FIM Superbike World Championship Assen, Netherlands April 25, 2009 Superpole Results (all on Pirelli tires): Superpole One Results: 1. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:37.946 2. Troy CORSER (BMW S1000 RR), 1:38.339 3. Max BIAGGI (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:38.476 4. Shane BYRNE (Ducati 1098R), 1:38.558 5. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:38.605 6. Michel FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098 F09), 1:38.606 7. Noriyuki HAGA (Ducati 1098 F09), 1:38.631 8. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:38.660 9. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 1098R), 1:38.762 10. Regis LACONI (Ducati 1098R), 1:38.803 11. Leon HASLAM (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:38.810 12. Jonathan REA (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:38.822 13. Tom SYKES (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:38.874 14. Ben SPIES (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:38.925 15. Carlos CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:38.947 16. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:39.180 Do Not Advance To Superpole Two: 17. Tommy HILL (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:39.387 18. Brendan ROBERTS (Ducati 1098R), 1:39.390 19. Shinya NAKANO (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:39.569 20. Ruben XAUS (BMW S1000 RR), 1:39.643 Superpole Two Results: 1. Ben SPIES (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:37.715 2. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 1098R), 1:37.957 3. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:38.084 4. Michel FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098 F09), 1:38.113 5. Carlos CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:38.115 6. Noriyuki HAGA (Ducati 1098 F09), 1:38.197 7. Leon HASLAM (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:38.232 8. Tom SYKES (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:38.242 Do Not Advance To Superpole Three: 9. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:38.288 10. Max BIAGGI (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:38.441 11. Jonathan REA (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:38.510 12. Regis LACONI (Ducati 1098R), 1:38.521 13. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:38.802 14. Shane BYRNE (Ducati 1098R), 1:38.811 15. Troy CORSER (BMW S1000 RR), 1:38.906 16. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:39.079 Superpole Three Results: 1. Ben SPIES (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:37.626 2. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 1098R), 1:37.765 3. Leon HASLAM (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:38.072 4. Noriyuki HAGA (Ducati 1098 F09), 1:38.202 5. Michel FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098 F09), 1:38.215 6. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:38.353 7. Carlos CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:38.640 8. Tom SYKES (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:38.790 Final Qualifying Results After Superpole: 1. Ben SPIES (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:37.626 2. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 1098R), 1:37.765 3. Leon HASLAM (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:38.072 4. Noriyuki HAGA (Ducati 1098 F09), 1:38.202 5. Michel FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098 F09), 1:38.215 6. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:38.353 7. Carlos CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:38.640 8. Tom SYKES (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:38.790 9. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:38.288 10. Max BIAGGI (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:38.441 11. Jonathan REA (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:38.510 12. Regis LACONI (Ducati 1098R), 1:38.521 13. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:38.802 14. Shane BYRNE (Ducati 1098R), 1:38.811 15. Troy CORSER (BMW S1000 RR), 1:38.906 16. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:39.079 17. Tommy HILL (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:39.387 18. Brendan ROBERTS (Ducati 1098R), 1:39.390 19. Shinya NAKANO (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:39.569 20. Ruben XAUS (BMW S1000 RR), 1:39.643 21. David CHECA (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:40.496 22. David SALOM (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:40.572 23. Stuart EASTON (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:40.608 24. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:41.014 25. Makoto TAMADA (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:41.057 26. Matteo BAIOCCO (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:41.062 27. Luca SCASSA (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:41.085 28. Roland RESCH (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:41.978 More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda Racing: Ryuichi Kiyonari will start from the fourth row of the grid in tomorrow’s two fourth round World Superbike championship races after qualifying in sixteenth place today. Pole position was taken by American Ben Spies, as Kiyonari was forced to use his spare Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, having crashed his main bike in free practice, just before the final Superpole shoot-out. Kiyonari went out in Superpole 1 on a race tyre and then put in a faster lap on a qualifier to progress to Superpole 2. However, on his first flying lap, a small mistake forced him wide at turn one and the Japanese rider struggled thereafter. Ryuichi Kiyonari P16, best lap: 1’39.059s (2nd qualifying) The crash in free practice was at the worst time just before the Superpole began. The data shows that I went into the final chicane a little too fast and used more brake than usual. The damage was too bad to repair in time for Superpole so I had to use the spare bike. Although the bike had nearly the same setting, my feeling was completely different and I had no confidence in the front. Then I made a mistake on my first flying lap in Superpole 2 and that was it. I don’t like the time attack format of Superpole and, again, I have had a bad Superpole, but it’s the same for everyone. I will try my best in the races tomorrow for the best results I can get for the team. Ronald ten Kate team manager Kiyo-san’s Superpole was pretty much finished before it began when he crashed his number one machine in free practice. His second bike didn’t give him quite the same confidence in the front and so he finds himself on the fourth row. He has shown what he can do though, so with a couple of good starts, he is capable of some solid results. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Carlos Checa set the seventh fastest time in this afternoon’s Superpole session to earn himself a place on the second row for tomorrow’s fourth round World Superbike championship races at Assen in Holland. The Spanish ace, who finished twice on the podium in last year’s races, set his best time of the weekend during the Superpole session, in which the top 20 riders are reduced to 16 and then eight to determine final grid positions. Pole position was taken for the fourth time by WSBK rookie Ben Spies, with Jakub Smrz, Leon Haslam and Noriyuki Haga completing the front row slots for tomorrow’s two 22-lap encounters. Checa’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Jonathan Rea, endured a luckless day with machine breakdowns and a crash leaving him on the third row in 11th place on the grid. Carlos Checa P7, best lap 1’38.115 (Superpole 2) Well the base setting of the bike is now quite good, after the changes we made have given me a better connection. Everything is working quite well and I am already six or seven tenths faster than last year’s race pace. We have been going in the right direction and, although there is still a little chatter which we must work hard to reduce, it is much less than before. We have changed the engine mapping and I am running with a longer exhaust this weekend, but we still need to improve handling on corner entry and to find more rear grip. But the good base means we should only need to make small changes now. Jonathan Rea P11, best lap 1’38.510 (Superpole 2) It’s been a tough day, really. First we had a breakdown this morning, which was followed by a crash on some oil or dust from an earlier crash. That cost us a lot of time but we were still pretty confident going into Superpole, especially after finishing second in the free practice just before. Then in Superpole two, I had some electrical problem with the number one machine and my confidence was not so good on the spare bike. However, the set-up feels much stronger than it’s been for a while, so I’m really looking forward to the races. It’s going to be tough getting anything from where I’m starting, so I’ll need someone looking down and smiling on me tomorrow. Ronald ten Kate team manager Jonathan’s problem in Superpole was a sensor failure, which forced him to swap to his second bike. At least he has pretty good race pace and a couple of good starts could see him up there. Carlos has done well over the weekend so far and I think he’s the guy with the most 1’39s laps on paper. For tomorrow, I strongly believe he will be at the front immediately. We’re definitely in a better position than we were in Valencia, but Superpole didn’t quite bring us what we expected today. More, from a press release issued by Ben Spies’ publicist: SPIES WINS ASSEN SUPERPOLE ASSEN, Netherlands (April 25, 2009) Ben Spies earned the pole today for Sunday’s Dutch round of the World Superbike Championship by turning a Superbike record qualifying time of 1:37.626. Spies clocked in at an average speed of 104.38 mph, riding the factory Yamaha R1 on the historic 4.5 kilometer (2.8 miles), 17-turn TT Circuit. The 24-year-old series rookie from Texas remains perfect – four for four – in winning pole positions in 2009. Spies is a newcomer to Assen, but again he’s proving to be a quick learner on the challenging world championship circuits. He talked a bit about his success at getting the tracks down quickly. “Fortunately with two hours each day we have plenty of time to learn them,” said Spies, whose record Superpole time was faster than last