World Superbike Race Lap Record: Chaz Davies, 1:23.041, 2018
World Superbike All-Time/Pole Lap Record: Tom Sykes, 1:21.811, 2014
Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Monterey, California, USA
July 13, 2019
Race One Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 25 laps, Total Race Time 35:06.671, Best Lap Time 1:23.100
2. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale V4 R), -5.693 seconds, 1:23.028
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), -12.721, 1:23.389
4. Tom Sykes, UK (BMW S1000RR), -14.957, 1:23.713
5. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -20.621, 1:23.977
6. Jordi Torres, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), -23.087, 1:23.632
7. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), -26.491, 1:24.302
8. Loris Baz, France (Yam YZF-R1), -30.605, 1:24.286
9. Marco Melandri, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), -32.556, 1:24.462
10. Michael Rinaldi, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), -44.432, 1:25.226
11. Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Duc Panigale V4 R), -46.792, 1:25.003
12. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Kaw ZX-10RR), -47.091, 1:25.055
13. Alessandro Delbianco, Italy (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -51.830, 1:25.225
14. Sandro Cortese, Germany (Yam YZF-R1), -53.661, 1:24.840
15. Markus Reiterberger, Germany (BMW S1000RR), -60.235, ran off track, 1:24.665
16. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -70.076, 1:25.547
17. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Duc Panigale V4 R), -1 lap, crash, 1:22.945 (New Race Lap Record)
18. JD Beach, USA (Yam YZF-R1), -13 laps, DNF, retired, 1:24.655
19. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -22 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded, 1:24.198
World Championship Point Standings (after 23 of 37 races):
1. Rea, 401 points
2. Bautista, 352
3. Van Der Mark, 215
4. Lowes, 203
5. Haslam, 187
6. Razgatlioglu, 169
7. Sykes, 152
8. Davies, 150
9. Melandri, 131
10. Cortese, 98
11. Rinaldi, 91
12. Torres, 86
13. Baz, 64
14. Reiterberger, 57
15. Mercado, 42
16. Laverty, 37
17. Leon Camier, 26
18. TIE, Lorenzo Zanetti/Delbianco, 21
20. Kiyonari, 19
21. Peter Hickman, 14
22. Tommy Bridewell, 12
23. Yuki Takahashi, 11
24. Michele Pirro, 10
25. Samuele Cavalieri, 6
26. Barbera, 3
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
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More, from a press release issued by Barni Racing:
Rinaldi scores the top 10 on his debut at Laguna Seca
Laguna Seca (USA), 13rd July 2019. With an outstanding race, Michael Rinaldi rode his Ducati Panigale V4R in tenth place, where he would like to be on his debut at WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway, ninth round of MOTUL FIM WorldSBK.
Superpole
In the early morning, during the FP3, Rinaldi managed to cut down half a second more from his best time of Friday (FP3 time: 1’24.901) but in the qualifying session he did even better lapping 1’23.740. Thanks to this time he placed himself in fifth row on the fourteenth spot.
Race 1
After struggling in the early stages, the rider from Santarcangelo di Romagna gradually gained confidence, lapping with times that were more and more like those farther ahead. Fifteenth halfway Rinaldi started his comeback gaining three positions in four laps overtaking Reiterberger, Mercado, Cortese. When he moved down Laverty (lap 19), Rinaldi entered in the top 10, which was his position under the checkered flag.
The Italian rider put in his pocket six points more in the Championship standings. He holds now the eleventh position in the rankings, seven points far from the rider ahead, Cortese.
Marco Barnabo, Team Principal
It was not a bad race. Something went wrong in the first part of the race, We have to understand why we lapped with the same pace from the beginning to the end. If we would be able to be faster until halfway the position could be even better. Nevertheless top 10 is not a bad result thinking that it was the first race here for Michael.
