eni FIM Superbike World Championship Misano, San Marino June 8, 2012 Qualifying Session One Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1098R), 1:36.521 2. Jonathan REA, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:36.568 3. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:36.703 4. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:36.795 5. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:36.806 6. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Ducati 1098R), 1:36.829 7. Loris BAZ, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:36.957 8. Leon HASLAM, UK (BMW S1000RR), 1:37.009 9. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Ducati 1098R), 1:37.022 10. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:37.044 11. Leon CAMIER, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:37.280 12. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:37.295 13. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:37.340 14. Lorenzo ZANETTI, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:37.406, crash 15. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:37.439 16. John HOPKINS, USA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:37.514 17. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:37.523 18. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:37.614, crash 19. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:37.733 20. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:37.948, crash 21. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:38.112, crash 22. Maxime BERGER, France (Ducati 1098R), 1:38.198 23. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:39.038 24. Federico SANDI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:40.251, crash More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: CHECA (ALTHEA RACING) LEADS THE WAY IN FIRST SBK QUALIFYING TODAY AT MISANO; IMPRESSIVE FIFTH FOR GIUGLIANO Misano Adriatico (Italy), Friday 8th June 2012: The Althea Racing team got down to work today as the seventh round of the 2012 World Superbike Championship officially opened at the Misano World Circuit in Italy; Althea men Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano took part in the first practice and qualifying sessions, which took place in hot conditions. This morning’s track action included the first SBK free practice session of the weekend, in which Carlos recorded a fast time immediately in the opening stages, projecting himself straight to the top of the timesheets. During the 45-minutes available, the times of almost all the riders, Carlos included, dropped dramatically, especially in the final minutes. The fastest lap recorded by the Spaniard 1m36.7 registered towards the end of the session positioned him second at the end of this first practice, one tenth of a second from Melandri. Davide spent the session working with his technicians to resolve some set-up problems. These difficulties prevented him from performing as he had hoped and he therefore closed this first session in nineteenth position. Later in the day, in the first of two official qualifying sessions, Checa and Giugliano continued with the work schedule, making excellent progress. Checa recorded a series of very fast laps, his best time a 1m36.5 with which he closed this first qualifying session at the top of the timesheets in first position. With this morning’s issues resolved, Giugliano’s lap times dropped dramatically this afternoon. Back on the right path once more, the young Italian rider was able to register a best of 1m36.8 which put him in fifth position at the session’s end, just three tenths from leader Carlos. Carlos Checa: “We’ve worked well today and I’m satisfied with what we’ve got done. The tyres we have tested today give fairly similar results to each other in these hot conditions. Everyone’s talking about grip problems but this is probably due to the high temperatures, it might cause problems through the corners but I’m feeling confident. We’ll see how the conditions are tomorrow and Sunday but I think we can be very competitive come race day.” Davide Giugliano: “This morning we got started right away but I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike, we had a few problems with the set-up and getting back into the swing of things after America. We gradually sorted that out though and know that this is a track where we can be competitive. In the afternoon, I was able to make solid improvement and we had a good session. We’re not 100% there of course but this is a positive thing as it means there’s room for further improvement tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Misano Free Practice & Qualifying Practice 1. Friday, 8th June 2012. Weather conditions: Cloudy at noon, sunny in the afternoon. Temperature: Air: 28 30 °C, Track: 36 39 °C Number of riders participating: 24 from 14 teams Fastest lap Free Practice: Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1:36.613 min Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:36.521 min Today, teams and riders from the FIM Superbike World Championship experienced really hot conditions for the first time this season. At Misano (ITA), host of the seventh round of 2012, temperatures went up to 30 degrees Celsius. Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport proved to be competitive in these summery conditions. Factory rider Marco Melandri (ITA) was quickest in the free practice in the morning and qualified for the provisional first row in the afternoon, finishing the first qualifying practice in fourth. In that session, his team-mate Leon Haslam (GBR) was in the top three for a long time. At the end of the session he put his BMW S 1000 RR on the provisional second row being eighth. BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team rider Ayrton Badovini (ITA) finished the first qualifying practice in 12th; his team-mate Michel Fabrizio (ITA) was 18th. Save the date: BMW Motorrad Motorsport is delighted to welcome you to a Happy Hour with music, drinks and snacks on Saturday, June 9, 5:30 pm at the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Hospitality in the paddock. Please find the invitation attached. Marco Melandri: Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:36.613 min (P1)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: 1:36.795 min (P4) “I am very happy about today. It was the first time riding in very hot conditions. We had one day of testing in Phillip Island when it was similar, but we have been at a different level since then. This afternoon we struggled a little bit with the feeling at the front. We tried to fix it and I think that in the end we made good progress. The bike was working much better. It is not going to be easy, but so far we can be happy. For sure, Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi will be very strong, but I will try to make their life not too easy.” Leon Haslam: Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:37.713 min (P10)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: 1:37.009 min (P8) “It was a good day. We collected a lot of data as we have a lot of tyre choices this weekend. We are doing more research on what tyre we are using and working on finding a set-up for each tyre we have. So far we have not tried them all yet, but three different options from five. With the options we will try tomorrow we can be faster, but we need to look for a tyre that lasts the whole race. Overall I am positive. We are not too far away, the times are pretty close and I didn’t throw tyres at it to get a lap time so I am really happy.” Andrea Dosoli (Head of Race Operations): “Overall, this first day was positive for us. Both riders spent the two sessions working on the settings and evaluating different tyres. Marco was fastest this morning; in the afternoon with the hotter conditions it was a little bit more difficult for him and he was struggling entering corners. His crew collected good information and tomorrow for sure he will improve, although the gap to the front is not so big. We are confident that we can be faster and consistent. Leon and his crew have been working hard on several areas, including tyre selection, electronics and chassis. They will continue evaluating the tyres tomorrow. Also with Leon, it is clear in which direction we have to head in order to improve the lap time and we are sure that he will be faster tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Team Effenbert Liberty Racing: Good expectation for the Superpole The today Q1 gave the first important results on the track to Liberty Racing Team, that on the Misano World Circuit has continued its work on development its Ducati 1198R in order to be ready for the seventh round of the Superbike World championship. The gaps from the leader Carlos Checa, respectively of three-tenths for Guintoli and 4/10 to Smrž, give optimism at the Czech team for the Q2 and the next Superpole, decisive for the starting grid, that it will be held tomorrow afternoon. Under the first checkered flag of the Romagna weekend Sylvain Guintoli, with a time of 1’36 “829, snapped the sixth place, while the team mate, Jakub Smrž, won, due to the lap time of 1’37” 022, the ninth place. Some difficulties for Maxime Berger, for now relegated to 22th position with the time of 1’38 “198. Once again there are all the motivations to do the best for the Liberty Racing Team. The young Maxime Berger is ready to put in track his talent and once again the experienced riders, Guintoli and Smrž, will be able not to disappoint fans and the insiders. More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Carlos Checa tops the Misano timesheets on day one Misano Adriatico (Italy), June 8, 2012 – Reigning World Champion Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) and former Misano race winner Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) wrestled with the stopwatch at Misano in the first qualifying session of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship, with Checa coming out on top by a slim margin of 0.047 seconds. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) put his four-cylinder third in the rankings, with BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Marco Melandri making it four different types of machine in the top four places after the first day. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati) was fifth with Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) posting another strong result for the Ducati riders, in sixth. Young Frenchman Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) was the top Kawasaki competitor on display today, seventh. Leon Haslam, Melandri’s team-mate, was eighth with Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert Ducati) ninth and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) rounding out the top ten. Despite being fast in the early free session Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) could not make enough improvements to go any higher than 11th, with local man Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia Gold Bet) 12th. Wild card rider for Barni Racing Team Italia, Matteo Baiocco, was 17th. The top 18 riders in first qualifying were grouped together within 1.093 seconds of each other. One more qualifying session will take place tomorrow, before Tissot-Superpole determines the final top 16 grid positions in the afternoon. Times: 1. Checa (Ducati) 1’36.521 average 157.620 kph; 2. Rea (Honda) 1’36.568; 3. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1’36.703; 4. Melandri (BMW) 1’36.795; 5. Giugliano (Ducati) 1’36.806; 6. Guintoli (Ducati) 1’36.829; 7. Baz (Kawasaki) 1’36.957; 8. Haslam (BMW) 1’37.009; 9. Smrz (Ducati) 1’37.022; 10. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1’37.044; 11. Camier (Suzuki) 1’37.280; 12. Badovini (BMW) 1’37.295; 13. Laverty (Aprilia) 1’37.340; 14. Zanetti (Ducati) 1’37.406; 15. Canepa (Ducati) 1’37.439; 16. Hopkins (Suzuki) 1’37.514; etc. World Supersport Donington race-winner Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda) pushed his way to the top of the first qualifying time sheets with a 1 minute 38.987 second lap time at Misano, making him the only rider inside the 1’38s. Second quickest was Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini man Kenan Sofuoglu, ahead of Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Honda Racing Products) and French star Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda). Stefano Cruciani (Puccetti Racing Kawasaki Italia) heads the provisional second row, with Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step) sixth, while Alex Baldolini (Power Team by Suriano) took his three-cylinder Triumph into the top seven, as the last man to set a time under the 1 minute 40 second mark. Times: 1. Lowes (Honda) 1’38.987 average 153.693 kph; 2. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 1’39.210; 3. Parkes (Honda) 1’39.265; 4. Cluzel (Honda) 1’39.276; 5. Cruciani (Kawasaki) 1’39.661; 6. Foret (Kawasaki) 1’39.898; 7. Baldolini (Triumph) 1’39.904; 8. Quarmby (Honda) 1’40.143; etc. Superstock 1000 Ducati 1199 Panigale rider Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Team Italia) secured provisional pole in a closely fought contest for early supremacy in the Superstock 1000 class. Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R), in his first race with the team in place of SBK-bound Baz, rode to second with the cosmopolitan nature of the machinery contest demonstrated by the fact that the BMW S1000RR of Michele Magnoni (G.M Racing) was third in the early rankings. Lorenzo Savadori (Barni Racing Team Italia Ducati Panigale) slotted in ahead of the BMW of Markus Reiterberger (Team Alpha Racing) for fourth place. Marco Bussolotti (SK Energy Racing Team) showed there is still life in the older Ducati 1098R yet by riding his vee-twin to sixth place. Times: 1. La Marra (Ducati) 1’39.634 average 152.695 kph; 2. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 1’39.701; 3. Magnoni (BMW) 1’39.831; 4. Savadori (Ducati) 1’40.099;5. Reiterberger (BMW) 1’40.279; 6. Bussolotti (Ducati) 1’40.286; 7. Barrier (BMW) 1’40.356; 8. Massei (Honda) 1’40.358; etc. Superstock 600 Points leader and home man Riccardo Russo (Team Italia FMI Yamaha) was the fastest in the first Superstock 600 qualifying run at Misano, in a session which saw a few drops of rain appear right at the end. Kawasaki’s Christian Gamarino (Team GO ELEVEN) was second and Russo’s team-mate Luca Vitali (Team Italia FMI Yamaha) third. Top level Dutch competitor Michael Vd Mark (EAB Ten Kate Junior Team) was fourth and also the first Honda man on the overnight grid. His team-mate Bastien Chesaux fifth and Gamarino’s team-mate Tony Covena sixth. Times: 1. Russo (Yamaha) 1’42.678 average 148.168 kph; 2. Gamarino (Kawasaki) 1’42.801; 3. Vitali (Yamaha) 1’42.805; 4. Vd Mark (Honda) 1’42.855;5. Chesaux (Honda) 1’42.886; 6. Coveña (Kawasaki) 1’42.934; 7. Morbidelli (Yamaha) 1’43.026; 8. Schacht (Honda) 1’43.137; etc. KTM European Junior Cup Austria’s Lukas Wimmer took the top spot in the first practice session for the European Junior Cup at Misano, from Polish rider Adrian Pasek and Spain’s Christian Vidal. Aussie rider Giuseppe Scarcella scored fourth in the rankings, with the qualifying session set for Saturday and a nine-lap race scheduled for Sunday. Times: 1. Wimmer (KTM) 1’53.004 average 134.629 kph; 2. Pasek (KTM) 1’53.225; 3. Vidal (KTM) 1’53.690; 4. Scarcella (KTM) 1’53.743; 5. Wielebski(KTM) 1’54.663; 6. Garcia (KTM) 1’54.999; 7. Orellana (KTM) 1’55.012; 8. Patterson (KTM) 1’55.105; etc. Coppa dei Due Paesi (Two Nations Cup) Experienced rider Denis Sacchetti (SD Rider Team Kawasaki) was quickest on Friday at Misano in the Coppa dei Due Paesi class, with female rider Alessia Polita (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) second, also for Italy. Leonardo Leuthe Biliotti (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) was third, with the first non-Italian rider being Motorpower Honda rider Patrik Vostarek from the Czech Republic in fourth. More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: FRIDAY PRACTICE AT MISANO ADRIATICO. THIRD PLACE TIME OF THE DAY FOR RANKING LEADER MAX BIAGGI, WHO WILL ATTEMPT TO SHAVE OFF A FEW MORE PRECIOUS TENTHS OF A SECOND TOMORROW. EUGENE LAVERTY SUFFERS WITH SOME GRIP ISSUES AND WILL NEED TO DO SOME WORK TO GET UP TO SNUFF FOR THE RACES. Misano, 8 June 2012 The Misano Adriatico Superbike weekend got underway with the first two Friday sessions. The free practice session in the morning had Max Biaggi and Eugene Laverty lapping consistently in order to adjust the RSV4 to the decidedly summer conditions of the circuit in Emilia Romagna. The final times of the session placed the Corsair in seventh place while Eugene put the fifteenth best time on the boards. After the