— World Superbike 2013 – Round Nine – Silverstone
— Rea and Baz make it to the top at Silverstone
A typical British mixed weather welcomed the eni FIM Superbike Championship for Round 9 race day at Silverstone. A busy schedule gave fans plenty of spectacular action to watch and delivered unpredictable results, along with some of the most thrilling battles witnessed so far this year.
Race 1
Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) won Race 1 of the eni FIM Superbike Championship at Silverstone in spectacular fashion. The Brit got back on the top step of the podium after more than a year, as his previous win dated back to 2012 (Donington Park Race 1). Rea pulled away from the chasing pack on lap 7, as the rain started to fall heavier on the track.
The race was reduced by one lap due to the delayed start and was characterised by intermittent conditions, that played a key factor and brought to constant and unpredictable position changes throughout the 17 laps. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) managed to get back in contention for the podium in the closing stages, to edge Leon Camier from second place during the final lap. Camier delivered his and FIXI Crescent Suzuki Team’s first podium of the season on his 27th birthday.
Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team), 4th at the flag, managed to extend his leadership in the points up to twelve points, as his main rival for the title Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) ended up 11th behind BMW Motorrad GoldBet duo of Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies. Guintoli was able to defend his position from fellow Frenchmen Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Jules Cluzel (FIXI Crescent Suzuki), both able to stay with the front runners and to battle for the podium.
Race 1 results: 1. Rea (Honda) 17 Laps/100.334 km in 37’16.058 average 161.535 kph; 2. Laverty (Aprilia) 3.073; 3. Camier (Suzuki) 3.480; 4. Guintoli (Aprilia) 3.608; 5. Baz (Kawasaki) 4.140; 6. Cluzel (Suzuki) 5.659; 7. Haslam (Honda) 6.443; 8. Badovini (Ducati) 10.544; 9. Melandri (BMW) 14.017; 10. Davies (BMW) 14.167; 11. Sykes (Kawasaki) 14.180; 12. Neukirchner (Ducati) 26.536; 13. Checa (Ducati) 43.561; 14. Fabrizio (Aprilia) 46.373; 15. Aitchison (Kawasaki) 1’33.624; 16. Sandi (Kawasaki) 1 Lap; 17. Iannuzzo (BMW) 2 Laps; RT. Giugliano (Aprilia).
Race 2
Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) won an epic World Superbike Race 2 at Silverstone. The Frenchman was leading during the final lap when the red flag was waved, as the rain suddenly increased and two riders fell off at Stowe corner. One of the two involved was Jules Cluzel: the FIXI Crescent Suzuki rider managed to rejoin and make it back to the pits, sealing a fantastic maiden podium finish as the results reverted back to the previous lap, when he was running second. Baz, on the other hand, was able to shine again on the English track, that saw him getting his first ever WSBK win one year ago (Race 1).
Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) ended in third place, ahead of Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) and Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki), who had his shot at the lead before losing several positions, during the incredible 7-way battle that characterised the second part of the race.
Sylvain Guintoli (Apriila Racing Team), thanks to a sixth place finish ahead of Championship contender Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) keeps the lead in the standings with a 13 point gap over the Brit. Potential podium finisher Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) had to retire from the race due to a technical problem on Lap 15, when he was in the mix up front.
Loris Baz: “In the first part of the race, even in the dry, I had good pace and I pushed at the front. I tried to control the pace from the front but there were some fast people behind me and it was difficult to go away. Every time somebody tried to pass me I passed them back and at the end the conditions were really wet and I nearly fell. I want to say thanks my team because they are making a really good job with this bike. Now I feel really comfortable. I also want to dedicate this victory to Andrea Antonelli’s family.”
Jonathan Rea: ” Race one was probably one of the sweetest victories of my career. I had to be smart and, as I saw the gap heading into the last few laps, I didn’t want to be throwing away that kind of lead. We made a good change for race two and got up to fourth after I got stuck behind Tom Sykes for a few laps. The race two result was OK but we can go into the summer break happy enough that we’ve got an overall package that can challenge for podiums.”
Superstock 1000 – Race 1
Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) scored his fourth race win of the season after the first Superstock 1000 race of the day was red flagged on the final lap, following the crash by Jaroslav Cerny (SK Energy – Fany Gastro Ducati), substitute rider for Tomas Svitok. As the final results reverted back to the previous lap, Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki) finished… (read more)
Race (1 of 2 for this Round) results: 1. Barrier (BMW) 8 Laps/47.216 km in 17’16.103 average 164.055 kph; 2. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 0.056; 3. La Marra (Ducati) 0.561; 4. Canepa (Ducati) 1.728; 5. Savadori (Kawasaki) 2.190; 6. Mercado (Kawasaki) 2.327; 7. Andreozzi (Kawasaki) 3.068; 8. Lussiana (Kawasaki) 3.591; 9. Jezek (Ducati) 4.104; 10. Backlund (Kawasaki) 7.461; etc.
