FIM Superbike World Championship Czech Republic July 21 Provisional Qualifying Results: 1. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR) 2:02.349 2. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R) 2:02.723 3. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F06) 2:02.847 4. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1) 2:02.904 5. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR) 2:03.058 6. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000) 2:03.107 7. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR) 2:03.112 8. Chris WALKER (Kaw ZX-10R) 2:03.178 9. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R) 2:03.389 10. Steve MARTIN (Foggy Petronas FP1) 2:03.408 11. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F06) 2:03.416 12. Troy CORSER (Suz GSX-R1000) 2:03.475 13. Andrew PITT (Yam YZF-R1) 2:03.528 14. Alex BARROS (Hon CBR1000RR) 2:03.728 15. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F05) 2:03.901 16. Pierfrancesco CHILI (Hon CBR1000RR) 2:03.915 17. Roberto ROLFO (Duc 999F05) 2:03.947 18. Fabien FORET (Suz GSX-R1000) 2:04.136 19. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yam YZF-R1) 2:04.245 20. Norick ABE (Yam YZF-R1) 2:04.373 21. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1) 2:04.580 22. Craig JONES (Foggy Petronas FP1) 2:05.152 23. Pavel SZKOPEK (Duc 999RS) 2:05.165 24. Josh BROOKES (Kaw ZX-10R) 2:05.863 25. Ivan CLEMENTI (Duc 999RS) 2:06.299 26. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Suz GSX-R1000) 2:07.241 27. Marco BORCIANI (Duc 999F05) 2:07.895 28. Jiri DRAZDAK (Yam YZF-R1) 2:08.039 29. Berto CAMLEK (Yam YZF-R1) 2:08.237 30. Marek SVOBODA (Yam YZF-R1) 2:08.327 31. Milos CIHAK (Suz GSX-R1000) 2:08.524 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: TOSELAND ON RECORD PROVISIONAL POLE AT BRNO James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) made a strong early statement of intent with the fastest time of the opening qualifying session at Brno, a new best lap on a race weekend of 2’02.349, some 0.374 seconds ahead of his closest opposition. His good early pace in the hour-long session was rewarded with provisional pole position, as a sudden heavy fall of rain at the end of the session froze the leader board with James at the top. His team-mate, Karl Muggeridge, was a more than respectable fifth overall, like James capitalizing on the experience gained in a comparatively recent tyre test at Brno, despite a drop off in grip levels since the test. With one more timed qualifying session scheduled at Brno, and then Superpole to determine the final grid positions of the top 16 qualifiers, both Toseland and Muggeridge have opportunities to consolidate and improve their respective positions. Ronald Ten Kate – Team Manager “Quite a good start to the race weekend and although it is only the first day, this is a very good place to start from. James put a good lap time in really quickly and after that he could concentrate purely on race settings and getting endurance from the tyres; which was good for us. Also Karl was fast immediately and we also had the luxury to concentrate on the race set-up and race tyres. We have seen an incredible track temperature of 52°C during that afternoon session, so we will see where we end up tomorrow. I hope the temperature will drop off a bit over the weekend, because I think this is almost too much. I am sure we can improve the bike even more for tomorrow.” James Toseland – Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (1st position – 2’02.349) “I knew the temperature was going to go up and up, so we needed to test the softer tyres, to see if they would last the race. We decided to put the softer tyres in at the beginning, when it was slightly cooler, and the track conditions were better. So I set a good early time and that stood through the session. Then the rains came and that stopped anyone going even faster. The bike is working well, so I’m happy.” Karl Muggeridge – Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (5th position – 2’03.058) “The track has changed a lot here since the test – not so grippy – so I am giving a lot of problems with the rear grip. So we are going to look into that. The problem now is that the bike is not compressing enough so I am just spinning with the rear. The bike is handling really well, and everyone is having the same problems with the track surface. But right now we have to focus on how we can get out of the corners faster. Once we have done that, and I’m confident we can, we should be OK.” FIRST QUALIFYING: 1. Toseland – Winston Ten Kate Honda – 2’02.349 2. Nieto – Kawasaki – 2’02.723 3. Lanzi – Ducati – 2’02.847 4. Haga – Yamaha – 2’02.904 5. Muggeridge – Winston Ten Kate Honda – 2’03.058 More, from a press release issued by Team Klaffi Honda: A working day at Brno The start of World’s Superbike Championship round at Brno was not as trouble-free as expected. On his way back from Brazil Alex Barros caught a touch of a flue and was not as fit as he uses to be. Temperatures at Brno reached sticky 34 0 C and three minutes before the end of the first Qualifying a short but intense rain set in. Alex could not do