This is from a Ducati press release, which reveals that Colin Edwards was fastest in World Superbike tests today at Imola’s Enzo & Dino Ferrari Circuit:


Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) and Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) set fifth and sixth quickest times on the first day of World Superbike testing at the Enzo & Dino Ferrari Circuit in Imola today. The two-day test, which sees the participation of factory teams from Ducati, Honda, Aprilia and Kawasaki, is in preparation for the final round of the championship scheduled at Imola for September 30.

Championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada), who has never seen the track before, said that he was looking forward to racing again in Italy (where he has already won three races out of four this year) after completing a massive 92 laps, setting a time of 1:51.53. “This is my first visit to Imola and it’s coming along nicely”, declared the 32-year-old Australian. “The circuit is not too bad and I’m glad we came testing. The track was slippery this morning, but I’m sure tomorrow the grip will be much better. I’m really pleased the last round of the season is in Italy, because it’s close to the Ducati factory and that means there’ll be a good crowd for the race”.

Double Laguna winner Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) was a fraction of a second behind Bayliss but the 27-year-old American was suffering with jet-lag after returning from California a couple of days ago. “This is the first day and I’m feeling so tired”, commented Bostrom, who completed 64 laps with a best time of 1:51.80. ” I’ve been here before to do some testing when it was raining, but the track seems decent to me and I’m looking forward to racing here in September”.

Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) crashed out in the morning session, suffering a slight injury to his left collarbone, and the 23-year-old Spanish rider only did a few laps in the afternoon before concluding his day’s testing. “I was going quite well on the old tire but when I put a new one on, I lost the rear end of the bike and highsided at a slow speed. The track is quite nice but very slippery”, commented Xaus, whose best time over 42 laps was 1:53.040.

UNOFFICIAL TIMES:
1. Edwards (Honda) 1:50.12
2. Laconi (Aprilia) 1:50.61
3. Okada (Honda) 1:50.90
4. Corser (Aprilia) 1:51.49
5. BAYLISS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) 1:51.53
6. BOSTROM (DUCATI L&M) 1:51.80
7. Antonello (Aprilia) 1:52.30
8. Yanagawa (Kawasaki) 1:52.70
9. Lavilla (Kawasaki) 1:52.90
10.Parkes (Ducati) 1:52.90
11. XAUS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) 1:53.04.


Here’s Aprilia’s press release on the same test day:

Private tests at Imola in preparation for the last round of the championship on 30 September. The three official Aprilia riders, Corser, Laconi and Antonello get their first taste of the Santerno track.

On 30 September, the final curtain will come down on the World Superbike Championship 2001, here in the “land of motors” at Imola, in the heart of Emilia Romagna. The thirteenth and last round of 2001 will also witness the debut of the Superbikes on the historical track named after Enzo and Dino Ferrari. Today, World Superbike riders got their first taste of the circuit: Many of them are at Imola for the first time and these test sessions are an excellent opportunity to take note of useful references for the September races. The President of Superbike International, Paolo Alberto Flammini, the President of Sagis, Federico Bendinelli, and the mayor of the City of Imola will be officially presenting the event in tomorrow morning’s press conference: They will be opening up what looks all set to be the decisive round for the 2001 title.

The Aprilia riders lost no time doing lap after lap and acquiring precious information. Corser completed 45 laps, Laconi 70 and Antonello, who completed 40, slipped halfway through the afternoon on the fast curve before Rivazza, without too much harm: Just a slight contusion of his right forearm. The official Aprilia test rider will be back on track tomorrow.

Temperatures: morning 27°C/40°C ground – afternoon 29°C/43°C – clear sky, strong wind 16/18 metres a second from southwest.

“A very technical circuit with some blind corners where you can’t see the way out”, said Troy Corser after his debut on the Imola track. “There are also plenty of bumps, so we worked hard on the set-up of the bike to get it just right. Fine-tuning of the bike and the choice of race tires for my schedule but also getting to know the ins and outs of a track that requires enormous concentration.”

“I’m more than happy with today”, said Regis Laconi, who raced here on 250 in ’97 and on 500 in ’98 and ’99, so I know the track well. “There are lots of long curves and that’s where you need a really stable bike. The trajectories are like those of a 500, so I felt completely at ease. We’ve done a great job and the test session programme has got off to a fantastic start.”

It is the first time at Imola for Alessandro Antonello too: “Setting up the bike needed great care since the power of the engine takes a lot of weight off the front, and the exit trajectories tend to be wider, taking you onto the curbs. The changes we made to the set-up today have already obtained their first results. Pity about the slide in the afternoon–but I’m okay and I’ll be back on track tomorrow.”