Michael Rinaldo
Considering that it was my first race here and that until this morning we was in trouble we took a good result. Once again the team made a good job giving me a bike that let me to ride with fluency. The hard work done definitely paid off. Something missed in the first part of the race but I think it’s quite normal thinking that all was new for me. Every time we hit the track we are faster so I think one step more it will be possible tomorrow.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Clear Race Win For Rea At Laguna Seca
The resurgence of Jonathan Rea continued on Saturday at Laguna Seca as he won his 20th career Superpole before going in to take his eighth race win of the season and extend his championship lead to 49 points. Leon Haslam (KRT) fell on lap four and no-scored but top independent rider Toprak Razgatlioglu was third today after starting from seventh on the grid.
With Tissot-Superpole to contend with after the early morning FP3 practice session, Jonathan Rea came within a whisker of setting a new track best on his official Ninja ZX-10RR to secure his 20th WorldSBK pole position. He made it four Superpole wins in 2019 in the process.
The 25 minute Superpole session was run in two parts after a crash with a few minutes on the clock punctured the air fence safety barrier at the bottom of the famous Corkscrew corner, necessitating replacement before action got underway again.
Rea used his ideal grid position well to lead all the way from turn one to the final lap, scoring full points as his only real championship rival at this stage, Alvaro Bautista, fell and no-scored despite rejoining the race.
Rea had Chaz Davies for close company for the first nine laps, but led across the stripe each time and started to grow his advantage from lap ten of the 25 lap race. By the end, and even after losing some push from the rear end in the last laps, Rea had a final advantage of 5.693 seconds over Davies at the flag.
Haslam, who was fifth in Superpole, fell at The Corkscrew corner on lap four and no scored, hurting his left hand and banging his head in the fall. He fully intends to race on Sunday and will be reviewed before taking to the track in morning warm-up.
Rea extended his lead by a further 25 points in Race One and he now has two more opportunities to win races at Laguna Seca on Sunday 14 July. First there will be a ten-lap Tissot-Superpole contest and then a final full race in the afternoon, which is scheduled for 25 laps.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “I felt my pace all weekend was solid. I could feel the Ducati riders getting closer but I still felt like I was the reference. I wanted to go at the beginning and put my head down from the start. I just had that small advantage of the grid position because I could come across and get track position into T1. It is a difficult track to pass so I just tried not to make any mistakes. It was very difficult in the beginning because the wind picked up a little bit more than this morning. Yesterday was very windy but this morning not, so it took me a few laps to get my rhythm in the race. As boring as it is to say, it was a case of ‘make no mistakes, keep hitting my points and make my rhythm.’ Physically, I felt great and I could have ridden the bike all day long. The team gave me a good bike, very stable and I had a lot of mechanical traction at the start.”
Leon Haslam, stated: “I got a bad start and got stuck a little bit behind Loris, but I was struggling from lap one. The package felt very different from what I had all weekend in terms of corner entry. In the change of direction at The Corkscrew I fell on lap four and head-butted the floor really hard. I have a slight contusion on my left hand but I should be all right to ride tomorrow. I have to analyse the data and see what was going on. It is frustrating because I definitely felt we had a good rhythm for third place – obviously not to go with Chaz or Johnny – but that third place was on the cards and that would have been nice for the championship.”
Seventh placed Superpole qualifier Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) continued his strong podium run with third place in Race One today, maintaining a safe gap to the fourth place rider over the final few laps of the 3.660km circuit.
Toprak Razgatlioglu, stated: “Yesterday in FP2 I did not have a good feeling on the bike but this morning we changed the set up a little and it felt good. My qualifying in Superpole was not so good but I was happy on the race tyre and felt strong. In the race I tried to follow Johnny but it was not possible. After I saw Bautista crash I checked my board for the gap to the rider behind me, because I realised I would be on the podium again. I am happy today because last year I had a big crash but today I finished on the podium.”
Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) had a season-best sixth place race finish today after running in fifth for much of the 25 laps. He was only caught by Alex Lowes in the final five laps after his rear tyre had given its best by that point. It was a strong Saturday for Torres as he had been seventh after combined practice and sixth in Superpole.
Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) was 12th in both Race One and Superpole today, scoring more valuable championship points. Now he and all his peer group look forward to two more races on Sunday.
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team at Laguna Seca: Tom Sykes in the top four on Saturday.
Fourth place in Superpole and race one for Tom Sykes on the new BMW S 1000 RR.
Eleventh place on the grid and 15th in the race for Markus Reiterberger.
Marc Bongers: “We are pleased with the solid fourth place”.
Laguna Seca. The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team enjoyed more strong results with the new BMW S 1000 RR on Saturday at Laguna Seca (USA). Tom Sykes (GBR) secured fourth place on the grid in Superpole qualifying, and went on to finish fourth in the opening race. Markus Reiterberger (GER) qualified eleventh in Superpole and came home 15th in the race. Laguna Seca hosts round nine of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK).
In the closing minutes of Superpole, Sykes was able to take advantage of the faster qualifying tyres to secure fourth place and a spot on the second row of the grid. Shortly after the start of the race, the Brit briefly sprinted into second place on his RR, however then dropped back to fifth in the turmoil of the first few corners. When Alvaro Bautista (ESP / Ducati) crashed in front of him, Sykes moved back into fourth place and never looked back. Reiterberger, back in the team after a severe viral infection and making his first appearance at Laguna Seca, improved consistently. He ended Superpole in eleventh place, before picking up one point for 15th place in the race.
Quotes after race one at Laguna Seca.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “We are pleased with the solid fourth place. Finding the right set-up for the bike was far more difficult here than at recent events. However, the result is once again very satisfying. Markus improved consistently as he learned more about this complex circuit throughout the sessions leading up to qualifying. In the race, however, he had difficulties. We must now analyse how we can help him in tomorrow’s race.”
Shaun Muir, Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “We went into Superpole with some unknowns what the best setting would be. Anyway, Tom did a great job. He put the qualifying tyre in and managed to secure P4 on the grid which was fantastic. It was on his second lap which is quite unusual; we did not expect to get two laps out of the tyre. On Markus’s side we made some over night changes. He made a big progress and a good job in the Superpole. In the race, Tom got a great start, he could have cut across the two Ducatis into turn two but it could have been a bit of a risky move. Anyway he played it safe which was wise. He consolidated the race after Alvaro went out and got a good fourth position. I think it just epitomises the kind of approach from Tom. We’re making progress; we don’t want to put it in the gravel trap but be able to gather valuable data. Markus’s race was very difficult. He struggled, he ran off the track. We have to work hard to find a good setting for him to go into Superpole race tomorrow and we see where we go from there.”
Tom Sykes: “We gambled for today’s race one by going with the ‘X’ tyre and you could say it paid off considering we got a fourth place. On the other side of that the tyre did drop off pretty early which meant we had to manage the tyre from midway through the race so you could argue that with a harder tyre we perhaps could have gone faster. However, with that being said a P4 on paper is not bad at all considering how early we are into this project. I was trying my best to close the gap to Toprak and at one stage I was doing that but I was just riding on the limit especially with the front tyre. But like I said I am happy with fourth place, the team did a great job in getting the electronics and traction control right today so let’s see if we can build on this heading into tomorrow’s two races.”