his planned last fast laps and achieved with a 2’03.728 lap time position 14. Alex Barros: ” This was a working day today. Just during Qualifying I had a problem with the electronic of one bike. It was disconnecting as it did during the first race at Misano. I know that I can do better lap times than these. Concerning the set-up we first did it as in Misano but then we used the set-up we used during our tests in springtime here. We know now in which direction we have to work. Tomorrow both Fireblades will work well and I’m sure to improve my lap times considerably. “ Qualifying I 1 Toseland (Honda) 2’02.349 2 Nieto (Kawasaki )2’02.723 3 Lanzi ( Ducati) 2’02.847 4 Haga (Yamaha) 2’02.904 5 Muggeridge (Honda) 2’03.058 6 Kagayama (Suzuki) 2’03.107 7 Fabrizio (Honda) 2’03.112 8 Walker (Kawasaki) 2’03.178 9 Laconi (Kawasaki) 2’03.389 10 Martin (Petronas) 2’03.408 11 Bayliss (Ducati) 2’03.416 12 Corser ( Suzuki) 2’03.475 13 Pitt A. (Yamaha) 2’03.528 14 Barros ( Klaffi Honda) 2’03.728 More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: FPR battle with the Brno heat Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Steve Martin and Craig Jones refused to wilt in the heat of the first day’s qualifying at round seven of the Superbike World Championship at the Czech Republic circuit of Brno. In sweltering conditions, Steve finished the first day 10th fastest while Craig was 22nd in an extended field of 31 entrants. Steve bettered his time on race rubber from the recent test at the punishing circuit, a second down on provisional poleman James Toseland, setting a time of 2:03.408 before a freak downpour ended the session prematurely. He said: “I was pretty happy with the day and we are in a lot better position at the end of the first day than we have been in the past here. I am not getting too excited but feel pretty comfortable doing very consistent lap times. If I can maintain that for the race then maybe we can go somewhere However, the high temperatures meant the grip was low and the other riders were doing much faster times at the recent test. The shower was amazing – I was dry coming past the box on the start-finish straight and drenched going into the first corner!” Craig set his fastest time of the day in the morning free practice, although his time of 2:04.977 was almost a second off the pace he achieved at the test. He said: “The grip was poor so it was a bit of a lottery to do decent times. Everyone was struggling with grip but the other bikes have more power and torque to pull them up the hill. I know the times that I was capable of doing at the test so I will just stick with the set-up we found at Lausitzring earlier this week and start to push harder tomorrow morning when the temperatures should be lower.” Friday qualifying times, Superbike World Championship round 6, Brno, Czech Republic: 1 Toseland 2:02.349; 2 Nieto 2:02.723; 3 Lanzi 2:02.847; 4 Haga 2:02.904; 5 Muggeridge 2:03.058; 6 Kagayama 2:03.107; 7 Fabrizio 2:03.112; 8 Walker 2:03.178; 9 Laconi 2:03.389; 10 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 2:03408; 22 (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) Jones 2:05.152 Friday free practice times: 1 Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 2:02.757; 2 Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 2:02.821; 3 Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki) 2:02.821; 4 Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 2:02.879; 5 Haga (Yamaha Italia) 2:02.920; 6 Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 2:03.011; 7 Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 2:03.162; 8 Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki) 2:03.244; 9 Pitt (Yamaha Italia) 2:03.372; 10 Barros (Klaffi Honda) 2:03.513; 17 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 2:04.269; 22 Jones (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 2:04.977 More, Scuderia SC Caracchi: from a press release issued by First practice day at Brno circuit for the seventh round of WSBK Championship. A splendid weather welcomed the Superbike circus this morning, but just in the final minutes of Superbike qualifying session a sudden and unexpected rain shower forced everybody to join the pits. Roberto Rolfo suffered unattended troubles during this first practice day, ending quite disappointed the first qualifying at 17th place. “In the morning free practice session I recorded easily a 2’04.162 lap time.” commented at the end of the day Roberto Rolfo. “During afternoon’s session I was confident to improve my lap time, but that did not occur. The engine did not run well like during the morning, despite that I had a central position. We believe that it happened because the hot temperature and, in,general, because the modified weather conditions. Now we are checking the injection map, I’m confident that for tomorrow’s race we’ll be OK.” Satisfied Luka Nedog who is finally more confident with his Caracchi SC Ducati 749R. “The one-day test we made here in Brno, also if the track was full of amateur riders, has been good to get a better confidence with the tyres and to get used to different conditions. Now I have more confidence