year’s qualifying record of 1:38.428 set by Troy Bayliss. “I’m forced to pick up these tracks quickly so I have a chance to maybe put a little pressure on [Noriyuki] Haga. The bike is getting better and better, so that’s helping a lot.” Spies edged second-place qualifier Czech Jakub Smrz by a scant 14/100ths of a second. Spies crashed in the free practice before Superpole, but was unhurt in the incident. “I messed up in turn one,” Spies admitted. “I got in hot and thought to myself, ‘I should probably just go straight here,’ but at the last second I tried to make the turn and lost the front. It was no big deal. I got up, brushed the bike off and kept going.” After his practice slip Spies didn’t show his speed early on in Superpole qualifying. He finished 14th in Superpole 1, barely advancing to the next round. “A lot of riders used their Qs [qualifying tires] in the first session and we didn’t,” Spies explained. “I was on a race tire, that combined with the fact that I never really put together a good lap in the first session, gave me a little stress there for a second, but we were able to sneak it in there to keep going to the next round. Once we were in the second session I knew we’d be OK.” The Texan stormed back in Superpole 2 to top the charts. Finally in Superpole 3 the race for the pole was down to the top eight riders. Again Spies didn’t show his hand early and it wasn’t until the final minutes of the session that he moved once again to the top of the timing charts to earn his fourth Superpole of the year. “I went on the track with six minutes to go and watched to see what everyone else was doing” Spies explained. “I actually set my fast time on the second lap and then the tires went off just a bit. It was a good day, other than one small mistake in practice. “The lap times are obviously slower on the race tires, but I’m comfortable with our set up and am looking forward to going out there tomorrow and see how we fare.” The Three-time American Superbike Champion is eager to get back on a winning track after a subpar outing in the most recent World Superbike event. “It was good to get back on the track and do well this weekend after having a miserable round at Valencia,” Spies said. “It’s still early in the championship, but it’s time to start turning up the pressure and going for it.” In the U.S. both rounds of the World Superbike Championship from Assen can be watched back to back tomorrow, Sunday, April 25, on Speed TV starting at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group/InFront motor Sports: Spies’ Superpole steamroller continues for Yamaha at Assen Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) notched up his fourth successive Superpole crown in a row at the Assen TT Circuit today, a record for a start of the season run, and just two poles away from Doug Polen’s all-time record of six during the 1991 season. The Texan once again made the session his own, powering to a time of 1 minute 37.626 seconds and pulverizing the previous record held by Bayliss in 1’38.355. The Yamaha man was pushed hard all the way however as he strove to improve on the 1’38.765 time of Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati), who will start alongside. The front row also sees Britain’s Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing) in third place, once again the top Honda runner, and championship leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) in fourth. Ben Spies: “It went good. Row 1 is good for us but I wish they gave points for this, it’s a couple more feet ahead on the starting line and you have an advantage. I’m really happy with the bike on race tyres, obviously the times are a little slower but the balance for me is better. The bike’s working good, the team’s making headway and it’s getting better every session so I think it’s going to be a good battle tomorrow. Assen is a great track and has got a lot of history, so I’m having fun.” Jakub Smrz: “We did a really good Superpole and the team did a great job. My bike is perfect, now we have to concentrate on the races tomorrow, because the last two weekends were not really lucky for me. We worked well on the race set-up, which seems to be OK. Now I just have to make a good start and follow the leaders or stay up at the front.” Leon Haslam: “It’s fantastic and a big credit to the team. The circuit for me has got a lot of history so to get a front row start I’m over the moon! Hopefully we can convert it into two podiums. John unfortunately will miss everything this weekend but the team has worked hard and I feel we’ve got a really good race set-up for tomorrow, hopefully we can give the British fans something to look at!” Fifth position on row 2 went to Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox), ahead of Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Alstare), the German looking quick on race pace, with Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) seventh, while Tom Sykes (Yamaha World Superbike) had a positive run for eighth after his two crashes today. Disappointment for Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing), who will start from the third row, together with Regis Laconi (Ducati), who expected a better position after lapping on top form in qualifying, while Troy Corser lines his BMW Motorrad machine up on the fourth row. Times: 1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’37.626; 2. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’37.765; 3. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’38.072; 4. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1’38.202; 5. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’38.215; 6. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’38.353; 7. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’38.640; 8. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’38.790; 9. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’38.288; 10. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’38.441; 11. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’38.510; 12. Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’38.521; 13. Muggeridge K. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’38.802; 14. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1’38.811; 15. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’38.906; 16. Kiyonari R. (JPN)Honda CBR1000RR 1’39.079 World Supersport Man of the moment Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport) grabbed his third pole position in three races with a superb time of 1 minute 40.313 seconds, which he set right at the end of the session and knocking half a second off the previous mark. The gap between Crutchlow and his closest rivals was considerable, with Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com) half a second down, and championship co-leader Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) six-tenths behind. Another Honda, the Parkalgar version of round 2 winner Eugene Laverty, completed the front row. Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport) took the fifth slot ahead of Australian Garry McCoy (Triumph Be1 Racing) and Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini), who also crashed. No luck once again in qualifying for Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who had to settle for tenth place. Times: 1. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1’40.313 ; 2. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’40.848; 3. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1’40.998; 4. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1’41.002; 5. Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’41.130; 6. McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 1’41.412; 7. Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’41.436; 8. West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’41.496 Superstock 1000 Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Honda) set a new lap record of 1 minute 41.108 seconds in qualifying to take the top slot of the grid for tomorrow’s second round of the FIM Cup. The Frenchman had already shown himself to be on form in free practice and left no space for his rivals in the sole grid-deciding session. Italian Davide Giugliano (Unionbike MV Agusta), Sylvain Barrier (Garnier Yamaha) of France and championship leader Claudio Corti (Suzuki Alstare) completed the front row. European 600 champion Loris Baz (MRS Yamaha) looked good for fifth place, but one of the title favourites Xavier Simeon (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) failed to emerge in qualifying and could only make row 3. Times: 1. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’41.108; 2. Giugliano D. (ITA) MV Agusta F4 312 R 1’41.636; 3. Barrier S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’41.988; 4. Corti C. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’42.199; 5. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’42.368; 6. Burrell B. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’42.446; 7. Fores J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’42.459; 8. Schouten R. (NED) Yamaha YZF R1 1’42.497 Superstock 600 Danilo Petrucci (Yamaha Trasimeno) continued his great early season form with pole position at Assen and a new best lap of 1 minute 44.376 seconds. The Italian is favourite for the win tomorrow, but he will have to watch out in particular for Dutch rider Joey Litjens (VD Heyden Yamaha) as well as Vincent Lonbois (MTM Yamaha) and Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Trasimeno), who make up the all-Yamaha front row. Another title contender Gino Rea (Ten Kate Honda) lines up in fifth place. Times: 1. Petrucci D. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’44.376; 2. Litjens J. (NED) Yamaha YZF R6 1’44.556; 3. Lonbois V. (BEL) Yamaha YZF R6 1’44.915; 4. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’44.960; 4. Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’45.414; 6. Kerschbaumer S. (AUT) Yamaha YZF R6 1’45.518; 7. La Marra E. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1’45.607; 8. Lombardi D. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’45.769 More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: HAGA FOURTH AND FABRIZIO FIFTH ON THE GRID FOR TOMORROW’S RACES AT ASSEN. Assen (The Netherlands) Saturday 25th April: the Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio today completed the fourth Superpole of the 2009 Superbike season and secured themselves solid positions on the front rows of tomorrow’s grid. In the second qualifying session, which took place on a relatively cool track this morning, both Noriyuki and Michel were able to greatly improve on the times they set yesterday to qualify for the Superpole in second (Nori) and fifth position (Michel). The two factory riders both seemed more comfortable on board their Ducati 1198 bikes today although lack of grip remained something of an issue. In the last five minutes of the afternoon free practice session Nori took a fall, losing the front, which came as a surprise even to him. The factory rider was fortunately unhurt and although the bike suffered damage Nori’s team worked flat out to have the second bike ready for the Superpole which started just twenty minutes later. The two Ducati Xerox factory riders then calculated the Superpole sessions well, both using the two available qualifying tyres in the second and third mini-Superpoles, and both registering a fastest lap time of 1m38.2s to ensure themselves the fourth (Nori) and fifth spot (Michel) on tomorrow’s grid. Privateer outfit Team Guandalini were also satisfied to see their rider Smrz, on board his Ducati 1098R, finish second in today’s Superpole. Noriyuki Haga 1m38.2s “Unfortunately at the end of the free practice session I came off; I lost the front for no particular reason gong into the corner which was a bit of a surprise but anyway I wasn’t hurt and it did not affect my performance in Superpole. I’m not so happy with the level of grip but I think that it is something that we can resolve in the morning. We will see tomorrow in the warm-up. For the tyres there is only one option for tomorrow so we are sorted there. I can tell that tomorrow we’ll have two tough races as the times are all very close but I feel we are in a position to fight to win both.” Michel Fabrizio 1m38.2s “The second qualifying tyre that I used during the Superpole, in the last session, had a bit more grip with respect to the first but I didn’t feel right with the general set-up of the bike . We still ahven’t toally understood the problem but I wasn’t able to give 100% as it felt like I was opening the gas but the bike was drifting. Having said that I am on the second row tomorrow, and even though I hoped to be further forward, I guess I’m fairly satisfied.” More, from a press release issued by Stiggy Honda Racing: Haslam Shines in Superpole Qualfying It was a dramatic start to the race weekend for the Stiggy Racing Honda Team because a nasty crash on Friday took John Hopkins out of contention, but Leon Haslam gave the Superbike squad something to shout about and secured the first front row start for the team this season. After a strong performance in the Superpole qualifying, Haslam put his bike firmly on the third place on the grid, well ahead of the other Honda’s in the field. Haslam opted to stay on race tyres for the first shoot-out, and save his qualifiers for the remaining two sessions. He set a fast lap in the early minutes of SP1, which put him in a save position for the second shoot-out. Out on his first qualifiers he improved his time to 1’38.23s, with one more session and qualifying tyre to go. He went out first for the final qualifying, and set the target time at 1’38.072s. Only Haga and Spies managed to improve this time, and will start from second and pole position respectively. His front row start gives Haslam a good position to challenge in the race, and with the pace he has shown throughout the qualifying sessions, he should be able to push for a good result in tomorrow’s Superbike races. Leon Haslam, P3, SP3-1′.38.072s: “It is my first front row start this season. I feel very comfortable with the improvements we made to the race set-up by the end of the free practice session. We managed to get through the first Superpole qualifying on a race tyre, and got through the second one using just one of the qualifiers, which put me in a good position for the last session. I made a few mistakes, and we do have some small things to work on tomorrow in the warm-up, but I am certainly happy with the progression we have made so far.” Johan Stigefelt, Team Manager: “It has been great day for Leon and the team, we set our target on improving our qualifying and secured a front row start. We know that we have the right race pace, but to qualify on the front row is just a perfect start for the race for us. This afternoon in the Free Practice the crew improved Leon’s settings and that turned out to work very well for him. He has been able to ride consistently fast lap times. I am really happy for the theam. Everyone has just worked so hard over the last couple of weeks, and it is good to see the results paying off. What happened to John yesterday was just disappointing. He has been very unfortunate here in Assen, but we will support him during his recovery, and when he comes back we will have his bike ready for him again. More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: SUPERPOLE WOES FOR TROY AGAIN. After a good practice and regular qualifying, Troy once again suffered tyre problems in the new Superpole system, and will have a mountain to climb tomorrow, starting