FIM Superbike World Championship Losial International Circuit Doha, Qatar March 13, 2009 SuperPole Results (all on Pirelli tires): SuperPole Session 1: 1. Ben SPIES (Yam YZF-R1), 1:58.782 2. Tom SYKES (Yam YZF-R1), 1:58.803 3. Broc PARKES (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:58.856 4. Troy CORSER (BMW S1000 RR), 1:58.940 5. Roberto ROLFO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:59.142 6. Carlos CHECA (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:59.195 7. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:59.203 8. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:59.214 9. Michel FABRIZIO (Duc 1098 F09), 1:59.220 10. Jakub SMRZ (Duc 1098R), 1:59.241 11. Max BIAGGI (Apr RSV4), 1:59.272 12. Ruben XAUS (BMW S1000 RR), 1:59.380 13. Noriyuki HAGA (Duc 1098 F09), 1:59.491 14. Regis LACONI (Duc 1098R), 1:59.498 15. Shane BYRNE (Duc 1098R), 1:59.659 16. Shinya NAKANO (Apr RSV4), 1:59.688 Not Qualified to Superpole 2 17. Jonathan REA (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:59.713 18. Leon HASLAM (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:59.882 19. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:59.926 20. Tommy HILL (Hon CBR1000RR), 2:00.108 SuperPole Session 2: 1. Max BIAGGI (Apr RSV4), 1:57.836 2. Jakub SMRZ (Duc 1098R), 1:57.871 3. Tom SYKES (Yam YZF-R1), 1:58.226 4. Noriyuki HAGA (Duc 1098R), 1:58.249 5. Shinya NAKANO (Apr RSV4), 1:58.534 6. Carlos CHECA (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:58.536 7. Ben SPIES (Yam YZF-R1), 1:58.636 8. Shane BYRNE (Duc 1098R), 1:58.725 Not Qualified to Superpole 3 9. Roberto ROLFO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:58.734 10. Michel FABRIZIO (Duc 1098 F09), 1:58.919 11. Regis LACONI (Duc 1098R), 1:59.044 12. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:59.055 13. Broc PARKES (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:59.074 14. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:59.134 15. Ruben XAUS (BMW S1000 RR), 1:59.435 16. Troy CORSER (BMW S1000 RR), 1:59.454 SuperPole Session 3: 1. Ben SPIES (Yam YZF-R1), 1:57.280 2. Jakub SMRZ (Duc 1098R), 1:57.384 3. Max BIAGGI (Apr RSV4), 1:57.694 4. Noriyuki HAGA (Duc 1098 F09), 1:57.850 5. Tom SYKES (Yam YZF-R1), 1:57.878 6. Shinya NAKANO (Apr RSV4), 1:58.755 7. Carlos CHECA (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:59.090 8. Shane BYRNE (Duc 1098R), 2:00.021 Final Combined Qualifying Results, After Superpole: 1. Ben SPIES (Yam YZF-R1), 1:57.280 2. Jakub SMRZ (Duc 1098R), 1:57.384 3. Max BIAGGI (Apr RSV4), 1:57.694 4. Noriyuki HAGA (Duc 1098 F09), 1:57.850 5. Tom SYKES (Yam YZF-R1), 1:57.878 6. Shinya NAKANO (Apr RSV4), 1:58.755 7. Carlos CHECA (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:59.090 8. Shane BYRNE (Duc 1098R), 2:00.021 9. Roberto ROLFO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:58.734 10. Michel FABRIZIO (Duc 1098 F09), 1:58.919 11. Regis LACONI (Duc 1098R), 1:59.044 12. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:59.055 13. Broc PARKES (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:59.074 14. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:59.134 15. Ruben XAUS (BMW S1000 RR), 1:59.435 16. Troy CORSER (BMW S1000 RR), 1:59.454 17. Jonathan REA (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:59.713 18. Leon HASLAM (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:59.882 19. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:59.926 20. Tommy HILL (Hon CBR1000RR), 2:00.108 21. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Suz GSX-R1000), 2:00.738 22. Makoto TAMADA (Kaw ZX-10R), 2:00.839 23. David SALOM (Kaw ZX-10R), 2:01.047 24. Brendan ROBERTS (Duc 1098R), 2:01.165 25. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Hon CBR1000RR), 2:01.560 26. Ayrton BADOVINI (Kaw ZX-10R), 2:01.561 27. Luca SCASSA (Kaw ZX-10R), 2:01.607 28. Matteo BAIOCCO (Kaw ZX-10R), 2:02.663 More, from a press release issued by Ben Spies’ publicist: SPIES WINS SUPERPOLE IN QATAR DOHA, Qatar (March 13, 2009) Yamaha’s Ben Spies earned his second World Superbike pole in as many races Friday by setting a Superbike track record of 1:57.280 on the Losail Circuit in Doha, Qatar, during the final Superpole qualifying. Spies, who also won the pole in the season opener two weeks ago in Australia, had never seen the 3.4-mile, 16-turn Losail Circuit before this weekend. The track is consider by pundits to be one of the more difficult to learn in the series because of its length and layout, yet Spies seems undaunted and is proving to be a quick study. He was fastest in Thursday’s practice sessions as well. In Superpole Spies and his crew again decided to go with a strategy of saving two qualifying tires for the final 12-minute session. Spies even admitted to making an error during his record-breaking lap. “The qualifying tire had so much grip it surprised me and I missed a shift coming out of a turn,” Spies said. “I probably lost a couple of tenths right there. Luckily the mistake didn’t cost me. That was on our first set of qualifiers [tires]. I came in we put on our last set of Qs. I came around to see if we were still P1 [top qualifier]. If we were I was just going to bring it in the garage and if not we were going to step it up a bit. Fortunately our time was good enough to win the pole today.” Spies says Yamaha’s new R1 is proving to be a powerful and precise instrument on the World Superbike circuit. “The bike continues to get better and I’m getting more comfortable on it each time,” Spies said. “That’s the big reason I think learning these circuits is coming along so well. I’m comfortable on the bike and if I make a mistake it handles so well that I can lean on it that much harder and make it through a turn.” Spies went on to say that Losail reminds him a lot of Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. “You’re in the desert like Miller and there’s sand flying around and if you get off line you have to be a little careful,” he said. “But on the racing line the traction is good. I like the track.” As Spies looks to Saturday’s World Superbike races he feels confident that he and his team has done everything needed to be ready. “We’ve had a good race pace during practice and qualifying and that’s the most important part,” Spies explained. “Putting it on the front row was the first step. Now I go into the races trying to get good starts and stay out of trouble. I think our bike is proving to be good on race tires. I’d like to set a good pace and see where we are and hopefully be in a good position in the end.” In the U.S. both Qatar World Superbike rounds can be seen on Speed TV starting at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Saturday, March 14. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: NORIYUKI HAGA (DUCATI XEROX) AND THE DUCATI 1198 TO START FROM THE FRONT ROW TOMORROW AT LOSAIL Losail (Qatar), Friday 13th March: After another challenging day on track at the International Circuit of Losail in Qatar, the Ducati Xerox rider Noriyuki Haga earned a well-deserved place on the front row of tomorrow’s grid, concluding a closely fought Superpole with the fourth fastest time of the day on board his factory Ducati 1198. Yamaha’s Ben Spies dominated today’s sessions to take the Superpole, closely followed by Smrz on Team Guandalini’s Ducati 1098 and by Biaggi (Aprilia) who has done well at this track in the past. Noriyuki’s Italian team-mate Michel Fabrizio will line up in tenth position on the grid after having made a small mistake during what needed to be his fastest lap in the second Superpole session. Both Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki and Michel continued to struggle throughout today’s sessions with major problems due to lack of rear grip. Nevertheless, in the second qualifying session this morning, Michel was able to improve slightly on the time he set yesterday to qualify in seventh place for the afternoon’s Superpole. Team-mate Noriyuki fought a losing battle during the morning and concluded the qualifying sessions in fifteenth position, making up for this however in the Superpole that followed. Noriyuki Haga 1m57.8s “I am very happy to be on the front row of the grid tomorrow, a big improvement on my grid position in Phillip Island! We have had some problems today and yesterday with the rear grip but we think that we have found a way forward for tomorrow’s races. Tomorrow will be tough, not just for me but for all of us, and so to be able start from the front row will of course be an advantage.” Michel Fabrizio 1m58.9s “I unfortunately made a small error while making the fast lap in the second Superpole session. At the penultimate corner I was in the wrong gear, I should have been in second when I was instead in third and I know I lost a few tenths during that split as a result. Although I had time to make one further lap the tyre was already gone. I had at least hoped to get into the top eight but it was that mistake that cost me a place further forward on the grid. Anyway I will do my best tomorrow, as always, and hope that is enough.” More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders Ruben Xaus and Troy Corser were two of many riders who suffered in the new Superpole system and so will start tomorrow’s pair of 18-lap races from the fourth row of the grid. Once again Troy had performed superbly in regular qualifying and had finished 8th in the first session and tenth in the second. He then followed that up with the fourth fastest lap in Superpole 1, but that lap time was wiped away for the 16 riders who lined up for Superpole 2. He used the same type of qualifier for Superpole 2, but the tyre didn’t work as well, causing the front end of the bike to chatter. This problem was enough to prevent Troy from getting into Superpole 3 and a possible place on the second row of the grid. Ruben improved his lap times by over three seconds from first practice and was happy to qualify for Superpole 1. He managed to get into Superpole 2, but no further. As a result he will line up on the fourth row of the grid with Troy alongside. American Ben Spies (Yamaha) won Superpole, with Jakob Smrz (Ducati) second, Max Biaggi (Aprilia) third and series leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) fourth. Ruben – 15th, 1:59.435 Of course, it is disappointing to be on the fourth row of the grid, but I’m happy because I have improved my lap times so much since my first session here. It’s not so easy developing a bike during the race weekend, but it’s just something that we have to get used to doing and trying to do it as well as we can. The more we push the bike towards its limit, the more we find out things and the more we have to work out how to improve those things. In the afternoon, I had a lot chatter and couldn’t push any harder, but I know that my lap time on race tyres is quite good. It’s a shame that our first two races are so far from our workshops because I’m sure we could have solved some of the problems more quickly if we’d been able to do the work. But we cannot stop time, we just have to keep working hard. I know I am in the best team in the paddock and that gives me a lot of power. I want to be up the front – sooner rather than later – and I know it’s going to take some time, but I am confident that we are going to get there, before too long. Troy – 16th, 1:59.954 I’m not a fan of this new Superpole system and I think it must be quite hard for the fans to follow and understand. My lap in Superpole 1 would’ve put me on row three for sure and maybe row two, if luck had gone our way. In Superpole 1, I used a qualifying tyre for the first time this year and did a 1:58.950 quite easily. But for Superpole 2, that time gets wiped clean and you start all over again. We used the same tyre on the same bike for Superpole 2, but suddenly the bike was chattering and that made it impossible to go any quicker. It’s a bit frustrating when that happens and now I know I have got a very hard job ahead. My bike is not so fast at the top end as most of my rivals, so it means that I am going to have to work harder in the turns trying to stay with them. This track has a long front straight and then a series of corners, so it is very easy to get held up and then not be able catch the front group. My plan is to get two good starts and see what happens in the race. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Carlos Checa will start tomorrow’s second round 2009 World Superbike races in Qatar from the second row of the grid after setting the seventh fastest time in today’s final Superpole session at the Losail circuit. The Spanish rider has been near the top of the timing sheets for most of the first two days at the 5.38km circuit, but his Ten Kate Honda team-mates, Jonathan Rea and Ryuichi Kiyonari, were unable to convert qualifying speed into grid positions in the new format Superpole. Second fastest after regulation qualifying, Rea went out in the first Superpole session on soft race rubber, on which he was unable to match his earlier times, resulting in the 22-year-old being eliminated. Kiyonari meanwhile, who has been running top five for the first two days of the meeting, crashed in the second Superpole session, ending up 12th fastest. Carlos Checa P7, 1’59.090 The final Superpole session with the last eight riders was not so good. We made some small changes to the bike and I made some mistakes, so, instead of a high 1’57s lap which I was aiming for, we ended up with a low ’59. However, for tomorrow’s races I’m confident in the package we have been working with. We’ll hope that the tyres are working and giving the same feeling as we’ve had today. If that’s the case, then I’m confident of two good races. Ryuichi Kiyonari P12, 1’59.055s The lap times are very good on the race tyre and we’ve tried many different settings today, so I’m happy with what we have for the races. In the second Superpole session, I went as soon as pit-lane opened but pushed a little too hard as I tried to make a gap on someone behind me. So, I start again on the third row and, as long as I get a good start and a solid first lap, I’m confident of some good results. Jonathan Rea P17, 1’59.177s I’ve been running near the top for the last two days, so I used a soft race tyre in the first Superpole session one that I’d done a fast time on in the free practice just before. Unfortunately, it didn’t work and although we thought we’d be safe, as it turned out, we weren’t. It’s going to be very hard from the fifth row tomorrow, but I’m really confident in the package the we’ve got and in my ability to do the lap times. Whereas I was a bit nervous on the front row in Australia, I’m quite pumped for tomorrow and I’ll do my best to make it happen. There might be some fireworks on the first couple of laps, so stay tuned! Ronald ten Kate team manager The Superpole results just do not reflect the solid work and good performances that we’ve been putting in so far. In the majority of sessions, we’ve had all three riders fully up at the front. Anyway, we have to get on with two tough and challenging races tomorrow, especially Johnny who must come from a long way down the grid. I’m