with the tyres and I feel able to still improve.” Also Stuart Easton looks to be a bit satisfied and is confident to be faster tomorrow. “I didn’t know Brno at all and everything was new for me.” said Start Easton at the end of qualifying session “Now I could be focused to understand the tyres behavior and I got a better confidence in the front. This is a very demanding track,, but I’m thinking that thanks a better confidence I’ll be able to improve my lap time too. More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: TOSELAND LEADS THE HUNGRY PACK AFTER DAY ONE RAIN MAKES AN UNWELCOME LATE APPEARANCE AT BOILING BRNO Temperatures well into the 30s and high humidity made the first day of qualifying a tough task for all 31 Superbike riders at Brno, but a sudden rain shower a few minutes from the end of the afternoon timed session ensured that James Toseland’s new fastest lap time in an SBK race weekend – a 2’02.349 set early in the afternoon – would stay as the fastest of the day. Times were not quite at the same level as those set in an earlier Pirelli test at Brno, in June, but track conditions were cited by many riders as not being equal to those experienced last month. For some riders, notably championship leader Troy Bayliss, who could only finish 11th fastest, the rain helped deprive them of an opportunity to set some fast final laps, leaving many to look to the second and final regulation qualifying on Saturday morning to ensure qualification for Superpole, or a better grid position. NIETO SECOND DESPITE EARLY PROBLEMS Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) went second on the timesheets, some 0.374 seconds from Toseland, despite his machine breaking down in the morning’s unofficial session. Nieto made the most of the cooler track conditions at the start of the afternoon, and cited recent tests on part worn race tyres as a great help in his push at a track he knows well. With his team-mate Bayliss stuck outside the top ten, Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox), enjoying some highly vocal support in pit lane from his fan club, went third fastest and the top Ducati rider of all. The provisional front row was completed by 2005 Brno race winner, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia), ensuring that four different manufacturers would be represented on the ‘overnight’ front row. MUGGERIDGE FIFTH DESPITE TRACK CONDITION Despite problems with rear traction on his Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR, Karl Muggeridge scored a top five finish opening day time, just ahead of the resurgent Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) the fastest GSX-R rider on display. Reborn riders were in vogue at Brno on day one, as the recently injured Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda) forgot the pain from his collarbone and rode to seventh fastest. Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) went eighth; complaining of a reduction in grip from the track compared to the recent Brno tyre tests. LACONI NINTH AFTER A MONTH OFF Despite not taking part in the recent SBK tests at Lausitzring, Regis Laconi felt at home on his ZX-10R enough to score a top ten finish at the first attempt, and missed out on setting an even faster time right at the end. A fantastic ride from Steve Martin at this fast track delivered his Petronas team an early top ten, with his rookie SBK team-mate Craig Jones 22nd. The provisional third row was completed by two true SBK megastars, Troy Bayliss and Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). Winner of the most recent SBK race on the calendar, Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) went 13th, with another big name rider, Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) 14th, after suffering electronics problems with his number one bike. The last two riders currently qualified for Superpole are Berik Sterilgarda Ducati rider Ruben Xaus, and the ever popular Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Treme Honda). Twenty riders were within two seconds of provisional pole, despite Toseland’s 0.374-second advantage over Nieto at the top of the rankings. SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) headed the afternoon’s first qualifying session in World Supersport, but could not quite match the unofficial lap time set by his team-mate Broc Parkes in the morning session, a new best Supersport lap of the circuit on a race weekend, at 2’06.103. Parkes was second quickest in the hotter conditions of the afternoon session, and thus currently sits second in official qualification. The Megabike Honda machine of Simone Sanna (standing-in for the injured Katsuaki Fujiwara once more) was third fastest, ahead of Winston ten Kate Honda rider Kenan Sofuoglu. Championship leader Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) went fifth fastest after a single day of track action, in his return after injury. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP A wet Superstock 1000 qualifying session saw British rider Richard Cooper (MS Racing Honda) lead the pack, with a 2’17.494 lap. Luca Scassa (EVR Corse Ormeni racing MV Agusta) was second, with local rider Matej Smrz, Cooper’s team-mate, third. Championship leader Alessandro Polita (Celani Suzuki Italia) went fourth overall, with Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) way down in 21st place. At the present time, only 24 riders have qualified, from a possible 36. SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP Local knowledge of a semi-wet track helped Czech rider Ondrej Jezek (Gold Fren Team Erinec Kawasaki) set the fastest 600 time, ahead of championship leader, Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). Renato Constantini (Junior Team Italia Honda) was the third fastest rider, with championship contender Davide Guigliano (Lightspeed Kawasaki Racing) in the top four. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: LANZI GOES PROVISIONAL THIRD FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM IN FIRST BRNO QUALIFYING – BAYLISS ELEVENTH Brno (Czech Republic), Friday 21 July: Lorenzo Lanzi produced a positive performance for the Ducati Xerox Team at Brno, setting the third quickest time in Friday’s opening qualifying session, while points leader Troy Bayliss could only manage an uncharacteristic eleventh place. “It was a strange day. I hopped onto the bike this morning and I was just like on another planet. I wasn’t there with it and who knows why!” commented Bayliss. “This afternoon I was feeling OK and we got going but the track was a bit warmer than last time I was here and I tried the hardest front tyre that we used last time and I nearly crashed twice. I fell off the side of the bike and was lucky to hang onto it, so that took a little of the feel away from it. We finally got going, had a problem with some adjustments and had to change tyres to the other bike at the last minute. I got one lap in which wasn’t bad and the second one was going to be quite a bit better and then it started pouring so that was a bit of a let-down really. Despite that, all is OK and I’m looking forward to tomorrow!” Satisfaction for Lorenzo Lanzi, who was always up amongst the front-runners during the first session. “I am very happy with today, things went really well” declared Lanzi. “We were all there with close times, but my pace on race tyres is already a pretty good one. I’ve also managed to find a satisfactory setting, and I’m already well up the grid so if it rains tomorrow I’m in a good position. Maybe my outright times are not as quick as in the test here once month ago, but my times on race tyres are and I’m happy with that. The guys did a great job today and the Lausitz tests were very useful because they allowed us to try some new things. Finally I’m getting back the feeling that has been missing in the last few races and that’s important.” TIMES: 1. Toseland (Honda) 2m02.349; 2. Nieto (Kawasaki) 2m02.723s; 3. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 2m02.847s; 4. Haga (Yamaha) 2m02.904s; 5. Muggeridge (Honda) 2m03.058s; 6. Kagayama (Suzuki) 2m03.107s; … 11. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 2m03.416s; 12. Corser (Suzuki) 2m03.475s. More, from a press release issued by Beowulf Racing: Beowulf Racing’s Nick Henderson (Suzuki) has made his best start to race qualifying this year at Brno today. The Australian, who rides for the British Shepton Mallet-based team, finished today’s opening timed session for the fifth round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup in 17th place, despite being painfully bitten by a gnat and having to deal with changeable weather conditions. Henderson logged a time of 2:23.971 around the tree-lined 3.4-mile track, but it was Britain’s Richard Cooper (Honda) who led the field with a lap at 2:17.494. During the half-hour morning warm-up session Nick not only had to contend with the sweltering heatwave currently engulfing the whole of Europe, but also a huge gnat which flew into the top of his leathers and managed to squirm its way right down the Australian’s back to bite him just above the hip! Judging from the size of the impression it made, the insect was quite a brute. Despite this Nick rode faster on every passing lap to finish the session in 30th place from a field of 37 riders. Probably the whole of the Czech Republic has been looking forward to the thunderstorms forecasted to arrive tomorrow morning to give relief from the blistering heat they’ve endured. Sadly for the Superstock riders, the storms arrived a day early and just before their afternoon qualifying session. Although the downpour had abated as the bikes took to the track, the circuit was still in a saturated state but it was clear it would dry out after a few laps. Thinking it would clear even quicker than that, Nick began the session on dry tyres but after one lap it was clear that wets were still the order of the day. One rapid tyre change later and Nick was out again, now putting in steadily faster laps and running in the top ten on the scoreboard. Towards the end of the 45-minute session the switch back to dry tyres was made leaving Henderson only time for one flying lap to finish the day in 17th place and only four-tenths of a second away from the elusive points-scoring position of 15th. Through