PRODIGAL SON BAYLISS TAKES SUPERPOLE® WIN AT QATAR Losail, Friday 24th February 2006 BAYLISS SHINES AT A SUNNY LOSAIL Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) continued his fast pace from day one to record the fastest lap in regulation qualifying today, and subsequently the Superpole win, marking his return to SBK racing in the best possible style. His team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi made it a superb day of action for twin-cylinder faction, running to second place, some 0.332 seconds from Bayliss. The 2001 World Champion’s Superpole lap of 1’59.696 is a new track best in qualifying, and was posted on race tyres, not qualifiers. Bayliss preferred the feel of tyres he was used to after extensive winter testing, and with only one day of dry testing at this race, he opted for a softer race tyre. PITT COMES GOOD IN FOUR-CYLINDER STAKES Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) was a startling effective third in Superpole, after finishing official qualifying in the same position. He was to beat the Winston Ten Kate Honda of James Toseland by only 0.002 seconds, with Pitt himself 0.414 seconds from Bayliss’ best-ever performance. Toseland’s pace in Superpole counteracted the disappointment of his team-mate Karl Muggeridge, who fell on his Superpole lap, having been second fastest after the final regular qualifying session this morning, and fastest in the free session in the afternoon. Despite his fall, Muggeridge will start the two 18-lap Losail Superbike races on Saturday from the back of the second row. CORSER ON ROW TWO AFTER SINGLE LAP CONTEST Such was the pace of Superpole that even the winner of one race last year, Troy Corser, was ousted from a front row start, running his Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra machine to fifth place, just over half a second from Bayliss. His ride put four different makes of machine in the top five places. Behind him on row two will start Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia), Corser’s team-mate Yukio Kagayama, and then the luckless Muggeridge. ROW THREE FEATURES PETRONAS AND BARROS Despite some pessimistic expectations, the 900cc Petronas triple was up to the task of not just qualifying for Superpole, but almost allowing Steve Martin to claim a second row starting position. The tough and rapid Aussie rider scored ninth place, 1.2 seconds from pole at one of the fastest and longest tracks of the year. Behind Martin the welcome presence of Alex Barros and his Klaffi Honda took tenth best time, an impressive showing on a bike which is still undergoing development, in Barros’ first ever SBK Superpole. Another former MotoGP rider and SBK rookie, Roberto Rolfo, excelled at Superpole, improving from his regulation position of 14th to start the races in 11th, one whole row closer to the best qualifiers. The last place on row three went to the fastest ZX-10R rider on show, and the PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse machine of Chris Walker. NIETO LEADS SPANISH HOPES AFTER TOUGH QUALIFYING A lack of testing time on dry 2006 spec tyres held back the dry qualifying efforts of Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse), as he scored 13th fastest time after a cautious Superpole. Behind the Spaniard, three Italian riders finished the Superpole contest off, with DFX Honda riders Pierfrancesco Chili and Michel Fabrizio 14th and 15th respectively, while Marco Borciani (Sterilgarda Berik) was 16th after a steady ride. Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) was surprise omission from Superpole, just missing the cut-off time by one position, but with many other big names behind him, at the start of this most competitive season imaginable. More, from a press release issued by Team Motor France – Ipone: Difficult qualifying practices After being the fastest on the rain on Thursday morning and 5th in the afternoon, Sebastien Gimbert could not qualify for the Superpole on Friday. He finished 18th, in front of Norifumi Abe. Shinichi Nakatomi was 24th. During the qualifying session, Sebastien Gimbert had a problem: “My front brakes overheated, explains the French rider, so my braking could not be consistent. It was then difficult for me to enter properly the curves as I wished. Also we did not have the right set up for the bike with the 2006 Pirelli tyres because it rained on Thursday. Only one hour of qualifying practice is not enough to get a good result.” Norick Abe started well the session, but was not fortunate later. “The beginning was good. My #1 machine was working well, but I had an engine problem. Then I had to switch to my #2 bike, which did not perform so well.” Shinichi Nakatomi did his best: “This is a new track for me and I have to be careful not to waste everything in case I crash.” For the team-manager Martial Garcia “Of course I am not happy with the situation, but we have to keep on fighting and try to make a good job. We are now working hard to be ready for the race. We did not know the 2006 tyres and it is why we