FIM Superbike World Championship Donington Park, England September 6, 2008 Qualifying Results (after Superpole, all on Pirelli tires): 1. Troy BAYLISS (Ducati 1098 F08), 1:42.013 2. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:42.353 3. Carlos CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:42.486 4. Ruben XAUS (Ducati 1098 RS08), 1:42.573 5. James ELLISON (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:42.582 6. Max BIAGGI (Ducati 1098 RS08), 1:42.619 7. Tom SYKES (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:42.624 8. Troy CORSER (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:42.875 9. Cal CRUTCHLOW (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:43.125 10. Michel FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098 F08), 1:43.172 11. Noriyuki HAGA (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:43.218 12. Leon HASLAM (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:43.387 13. Chris WALKER (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:43.492 14. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:43.895 15. Gregorio LAVILLA (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:43.915 16. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 1098 RS08), 1:44.683 17. David CHECA (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:45.989 18. Lorenzo LANZI (Ducati 1098 RS08), 1:46.380 19. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:46.471 20. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:46.877 21. Ayrton BADOVINI (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:47.105 22. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:47.108 23. Fonsi NIETO (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:47.344 24. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:47.363 25. Roberto ROLFO (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:47.893 26. Regis LACONI (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:48.092 27. Makoto TAMADA (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:49.248 28. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:50.092 29. Shuhei AOYAMA (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:50.093 30. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:50.454 Not Qualified: 31. Christian ZAISER (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:51.335 32. Matt LYNN (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:52.748 33. Luca MORELLI (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:53.678 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Corser eighth after wet Donington qualifying Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) will line up eighth and 11th respectively on the grid for Sunday’s WSB races at Donington, after a wet Superpole contest full of drama and incident. Corser fell at Craner Curves with only 15 minutes and five of his permitted pitlane exits left to use up, but after sprinting back to the team garage, he got out again on his spare bike to move up to eighth place. On his spare machine he fell on the very last corner on his fastest lap of all, with 30 seconds left to go. Bashed and bruised, he survived otherwise unscathed. Haga had a relatively steady wet Superpole, setting a quick early lap like most others, then waiting to see how conditions would change as the 50 minute session timed down to the end. He was finally only 1.2 seconds from the pole time. David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) missed Superpole qualification by only one place; his team-mate Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) was 22nd quickest. Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) had a tough final timed session before Superpole and was the final rider to qualify, in 30th place. Troy Corser (8th – 1’42.875 – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “I picked up a few more bruises today and we are still looking for a bit more grip from the rear. The first crash I had we tried a new rear but it did not have so much feel and I fell going down Craner Curves. I hope it is dry tomorrow because it will be as safe to race for everyone with a short dry set-up time as it would to race with a set up you found after riding all day in the wet. The spray is too intense in a race situation, and that means you can’t see where the puddles are, so you don’t know what to avoid. We have tried out our new electronic suspension and it works in the dry and the wet, it’s just that we have to find a reasonably good set-up without using it and then start using it to see if we can improve on it. So that is what we tried to do, we’ve got a base wet set up and we have started to play around with the electronic side.” Noriyuki Haga (11th – 1’43.218 – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “I have some mixed feelings about today because we did not crash but we have also not got the result we were hoping for. We could not get the best grip out of our tyre, I think, but it could have been worse of course. Tomorrow is the important day and I am thinking positive. We will try to do whatever we can do and the key will be tyre choice if it rains. It will be a gamble of course, but a gamble we will be forced into, not one we want to make! But mentally I am positive for tomorrow, as I like this track.