the speed traps the Beowulf Suzuki continues to be a front-runner: today the machine was logged in third place with a top speed of 161.2mph. “I’m very, very happy tonight,” said Henderson afterwards. “The final third of the track was still damp on my final flying lap and I reckon if I could have done one more circuit I’d have finished the day in the top 15. I’d also like to compliment the team on their pit work those two tyre changes were slick and professional. I’m certainly looking forward to more of the same tomorrow.” Team Manager Andy Stone was also in buoyant mood: “It’s great to finally see Beowulf back in the top half of the timesheets. We’re in a strong position for more progress tomorrow.” Since joining the European series, the former Australian Superbike Privateer Championship Runner-Up has been desperate to make an impression on the world stage. Today at Brno the signs are that the tide could just be starting to turn Henderson’s way, and the team are certainly looking forwards to tomorrow’s second timed qualifying session. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Yukio Kagayama and Troy Corser took sixth and 12th fastest respectively at today’s opening qualifying for the Brno World Superbike seventh round in the Czech Republic. With a limited number of good rubber available, both riders did not want to use up their quota and suffer any problems for the rest of the weekend so they plugged away on hard rubber and didn’t push hard for fast lap times. Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Fabien Foret got caught out by a sudden downpour at the end of timed qualifying and was not able to go out for a quick lap, ending the session in 18th. James Toseland (Honda) posted the fastest lap with a time of 2:02.349. Yukio Kagayama – 6th, 2:02.904: “I had a good feeling in the morning but the heat in the afternoon meant that the performance level of the tyre was lower and I could not go so fast. Recently we’ve found a new chassis set-up and I am much more comfortable on the bike. This setting is very good for race tyres but it doesn’t always work so well with qualifying rubber. Also, my physical condition is much better and that means my results are improving. Up until Misano, my wrist was maybe up to about 60% only but now it is up to about 90%. My back is now also ok and finally I can start pushing hard without worrying about pain after five or six laps in a race.” Troy Corser – 12th, 2″03.475: “The feeling in the morning was better then the afternoon but that was because the track temperature was much higher in the second session. When that happens, the grip level goes down. Because I missed the Brno test earlier on, I spent most of today getting used to the track and working on a good race set-up. I wasn’t chasing fast lap times and being 18th at this stage doesn’t concern me at all. We have a limited number of soft tyres, so we decided to conserve them for tomorrow and Sunday. “In the afternoon, I was on my fastest lap of the day when I crashed three turns from home. I lost the front and went down, but it was a slow-speed tip-off and I was able onto get back on the bike and ride it back to the garage. Then, a few moments later, down came the rain and that was the end of the session. I crashed because we were on a hard front and I didn’t get enough feedback from it. This track is going to be a bit of a problem because we’ll have to make a compromise on our tyre choice for the race, but I guess we’re all in the same boat.” Fabien Foret – 18th, 2:04.136: “My lap times on race tyres were pretty consistent, so I am quite happy about that. I spent most of the time concentrating on my race set and didn’t really get round to a fast lap until it was a bit late and then the rain came! I’ve been trying a different riding style here this weekend and although it’s taking some getting used to, I feel that if I can master it, then my lap times will improve quite a bit. I’m happy with the set-up for the race but, at the moment, I do not know which tyres to use. In the end, it will be a compromise – the same as usual, but more of a compromise here. ” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY 12TH, BUT UNCONCERNED! Troy finished twelfth in first qualifying at Brno today, but is confident that he will be on the front row of the grid after tomorrow’s final qualifying and Superpole. A limited number of soft tyres meant that Troy had to conserve his quota and use probably a harder tyre then he would’ve liked in this afternoon’s timed session. And it was a hard tyre that caused Troy to suffer a low-speed crash five minutes from the end – just as as was about to complete his fastest lap of the day. Fortunately, Troy was able to re-mount and ride back to the pits, but then the rain suddenly came down with a vengeance and Troy didn’t go out again. James Toseland (Honda) was the quickest today, with a time of 2:02.349 – well over a second faster then the lap record. Second is Fonsi Nieto (Kawasaki), ahead of Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati), Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha), Karl Muggeridge (Honda) and Troy’s team mate Yukio