Superstock 1000 – Race 2
Reigning Champion Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) has taken the best out of the Silverstone doubleheader, after finishing as lonely winner in late afternoon’s FIM Superstock 1000 Cup race 2. The Frenchman started increasing his margin over the following riders halfway through the race, crossing the line with almost four seconds over Leandro Mercado (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) and 5.7 seconds on third place Lorenzo Savadori.
Barni Racing Ducati rider Niccolò Canepa ended up fourth, while his team mate Eddi La Marra fell off his 1199 Panigale R on Lap 4, as he was running second. A technical problem ruled Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki) out of contention, despite all the efforts by the former STK600 Champion to get back on track and finish the race. Thanks to his fifth win out of seven races, Barrier extended his lead in the standings to 36 points on Canepa and 55 on Guarnoni.
Race 2 results: 1. Barrier (BMW) 10 Laps/59.020 km in 21’29.139 average 164.817 kph; 2. Mercado (Kawasaki) 3.881; 3. Savadori (Kawasaki) 5.789; 4. Canepa (Ducati) 7.552; 5. Andreozzi (Kawasaki) 9.782; 6. Lussiana (Kawasaki) 10.564; 7. Jezek (Ducati) 10.827; 8. Lanusse (Kawasaki) 11.179; 9. Bergman (Kawasaki) 11.488; 10. Ponsson (Kawasaki) 19.039; etc.
Standings (round 7 of 10): 1. Barrier 145; 2. Canepa 109; 3. Guarnoni 90; 4. Mercado 90; 5. La Marra 85; 6. Savadori 73; 7. Jezek 61; 8. Andreozzi 43; 9. Lussiana 43; 10. Bussoletti 43; etc. Manufacturers: 1. BMW 156; 2. Ducati 130; 3. Kawasaki 123; 4. Honda 23; 5. Suzuki 5.
Superstock 600 – Race 2
Christian Gamarino (Team Goeleven Kawasaki) achieved a memorable first ever victory today in the second STK600 race at Silverstone, that was dedicated to departed team mate Andrea Antonelli. The Italian defended the first position up to the finish line from Bastien Chesaux (EAB Ten Kate Junior Team Honda) as both riders managed to pull away from the rest of the field in the early stages. Mixed and ever-changing conditions played a key role in the tyre selection for the race, that was mostly held on a dry track.
Yamaha MTM-MVR Racing riders Robin Mulhauser and Adrian Nestorovic finished third and fourth respectively, while their team mate Gauthier Duwelz did not take part in the race after yesterday’s crash. Race 1 winner Alessandro Nocco (San Carlo Team Italia Kawasaki) made a wrong tyre choice and finished 23rd. Only two points for the other Team Italia rider Franco Morbidelli, who was 14th at the flag.
Race 2 Results: 1. Gamarino (Kawasaki) 9 Laps/53.118 km in 20’02.198 average 159.063 kph; 2. Chesaux (Honda) 0.709; 3. Mulhauser (Yamaha) 7.754; 4. Nestorovic (Yamaha) 14.658; 5. Salvadori (Yamaha) 29.606; 6. Schmitter (Yamaha) 49.354; 7. Cecchini (Honda) 55.700; 8. Marchal (Yamaha) 1’03.157; 9. Mamola (Yamaha) 1’33.636; 10. Casalotti (Yamaha) 1’33.693; 11. D’Annunzio (Yamaha) 1’35.631; 12. Vavrous (Kawasaki) 1’35.700; 13. Vitali (Suzuki) 1’37.150; 14. Morbidelli (Kawasaki) 1’39.144; 15. Mayer (Kawasaki) 1’41.876; etc.
Standings (round 7 of 10): 1. Chesaux 100; 2. Gamarino 92; 3. Morbidelli 89; 4. Duwelz 84; 5. Nocco 75; 6. Coveña 75; 7. Mulhauser 59; 8. Salvadori 57; 9. Nestorovic 54; 10. Morrentino 44; 11. Casalotti 38; 12. Schmitter 30; 13. Vitali 26; 14. Tessels 24; 15. Tuuli 23; etc.
