FIM Superbike World Championship Monza, Italy May 5, 2012 Final Qualifying Results, After Superpole (wet conditions, all on Pirelli tires): From Superpole Knockout Session Two: 1. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Ducati 1098R), 1:54.276 2. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:54.990 3. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:55.971 4. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1098R), 1:56.793 5. Jonathan REA, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:57.630 6. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:58.666 7. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Ducati 1098R), 1:59.718 8. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 2:00.645 From Superpole Knockout Session One: 9. John HOPKINS, USA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:59.489 10. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:59.680 11. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:59.681 12. Leon CAMIER, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:59.845 13. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:59.978 14. Leon HASLAM, UK (BMW S1000RR), 2:00.093 15. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 2:00.602 16. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Aprilia RSV4 Factory) 2:01.772 The Rest of the Grid: 17. Lorenzo ZANETTI, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:44.203 18. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:44.321 19. Maxime BERGER, France (Ducati 1098R), 1:44.489 20. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (Honda CBR1000RR) 1:44.686 21. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:45.156 22. Mark AITCHISON, Australia (BMW S1000RR), 1:45.841 23. Sergio GADEA, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:48.085 More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Guintoli takes first Tissot-Superpole, Sykes smashes records Monza (Italy), Saturday 5 May 2012 – Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) made the best of the continuing difficult and changeable track conditions at Monza to record his first ever Tissot-Superpole win. At a circuit that was not expected to favour the twin-cylinders this was a surprise result to most but Guintoli richly deserved his pre-race success after a gamble to use a slick rear tyre on a slowly drying track paid off. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was unable to quite reach the level of Guintoli, as he failed to win the pole prize for the first time this year, but in the final free qualifying session he used the slipstream provided by another rider to take his ZX-10R to a new record top speed in SBK history, 339.5 km/h, which equates to over 210mph. A wet Superpole was called which meant that there would be only two sessions, each of 20 minutes duration, with the slowest eight riders eliminated after the first session. As soon as the first part started bright sunshine dried the wet track, particularly on the main straight, but further small showers were evident around the lap before the finish. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) was third in Tissot-Superpole, Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) fourth. Sylvain Guintoli: “First pole for me and in difficult conditions! Unlike Tom and Marco I’m hoping for rain tomorrow, I’ll probably do a dance before the race. Today I had to take a lot of risks, I decided to go with the slick tyres and some corners were still wet, so it was quite dangerous and the last lap was very exciting. I thought Tom had enough watches now and I could do with one for my wife!” Tom Sykes: “We’ve done a good job over the race weekend, we’ve got a good consistent race pace, and hopefully it’ll be dry. Today it wasn’t to be; we got outpaced by the ‘snails’, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Obviously it’s great for the Kawasaki to be so fast, I had fantastic drive from the exit of the Parabolica and who better but Max to be directly in front, I had a lot of help from him! Setting a new record is just a little bit extra for the books!” Marco Melandri: “For sure it’s a good result, it’s been such difficult weather. I’m happy now because after Assen I was a bit worried about the wet conditions. BMW made a good job, the bike is working better and it’s nice to be on the front row. We got a new engine one month ago and it’s working pretty good here. I hope the weather will be a bit more stable. I hope to give a good race to Silvano (Galbusera) who is not here today.” The second row of the grid for Sunday’s races will be headed by Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) with Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing), Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert) and Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati) alongside him. John Hopkins (Crescent FIXI Suzuki) and Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing) completed the top ten after just missing out on qualification for Superpole 2, but the most disappointed rider on the day was local man Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia Gold Bet) who had been fastest in combined qualifying but only 11th after Superpole. The last place on the third row was taken by Leon Camier (Crescent FIXI Suzuki). Times: 1. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’54.276; 2. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’54.990; 3. Melandri M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’55.971; 4. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1’56.793; 5. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’57.630; 6. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’58.666; 7. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’59.718; 8. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2’00.645; 9. Hopkins J. (USA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’59.489; 10. Laverty E. (IRL) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’59.680; 11. Fabrizio M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’59.681; 12. Camier L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’59.845; 13. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’59.978; 14. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 2’00.093; 15. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2’00.602; 16. Davies C. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2’01.772; etc. World Supersport The white flag with a diagonal red cross that signifies rain on track was a near constant sight on the second day of action at Monza and thus Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda) took pole thanks to his Friday best time. It was his third straight pole position of the year, only missing out in the first round in Australia. With lap times over two minutes in the second qualifying session none of the riders improved in their opening day pace. Second on the grid for Sunday’s race will be Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini) who will be close to his team-mate Sheridan Morais. Another regular Kawasaki rider, Fabien Foret (Intermoto Step Racing) is fourth on the grid. Local rider Stefano Cruciani (Puccetti Racing Kawasaki Italia) takes fifth place, Roberto Tamburini (Team Lorini Honda) sixth. Times: 1. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’47.601; 2. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’48.038; 3. Morais S. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’48.419; 4. Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’48.696; 5. Cruciani S. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’48.808; 6. Tamburini R. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1’48.817; 7. Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’48.910; 8. Scholtz M. (RSA) Honda CBR600RR 1’49.188; etc. Superstock 1000 Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) will start the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race from pole position after the final session was conducted in fully wet conditions today and therefore his Friday lap time was the fastest of all. Second on the combined qualifying sheets is Lorenzo Savadori (Barni Racing Team Italia) while Lorenzo Baroni (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) will get off the line from third sport on the grid, one place higher than Savadori’s team-mate Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Team Italia). Times: 1. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 1’46.340; 2. Savadori L. (ITA) Ducati 1199 Panigale 1’46.776; 3. Baroni L. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’46.917; 4. La Marra E. (ITA) Ducati 1199 Panigale 1’46.973; 5. Staring B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’47.237; 6. Bergman C. (SWE) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’47.342; 7. Reiterberger M. (GER) BMW S1000 RR 1’47.792; 8. Lussiana M. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’47.814; etc. Superstock 600 The Superstock 600 race was postponed until Sunday, after the second Superbike race, after poor light, a flooded track and a lightning storm in very close proximity to the circuit made it unsafe to continue. European Junior Cup Poland’s Adrian Pasek negotiated the tricky Monza track surface to claim pole position in the European Junior Cup class, leading Kiwi Jake Lewis by 0.488 seconds. Third was British rider Joshua Harland, then Gaston Garcia from Spain, while top Italian rider was Kevin Chili, son of Pierfrancesco. Giuseppe Scarcella from Australia scored a top six grid placing. The race takes place tomorrow afternoon. Times: 1. Pasek A. (POL) KTM Duke 690 2’15.199; 2. Lewis J. (NZL) KTM Duke 690 2’15.687; 3. Harland J. (GBR) KTM Duke 690 2’16.570; 4. Garcia G. (ESP) KTM Duke 690 2’17.638; 5. Chili K. (ITA) KTM Duke 690 2’17.696; 6. Scarcella G. (AUS) KTM Duke 690 2’17.889; 7. Wielebski A. (POL) KTM Duke 690 2’18.124; 8. Demoulin J. (FRA) KTM Duke 690 2’18.532; etc. More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: SUPERPOLE AT MONZA. THE BACK AND FORTH WEATHER CONDITIONS EFFECTED SUPERPOLE FOR MAX BIAGGI, WHO PUSHED HIS RSV4 TO THE MAXIMUM AND ENDED THE DAY IN SIXTH PLACE. AFTER GOOD QUALIFYING SESSIONS, EUGENE LAVERTY RAN INTO A DIFFICULT POLE: HE’LL START