FIM Superbike World Championship Brno, Czech Republic July 19, 2008 Superpole Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Troy BAYLISS (Ducati 1098 F08), 1:58.345 2. Troy CORSER (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:58.451 3. Michel FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098 F08), 1:58.853 4. Max BIAGGI (Ducati 1098 RS08), 1:59.069 5. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:59.318 6. Niccolo CANEPA (Ducati 1098 F08), 1:59.324 7. Fonsi NIETO (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:59.360 8. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 1098 RS08), 1:59.451 9. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:59.497 10. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:59.537 11. Ruben XAUS (Ducati 1098 RS08), 1:59.545 12. Noriyuki HAGA (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:59.571 13. Carlos CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:59.587 14. Lorenzo LANZI (Ducati 1098 RS08), 1:59.639 15. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Honda CBR1000RR), 2:00.306 16. Ayrton BADOVINI (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:01.161 The Rest of the Grid: 17. David CHECA (Yamaha YZF-R1), 2:00.228 18. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yamaha YZF-R1), 2:00.232 19. Gregorio LAVILLA (Honda CBR1000RR), 2:00.304 20. Roberto ROLFO (Honda CBR1000RR), 2:00.374 21. Regis LACONI (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:00.482 22. Makoto TAMADA (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:00.641 23. Shuhei AOYAMA (Honda CBR1000RR), 2:00.905 24. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yamaha YZF-R1), 2:01.059 25. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:01.214 26. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Honda CBR1000RR), 2:01.302 27. Jiri DRASDAK (Honda CBR1000RR), 2:02.373 28. Christian ZAISER (Yamaha YZF-R1), 2:03.118 29. Jason PRIDMORE (Honda CBR1000RR), 2:03.397 30. Milos CIHAK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 2:03.758 More, from a press release issued by Team YZF Yamaha Nakatomi only 0.007 from the Superpole For less than one hundredth of a second, Shinichi Nakatomi could not qualify for the Superpole. He was in 18th position and he is looking for a good race. He finished 8th in Brno in 2006 and 9th in 2007. On Friday, the Japanese rider was 17th, 1.4 seconds behind the provisional pole position. On Saturday, he barely missed the qualification for the top 16 who go to Superpole even if his lap time was faster than the day before. The team could be proud of the best top speed, the Yamaha R1 being the fastest motorcycle of the whole field. Shinichi Nakatomi: “We worked a lot on the set up and we made some progress, but the other teams too. My times have been faster and faster, but it was the same for the other riders. My feeling is not so bad, even if the grid position is not so good. The times are very close. We worked well on the set up for the race.” Martial Garcia (team-manager): “The practices have been positive, even if the final result is that we are not in Superpole for 0.007, only 1.2 seconds from the best time. We made a good choice of tyres, despite the aggression of the new track surface. We tested on the race distance with lap times between 2.01 and 2.02, which is one second faster than last year. We are confident for the races because the potential is very good.” Qualifying results: 1-Bayliss (Ducati), 2-Corser (Yamaha), 3-Fabrizio (Ducati), 4-Biaggi (Ducati), 5- Kiyonari (Honda)”¦18- Nakatomi (Yamaha) World Championship standings: 1- Bayliss (Ducati) 259, 2- Neukirchner (Suzuki) 210, 3- Checa (Honda) 207, 4- Haga (Yamaha) 191, 5- Corser (Yamaha) 185″¦19- Nakatomi (Yamaha) 24 Round 10 of the Superbike World Championship: August 3 / Brands Hatch (United Kingdom) Team YMF Yamaha Superstock YZF Yamaha Junior Team FIM Cup Superstock 1000 Superstock 600 European Championship Baz 2nd behind Vostarek Brilliant race for Loris Baz who finished second behind the local rider Patrick Vostarek, who is racing here for the 9th time today on this track. Thanks to this great performance, Baz is still leading the championship. Sylvain Barrier qualified in 14th position for the 1000 cc race that will be held tomorrow. Vostarek had the best start and Baz, in third position, was slowed down by the second Rea. Then Baz overtook Rea and was second at the end of the first lap, 1.2 behind Vostarek. He got closer and closer and he was right behind the Czech at half distance after 5 laps. Rea was in third, quite far 10 seconds behind the leaders. After that, Vostarek and Baz had an incredible fight, with the Frenchman taking the lead on lap 8 before Vostarek took the