European Junior Cup – Race
Jake Lewis (Jake Lewis Racing) is the winner of today’s Pata European Junior Cup, powered by Honda, race at Silverstone. The Kiwi was in first place at the end of Lap 5, the last one completed as during the sixth lap the race was red flagged following the crashes by Illan Fernandez (Evo Kids Racing), Adrien Pittet (Swisscare) and Peter Sebastyen (World Management). James Flitcroft (Nova Caravans) and Richard Bodis (Sparta Motorsport) completed the podium.
Race results: 1. Lewis (Honda) 5 Laps/29.510 km in 12’48.521 average 138.234 kph; 2. Flitcroft (Honda) 0.631; 3. Bodis (Honda) 0.956; 4. Orellana (Honda) 1.027; 5. Anne (Honda) 1.100; 6. Fernandez (Honda) 1.259; 7. Canducci (Honda) 1.324; 8. Raymond (Honda) 1.434; 9. Manfredi (Honda) 1.632; 10. Harland (Honda) 1.756; 11. Hubner (Honda) 2.454; 12. Levy (Honda) 2.724; 13. Soomer (Honda) 2.862; 14. Mykhalchyk (Honda) 3.027; 15. Zanella (Honda) 3.307; etc.
Standings (round 5 of 8): 1. Lewis 66; 2. Raymond 56; 3. Anne 56; 4. Canducci 55; 5. Fernandez 46; 6. Flitcroft 45; 7. Bodis 36; 8. Sebestyen 35; 9. Orellana 31; 10. Manfredi 30; 11. Pittet 29; 12. Fernandez 28; 13. Levy 27; 14. Bendsneijder 25; 15. Rusmiputro 21; etc.
— World Superbike 2013 – Round Nine – Silverstone
— Paddock pays tribute to Antonelli, Laverty wins Tissot-Superpole
An emotional and moving tribute to Andrea Antonelli gathered the entire WSBK paddock on the starting line at Silverstone, together with his Team, Goeleven Kawasaki, Andrea’s bike #8 and the Moscow Raceway Supersport race winner trophy, which was given in his memory. Following this special moment, the eni FIM Superbike World Championship riders went on track for the ninth Tissot-Superpole of the season.
After two dry sessions, the third one was red flagged as the rain started to fall on the Norhamptonshire track. The action resumed with a final wet 20-minute Superpole, which saw Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) getting the best out of a last minute attempt, on an almost dry track surface, and clocking in 2’04.730 seconds to secure his first ever Tissot-Superpole win.
The 27 year old from Toomebridge, Northern Ireland, was able to edge Spaniard Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare), back on the front row of the grid after the pole position scored in the Season Opener at Phillip Island, and Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike).
Row 2 will be headed by Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team), who was leading the last session before the rain stopped – allowing riders for a final quick lap – followed by team mate Tom Sykes. The Brit got the worse of today’s Superpole, as just before the red flag came out he set what would have been the new best lap of the circuit.
Works BMW rider Chaz Davies ended up sixth, while his team mate Marco Melandri got out of contention early on as he suffered a technical problem on his BMW S1000RR during Superpole 1.
Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) and Championship leader Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) ended up 7th and 8th, with Frenchman stopped by his RSV4 after a technical fault. Ninth place Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia) had to sit out the final session due to a crash he sustained before the red flag was waved.
Eugene Laverty: “I have been waiting for my first Tissot-Superpole for so long. After so many front row starts it was about time! I’m quite pleased. I’m sure we were also a bit lucky, but that’s the way it goes. In the two sessions today we showed in any case that we have a really good race pace in the dry, so tomorrow we should be able to ride two great races.”
Jonathan Rea: “I almost lucked into that, which wouldn’t have been nice, so it was really cool to go out at the end with some dry track so everyone could put in a lap-time. I actually only went out to practice a start but I saw how dry it was out there and thought I’d give it another go. I’m quite happy to be on the front row because it’s good for the team and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s two long races. It’s also the last race that my wife Tatia can attend before our baby is due to be born so I hope we can put on a good show!”
Tissot-Superpole times: 1. Laverty (Aprilia) 2’04.730 average 170.346 kph; 2. Checa (Ducati) 2’04.949; 3. Rea (Honda) 2’05.078; 4. Baz (Kawasaki) 2’05.105; 5. Sykes (Kawasaki) 2’05.949; 6. Davies (BMW) 2’06.369; 7. Camier (Suzuki) 2’06.775; 8. Guintoli (Aprilia) 2’04.358; 9. Giugliano (Aprilia); 10. Cluzel (Suzuki); 11. Neukirchner (Ducati); 12. Haslam (Honda); 13. Badovini (Ducati); 14. Fabrizio (Aprilia); 15. Melandri (BMW).