could not go faster. We used a front tyre that was too hard at the wrong moment.” You have to know that when Pirelli develop the tyres during the winter for the next season, it is done with only one team for each manufacturer. For Yamaha, the Team Yamaha Motor Italia (Haga et Pitt) is in charge. So the Team Yamaha Motor France — Ipone had to develop its R1s with 2005 tyres. The rain on the first day did not help and, as Sébastien Gimbert said, only one hour of qualifying practice is not enough to get a good result when many teams tested on this track previously with 2006 tyres. The afternoon free practice session went better, with quicker times for the 3 riders: 2:01.9 for Gimbert, 2:02.1 for Abe et 2:03.2 for Nakatomi. Qualifying results: 1-Troy Bayliss (Ducati) 1:59.696 2-Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) 2:00.028 3-Andrew Pitt (Yamaha) 2:00.110 4-James Toseland (Honda) 2:00.112 18-Sebastien Gimbert (Team Yamaha Motor France – Ipone) 2:02.710 19-Norick Abe (Team Yamaha Motor France – Ipone) 2:03.026 24- Shinichi Nakatomi (Team Yamaha Motor France – Ipone) 2:03.741 More, from a press release issued by Team Klaffi Honda: Perfect weather conditions at Losail today dry and sunny. The first top four riders in Qualifying II this morning were all under the lap record of 2’01.244 done by Troy Corser last year. Alex, fastest Honda rider of the first Qualifying, finished 12th today. Though he had to make new arrangements for a dry track, Alex did an impressive 2’01.953 lap time. So the Brazilian took part in Superpole this afternoon. With a 2’00.960 lap time Alex was even faster than in the Qualifying sessions. Tomorrow Alex starts from position 10/ third row in the grid. Superpole: The top 16 qualifiers go head-to-head in a one lap timed shoot-out against the clock. The fastest rider of the qualifying sessions is the last to start. Each rider has one sighting lap, followed by the crucial flying lap, then a slow-down lap. The final grid is determined by the times set in this session, with the fastest riders taking pole position. Superpole Starting grid 1 Bayliss (Ducati) 1’59.696 2 Lanzi (Ducati) 2’00.028 3 Pitt (Yamaha) 2’00.110 4 Toseland (Honda) 2’00.112 10 Barros (Klaffi Honda) 2’00.960 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: TOSELAND ON FRONT ROW AS MUGGERIDGE FALLS IN SUPERPOLE A day of mixed fortunes for each Winston Ten Kate Honda Superbike rider saw James Toseland promote himself from ninth after regulation qualifying to the front row after Superpole, while Karl Muggeridge had the opposite experience, falling in his Superpole lap after qualifying second fastest in regulation. Toseland, a new signing for the Winston Ten Kate Honda team in 2006, put in a superb performance on qualifying tyres in Superpole, showing the kind of speed and assurance that made him the World Champion in 2004. He was also the fastest rider through the speed trap, posting 293kmph. James now starts the races on Saturday from the front row, an impressive showing in such a strong field of riders, and in his first race meeting on a four-cylinder Superbike. Until his misfortune in Superpole Karl Muggeridge had been a candidate for rider of the day, scoring second in regulation qualifying, and dipping under the two-minute lap barrier on race tyres in the final free practice session, which took place just before the Superpole contest itself. Muggeridge was to fall entering a complex of right hand corners carrying a little too much corner speed, running out of road on the first corner exit as he tried to score his first career Superpole win. In the first sector of the Superpole lap Karl was almost half of second ahead. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “We were looking in good shape for Superpole. James did quite a good job getting used to the machine, adapting himself to his new role, and the team was working hard on his race set-up, rather than going for one crazy quick lap. His Superpole performance was really excellent, so very big compliments to him. We all could see how Karl’s lap was; unfortunately he didn’t take it to the finish. We can also all see that Karl has already made a big step from last year to this year. The majority of people know what our ambitions are for 2006 now, which are clearly to run with the front guys.” James Toseland SBK Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (4th position 2.00.112) “That was a good result for me, with a new team, so I’m happy. It took alit bit of time to get up to speed this weekend, what with the rain yesterday and the settings being very different from the ones we had for the most recent test in Valencia. I don’t fully understand the bike yet, so it took time to get it right, but as we can see we are getting there now. My entire previous Superbike career, even the year I did in British Championship, has been conducted on twin-cylinder bikes. But as we know, with the Ten Kate Hondas there has never been a lack of speed. If you have the speed then that’s half the battle, and the Honda is a great package. The team has welcomed me with open arms, and we are working well together.” Karl Muggeridge SBK Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (8th position No Superpole Lap Recorded) “It cools down in the afternoon here and during Superpole it had become quite cool. We opted to put a slightly harder front tyre in but that was decided a couple of hours before. My last thought when I left the garage was, ‘should have gone for a softer one.’ I pushed and pushed but I was a little hot into the corner. It was the first of a group of three rights, and it’s fourth gear there, so it was a pretty fast crash. I tried to save it but I ran out of track. It could have been worse because my fast lap in regular qualifying was second fastest of all and that means I only drop down to start form the second row.” More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Steve qualifies in ninth for Qatar races Steve Martin was within four hundredths of a second from starting the new Superbike World Championship from the second row of the Qatar grid. The Foggy PETRONAS Racing rider was ninth fastest in Superpole, just 0.045 behind Yukio Kagayama in seventh, with Karl Muggeridge relegated to eighth place after crashing on his flying lap. Steve’s time of 2:00.940 was three seconds faster than his quickest lap at the Losail circuit last year, when neither FPR rider qualified for Superpole, providing an indication of the amount of progress the team has made in that period. Steve said: “It has been a really good positive start for us. I still believe this is one of the hardest tracks for us, so to be where we are at this stage of the season is a good sign for the rest of the year. It’s a credit to everyone involved in the project. We have been able to concentrate on the set-up of the bike today and we are still working on rear tyre grip, so we will try some things in morning warm-up which will hopefully take us even further forward. My Superpole lap was great but it would have been good to finish on the second row, although it’s such a long drag to the first corner that anything can happen at the start.” Steve finished the morning qualifying session in eighth place but it was a traumatic start to the day for team-mate Craig Jones. He crashed on his out-lap of the morning session, suffering a flesh wound on his kneecap that needed multiple stitches. Despite a desperate attempt to record a qualifying time for that session, in which he missed recording a valid lap by just six seconds, his qualifying time in the wet yesterday allowed him to compete in tomorrow’s races, although he will be at the back of the grid. Craig said: “The crash was probably down to inexperience on my part. I cannot honestly say I know 100 per cent what happened but I don’t mind saying I made a mistake. I followed two other riders into the corner and was going slower than they were, so it was a bizarre crash. I lost about a square inch of skin and the wound had to be stitched together. I could definitely feel it on track in the afternoon but I will take a painkiller for the races. In the afternoon I was still having a problem with stability so we have a lot to try in 20 minutes tomorrow morning. The others’ lap times on qualifiers are not anything special so I am not beaten yet for the race, as when I find something for the set-up I think I will take chunks off my time.” Superpole results, Superbike World Championship, round 1, Losail, Qatar: 1 Bayliss 1:59.696; 2 Lanzi 2:00.028; 3 Pitt 2:00.110; 4 Toseland 2:00.112; 5 Corser 2:00.206; 6 Haga 2:00.613; 7 Kagayama 2:00.895; 8 Muggeridge dnf; 9 Martin 2:00.940; 10 Barros 2:00.960; 11 Rolfo 2:01.072; 12 Wallker 2:01.137; 13 Nieto 2:01.155; 14 Chili 2:02.038; 15 Fabrizio 2:02.596; 16 Borciani 2:03.150 Friday morning qualifying: 1 Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 2:00.639; 2 Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 2:00.745; 3 Pitt (Yamaha Italia) 2:00.818; 4 Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 2:01.008; 5 Haga (Yamaha Italia) 2:01.314; 6 Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 2:01.369; 7 Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 2:01.579; 8 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 2:01.613; 9 Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 2:01.692; 10 Chili (DFX Treme) 2:01.781; 28 Jones (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 2:24.221 Friday free practice: 1 Muggeridge 1:59.934; 2 Bayliss 2:00.058; 3 Pitt 2:00123; 4 Haga 2:00123; 5 Kagayama 2:00.347; 6 Toseland 2:00.525; 7 Corser 2:00.578; 8 Lanzi 2:00.660; 9 Barros 2:01.257; 10 Nieto 2:01.454; 11 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 2:01.539; 26 Jones 2:04.389 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha Motor Italia rider Andrew Pitt will start tomorrow’s two 18-lap races from the front row of the grid after an impressive superpole lap saw him set the third fastest time. Team-mate Noriyuki Haga also put in a strong qualifying performance and will start from the second row, in