Kagayama. TROY – 12th, 2:03.475 Because I missed the test here recently, I was effectively three days behind my main rivals today. So, I’ve used most of the day getting used to the track and working on a good bike set-up. In the morning we worked quite a lot of getting a good balance and we carried on that way in the afternoon. But it was much hotter in the afternoon and because the grip level decreases the hotter it becomes it was not possible to go faster. I was on a hard front when I crashed this afternoon – just three turns from what would’ve been my fastest lap. I just didn’t have much feeling from the front tyre, and I suppose it was no big surprise when I lost it and crashed. For a moment I almost recovered it, but it almost flat on the track at that stage! I’m still not completely happy about the clutch, so that’s another area that we’ll work on tomorrow. Despite finishing 12th today, we know which direction to take tomorrow and I’m confident that we’ll be on the front row. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Haga on form as rain thwarts Pitt’s qualifying run Noriyuki Haga returned to the scene of one of his finest moments to end first qualifying in fourth position at Brno today. The Yamaha Motor Italia rider won at the classic Czech circuit last year, despite qualifying way back on the fifth row, and today confirmed his liking of the circuit by putting his YZF-R1 on the provisional front row for Sunday’s race. A combination of high temperatures and residue left from car racing meant that the riders struggled for grip on the dirty surface and struggled to match their times from last month’s three-day test at the same venue. Haga’s best lap of the day was 2:02.904, over a second slower than his best time on race tyres at last month’s test, but just half-a-second behind provisional pole man James Toseland (Honda). A heavy shower with just minutes of the session remaining meant that team-mate Andrew Pitt was unable to make what he expected to be his fastest lap of the day. The Australian, winner last time out in Misano, ended the day in 13th position. Despite his lower than expected position, the former supersport world champion was happy with his day’s work, having made small but important improvements to his YZF-R1’s settings and completing a race simulation. Yamaha Motor France’s trio of riders spent most of the session having their own personal battle just outside the top 16. Norick Abe, Sebastien Gimbert and rookie Shinichi Nakatomi. Just three tenths of a second separated the riders as Frenchman Gimbert ended the day 19th, ahead of Japanese colleagues Abe and Nakatomi, who were 20th and 21st position respectively. Final qualifying for Sunday’s two-race seventh round takes place tomorrow. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “Fourth is ok but really I am not so happy. The grip levels are much lower than when we tested here. I think that there have been cars racing on the circuit and they have left some rubber on the track. We only have three different tyres to choose from and I tried the soft and medium ones. The soft was sliding around like a qualifier after a few laps and the feeling was also not so good with the medium. I am surprised because I usually have a good feeling with the bike and the tyres. We can try some things for tomorrow but I think that the heavy rain will change the surface anyway. Maybe that will be better or maybe it will be worse. We have to wait and find out.” Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “What can I say, I’d just gone out on a new tyre when it started to pour down! Up until that point it’d gone fine. There’s not a lot of grip out there but I was quite happy with the bike and had been able to get in a race simulation. We improved things quite a bit between the morning and afternoon and we’re definitely going in the right direction.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “Unfortunately I missed the team’s test here through injury but it should not be a big problem as Brno is one of my favourite tracks Today the problem for me is again rear traction. The surface is very slippery but the team will try a few thing for tomorrow to try and improve the bike and give me a chance to run at the front on Sunday.” Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) “Brno is a long and challenging circuit but it is not a new track to me as we tested here recently. I was able to go quickly straight away but at the end it started to rain when I went out with a new tyre on and I couldn’t go for a final fast lap. I am sure that we can make a big improvement tomorrow because the bike and the track will probably be in better condition.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “After good tests here and at Lausitz I think we expected a little bit more from today. We’re having some problems with the grip levels but this seems to be as a result of the track surface. Looking at the lap times it seems that everyone is only able to do two or three fast laps before the performance level drops off. We’ll work further on the settings for tomorrow but we’ll have to see if the track surface improves overnight.”