FROM THE THIRD ROW TOMORROW. Monza, 5 May 2012 The Monza Superpole was held today in truly critical conditions. The asphalt was only partially wet, so it wasn’t suitable for slicks, but in any case it didn’t allow the rain tyres to work perfectly, leaving the riders and teams with the honour of choosing the most satisfactory solution. The weather, which has played a key role in this first part of the championship, conditioned the Monza Superpole too. Max Biaggi, ranking leader of the championship, came through the first pole session, coming off of strong times in the practice sessions. In the battle of the top eight Max chose an intermediate tyre solution allowing him to take sixth place in the end, which means the second row of the starting grid for him. “Superpole was difficult today confirmed Max First there was a small technical problem, possibly stemming from the crash in the last free practice session, and then the asphalt conditions made life difficult. We got into the top eight using rain tyres, but they deteriorated quickly on these long straight stretches. We tried with the intermediates but it was very difficult. In spite of everything we’re on the second row. Tomorrow is still a dilemma, I only hope that the conditions remain consistent and that they let us ride without apprehension”. Eugene Laverty started out his Superpole in good conditions, despite the crash in the last free practice session. The bike which the Aprilia mechanics put back together in record time did not, however, guarantee the same confidence in the Northern Irish rider, who ended the first session in tenth place. In any case, his performance in the practice sessions encourages Eugene to look forward to the races tomorrow with relative confidence. “This morning the bike was really going well, as the fourth place qualifying time showed. In the afternoon free practice session everything seemed OK as well, until the Parabolica braking zone where an unexpected downpour took me, Max and a couple other riders down. My mechanics repaired the bike in time for Superpole, but the feeling wasn’t that good, especially in the left-hand curves. I struggled a lot, but we’re tenth and that’s an acceptable result, all things considered, so tomorrow we’ll definitely make a play for it”. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Monza Qualifying Practice 2 & Superpole. Saturday, 05th May 2012. Weather conditions: Changeable with rain showers. Temperature: Air: 17 °C, Track: 18 19 °C Number of riders participating: 22 from 13 teams Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team) 1:42.327 min Fastest lap Superpole 2: Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) 1:54.276 min Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport will start from the first row in the fourth round of the 2012 FIM Superbike World Championship. Factory rider Marco Melandri (ITA) finished third in the tricky conditions for today’s Superpole Qualifying after occupying the top spot for a long time. His team-mate Leon Haslam (GBR) experienced a setback after a strong start to the weekend and qualified 14th on his BMW S 1000 RR. As predicted, the “Autodromo Nazionale di Monza” (ITA) saw changeable weather today with clouds, rain showers and some sun. The Superpole was declared wet, meaning that only two sessions of 20 minutes each take place and only the top eight riders of the first section qualify for the second part. Marco set the fastest time in Superpole 1, while Leon was struggling with some issues on rain tyres in the difficult conditions with a drying track. At the beginning of Superpole 2, Marco set the best time again but slipped back to third during the last minutes. On a partly wet and partly dry track, tyre choice again was a gamble. Marco’s crew chief Silvano Galbusera was missing in the garage today. After not feeling well in the morning, he underwent medical checks at a hospital. Chassis technician Peter Goddard took over his role and the whole Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport hopes to see Silvano back at the race track as soon as possible. BMW Motorrad Italia Goldbet SBK Team’s rider Michel Fabrizio (ITA) qualified 11th fastest today, while his team-mate Ayrton Badovini (ITA) will start from 13th on the grid. Marco Melandri: Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:42.380 min (P2) / Fastest lap FP: 1:57.373 min (P19) / Fastest lap Superpole 2: 1:55.971 min (P3) “Today’s conditions were really difficult. After our experiences in Assen I was quite worried about today’s Superpole in the wet but we can be very happy today. BMW Motorrad did a great job today, a big ‘Thank You’ to all my team. The bike is working better and better, and we can concentrate on the small things that make the difference. I hope for stable good weather tomorrow, then everything is possible for us. Our engine is really strong, and I am pushing for getting good starts tomorrow, because you can lose the race in the first corner here. I want to dedicate my races tomorrow to my crew chief Silvano Galbusera who cannot be here with us today. All the best, Silvano!” Leon