FIM Superbike World Championship Assen, Netherlands April 21, 2012 Final Qualifying Results, After Superpole (wet conditions, all on Pirelli tires): From Superpole Knockout Session Two: 1. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:35.399 2. Jonathan REA, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:36.432 3. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Ducati 1098R), 1:36.566 4. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Ducati 1098R), 1:36.875 5. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1098R), 1:37.156 6. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:37.311 7. Leon HASLAM, UK (BMW S1000RR), 1:37.592 8. John HOPKINS, USA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:37.913 From Superbike Knockout Session One: 9. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:40.516 10. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:40.523 11. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:40.627 12. Leon CAMIER, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:40.681 13. Brett McCORMICK, Canada (Ducati 1098R), 1:41.962 14. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:43.947 15. Maxime BERGER, France (Ducati 1098R), 1:44.022 16. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:44.500 The Rest of the Grid: 17. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:40.231 18. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:40.859 19. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:41.161 20. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:41.693 21. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:41.768 22. Mark AITCHISON, Australia (BMW S1000RR), 1:43.144 23. Lorenzo ZANETTI, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:50.808 More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Sykes once more unstoppable in Tissot-Superpole Assen (Netherlands), Saturday 21 April 2012 Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was over a second faster than any of his rivals in a Tissot-Superpole contest run under ‘wet’ conditions. The wet Superpole rules dictated that there were two twenty-minute sessions only with the top eight riders only from Superpole 1 moving on to Superpole 2. Despite being declared wet, the track surface during the second session in particular was almost completely dry, allowing Sykes to get to within less than half-a-second of the track best on his Ninja ZX-10R. This was his third Superpole win in succession this season, and Sykes’ fifth career Superpole win. Second fastest overall was the Honda of Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) from Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert) and Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert Liberty Ducati). Tom Sykes: “A lot has gone on since the Imola test with Joan and so on, so hopefully this is making him smile. What can I say? A massive thanks to Kawasaki, three on the bounce is a fantastic feeling. I went out on my second qualifier today, saw I had some pressure from Jonathan so I dug deep and it paid off. We’ve got a good race setting, both wet and dry, third time lucky so hopefully we can covert this one to a race win tomorrow.” Jonathan Rea: “It’s the first time I’ve been up here this year and I’m pretty happy. That was a massive lap from Tom; we couldn’t match it today. When we put a qualifier on the bike, it transformed the front and I got a lot of chatter, but the good thing is tomorrow is that we use the race tyre. A big thanks to all the team for their continued hard work, it’s nice to come back and this result is for them.” Jakub Smrz: “I am happy for the third place because we had a problem yesterday with the engine, so I only made a few laps in the dry. Today was really strange and conditions were mixed but in the end I got the front row. We did a great job: fast in the rain and fast in the dry!” World Championship leader Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) was fifth fastest, with the first BMW rider, Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Team Italia Gold Bet) in sixth. Official BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Leon Haslam was seventh and Crescent FIXI Suzuki rider John Hopkins placed eighth, with Hopkins now the last rider on the second row of the grid. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), David Salom (Team Pedercini Kawasaki), Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Racing Aprilia) and Leon Camier (Crescent Fixi Suzuki) filled the third row of the grid. Championship second place rider Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) missed out on Superpole qualification and will start from 17th place on the grid. A fall for Biaggi’s team-mate Eugene Laverty ruled him out of progression beyond Superpole one, and he went 14th on the grid, one place behind Canadian rookie Brett McCormick (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert). Times: 1. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’35.399; 2. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’36.432; 3. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’36.566; 4. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’36.875; 5. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1’37.156; 6. Fabrizio M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’37.311; 7. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 1’37.592; 8. Hopkins J. (USA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’37.913; 9. Melandri M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’40.516; 10. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’40.523; 11. Davies C. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’40.627; 12. Camier L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’40.681; 13. McCormick B. (CAN) Ducati 1098R 1’41.962; 14. Laverty E. (IRL) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’43.947; 15. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’44.022; 16. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’44.500; 17. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’40.231; 18. Canepa N. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’40.859; 19. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’41.161; 20. Mercado L. (ARG) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’41.693; 21. Aoyama H. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1’41.768; 22. Aitchison M. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’43.144; 23. Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’50.808. World Supersport Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda) had his Friday best qualifying time to thank for his pole position at Assen, while second place rider Broc Parkes (Honda Ten Kate Racing Products) was another who could not improve his opening day pace in today’s final session. Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) left it late to make sure he got third place on the grid, one ahead of top Kawasaki qualifier, Kenan Sofuoglu (DeltaFin Lorenzini). Championship leader Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step) will start from row two after going fifth overall in qualifying, and Imre Toth (Racing Team Toth Honda) held onto his more than respectable sixth. Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini) and Vladimir Leonov (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) complete the second row for Sunday’s 21-lap race. Times: 1. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’38.900; 2. Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’38.939; 3. Cluzel J. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1’39.450; 4. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’39.548; 5. Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’39.730; 6. Toth I. (HUN) Honda CBR600RR 1’40.040; 7. Morais S. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’40.090; 8. Leonov V. (RUS) Yamaha YZF R6 1’40.289; etc. Superstock 1000 Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia Gold Bet) improved on his Friday best to take pole at Assen, as Team Pedercini Kawasaki rider Bryan Staring went second overall. Barrier’s Italian team-mate Lorenzo Baroni was third, as he had been on day one, while Loris Baz (Kawasaki MRS) continued the front row symmetry of machines by putting a ZX-10R into fourth place. The first Ducati on the grid, in fifth, belongs to Barni Racing Team rider Eddi La Marra. Fabio Massei (EAB Ten Kate Junior Honda) added another machine to the top six mix on his CBR1000RR. Times: 1. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 1’39.566; 2. Staring B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’39.873; 3. Baroni L. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’39.888; 4. Baz L. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’40.201; 5. La Marra E. (ITA) Ducati 1199 Panigale 1’40.394; 6. Massei F. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’40.621; 7. Savadori L. (ITA) Ducati 1199 Panigale 1’40.759; 8. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’41.080; etc. Superstock 600 Local rider Michael van der Mark (EAB Ten Kate Junior Team) won his home race in fine style by leading from the front and enjoying a final advantage of 4.7 seconds over the exciting fight for second place between Nacho Calero Perez (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) and Gauthier Duwelz (Yamaha MTM Racing). Stephane Egea (Team Falcone Competition Yamaha) got the better of a group of three other riders for fourth place. Riccardo Russo (Team Italia FMI Yamaha), Alex Schacht (Schacht Racing SBK ONE Honda) and Russo’s team-mate Luca Vitali rounded out the top seven, just behind Egea. Pole man Bastien Chesaux (Honda EAB Ten Kate Junior Team) crashed out of the 12-lap Superstock 600 race early on. In the championship standings, after two rounds, Van Der Mark leads Perez by one point, 41-40, with Russo third on 36. Results: 1. Van der Mark M. (NED) Honda CBR600RR 20’36.504; 2. Calero Perez N. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R6 4.786; 3. Duwelz G. (BEL) Yamaha YZF R6 4.927; 4. Egea S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 7.509; 5. Russo R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 8.116; 6. Schacht A. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 8.539; 7. Vitali L. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 8.694; 8. Tessels W. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 15.269; etc. Points (after 2 of 10 rounds): 1. Van Der Mark 41; 2. Calero Perez 40; 3. Russo 36; 4. Egea 24; 5. Duwelz 22; 6. Morrentino 13; etc. European Junior Cup Dutch rider Rob Hartog is the first poleman in the opening round of the second edition of the European Junior Cup, this year promoted by Austrian manufacturer KTM as a support category to World Superbike. The series has been devised for 14 to 19 year olds and is a valid entry category for youngsters to shape up to each other in eight international rounds. All riders are on identical KTM Duke 690 machines supplied by the manufacturer. Second place on the grid went to Garijs Rozkalns from Latvia and Adrian Pasek from Poland. The poleman is nephew of Wil Hartog, who in 1977 at Assen became the first Dutchman to win a 500GP race. Hartog went on to win a total of five races in the world championship. Times: 1. Hartog R. (NED) KTM Duke 690 2’07.105; 2. Rozkalns G. (LAT) KTM Duke 690 2’08.698; 3. Pasek A. (POL) KTM Duke 690 2’09.294; 4. Patterson J. (GBR) KTM Duke 690 2’09.320; 5. Scarcella G. (AUS) KTM Duke 690 2’10.213; 6. Harland J. (GBR) KTM Duke 690 2’10.787; 7. Garcia G. (ESP) KTM Duke 690 2’12.061; 8. Wimmer L. (AUT) KTM Duke 690 2’13.842; etc. More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: FIFTH PLACE ON TOMORROW’S ASSEN SBK RACE GRID FOR CHECA AND THE ALTHEA RACING TEAM Assen (The Netherlands), Saturday 21st April 2012: the third Superpole of the 2012 World Superbike Championship took place this afternoon with very variable conditions at the Dutch TT Circuit in Assen. Carlos Checa, championship leader after two rounds, qualified in fifth place for tomorrow’s races while his team-mate Davide Giugliano will start from the fifth row, in nineteenth position. As expected, this morning’s second qualifying session took place in the rain and with a track temperature of just 4 degrees (air temperature 8ËšC). Despite the difficult conditions, Giugliano made some fast laps right from the start, recording one of the fastest times of the first half of the session (2m01). Unfortunately, towards mid-session, the Althea Racing rider crashed, but was thankfully unhurt. It took time to repair the damage to the bike and so Davide was unable to return to the track. Lap times began to fall in the final stages of the session when the rain stopped but Carlos wasn’t taking any risks, preferring to work on the set-up and recording a best of 1m57. Yesterday’s dry qualifying times thus determined who would enter this afternoon’s Superpole, meaning that Checa qualified with no problems in fourth position while Giugliano unfortunately closed outside of the top sixteen. He will start from nineteenth position on tomorrow’s grid. Superpole 1: Today’s Superpole was declared ‘wet’ despite the fact that the rain had stopped once more and the track was beginning to dry out again. Regulations dictate that a wet Superpole comprises two free sessions, each twenty minutes in length. Carlos went out on slick tyres and by the end of the session had clocked a best time of 1m38.8, closing the first phase in third position and proceeding to the second phase without difficulty. Superpole 2: This time Checa took to the track first with a race tyre and then on a qualifier. The times dropped dramatically in this second session, thanks to a quickly drying track. The Althea flagbearer recorded a fastest lap time of 1m37.1 which assured him of fifth position on the grid for tomorrow’s races. Carlos Checa: “This weekend has been, let’s say, different to many others, in that we’ve seen almost everything from a weather point of view, and such variable conditions have prevented us from working well, as it’s not been really dry or really wet for any length of time. In these conditions it’s also difficult with only one bike, as we can no longer set up one for the dry and the other for the wet, and so we lose time. I can’t make any guesses for the races, the only thing I can say with certainty is that everything is entirely unpredictable here at Assen!” Davide Giugliano: “Let’s say that it didn’t go our way this morning. We hoped to be able to make a few laps in the dry, seeing as we didn’t manage to qualify for the Superpole during yesterday’s session. But the track only got worse during today’s session, and was neither completely wet nor totally dry. I’d say that we’re better prepared for a wet race tomorrow, as we’ve had less time to work in the dry, but I just hope that we have one or the other, wet or dry, rather than mixed conditions like today.” More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: ASSEN CONFIRMS ITSELF AS A DIFFICULT TRACK FOR THE APRILIA RACING TEAM. WITH ONE LAST QUALIFYING SESSION IN THE WET, MAX BIAGGI IS UNABLE TO IMPROVE ON HIS TIME FROM FRIDAY AND WILL START FROM THE FIFTH ROW. EUGENE LAVERTY DOESN’T GO THROUGH TO THE SECOND SUPERPOLE SESSION DUE TO A CRASH IN THE FIRST, FOURTEENTH PLACE FOR HIM. Assen, 21 April 2012 The forecast turned out to be accurate: Friday at Assen was also marked by weather which was, to say the least, unpredictable. The last qualifying session this morning was run in the wet, which prevented any improvements to yesterday’s times. Max Biaggi will start from the fifth row in the seventeenth spot on the grid for the two races tomorrow. During the subsequent practice sessions, the mechanics worked on adapting to the changing conditions on the track which was drying off. This situation was not very useful for Max, with a deficit of time and feeling on the track and who would have benefited from some “stable” practice in order to make a concrete improvement. In any case the Corsair worked hard, clawing