FIM Superbike World Superbike Brno, Czech Republic July 10 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 20 laps, 40:21.646 2. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R1), -0.222 second 3. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1098R), -3.558 seconds 4. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -7.863 5. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Yamaha YZF-R1), -8.534 6. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -18.085 7. Leon HASLAM, Great Britain (BMW S1000RR), -21.650 8. Joan LASCORZ, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -21.862 9. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Ducati 1098R), -25.306 10. Noriyuki HAGA, Japan (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -27.366 11. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -33.716 12. Mark AITCHISON, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -36.549 13. Lorenzo LANZI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -37.468 14. Tom SYKES, Great Britain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -46.878 15. Viktor KISPATAKI, Hungary (Honda CBR1000RR), -98.074 16. Maxime BERGER, France (Ducati 1098R), -5 laps, DNF, retired 17. Leon CAMIER, Great Britain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -6 laps, DNF, crash 18. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Ducati 1098R), -8 laps, DNF, crash 19. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati 1098R), -11 laps, DNF, retired 20. Alex LOWES, Great Britain (Honda CBR1000RR), -15 laps, DNF, crash 21. Chris VERMEULEN, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), DNS World Championship Point Standings (After 16 of 26 races): 1. Checa, 293 points 2. Biaggi, 263 3. Melandri, 240 4. Laverty, 168 5. Haslam, 137 6. TIE, Camier/Fabrizio, 134 8. Badovini, 106 9. Haga, 99 10. Jonathan Rea, 94 11. Guintoli, 89 12. TIE, Smrz/Lascorz, 88 14. Sykes, 84 15. Troy Corser, 55 16. Xaus, 44 17. Rolfo, 31 18. Berger, 24 19. Aitchison, 18 20. Vermeulen, 14 More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsports: Weather conditions: Sunny. Temperature: Air: 28 31 °C, Track: 44 54 °C Number of riders participating: 22/21 from 14 teams Fastest lap Race 1: Marco Melandri (Yamaha WSBK Team) 2:00.118 min Fastest lap Race 2: Marco Melandri (Yamaha WSBK Team) 2:00.058 min Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport completed the eighth round of the 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship at Brno (CZE) with two solid races. Factory rider, Leon Haslam (GBR), had a good points haul, finishing eighth and seventh respectively. With this Leon improved one position in the riders’ championship. His team mate, Troy Corser (AUS), did not compete this weekend due to his fractured left arm. Nevertheless he was with the team at Brno. Troy will be back in action at the next round in Silverstone (GBR). In race one, Leon had a good start from 13th on the grid and improved to eighth during the first lap. At the halfway stage he fell back a few places, but during the final laps he was able fight to his way back up, crossing the line in eighth. At the start of the second race Leon improved to ninth. Then he had some good battles and was able to pass a couple of riders, and was seventh after eight laps. In the closing stages of the race, Leon had an intense battle with Joan Lascorz for this seventh position, with Leon coming out on top. Leon is now fifth in the riders’ championship with 137 points, Troy lies in 15th (55 points). In the manufacturers’ standings BMW is fourth with 173 points. Ayrton Badovini (ITA) of the BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team finished both heats in sixth, while his team mate, Lorenzo Lanzi (ITA), was 17th and 13th respectively. The races were won by Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi. In the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup race BMW riders where once more successful, with four BMW S 1000 RRs finishing in the top six. Sylvain Barrier (FRA) from the BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock Team celebrated his first victory in the series. His team mate, Lorenzo Zanetti (ITA), also stood on the podium, finishing third. Markus Reiterberger (GER) from the Garnier Alpha Racing Team scored his best ever result in the series. He finished fourth after starting from the front row for the first time. Fabio Massei (ITA) from Team Piellemoto completed the top six. Leon Haslam: Result Race 1: 8th / Gap to 1st: 00:21.399 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 2:01.064 min Result Race 2: 7th / Gap to 1st: 00:21.650 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 2:00.941 min “In today’s first race I had a good start. With new, grippy tyres I was struggling a little bit with my pace, so some other riders were able to pass me. But when the grip went away I did not go any slower – but they did, so I caught up again. That was a good battle and I passed three guys during the last few laps, which was exciting. In race two I was held up a little bit so Ayrton, who was in sixth, could get away. But then I had a really good battle with Lascorz in the last two laps. They were two pretty hard races for eighth and seventh. Of course this is not where we want to finish, but we kind of understand what the issue is and know what direction to take now. I am pretty happy with the progress we made and I hope we can make up the difference at my next home race at Silverstone.” Rainer Bäumel (Head of Race Operations): “We made the best out of our starting position. Actually, the results were even better than we expected from 13th on the grid. Leon had two solid races to improve in the riders’ championship by one position, so this was a satisfying end to this weekend. But, of course, we know that we still have work to do. We have a lot of ideas that, in any case, we will implement for the next race weekend at Silverstone. We want to congratulate Sylvain Barrier on his first victory on the BMW S 1000 RR in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup.” More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki: MICHEL HAPPY WITH A PAIR OF SUPERB FOURTHS Team Alstare Suzuki rider Michel Fabrizio took fourth place in both WSBK races in Brno today, but had to defy the pain barrier to do so in both 20-lappers. Michel was suffering from a cyst in between two of his toes in his right foot and was in agony every time he pushed down on his right footpeg. He had a pain-killing injection in between the two races, but was still in some discomfort and could not be as aggressive as he wanted to in the right turns. Italians Marco Melandri (Yamaha) and Max Biaggi (Aprilia) shared the victory spoils today. Melandri won the first race, with Biaggi second and Carlos Checa (Ducati) third. Then there was a small gap before Michel in fourth and another gap before Eugene Laverty (Yamaha) in fifth. Race two featured another Melandri/Biaggi battle, but this time Biaggi took the win, just two tenths of a second ahead of Melandri. Checa was once again third, with Michel fourth and Laverty again fifth. Michel – Race 1: 4th, Race 2: 4th I am happy to get two fourth places today considering all things. I have raced here before with a broken collarbone, but