Markus Reiterberger: “We improved a lot today compared to yesterday. Yesterday was all about getting to know the circuit and finding the set-up for the bike. Today, I was far quicker in the third practice session and Superpole. We improved consistently and I was able to secure a place on the fourth row of the grid which was not too bad. Unfortunately, we possibly opted for the wrong tyre in the race and changed the settings a little, which did not have the desired effect. I had more issues again and also had a little run-off after a front-wheel slide. That is why I only finished 15th. I am still struggling to ride tight lines and we will do our best to find a solution here. I’d like to thank the team for all their hard work.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Lowes Leads the Way for Yamaha in Challenging Race 1 at Laguna Seca
It was Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider, Alex Lowes, who led the way for Yamaha today at Laguna Seca, with the 28-year-old Briton qualifying eighth in Superpole this morning before improving to finish fifth in this afternoon’s 25-lap WorldSBK Race 1. Michael van der Mark fought his way through the field from 15th position on the grid to finish a respectable seventh. Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Loris Baz, was the next Yamaha rider home in eighth position, with Marco Melandri securing a top ten finish in ninth aboard the GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK R1. Sandro Cortese struggled throughout the race with a left shoulder injury sustained at Donington Park but managed to ride through the pain to pick up points in 14th position.
Lowes was the only one of the five Yamaha riders to enjoy a trouble free Superpole session, although the Pata Yamaha rider was disappointed to qualify only eighth and to miss out on a place on the front two rows of the grid for Race 1 this afternoon. Superpole was red flagged after just five minutes when Baz crashed at the Corkscrew and damaged the air fence. The stoppage allowed his bike to be recovered and the Ten Kate mechanics managed to get the bike rebuilt before the end of the session, with Baz managing one fast lap in the final five minutes to secure ninth position on the grid.
Van der mark wasn’t so lucky. The Pata Yamaha rider crashed at turn four shortly after the restart and, with his bike stranded at the side of the track, was forced to sit out the remainder of the session, which he ended in 15th position. Both Cortese and Melandri struggled to find a good feeling in Superpole, with the two GRT Yamaha riders eventually qualifying in 13th and 17th positions respectively.
It proved a challenging Race 1 for Lowes, who got a good start from the third row of the grid to slot into sixth place. As the field spread out in the closing stages the Pata Yamaha rider managed to catch Jordi Torres ahead of him, passing the Kawasaki rider for fifth place at turn seven and then holding the position to the chequered flag. The result means that Lowes closed the gap to his teammate van der Mark in the championship, with just 12 points now separating the Briton from third place in the standings.
A good start and some aggressive overtakes saw van der Mark inside the top ten at the end of the opening lap. By midrace distance the 26-year-old was in eighth place but moved up one more place with a pass on fellow Yamaha rider Baz with 11 laps to go. Van der Mark managed to pull away from the Frenchman in the closing stages to finish seventh, with Baz following him home in eighth place.
After fighting his way through heavy traffic from 17th position on the grid in the early stages, Melandri then had a lonely race to a top ten finish, with the veteran Italian taking the chequered flag in ninth place, less than two seconds behind Baz.
The physically demanding Laguna Seca circuit took its toll on Cortese, with the reigning Supersport World Champion struggling with a left shoulder injured in a crash last time out at Donington Park. Cortese gritted his teeth and rode through the pain to finish in the points in 14th position.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P5 – Championship Position – P4 – 203 Points
“It was a tough race today and although I finished top five, it’s frustrating to finish with such a big gap to the winner. I didn’t really have the pace that I expected to be honest. I had a good battle with Jordi Torres, who was riding a good race, but he struggled for grip a bit at the end and I managed to pass him for fifth. It’s proving a tough track for the Yamahas and we’ve not been as competitive at Laguna as we have been elsewhere this season. In the race I knew I had to get a good start and then try maximising what I had. I learned quite a bit in the race, especially in which areas we need to improve the R1 here. Now we know that, it gives us something to work on to be stronger tomorrow.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P7 – Championship Position – P3 – 215 Points
“I made a mistake in Superpole and crashed, which meant I had to start Race 1 from 15th position on the grid, which is not ideal but, fortunately, I have a bit of experience starting so far back this season! I got a good start and was up to tenth after the first lap. I felt a lot better with the bike and it was easier to follow the guys in front of me. When Leon Haslam crashed, I was sat behind Loris Baz and I followed him for quite a few laps because I didn’t feel that I was quicker at that point. With 11 laps to go I managed to make a pass stick and then pull away a little. My pace was consistent but nothing special and I was starting to struggle a bit towards the end, but I think everyone was the same. We know where we need to improve for tomorrow, but after a difficult Superpole I think we can be relatively satisfied with the race result today.”
