FIM Superbike World Championship Imola, Italy March 31 Final Qualifying Results, After Superpole (all on Pirelli tires): From Superpole Knockout Session Three: 1. Tom SYKES, Great Britain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:46.748 2. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Ducati 1098R), 1:47.221 3. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1098R), 1:47.423 4. Leon HASLAM, Great Britain (BMW S1000RR), 1:47.458 5. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:47.611 6. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:47.642 7. Jonathan REA, Great Britain (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:47.643 8. Joan LASCORZ, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:47.740 From Superpole Knockout Session Two: 9. Lorenzo ZANETTI, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:48.108 10. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Ducati 1098R), 1:48.137 11. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:48.299 12. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:48.650 From Superpole Knockout Session One: 13. Maxime BERGER, France (Ducati 1098R), 1:48.267 14. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati 1098R), 1:48.382 15. Leon CAMIER, Great Britain (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:48.415 16. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:48.631 The Rest of the Grid: 17. Chaz DAVIES, Great Britain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:48.857 18. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (BMW S1000RR), 1:48.904 19. John HOPKINS, USA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:49.790 20. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:49.854 21. Mark AITCHISON, Australia (BMW S1000RR), 1:50.009 22. Brett McCORMICK, Canada (Ducati 1098R), 1:50.266 23. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:50.670 24. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:50.999 25. Lorenzo ALFONSI, Italy (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:52.993 More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: AFTER THE IMOLA SUPERPOLE APRILIA LOOKS FORWARD TO TWO DEMANDING RACES. MAX BIAGGI WAS HINDERED BY A FEW PROBLEMS IN SUPERPOLE AND HAD TO SETTLE FOR THE SECOND ROW. AN ABNORMAL VIBRATION COMPROMISED THE SESSIONS FOR EUGENE LAVERTY WHO WILL START FROM THE ELEVENTH SPOT ON THE GRID Imola, 31 March The Imola Superpole was more difficult than expected for the Aprilia Racing Team and its riders, five time champion Max Biaggi and Eugene Laverty. After two practice sessions characterised by very close times among the rivals with Max Biaggi always in the top group and Eugene Laverty improving consistently, the Superpole which decides the starting order found Max hindered by tyre problems. The Corsair, who in any case came through the first two sessions boldly to battle in the top eight, ended with a time that earned him a spot on the second row. As had already been seen during the sessions yesterday and today, the competition is extremely high. The time differences are still extremely close and there was a lively exchange of provisional places right down to the last available second. The tiniest mistakes are costly and the situation will most likely not change for the races tomorrow either. “We had a few problems in Superpole admitted Max and it’s a shame because the front row was within reach for us. We took more laps than expected and that also caused a few fuel problems for me in the last session. The work we’ve done over the past couple days is still valid and that gives us a positive outlook for the two races tomorrow. It certainly won’t be a walk in the park, to the contrary, starting from the second row means that it will be an uphill Sunday for us”. Eugene Laverty, after improving his feeling with the RSV4 session after session, was aiming for a good outcome in Superpole. However, the rider from Northern Ireland had some problems with abnormal vibrations which kept him from performing at the top of his game and was unable to make it past the second Superpole session, ending in eleventh place. In spite of the fact that Superpole didn’t go as he had hoped, Eugene looks forward to the races tomorrow confidently: “We made good progress with our setting today and I felt content after final free practice. Unfortunately we encountered a major issue with chatter in Superpole which stopped me from lapping quickly. I’m very disappointed because we will start the races from 11th on the grid. The team will investigate the problem and hopefully we can find the solution before the races tomorrow”. More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Sykes takes Tissot-Superpole win number two in two attempts Imola (Italy), Saturday 31 March 2012 The best possible starting position was taken by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) for the second round in succession after he set a new track best of 1 minute 46.748 seconds in Superpole 3. This was Sykes’ fourth career Superpole win and the second at Imola, as he took the pre-race prize on the previous model of Ninja ZX-10R here in 2010. Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati) was second, after a late charge from Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) was ultimately unsuccessful. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) was fourth and first BMW rider in the final pre-race rankings, while Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) made it to the head of the second row, fifth overall. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) went sixth at his home circuit. Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) was seventh but suffered a very fast high-side crash, walking away after a heavy impact on the tarmac. The last place on the second row went to Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team). Some big names missed out on the optimum starting spots on the first two rows, as Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing) experienced a technical issue in Superpole 2 that held back his final push and went to 11th on the grid, while early fast man Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert Ducati) was only one place up on the Irish rider, tenth. Lorenzo Zanetti (PATA Racing Team Ducati) made his team proud with a fine ninth at his home race, while a troubled second superpole session saw Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati) run off track and then finally crash, finishing 12th on the grid. Leon Camier (Crescent Fixi Suzuki) was top Suzuki rider, 15th. Tom Sykes: “To get two Tissot-Superpole wins on the roll is fantastic. I dug deep after the second Superpole because I knew the times would be fast. On my fastest lap in Superpole 3 I had a lot of feedback from my Kawasaki. A couple of times I arrived past the limit, but the feel was good so I could finish with a good lap. A few of us have very consistent race pace so there will be a big fight over full race distance.” Sylvain Guintoli: “I am happy with our work this weekend. This circuit for Ducati is fantastic, it is a brilliant track and took me about two years to learn it. I am just getting used to it and enjoying myself here so I think tomorrow will be a good race. There should be a be a big fight and I am going to do my best to take the first victory for the team.” Carlos Checa: “I feel quite good after practice and third position is positive, considering that Tom did a really good lap time and I could not get that kind of lap. We expect our pace to be much better in the race. We are in a good starting position for the race and I think we have good pace for the race tomorrow.” Leon Haslam: “It’s been a good weekend so far and we have been making progress with the BMW in the past few weeks. My leg is getting stronger day by day but in the evenings it is a little bit sore. To be fair, on the bike it is not that much of a problem. By Assen, the next race, I think I will be fully fit.” More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Imola Qualifying Practice 2 & Superpole. Saturday, 31st March 2012. Weather conditions: Sunny with light cloud. Temperature: Air: 20 26 °C, Track: 24 42 °C Number of riders participating: 25/24 from 14 teams Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 1:47.458 min Fastest lap Superpole 3: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 1: 46.748 min Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport made the promised step forward and will start the second round of the 2012 FIM Superbike World Championship from the first and second rows. In today’s Superpole qualifying at Imola (ITA), factory rider Leon Haslam finished fourth on his BMW S 1000 RR. His team mate, local hero Marco Melandri (ITA), will start sixth on the grid. Throughout all the Superpole sessions, Leon and Marco were inside the top six. In Superpole 2, both riders only needed one outing to securely qualify for the deciding third Superpole. BMW Motorrad Italia Goldbet SBK Team’s rider Ayrton Badovini (ITA) qualified 16th fastest today, while his team mate Michel Fabrizio (ITA) will start from 18th on the grid. Leon Haslam: Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:47.646 min (P3) / Fastest lap FP: 1:48.076 min (P8) / Fastest lap Superpole 3: 1:47.458 min (P4) “The bike has felt good all weekend. We didn’t change too much. We found a good set-up on the first day and have been working well. We were struggling a bit with the qualifying tyre which gave us some chatter. I was actually quicker with the medium tyres. We got it a bit wrong with the tyre selection for the Superpole, but we still managed to get on the front row so I’m happy with that. A good start is very important here and Max Biaggi, Sylvain Guintoli, Carlos Checa and Tom Sykes are sure to be competitive in the race. Hopefully we can be battling with these guys and I will try to get BMW’s first win.” Marco Melandri: Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:47.834 min (P5) / Fastest lap FP: 1:48.338 min (P10) / Fastest lap Superpole 3: 1:47.642 min (P6) “I can say I am happy because after we struggled yesterday I did not expect to make it to the second row. It is a very good result. After the free practice I was disappointed because I lost many tenths in Acque Minerali as I had some issues with chattering. I had to ride very close to the limit and could not keep to the perfect line. For the last session we kept the race tyre, as we remembered that last year on this track nearly everyone was struggling with chattering with the qualifying tyre. It was quite a good decision. For tomorrow I hope that it will be cooler than today because we go well on hard tyres. It is going to be a tough and difficult race, but we will do our best.” Andrea Dosoli (Head of Race Operations): “It has been a very positive day for both riders because we improved the lap times compared to yesterday and fixed some issues. We are not only fast on a flying lap, but we are also consistent on the race tyre. It was our target to start from the first row and we believe that we can fight with the top guys for the podium. I want to thank both crews. They have done a good job during this weekend so far.” More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: ALTHEA RACING AND CHECA SCORE THIRD PLACE IN TODAY’S HARD FOUGHT SUPERPOLE AT IMOLA Imola (Italy), Saturday 31st March 2012: Althea Racing riders Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano both took part in this afternoon’s Superpole session at the Imola track. 2011 World champion Checa was very strong in each of the three phases and his performance was rewarded when he secured third position for tomorrow’s two 21-lap races. Giugliano, still getting to grips with the Superpole format, completed a solid first phase but unfortunately crashed in the second, closing therefore in twelfth position. The two Althea Racing riders were back on track this morning for the second qualifying session, determined to do their best and reserve spots in this afternoon’s Superpole. All of the riders needed a couple of laps in which to ‘warm-up’ after which times began to tumble once more. Carlos made his fastest lap at the very end of the 45-minute session, lowering his best time set yesterday by half a second and positioning himself fourth as a result (his best time was a 1m47.8), just behind Sykes, Guintoli and Haslam. Davide had a little trouble this morning but was nevertheless able to improve slightly on yesterday’s time, closing in sixteenth position with a best time of 1m48.6 that assured him of a place in the all-important Superpole. During