still confident we can deliver some good results though. More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group/InFront Motor Sports: Spies (Yamaha) notches up second Superpole win in two races After dominating the two WSBK qualifying sessions, Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) powered to the same result in Superpole with his second success in two races. The 24 year-old Texan lapped the 5.380 km Losail desert circuit in a time of 1 minute 57.280 seconds, almost eight-tenths of a second quicker than Troy Corser’s best mark from 2008. The starting-grid was similar to the opening round in Australia, but this time Jakub Smrz on a customer Guandalini Ducati 1098R placed second, a fraction of a second behind Spies, and ahead of Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) in third. The front row of the grid was completed by Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), who managed to move up to a fourth place slot following two below-par qualifying sessions. Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike): “The most important thing is being on the front row with this many fast guys. I almost ruined my lap but we eventually got the job done. Race pace is looking promising, which is important but I feel sure it’s going to be a hard race tomorrow. You still have to search for the speed and find the limit in Superpole, I don’t know anything different, it’s the only one I’ve done but it’s working well for me so far.” Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati): “We have made a really good weekend, now we still have the race to do, but we have a good set-up and for us the times are very positive. I was also working well in Superpole because there wasn’t much traffic, I didn’t catch anyone and I was able to do my best.” Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing): “I’m very happy again to be fighting for the pole position, I think we did a very good job today. We tried to find the best set-up on both bikes, and I’m going to chose the one that feels the most comfortable. I have already made my tyre choice and feel quite comfortable so thanks again to my squad, they are great guys.” Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox): “It was a much better Superpole for me than in Australia and I am very happy to be on the front row of the grid. We had a little problem today but managed to sort that and now I am sure that tomorrow we will go very well in the races.” With fifth place on the grid, Tom Sykes (Yamaha World Superbike) confirmed that the four-cylinder Japanese R1 machine is proving to be a very competitive machine indeed this year, and the British rider will start tomorrow’s two 18-lap races with Japan’s Shinya Nakano (Aprilia Racing), Spain’s Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati) from the UK alongside. The new Superpole format again produced a few surprises. The first run saw the elimination of two of the stars of Phillip Island, Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Alstare) and Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who will now start from row 5; while neither Ruben Xaus and Troy Corser (BMW) nor Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) made the final cut after the second knock-out session. Times: 1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’57.280; 2. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’57.384; 3. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1’57.694; 4. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1’57.850; 5. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’57.878; 6. Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 1’58.755; 7. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’59.090; 8. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 2’00.021; “¦ 9. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’58.734; 10. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’58.919; 11. Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’59.044; 12. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1’59.055; 13. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’59.074; 14. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’59.134; 15. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1’59.435; 16. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’59.454; “¦ 17. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’59.713; 18. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’59.882; 19. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’59.926; 20. Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 2’00.108 FIM Supersport World Championship Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport) was quickest again today in the second and final qualifying session for the World Supersport race, giving the Japanese manufacturer its first pole of the year and its second today at the Losail circuit. The 23 year-old British rider knocked one second off his Thursday mark to end up with a time of 2 minutes 01.586 seconds, almost four-tenths quicker than Fabien Foret’s best from last year. The other riders on the front row are all on Honda CBR600RR machines, with Ireland’s Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar) ahead of the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda champion pair of Kenan Sofuoglu and Andrew Pitt, the Turkish rider crashing out in the final stages of the session while chasing the pole. Fabien Foret heads the next row of the grid in fifth place on the second factory Yamaha R6, ahead of Matthieu Lagrive (Hannspree Honda Althea) and Gianluca Nannelli (ParkinGO Triumph). Times: 1. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 2’01.586; 2. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 2’01.629; 3. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 2’01.810; 4. Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2’02.266; 5. Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 2’02.282; 6. Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 2’02.450; 7. Nannelli G. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 2’02.497; 8. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 2’02.592. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Parkes Competitive In Qatar Superpole WSBK, Losail, Qatar, 13 March 2009 Broc Parkes and his Kawasaki World Superbike Racing team made changes to his machine set-up that allowed him to qualify well in Superpole today, finishing 13th on the grid for Saturday’s two races. Broc had been as high as third in the first of the three new style Superpole qualifying sessions, and even dropped his best lap time to 1’58.856 after a truly competitive outing on his Ninja ZX-10R machine. Makoto Tamada also found significantly improved settings today, albeit too late to qualify for Superpole, but he feels that he has real opportunities to make improvements from his 22nd place on the grid. Parkes and his technicians opted for stiffening the rear of his machine today and that allowed him to keep in contention through the final regular qualifying session, in which he finished 11th, before ending his day 13th in Superpole. Tamada’s squad concentrated most of their efforts on optimising the clutch and back-torque-limiting system, which should also help his ultimate charge in tomorrow’s 18-lap Superbike races. Broc Parkes: “We made a big change today and straight away we were right on the pace. We changed the suspension linkage to give less movement and stiffen up the rear, which allowed the bike to follow the line the corners and not run wide. We tweaked a few things from then on and had a few more good ideas. The main thing is that we found a good direction to follow. We changed things a bit again to use a qualifying tyre in Superpole and those changes also seemed to work well. I was a little bit surprised to see the 1’58.8 I did in the first Superpole, but happy to see it all the same. In the second Superpole leg I had a couple of ‘moments’ and that lost me time, so I missed out on Superpole three. I am just happy to be where we are today and I think that tomorrow may be the first time this year we can really have a bit of a fight.” Makoto Tamada: “We have found a good setting now and because of that I have much more confidence for the races tomorrow. The chatter problem we had been having is now much reduced, and the engine-braking and clutch settings we found today improved things a lot. The bike doesn’t push me wide in the corners now. I think we have a good tyre for race distance, and the race set-up in general seems OK.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Suzuki Alstare Brux riders Yukio Kagayama and Max Neukirchner both had problems in the new Superpole qualifying system and will have to start from the fourth and fifth rows of the grid at tomorrow’s second World Superbike Championship round in Qatar. Neither riders were able to find good set-ups for their bikes in practice and regular qualifying and struggled to get into Superpole 1. Neukirchner didn’t make it into Superpole 2 but Kagayama managed it by setting the eighth-quickest time in the session. But Superpole 2 was as far as he got as his lap of 1:59.134 was only the 14th fastest time of the session. American Ben Spies (Yamaha) won Superpole with Jakob Smrz (Ducati) second, Max Biaggi (Aprilia) third and series leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) fourth. Yukio Kagayama – 14th, 1:59.134: “The situation is not so nice, having to start from the fourth row of the grid, but I am a racer and I will give my 100% – as usual. We changed many things on the bike from yesterday, but I don’t think there was much improvement, so we will have to make some more changes in the warm-up tomorrow. Today, I wanted the bike to steer better in the corners, but what we tried did not help much. Here in Qatar, the bike is completely different on race tyres compared to qualifying tyres and you can lap much faster on a qualifier. My Superpole lap does not reflect my potential so I am hoping the adjustments we make in the warm-up tomorrow will allow me to make a good fight in the races.” Max Neukirchner – 19th, 1:59.926: “It has been a hard day, with many problems in different areas. Also I had a big crash and that didn’t help. I was OK, but my bike wasn’t and I am sorry because my mechanics had to work so hard and build another bike. I had to use my number two bike in Superpole because my other bike wasn’t finished, and it didn’t work the same way. We lost some time making some adjustments and by the time we put on the qualifying tyre, the flag had come out and it was too late. I am disappointed how the day went, but I am hoping that tomorrow will be much better.