lead back. Both riders arrived together at the finish line, with a little advantage for Vostarek. With this great performance, Loris Baz keeps the championship lead, with now a 7 points advantage over Vostarek. Loris Baz: « A good start was a must not to let Vostarek take too much of a lead. I knew that after 4 laps with the race tyres I was 0.5 to 1 second faster than him. But Gino Rea had a terrific start and he was hard to overtake. I passed him but he passed me back, had a big slide that slowed me down. I finally passed him and had to catch the leader. I was then 0.7 second faster than him on one lap, and he missed the inside of a curve so I caught him. While I was behind him, I tried to see where I could pass him, but it was very difficult because he knows the track very well. I passed him two laps before the end, but after that I could do nothing because my front tyre was no more performing well. I was crossing the front wheel all the time. I had to use my knee to keep my balance. This is a good weekend. My motorcycle was perfect. Thank you very much to the team. » Difficult practices for Sylvain Barrier in the 1000 cc class, because of a small technical problem on Saturday morning during the free session. Then he was fast in the afternoon for the timed session and he was 14th despite a little crash. Martial Garcia (team-manager): “Loris Baz did a very beautiful race. A slower rider was hard to pass in the first lap but Loris passed him and came back right behind the leader. He tried very hard to win this race and his second position makes him stay the leader of the championship. I a very satisfied. Sylvain Barrier had a small technical problem in the morning and he was much faster in the afternoon despite a small crash with no consequence. He is 14th and we are very confident.” FIM Cup Superstock 1000 qualifying results: 1-Roberts (Ducati), 2-Pirro (Yamaha), 3-Berger (Honda), 4-Siméon (Suzuki), 5-Corti (Yamaha)”¦14- Barrier (Yamaha) FIM Cup Superstock 1000 standings: 1- Simeon (Suzuki) 84 points, 2- Roberts (Ducati) 76, 3- Polita (Ducati) 67, 4- Pirro (Yamaha) 63, 5- Berger (Honda) 59″¦25- Barrier (Yamaha) 4 Superstock 600 European Championship race results: 1-Vostarek (Honda), 2- Baz (Yamaha), 3- Rea (Yamaha), 4- Linfoot (Yamaha), 5- Bussolotti (Yamaha), Superstock 600 European Championship standings: 1- Baz (Yamaha) 117 points, 2-Vostarek (Honda) 110, 3- Linfoot (Yamaha) 74, 4- Bussolotti (Yamaha) 71, 5- Rea (Yamaha) 61 More, from a press release issued by Sterilgarda Go Eleven: There are all the makings of a great day for Sterilgarda Go Eleven tomorrow on the occasion of the race of the 9th WSBK round at Brno: Max Biaggi and Ruben Xaus are going to start from the first and the third line respectively, after having shown during all the four practice sessions to have what it takes to confirm to finish in the top positions of both the race. Max Biaggi likes this track, he recorded the pole after the second timed session and he took the first row after the Superpole. Ruben Xaus worked with the bike in race-trim for the whole two days of qualifying before an hitch at the rear damper of his bike prevented him from getting a better result from his Superpole. In Superstock1000 Alex Polita is going to start from the second line. Like his SBK team-mates, the “Pirate” is going to face the race with the goal to take a final place in the first positions. Weather is unpredictable for tomorrow, every kind of situation is expected and all the team are in a state of uncertainty. RUBEN XAUS | Ducati 1098 RS | 11th classified in 1’59.545: “I wished to get more from my Superpole but the rear damper didn’t work as we expected after having analysed the data of the free practices. I will start from the third line after having done a good work and make meaningful improvements on a track on which I have never felt comfortable. I think I can aim to run two good race and I would like to thank the team for the excellent job done”. MAX BIAGGI | Ducati 1098 RS | 4th classified in 1’59.069: “We have done a good job for the two race. In Superpole I would have liked to confirm the pole-position recorded in the second timed session, anyhow the first line is an excellent starting position”. ALEX POLITA | Ducati 1098R | 7th best time in 2’04.734: “I feel confident with the race which I’m going to face with the goal to fight for a final place in the top positions. During the second timed session I improved my time markedly so we needed to make a little setting change in order to increase the traction. Anyhow we are partway through this solution which is going to be test tomorrow during the warm-up”. More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: Bayliss grabs Superpole with record