from the fourth row of the grid. In Superpole 1, Troy was second quickest and was looking forward to consolidating a front row grid place in Superpole 2. He used the same bike and the same type of tyre, but was unable to lap anywhere as fast and ended up six tenths of a second a lap slower! That meant he was unable to qualify for Superpole 3 and will have to start from row four of the grid. American Ben Spies (Yamaha) continued his run of good form by taking pole position this afternoon, with Jakub Smrz (Ducati) second, Leon Haslam (Honda) third and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) fourth. Troy – 15th, 1:38.906 It’s getting a bit hard to work out what’s happening to us in Superpole, with the qualifying tyres. Same bike, same tyres – different feeling. I did a 1:38.339 in Superpole 1 and was second fastest overall. I used the same bike and the same type of qualifying tyre in Superpole 2. In Superpole 2, I finished six tenths of a second slower! Tomorrow is going to be another tough day, starting from the fourth row, but at least I have proved in the past that I can start from way down the grid and still get up with the front guys after a lap or two. Fortunately my left hand feels better today and it only gives me a bit of a problem on left-handers and on heavy braking. I will continue to have treatment in the Clinica Mobile and decide whether or not to have any painkillers after the morning warm-up. Hopefully, it will be ok, I will make two good starts and get some decent finishes. More, from a press release issued by Team Sterilgarda: Shane Byrne will start tomorrow’s two races from the fourth row. The English rider was very fast during the first of the three Superpole sessions and stopped at the pits confident he can repeat his performance. Unfortunately, he did not do well in the second part of the track. Although he tried to close the gap between himself and the other riders, his time was not faster than the previous one thus preventing him from qualifying from either row 1 or row 2. Nevertheless, Shane is confident and hopes to improve his ninth and eleventh place he took at Valencia. SHANE BYRNE | Ducati 1098R | 14th in 1’38.811: “During the first Superpole session the bike started chattering and so I couldn’t perform at my best. When I took to the track with softer tyres in session 2, I thought I was going faster, instead I was probably taking a wrong trajectory in the faster part of the circuit. Tonight we’ll analyse the data we’ve gathered so far with help from our technicians and we’ll try to improve the machine. The starting position helds us back again. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to perform at our best yet. Nonetheless, I’ll give it my all and hopefully pull off a good recovery”. MARCO BORCIANI – team manager: “Unfortunately we made a mistake during the second Superpole session. As a consequence, we’ll start from row 4, but our rider’s pace gives us hope. We’ll try to find a better solution for the second part of the track which we will be probably testing tomorrow morning during warm up”. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Easton Working Well In Rookie World Superbike Ride WSBK, Assen, Netherlands, 25 April 2009 Broc Parkes’ replacement for this round, Stuart Easton, took the number 32 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R to within 1.9 seconds of provisional pole after regulation qualifying at Assen. Despite this impressive ride from the 25-year-old British Championship regular he missed Superpole qualification in his first WSB weekend. Such is the intensity of overall WSB competition this year Easton was 23rd on the grid, with Superpole now open to 20 starters. Makoto Tamada had an unhappy first two days in the Netherlands, attempting to get up to full pace and finally ending up 25th in overall qualifying. So far sunshine and dry weather have blessed the Assen race weekend, but there is a distinct possibility of rain at some stage on raceday, a factor which will change the entire pre-race formbook, particularly if it arrives just before the start of race one, scheduled for 12 noon European time. Stuart Easton: “It is tough when you just jump in for a one-off ride but I am glad to be given the opportunity and I hope to make the most of it, learn from the experience, and have some fun. I have started out on Broc’s settings and he has a different set-up from me, so we have been getting the bike set-up more for my way of riding. Considering everything, we were 1.89 seconds off pole in the second qualifying session, even though we missed a Superpole start. To be that close at this level, as a stand-in rider, and in a one-off race wasn’t bad. I’m not too disappointed with that. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.” Makoto Tamada: “We have tried many different set-ups but everything seems to be giving me the same feeling. There is a problem in turning and also in braking. We have chatter but only a little bit now. Tomorrow morning we will see how things are in warm-up. There is a chance of rain and if it comes then it will be a difficult race for everyone. But I need to push early to move up in any case.