World Supersport – Sam Lowes on pole despite crash
Championship leader Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) is the pole-sitter for tomorrow’s World Supersport race at Silverstone. The young British rider put in an impressive new best lap in 2’07.666 seconds with two minutes left in the second qualifying session, before crashing out of Turn 7 while trying to further improve his time. Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki) will be alongside Lowes on the first row of the grid, along with home rider Christian Iddon, who gave Team ParkinGO MV Agusta Corse and the F3 their first front row start of the season.
Scotsman Kev Coghlan (DMC Lorenzini Kawasaki) rode to an impressive fourth place, ahead of one event rider Florian Marino (Intermoto Ponyexpres Kawasaki), Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport) and Fabien Foret (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki).
Tough luck for Sheridan Morais (PTR Honda), who lost control of his CBR600RR at Turn 11 while he was on his way to improve his lap-time. Morais’ team mate Matt Davies had a crash too, five minutes after the start of the session, while Russian Vladimir Leonov (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) suffered a technical problem on his YZF-R6.
Times: 1. Lowes (Yamaha) 2’07.666 average 166.428 kph; 2. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 2’08.003; 3. Iddon (MV Agusta) 2’08.363; 4. Coghlan (Kawasaki) 2’08.505; 5. Marino (Kawasaki) 2’08.908; 6. Vd Mark (Honda) 2’08.939; 7. Foret (Kawasaki) 2’08.946; 8. Kennedy (Honda) 2’08.994; 9. Salom (Kawasaki) 2’09.074; 10. Quarmby (Honda) 2’09.214; etc.
Superstock 1000
Reigning Champion Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) will start tomorrow’s two FIM Superstock 1000 Cup races at Silverstone from pole position, as the Frenchman topped the timesheets in Qualifying 2 courtesy of a 2’07.833 seconds lap-time, shattering the previous record held by Danilo Petrucci (2011). This was the 13th pole position by the Oyonnax-born rider.
Barni Racing Ducati duo of Niccolò Canepa and Eddi La Marra, eager to give some hard time to the Frenchman, will move off from second and third place respectively despite a nine tenths gap, while Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki), Lorenzo Savadori (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) and Romain Lanusse (Team MRS Kawasaki) will line-up on the second row on the grid.
Times: 1. Barrier (BMW) 2’07.833 average 166.211 kph; 2. Canepa (Ducati) 2’08.733; 3. La Marra (Ducati) 2’08.779; 4. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 2’08.886; 5. Savadori (Kawasaki) 2’09.043; 6. Lanusse (Kawasaki) 2’09.372; 7. Mercado (Kawasaki) 2’09.412; 8. Andreozzi (Kawasaki) 2’09.760; 9. Jezek (Ducati) 2’09.779; 10. Lussiana (Kawasaki) 2’09.831; etc.
Superstock 600 – Race 1
A shortened Superstock 600 Race 1 at Silverstone was won by Alessandro Nocco (San Carlo Team Italia Kawasaki) as the Italian rider leading when the red flag came out on lap number seven, after the collision that involved Swiss Bastien Chesaux (EAB Ten Kate Junior Honda) and Gauthier Duwelz (MTM-MVR Racing Yamaha), causing the Belgian to crash on the main straight.
As the final results were based on the positioning at the end of lap six, Christian Gamarino (Team Goeleven Kawasaki) scored an incredible podium finish – and best career result so far – ahead of Chesaux and Franco Morbidelli (San Carlo Team Italia Kawasaki), new leader in the points as the STK600 field prepares for second race, scheduled for tomorrow at 4:40 pm.
Results: 1. Nocco (Kawasaki) 6 Laps/35.412 km in 13’14.594 average 160.438 kph; 2. Gamarino (Kawasaki) 0.352; 3. Chesaux (Honda) 1.018; 4. Morbidelli (Kawasaki) 2.492; 5. Mulhauser (Yamaha) 3.356; 6. Coveña (Kawasaki) 6.721; 7. Salvadori (Yamaha) 9.562; 8. Nestorovic (Yamaha) 9.608; 9. Casalotti (Yamaha) 10.320; 10. Tuuli (Yamaha) 11.946; 11. Tessels (Suzuki) 12.370; 12. Vitali (Suzuki) 12.881; 13. Schmitter (Yamaha) 12.989; 14. Stapleford (Triumph) 13.562; 15. Jones (Honda) 13.668; etc.