sixth position. Rule changes for this season means that special soft qualifying tyres are not used during the two one-hour sessions, only in the one-lap superpole and preceding practice, Both the Yamaha riders looked strong during the morning qualifying session, occupying top five places on their race rubber and giving them optimism for tomorrow’s races. Both riders took advantage of the latest R1’s increased controllability to take their place at the head of the timesheets during qualifying, Pitt ultimately ending the one-hour session third and Haga in fifth. Both were able to find further improvements in the afternoon’s free practice session, although a small mistake from Haga saw him go slightly slower on his grid-deciding superpole lap. Pitt however achieved his target of a personal best lap in superpole, his 2:00.110 being bettered only by factory Ducati team-mates Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi. Both riders have declared themselves happy with the race settings ahead of tomorrow’s races, which could well be a close affair if today’s times are anything to go by: just a second-and-a-half separates the top 13 riders from today’s superpole session. The Yamaha Motor France squad had a tough day in Qatar with all three riders missing out on superpole. Fifth fastest in yesterday’s wet qualifying, Losail lap record holder Sebastien Gimbert was again the fastest of the trio in combined qualifying, despite problems with his front brakes overheating during second qualifying. He will start the race from 18th on the grid after posting a best of 2:02.710. Team-mate Norick Abe will start one place further back after experiencing some problems with his favoured machine during the morning session. He was forced to switch to his spare machine during the morning session but found the set-up unsuited to the circuit. The third Yamaha Motor France rider, superbike debutant Shinichi Nakatomi, continued to learn both the circuit and his Pirelli-shod R1 retaining his 24th place from the overnight standings. All three riders were able to improve their lap times in the afternoon free practice session, although these would not count towards the grid position for tomorrow’s races. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “It’s always good to get a front row start, especially around here as it is pretty dirty off the racing line. The bike has been working really well. The team has worked hard just to make it that bit easier to ride. We’ve got a much better understanding of the bike this year and hopefully that can pay off with some good results.” Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “The bike is working well here and I am looking forward to the races. I did my best qualifying lap on the soft race tyre and that seemed to work better for me than the qualifier I used in my superpole lap. Our race set-up is good and the times are close. I think we will have some great racing tomorrow.” Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “It is disappointing miss out on superpole, especially considering I was on the front row here last year. I had a problem with the braking on my bike. The front discs were getting too hot and I couldn’t brake as hard as I liked to.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “In the morning session I had a technical problem with my number one bike. I switched to my number two machine but it had a different set-up and I could not go as fast as I like to. We went faster in the afternoon but by then it was too late to make the superpole.” Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) “I am making improvements in each session but still I am learning the circuit. It has been difficult as there has not been much time to ride in the dry, but I am now looking forward to my first ever world superbike races.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “In the end the feedback we had from our test here last month has been confirmed. We were satisfied with the results of our test but we had been testing on our own. Today was our first time on the track with our rivals and I think we can confirm the improvements we have made over the winter. I’m pleased for Andrew getting on the front row, while Nori lost some time through a small mistake on his superpole lap. I think we can do a good job tomorrow. Andrew did a lot of laps on the race tyre today and was still able to put in good lap times while with Noriyuki the most important thing is that he has a good set-up. If he is happy with the bike then you know that he is capable of good results.” Round: 1 – Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Circuit Length: 5380 Lap Record: 2′ 1.852 (Sebastien Gimbert, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 2′ 1.244 (Troy Corser, 2005) Date: 24 February 2006 Temp: 30ºC Session 2 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 2nd Qualifying Superpole 1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 2′ 17.326 2′ 0.639 1′ 59.696 2 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA 2′ 26.171 