lap at Brno Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) grabbed Superpole for round 9 of the WSBK championship with a blistering record lap of 1 minute 58.345 seconds at the newly-resurfaced Automotodrom Brno circuit. Today’s pole was the 22nd of the points leader’s career, and his fourth this season, a result that takes him past Carl Fogarty in the all-time pole classification into second behind Troy Corser on 42. Bayliss’s chief rival today in Superpole was in fact Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), who was just one tenth of a second down. Third quickest was Bayliss’s Ducati Xerox team-mate Michel Fabrizio, while fourth went to another Italian Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati), quickest overall in qualifying. Troy Bayliss: “It hasn’t always looked good on this track for us, especially last year, and it’s been a bit of a bogey track for me as well. I’ve never really had great results here in the past and I’d love to turn that around. When I saw Corser’s lap I knew I had to do a good one to beat that and when Max was out, I would have given him a real pat on the back if he had gone faster than that.” Troy Corser: “There’s always a risk when you go out before the end of the Superpole and set the quickest time, especially when Bayliss is around because I know he’s going to grit his teeth and try and get there. But we’ve got a really good set-up for race tyres tomorrow, we’ve done a pretty good race distance and it’s all looking really good.” Michel Fabrizio: “I really like this circuit and I’ve always gone well here. We’ve done a great job during the weekend and my race pace is pretty good. I wanted to go even better in Superpole but unfortunately there’s a ‘granddad’ alongside me who always pulls out something special. But third is a good result and I’m really satisfied.” Max Biaggi: “I really like the Brno track and love racing here. I think we’ve learnt a lot this weekend and for today fourth place is OK. I wanted to go faster a little bit but it didn’t happen. My team and I have done a good job to get on the front row of the grid, which is good because we’re going to have to start well and be up at the front tomorrow.” The biggest mover today was Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who powered to fifth place and a row 2 start in Superpole after qualifying for the one-lap dash in sixteenth. The Japanese rider will be accompanied by WSBK rookie Niccolò Canepa (Ducati Xerox), Spain’s Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki Alstare) and Czech star Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati). Bayliss’s chief rivals in the championship failed to emerge, Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) both qualifying on the third row, while Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) is even further behind on row 4. Times: 1. Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 1’58.345; 2. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 1’58.451; 3. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 1’58.853; 4. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1’59.069; 5. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1’59.318; 6. Canepa N. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 1’59.324; 7. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’59.360; 8. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1’59.451; 9. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’59.497; 10. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’59.537; 11. Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1’59.545; 12. Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1’59.571; 13. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’59.587; 14. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1’59.639; 15. Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 2’00.306; 16. Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2’01.161. FIM Supersport World Championship Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport) was again quickest in the second and final WSS qualifying session. The 26 year-old Australian set a record lap of 2 minutes 3.204 seconds ten minutes from the end to grab his fifth successive Supersport pole. Parkes will be joined on the front row by the surprising Dutch rider Barry Veneman (RES Software Suzuki), who qualified ahead of Australians Joshua Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsport Honda) and points leader Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda). The second row is made up of Britain’s Craig Jones (Parkalgar Racing Honda), ahead of Mark Aitchison (Triumph BE1 Racing) and Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) while Finland’s Vesa Kallio (Benjan Racing Honda) scored his best result of the year in eighth. Australian Garry McCoy (Triumph SC) had a nasty crash, suffering a cracked vertebra and a bruised right lung in the process. Times: 1. Parkes B. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R6 2’03.203; 2. Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 2’03.452; 3. Brookes J. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2’03.562; 4. Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2’03.590; 5. Jones C. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2’03.761; 6. Aitchison M. (AUS) Triumph 675 2’03.775; 7. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2’03.934; 8. Kallio V. (FIN) Honda CBR600RR 2’04.135. Superstock 1000 FIM Cup A Ducati also took pole position in Superstock 1000 qualifying, the Xerox Junior Team 1098 version of Australian Brendan Roberts, who was pushed hard by Italian Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni). The other two riders on the front row are Maxime Berger (Hannspree IDS Ten Kate Honda) of France and points leader Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki) of Belgium. Four Italians make up row 2, one of the race favourites Claudio Corti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team), Andrea Antonelli (Althea Racing Honda), Alex Polita (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) and Domenico Colucci (Ducati Xerox Junior Team). Times: 1. Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 2’03.685; 2. Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R1 2’03.924; 3. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2’03.929; 4. Simeon X. (BEL) Suzuki GSX-R1000 2’04.150; 5. Corti C. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R1 2’04.156; 6. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2’04.601; 7. Polita A. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2’04.734; 8. Colucci D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2’04.789. European Superstock 600 Championship – Race Czech youngster Patrick Vostarek (Intermoto Czech Honda) scored his third win in a row at the Automotodrom Brno after a battle right down to the last corner with Loris Baz (YZF Yamaha Junior Team), who still holds on to his points lead in the table. Third place went to Britain’s Gino Rea (StoneBaker Yamaha) who just edged out team-mate Dan Linfoot and Italian Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) for the final podium slot. Results: 1. Vostárek P. (CZE) Honda CBR600RR 19’12.257 (151,926 kph); 2. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R6 0.349; 3. Rea G. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R6 16.862; 4. Linfoot D. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R6 17.037; 5. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R6 17.072; 6. Black G. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R6 17.226; 7. Jezek O. (CZE) Kawasaki ZX-6R 17.454; 8. Biliotti L. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 22.382. Points (after 6 of 10 rounds): 1. Baz (Yamaha) 117; 2. Vostarek (Honda) 110; 3. Linfoot (Yamaha) 74; 4. Bussolati (Yamaha) 71; 5. Rea (Yamaha) 61; 6. Petrucci (Yamaha) 56; 7. Beretta (Suzuki) 53; 8. Black (Yamaha) 37. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Corser just misses Superpole win Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) missed out on his 43rd career Superpole win by a mere 0.106 seconds at the 5.403km Brno circuit today, with only his fellow Australian Troy Bayliss able to beat his time. The fight for the new absolute track record was played out in warm and dry conditions and on qualifying tyres. Corser set a 1’58.451 to take what looked like an unbeatable time, only for Bayliss to fight back. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) worked hard in session with the team but could not find a set-up that allowed his proven talents at Brno to shine and he now starts the races on Sunday from the third row of the grid, 12th overall. David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) came agonisingly close to joining the top 16 qualifiers in Superpole, but now starts the race from the 17th grid slot. Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) was only 0.004 seconds from Checa, in a positive final qualifying session. Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) was 24th after losing some track time in practice today. Troy Corser (2nd – 1’58.451 – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “It was a shame not to win Superpole when we all put so much effort in but the main thing is that we have a front row start for the races. We have a good set-up for raceday and I think we can make our tyres go race distance at a good pace. We did a good race run this afternoon so it’s all feeling very positive. We have made real improvements in the bike since our last test.” Noriyuki Haga (12th – 1’59.571 – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “We have had a bit of a problem finding a good set up in some areas, but we have improved there, only to find a few smaller problems in another area. We have improved the feeling and tomorrow we can try another setting in a good direction, and we will see how things are after warm-up. We have already decided on a tyre for the race tomorrow, and I think we can find a better race pace than we can do in one single lap of qualifying, which is really important.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “Everything is working well for Troy and he is happy about the bike and tyres. He made a great Superpole lap, he was so close to adding to his record total. Tomorrow we will try something different on Nori’s side. He has a good record here, so tomorrow I am sure we can find something better for him in warm-up anyway. In the end Nori is a racer on Sunday no matter what set-up he has so I am sure he can do well. Shinichi Nakatomi (18th – 2:00.232 – Team YZF Yamaha) “We changed the machine set up and made some progress but other teams also improved their times. The feeling ended up not so bad even if the grid position was not so good. The times are very close and after final qualifying we made good work to prepare for the race.” More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: BAYLISS ON POLE, FABRIZIO THIRD AND CANEPA SIXTH ON THE GRID FOR TOMORROW’S RACES AT BRNO Brno (Czech Republic) Saturday 19th July: The second qualifying session of the weekend, held this morning, saw all three Ducati Xerox riders improve on the times they set yesterday, to qualify for Superpole in third (Bayliss), seventh (Fabrizio) and eighth place (Canepa). Superpole was action packed from the offset, with an immediate flying lap by Kiyonari, the first rider out, which really set the pace, as the next seven riders to exit were unable to beat his fast time. Niccolo’ Canepa, participating in his very first Superpole here this afternoon, was the first of the three Ducati Xerox riders to go out and completed a near perfect lap to take eventual sixth place on tomorrow’s grid. Michel Fabrizio followed him out, beating the times set by the entire field up until that point. The final group of three riders included Troy Bayliss who really made his Superpole lap count to take pole position for the fourth time this season. Troy Bayliss 1m58.3s “Brno has always been something of a bogey track for me but I hope that this weekend we are finally turning that around. The new surface of the track has really improved the grip which is great news. This morning went well and then in Superpole this afternoon, when I saw Corser’s time, I knew I was going to have to put in a really fast lap to be able to beat it and I managed that, but then Max (Biaggi) went out and I was worried he might in turn beat me. I hope tomorrow stays dry and then we’ll see but I have to say it would be pretty special to have a win here this time around.” Michel Fabrizio 1m58.8s “It’s a circuit that I really like and so I’m happy to get a place on the first row here. We have to see tomorrow whether I can make the good start that I need to really be in the running. We did a long-run this morning and it seemed to go ok but it’s obviously going to be hard tomorrow and I’ll no doubt have to fight once again against the two Troys and Biaggi!” Niccolo’ Canepa 1m59.3s “As it’s the first time that I’ve ever taken part in Superpole I have to say I’m really pleased with my performance. During my Superpole lap I made a small mistake and if it weren’t for that I’d have been a couple of tenths faster I think but I can’t complain with a place on the second row for tomorrow’s race. We’re still planning to make a few more little changes this evening to try during the morning’s warm-up as we could still improve our race pace but for now, I’m more than happy.” More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki: SECOND AND THIRD ROWS FOR THE SUZUKI TRIO IN BRNO Team Suzuki Alstare rider Fonsi Nieto finished seventh quickest in Superpole and will start tomorrow’s pair of 20-lap races from the second row of the grid. His team mate Yukio Kagayama will be just behind on row three, with Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner alongside him. Ducatis dominated the front row of the grid, with Troy Bayliss taking his fourth Superpole of the year. His fellow countryman Troy Corser (Yamaha) is second, with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third and Max Biaggi (Ducati) fourth. Fonsi – 7th, 1:59.360 I am happy because today I found