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “We had a very difficult day in some respects but both riders qualified for wet Superpole and now we have one on the second row and one on row three. We would always like them both to be on the front row but today, in the heavy rain, every lap was a risk of some kind. The weather for race day will be very unpredictable, so we have to work on a series of options for raceday, from dry to full wet conditions. But whatever conditions we have, we feel positive that we can take good results with each rider.” Shinichi Nakatomi (30th – 1’50.454 – Team YZF Yamaha) “The conditions have been difficult but today my feeling was better than yesterday. My lap time and my grid position are not very satisfying. We did not have enough time and the team did not have enough information. I hope it will be dry tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Team YZF Yamaha: Difficult practice for Nakatomi After two days of permanent rain, Shinichi Nakatomi could only qualify in 30th position. The quickest rider of the Superpole was the leader of the World Championship Troy Bayliss (Ducati). Nakatomi, not very much at ease on the wet, had some difficulties during the qualifying sessions at Donington. The level was very high, with 6 very fast British wild card riders. The Superpole was wet like the rest of the practice sessions, and with very little grip the Australian rider Troy Bayliss was the fastest and will start tomorrow from the pole position. Shinichi Nakatomi: “The conditions have been difficult. Today my feeling was better than yesterday. My lap time and my grid position are not very satisfying. We did not have enough time and the team did not have enough information. I hope it will be dry tomorrow.” Qualifying results: 1 – Bayliss (Ducati), 2-Kiyonari (Honda), 3-Checa (Honda), 4-Xaus (Ducati), 5-Ellison (Honda)”¦ 30-Nakatomi (Yamaha) World Championship standings: 1-Bayliss (Ducati) 324 points, 2-Neukirchner (Suzuki) 252, 3-Corser (Yamaha) 242, 4-Checa (Honda) 233, 5-Haga (Yamaha) 230… 20-Nakatomi (Yamaha) 29 12th round of the Superbike World Championship: September 21st at Vallelunga (Italy) More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: CRASH PREVENTS SUPERPOLE 43! A small crash right at the end of ‘Wet Superpole’ denied Troy the chance of taking Superpole number 43 at Donington Park today. Yesterday’s rain continued today and the sixteen rider Superpole shoot-out was declared a ‘Wet Superpole”, with each of the riders having a maximum of 12 laps in which to record the fastest time. Troy had already had a small tip-off in the earlier part of Superpole, but was on course to put that all behind him with a superb first and second split. Troy entered the last corner ahead on time, but then lost the rear end and crashed and his dream of another Superpole victory was over! Instead, his fellow countryman Troy Bayliss (Ducati) took Superpole, with Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) second, Carlos Checa (Honda) third and Ruben Xaus (Ducati) fourth. Troy: 8th, 1:42.875 The first crash in Superpole was just a little get-off in the wet and I didn’t hurt myself at all. After that we made a few adjustments to the bike and towards the end of the ‘Wet Superpole’ I was able to go faster and faster. On my last lap, I felt that it was the best lap I’d done and I had a feeling it might be good enough for Superpole. But I fell in the last turn when I could see the chequered flag in the distance and lost the chance to take Superpole number 43. Instead, I ended up eighth and on the second row of the grid. But I think we have a pretty reasonable set-up for the wet, though I’d prefer conditions a bit drier – like it was at the end of Superpole today. The only problem with my second crash is that I rolled and rolled and then landed on the same hip I hurt yesterday! It’s no more sore, it’s just a bigger bruise! More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki: NO JOY FOR MAX, FONSI OR YUKIO. The bad weather continued at Donington today and Max, Fonsi and Yukio continued to suffer with grip problems throughout the day. This morning’s qualifying session was very wet and Suzuki Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto and Yukio Kagayama struggled to get into the top sixteen for Superpole right from the start. In the end, neither made the cut and were left languishing in 23rd and 24th places respectively. For Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner the situation was not much better, though he did end sixteenth and at least qualify for Superpole. But the grip problems persisted in the ‘Wet Superpole’ and, although he tried his very best, he could only finish 14th quickest. Aussie Troy Bayliss (Ducati) took Superpole, his sixth of the season, with a time of 1:42.013. Joining him on the front row of the grid are Honda riders Ryuichi Kiyonari and Carlos Checa, with Ruben Xaus slotting into fourth place. Max: 14th, 1:43.895 All three of us had the same problem – no grip! I was happy I managed to get into Superpole, but really my feeling for the rear end did not get much better. The front is OK but, despite all the changes we made and the things we tried, we never managed to get a good feeling at the rear. It’s hard to know what to do, but I still think I can make a good result tomorrow because many things can happen in a race and, if it is wet, I am sure there will be many crashes. So my idea is to keep upright, ride as hard as I can and see what happens. Fonsi: 23rd, 1:47.344 So far, this weekend has been a disaster! Normally I don’t crash a lot, so to crash twice is a big surprise to me. Also, normally I am quite good in the wet, but here I have found no rear grip in two days, even though we’ve tried many different things. This afternoon’s free practice was a bit better then the two previous sessions, but there’s still some way to go to find a good set-up. I really hope that it will not rain tomorrow because that is probably the best chance I have to make a good result. Yukio: 24th, 1:47.363 This weekend has not been easy and the conditions have been very difficult. When it was wet in Germany earlier this season, the