the early afternoon practice session, Checa evaluated his race pace, completing a series of consistently fast laps, one of which (1m47.3) was the overall fastest time of the session, and of the weekend up to that point. He therefore closed practice at the top of the timesheets. Giugliano had some difficulty due to a gearing problem and only completed a handful of laps as a result. His technicians chose to get straight to work to resolve the issue in time for the Superpole that began just one hour later. Superpole 1: in the first of the three phases, both Althea riders went out on race rubber. Carlos immediately put in a fast lap, followed by another even quicker lap which assured him of first position at the end of this initial phase. Davide, less satisfied with his opening laps, went back out and made a second exit on a qualifying tyre, with which he was able to record the eighth fastest time, meaning that he too passed safely to the second phase. Superpole 2: With twelve minutes available in this session, Carlos, still on a race tyre, made only one lap which placed him second. Davide on the other hand ran off track due to a technical problem and then returned to the garage to change tyre. This time out he unfortunately crashed while following Biaggi, thus closing today’s Superpole in final twelfth position. Superpole 3: trying the qualifying tyre for the first time, Carlos made the fifth fastest lap time. With only four minutes to go, his technicians made a rapid tyre change and, once again on race rubber, the Spaniard was able to register the third fastest time, behind Sykes, polesitter, and Guintoli also on a Ducati. Carlos Checa: “I used race tyres for the first and second phases of the Superpole, turning to the qualifier only at the start of the final phase. I wasn’t able to put together the lap I wanted and so, with minutes to spare, I went back out on a race tyre and made the third fastest time (though unfortunately it wasn’t a clean lap). We’re satisfied, as it would have been difficult to beat Sykes here today – congratulations to him. I expect two exciting races tomorrow and would say the forecast is good is far as we’re concerned.” Davide Giugliano: “I’m a bit disappointed of course because I thought I could have done a lot better this afternoon. Unfortunately in the first exit (of the second phase) a technical problem caused me to run off track. Then, with that resolved, I went back out on a qualifier and I was pushing hard to make the flying lap. Maybe I overdid it, because I crashed as I was following Biaggi. We’ll start from the fourth row of tomorrow’s grid so I’ll need to make a great start and give it my all if I want to make up some places and put together two solid races.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Crescent Fixi Suzuki’s Leon Camier and John Hopkins will start tomorrow’s Imola World Superbike second round in Italy from the fourth and fifth rows of the grid, confident of making good starts and fighting for top-10 positions. Both riders lost time in this morning’s qualifying session – Camier had a small low-side and Hopkins suffered a technical issue – but fortunately uninjured, Camier qualified for Superpole with the seventh-fastest lap. Hopkins, however, managed just eight laps in total in the same session which was not enough to get up to speed and make Superpole. Leon Camier – 15th, 1:48.415: “I lost time in the qualifying session this morning after a slow-speed crash. The rear end was chattering and I just lost the front. There was no problem with me, but the bike had to be rebuilt and that meant I lost the rest of that session and also about 10 minutes of the next one. “I’m happy with the chassis, but I am looking forward to further engine developments from Yoshimura. I went out on a race tyre in Superpole but made a little mistake so came back to the pits for a ‘Qualifier.’ Even before I reached the first turn, the bike was wobbling and then chattering as I went into the corner; I’ve no idea why, but there was nothing wrong with the bike! I came back to the pits, but wasn’t able to get back out in time on another tyre to set a decent lap in time to progress to Superpole 2.” John Hopkins – 19th, 1:49.790: “I was looking forward to this morning’s session and putting in the laps, but the bike had a technical problem and I wasn’t able to get out on the track for as much time as I would’ve liked: That messed up my qualification for Superpole, but sometimes things happen like that. The team put in a new engine for the second session and after a few laps I started to become more-and-more comfortable with the bike. We made a few suspension changes, which made the bike more stable, and I was really getting back in the groove by the end of the afternoon. “I’ve had a long lay-off and, although I am physically fit, I need to get bike-fit as well. The more laps I do, the sooner I’ll be able to get on the pace. I normally make good starts and that’s my aim tomorrow; that and picking up a decent number of points.” Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “I feel very positive about Leon. He’s put in the laps and has a pretty good race set-up. At one stage today he was third quickest and that’s very encouraging. Unfortunately, he had a bit of a tip-off and lost time. The team then did a great job to get the bike rebuilt and ready for the afternoon session and Leon was able to run for most of the session. I was looking forward to his Superpole but he didn’t feel comfortable on his Qualifier tyre. There was a lack of grip and quite a bit of chatter which was enough to prevent him getting into Superpole 2. “I had set a target for John – to get into Superpole – and would have been really happy if he had managed it. If it hadn’t been for the problem in the morning, which resulted in the engine having to be changed, I think he might even have done it. This is a very physical track and John is still getting back to race fitness after a long spell off the bike, but I am very pleased with his progress and attitude. He’s a good starter, so who knows what’ll happen tomorrow, but I can see him picking-up places in the opening laps for sure. I feel the Suzuki is showing its potential and is capable of being competitive. That’s down to the all the good work done by the team and our partners Yoshimura.”