that pain was nothing like my right foot today. Every time I pushed down hard on the right footpeg I was in agony and, as this circuit is a clockwise one, there are a lot of right turns. I couldn’t push as hard as normal in the right-handers and that prevented me from going any quicker. I was happy with my bike set-up and enjoyed the races – apart from the pain of course. I think that my bike is down on power compared to most of my rivals and I’m sure I could get on the podium regularly if it had a bit more power. I used the same bike and tyres for both races and the only thing we did was a small adjustment to improve the grip. The grip was better in the second race, but once the front three had pulled out a gap, I found it difficult to catch them. All in all, I’m pretty happy with my results. More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: DOUBLE PODIUM SUCCESS FOR CHECA AND ALTHEA RACING TODAY AT THE CZECH TRACK OF BRNO Brno (Czech Republic), Sunday 10th July 2011: the Althea Racing team and rider Carlos Checa celebrated a double podium at the Automotodrom of Brno today; the Spanish rider achieved two very well deserved third place finishes at what is, for him and his 1198, one of the most difficult tracks on the SBK calendar. The Althea Racing rider made a good start to race one, positioning himself fourth at the end of the first lap. On lap three he was able to get past Laverty to take third and from that point on he pushed hard to reach the two leaders, Melandri and Biaggi, who had already built up almost a two second lead. Towards mid-race, Carlos was lapping faster than anyone on track and with this impressive pace he was able to close the gap and reach Max in second position. He got past him on the twelfth lap but Biaggi almost immediately moved back in front of him. The fight for the podium places continued right up to the finish line. Checa gave it his all and his determination rewarded him with third place at a circuit that has never made his life very easy. On an even hotter track (50ËšC), Checa made a strong start to race two. In third place at the end of lap one, he soon reached race leaders Melandri and Biaggi. He followed the two Italian riders for the remainder of the race, but although he was able to stick with them he could not manage to pass them. Carlos closed this second race of the day with the same result as the first; a third place finish and 16 important championship points. After eight of thirteen rounds, Checa continues to lead the rider’s classification with a total of 293 points to Biaggi’s 263. Ducati still leads the manufacturer’s championship with 305 points; Aprilia follows with 302. Carlos Checa: “I’m really very happy with a double podium here. In Race 1 my start wasn’t so bad but it took a few laps to pass Eugene and once past him it took some time to reach Max and Marco ahead. Once there I tried to keep the pace and stick with them. It was hard to find the right place to pass, I got by Max at one point but he came straight back past me. It was a great battle and to be honest I am happy with third because this has always been a tough track for me. Considering the situation, the track, our rivals, we are quite satisfied. We worked well all weekend, found a good set-up, chose the right tyre and really did our best. Max and Marco were really very strong today, it’s a shame I couldn’t quite be there with them but we’re happy nevertheless. We still have a lead in the championship and it is important that we are competitive and consistently fast. Silverstone will be another difficult one for us but then come other tracks where we are at less of a disadvantage so we’ll see. I’m taking it one race at a time.” Genesio Bevilacqua, General Manager of Althea Racing: “It was another rather difficult day for reasons that have to do with the bike; on these types of track the four cyclinders have a clear advantage in terms of acceleration. it is simply not at the level of our rivals’ bikes when it comes to power and acceleration. Carlos proved himself to be in the right mental and physical condition to be able to fight. He did his best, as did the bike, and now we look forward to tracks that are more favourable to us, or at least where we can be equal to our rivals. I thank everybody that has contributed – the whole team for its hard work all weekend, Ducati and all of our sponsors.” More, from a press release issued by Pata Racing Team: Noriyuki Haga close the two races of the eigth round of the Superbike World Championship with a 12th and a 10th place. At the start of race 1 the japanese rider gained a few positions meanwhile in the second part of the manche suffered low traction that prevent him from step up the ranking. In race 2 haga brought himself up to the 10th place only after 3 laps and so he remained until the end. Despite the changes of settings at the mono shockthe traction didn’t improve and he couldn’t gave his best. Noriyuki Haga – Aprilia RSV4R #41 – “Unluckily we suffered a lot today. We were optimistic about the races but despite the changes of tyre and setting things didn’t get better. We’ll try another different trade-off in Silverstone hoping to solve this problem that we have since the beginning”. Marco Borciani – team manager – “We were expecting more from this round. But things got even more complicated due to the starting position. Kicking off from the fourth row wasn’t really helpful. We’ll be looking for a change in Silverstone suggesting to the rider different solutions to support his ride-style.” More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Melandri and Biaggi swap wins again Brno (Czech Republic), Sunday 10 July 2011 Just like the previous round at Motorland Aragon, Marco Melandri”ƒ(Yamaha World Superbike Team) and Max Biaggi”ƒ(Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team)”ƒswapped wins and second places at another hot race circuit, as Marco won race one and Max won race two. In taking a hard fought victory, Max continued his amazing relationship with Brno, posting his 11th career win in world championship events at this 5.403km long venue. Points leader Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) battled to two gritty third place finishes at Brno today, minimizing the damage to his championship lead despite being outgunned by the riders closest to him in the points tally. Max Biaggi: “It’s been very tough all weekend, Carlos and Marco were very fast, but here we are again with the top 3 on the podium. In this way we’re having ups and downs, winning one race and second in the other. In race 1 I wasn’t really happy, I knew I could do it, but I didn’t have the moment and Marco went on to win. This time I could reply and do my pace. We made a few changes between the races but not very much, you can always learn from the details, we made the right adjustments but here it’s very difficult for tyre wear and temperature.” Marco Melandri: “I didn’t give up but it was too difficult like in Aragon. I tried to do my best but Max was faster. Anyway it’s been a good day, we still have to do a bit more to get the double, but I’m happy. Max and I have had some nice battles in the last two rounds, very fair and clean so that’s good. It was fun for us and hopefully fun for the people watching the race in the circuit and on TV!” Carlos Checa: “You always think that you can do better so you always attack to improve the result, but today considering the conditions, the rivals, the track and the speed we are quite satisfied. We worked well to find the right set-up, chose the right tyres, we didn’t make any mistake. Max and Marco were strong around here and they deserved the win. Most important, we are competitive and fast and still leading the championship, it’s not easy but we are confident we can get the better of them at some circuits.” Michel Fabrizio”ƒ(Suzuki Alstare) is another who loves Brno and he showed it today, by taking two top four rides, with Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike) fifth on two occasions. The win tallies for the year now read Checa with eight, Melandri three, Biaggi and Laverty two each and the still injured Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) one. Ayrton Badovini”ƒ(BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team)”ƒonce again played the fastest game for BMW, sixth in each race. