely improving the bike. It is moving forward in the right direction. To be honest I did my best time on the standard, hard race tyre. At the end we had a small technical problem so we could not use the soft race/qualifying tyre. I hoped to be closer to the front than the gap we have now, but I think it is realistically more like one second. I think we will get there.” Tom Sykes: “My shoulder injury was feeling bad after day one but the guys at the Clinica mobile did a good job and that has made it much better ever since then. Obviously we did a lot of work on the bike to get to the bottom of a few things. On our latest suspension there are areas where we have improved and generally there is a better feeling of what’s happening with the combination of tarmac, tyres and suspension. The feeling at the handlebars is definitely better overall, giving more direct feedback. We have progressed, but we still have some work to do. I am sure we can bring what we need to Phillip Island.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Lascorz Second Quickest In Portuguese Testing Joan Lascorz ended up second in the rankings after three days of testing at Portimao in Portugal, with the weather playing its part in disrupting some of his plans. The first day of testing for Joan and his team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara began well, but rain on day two, and a still damp track on the final day, held back the progress of the team as it continued its preparations for the new season. Partly because of the changeable track surface, both Joan and Kats set their best laps on the very first day, with Joan on a 1’45.292 and Kats overall fifth fastest from 14 runners, on a 1’45.988. The team will now make preparations for its next private test, at Calafat on 8 and 9 February, before heading to Australia for yet more official tests against their 2010 Supersport rivals. These sessions take place shortly before the first race of the new season, which is scheduled for February 28, at Phillip Island. Joan Lascorz: “We had a bit of a problem at the end. Yesterday in the wet I crashed and the team rebuilt the bike. In the wet this morning the bike felt OK, but when the track was dry this afternoon, and I could push harder, I realised that there was still something not straight or something wrong on the bike. By that stage we had little time left to try the second bike. It was looking like I could set a better time on the second bike anyway, but I had a front-end slide and lost the lap, even if I did not crash. We made some progress anyway, and were fastest on day one, before the weather changed.” Katsuaki Fujiwara: “The test was OK, and today we tried some soft springs, then hard springs, to try to get more feedback for the rider. We got it a little bit better in front. Our winter tests have been important so that we can make changes to the bike to understand how they affect the race setup. Now we will do another test at Calafat, before we go to Australia for the last one, then the first race of the new season.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli made a positive start to the 2010 season at the three-day official World Superbike Championship test in Portimao, Portugal in second and 10th places respectively aboard their Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000s. Haslam led the first day and was second in day two’s damp conditions before finishing just behind fellow countryman Jonathan Rea (Honda) today. His continuing good form was all the more impressive considering that he had arrived at the tests suffering with the Flu virus, but once he was on his Suzuki, he was able to overcome it and stay in the top-two all weekend. Team mate Guintoli also performed well during the test and says he now is ready to race the bike. Leon Haslam – 2nd, 147 laps, 1:42.557: “On the first day of the test, the track was in good condition and my lap times came easy, so I was looking forward to more of the same. But Day Two started wet and although that put-paid to some of our plans, it did allow us to work on finding a good wet set-up and that’s what we did. Today, the track felt a bit slippery – probably because of yesterday’s rain – and then the wind picked up in the afternoon so I couldn’t really make any big improvement on my lap times. Also, I got baulked on my hot lap and lost some time and, if it had not have been for that, I may have just sneaked ahead of Jonathan. But the important thing is that I am happy and the team are happy. We got through a lot of things and achieved everything we set out to do. “The good work started the first time I rode bike, back in October, and since then we’ve just kept on improving and now I feel we are ready to race. This track is an excellent track for testing because it has got a bit of everything and it is also very demanding. I think if you can get a good set-up here – which we have done – it will be a good base for all the other tracks on the calendar. I am really happy with the whole team and I think we’ve got a great all-round package to challenge for the title.” Sylvain Guintoli – 10th, 191 laps, 1:43.508: “We started these tests with a lot of work to look forward to and I am happy because we have done a lot of good work and we are now already a stage where I feel I can race this bike. In dry conditions, we found the best setting for the bike that suits me and one that makes me happy and comfortable. The wet was good because, once again, we found a good set-up and I was again able to feel comfortable and ride the bike easily. Today the track was not in such good condition and it also was quite windy in the afternoon. I didn’t feel it had as much grip as the first day, but in the end it didn’t matter so much because we achieved what we wanted to do and ended with very good feelings. I am very happy with the bike and the team and now all I want to do is start racing!” Overall results (3 day): 1 Rea (GBR-Honda) 1:42.270, 2 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 1:42.557, 3 Byrne (GBR-Ducati) 1:42.877, 4 Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha) 1:42.960, 5 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati) 1:43.137, 6 Toseland (GBR-Yamaha) 1:43.157. 10 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 1:43.508. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: TESTING CONCLUDES AT PORTIMAO; AN ENCOURAGING FINISH FOR HAGA AND FABRIZIO (DUCATI XEROX) Portimao (Portugal), Sunday 24th January 2010 On the third and final day of Superbike testing at the Portuguese track, the Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio were finally able to get properly to work having been impeded over the last two days by both the heavy rain and, for Michel, influenza. The asphalt had completely dried out by mid-morning and lap times started to tumble with Noriyuki and Michel able to clock up a decent number of fast laps during the first of the day’s two sessions. The riders made small set-up changes and tested the three rear solutions that Pirelli provided and by lunchtime the team-mates had powered their Ducati 1198 machines to 3rd (Noriyuki) and 4th (Michel) place. The afternoon remained dry and the final two-hour session saw Noriyuki and Michel continuing to work with various rear tyre compounds in an attempt to maximize grip, but unfortunately the softer compounds didn’t bring the results that were hoped for. Over the three-day testing period, consistently fast performances have come mainly from the “Brit-pack”, or rather Rea, Haslam, Byrne and Crutchlow and in the final list of timings over all three days, it was those four riders ahead of Michel with the fifth fastest time and Noriyuki with the eighth. Respectable performances were also given by Ducati privateers Team Althea Racing, with Shane Byrne and Carlos Checa riding their Ducati 1198 bikes to 3rd and 11th position respectively. Noriyuki Haga “We got in a lot more track time today, and the weather held thankfully. This morning I had a fairly good feeling on my bike and was able to record some consistently fast laps but then in the afternoon, even though we didn’t make many changes between the sessions, I found it harder to improve. It seems like today was the day of the four cylinders! Having said this, these days were definitely useful after the long break over winter. We have worked well as a team and now we go straight on to Valencia to continue with the work.” Michel Fabrizio “Today wasn’t an easy day, despite the fact that the weather stayed dry. I don’t know why but I just didn’t find the right feeling. We tried three different tyres and we also changed the clutch but I couldn’t really feel the differences in riding the bike. Maybe we needed more track time in order to solve the problem. I hoped to go faster but we’re remaining positive; we’ll see if we can make further improvements at Valencia this week.” Ernesto Marinelli Team Manager “In the last three days we have started the work that we will continue for a year, we have seen some changes of personnel and the team is responding well. This first test didn’t give us exactly the results we were hoping for but the long break away from the track and the difficult conditions yesterday certainly didn’t help. Now the team travels directly to Valencia where we will carry out two more days worth of important testing; it will be a hard-fought championship but we are ready to give it our all.” TIMES – FINAL DAY 1. Rea (Honda) 1’42.2; 2. Haslam (Suzuki) 1’42.5; 3. Byrne (Althea Racing) 1’42.8; 4. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 1’42.9; 5. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1’43.1; 6. Toseland (Yamaha) 1’43.1; 7. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1’43.3; 8. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 1’43.4″¦.. More, from a press release issued by Team Sterilgarda Yamaha: Riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland completed their final day of testing today at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. The two British riders have worked hard over the three days, experiencing a variety of weather conditions from dry to wet to intermediate as they and the team worked through various electronic and bike set ups ahead of the 2010 season. The final session saw Cal fall victim to the drastically reduced grip of the track following yesterday’s rain. Fifty minutes from the end he lost the front of the bike on the slippery surface on the last corner before the home straight. In typical form he was back on his spare bike shortly afterwards for the remainder of the session. Team-mate James was consistently fast all day, ending the last test day just outside the top five in sixth position. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (4th, 1’42.9) “it was frustrating to fall today, the track so was so slippery it was unavoidable, but it cost me some time on the track. Having said that we’ve had a really good test, we’ve worked through a lot of things and I think we’ve got closer to a good set-up for the first race. I’m really keen to get to Australia and start the next test before we kick-off racing.” James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (6th, 1’43.1) “I’m really pleased overall. We’ve worked through a lot of stuff over the last three days and I feel I’ve got a lot more understanding of the bike. The team has worked really well and I’m pleased we’ve managed to keep consistent fast pace over the test. I think there’s more to come so I’m looking forward to getting started again!” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “Unfortunately the grip level was much less than Friday, so until the soft tyres went on the lap times were not as fast as when we started the test. All the riders struggled to find good grip, so the problem was with the track, not the riders. Cal lost some time after his fall, he switched bikes but had no experience on the tyre on the second bike so couldn’t push so hard. James rode really well today, he is always consistent and was definitely fast enough for the conditions out there. Overall we go to Australia feeling confident and with a good spirit. We’ve had a really successful test, we’ve got some great feedback and have made a good start to 2010.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: Troy ended the three -day official Superbike World Championship tests in Portimao satisfied with the progress he and the team have made, but is looking forward to even further progress next time out. After yesterday’s rain, the 4.592 kilometre circuit was not as grippy as the first day and the strong wind in the afternoon session today prevented Troy and the rest of the field from substantially improving their lap times. Although Troy did try a qualifier this afternoon, his best lap was once again on race rubber. At the end of the tests, Troy finished with the thirteenth quickest time, but was mostly working on making sure he and the S 1000 RR are continuing to improve ahead of the first race of the year at Phillip Island at the end of February. Briton Jonathan Rea (Honda) posted the fastest time of the tests, with a lap of 1:42.270, with fellow countrymen Leon Haslam (Suzuki) and Shakey Byrne (Ducati) second and third respectively. Troy – 13th, 1:43.931 Obviously yesterday’s wet conditions didn’t do us too many favours, but at least we got to sort out a pretty good wet set-up. The loss of dry time yesterday and then the cold and damp track this morning didn’t allow us to do all the work we wanted to do, but I am pretty happy with what we did manage and the amount of progress we made. Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to try some new Ohlins forks, but we did try some different rear shocks and found some ideas that we can work on next time out. The track didn’t feel so clean today and that, together with the strong wind this afternoon, was probably the reason I didn’t make a big improvement in my lap times. But, for me and the team, what was important here was that we started the the year in good shape and that the new people in the team got to know each other and work well together. Having Davide (Tardozzi) in the team is an asset and we are also lucky that Max (Bartolini) has joined us as well. He was Michel Fabrizio’s race engineer and has heaps of experience and I’m sure that he and Davide will push the project forward considerably. As I said yesterday, I am really happy with the engine and now I feel that we have to get the chassis or the set-up and balance of the bike working better and that will allow me to push much harder. I feel that there’s more there in the engine, but I can’t use it and that is a little frustrating. If we can fix that piece of the jigsaw Ruben and I would be able to go quite a bit quicker and that’d be great fun.