2′ 1.369 2′ 0.028 3 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS 2′ 19.991 2′ 0.818 2′ 0.110 4 J. Toseland Honda GBR 2′ 21.732 2′ 1.692 2′ 0.112 5 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 2′ 19.614 2′ 1.008 2′ 0.206 6 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 2′ 20.164 2′ 1.314 2′ 0.613 7 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN 2′ 21.234 2′ 1.579 2′ 0.895 8 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS 2′ 21.152 2′ 0.745 No time 9 S. Martin Petronas AUS 2′ 21.505 2′ 1.613 2′ 0.940 10 A. Barros Honda BRA 2′ 19.834 2′ 1.953 2′ 0.960 11 R. Rolfo Ducati ITA 2′ 21.233 2′ 2.020 2′ 1.072 12 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR 2′ 19.684 2′ 1.975 2′ 1.137 13 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP 2′ 20.469 2′ 1.809 2′ 1.155 14 P. Chili Honda ITA 2′ 20.695 2′ 1.781 2′ 2.038 15 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA 2′ 22.655 2′ 2.437 2′ 2.596 16 M. Borciani Ducati ITA 2′ 21.778 2′ 2.449 2′ 3.150 18 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA 2′ 19.687 2′ 2.710 19 N. Abe Yamaha JPN 2′ 20.720 2′ 3.026 24 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 2′ 24.788 2′ 3.741 28 T. Al Naimi Yamaha QAT 2′ 46.833 2′ 9.934 More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: ROBY ROLFO WILL START FROM THE THIRD ROW TOMORRAW IN QATAR (Doha 2006, February 24) The sun went back on Losail circuit and, obviously, on the dry track the performances increase quickly. After to clinch the 14th place in the normal qualifying session, Roberto Rolfo increased his lap time during the Superpole session, scoring the 11th fastest and earning a Third row position. “Today too I’m quite satisfied for the job we made in dry conditions”. said back in the pit Roberto Rolfo. “I improved with costance my lap time in every practice session. At the beginning we focused to find a good package set up, to improve my feeling with the bike, then in the afternoon we focused on Superpole and I’ve been faster once more, as well using race tyres.I enjoied a lot challenging the Superpole, it ìs an interesting and beautiful race formula and I’ve been very happy to improve my lap time, also if I believe that it would be difficult to exploit at the best all the power of the bike in just one lap, but I repeat that’s amusing and another motive.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: BAYLISS AND LANZI CLAIM FANTASTIC SUPERPOLE 1-2 FOR THE DUCATI XEROX TEAM IN QATAR Losail (Qatar), Friday 24 February: Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi got the Ducati Xerox Team’s 2006 World Superbike Championship campaign off to a fantastic start when they set first and second quickest time in the opening Superpole session of the year at Losail, in Qatar. Australian former world champion Bayliss, who returned to Superbikes this year after three seasons in MotoGP, was the only rider to dip under the two minute mark as he powered his 999 to a time of 1m59.696s to take the first pole of the year, while his Italian team-mate Lanzi more than made up for yesterday’s qualifying session by grabbing the second place grid slot, three-tenths behind Bayliss. Both riders took the unusual step of running race tyres in the one-lap Superpole dash, because Ducati Corse engineers had correctly judged that the performance of the Pirelli race tyre on the 999 was better than the qualifying tyre over the entire lap. “It feels great to be back in Superbikes and it’s always nice to have pole position” declared Troy. “I did three years in MotoGP and it did me a lot of good so now I’ve come back as a stronger all round rider. I actually expected to do a little better in Superpole but I did enough to get pole and I’m happy with that. We’ll see how things are looking tomorrow, but I’ll try and get the best possible start and then play it by ear. There are two or three guys who can give me a few problems, starting with Lorenzo, who’s going well at the moment but we mustn’t underestimate Corser and Pitt as well. “It feels great to start on the front row alongside Troy” declared Lorenzo, “and we couldn’t have asked for a better start for the Ducati Xerox Team in this year’s championship. Yesterday we had a few problems with the wet conditions and I was very careful not to ruin things by making silly mistakes, but today I immediately got on the pace and I believe that I showed in qualifying and the Superpole that I can be up there at the front. The bike is going great and the suspension modifications really help me to have a good feeling. Tomorrow I’m sure that the two races will be really difficult because there are a lot of aggressive riders out there but I am really satisfied with my performance today”. TIMES: 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1m59.696s; 2. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 2m00.028s; 3. Pitt (Yamaha) 2m00.110s; 4. Toseland (Honda) 2m00.112s; 5. Corser (Suzuki) 2m00.206s; 6. Haga (Yamaha) 2m00.613s; 7. Kagayama (Suzuki) 2m00.895s; 8. Muggeridge (Honda) 2m00.745s; 9. Martin (Petronas) 2m00.940s; 10. Barros (Honda) 2m00.960s; etc. TV COVERAGE : Eurosport 2 (Pan European): Friday 24 February – 1400 Superpole (live); Saturday 25 February – 1000 SBK race 1 (live), 1330 SBK race 2 (live). La7 (Italy): Saturday 25 February – 0945 SBK race 1 (live) + 1650 (delayed), 1725 SBK race 2 (delayed). More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: ROW TWO FOR TROY Troy missed out on a front row place by the narrowest of margins at Qatar today, but is determined that it will not stop him finishing on the podium tomorrow. He used a very soft front tyre on his Superpole lap – one that he had not tried before – and was not fully confident about it in some of the turns, so couldn’t push as hard as he wanted to. Troy Bayliss was quickest in regular qualifying and followed that up by taking Superpole this afternoon, Second fastest was his Ducati team mate Lorenzo Lanzi, with Andrew pitt (Yamaha) third and James Toseland (Honda) fourth. TROY – 5th, 2:00.206 There were possibly a combination of things that prevented me from taking a front row grid place today. We used a soft front we hadn’t tried before because I wasn’t happy with the feeling of the harder ones. The track was a bit dirty off the main race line and so I couldn’t use my natural lines – the ones I used in the December tests here. Instead I had to follow everybody else’s lines and that probably cost me a bit of time. Finally, I am five kilos lighter now than December and that may mean that we have to change the bike settings a little bit. The soft front gave me a better feel, but I don’t think we could use it for the race because it wouldn’t last. It’s important to get a good start tomorrow because, if anybody were to make a break from the rest, it would be difficult to catch them up. But if I get a couple of good starts, there is no reason why I couldn’t get a podium or two. That’s what I’m aiming for. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra World Superbike Champion Troy Corser missed a front row start for tomorrow’s opening round of the series in Qatar by just a tenth of a second. Team mate Yukio Kagayama made a couple of small mistakes on his Superpole lap and finished seventh quickest, starting on the same row. Team rookie Fabien Foret continued his steep learning curve and was happy to get dry track time today and start working with his Alstare Suzuki in earnest. Troy Corser – 5th, 2:00.206: “In my Superpole lap we tried a soft front tyre – to get more feel – but we hadn’t tried it before and I wasn’t fully confident that I could really stick it in the turns as I wanted. We tried it because, with the harder tyres, I didn’t have much front end feel and couldn’t turn the bike in like normal. The soft one definitely felt better, but I don’t think we could use it for the race because it wouldn’t last. Also, because the track is a bit dirty after the rain yesterday, the good line is quite narrow. “When we tested here in December, I used different lines going into the turns, but today I had to follow everybody else’s lines. The bike is feeling a bit different here compared to December, but maybe that is because I am five kilos lighter, and we may need to alter the settings to compensate. Overall though, I’m reasonably happy and all I need is a couple of good starts.” Yukio Kagayama – 7th, 2:00.895: “Today was a bit mixed. I had a big crash in the morning and broke my bike. I think my front tyre may have been a little too hard and I couldn’t feel it very well. I lost the front and the bike went a long way before somersaulting in the gravel. Fortunately I was lucky and had no injuries – but I have given my mechanics a lot of work to do! I tried many different tyres today, but I am not sure which to use for the race. I really wanted a front row grid place, but I made a couple of small mistakes on my Superpole lap and they were enough to push me down to the second row. Now I must make a good start in both races because I want to be on the podium.” Fabien Foret – 25th, 2:03.798: “It was good to get dry laps today and finally I began to start understanding my bike. Yesterday was a waste of time for me because I learnt nothing. In the morning today, I didn’t have a good feeling about the front, but in the afternoon I became a bit more comfortable and improved my time by nearly one-and-a-half seconds. Every time I get on the bike I get a better feeling. For me, the result here is not so important. What is important is that I understand my bike. Having said that, I would still like to get into the points and that will be my goal.” Superbike Friday qualifying: 1 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:59.696 2 Lanzi (I-Ducati) 2:00.028 3 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha) 2:00.110 4 Toseland (GB-Honda) 2:00.112 5 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 2:00.206 6 Haga (J-Yamaha) 2:00.613 7 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 2:00.895 25 Fabien Foret (F-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 2:03.798