Haslam: Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:42.523 min (P3) / Fastest lap FP: 1:44.502 min (P3) / Fastest lap Superpole 1: 2:00.093 min (P14) “Obviously I am really disappointed. In the in-between conditions, the rain tyre was only lasting one lap for most riders. Unfortunately I made a mistake on the first lap and from that point onwards it was impossible to do a proper lap time, although I tried to push. We have a good set-up for our RR, I am feeling good, so that was just frustrating. Anyway, I think we can win tomorrow, wet or dry. If it is in between, we need to work on making the tyre last, that is the only thing. But I think it is the same for everyone.” Andrea Dosoli (Head of Race Operations): “For sure it was a crazy day. We were expecting inconsistent conditions, and we could see that the forecast was right. We couldn’t work properly in any of today’s sessions due to the weather but at least we understand how the RR behaves in these extreme conditions. It is a pity that Leon starts from the fourth row after being so strong in the previous sessions but we are confident that with a good start he can quickly move through the field. We must congratulate Marco because he kept calm and used quite a good strategy. He knew that he could only do one lap with the rain tyre and he got the best out of it. Starting from the first row is a big help, especially if it is going to be a wet race. We are a bit concerned about the issues with the rain tyres on a drying track, but we will work on this for tomorrow. We also send best wishes to Silvano Galbusera. We missed him today and we hope to have him back very soon after his short pit-stop at the hospital.” More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: CHECA QUALIFIES FOURTH, GIUGLIANO EIGHTH FOR TOMORROW’S SBK RACES AT MONZA Monza (Italy), Saturday 5th May 2012: the two Althea Racing riders Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano were back on track at Monza today for the qualifying sessions of this fourth round of the 2012 World Championship. During a wet Superpole, Checa earned himself a place on the front row of tomorrow’s grid, in fourth position, while Giugliano will line up on the second row, in eighth place. Earlier this morning, in variable conditions (air temperature 17ËšC, track 18ËšC), Checa and Giugliano waited until the final phase of the qualifying session before going out on a damp track. Carlos completed a series of laps in the last fifteen minutes, recording a best time of 1m45.1, while Davide took to the track right at the end of the session, completing just three laps with a fastest time of 1m46.2. Considering the track conditions, no-one was able to improve on yesterday’s qualifying times which means that the Althea pair qualified in ninth (Carlos) and tenth (Davide) place for this afternoon’s Superpole. During the early afternoon’s free practice session, and on a wet track that dried out during the course of the 45-minutes available, Checa and Giugliano worked with their technicians to test the tyres. Times began to tumble towards the end of the session; Carlos was able to put in a 1m45.4 which put him in fourth place while Davide, who didn’t get in a ‘dry’ time, closed in eighteenth position with a best of 1m49.9. Superpole was declared wet as although the rain had stopped, the asphalt remained very wet. Both riders went straight out on rain tyres and remained inside the top ten for the duration of this first phase (20 minutes in length). Carlos closed in eventual fifth position with Davide eighth, both therefore passing to the second phase of the Superpole. The track was starting to dry once it came to the second phase but riders nevertheless took to the track on rain tyres, with some of the top eight subsequently making some laps on slicks. Checa recorded a best of 1m56.7 which assured him of a place on the front row of tomorrow’s grid, in fourth place, while Giugliano will line up in eighth place thanks to a time of 2m00.6. Carlos Checa: “In dry conditions it would have been impossible to close in the top four. Fortunately the wet/damp track gave us a hand in today’s Superpole and we took advantage of those mixed conditions. It’s definitely an advantage to start from the front row but tomorrow’s races will surely be conditioned by the weather. If the track’s completely wet then we know what to do but in conditions like those of today everyone will end up taking a risk one way or the other with regard to tyres.” Davide Giugliano: “It wasn’t easy but we’re satisfied with the work done and the fact that we’re on the second row. All day we’ve been working in these mixed conditions and if it’s like this tomorrow it’s be hard for all of us. Having said that it would have been difficult for the Ducati in the dry too, and so we’re happy with today’s result. We’ll see tomorrow how things are and then make some decisions.” More, from a press release issued by Effenbert Liberty Racing Team: Sylvain Guintoli fantastic Superpole: skill is not water!