customary changes, the Aprilia riders took the track for the first qualifiers. Max, at the end of 16 timed laps, earned third place for the day, showing encouraging progress and consistent performance. Max Biaggi has rather clear ideas about tomorrow: “We did some testing between the morning and afternoon sessions to try and find the beneficial points of this track, but without any great results. We had the biggest problems with the bike’s balance, although the situation improved from about halfway through the second session. Like everyone else, we tested various tyre choices including some solutions which are new, but very similar. We’ve done about 80% of the work but we can still improve, especially where better traction is concerned”. There were some difficulties for Eugene Laverty, who complained of poor grip after a few laps. In view of the races the rider from Northern Ireland knows that he’ll have to work on long distance duration rather than his fast lap. Tomorrow Eugene and his mechanics will continue working based on the observations made today in order to move up in the rankings, which put them in thirteenth place today. “We didn’t get off on the right foot today. Already after the first few laps I’m struggling to get the grip I need out of the rear tyre and it isn’t getting any better. The others are much more consistent, so we need to improve significantly for tomorrow. I don’t have any radical changes in mind, but there are some small steps we can take in order to get close to an optimum set-up. Being quick on the fast lap isn’t that important. The races are long and knowing how to manage tyre wear is essential”. More, from a press release issued by FIXI Crescent Suzuki: FIXI Crescent Suzuki in Superpole after first qualifying FIXI Crescent Suzuki racers Leon Camier and John Hopkins are both in Superpole positions for this weekend’s seventh round of the World Superbike Championship at Misano in Italy after today’s first qualifying session. Camier (P11, 1’37.280) was only 0.759 seconds from the fastest time of the day around the 4,226m Italian circuit, with Hopkins (P16, 1’37.514) just 0.993 seconds away from provisional pole position. Camier made a positive start to the weekend’s proceedings by recording the fifth quickest time in this morning free practice session. While team-mate Hopkins had to overcome some small issues this morning, before producing one of his most productive sessions of the season so far in this afternoon’s qualifying on his Yoshimura-powered Suzuki GSX-R. Today’s conditions were very warm on the Adriatic Riviera with air temperatures reaching 28°C and track temperatures getting up to 36°C. Current World Champion Carlos Checa on a Ducati set the fastest lap. Camier and Hopkins will have a further qualifying session of 45-minutes tomorrow morning to try and confirm their positions for the afternoon’s Superpole, where the top-16 riders will be going all-out to get the best grid positions for Sunday’s two races. Leon Camier: “This afternoon the track felt more slippery than this morning and probably that’s why most people didn’t go much faster. Sometimes that happens when the temperature goes up, but our main problem this afternoon was with chatter. That’s what’s preventing me from going quicker and once we can solve this problem I’ll go quite a bit faster for sure. At one stage this afternoon, I was running in the top-six and I really feel that this is more or less where I should be. Once we sort out the chatter, I’ll be able to run with the top guys again and that’s what I’ll be going for tomorrow.” John Hopkins: “I haven’t been to Misano for couple of years, so I was hoping to get out today and put in as many laps as I could and get familiar with the track again. Unfortunately, my bike had a bit of a misfire this morning and I lost some useful track time. This afternoon, we tried a couple of different tyre combinations and improved the bike throughout the session and I was able to get into a decent rhythm and more comfortable with the bike. At the end of qualifying we fitted a new rear with a used front tyre and the combination wasn’t good enough to improve my lap times. I have no issues or problems with any of my injuries and every lap I do, I feel better and better – and that makes me pretty confident of further improvement tomorrow.” Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “Leon was pretty much on the pace from the word go, which means that the chassis is in good enough shape for him to be confident straight away. He was running fifth for a while and I think that was realistic, but there’s room for improvement for sure. John lost some valuable track time this morning because of a faulty coil. He brought the bike back and we checked it out thoroughly because we wanted to make sure it was a problem with a coil, not something mechanical or more serious. The boys sorted it out and all was OK again. This afternoon’s qualifying went reasonably well, though Leon did suffer a bit with chatter. Because of this, he concentrated on getting a good rear end set-up, instead of chasing lap times. “John continued to get the laps in and be comfortable with the FIXI Crescent Suzuki and I’m sure he’d have been quicker at the end if we’d had enough time to fit a new front to complement the new rear. I’m optimistic that both Leon and John will get into Superpole and then the aim is to get good grid positions it’s particularly important at this circuit because it’s very difficult to overtake in the first section of the track. If they can qualify well and make good starts, I’m sure good results will follow.”