Loris Baz
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P8 – Championship Position – P14 – 64 Points
“I felt good this morning, but I was happy we could make at least one fast lap after the crash in Superpole, as the race is always easier from the third row rather than the last, so thanks to the team for rebuilding the bike so quickly. So, in the race I was expecting more, but we seem to have a problem when the track temperature rises and the other guys managed to have better pace than us. From the start I wasn’t able to follow Jordi Torres and Alex Lowes and when Michael van der Mark came past me, I wasn’t able to stay with him. In the end I just brought it home for another top ten finish and more championship points. It was good to finish eighth and closer to the other Yamahas, but as we get better our expectations also increase.”
Marco Melandri
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P9 – Championship Position – P9 – 131 Points
“The race was a lot better than qualifying this morning, but I can’t really be happy because I’m struggling a lot. There was a lot of traffic in the opening laps and anyway, even when I had a clear track, I couldn’t ride how I wanted to. I just miss confidence and I couldn’t find my line; it was so difficult. When the tyre dropped down, I felt a bit better because the bike was a bit softer, but still not ideal for me. I was fighting all the race, trying to do my best but it’s not enough. Tomorrow we’re looking for a top nine finish in the sprint race, but it won’t be easy.”
Sandro Cortese
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P13 – Championship Position – P10 – 98 Points
“It was a very tough race today and I had much more pain in the left shoulder that I injured at Donington than I was expecting. In practice over four or five laps it was fine, but seven or eight laps into the race I had so much pain. All I could do was try to finish the race today. I’m sorry about this, as I wasn’t expecting the shoulder to be a problem. Even with treatment from the Clinica Mobile nothing really helped to improve the shoulder, so now I can only aim to finish the two races tomorrow and then head home to recover fully during the summer break.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Chaz Davies back on the podium in Race 1 at Laguna Seca with a good second place, Álvaro Bautista finishes in 17th place after a crash
The first race of Round 9 of the Superbike World Championship at the Laguna Seca Raceway reserved a few surprises for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team. After Superpole, which saw both riders qualify on the front row of the grid behind Rea (Kawasaki), Chaz Davies and Álvaro Bautista had all the right cards to run a good race.
Unfortunately, only Chaz was able to get onto the podium, the Welshman finishing second in a race that was won by his Northern Irish rival, who led from start to finish.
Bautista, who also powered away well from the front row, was fighting for the leading positions but unfortunately on lap 5 he was victim of a harmless crash at Turn 5. The Spanish rider managed to get back onto his bike again, but finished in 17th place.
During this weekend, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team is taking part in the event with a special ‘old-style’ livery, to celebrate both the 25th anniversary of the 916 and the launch of the exclusive new Ducati Panigale V4 25° Anniversario, which evokes the 916 with which the multi-titled British rider Carl Fogarty, present at Laguna Seca as testimonial, won the 1994 Superbike World Championship title.
Tomorrow the ten-lap Superpole Race will be held at 20.00 CET, with Race 2 starting at 23.00.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 2nd
“The race was a decent one. On the grid I went with a soft rear tyre, which felt good in the early stages, but in the later laps it was just hanging on and I wasn’t able to find stability or grip and I lost contact with Rea. Despite this I’m happy about the result and feeling good about the races tomorrow. We have definitely made a right step forward this weekend and it’s great to be back on the podium again, for me and for the guys in my team because they’ve worked so hard to try and get me a good feeling with the bike.”
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19) – 17th
“Unfortunately we’ve been hit by bad luck in the last few races. Today I crashed without really knowing the reason why, in addition at that moment I wasn’t even pushing to the limit. After a good start I was fighting with Chaz and Jonathan but I suddenly lost the front at Turn 5 and crashed out. I feel pretty bad about it because I think I could have had a chance of a win. This is racing, we must now look ahead, not give in and continue to work hard.”
