FIM Superbike World Championship Valencia, Spain April 10, 2010 Final Qualifying Results, After Superpole (all on Pirelli tires): From Superpole Three: 1. Cal CRUTCHLOW (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:33.615 2. Carlos CHECA (Ducati 1098R), 1:33.840 3. Max BIAGGI (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:33.860 4. Leon HASLAM (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:33.961 5. Troy CORSER (BMW S1000 RR), 1:34.059 6. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:35.189 7. Jonathan REA (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:34.235 8. Lorenzo LANZI (Ducati 1098R), 1:34.261 From Superpole Two: 9. James TOSELAND (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:33.988 10. Michel FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098F10), 1:34.021 11. Noriyuki HAGA (Ducati 1098F10), 1:34.100 12. Shane BYRNE (Ducati 1098R), 1:34.246 13. Leon CAMIER (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:34.273 14. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 1098R), 1:34.280 15. Luca SCASSA (Ducati 1098R), 1:34.730 16. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:34.934 From Superpole One: 17. Ruben XAUS (BMW S1000 RR), 1:34.756 18. Tom SYKES (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:34.894 19. Andrew PITT (BMW S1000 RR), 1:36.088 20. Sheridan MORAIS (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:36.072 The Rest of the Grid: 21. Matteo BAIOCCO (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:36.104 22. Roger HAYDEN (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:36.117 23. Simon ANDREWS (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:36.329 24. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:36.524 25. Roland RESCH (BMW S1000 RR), 1:36.639 More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: Jonathan Rea will start tomorrow’s two third round World Superbike championship races from the second row of the grid after setting the seventh fastest time in today’s Superpole 3 at Valencia in Spain. His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, was unable to progress from Superpole 1 today, and will start from the fourth row, as Britain’s Cal Crutchlow set the pole position time. After being a second off the pace yesterday, Rea’s crew made some small changes to his Honda CBR1000RR to enable him to set the fourth fastest time of the day in Superpole 2. However, having used both of his qualifying tyres in the first two sessions the 23-year-old from Northern Ireland, had to revert to race tyres in Superpole 3. Despite his starting position, Neukirchner remains positive about the progression made by his team since yesterday’s opening session. The German suffered a mechanical problem in Superpole but is looking forward to tomorrow’s two 23-lap races at the 4.005km Ricardo Tormo circuit. Jonathan Rea P7, 1’33.733s A bit of bad Superpole timing again as I think my Superpole 2 time would’ve put me on the front row. I was trying really hard in Superpole 3 and got really good drive out of the final corner, but I braked in the usual place and it was a bit late so I had to abort the lap. I’m actually a lot happier now because we were miles away yesterday and now we’re near the front and pretty quick on the race tyre. I’m happier with the circuit, too, where I’ve never had good results. It was a confidence thing and I’ve attacked it in methodical steps this weekend so I’m really looking forward to racing tomorrow. I’d like to thank Ronald and the team for helping me as much off the bike as on it, and I’d like to reward them with a couple of really good results tomorrow. Max Neukirchner P16, 1’34.934s This morning was not so bad and we were able to make some good progress forward. This afternoon, even though the grip levels were down in free practice because of the higher track temperature, we were still finding a way forward and I am feeling a lot more comfortable pushing harder on the bike. The first Superpole went OK but then I had a mechanical problem and had to go out on my spare bike. The settings were a little bit different and I couldn’t go any faster. The weekend has been positive so far and we’ll try to make more progress in warm-up and in the races tomorrow. Ronald ten Kate team manager We really needed quite a step forward after yesterday’s problems and we found that in both lap times and position with Jonathan today. He managed one of the quickest times of the day in Superpole 2 and I believe he will be challenging for podiums tomorrow. I’m sorry for Max that he had a mechanical problem in Superpole but we are definitely finding a way forward with him. We’ll aim to help him to two solid points finishes in the races. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow put the challenges of yesterday’s qualifying behind him today, calmly working through the Superpole sessions to lay down the fastest lap of the third heat and claim his second consecutive Superpole of the 2010 season. Unlike many of his rivals Crutchlow saved his Qualifier tyres for the second and third sessions, delivering fast enough laps on a race tyre to make it through the first heat. Team mate James Toseland was on equally impressive form, making it calmly through the first session without using a qualifying tyre. The second heat saw him switch to his first of the sticky tyres, putting in a solid 1’33.988 to claim third with five minutes to go. Unfortunately a flurry of competitive laps as the session closed saw him drop to ninth, a mere one thousandth of a second off eighth and a chance to compete in the third session. A breakdown of the timing screens at the end of the session added to the confusion, making it unclear for some time whether he was through or not. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1st, 1’33.615) “It was good last year in Supersport, we had ten poles in total and we’ve now started the tally with two for this season which is great. The team have worked really hard this weekend as it’s been difficult for us, quite like Australia, the grip level is not so good which is where we struggle. We went to Portugal and we had a lot of grip and the bike was fantastic, we’ve come here and it’s hard work again but we’re getting there. We’ll have another late night tonight and then I’ll look forward to the race tomorrow, it’s alright doing one fast lap but 23 is a different story. I think we surprised a few people today, I used the same tyres in the first qualification session today as I used yesterday, finishing in 15th but I wasn’t so worried. I knew if we could work through the stages we would be ok for the pole.” James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (9th, 1’33.988) “Lady luck doesn’t seem to be shining on me at the start of this season! To lose out by one thousandth is a frustrating blow, especially as I knew the time was there. I wanted to save my second qualifier for the last Superpole session, for sure we could have done a similar time to Cal. It was definitely possible. Congratulations to Cal for another pole position, putting the bike where it should be. I’m disappointed for the team because we’ve worked really well this weekend and improved the bike again. To lose out on the top eight by such a small time and then the confusion when the screens went down is very frustrating. We’ve come a long way with the package so we just need to get a good start tomorrow because we know we have the race pace.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “We made a really good improvement from yesterday to this afternoon with both bikes. I’m so sorry for James, to lose the last Superpole by only one thousandth is something we were not expecting. By the time we realised, it was too late to do anything and go out again. I’m also really impressed with Cal, he made a very good last lap. Tomorrow I think it will be different but we’re starting from pole so we will see!” More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing Ducati: Valencia, April 10th 2010 – Only Cal Crutchlow’s Yamaha-Sterilgarda was in front of Carlos Checa today, Carlos will start from the front row for the third round of the World Superbike Championship, in progress at the Valencia circuit. Checa has been a protagonist in every session and this trend continued in the Superpole, where he was the fastest rider in the second phase. In the final phase, the Spaniard made what looked to be the fastest time, but Crutchlow finished just ahead. The performance of the Althea Racing rider means that he will line up on the front row, very important at a track such as Valencia. Carlos commented, “To start in second is great of course. We’ve worked well all weekend and have resolved some small problems while others remain. On this track it is not easy, and what’s important is your rhythm, keeping good pace on used tyres. With our set-up and my riding style we should be able to maintain pace. Tomorrow I think the race will be between Haslam, Crutchlow and a few others and we will be there with them.” Shane Byrne, on the other hand, will start from the third row having registered the twelfth fastest time. He was not as strong in the Superpole as he had been in earlier sessions. “It was a very difficult Superpole”, said Shane. “With the first qualifier I went well while with the second I had problems. Tomorrow morning we’ll make more changes to be ready for the race.” Satisfied with Carlos Checa’s performance, team-owner Genesio Bevilacqua stated, “We were aware that Carlos could do what he did in Superpole. Over the weekend we have worked hard to prepare for the race. Our grid position is good of course and we’ll run at the front. I would like to congratulate Checa for keeping his head after he fell; he went back out on track and was faster than before! We haven’t yet understood, on the other hand, the highs and lows of Shane. In my opinion he’s still gaining confidence with the package and still isn’t getting the most out of it.” More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: FABRIZIO AND HAGA (DUCATI XEROX) CONFIDENT AHEAD OF TOMORROW’S RACES AT VALENCIA Valencia (Spain), Saturday 10th April: At the end of an extremely hard-fought Superpole, in which riders were separated my mere thousandths of a second, Ducati Xerox riders Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga secured places on the third row of tomorrow’s grid, Michel in tenth and Nori in eleventh. This morning’s second qualifying took place on a cooler track with respect to yesterday afternoon’s first session, and both Michel and Noriyuki were able to drop their times by about half a second each. By the end of the session every Superbike rider, except Carlos Checa, had improved on their best time set