FIM Superbike World Championship Nurburgring, Germany September 3, 2010 Provisional Qualifying Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1098R), 1:55.232 2. Troy CORSER, Australia (BMW S1000RR), 1:55.447 3. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (Ducati 1098F10), 1:55.753 4. Shane BYRNE, Great Britain (Ducati 1098R), 1:55.998 5. Noriyuki HAGA, Japan (Ducati 1098F10), 1:56.024 6. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:56.077 7. Cal CRUTCHLOW, Great Britain (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:56.169 8. Jonathan REA, Great Britain (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:56.253 9. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:56.340 10. Tom SYKES, Great Britain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:56.436 11. Leon HASLAM, Great Britain (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:56.617 12. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:56.617 13. Luca SCASSA, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:56.734 14. Ruben XAUS, Spain (BMW S1000RR), 1:56.799 15. Lorenzo LANZI, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:56.819 16. Leon CAMIER, Great Britain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:56.825 17. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:56.838 18. James TOSELAND, Great Britain (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:57.001 19. Ian LOWRY, Great Britain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:58.403 20. Roger HAYDEN, USA (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:58.794 21. Fabrizio LAI, Italy (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:59.319 22. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:00.736 More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Weather conditions: Light clouds. Temperature: Air: 19 – 21 °C, Track: 31 – 33 °C Number of riders participating: 22 from 13 teams Fastest lap Free Practice: Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing) 1:56.571 min Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:55.232 min Programme: Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Troy Corser (AUS) had a very satisfying Friday at the Nürburgring (GER). He finished the first day of the team’s home event of the 2010 FIM Superbike World Championship in an encouraging second, and is happy after a very productive Friday. Ruben Xaus (ESP) was still struggling to find rear grip and finished 14th. Xaus and the team are confident they will find a solution before tomorrow’s Superpole. BMW Motorrad Motorsport also wants to congratulate Sami Penna. The Finn is one of the successful riders of the BMW S 1000 RR in national championships and has celebrated an early title victory in the Nordic Superbike Championship. Troy Corser: Bike: BMW S 1000 RR Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:57.250 min (9th ) / Fastest lap Qualifying 1: 1:55.447 min (2nd) “This morning we just ran the bike the way it was when we finished in Silverstone, because I was quite happy with the settings we found for the second race there. We had to adjust the springs at the front a little bit, and also the rear of the bike to find some grip. We have also been working on the gearbox. Now I am pretty happy and confident for the rest of the weekend.” Ruben Xaus: Bike: BMW S 1000 RR Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:57.835 min (15th ) / Fastest lap Qualifying 1: 1:56.799 min (14th) “The practice was quite okay. We are already faster here with this bike than we were last year. There is nothing else I could ask for. But I need some more grip. That is our only problem. The bike is getting better and better, but we have no grip at all. As soon as we find the solution I am sure we can be at the top again.” Davide Tardozzi (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager): “We are very happy about Troy’s performance, while for Ruben we are still struggling with rear grip. I am pretty sure Ruben can improve tomorrow while we think that with Troy we can fight for the podium on Sunday.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Yamaha Sterilgarda WSB riders complete first qualifying session at the Nurburgring Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland spent the first day of qualifying at the Nurburgring getting back into the swing of riding after their summer holiday, Toseland also spending some time reacquainting himself with the Nurburgring circuit having not ridden it since 1999. The Yamaha bikes have been untouched since the last round at Silverstone so the free practice and following first qualifying session were spent making initial changes to the set up of both riders R1s to work with the demanding German circuit. Having won here in style last year, Crutchlow had no need to learn the track so was up to pace slightly quicker than team mate Toseland. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (7th, 1’56.169) “Today was not so bad, seventh overall is ok. We will go faster tomorrow though! We will look at some of our chassis and gearbox settings to see how we can achieve this. I’m not so worried; I think the times are pretty close from second place to tenth. We’re looking forward to improving some more in the morning. James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (18th, 1’57.001) “The position looks worse than it is! We’ve been working with a new engine that we’ve got this weekend and trying some different settings along with learning the track. It’s been tough learning the track today but I’m quite optimistic with the times. I’m looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow morning and getting faster.