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team)”ƒhad two superb fight backs from a starting position of 19th, going ninth in race one and eighth in race two, making him the top Kawasaki finisher. Leon Haslam”ƒ(BMW Motorrad Motorsport)”ƒflew solo for the official team this weekend and toughed it out, taking home points for eighth and seventh. Home rider Jakub Smrz (Effenbert – Liberty Racing Ducati) who was 11th in race one, fell in race two. Race 1 Melandri took his third win of the year to lead his championship rivals Biaggi and Checa across the line in race one. The top three were covered by only 0.436 seconds after 20 hot laps, with track temperatures reaching 44°C, and which only got hotter in race two. At one stage Fabrizio looked capable of catching the leading trio, but he slowed to take a safe and yet still impressive fourth. Laverty went from the front row to fifth. The man most on the move in the race was Badovini as he passed several riders to get up to sixth. Biaggi’s team-mate Camier took seventh, with Haslam eighth. Results: 1. Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 40’23.699 (160,505 kph); 2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 0.241; 3. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 0.436; 4. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 8.448; 5. Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF R1 11.863; 6. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 16.374; 7. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 20.075; 8. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 21.399; 9. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 21.555; 10. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 22.33; 11. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 22.494; 12. Haga N. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 24.710; 13. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 27.958; 14. Rolfo R. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 31.724; 15. Lowes A. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 31.998; 16. Aitchison M. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 34.771; ecc. Race 2 Biaggi and Melandri ended up deciding the race two result in a man-to-man duel, which went the way of the 2010 world champion. The margin of victory was only 0.222 seconds, with Melandri right behind his countryman but unable to pass Biaggi on the final few corners. Carlos Checa was in a clear third place, with Michel Fabrizio having a good race again and finishing fourth. Laverty could not catch the top quartet, but was safe in a lonely fifth. Once again Badovini impressed the paddock with his prowess and he took sixth place, one ahead of official rider Haslam. Track temperatures in race two hit a massive 54°C. Results: 1. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 40’21.646 (160,641 kph); 2. Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 0.222; 3. Checa C. (ESP).Ducati 1098R 3.558; 4. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 7.863; 5. Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF R1 8.534; 6. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 18.085; 7. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 21.650; 8. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 21.862; 9. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 25.306; 10. Haga N. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 27.366; 11. Rolfo R. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 33.716; 12. Aitchison M. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 36.549; 13. Lanzi L. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 37.468; 14. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R; 46.878; 15. Kispataki V. (HUN) Honda CBR1000RR 1’38.074; RET Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R; etc. Points (after 8 of 13 rounds): 1. Checa 293; 2. Biaggi 263; 3. Melandri 240; 4. Laverty 168; 5. Haslam 137; 6. Camier 134; 7. Fabrizio 134; 8. Badovini 106; 9. Haga 99; 10. Rea 94; 11. Guintoli 89; 12. Smrz 88; 13. Lascorz 88; 14. Sykes 84; 15. Corser 55; 16. Xaus 44; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 305; 2. Aprilia 302; 3. Yamaha 280; 4. BMW 173; 5. Suzuki 138; 6. Kawasaki 126; 7. Honda 113. World Supersport Gino Rea (Step Racing Team) won his first ever race in this category after the red flag was shown on lap 16 with Gino in a lead that he had held for some time. Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was a close second, with championship leader Chaz Davies (Yamaha ParkinGO) third. David Salom (Kawasaki Motocard.com) collected fourth place ahead of Roberto Tamburini (Bike Service R.T. Yamaha). Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) slowed after a good start and finished sixth, one place up on Luca Scassa”ƒ(Yamaha ParkinGO). Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Motocard.com) crashed out while in the leading group, leaving the championship points Davies on 121, Parkes on 85, Foret on 85, Salom on 84 and Scassa on 79. Results: 1. Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 31’21.642 (155,057 kph); 2. Foret F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 0.448; 3. Davies C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 0.857; 4. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2.375; 5. Tamburini R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 5.505; 6. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 6.890; 7. Scassa L. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 7.721; 8. Ellison J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 15.495; etc. Points (after 7 of 12 rounds): 1. Davies 121; 2. Parkes, 3. Foret 85; 4. Salom 84; 5. Scassa 79; 6. Lowes 73; 7. Harms 59; 8. Rea 57; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Yamaha 151; 2. Honda 133; 3. Kawasaki 114; 4. Triumph 21. Superstock 1000 Frenchman Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock) won a closely contested 12-lap race at Brno as he fought off the race long challenge of championship leader Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati). The margin of victory was 0.070 seconds and the battle for third was almost as close, with Lorenzo Zanetti”ƒ(BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock) just 0.7 behind Barrier, but with Markus Reiterberger”ƒ(Garnier Alpha Racing Team) right in his own wheel tracks. In the championship itself, Giugliano now has 115 points, Zanetti 84, and Danilo Petrucci (who fell from his Barni Racing Ducati while leading) has 69. Barrier, who won his first race of the year today, is fourth, with 65 points. Results: 1. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 24’54.052 (156,226 kph); 2. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 0.070; 3. Zanetti L. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 0.722; 4. Reiterberger M. (GER) BMW S1000 RR 1.257; 5. Canepa N. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 13.181; 6. Massei F. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 13.413; 7. Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 17.913; 8. Morais S. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 19.058; etc. Points (after 5 of 10 rounds): 1. Giugliano 115; 2. Zanetti 84; 3. Petrucci 69; 4. Barrier 65; 5. Canepa 48; 6. Massei 36; 7. Antonelli 35; 8. Baroni 33; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 115; 2. BMW 102; 3. Kawasaki 47; 4. Honda 43; 5. Yamaha 9. More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda: Lowes in the points on Castrol Honda debut Castrol Honda’s World Superbike debutant, Alex Lowes, finished in the points in his first race with the team in today’s eighth round event at Brno in the Czech Republic. The races were won by Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi, with each rider finishing second in the race he didn’t win, and series leader Carlos Checa taking two thirds. Lowes began this morning continuing the progress he has made in each session of the weekend and setting a personal best lap in warm-up. Starting from 21st place on the grid, the 20-year-old from Lincoln, continued in the same vein, setting his best time on lap two before finishing 15th for his first World Superbike championship point. His Castrol Honda team-mate, Ruben Xaus, suffered a big crash on the opening lap of race one, sustaining a heavy impact to his left thigh. While no bones were broken in the crash, the Spaniard was unable to bend his leg sufficiently and was reluctantl y forced to sit out race two. Lowes crashed out of the second outing, losing the front at Brno’s downhill turn seven, but still impressed the team over the weekend with his potential and the willingness he showed in adapting his riding style to suit his new machine and the higher demands of world championship racing. Alex Lowes 15th & DNF The weekend was great but I’m just really disappointed with the crash in the second race. The front didn’t really feel good from the start, like there was a lack of grip, which was frustrating and that probably led to the crash. But before that, we’d made progress in every session and gone faster, even in the first race. I feel that I’ve worked really hard to change my style and the weekend went well until that rubbish end. Still, it’s been a mega experience and I’d really like the thank the people at Honda, Ronald and Gerrit ten Kate an d all the guys in the team for giving me this opportunity and for teaching me such a lot. I think it’s definitely made me a better rider. I’m going to have a chance to continue to change my braking style at a test with the team next week in Assen and I know I’ll learn even more then. Ruben Xaus DNF & DNS I don’t think I did anything different in the crash, so I’m not sure why it happened but it almost felt like a double highside. First the rear let go and threw me out of the seat. It seem to correct and I thought I would save it but while I was out of the seat it went again and just threw me forward over the front. I got a really big bang from the tank on my leg and, although there was no break, it swelled up and I could not bend it enough to ride in race two. It’s a disappointing end to the weekend where I cannot deny we have had some problems. It’s frustrating because everyone in the team wants to fix t hem and is trying their best to do this. I won’t know for a week or so how bad the leg is but I hope we can get back to some better results at Silverstone. Ronald ten Kate team-manager Ruben had a nasty crash in race one but luckily he was able to walk away. There are no major injuries apart from the muscle on his left thigh, which is completely bruised so it’s hard for him to move around. We’re going to have to wait a few days to learn how long it will take for him to recover. Young Alex was still chipping away at his best qualifying time in warm-up this morning and in race one he produced another personal best lap. He’s actually done quite a good job for us, and himself, getting constantly faster while adapting to the new bike, a new team and the track, which he was not so familiar with. It’s a shame about his race two crash, because it denied him some more track time, which he could have used very well . But we’re going to give him some more of that at a test in Assen next week. More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: Good weather conditions today in Brno for the eighth round of the World Superbike championship. Thanks to his fantastic performance in yesterday’s Superpole, Mark Aitchison started today’s races from the third row, in eleventh position. Roberto Rolfo lined up from the fifth, eager to race and obtain good results. In race one after a quick start Aitchison lay thirteenth while Rolfo was in sixteenth place. As the race went on, Aitchison lost some positions, concluding in sixteenth position. Rolfo found a very good rhythm and made up some positions, reaching the points zone in fourteenth place. In race two, excellent performances for both team Pedercini riders. Rolfo started quickly from the fifth row, finding very quickly a good race pace. The Italian rider was able to recover a lot of positions, ending in eleventh position. Mark Aitchison’s second race was also impressive and the Aussie rider reached the twelfth position, obtaining some points for the championship standing. Superbike Race one : 1) Melandri (Yamaha) 2) Biaggi (Aprilia) – 3) Checa (Ducati) 4) Fabrizio (Suzuki) “¦.. 