yesterday and the first eleven riders closed within two tenths of a second of each other, highlighting just how close the competition is this season. The two Ducati Xerox riders both picked up their pace towards the end of the 45-minute session to close the morning in fifth (Michel) and sixth (Nori) position, which converted to sixth and seventh respectively in the combined qualifying timesheets. In the Superpole both Haga and Fabrizio made a first exit on a race tyre but seeing as the first eleven riders were within half a second of each other the two Ducati Xerox riders needed to make a second exit, both choosing to use a qualifier. In the final minutes it became clearer as to the final outcome and Nori’s technicians recalled him to the garage, realizing there was no need to make further laps. Michel, more at risk, made a flying lap and concluded the first Superpole phase with the fastest time. For the second phase, both riders continued with the used qualifiers from the previous session but, needing to further improve their respective times, both therefore made a second exit, on new qualifiers, and registered fast times, Michel 1’34.0 and Haga 1’34.1 despite a problem with his seat. Unfortunately both riders were pushed out of the first eight by about a tenth of a second and the Ducati Xerox pair will therefore line up on the third row of the grid tomorrow, with Michel in tenth position and Noriyuki in eleventh. Michel Fabrizio “It feels like we’re on the limit and today I found it very hard to make fast lap times. The important thing I guess is that we have a good race pace, this morning I was able to make quite a few laps with consistently fast times. Of course this is not the result I hoped for from Superpole, also because starting from the third row at this particular track will be far from easy. We’re all so close this weekend, separated by just a couple of tenths of a second, so tomorrow I know it’ll be hard but I’ll try my best.” Noriyuki Haga “In today’s Superpole the first qualifier didn’t help me too much. The second was much better but while making a fast lap with that tyre, I had a problem with my seat which was moving around so it was hard to concentrate and I finished the second Superpole session one tenth of a second too slow. Anyway, we have a good race pace so tomorrow we just have to see how the races go. I’m fairly confident as we have a good race package, having also made a nice long run yesterday. Of course I need to make a strong start but I’m fairly sure I can do that.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY MISSES THE FRONT ROW BY A WHISKER Troy rode superbly in practice, qualifying and then Superpole today and was on course for an historic front row grid place, but lost out by less than a tenth of a second in final Superpole. Troy ended with the fifth fastest time and will now start tomorrow’s pair of 23-lap races from row two of the grid just behind Superpole winner Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha). Second quickest today is local favourite Carlos Checa (Ducati), with Max Biaggi (Aprilia) third and Leon Haslam (Suzuki) fourth. Troy’s fifth place means that his BMW is one of five different manufacturers filling the top five positions on the grid. Troy – 5th, 1:34.059 Finally, I feel really comfortable with bike and I can do a whole lap without having to think about every corner. This is the biggest thing for me. We made a good step at the recent Portimao tests and made further progress yesterday and today here and now I feel much more confident about my prospects. Most of the work has been on the electronics – traction control, clutch and engine-braking, but now I’ve got the bike the way I want and I can just go out and ride. I have had to change my riding style for this bike and that’s not an easy thing to do, but it is necessary in order to get it round the track quickly. Changing your riding style is a big thing and when you are in the middle of doing it, your confidence can drop, so now that I am comfortable on the bike, I already am feeling more confident. Many times recently, I have been riding within myself, but now I feel much more in control. The telemetry is working better and we can understand more about what’s going on and then decide what to do. Working with it is also helping us get a better level of grip and the electronics now help maintain the grip so, with all this working well, I feel I will be able to push harder in the second part of the race. I’m looking forward to the two races tomorrow and hope that all these recent improvements and hard work will bear fruit and we can finish with two very good results. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Alstare: SUPERB FRONT ROW FOR LEON, SYLVAIN JUST BEHIND. Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam ended final qualifying and Superpole today with the fourth quickest time and will start tomorrow’s pair of 23-lap races from the front row. Practice and qualifying at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo had been intense and at one stage the top eighteen riders were separated by less than a second! Superpole qualifying was just as frantic with the lead changing hands several times during the three sessions, but Leon stuck to his task and was rewarded with a front row place. His team mate Sylvain was going well also, but ended up one tenth of a second adrift of a front row place and sixth overall. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) took Superpole today, with local favourite Carlos Checa (Ducati) second and Max Biaggi (Aprilia) third. Troy Corser’s fifth (on the BMW) means that five different manufacturers fill the top five places. Leon – 4th, 1:33.961 I’m pretty happy how today went, though there’s still work to do. The biggest problem for us at the moment is the temperature, because that is affecting how the bike works. Generally, I’m happy with the bike on race rubber and I’m also happy with the balance and set-up of the bike. Normally twins go well here, but when the four cylinder bikes have good grip, then they are a match for the twins and that’s what we’ve seen today. We’ll make a few minor tweaks to the bike in the warm-up tomorrow morning and see if we can improve the bike further. I’m feeling pretty confident that we’re going to get some good results tomorrow and hopefully leave here still leading the championship. Sylvain – 6th, 1:34.073 I think I’ve got back into my rhythm this weekend, perhaps even better than Australia, and I’m feeling good. I am a little disappointed with my last qualifying tyre, but that’s because I made some small mistakes and even the tiniest of errors can cost you dearly because the lap times are so close together. This track is not an easy one for overtaking, so it’s important to get good starts and be with the leaders, if you want good results. If the weather stays like today, it’s going to be two long, hard races tomorrow for all of us. More, from a press release issued by Infront Motorsports: Crutchlow takes second Superpole in succession Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) took his second Superpole of the year for Yamaha with a 1’33.615 at Valencia, leading a front row that will comprise of Cal, Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati), Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) and Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare). Checa had been even faster around the 4.005km circuit today than Crutchlow was in Superpole 2, but not in the final Superpole session when the final grid places were determined, leaving Carlos second overall. Crutchlow had set pole at the previous round in Portugal but this one was maybe even more of a surprise, as he had only been 15th in regular qualifying before Superpole started. The second row will be headed by Troy Corser on his BMW Motorrad Motorsport S1000RR, the best Superpole qualifying result for the German manufacturer in WSBK. Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare), Jonathan Rea (HANNspree ten Kate Honda) and Lorenzo Lanzi (DFX Ducati) were ranged out behind Corser, with Lanzi crashing in the final section of Superpole, and sticking in eighth place. The top seven places featured machines from six of the championship’s seven manufacturers, after a day of incredibly close competition for grid spots. BIG NAMES JUST MISS OUT An intense Superpole 2 session saw some big names out of the final session, notably both factory Ducati riders, Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio, who went tenth and 11th respectively. James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda) missed Superpole three by one thousandth of a second, and starts ninth. Max Neukirchner (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) had a major issue in Superpole 2 and had to pull off the track in a plume of smoke. Michel Fabrizio set the fastest time in Superpole 1, the Suzukis of Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli close behind him. The first four riders to miss the Superpole cut proved to Sheridan Morais, Andrew Pitt, Tom Sykes and Ruben Xaus, with Xaus 17th and only missing out on a higher starting place by one thousandth of a second. CLOSE COMBINED QUALIFYING BEOFRE SUPERPOLE FIGHT Max Biaggi (Alitalia Aprilia) was the fastest man in the final regulation qualifying session, beating Carlos Checa (Ducati Althea) to second place by only 0.002 seconds. The provisional front row was the same as the first day, with Jakub Smrz (Pata B&G Ducati) and Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati) third and fourth. Fifth place went to Leon Haslam (Alstare Suzuki), with the top five separated by only 0.068 seconds. A remarkable 11 riders in total went within 0.258 seconds of each other in combined qualifying, and 18 riders were covered by a single second. Rider comments Superpole Cal Crutchlow: “I hope when we get to Silverstone I will have a reception like Carlos had here! We had a lot of pole positions in Supersport and had one here last year, so to come again and do it on the Superbike is really good. I feel we could have been quicker, but that is just me. If someone gets away at the front we could be in trouble so if we keep it a close race it should be good.” Carlos Checa: “It is fantastic to be here in front of a home race crowd especially with the performance of this year, because I am feeling very strong with this bike. I really like this track and I hope to make a good race weekend. We worked quite well in practice and the bike works here. We are on the pace with the other people and it will be a very close race, I believe.” Max Biaggi: “I feel good on the bike and Portimao was a good race for us last time out. I was happier for the team than myself. Back in Valencia we have not such good memories of last year but in the winter test we were pretty good, and now we are quite consistent with out lap times. Front row was the real goal because at this track it is very difficult to overtake. I think we have not such a bad pace and we will try our best. Our target is to put many heavy points on the table.” Leon Haslam: “Our main objective was to get on the front row, and at Valencia there are such tight times, from front four to tenth place. We messed up a little bit in Superpole two, I used my qualifying tyre but got balked on my lap and had to use a second qualifier, which meant In the last part I was using a two or three lap old qualifier. I am feeling pretty good for tomorrow.” Times : 1. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’33.615; 2. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1198 1’33.840; 3. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F 1’33.860; 4. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’33.961; 5. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’34.059; 6. Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’34.073; 7. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’34.235; 8. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1198 1’34.261; 9. Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’33.988; 10. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1198 1’34.021; 11. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1198 1’34.100; 12. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1198 1’34.246; 13. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F 1’34.273; 14. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1198 1’34.280; 15. Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1198 1’34”730; 16. Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’34.394; 17. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1’34.756; 18. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’34”894; 19. Pitt A. (AUS) BMW S 1000 RR 1’36.088; 20. Morais S. (RSA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’36.072; 21. Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’36.104; 22. Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’36.117; 23. Andrews S. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’36.329; 24. Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’36.524; 25. Resch R. (AUT) BMW S1000 RR 1’36.639 Supersport Qualifying Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) set the pole time with the final throw of the dice in the second qualifying session, posting a 1’35.658, a new track best that took him by surprise. Just behind was long-time qualifying leader Joan Lascorz (Motocard.com Kawasaki), with Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Katsuaki Fujiwara (Motocard.com Kawasaki) filling the front row places. The best Triumph machine belonged to local rider David Salom (ParkinGOBE-1 Triumph) 1.Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR 600RR 1’35.658; 2. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’35.740; 3. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’36.002; 4. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’36.015; 5. Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 1’36.252; 6. Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 1’36.291; 7. Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’36.346; 8. Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’36.593; 9. DiSalvo J. (USA) Triumph 675 Daytona 1’36.698; 10. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’37.064 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup Qualifying Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) took pole with his Friday best time of 1’36.952, making this his second pole success in two attempts. Andrea Antonelli (Team Lorini Honda) was second quickest, and Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Race Junior Honda) third. Davide Giugliano (Team06 Suzuki) improved his time today but starts fourth in tomorrow’s race. Times: 1. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’36.952 (148,713 kmh); 2. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’37.418; 3. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’37.482; 4. Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 1’37.495; 5. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’37.502; 6. Barrier S.(FRA) BMW S 1000 RR 1’37.594; 7. Lussiana M. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 1’37.784; 8. Lammert D. (GER) BMW S 1000 RR 1’37.886; 9. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’37.984; 10. Magnoni M. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’38.491 Superstock 600 European ChampionshipRace Florian Marino (Ten Kate Race Junior), Fred Karlsen (MTM Yamaha) and Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Racing Yamaha) battled it out in the 11-lap Superstock 600 race in Spain, but there was to be a late change of the final result. Marino finally took the win, by 0.413 seconds from Karlsen, although Karlsen was later disqualified for non-conformity to technical regulations. Guarnoni is now classified second, and Bernardino Lombardi (Martini Corse Yamaha) third. In the championship Guarnoni now leads on 45 points, while Marino and Lombardi are tied on 25. Times: 1. Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR 600 RR 18’31.319 (142,711 km/h); 2. Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 0.441; 3. Lombardi B. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 4.668; 4. D’Annunzio F. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 16.637; 5. Fanelli D. (ITA) Honda CBR 600 RR 16.883; 6. Elliot J. (GBR) Honda CBR 600 RR 17.410; 7. Krajci T. (SVK) Yamaha YZF R6 23.806; 8. Le Coquen S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 26.262; 9. Vrajitoru (ROU) Yamaha YZF R6 35.197; 10. Carvalho (POR) Yamaha YZF R6 39.683 Championship standing (after 2 Rounds of 10): 1. Guarnoni 45; 2. Marino 25; 3. Lomabardi 25; 4. Fanelli 22; 5. Lanusse 20; 6. D’Annunzio 20; 7.Karlsen 16; 8. Elliot 14; 9. Carlero Perez 13; 10. Major 13 More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Sykes Into The Superpole Mix Kawasaki Racing Team rider Tom Sykes made it into Superpole qualifying after an intense combined qualifying battle, and now starts Sunday’s two 23-lap Superbike races from 18th place on the grid. With the other regular team rider Chris Vermeulen out through injury for this round, stand-in rider Simon Andrews worked hard with his pit crew in practice and finished an incredibly close combined qualifying ranking 23rd, only 2.1 seconds from the fastest time. Sykes had been 17th in combined qualifying, 0.914 seconds from the provisional pole time. First to 11th in combined qualifying were covered by only 0.258 seconds, demonstrating just how close things are in 2010, particularly at such a tight and twisty track as the 4.005km long Valencia circuit. Tom was unlucky to miss out on a better starting spot, having set ever-improving lap times through practice, and keeping his 1’34.894 best for last in Superpole 1. Tom Sykes: “We have kept improving the bike so it is frustrating to set a 1’34.8 second lap and get knocked out of the top 16 places in Superpole. We had extra grip from the qualifying tyres in Superpole and what a difference that makes to the bike. It is so much easier and more consistent to ride fast. We have improved in lots of areas all weekend, so we will use the good information we gained here to get more out of the package over full race distance. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” Simon Andrews: “We have used a different set-up since the test we did here and it is also a case of me adjusting back from the BSB bike to this one. There are just some small variables that are holding us back at the moment. With these bikes you have to make sure you stay in a straight line and that you can use the power, but I am still getting more comfortable on it. I think we have found the direction we want to go in.” More, from a press release issued by Team Reitwagen BMW: PITT MAKES SUPERPOLE. RESCH CONTINUES HIS REHAB. Team Reitwagen BMW riders Andrew Pitt and Roland Resch knew in advance that the twisty 4.000 kilometre Valencia circuit was never going to give them an easy ride, especially with no previous data to work with, but Andrew managed to qualify for the Superpole shoot-out and Roland got through his second day of racetrack rehabilitation without any problems. Practice and qualifying had been very intense and sometimes only one second separated the top eighteen or so riders, so for Andrew to even qualify for Superpole was a mean achievement. At the end of a frantic Superpole, Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) took the win, with local favourite Carlos Checa (Ducati) second and Max Biaggi (Aprilia) third. Leon Haslam (Suzuki) was fourth and Troy Corser’s fifth (on the factory BMW) meant that the top five places on the grid will be filled by five different manufacturers. Andrew #88 – 19th, 1:36.088: “Just before the first Superpole, there was a problem with my number one bike and I had to use the other bike instead. It had a different set-up and so I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted to and I knew it was going to be a pretty hard task getting into Superpole 2. It would’ve been good to get into Superpole 2 but, considering what happened, I’m not too disappointed and I guess we ended up probably where we deserved. The balance of my bike is good, but we did have a bit of a problem at the rear today. One direction we took was too hard and another was too soft, so we are now working on a compromise and will see how it goes in tomorrow’s warm-up.” Roland #123 – 25th, 1:36.639: “My body feels good and I had no pain today, so that’s good news. We began the day using a Phillip Island type of set-up and then made some changes to try and improve it in the afternoon free practice, but it didn’t work out so good. It’s so hard qualifying well when so many riders are very close in lap times and one small slip or mistake is enough to put you way down the grid. But really this weekend is all about me being back on the bike and putting in the laps. This time I will be taking part in my first race for the team and although the two races are going to be tough, I aim to try and get into the points in both 23-lappers.” More, from a press release issued by Team Pata B&G Racing: It was an unlucky day today for team Pata B&G Racing as Jakub Smrz, who was one of the fastest riders in practice, crashed in Superpole 2, losing the opportunity to start from the front row. The Czech was second yesterday and finished qualifying in third place today. Despite the starting position, the team is still hopeful for the