grip was not so bad, and I could make a good lap. But here, at Donington, I have found no rear end grip at all, so it’s been hard to go fast. We’ve made many changes over these two days but have not been able to find any rear grip. In fact, the bike feels as if it is aquaplaning in the turns and on the straights! I even tried changing my riding style today, but it didn’t make any difference. This is the first time I have not qualified for Superpole and that makes me a little angry and frustrated. I would prefer a dry race tomorrow and two very good starts! More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: BAYLISS TAKES SIXTH POLE POSITION AFTER ANOTHER WET SUPERPOLE AT DONINGTON Donington Park (UK), Saturday 6th September 2008: despite another very damp day for the Ducati Xerox team, Troy Bayliss powered his Ducati F08 to take his sixth pole position of the season during a wet Superpole at Donington Park this afternoon. At the conclusion of the morning’s qualifying session, Bayliss lay in fifth and Fabrizio in tenth position, easily qualifying for the afternoon’s Superpole which was subsequently declared wet. Just as happened at Brands Hatch a few short weeks ago, a “wet” Superpole meant that riders had a 50 minute session in which to ride a maximum of twelve laps, the fastest lap of those twelve being taken as the official Superpole result. Troy took pole while team-mate Michel Fabrizio will line up on the third row of the grid, in tenth place, for tomorrow’s races. This is the sixth time in eleven Superbike rounds held so far that Troy lines up at the front of the grid, meaning he secures already this weekend the Alfa Romeo car, awarded as a prize by FGSport to the rider who achieves the most pole positions during the season. Troy Bayliss 1m42.0s “It’s been difficult ever since we got here as far as the weather is concerned. Every session has been wet which doesn’t often happen, so that has given us the chance to really work a lot on the bike, changing settings and making steady progress and improvements, especially this afternoon. I am of course very happy with today’s result, the Ducati Xerox F08 has been working incredibly well and so I was able to get out there and finish just ahead of the others. Having said that, Kiyo, Checa and the wildcards have been doing a great job and tomorrow will be tough against those guys. I’ve just found out I’ve won a new Alfa, the prize for the most pole positions taken in a season, so I’d like to thanks FG and of course Alfa for that too.” Michel Fabrizio 1m43.1s “It has gone quite well, all things considered, but unfortunately we had some problems with the tyres and I was never totally comfortable with the rear today, which seemed to be sliding away from me in these tricky conditions. We’ll see what tomorrow brings; it’s so unpredictable here but I’m almost hoping, after two days of continuous rain, that we have wet races tomorrow too, as at least we’ve been working on the bike in that way up until this point and so know better how the bike is behaving in those conditions.” More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Ryuichi Kiyonari and Carlos Checa will both start from the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s two 11th round World Superbike races at Donington Park in Derbyshire, GB. The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda pairing set the second and third fastest times respectively in this afternoon’s wet Superpole session, as rain continued to drench the 4km circuit. The team’s third rider, Kenan Sofuoglu, missed out on Superpole and will start from 20th on the grid. Despite highly contrasting riding styles to cope with the wet conditions Kiyonari sliding spectacularly around Donington’s sweeping curves and tight hairpins the Ten Kate duo lapped their Honda CBR1000RRs within one tenth of a second of each other as Ducati’s Troy Bayliss grabbed pole position for tomorrow’s two 23-lap encounters. Ryuichi Kiyonari P2, 1m42.353s I enjoyed myself today, although the bike was sliding a bit too much. I like to have a little slide to feel in control in those wet conditions, but I had to be very sensitive with the throttle today because it was very difficult and many riders crashed. I was pleased not to crash again today it was important because it gave me more time on the bike, so we were able to try many things. But second place on the grid is very good for tomorrow and we are ready for the races. Carlos Checa P3, 1m42.486s In those difficult conditions, I’m very happy that our strategy paid off at the end of the session. I tried to ride very smoothly today, but doing it at the right time was very important. It has taken all the sessions here to learn how to ride fast in these conditions on this track. Starting from the front row is always good, especially in the wet. But, if it turns out to be dry tomorrow, I’m confident we will have a good setting anyway. Kenan Sofuoglu P20, 1m46.471s I’m not so happy with the weather we have had this weekend, especially since we have had almost no wet testing this season. The situation is not extremely bad, but it’s not very good, either. I hope it stays wet for tomorrow because we have had no dry time here, but I will try for a good result. Ronald ten Kate team manager Of course, we’re happy to have two riders on the front row after the conditions we have endured yesterday and today. The constant rain over the weekend has given us a good opportunity to work on a wet setting for the bikes and we have definitely made big improvements there. Things might change if it’s dry tomorrow, but we’ll have to wait and see. More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: Second day of timed session at Donington has taken