a good rhythm over a lot of laps on race tyres and was still going consistently fast at the end of eighteen laps. I made a little mistake in Superpole in the last sector, but the second row of the grid is OK here. So far the weekend has been going well. I am happy with the bike and I don’t think we’ll make any changes in the warm-up tomorrow morning. Every time we go out, the grip improves and I think there will be even more grip tomorrow. Whatever happens, I am going for the podium in both races. Max – 9th, 1:59.497 My Superpole lap was bit funny because I didn’t make any mistakes, felt good on the bike but the time was not good! It was strange because I had a feeling like that in the free practice this afternoon when I was on race tyres. For me the grip was better in the morning than the afternoon when I had a bit of a front end chatter. The third row of the grid is not so good, but the first corner is quite far from start so as long as I can get off the line quickly, I have a chance to be in the lead group straightaway. If I can make two good starts, there is no reason why I cannot get on the podium. Yukio – 10th, 1:59.537 I am not so happy to be on the third row of the grid, but I think that is because my Superpole lap was not so good. I made a little mistake in sector two, lost some time and that was that. I got into a turn a bit too hot, braked a bit too hard and then lost my drive exiting the corner. My biggest problem at the moment is getting the best settings for the electronics. When you have good settings, you can push very hard, but we have not yet found the ideal solution. We will try some changes in the warm-up tomorrow morning and see if we can find the best compromise for this track. Final qualifying 1 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:58.345, 2 Corser (Aus-Yamaha) 1:58.451, 3 Fabrizio (I-Ducati) 1:58.853, 4 Biaggi (I-Ducati) 1:59.069, 5 Kiyonari (J-Honda) 1:59.318, 6 Canepa (I-Ducati) 1:59.324, 7 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare) 1:59.360, 8 Smrz (CZ-Ducati) 1:59.451, 8 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki) 1:59.497, 10 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare) 1:59.537, FRONT ROW FOR XAVI. Team Alstare Suzuki rider Xavi Simeon posted the fourth quickest time in qualifying and will start tomorrow’s sixth round of this year’s Superstock 1000 FIM Cup on the front row of the grid. Aussie Brendan Roberts (Ducati) took pole position this afternoon, with Michele Pirro (Yamaha) second and Maxime Berger (Honda) third. Xavi – 4th, 2:04.150 I am happy to be on the front row and happy because the bike is working well and feels good to ride. I didn’t have any big problems today, just a small problem with the front tyre feel. But apart from that, nothing of note. I am looking forward to the race tomorrow and I think I can make the podium for sure. I hope to get a good start, fight at the front of the pack and be in a good position at the end. The important thing for me is to make sure I score a good number of points and maintain my championship lead. Final qualifying 1 Roberts (Aus-Ducati) 2:03.685, 2 Pirro (I-Yamaha) 2:03.924, 3 Berger (F-Honda) 2:03.929, 4 Xavi Simeon (B-Alstare Suzuki) 2:04.150, 5 Corti (I-Yamaha) 2:04.156, 6 Antonelli (I-Honda) 2:04.601, More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Kiyonari shines in Superpole qualifying Ryuichi Kiyonari was the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Superbike team’s highlight of the day and set a blistering performance in the Superpole Qualifying this afternoon. He impressively worked his way forward after concluding the morning’s second qualifying session in sixteenth place. In what was easily his best qualifying performance to date, Kiyonari was the first man to start the one-lap race against the clock and pushed hard on his Honda CBR1000RR to set the time to be beaten at 1’59.318. It took seven riders before the time was crushed, firstly by Michel Fabrizio, then followed by Troy Corser and eventual pole-sitter Troy Bayliss. It was Max Biaggi who robbed Kiyonari of his first ever WSB front row start. A satisfied Kiyonari will now start tomorrow’s race from fifth place on the grid, his best position so far this season. Carlos Checa took a total reversal of fortune. After concluding the morning’s second qualifying practice in ninth position he didn’t succeed to improve in his Superpole lap and was eventually sent back to a fourth row start. Kenan Sofuoglu finished the second qualifying practice in a disappointing twenty-sixth position and did not qualify for Superpole. Carlos Checa, 1’59.587; “Today has been a poor day of qualifying for me. We are not far off the pace and have been able to stay consistent