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Max Neukirchner just missed out on a front-row grid place in Superpole for the fourth round of the World Superbike Championship at Assen in Holland and will start tomorrow’s pair of 22-lap races from row two of the grid. He was the fastest rider in Superpole 1, nearly four-tenths-of-a-second ahead of his nearest rival, but lapped two-tenths slower in Superpole 2 and eventually managed the sixth in Superpole 3. Yukio Kagayama suffered a crash in the free practice and had to use his number two bike in Superpole. The number two bike was set up slightly differently and he was unable to qualify for Superpole 3 despite turning in a lap of 1:38.288 – a time that would’ve qualified him just off the front row. American Ben Spies (Yamaha) continued his run of good form by taking pole position with Jakub Smrz (Ducati) second, Leon Haslam (Honda) third and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) fourth. Max Neukirchner – 6th, 1:38.353: “I think we are in good shape on race tyres and although the bike is not 100 per cent, it’s quite good. We’ve improved the bike since the last round in Valencia and if we can improve it a bit more, maybe we’d be able to risk using race rubber in Superpole 1 and keep our two qualifying tyres for Superpole 2 and 3. I had no big problems today, but we’ll try a little suspension change in the morning warm-up tomorrow and see if we can improve the bike. The track felt better today and I was also able to do some good practice starts so I am pretty confident of being up with the leaders at the beginning. The start is important here because otherwise you get held up round the first three or so turns.” Yukio Kagayama – 9th, 1:38.288: “This new Superpole system is a bit funny really because I went faster than Max, but he’s on the second row of the grid and I am on the third! I was hoping to keep my position on the front row of the grid but I crashed my number one bike in the free practice and had to use my number two bike in Superpole qualifying. It was set up a bit differently and I could not lap as confidently with it as my number one bike. There was no time to change the number two bike to the same settings as the number one bike, but we can do this OK for tomorrow. I am not sure why I crashed this afternoon: It was very sudden and I had no warning at all. My engineers will look at the data and then tell me if there was a problem or not. Fortunately I was not hurt at all, so I am in good condition for the races tomorrow. I need a podium!” WSB Qualifying: 1 Spies (USA-Yamaha) 1:37.628, 2 Smrz (CZ-Ducati) 1:37.765, 3 Haslam (GB-Honda) 1:38.072, 4 Haga (J-Ducati) 1:38.202, 5 Fabrizio (I-Ducati) 1:38.215, 6 Max Neukirchner (D-Suzuki Alstare Brux) 1:38.353. 9 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare Brux) 1:38.288. SUPERSTOCK 1000: Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Claudio Corti suffered some minor problems in qualifying today, but still managed to qualify on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s 13 lap race. But he and the team know what to do to improve the bike and will make the changes in the warm-up tomorrow morning and be ready for the race. Claudio Corti – 4th, 1:42.199: “We had a small problem with the front fork and I wasn’t able to push as hard as I wanted to, but as long as I am on the front row, I think it is OK. It was quite windy out there today and it was a bit tricky going into the chicane at the end of the back straight, so I decided to stay steady and not do anything crazy. It’s very important to get a good start and be in the front group here otherwise it’s easy to get held up in the first three or four corners. My plan is to make a good start and leave the rest to hold each other up.” Final Superstock 1000 qualifying: 1 Berger (F-Honda) 1:41.108, 2 Giugliano (I-MV) 1:41.638, 3 Barrier (F-Yamaha) 1:41.988, 4 Claudio Corti (I-Suzuki Alstare Brux) 1:42.199, 5 Baz (F-Yamaha) 1:42.368, 6 Burrell (GB-Honda) 1:42.446. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: PROGRESS HALTED BY SUPERPOLE. Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport continued to make progress in practice and regular qualifying today, but once again saw their hopes of good grid positions dashed in Superpole qualifying. All the good work done by Troy, Ruben and the team was undone in Superpole thanks to problems with their qualifying tyres in Superpole 1 and Superpole 2 and, as a result, Troy and Ruben will have to start tomorrow’s pair of 22-lap races from the fourth and fifth rows of the grid. American Ben Spies (Yamaha) continued his run of good form by taking pole position this afternoon, with Jakub Smrz (Ducati) second, Leon Haslam (Honda) third and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) fourth. Troy – 15th, 1:38.906 Superpole was the usual lottery for me and I cannot explain why two qualifying tyres that are the same should work so differently. I did a 1:38.339 in Superpole 1 and was second fastest overall. I used the same bike and the same type of qualifying tyre in Superpole. The bike (or tyre) felt completely different and I just couldn’t go so fast at all. I finished six tenths of a second slower on that lap! it’s a big shame because it