race after the results of the first two days at Valencia. Lorenzo Baroni will start from the third row in the second round of World Superstock 1000. JAKUB SMRZ | Ducati 1098R | 14th in 1’34.280: “I’m really disappointed I couldn’t replicate my performance in Superpole as well. We did a great job the entire weekend, we just weren’t lucky. After we mounted the soft tyre, I was slowed down in the last corner by Byrne, who was on my trajectory . I returned to the pits to put on the second soft tyre, but I crashed, unfortunately, in the first full-speed lap after a few corners. I’ll start from the fourth row, I hope this time I’ll do better now that I’m starting from the back. In the first two rounds, I got a better starting position but I wasn’t very effective in the first laps”. LORENZO BARONI | Ducati 1098R | 13th in 1’38.247: “I didn’t race at my full potential this weekend due to some electrical issues with the bike. As a consequence, I couldn’t find the right setup but despite everything I’ll start from row three. I hope the problems will be solved tonight so I can score a good result”. More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: Second day of qualifying for Pedercini team at Ricardo Tormo Valencia circuit. Superpole qualification eluded both Pedercini team riders for only few tenths of a second. At the end of the qualifying session Matteo Baiocco (1’36″104) reached the twenty first position while teammate Hayden (1’36″117) followed in twenty second place. In afternoon free practice both riders were able to work on their bike setting. Hayden (1’36″912) reached the twentieth position and Baiocco (1’37″213) ended the free session in twenty fourth place. They’ll both start from the sixth row in tomorrow’s 23-lap races. Superstock rider Danilo Petrucci was very unlucky today. In morning free practice he crashed after only few laps. He damaged his Kawasaki and as a consequence he was forced to end the session. Leeson (1’39″995) continued to work with his technical staff to find the right set up for his bike, ending in eighteenth position. In afternoon qualifying session Petrucci (1’38″509) had some technical problems which prevented him from getting a good position on the starting grid. The Italian rider finished only in seventeenth position. Fifth row for him in tomorrow morning 13-lap race. Chris Leeson (1’39″663) improved his best lap time but he obtained only the twenty third place and tomorrow he’ll lined up from the sixth row of the grid. Superbike qualifying 2 : 1) Biaggi (Aprilia) 2) Checa (Ducati) 3) Smrz (Ducati) 4) Byrne Ducati) 5) Haslam (Suzuki)”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦21) Baiocco (Kawasaki) – 22) Hayden (Kawasaki) Superpole : 1) Crutchlow (Yamaha)- 2) Checa (Ducati) 3) Biaggi (Aprilia) 4) Haslam (Suzuki) 5) Corser (BMW)”¦”¦”¦.. 21) Baiocco (Kawasaki) – 22) Hayden (Kawasaki) Roger Lee Hayden : “In morning qualifying session we made some changes to the bike and I improved a lot my best lap time. Unfortunately I missed the Superpole for only few tenths. In afternoon free practice we continued to work on the bike, finding some good improvements and so I’m confident for tomorrow races. I know this track changes a lot with the temperature and tomorrow I hope the set up we found today will works in both morning and afternoon races. I will try to ride aggressively from the sixth row and go for the best result possible”. Matteo Baiocco : “I’m really disappointed because I was not able to enter the Superpole for only few tenths of a second as it was an attainable goal for me. I suffered for some small technical problems and I was not able to take advantage from the qualifying tires. I am committed to working my hardest to continue improving and get the bike to where we need it to be. Tomorrow I will be trying absolutely my best for the races although I expect it to be very tough”. Superstock 1000 qualifying 2 : 1) Badovini (BMW) 2) Antonelli (Honda) 3) Berger (Honda) 4) Giugliano (Suzuki) 5) Baz (Yamaha)”¦”¦17) Petrucci (Kawasaki)”¦”¦”¦.23) Leeson (Kawasaki) Chris Lesson : “This morning we tested some different set up but we did not find the one we need for my Kawasaki. In the afternoon we tried a lot of different thing and I was a little confused and I preferred to return to the old setting. We spoke with our suspension technician and for tomorrow he’ll give us some different shock absorber that we’ll test during the warm up. I’m not happy with my starting position but I will try to start quickly from the sixth row to reach the best result possible. I want to thank all the team. They have worked really hard all weekend.” Danilo Petrucci : “Two difficult test days for me here in Valencia. We’ve work hard over this two days but we haven’t yet managed to resolve our problems. This morning I crashed in one of my first laps, losing completely the free session. This afternoon we worked a lot on suspension to find a solution for our setting problems in view of tomorrow races but I still have some problems inside the curve because of a lack of traction. Probably I still have to adapt my riding style to my Kawasaki ZX 10R as last year I used a 600 cc. We’ll try to make a better race setting also tomorrow in warm-up, to give me better feedback. I’ll be starting from the sixth row and it won’t be easy but I’ll try to do my best and I hope to reach some good points”.