14) Rolfo (Kawasaki) “¦”¦ 16) Aitchison (Kawasaki) Superbike Race two : 1) Biaggi (Aprilia) 2) Melandri (Yamaha) 3) Checa (Ducati) 4) Fabrizio (Suzuki) “¦”¦..11) Rolfo (Kawasaki) 12) Aitchison (Kawasaki) Roberto Rolfo : “I’m very happy with today’s results also because I was able to reach the points zone in both races. Starting from the first few laps I pushed very hard and found a very fast pace. I was able to overtake a lot of riders and only during the last laps did I have to reduce my rhythm because the tyres had no more grip. Starting from Aragon my team found a good set up for my Kawasaki and now I’m more comfortable on the bike and I’m sure we’ll reach some good results also in the next races. We must improve on our results during the qualifying sessions to reach a better starting position for the races. I want to thank my crew for having done such a wonderful job this weekend.” Mark Aitchison :”My two races in Brno today have been satisfying but difficult. During race one we unfortunately broke an internal clutch spring which affected my result. For race two the team made a decision to revert back to our original clutch from Aragon. This meant I was entering in race two with a bike I was slightly unfamiliar with, but I believe it was the right choice. My pace in race two was quite good but again as in Aragon, after eight laps we suffered a major loss of grip from the rear tyre. Overall I’m happy with the work from this weekend, but we must again look to improve the bike on consistent rear grip. Thank you to my team for their hard work this weekend”. Sunny and warm temperatures today in Brno for the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race. After yesterday’s difficult free practice and qualifying, today Bussolotti started from the fourth row while Mercado and Staring started from the fifth. After a positive warm-up hopes were dashed for Team Pedercini as Staring’s race was brought to a premature end after just a few laps, due to technical problems. Bussolotti and Mercado both made quite a good start. In the first few laps the Italian rider was fourteenth while the Argentinian was seventeenth. Both riders fought throughout the whole race to reach the points zone and in the end Bussolotti closed in thirteenth and Mercado seventeenth. It has been a weekend to forget for the Pedercini riders and especially for Staring who must put it behind him and look forward to the next round at Silverstone in three weeks time. Superstock 1000 race : 1) Barrier (BMW) 2) Giugliano (Ducati) 3) Zanetti (BMW) 4) Reiterberger (BMW) “¦”¦… 13) Bussolotti (Kawasaki) “¦”¦ 17) Mercado (Kawasaki) “¦”¦ RET Staring (Kawasaki) Marco Bussolotti : “In today’s race I suffered from the same problems I have had over the entire weekend. Right from the first laps the rear grip was not sufficient enough to allow me to push and improve my race pace. Fortunately, close to the end of the race, I was able to improve on my lap times to reach thirteenth position. I hope for better results in the next races”. Brian Staring : “There is not much to say. After only a few laps my bike’s engine stopped and I was forced to retire. It was a weekend to forget and I want only to go home and train. I am looking forward to the next Silverstone race”. Leandro “Tati” Mercado : “It was a difficult race. I quickly found a good rhythm but from mid-race on I had some electrical problems with my bike and the problem only got worse as the race went on. I’m a little disappointed because this problem prevented me from obtaining a good position and some points for the championship standings. I hope to be luckier in the next race at Silverstone”. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Lascorz Recovers Well In A Game Of Two Halves WSBK, Brno, Czech Republic, 10 July 2011 Joan Lascorz and Tom Sykes experienced very different raceday fortunes with Lascorz on the up but Sykes unable to find settings to compete over full race distance. Chris Vermeulen missed race two. Lascorz had found set-up issues in qualifying and was only 19th on the grid, one place ahead of Vermeulen, while Sykes had qualified on the second row. Joan proved remarkably adept at passing other riders in each race and he scored ninth in race one and eighth in race two, results he felt were good in the circumstances of starting each hot and physical race from the fifth row of the grid. Unfortunately Tom saw good starts and strong pace in the early stages drop off dramatically to put him tenth in race one and 14th in race two. For Vermeulen race one was a battle to finish after he re-injured his left elbow in a practice fall on Friday and after consultation with the team it was decided he should pull out of the second race. Kawasaki Pedercini Team riders Roby Rolfo and Mark Aitchison worked their way to 14th and 11th place finishes for Rolfo and 16th and 12th for Aitchison. Joan Lascorz: “To go from 19th into the top ten two times is very good in the circumstances; good for me and the team. They were hard races and I had to pass a lot of other riders. Haslam and I battled together and with two laps to go I passed him in the last corner and touched him. In the next lap he did the same to me, but no problems, I have no problems with it, it’s just racing! We made the improvement in race one by changing the traction control a little and in the second race I only changed the suspension a small amount, based on my experiences of race one. The tyres were the same. I felt very good through the second race.” Tom Sykes: “I knew it would not be the easiest of weekends, but when it came to qualifying, with fresh tyres, I could make it count. We got on the second row, which is what we are aiming for each time but in the races – we did not think they would be quite that hard. Still this circuit was not going to suit the problems we are experiencing on the bike set-up and I cannot ride how I want to. I’m far from happy with today’s results, as I am sure most of the team are. Having said that, we are all in it together. I’m not going to let it knock my confidence and I will give it my all at the next race. I just hope that we can find a bit better balance sooner rather than later. If you look ay Misano and Aragon we also had a hot track surface and we were strong there.” Chris Vermeulen: “We have been struggling all weekend since the crash on Friday morning. I did warm-up and I said to the team I would be OK to race but 20 laps together was really hard. For the last eight I was riding around to just finish. My elbow had really swollen up and my back was sore after Friday. Together with the team we took the decision not to take any more risks and not ride in race two.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Melandri Claims Third Victory of the Season in Brno The Brno circuit was host to nail-biting races today under blistering sunshine, as the three championship leaders battled for podium positions in the two World Superbike races. Marco Melandri provided a masterful display of race craft in both races to claim his third victory of the season in race one and settling for second on the podium in a hard fought second race of the day. In race one the two Yamaha World Superbike riders, Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri, stormed off the grid to take second and third place respectively. Melandri passed his team-mate to claim second place on lap two and tucked neatly behind Biaggi where he remained for a further six laps, while Checa moved in to take third place. On lap 9, Melandri pushed into the lead and proceeded to hold off constant advances from the fellow Italian, only temporarily rendering position on the 17th lap before powering his R1 to the chequered flag, claiming his third victory of the 2011 season. Team-mate Laverty got off to a perfect start off the grid to tuck into second place. Struggling to gain speed on the straights, the Irishman gradually fell back to fifth place by lap four. Fighting hard to keep the pace, Laverty maintained position and completed the race in fifth. Race two was almost a replica of race one. Yet again, Melandri closely tailed Biaggi for the first nine laps before pushing ahead into first place. After just two laps, a persistent Biaggi took repossession of the lead. Melandri continued to perform impeccably, constantly on the attack