place under persistent rain which threats tomorrow’s race too. On the wet track Ayrton Badovini took the 21st place on the grid while his team-mate Vittorrio Iannuzzo recorded the 28th best time. Tomorrow both the riders will sprint at the green light with the goal to power to a good performance in both the race which are expected to be very doubtful; a wise race management will be crucial if the track will be wet. 18th best time for Shez Morais in Superstock1000, just followed by Aldrovandi and Tiberio respectively 20th and 21th. Due to the tyre wear they were not able to take advantage of the track which was getting drier. Tomorrow they will try to get the best from their race. AYRTON BADOVINI | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 21st qualified in 1’47.105: “I have made big steps forward with respect to yesterday times although I’m not totally satisfied. Everything tomorrow will depend from the weather: if it will be rain we will test a change in the set-up during the warm-up in order to get more grip”. VITTORIO IANNUZZO | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 28th qualified in 1’50.092: “I was not able to be on the track while the road was gripped, so I did not reach the result I hoped for. Anyhow I’m pretty confident about tomorrow’s race in which I aim to get the first points of my season”. More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: Bayliss notches up sixth Superpole win of the year at Donington Park Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox powered to his sixth Superpole of the year in the Bennetts European Round at Donington Park in a wet 50-minute, 12-lap session. For the Australian rider, who as a result wins the Alfa Romeo Superpole Award, it was his third Superpole in a row and the 24th in his career. Bayliss looked particularly quick in the final part of the 4.02 km circuit, and is certainly one of the candidates for the wins in tomorrow’s eleventh round of the championship. The only rider capable of matching Bayliss’s performance was Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), but he crashed at the final hairpin on his quick lap right at the end and had to settle for eighth quickest time. Alongside Bayliss on the front row are the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda pairing of Brands Hatch winner Ryuichi Kiyonari and Carlos Checa. Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) made a major improvement today to take the final front row grid slot, while wild-card James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) took the first place on row 2 ahead of Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati). The British wild-cards who had made all the running in the first two days were out of luck; Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) crashed into the gravel, as did Cal Crutchlow (HM Plant Honda). Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) could only manage a place on the third row, while Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki), who has failed to shine so far this weekend, is one row behind. Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox): “It’s been a difficult situation this weekend, wet right from the start but for sure tomorrow it’s going to be dry and that will throw a spanner into the works as far as tyre choice goes! I’m very happy today, but these other guys were riding really hard, Kiyonari especially. I don’t think anyone can match my poles this year so for sure it’s nice to win an Alfa!” Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda): “Today was very difficult conditions but we tried many different settings and finally I found a good one. For wet conditions we are OK but I do not know if it is dry. For me however, either is OK for tomorrow.” Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda): “It was quite a hard job because today at Donington was not the best conditions, but we’ve been working quite well during the weekend and have got good settings for tomorrow if it is wet. We are very satisfied with the front row and quite ready and comfortable about these conditions tomorrow.” Times: 1. Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 1’42.013; 2. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1’42.353; 3. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’42.486; 4. Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1’42.573; 5. Ellison J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’42.582; 6. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1’42.619; 7. Sykes T. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’42.624; 8. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 1’42.875; 9. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’43.125; 10. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 1’43.172; 11. Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1’43.218; 12. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’43.387; 13. Walker C. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’43.492; 14. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’43.895; 15. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’43.915; 16. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1’44.683 FIM Supersport World Championship Matthieu Lagrive (Intermoto Czech Honda) will start the tenth round of the Supersport championship from pole position for the second race in a row following on from Brands Hatch. Next to the Frenchman will be Britain’s Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who will be looking for his third win in a row tomorrow, Barry Veneman (RES Software Suzuki) of the Netherlands and Australian Joshua Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsport Honda). The difficult weather conditions brought forward a number of riders not usually seen at the front of the grid, in particular Belgium’s Didier Van Keymeulen (RES Software Suzuki), Finland’s Vesa Kallio (Benjan Honda) and South African Hudson Kennaugh (Raceways Yamaha). Italian Danilo Dell’Omo (HP Racing Honda) was also well up in ninth slot, while two leading championship contenders, points leader Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) will start from row 4 and Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport) from row 5. Times: 1. Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1’43.075; 2. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’43.773; 3. Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 1’44.236; 4. Brookes J. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’44.251; 5. Van Keymeulen D. (BEL) Suzuki GSX-R600 1’44.475; 6. Holland R. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’44.683; 7. Kallio V. (FIN) Honda CBR600RR 1’45.483; 8. Kennaugh H. (RSA) Yamaha YZF-R6 1’45.652 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki) took the pole in the Superstock 1000 session at Donington, the Belgian rider the only one under the 1 minute 46 second mark. The front row is made up of Australian Chris Seaton (Celani Suzuki) and Jon Kirkham (Raceways Yamaha) ahead of Alex Polita (Sterilgarda Ducati). Joint championship leaders Brendan Roberts (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) and Maxime Berger (Hannspree IDS Ten Kate Honda) sandwich a couple of Italians, Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) and Davide Giugliano (Cruciani Suzuki) in sixth and seventh on row 2. Times: 1. Simeon X. (BEL) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’45.860; 2. Seaton C. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K8 1’46.111; 3. Kirkham J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R1 1’46.412; 4. Polita A. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’46.748; 5. Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 1’46.897; 6. Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1’46.928; 7. Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K8 1’46.956; 8. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’47.083 European 600 Superstock Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) proved to be quickest in qualifying for the European 600 Superstock race with his first pole position of the year. The Italian set his time right at the end of the session, denying Alex Lowes (O Six Kawasaki) of the honour of starting from pole in front of his home crowd. Also on the front row were Davide Fanelli (Triumph BE1) in third and Dan Linfoot (StoneBaker Yamaha) in fourth. Title chasers Loris Baz (YZF Yamaha Junior Team) and Patrick Vostarek (Intermoto Czech Honda) both had a difficult day, the French rider crashing on his second out lap and missing the rest of the session to line up on row 5, while his Czech rival could only manage twelfth quickest time. Times: 1. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R6 1’48.011; 2. Lowes A. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’48.530; 3. Fanelli D. (ITA) Triumph 675 1’48.679; 4. Linfoot D. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R6 1’49.290; 5. Rea G. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R6 1’50.478; 6. Burns J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R6 1’50.494; 7. Pouhair N. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R6 1’50.568; 8. Johnston L. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’50.641 Alfa Romeo Superpole Award With his sixth Superpole success at Donington, Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) is this year’s winner of the ALFA 159 SUPERPOLE AWARD. The prize, an Alfa Romeo 159 3.2 Sportwagon Ti, is awarded to the rider who picks up the most Superpoles during the 2008 season. More, from a press release issued by Sterilgarda Go Eleven: Ruben Xaus will start from the first row of the 11th WSBK Round tomorrow at Donington Park. The Spanish rider recorded the forth best time while his team-mate Max Biaggi is just behind him in sixth position. The Sterilgarda’s duo were able to grab two great results despite the bad weather conditions which are expected to continue tomorrow also. Anyhow both the rider feel pretty confident and they will try to get the best from their race. First line for Alex Polita too who took the forth position after the second timed session in Superstock1000. He will have the chance to reduce the gap from the ranking leader in order to carry on his battle for the title. The ‘Pirate’ has been able to keep himself concentrated despite the bad conditions of the track, showing great maturity and his skill to get the best from all the situations. Thanks to a more grip, he was able to push on the gas, grabbing the forth best time. RUBEN XAUS | Ducati 1098 RS | 4th qualified in 1’42.573: “During the session I got a lack of grip when I pushed on the gas. So I chose to face the Superpole with a different gear setting. That’s improved all the set-up and it allowed me to be quicker in the corners. A good choice, definitely”. MAX BIAGGI | Ducati 1098 RS | 6th qualified in 1’42.619: “We still have problems in the third part of the track when the engine doesn’t work as i wish when I use the first two gears. Anyhow we were constantly quick and we got an excellent starting position”. ALEX POLITA | Ducati 1098R | 4th qualified in 1’46.748: “I’m really satisfied with my result. For the first time this season I will start from the front line, the best position to face tomorrow’s race. If it will be rain many of us will have the chance to win. We have done a great job during the first two days and we have improved session by session”.