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY’S UNLUCKY FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH! Once again, Troy Corser suffered the vagaries of the new Superpole system and, as a result, will have to start tomorrow’s pair of 18-lap races from the fourth row of the grid. Troy had been superb in regular qualifying, finishing 8th in the first session and tenth in the second. He followed that up with the fourth fastest lap in Superpole 1, but saw that lap time wiped away for the 16 riders who lined up for Superpole 2. Although he used the same type of qualifier for Superpole 2, the tyre didn’t work as well and caused the front end of the bike to chatter. This was enough to prevent Troy from getting into Superpole 3 and a possible place on the second row of the grid. American Ben Spies (Yamaha) won Superpole, with Jakob Smrz (Ducati) second, Max Biaggi (Aprilia) third and series leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) fourth. Troy – 16th, 1:59.954 I don’t like this new Superpole, because it is too much of a lottery and not enough about skill or about who are the fastest riders. Because you lose ‘your time’ in Superpole 1 and have to start all over again in Superpole 2, there are times when you end up down the grid even though you had gone quicker in the previous Superpole. Anyway, I could’ve done a better Superpole 2, if it were not fo the front end chattering so much. We don’t know why, because I used the same bike and exactly the same type of qualifying tyre. But this time I just got a lot of front end chatter and so coudn’t go any quicker. It’s a shame, especially after our misfortune in Australia, and it doesn’t really reflect how much progress we are making with the bike. This weekend my bike doesn’t feel as fast at the top end as most of my rivals, so that means that I have to work harder in the turns trying to stay with them. This track has a long front straight and then a series of corners, so it is going to be difficult to catch the front group. It is going to be two long, hard races tomorrow for sure, but I’m going to give it 100% and see what I can get. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Yamaha rookie Ben Spies takes incredible second consecutive Superpole in Qatar The second day of qualifying for round two of the 2009 Superbike World Championship again saw the new Yamaha YZF-R1 set the pace in qualifying and Superpole. Topping the rankings already in the morning session, Ben Spies took his second ever World Superbike Superpole later today with a flawless run and a time of 1″57.280, improving the Losail WSB lap record by almost 0.8 seconds. This adds to his pace-setting achievement at Phillip Island two weeks ago. Team-mate Tom Sykes proved he had the speed as well to run with the front pack today, fighting down to the final eight Superpole session and setting a 5th time of 1″57.878 which puts him on the second row of the grid when the lights go out tomorrow. Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team “it’s been a good day again today, the most important thing is being on the front row with this many fast guys. The Qualifiers were definitely quicker than I thought they were going to be and we made it through with a good time at the end. The race pace is looking really promising although I know it’s going to be a really hard race tomorrow as everybody’s riding really fast and catching up so it’s going to be good!” Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team “To be honest I was reasonably happy with the qualifying, I certainly felt like I could have been on the front row but made a small mistake so dropped to the second. I’m happy on the race tires and I think both myself and Ben have a consistent race pace so if we can get away cleanly tomorrow I think it’ll show at the end of the race. Other than that I’m happier with where we’re starting compared to Phillip Island and really looking forward to getting off the line quickly and racing with the front pack tomorrow.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager “we had another good day today, we found a race tire we’re happy with and the pace of both riders is very good. I’m confident we are ready for tomorrow although we will do more adjustments and possibly try a few things tomorrow morning to see if we can find an even better set-up before the first race. My compliments to Ben for achieving his second Superpole in a row and it’s great that Tom has moved up to start on the second row as well.”