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
Tom Sykes bags another top 4 result in Race 1 at Launa Seca for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
The Geico US round, the final round before this year’s summer break started with today’s Superpole session in which Tom Sykes impressively put his BMW S 1000 RR on the second row of the grid in fourth, his team mate Reiterberger two rows behind in P11 for the BMW Motorrad WorldBK Team.
Tom Sykes opted for the softer rear tyre (SCX) for the demanding 25 lap race with Markus deciding to go with the SC0, both got away from the line in good shape with Sykes quickly slotting in behind the Ducati pair of Bautista and Chaz Davies in the lead group in 4th place, while Reiterberger placed himself in 13th.
As the trio of Rea, Davies and Bautista began to pull away at the front it didn’t take long before Toprak closed the gap to Tom putting him under some pressure. The Turk passed Tom the next lap however with an early crash from Bautista this meant Sykes was now sitting in P4 again. Tom rode a sensible race from then on out managing his tyres to last the full distance. Tom Sykes’ final position P4. Markus had good race pace in the early stages however failed to gain on his qualifying position after a small mistake meant he was left at the back of the field in P15. Despite Markus’ effort he would end the race P15 earning himself a valuable point
Tom Sykes and Markus Reiterberger will retake their positions on the grid ahead of tomorrow’s Tissot Superpole sprint race and feature Race 2.
Shaun Muir – Team Principal
We went into Superpole with some unknowns on what the best setting would be. Anyway, Tom did a great job. He put the qualifying tyre in and managed to secure P4 on the grid which was fantastic and on his second lap which is quite unusual as we did not expect to get two laps out of the tyre. On Markus’s side we made some over night changes. He made a big progress and a good job in the Superpole to get P11. In the race, Tom got a great start, he could have cut across the two Ducatis into turn two but it could have been a bit of a risky move. Anyway he played it safe which was wise. He consolidated the race after Alvaro went down and got a good fourth position. I think it just epitomises the kind of approach from Tom. We’re making progress; we don’t want to put it in the gravel trap but be able to gather valuable data. Markus’s race was very difficult. He struggled and ran off the track in the latter stages. We have to work hard to find a good setting for him to go into Superpole race tomorrow and we see where we go from there.”
Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director
“We are pleased with the solid fourth place. Finding the right set-up for the bike was far more difficult here than at recent events. However, the result is once again very satisfying. Markus improved consistently as he learned more about this complex circuit throughout the sessions leading up to qualifying. In the race, however, he had difficulties. We must now analyse how we can help him in tomorrow’s race.”
Tom Sykes (GBR)
“We gambled for today Race 1 by going with the “X” tyre and you could say it payed off considering we got a fourth place. On the other side of that the tyre did drop off pretty early which meant we had to manage the tyre from midway through the race so you could argue that with harder tyre we perhaps could have gone faster however, with that being said a P4 on paper is not bad at all considering how early we are into this project.
I was trying my best to close the gap to Toprak and at one stage I was doing that but I was just riding on the limit especially with the front tyre but like I said I am happy with fourth place, the team did a great job in getting the electronics and traction control right today so let’s see if we can build on this heading into tomorrow’s two races.”
Markus Reiterberger (GER)
“We improved a lot today, compared to yesterday. Yesterday was all about getting to know the circuit and finding the set-up for the bike. Today, I was far quicker in the third practice session and the Superpole. We improved consistently and I was able to secure a place on the fourth row of the grid, which was not too bad. Unfortunately, we possibly opted for the wrong tyre in the race and changed the settings a little, which did not have the desired effect. I had more issues again and also had a little run-off after a front-wheel slide. That is why I only finished 15th. I am still struggling to ride tight lines and we will do our best to find a solution here. I’d like to thank the team for all their hard work.”