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “Having spent a month away from the track on holiday today was a good opportunity for both James and Cal to get back onto the bikes and riding again. We are satisfied with this first outing and confident that tomorrow we will get down to faster times as we set up for Superpole and the races on Sunday.” More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: Hannspree Ten Kate Honda riders, Jonathan Rea and Max Neukirchner, have some work to do with their technical crews tonight in order to improve their provisional positions after today’s opening World Superbike championship qualifying session at Nurburgring in Germany. The duo finished in eighth and 12th places respectively in preparation for Sunday’s two eleventh round races at the 5.137km circuit set alongside the historic Nordschleife in Germany’s Eiffel Mountains. Provisional pole position was taken by veteran Spanish rider, Carlos Checa, as Rea ran close to the lap record time he established on the final lap of his victorious second race at the corresponding round last year. Neukirchner used today’s two settings first to establish a base setting and then to fine-tune his riding style to suit the flowing and undulating Nurburgring circuit. Jonathan Rea P8 1m56.253s We spent a lot of time on old tyres today, and when we eventually put in a new tyre it was like a completely different world! We’re not really sure why it didn’t work as we expected, so we tried another and that one seemed to work pretty good, but I only managed to get a couple of laps on it at the end of the session. We’re still quite a long way away from a good and comfortable setting. We need to work a lot on engine braking and corner entry stability where the rear is a little bit off line and upsetting the bike. So, we’ve got a lot of work to do tonight especially looking at the pace of the guys out front. I’m pretty close to lap record pace but there are seven guys in front of me who are under it, which just shows how competitive it is. Max Neukirchner P12 1m56.617s I only used one set of tyres in the free practice this morning so, although the position and the time we re not very good, I knew that we would be able to improve this afternoon. In the qualifying session this afternoon we concentrated more on riding style and the times came more easily. I am quite sure we can improve even more tomorrow, so I think you can say I am very happy with this first day at Nurburgring. Ronald ten Kate team manager Well, we’re not in the positions we were hoping for but I think we’ve found a direction to go for tomorrow. Towards the end of the session both riders made quite a jump forward but we are still quite a bit away from the front runners so we definitely need some bigger changes for tomorrow. More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Checa leads day one for Althea with new record lap Privateer Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) slammed in a brilliant new track best lap of 1’55.232 during the opening qualifying session of race weekend to lead local favourite Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport). Checa was a podium finisher at Nürburgring in 2009, and is looking forward to another chance to improve tomorrow, before facing Superpole on Saturday afternoon. On his German-built BMW machine, Corser headed a trio of Ducati riders; Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox Team, Shane Byrne”ƒ(Althea Racing Ducati) and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox Team). Championship leader Max Biaggi was sixth for Aprilia Alitalia Racing, keeping up the pressure on challenger Leon Haslam, who was only 11th for Suzuki Alstare. Double Silverstone race winner Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Team) was top Yamaha rider, Jonathan Rea (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda) the fastest Honda man in eighth place. Privateer Jakub Smrz (Team PATA B&G Racing) slipped into the top ten, as did Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) on the same weekend his team launched their new 2011 season challenger in the WSBK paddock. Local hero Max Neukirchner (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda) posted a top 12 time, but it was an unhappy and painful session for Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia Racing) who broke his right wrist in a heavy fall, and has been declared unfit to race on Sunday. He also hurt his knee, but without serious injury. Stand-in rider Ian Lowry”ƒ(Kawasaki Racing Team) was 19th and by no means the last rider in the first day rankings. Times: 1. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1’55.232; 2. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’55.447; 3. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’55.753; 4. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1’55.998; 5. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1’56.024; 6. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’56.077; 7. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’56.169; 8. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’56.253; 9. Smrz J. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’56.340; 10. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’56.436; 11. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’56.617; 12. Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1’56.617; 13. Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’56.734; 14. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1’56.799; 15. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’56.819; 16. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’56.825; etc. World Supersport Championship leader Kenan Sofuoglu (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda) set a 1’59.276 lap on the first day of competitive action in Germany, but Spanish rider David Salom (ParkinGO BE1 Triumph) was only 1/1000th of a second behind. Silverstone podium finisher Gino Rea (Intermoto Czech) went third on his Honda, despite a late fall, without injury. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki Motocard.com)”ƒwas fourth on the official Ninja ZX-6R, his new team-mate Broc Parkes seventh. Championship challenger Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) was fifth. One more qualifying session remains to determine the final grid positions tomorrow. Times: 1. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1’59.276; 2. Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 1’59.277; 3. Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’59.807; 4. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’59.818; 5. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1’59.964; 6. Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2’00.104; 7. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2’00.275; 8. Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 2’00.423; etc. Superstock 1000 Italian rider Andrea Antonelli (Honda Lorini) set the fastest time of day one at the Nürburgring in the Superstock class, heading off new champion Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia STK) by only 0.035 seconds. Maxime Berger (Honda Ten Kate Race Junior) posted the third best lap and a return to the big time for Lorenzo Zanetti (Ducati SS Lazio Motorsport) put him fourth. Sylvain Barrier (Garnier Junior Racing BMW) slotted in fifth, while Michele Magnoni (Bevilacqua Corse Honda) stayed in contention in sixth place. Times: 1. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2’00.464; 2. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2’00.499; 3. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2’00.790; 4. Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2’00.977; 5. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 2’01.192; 6. Magnoni M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2’01.725; 7. Giugliano D. (ITA)Suzuki GSX-R 1000 2’01.840; 8. La Marra E. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2’01.865; etc. Superstock 600 Local rider Marc Moser (Sport-Evolution Triumph) was a popular early pace setter in Superstock 600, leading regular Yamaha competitors Jeremy Guarnoni”ƒ(MRS Racing) and Romain Lanusse (MRS Racing) in the top-three battle. The leader enjoyed an impressive 0.761 second advantage over Guarnoni at the end. Joshua Elliott”ƒ(Racedays Kawasaki) took a top four placing, ahead of Dutchman Tony Covena (Econocom Yamaha). Times: 1. Moser M. (GER) Triumph Daytona 675 2’04.266; 2. Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 2’05.027; 3. Lanusse R. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 2’05.047; 4. Elliott J. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2’05.089; 5.Covena T. (NED) Yamaha YZF R6 2’05.284; 6. Gregorini G. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 2’05.741; 7. D’Annunzio F. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 2’05.788; 8. Lombardi B. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 2’05.889; etc. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Alstare: HARD DAY’S GRAFT FOR LEON AND SYLVAIN. The first day of practice and qualifying at the Nurburgring today was a tough one for Team Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli. The tyres brought here for this event were the same type as the new ones that Leon, Sylvain and the team found hard to work with in Misano and Brno and so a lot more work on bike set-up has to be done before they can push as hard as they want. Ducati and Aprilia tested at Mugello recently (with these tyres) and it was no surprise that they dominated the top six positions today, with Carlos Checa leading the way. Leon – 11th, 1:56.617 It’s been a bit frustrating today because we’ve had to do a lot of work trying to get the tyres to work with our bike. The tyres here are the same type we had problems with in Misano and Brno and they are taking a lot of understanding and work before we can get to the stage we’d like to be. They definitely work differently to the standard tyres and, at the moment, our bike works better with the standard rubber. I didn’t know in advance that we were going to get these tyres here, but it is up to us to make them work and that’s what we will do as best we can. I like this track a lot and I’m looking forward to tomorrow, getting somewhere with the tyres and moving up the grid. I’m sure the races will be tough on Sunday, but that is exactly the kind of challenge I like and I am definitely up for it. Sylvain – 17th, 1:56.837 Seventeenth doesn’t look so good, but I’m pretty close to Leon in lap times and once again the difference between us all is not so big. These tyres require a lot more working on than the standard ones, but I am confident that we can make them work and be in a better position tomorrow. I have never been to this track before, so I had to start the day learning which way round it goes and I am happy that I managed to learn it as quickly as I did and that’s a good sign for tomorrow. This track is a mixture of Mugello and the Saxon Ring. It’s technical and there are many fast corners and I Iove that kind of thing. I’m looking forward to a big improvement tomorrow and a good grid position for raceday. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: BOTH DUCATI XEROX RIDERS FINISH FIRST QUALIFYING IN THE TOP FIVE AT THE NURBURGRING The Nürburgring (Germany), Friday 3rd September: after the month long summer break the World Superbike riders returned to the track today and, at the end of first qualifying, the Ducati Xerox team and its riders Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga can be satisfied with the results, Michel having concluded in third position and Noriyuki in fifth. In the first free practice session, the two factory riders made a strong start, particularly Fabrizio who, having identified the best rear tyre, was able to lap consistently fast, recording interesting lap times. The Italian riders closed the session in second position, a fraction of a second behind Max Biaggi. Noriyuki also made constant progress throughout the free practice session, to close in fourth, two tenth of a second behind team-mate Michel. Later in the day, Noriyuki made an even more determined start to first qualifying, recording a 1m56 flat almost immediately. Despite fast lap times, he was unable to improve on that time but nonetheless closed in fifth position, satisfied with his pace. Michel was victim of a crash mid-way through the 60-minute session but was fortunately unhurt and able to return to the track minutes later. In the final phase Fabrizio finally ducked under the 1m56 barrier with a time that projected him to third in the standings, a position he held until the close of the session. Michel Fabrizio 1m55.7s “I’d say we made a good start today. I immediately had a good feeling with the tyre and we were able to do almost race distance during free practice which boosted my confidence. It’s a pity I crashed; we’d made some changes to the rear of my bike which improved feeling and meant that I was pushing, perhaps a little too hard as I lost the front. Anyway we have good race pace, the tyres are working well and I’m pretty happy.” Noriyuki Haga 1m56.0s “The Nürburgring is a track that I really like and I hope to do well here on Sunday. We haven’t had any particular problems today but there are certain corners where the level of feeling is lacking compared to last year so we will make some more modifications tomorrow, to the front fork especially, to see if we can improve. I’ve tried the new rear tyre and I like it but I’m still not sure as to the front tyre; we need to carry out a long-run tomorrow and then we’ll see”¦” More, from a press release issued by Alitalia Aprilia: The Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team is back on the track for the first day of practice at the German Nurburgring circuit. A good début for ranking leader Max Biaggi (first in the free practice round and sixth in qualifying practice) while team mate Leon Camier suffered a bad fall, fracturing his wrist. Nurburgring, 3 September 2010 World Superbike returns after the summer break on the Nurburgring track where Max Biaggi and the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team make no bones about their desire to solidify the respective leaderships out front of the riders for the four time world champion and the manufacturers for the Team. The first day of practice is halfway happy for the red, white and green team: a decisive beginning for the Roman champion counter-balances the unfortunate crash of his team mate, Leon Camier. The Brit had a slide during the first timed session, suffering trauma to his knee and worst of all a fractured scaphoid, the wrist bone. At the moment his condition is being evaluated by the Mobile Clinic: the possibility that surgery may be needed is clear. Obviously this puts Camier at risk for the last part of the season. In the morning free practice session Aprilia colours bearer Max Biaggi literally rocketed out with a time of 1’56.571. The timed session in the afternoon, on the other hand, ended with a sixth time for Max at 1’56.077, while Leon came in sixteenth before his fall. Max Biaggi commented: “We’re having a bit of difficulty transferring power to the ground. We’re suffering particularly from vibrations. I’d say it’s nothing very surprising, but tomorrow we need to improve. We need to find the best possible setup. Today I also tried changing out bikes to evaluate the best different solutions and test the effects. Pirelli has provided a new tyre for everyone, but I didn’t use it very much. Apparently we’ll see an improvement with it, but I’ll have to test it more thoroughly tomorrow. In short, this was a busy Friday. Now we need to put all of this information together and make the choices which will let us close in on the leaders.” More, from a press release issued by Team PATA/B&G Racing: World Superbike returned after the summer break with the first of the last three rounds of the season. The PATA B&G Racing team is looking forward to taking to the Nurburgring track, after both rider and crew accumulated experience with the new bike . This lead to a very good practice session, during which the rider gradually improved his performance and found a better bike setup. Lorenzo Baroni, in Superstock, focused on finding a good setup as well, ahead of the qualifying practice session held tomorrow. JAKUB SMRZ | Aprilia RSV4 | 9th in 1’56.340: “I’m happy with day 1 as I was fast in all sections of the track. The gap from the front runners was all accumulated in the first split time and so I’m confident I can do better tomorrow. I have a better feeling with the bike as well, I also have a better work relationship with the engineers and mechanics, as far as potential changes to the bike are concerned. Therefore, I believe we can aim high tomorrow”. LORENZO BARONI | Ducati 1098R | 10th in 2’02.191: “I tried to get a good feeling with the track and worked on bike setup in today’s session. The bike tended to slip when exiting the corner, but I think we’re on the right track nonetheless. I could’ve set a better time today as well, but I made a small mistake and went wide, so I decided to continue tomorrow”. More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY HAPPY WITH SECOND AT THE ‘RING’ Troy ended the first day of practice and qualifying at the Nurburgring satisfied with the progress he made today, but is looking forward to further improvement tomorrow. Troy likes the 5.137 kilometre track and today’s only real problems were to do with finding good grip. Pirelli brought the tyres they introduced in Misano and Brno – the ones that took more understanding and work on bike set-up than the standard tyres – and so Troy and team had to try many different things to get the bike working well with them. Ducati tested at Mugello recently (with these tyres) and it was no surprise that they dominated the top six positions today, with Carlos Checa leading the way. Second though is Troy, with Michel Fabrizio third and Shakey Byrne fourth. Troy – 2nd, 1:55.447 We started this morning with the bike the way it was when we finished in Silverstone, because I had liked the settings we used there in the second race. We had to adjust the springs at the front a little bit, and also the rear of the bike to find some grip and really grip was our main problem today, but that’s normal on the first day. We also worked on getting the bike more stable and trying to mesh together the good settings and feelings of the two different tyres we tried today. There’s more work to be done in that area, but I’m feeling fairly good about the prospects this weekend. I like this track and, so far, things have been going pretty well. This is the team’s home race, so I would like to get a couple of podiums for them and all our fans here. It’s not going to easy on Sunday, but if things work out well in qualifying and Superpole tomorrow, there’s no reason why we can’t be celebrating at the end. Wish me luck! Troy More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: The Nurburgring, 3rd September 2010 the eleventh round of the 2010 World Superbike Championship got underway today with first qualifying at the Nurburgring. Althea Racing’s riders Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne were both on track and, under the watchful eye of team manager Genesio Bevilacqua, both the Spaniard and the Briton made the most of the hour-long qualifying session. The afternoon’s best time was in fact set by Checa; a 1m55.232 recorded in the final stages was enough to secure provisional pole and is in fact a new lap record, two tenths quicker than Neukirchner’s previous record, set in 2008. On the Ducati, prepared by the Italian squad, the Spanish rider made several laps in under 1m56, demonstrating strong pace ahead of Sunday’s races. “We’ve done some good work”, said Carlos. “I like the track a lot and last year I was able to make two great races. The Ducati performs very well here, a track where the engine power counts. We are particularly strong in the first section of the track but we cannot relax tomorrow because the competition is tough. We’ll concentrate on the little details and will work without too much stress as, being up ahead, we won’t have to make major changes to a set-up that’s already giving good results.” Shane Byrne was also a protagonist of today’s action. The Englishman closed the morning session in fifth position and did even better in the afternoon, holding second place until almost the end of qualifying when Corser and Fabrizio put in marginally faster lap times, meaning Byrne thus closed in fourth. A virtual front row spot is a boost to Shane’s morale ahead of tomorrow’s second qualifying. He commented: “We’ve got off on the right foot and I’m pretty satisfied. We could have done better but a problem with the rear setting slowed us down and didn’t allow us to improve on fourth. Tomorrow we’ll try to improve the set-up further but I’m happy to be back in front and happy that Carlos is there too. At this point we hope to do the double which would give the team an unforgettable weekend…” Second qualifying is schedule for tomorrow morning, 10:45 while Superpole kicks off at 15:00. On Sunday the races begin at 12:00 and 15:30.