and interchanging positions on several occasions, before settling for second place after a hard fought battle to the finish line. Similar to race one, Laverty was unable to gain sufficient speed to attack the leading bunch. The Irishman put his head down to take fifth place at the flag. Melandri produced the fastest lap times of both race one and race two recording 2’00.118 and 2’00.058 and registering the highest speed of the day reaching an impressive 292.7 km/h in race two on a track temperature of 54 degrees. Melandri (240 points) and Laverty (168 points) are heading to Silverstone on the 31st July in third and fourth place in the championship standings. Melandri’s impeccable performance today reduced the gap behind himself and the leader, Checa to 53 points and remains 23 points behind Biaggi in third. Laverty remains an impressive 31 points ahead of Haslam in fifth. Marco Melandri Yamaha World Superbike Team – 1st, 2nd “It’s a great sensation to be on my third win of the season but I still need to do a double. I’m really happy with today’s results. At the beginning of race one I didn’t think I’d catch up on Max, so I immediately passed Eugene in order to tail him. I was struggling to keep in front, at times Max was faster than me. Race two was also very difficult. I certainly didn’t give up but it wasn’t easy to keep pushing. Max and I had a nice battle which I think we both enjoyed, and I’m sure the spectators did also. I have to say thanks to the team for doing such a good job again. I’m looking forward to Silverstone.” Eugene Laverty Yamaha World Superbike Team – 5th, 5th “Today wasn’t the best day for me, I had hoped to do much better. I had to settle for two fifth places when I could have done more. I was struggling with power, and getting up straight line speed. I was on the same pace as the top riders but losing time on straights even though I was riding to the limit. Considering the circumstances, the result wasn’t too bad. We need to pull out the data and investigate to understand where we can improve and be stronger for Silverstone.” Andrea Dosoli Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager “It was a perfect conclusion to the weekend in Brno for Marco. He was fantastic in both races. Obviously it’s a pity he didn’t win the second race but considering the extreme track conditions and the fact that Marco and Max were fast and consistent throughout, we can safely say they provided great entertainment for the spectators. We reduced the gap to Checa by 13 points. That’s important and if we can continue like this it will be a very interesting championship. Eugene got two very good starts in both races. There are a few things we can still improve on his bike and we’ll continue to work on this. He proved to be constantly learning and we have to remember that he is still fourth in the classification and the top three riders have years of Moto GP experience behind them. He is performing fantastically for his rookie year.” More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: MAX BIAGGI WINS AT BRNO IN RACE 2 OF THIS WSBK ROUND. RECORD: THIS IS HIS ELEVENTH WIN ON THIS TRACK. AND WITH THE SECOND PLACE IN RACE 1 HE RECOVERS IMPORTANT POINTS FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP. APRILIA THREE POINTS FROM THE TOP OF THE MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIP. Brno (Czech Republic), July 10th 2011 – Max Biaggi triumphs in Race 2 after a spectacular duel with Melandri and this makes 11 career wins on the Czech track, the only such case of domination in modern motorcycle racing. The World Champion’s weekend was not lacking in difficulty, but his experience and determination allowed Max to bring home an authoritative win which was also extremely important for the championship rankings. In fact, Biaggi gained another 13 points on the ranking leader, Checa, who now leads with 293 points against Biaggi’s 263 and Melandri’s 240. Once again – as in the last round at Aragon – the two races were marked by the all-Italian duel between Biaggi and Melandri with Checa coming in third in both races. In the first race the three set a pace which was impossible for their rivals to match. But it was the two Italians who made a play for the final victory with Melandri overtaking just two laps from the end to determine the finishing order. However, the Reigning World SBK Champion had his rematch in Race 2. He tackled it by putting all of his skills on the table: first he set a pace which proved to be fatal for Checa who, although never letting up, immediately fell behind the escaping leaders. Then, seeing that Melandri had resisted the pace, he pulled no punches engaging in a spectacular duel with the rider from Ravenna, overtaking him definitively on the penultimate lap. From there on it was a race to the finish line, closing off any opportunity for attack by his rival thanks to the impressive pace on the last lap. “Everyone was expecting this victory and now I am very happy for me, for Aprilia and for my many fans here – commented Biaggi at the end – but it was certainly not easy. Let’s just say that Race 1 taught me something. I would have liked to have been faster there in the last laps, but that’s not always possible. So, along with my team, which did some excellent work, we decided to make a few changes to my RSV4. Just some small details that, in races like these, can make all the difference. I tried to maintain a pace which would break away from Melandri, but when I saw at the end that he was still there, I prepared for a direct battle. When he overtook me I didn’t think for an instant about letting up. I looked for a hole to overtake him as soon as I could and then I pushed it to the maximum. I wanted this victory too much”. As for the championship Max weighed his words: “It is still a long championship and Checa has a lot of advantages. There are tracks ahead which are more favourable for him and even here he did very well. But we are very determined. We’ll try to be consistent and not to let up, right down to the very end”. With the Brno race Aprilia closes the gap to just three points in the Manufacturer rankings. (Ducati 305, Aprilia 302, Yamaha 280, BMW 173, Suzuki 138, Kawasaki 126, Honda 113). It was a weekend to forget for Leon Camier, who was unable to find the right feeling on this demanding track. In Race 1 he took a “battle scarred” seventh place in that he earned it fighting with great character in a pack with Haslam, Lascorz, Sainz and Sykes. But Race 2 held a crash in store for Leon as well as a consequent withdrawal during the thirteenth lap as he was battling in the back. A bitter weekend, but also great desire to come back and do well in the next round when he’ll race on his “home” track at Silverstone. More, from a press release issued by Honda: LOWES IN THE POINTS AS XAUS CRASHES OUT OF CONTENTION Alex Lowes (Castrol Honda) enjoyed his first taste of Superbike World Championship racing as he scored a point for 15th place in race one, at a hot and steamy Brno circuit that marked round eight of the series. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) Marco Melandri (Yamaha) traded wins and second places, with championship leader Carlos Checa (Ducati) third in each 20-lap race. Lowes made real progress with his overall pace from first practice onwards and in race one he was only an average of one and a half seconds per lap from the winning rider, despite his lack of riding experience on the official Castrol Honda machine. In race two Alex fell on lap six as he tried to maintain his pace on a hotter track surface and he could not restart. Lowes, twin bother of WSS rider Sam, is standing-in for the recuperating Jonathan Rea, who was injured in a big crash at Misano in round six. Team regular Ruben Xaus (Castrol Honda) had a hard and fast lap one crash on the exit of the penultimate chicane in race one and although initial medical checks proved that he had not broken anything, he was ruled out of race two due to the after effects of impacts with first his own his machine, and then the track surface. He had qualified 17th, ahead of his new stand-in team-mate Lowes, who has been 21st on the grid. In the championship rankings, Checa is on 293 points, the closing Biaggi has 263 and Melandri has 240. Jonathan Rea is still inside the top ten despite missing three meetings, on 94 points, and Xaus has 44 points, in 16th place overall. GINO REA TAKES FIRST WSS WIN WITH FORET A CLOSE SECOND Step Racing Honda rider Gino Rea made the most of his front row starting position to record his first ever win in this class of racing and also post the first WSS race win for Honda in 2011. Gino, fourth on the grid, was leading the field on the penultimate lap as the red flag was shown. He had led for ten laps before the red flag was thrown and with the results counted back to lap 15, Rea was awarded the win by 0.448 seconds from Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda). Foret, starting from pole, had experienced issues with his quick-shifter shortly before the race commenced, but was still keen to attack Rea’s lead on the final lap or two, only to be deprived of the chance. His is ranked third overall after equalling his best 2011 race result, but is in reality tied on points for second place with Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) who fell once again. Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) was in line for a strong podium place, but after he inexplicably lost rear tyre traction he had to fight hard just to finish sixth, replicating his practice performance. His is also now also sixth in the points, the second best Honda rider after Foret. James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda) made a late technical change to his chassis and saw some benefits, but needed some extra time he did not have to find a new optimum setting. Nonetheless, he finished eighth after fighting with Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda). The young French rider was once more unsure of his settings on race day, but tied hard throughout. Ellison had qualified 13th, Marino 11th. Robbin Harms (Harms Benjan Racing Team Honda) was unlucky as his machine stopped just before the race was red-flagged, when several bikes crashed in succession and one went on fire at the trackside. Robbin had been eighth in qualifying and was fighting for a good points score to keep him in the top echelons of the points standings. He is 7th overall, two points ahead of race winner Rea. Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda) fell while battling for a top ten place, leaving the final Honda riders inside the points scoring positions as Alexander Lundh (Cresto Guide Racing Team Honda) in 12th and Imre Toth (Team Hungary Toth Honda) 13th. Pawel Szkopek (Bogdanka PTR Honda) fell while in a good position, being taken out by another rider, while Vladimir Ivanov (Step racing Team Honda) was also a faller. Chaz Davies still leads the championship for Yamaha, with 121 points to the 85 of Parkes and Foret. After Brno Honda is placed second in the Manufacturers’ Standings, only 18 from the lead after seven of 12 rounds. Honda rider comments: Alex Lowes (Castrol Honda) Race result: 15th /DNF Championship position: 28th “Race one was pretty good. I have been modifying my riding style for the bike over the weekend and improving the settings so I was happy with race one. I only struggled with pace a little bit towards the end when the tyres were really worn. I was looking forward to race two, but my start was not so good and I was missing a bit of feeling so I went back to my old style of riding and that is what caused me to crash. I just took the brake into the middle of the corner, so my fault. I had been working a lot on going square into the corners in practice and getting a good exit, which is the correct way to ride the bike.” Ruben Xaus (Castrol Honda) Race result: DNF / DNS Championship position: 14th “I don’t think I did anything different in the crash, so I’m not sure why it happened, but it felt like a double high side. First the rear let go and threw me out of the seat. It seemed to correct and I thought I would save it, but while I was out of the seat it went again and just threw me forward over the front. I got a really big bang from the tank on my leg and, although there was no break, it swelled up and I could not bend the leg for race two. It’s a disappointing end to the weekend where I cannot deny we have had some problems. It’s frustrating because everyone in the team wants to fix them and is trying their best to do this. I won’t know for a week or so how bad the leg is, but I hope we can get back to some better results at Silverstone.” SUPERSPORT Gino Rea (Step Racing Team Honda) Race result: 1st. Championship position: 8th “It was so strange sitting at the front of a race. I just tried to get my head down and not make any mistakes after I lost the front on the second lap. I saved it on my elbow for the second time this weekend so I just tried to run my own race and be a bit protective of my lines, getting a good exit so they could not come past me down the straight. I knew Fabien was behind me, but I held it to the finish. Unfortunately we did not get to the last lap because we had a few little things planned to stay in front. I was not showing my all, let’s put it that way. I was saving my tyres a bit and I knew Fabien would be strong on the brakes and he could go into corners early. I was going in really wide to get good drive, but it never went down to the last lap anyway. I have to be honest, I got a bit of luck at the end, but I think it is about time we deserved a bit of luck.” Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) Race result: 2nd. Championship position: 3rd “First, I want to thank the team for all their work this weekend. We were unlucky with the quick-shifter and tried to change it on the grid, but it was more a problem inside with the electronics, so it didn’t work. I was really worried how I would be able to race. I was losing a lot of time, especially going uphill and having to downshift manually the whole time. I didn’t resist when Gino went past, but it looked like he was really on the limit. I was struggling a bit but stayed with him. It was easy in some corners and more difficult in others. I was planning to attack him in the last two laps, but then the red flag came out. The confidence is back, the team’s way of working is now really good after Aragon, and I’m looking forward to going to Silverstone to try again.” Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) Race result: 6th. Championship position: 6th “We made a big step up this morning in warm-up, using an old tyre. I had loads and loads of grip at the start of the race, fantastic. I got past Salom, got my head down and then lost all grip in the rear. We did so many race distance tests this weekend as well. But for some reason we dropped off two seconds a lap. I was spinning out of every corner. We are 12 points off second place and have Silverstone coming up, so we will be alright.” Robbin Harms (Harms Benjan Racing Team Honda) Race result: DNF. Championship position: 7th “Unfortunately I was in contact with another rider when the red lights went off, so I lost touch from the front group in the first laps. I was behind Scassa, but his power was so strong that I could not overtake him and I took some big chances, only for him to overtake me on the straights again. Then we started to catch Tamburini and Lowes, but then with one and a half laps left to run my engine stopped. We could have been top six or top five maybe and we had a good weekend other than that last bit of bad luck.” Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) Race result: 11th. Championship position: 8th “I didn’t have such a good start and I lost quite a lot of time in the first few laps with lots of passing going on. When I settled down I still had to try a few things because of all the time we lost in practice. There were still some areas where I think we could have improved the bike. My physical condition was good, though, and I was able to fight all the way through. Even when Ellison passed me and opened a small gap, I was able to stay with him. The feeling changed with the bike over the last three of four laps and the front nearly went a few times. I tried to pass Ellison again, but ended up making a few mistakes. The positive thing is that I was only 16 seconds behind the first rider, which is my best this season.” James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda) Race result: 8th. Championship position: 12th “We had a so-so start to the weekend, but it ended up not too bad. We ran an OK race, but Marino was difficult to pass. The bikes are about the same in pace, so I was never going to draft him. I just wish I had got past him earlier and moved forward. An OK race in some ways, and we got some points, but I am still disappointed.” Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda) Race result: DNF. Championship position: 13th “My start was not very good, but then I started to pass people and then I stuck a little behind Scassa and Harms. I lost a gear in one corner and then lost a second or so to them so I tried to make it up again. The pace was very good, but at the end I started to push a little more and lost the front.” The next round for both WSBK and WSS classes is Silverstone, Great Britain, between 29 and 31 July. More, from a press release issued by Effenbert Liberty Racing Team: 8th ROUND – BRNO Automotodrom – 10.7.2011 THE RACES BRNO, July 10, 2011 – It was not just a normal race for the Effenbert Liberty Racing , the one that took place today at the Brno circuit, in fact our team came to start it’s home race , with the motivation and the desire to do well after two days of , substantiially, positive work. Saturday afternoon, after the fifth fastest time in Superpole managed by Jakub Smrz, a party was organized by our team – an event never before seen in Superbikes with a large partecipation of people that made someone think that the one that was classisified in first position in Superpole was Smrz, and not the great Max Biaggi.. The attention given to the Effenbert Liberty Racing and the strong response of the home crowd that packed the stands and tribunes in fact, served as the backdrop to a really hardly fought and interesting day of competitions. The day did not start at all badly for our riders for our riders, in fact, in the morning warm up , they were classified respectively second (Smrz) and third (Guintoli), behind the always positive Carlos Checa. Race 1 – The heat began to be felt at the time of the start of the race and Marco Melandri (Yamaha), had to sweat a lot to achieve his third career victory over his rival in the World Superbike Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) in a thrilling duel that lasted all the race . The championship leader, Carlos Checa (Ducati Althea) stayed at close contact with the two Italian riders throughout the race and at the end managed to snap a third place . Jakub Smrz, author of a good start, in the race did not confirm the good feeling that he had with the motorbike that he showed in thr previous days and is soon overtaken by Sykes and Fabrizio. He f inished his race at the eleventh position. Race 1 to forget, however, for the Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli, also author of a good start, but forced to pit-in to replace the tires, a circumstance that obliged him to raise white flag and ending his race in the twentieth position. This is the final resul of Race 1, with Melandri in front of the world champion Biaggi Race 2 – It happened in Aragon and it repeated in Brno The winning is a matter between Biaggi and Marco Melandri. Biaggi, in race two, beated Melandri to revenge the morning race. They are the protagonists of a Sunday that has been made even more thrilling by continous overtakings . The leader of the championship Carlos Checa c loses again in third position , while Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare)finished in fourth, followed by Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike). The Effenbert Liberty Racing french rider Sylvain Guintoli ended in ninth, author of a determined performance caratherised by some interesting duels. Unlucky period for “Kuba” Smrz, which falls during the 12th lap and in the 12th bend, after passing Sykes and during the comeback that was starting to make him recover the ground lost after another positive start. Here are the declarations of our drivers: BRNO – “During the morning race I could not find the right feeling with the bike and after a good start, I was forced to try to replace the tires but things have not improved much and unfortunately the result was not positive, the mechanics have worked to solve this problem for the afternoon race – is Sylvain Guintoli’s analysis after the races published on the team’s official site www.liberty-racing.com – Race two was still problematic, although certainly much more positive, despite the excellent start of the race that took me until the fifth position, however, I am moderately satisfied with the results obtained in the afternoon. We will immediately start to work to find more solutions that will help us to stay closer to the head of the race. ” With a crash that kept him out of the fight in race 2, Jakub Smrz said “I can not understand the problems I faced during the two races, we worked very well during the testing days and the results have been confirmed by always positive timings, unfortunately today , in both races I seemed to have troubles with grip at the front and I could not push as I wanted, pity about the crash in race two when I could definitely recover some positions during the final laps “