…and the Effenbert’s Ducati hell for leather Amazing performance for the team’s French rider, which puts definitely behind on a wet track all the opponents. Great satisfaction for the Effenbert Liberty Racing Team that today in Monza, has reached a really arduous objective: the pole! The rain that has soaked the track, was providential. Only the wet condition of the truck would allow the bikes pushed by the Borgo Panigale’s twin-cylinder engine to make up for the speed gap suffered against the fastest 4 cylinders. But the rain itself wasn’t the only element needed to snap the Superpole, in a such a condition truck, the crystalline class of Sylvain Guintoli, has come up, the French rider was able to use in a very right way the favorable weather conditions. Sylvain has dared to play it all out, before analyzing the track and after studying the best tyre strategy, grabbing the amazing result. Guintoli signs his first pole, right in the belly of the beast, where Kawasaki, BMW, Aprilia and Honda have always been overpowering. Guintoli, after the first and second places respectively in Race 1 and 2 at Assen, tomorrow on the historic Monza circuit, will start from the pole, supported and encouraged by the whole Czech team, that represents at the moment the Ducati team in better shape. Guintoli scored his best time in 1’54 “276 trimming, it is appropriate to say, more than half a second to Sykes and even more than 1 second and half to Melandri. Seventh position for the Czech Kuba Smrž which has centered however the goal to be in the top 10. The French Maxime Berger closes at 19th and tomorrow will start from the 5th row. Sylvain Guintoli #50 “I’m very proud of the result. It is my first ever Superpole win, and get it here at Monza with a Ducati has a greater value! I thank the team, engineers and mechanics, who supported me and with whom we have been able to study and make the most of our strategy. We consciously took risks but the end result has fully repaid our efforts. I have a great feeling with my the bike, we’re working hard and this is the right direction”.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Crescent FIXI Suzuki’s John Hopkins and Leon Camier will start tomorrow’s Monza World Superbike Championship fourth round from row three of the grid after continually changing weather conditions at the Italian circuit made tyre choice and set-up extremely difficult this afternoon. Hopkins, who will start in ninth position, was unlucky not to get through to the final top eight shoot-out after getting held up twice on his last flying lap, but overall feels more confident in the Yoshimura-powered GSX-R1000’s wet set-up. Team-mate Camier starts from 12th on the grid after struggling to make his tyres work because of the difficult conditions, but is in an upbeat mood for tomorrow’s race following a confidence-building day today. Despite the qualifying and Superpole sessions held in neither fully wet or dry conditions – which made getting the tyres to perform to their best virtually impossible – Hopkins and Camier remain positive for Sunday’s races. Sylvain Guintoli on a Ducati secured his first-ever World Superbike pole position this afternoon to put him at the front of the grid for tomorrow’s races. Hopkins and Camier take to the track for the first race in Monza tomorrow at 12.00hrs local time (11.00hrs BST), but with similar weather forecast it looks like tyre choice will be an all important factor. John Hopkins – 9th, 1’59.489: “The weather has been very up and down all day and that has made life difficult for all of us. There was never a time when the track was either wet or dry and so finding a good set-up in changing conditions was not easy. This afternoon I had an off-track excursion when I suddenly hit a soaking wet part of the track. The conditions had been dry, but rain had fallen just before the Parabolica. There were no warning flags out and when I braked in my usual place, at about 180 mph, I hit the wet track. I managed to keep the bike upright through the gravel and gently laid it down when I was close to the tyre wall. “In ‘Wet Superpole,’ I tried full Wets, but the track wasn’t really wet enough and the tyres wore out very quickly. If the conditions are the same tomorrow, I think we’ll all have some problems. I feel a huge improvement in the bike on rain tyres compared to Assen. I also feel much more confident about riding in the wet and feel positive I can get some good results tomorrow.” Leon Camier -12th, 1’59,845: “The conditions were changeable today and that made it difficult for us. Today I tried to get my confidence back after the Assen weekend and I feel I have made some good progress in that direction. It’s been hard to get a good set-up today because the conditions never stayed consistent in any one session. We tried full wets, but the track was never really wet enough and the tyres were shot after a couple of laps. The bike feels OK and, depending on the conditions and how the tyres last, I think I can finish with good results tomorrow.” Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “The conditions were very on-off today and it’s been hard coping with all the changes in the weather but I am pleased with the team’s performance, especially with the improvement in the electronics. It’s been difficult to set good times all weekend and I think we were a bit unlucky in ‘Wet Superpole’ because John should have gone into the final eight. I’m sure he would’ve managed if he hadn’t been held up on his flying lap at the end of the session. “I’m pretty happy generally because we’ve made a step forward today despite the dodgy conditions. My only worry for tomorrow is if the conditions (half wet, half dry) are the same as today because the tyres don’t look as if they’ll last. But the situation will be the same for everybody and there will be a lot of gambling with tyre choice, which may produce some strange results. It’s good to see that John and Leon are feeling more confident again and that makes me think we can get some positive results tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Sykes And Kawasaki Set The Fastest Ever SBK Top Speed WSBK, Monza, Italy, 5 May 2012 At Monza today Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) just missed out on his fourth pole position start in a row but his Ninja ZX-10R powered him to the highest top speed ever recorded in SBK, 339.5kmph. Sykes was fast all weekend irrespective of the ever-changing track conditions and will start second on the grid and this will be the first time he has not started from pole this season. Weather conditions on the opening day were largely perfect but Saturday saw rains come and go, and the day finished off with lighting storms close to the track and very heavy downpours after the Superpole sessions had been concluded. The only dry qualifying session was on Friday, so Tom qualified for Superpole conducted in two parts not the usual three as it was declared a Wet Superpole thanks to his Friday time. He then went on to head the second free practice session this afternoon, then just miss out on the chance to use a slick rear in the final Superpole session, which may have promoted him from second on the grid to first. Sykes still starts from an enviable front row position, while his riding partner at Monza, Sergio Gadea, found his first taste of SBK racing very challenging, particularly in the unpredictable weather conditions, but he qualified for the races on Sunday and will start 23rd on the grid. Team Pedercini rider David Salom made it into Superpole and will start 15th on the grid, while his team-mate Leandro Mercado was 21st. Team Pedercini Kawasaki Superstock 1000 FIM Cup rider Bryan Staring fell in final qualifying and broke both his small fingers. Despite qualifying fifth on the grid Bryan may not be able to race after more extensive medical checks have been carried out. Jeremy Guarnoni, his team-mate, was 10th in qualifying. Loris Baz took his MRS Kawasaki to 12th place. Tom Sykes: “When I hit the new record top speed I could feel that the rpm was higher and I knew from the note of the engine that it was more than on previous laps. I could not have timed my run to get into Biaggi’s slipstream any better. I had a fantastic run out of Parabolica and I used Max’s draft all the way down the straight. If we had more time we could have come back in and gone with a slick rear or intermediate rear and made the difference, but it wasn’t to be. We did a great last lap on wet tyres and starting from second on the grid is not too bad. It is a front row start and that is the main thing. The competitive side of me for sure is disappointed not to keep the run of Superpole wins going but tomorrow is the one that counts. It’s great for Kawasaki and myself to be on the front row and it is a lot better starting slot for tomorrow. We have good pace in the dry and I do not think the wet will be an issue either. A dry race would be better for everybody.” Sergio Gadea: “I am happy because the bike is good but it is my first time in Monza, first time on a Superbike and obviously the weather has made it more complicated for me. But it is a nice experience and I enjoy riding the bike so much. I hope tomorrow to improve my performance and also enjoy the races. Thanks to Kawasaki and the team for giving me this opportunity.” David Salom: “I’m happy with how the morning qualifying session and afternoon free practice went. The bike is working very well and we found a good setup for the dry track. In the afternoon free session, using slick tyres on a dry track, I reached fifth position and this is a great result. Unfortunately in the first session of the Superpole I used rain tyres but the track was not completely wet and after only two laps the rear tyre was finished and so I wasn’t able to reach Superpole two.” Tati Mercado: “This morning I chose not to participate in the second qualifying session due to the damp conditions. The track was not completely dry and so it was impossible for me to improve on yesterday’s lap time and enter the Superpole. In the free practice preceding the Superpole I worked with my technicians to refine the set up of my Ninja ZX-10R and we found some good solutions for tomorrow’s races. The races will be difficult for me, because of my position on the grid, but I will try to do my best as always.”