means, once again, we are way down the grid and will have to try and get up to the sharp end as soon as we can if we are to have any sort of decent result. The good news is that I am feeling quite comfortable on a race pace and the other good news is that my hand feels a lot better today – probably because of some treatment from the Clinica Mobile and some painkillers. Ruben – 20th, 1:39.643 Like Troy, I am finding it a bit hard to understand what is going on with the qualifying tyres. I qualified OK for Superpole and started Superpole 1 with a qualifying tyre. But I felt no grip and struggled to do a fast lap. When I pulled in, after two laps, the tyre looked as if it was brand new and that is not normal for a qualifying tyre. OK, the bike is quite sensitive to any changes we make, but we didn’t change the bike for Superpole, so I don’t understand what happened. I had two crashes today and do not know what happened in either of them, except that both happened with the same bike, so I didn’t use that one again afterwards. But, I am happy with my race pace on this bike and will be fighting for everything I can get in the races. Obviously, being so far down the grid is a problem, but hopefully I will be able to see the lights from way back there and get a good start. Berti Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director) It’s a bit difficult to know what to say, except that our riders and the whole team worked so hard for two days, made good progress and then had it all destroyed in Superpole qualifying. Troy went three tenths of a second faster in Superpole 1 than in normal qualifying, but then was six tenths of a second slower in Superpole 2 than Superpole 1 and I don’t think it is normal for such a rider as Troy. I am frustrated and I am sure that the whole team feel the same way, because none of us can understand how the same tyres can work so differently. I don’t think this is down to our lack of experience, but it is a strange state of affairs and I hope that we can find some solutions to this kind of problem sooner, rather than later. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Spies extends incredible unbroken Superpole run In the second day of qualifying at Assen Yamaha rider Ben Spies crossed the line in the Superpole shoot-out to become the only World Superbike rider ever to score four consecutive pole position starts at the beginning of a season. Not content with earning one record, Spies set about breaking the lap record previously held by Troy Bayliss of 1.38.355 with an incredible time of 1’37.626. Spies’ record lap-time was also only 0.888 off Casey Stoner’s Moto GP race time of last year on the same circuit. Tom Sykes also had a good second day, having learnt from the tyre mistake in Valencia’s Superpole the British rider timed his use of Qualifiers well and made it through to the final Superpole session and will start on the second row of the grid in 8th position. Both riders had small crashes during the pre-Superpole warm-up session but sustained no injuries. The second qualifying session earlier in the day saw Spies work on a good race pace using tyres from yesterday’s sessions, whilst team-mate Sykes continued to work out and improve on the front-end issues of yesterday. Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1st, 1’37.626) “The qualifying session was good for us, we went out and worked on race set-up. We were out on tyres from yesterday and stayed on them for the whole session so we could get used to the tyres when they start to go off. I was able to turn some really fast laps at the end over race distance so I’m really happy with the way the bike’s working after the tyres go off. Superpole was also good, it’s a couple of extra feet at the start which helps. We’re continuing to develop the bike and it’s getting better and better every session, let’s see what tomorrow brings.” Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team (8th, 1’38.790) Qualifying was ok for me, we changed a couple of things from last night and for sure the bike was faster and more consistent. There’s maybe one or two more things I want to do in the same direction and hopefully make this a good race setting for tomorrow. Already I think we’ve got a decent set-up, after ten laps we were in the low 39s. Superpole was good for me. I did the first round on Qualifiers just to make sure and get through to session two. Then we had to use the second qualifiers to get into the top 8. In the final session we were reduced to race tyres, but I still did two 38 second laps which was good. Hopefully we have a very good race pace now so tomorrow is looking promising.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager “What Ben did was great in qualifying. We started the day looking to do a long run with used tyres and in the end he was able to put in some really good lap times. This gives us a lot of confidence for tomorrow. Superpole was really good for us, four consecutive pole position starts is great, and Tom was also good to get onto the second row. I think the balance of the bikes is good and we know which tyres we want to use so we’re confident we can do well. Both of them have the potential to have good races tomorrow”