his way to eleventh place, just outside of the top ten. Tomorrow will certainly not be an easy Sunday for Max: “After a dismal Friday, practice today unfortunately did not allow us to work the way we had hoped. We were definitely able to improve in spite of the fact that conditions were constantly changing. The thing that will make tomorrow’s races an uphill battle is the starting position. It will be of utmost importance to start strong and not to lose any time in the first phases of the race, trying to stay with the front group in order to mount a comeback. There are a lot of riders here that have a better pace than ours. We’ll try to sort things out as best as possible in the warm-up tomorrow morning”. Eugene Laverty’s day ended after the first Superpole session while the Northern Irish rider was pushing for a spot in the top eight. As Eugene was pushing hard on slicks, a sudden rain shower sent him into a slide and a premature return to the garage. This means that Laverty will have to start from the fourteenth spot on the grid, counting on the good pace he demonstrated during the practice sessions in order to make his comeback. “Superpole was definitely not the best part of our weekend. After starting with the intermediate tyres, I put the slicks on since the track was drying off. I knew I’d have to push to the limit in order to get into the top eight before weather conditions changed, but I pushed a bit too hard and crashed. Although starting fourteenth isn’t ideal, I know I’ve been working well with the set up on my RSV4 and I hope I can take advantage of that in the two races tomorrow”. More, from a press release issued by Effenbert Liberty Racing Team: The first row is “Yellow” Ducati Smrž and Guintoli set third and fourth place in Assen’s Superpole Great satisfaction for Effenbert Liberty Racing Team at the end of Superpole at Assen today on the difficult track, made more hard by critical weather conditions. The team showed, like usual, great determination searching for the best result which came finally with the third and fourth place by Jakub Smrž and Sylvain Guintoli, which actually line up on the front row of the Holland’ s Gp. In the Superpole’s final session, the Czech, Smrž closed with a time of 1’36 “566 obtaining the third place behind Rea and the poleman Sykes. Behind him, but on the first line, the French Guintoli who stopped the clock on 1’36 “875. Very unlucky afternoon for the young Maxime Berger, after just few minutes from the start he could not prevent the movement of Badovini, who slid in front of him, involving our rider in a disastrous crash. If Maxime has luckily escaped unhurt from the accident we can not say the same of his Ducati, too much destroyed to let Frenchman running for Superpole. Maxime credited time of 1’44 “022, it is still ranked 15th and his race will start from the 4th row. Positive day for the Canadian Brett McCormick, Effenbert Liberty Racing Team’s rider, in his first absolute exit in the Dutch circuit, he has rocked for several minutes the dream of participating in the second run, the dream has vanished just in the last minutes. However, the young talent has catch, with a time of 1’41 “962, the 13th on the grid, and will be the fourth’s row first rider. # 96 Jakub Smrž “I’m happy with the result of the day in Assen. As expected, the weather here in Holland has made a master forcing us to manage a variety of strategies to optimize performance. I was still comfortable in all conditions, for this I thank the team that secured the usual great support. ” Sylvain Guintoli # 50 “Very fast day and the result was a very good job. Assen is one of my favorite circuits, and with my team we have found a great set-up that will allow us to be competitive regardless of the weather. ” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Crescent FIXI Suzuki’s John Hopkins will start tomorrow’s World Superbike races at Assen from the second row of the grid after recording his best qualifying result of the season so far in The Netherlands this afternoon. Hopkins (P8, 1’37.913) is still recovering from a pre season injury, but today showed that he is close to full fitness as he put his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R1000 onto the second row. He could easily have been on the front row if chatter hadn’t caused him to abort a flying lap when he looked likely to better his previous best time but is now in a confident mood for tomorrow’s races and feels he can put on a good show at the 4.542m Dutch circuit. Leon Camier (P12, 1’40.681) will start from the third row for tomorrow’s races after recovering from a massive crash in final practice earlier today to participate in Superpole. The team was forced to use the rolling chassis, but worked hard and built a new bike in time for Camier to do the last 10 minutes of the first ‘Wet Superpole.’ Although he had taken a heavy battering in his fall – bruising an ankle and wrist in the process – Camier defied the pain barrier and qualified 12th fastest. John Hopkins – 8th, 1:37.913: “We had every type of weather condition out there today, but one thing was consistent and that was that it was cold all day. Every time I get on the Crescent FIXI GSX-R, I get more and more comfortable with the bike and I feel I’m improving all the time and that’s what I want to carry on doing. “This morning was pretty bad and we were struggling for grip on the wet track, especially because the track temperature was so low. In the afternoon, when we had some dry track, I began to push harder until the soft tyres started to chatter. It was good to finish the first Superpole with the second-quickest time and we were hopeful of a place on the front row. But our qualifying tyre just didn’t work at all and was chattering so much and the bike was nearly impossible to ride. I would’ve liked to have been on the front row but I normally make good starts so let’s see what happens tomorrow.” Leon Camier – 12th, 1:40.681: “The conditions were very difficult today, particularly in the morning when it was pretty wet. The track was cold, we struggled for grip; and there was a lot of movement in the tyres. We had some ideas for improvement but we never got a chance to put them into action. In the afternoon untimed practice, I made a little mistake when I hit a wet patch and crashed. I got pretty banged-up and my ankle and left wrist took a bit of a battering. Considering the amount of damage, the boys did an awesome job building a new bike so that I could take part in the first Superpole. “I managed to get out for the last 10 minutes and further credit to the boys because the bike worked OK without any problems. I missed out on getting into the second Superpole by just a fraction so now I’ve got to get off the line quickly tomorrow and get involved right from the start.” Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “I’m pretty happy with the results on what has been a very tough day. The boys did a mega job to get the bike ready for Leon in Superpole. He was pretty bashed up, but wanted to do Superpole and get his confidence back and, in the end, he only just missed out on getting into the second Superpole. “John was second quickest in the first Superpole despite a lot of chatter from his qualifying tyre. Somehow he rode through it and got into the second Superpole, but this time his qualifying tyre chattered so much it prevented him from pushing hard enough to get on the front row of the grid. We need some time working on the wet set-up but I think John’s getting back to what we know; and as long as Leon is not too sore, I’m sure he’ll be trying to fight with the leaders as well.” Today’s changeable weather at Assen brought rain and bright sunshine as well as strong winds, and with the same forecast for tomorrow, it could prove a very entertaining race-day. Tom Sykes on a Kawasaki took his third pole position in succession to head the grid. Hopkins and Camier will take to the track for a warm-up session early tomorrow morning before the first of the two World Superbike races gets underway at 12.00hrs local time (11.00hrs BST). More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Superpole Win For Sykes Makes It Three From Three WSBK, Assen, Netherlands, 21 April 2012 Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) secured the Superpole win at Assen and in doing so made it three pole positions in three attempts this season, after his previous successes in Australia and Italy. With the track not quite fully dry before Superpole started Race Direction declared a wet Superpole, which meant that instead of three Superpole session of varying durations, there were just two 20 minute sessions. The first was for the top 16 riders in regulation qualifying, with only the eight fastest in Superpole one going forward to the second and final Superpole competition. As the conditions changed the track was almost dry at the start of the opening session and even more so by the time Sykes set his impressive winning pole time. On his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Tom passed into Superpole two and then set a blistering lap of 1’35.399, fully 1.033 seconds faster then his nearest challenger Jonathan Rea. Tom had been second fastest in combined qualifying, which was based on the best Friday lap times, after the final qualifying session earlier today was run in wet conditions. Sykes paid tribute to his injured regular KRT colleague Joan Lascorz in his post Superpole comments and now aims to give everyone in the Kawasaki Racing Team some podium success to share in on raceday. Team Pedercini Kawasaki rider David Salom made it into Superpole and finished up an impressive tenth on the 23-strong rider grid. His team-mate Leandro Mercado was 20th in combined qualifying in only his second ever SBK race weekend. Tom Sykes: “It is a fantastic feeling and firstly I want to thank the Kawasaki Racing Team because they have done a great job. They have given me the correct package to let me win Superpole three times in a row, so hopefully we can make it last. On my last qualifying tyre today I had to dig deep because I saw I had some pressure from Jonathan Rea. When I crossed the line I was one second up and was very happy to have been that fast, because I thought I had improved only two or three tenths. For tomorrow I hope we can convert it – third time lucky. Obviously we had some bad news from the Imola tests so hopefully this is something for Joan to smile about and hopefully we can give him something to smile about tomorrow. I am looking forward to the race. Like my rivals have said already it is going to be tricky because of the expected weather conditions but it should be very exciting.”