but I couldn’t set that single fast lap.” “My Superpole lap was far from good, I experienced a lot of rear chatter and lost valuable time. I will need a good start tomorrow and work towards a good position in the first laps and start the race from that point. It is a handicap having to start from the fourth row on the grid and not a position to win the race.” Ryuichi Kiyonari, 1’59.318; “I am very happy with my Superpole lap. I qualified sixteenth and made my way up to fifth place on the grid. That’s a big jump as I’m normally not strong in the one lap attack.” “My feeling with the machine and the tyres was good today on my best lap. We tried a different setting today and the feeling was improving throughout the sessions The pace is good but still not fast enough. I’ll try and make a good start tomorrow and then find the connection with the fast group and work from there. I’ll need to push hard in the first laps for a good result.” Kenan Sofuoglu, 2’01.302 (QP2); “It was quite a disappointing session for me today as we were expecting an improvement but it just didn’t work. I tried to watch other riders on their laps but just can’t seem to adapt to riding the big Superbike.” “The team have worked very hard but it hasn’t paid off so far and we are now past the mid-season mark. I hope we can make some improvement tomorrow to give some motivation to everybody in the team. Like every Saturday night I’m hoping for a better result on Sunday.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY MISSES SUPERPOLE VICTORY BY A WHISKER! Troy missed his chance of notching up Superpole victory number forty-three by the narrowest of margins in Brno this afternoon. At the end, fellow countryman Troy Bayliss (Ducati) took Superpole, with a lap of 1:58.345 – a tenth of a second quicker. Apart from Troy’s Yamaha, the front row of the grid is an all Ducati affair, with Michel Fabrizio third and Max Biaggi fourth. Troy – 2nd, 1:58.451 I am pretty happy with how the weekend has gone so far and happy to be mixing it with all those Ducatis. I think the last three of four races have been good for us and the bike is working very well. The grip here has been improving throughout the weekend and I think it’s going to be as good, if not better, tomorrow. I had a bit of an unfortunate crash this morning and hurt my right shoulder a bit. It’s a bit sore, but it isn’t a problem when I’m on the bike and I don’t expect it to hold me back tomorrow. We had changed the front end geometry a bit to get more stability and to allow me to brake harder. After one lap, I tried to brake a bit later in one corner and down I went. I tumbled into the gravel trap and got hit by my bike and that’s what made my shoulder sore. I guess I was lucky that I didn’t hurt myself badly. But, we learnt something from the experience and that’s good. I feel we have quite a good set-up for the race and the tyres are consistent. I hope the weather stays dry and we can put on a good show for the fans. More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: Team Pedercini enters the Superpole for its forth time in this season. Aytron Badovini succeeded to be in the top sixteen, getting the possibility to run the quick lap. Today’s result satisfies both the team and the riders who is going to start from the 4th line hunting for points in tomorrow’s race. Same goal for Vittorio Iannuzzo who is improving round by round recovering from the bad injury of the season begin. The rider from Campania reached a good pace which allows him to feel confident about getting his first seasonal points tomorrow. On the other hand, the young riders of the Supertsock ran up against an harder qualifying. Yoann Tiberio is going to start from the sixth line while Alessio Aldrovandi from the seventh one. Both the riders are going to spend the warm-up fine-tuning the bike, testing a different balance in order to reverse the bad trend. VITTORIO IANNUZZO | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 25th classified in 2’01.214: “I have improved respect to Misano although I still cannot do my best when I need to push by using the soft tyre. That influences my starting position which I wished to be better especially with a view to the race. Anyway my pace is pretty good and passing is not impossible on this track so my goal is always the same: finishing the race in the top-15″. AYRTON BADOVINI | Kawasaki ZX-10R |16th classified in 2’01.161: “I’m pretty satisfied with running the Superpole once again and above all to be in a good form for tomorrow’s race which I hope to finish in the points. We have found a good setting which allows me to ride effectively without damaging the tyres too much, that might be crucial in the second part of the race”.