Standings (Round 6 of 10): 1. Morbidelli 87; 2. Duwelz 84; 3. Chesaux 80; 4. Nocco 75; 5. Coveña 75; 6. Gamarino 67; 7. Salvadori 46; 8. Morrentino 44; 9. Mulhauser 43; 10. Nestorovic 41; 11. Casalotti 32; 12. Tessels 24; 13. Tuuli 23; 14. Vitali 23; 15. Schmitter 20; etc.
European Junior Cup
For the fourth time this year, Guillaume Raymond (Activbike) secured the first slot on the grid for Sunday’s Pata European Junior Cup, powered by Honda race. The young Frenchman, who is leading in the points after his maiden EJC race win at Imola one month ago, lapped the Silverstone circuit in 2’31.601, finishing ahead of Italian Kevin Manfredi (Newton Trasformatori Srl) and Spanish Javier 
Orellana (Europfoods).
Times: 1. Raymond (Honda) 2’31.601 average 140.152 kph; 2. Manfredi (Honda) 2’31.855; 3. Orellana (Honda) 2’31.919; 4. Soomer (Honda) 2’32.044; 5. Flitcroft (Honda) 2’32.449; 6. Fernandez (Honda) 2’32.475; 7. Anne (Honda) 2’32.634; 8. Lewis (Honda) 2’32.667; 9. Canducci (Honda) 2’32.671; 10. Pittet (Honda) 2’32.740; etc.
— BMW Motorrad Goldbet
It was a difficult Saturday for the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team at Silverstone (GBR), but it ended in a kind of a conciliatory manner. Factory rider Chaz Davies (GBR) achieved the set target, which was to start from the front two rows. The Welshman finished sixth in today’s turbulent Superpole qualifying with his BMW S 1000 RR, thus starting the ninth round of the 2013 FIM Superbike World Championship from the second row. His team-mate Marco Melandri (ITA) was denied of his chance to attack in the Superpole qualifying by a mechanical issue and will start tomorrow’s races from 15th on the grid.
The day began according to plan with the team continuing the preparation work in this morning’s second qualifying practice. But during the free practice session in the early afternoon, luck changed for the squad. Chaz was forced back to the garage with a mechanical issue and lost a lot of track time. Marco crashed and had to be taken to the medical centre but fortunately he suffered only minor injuries and was ready to start in the following Superpole qualifying.
However, Marco was only able to do one flying lap before he had to stop beside the track because of a mechanical issue. Consequently, Superpole was over for him and he had to settle with 15th. Chaz meanwhile did two outings in the first part of the session. For the second one he used qualifying tyres and set the best time to progress to the next session. He made it through Superpole 2 into the final and deciding third session by using his other qualifying tyre. In Superpole 3, Chaz tried to do his best on race tyres, when the session was red flagged as it started to rain in parts of the track. The modus was changed to a “wet Superpole” of 20 minutes for those nine riders who had qualified for Superpole 3. Conditions were changing during this session and track action was quite reduced, but towards the end the track dried again and with three minutes to go, the riders went out again to battle a final showdown for the grid positions with Chaz putting in the sixth fastest time.
In the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, Sylvain Barrier from the BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team secured his fifth pole position of the season in a dominant manner. The Frenchman broke the lap recors by over seven tenths with his BMW HP4. His team-mate Greg Gildenhuys (RSA) qualified 20th.
Chaz Davies: Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 2:06.057 min (P10) / Fastest lap FP: 2:06.441 min (P12) / Fastest lap Superpole 3: 2:06.369 min (P6)
“We have reached the target of starting from the first two rows which is good but it was sort of a strange day. I have to admit that I was not totally happy with the bike in Superpole, it was a bit hard to ride. For one lap, when you try to squeeze out everything, it is a bit tough going but over race distance we did not seem to be too bad this morning. I have been reasonably happy with that but we still have to improve as the bike is struggling over the bumps. So we will work on that tonight and get it right for tomorrow. In the races we will be pushing for the podium. For sure it will be interesting because some guys have a good pace but I am not sure how sustainable that is over race distance here. The grip drops off pretty quickly so we have to see how it goes tomorrow.”
Marco Melandri: Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 2:06.283 min (P11) / Fastest lap FP: 2:05.859 min (P6) / Fastest lap Superpole 1: 2:13.317 min (P15)
“It was a difficult day. This morning I crashed quite heavily and hit the ground with my right hand and elbow. Now I have some pain in the fingers and I cannot bend my elbow properly. For this reason I cannot quickly release the brake and open the throttle. In Superpole, I did my best. I bit the bullet but then I had a mechanical issue on the second lap and in the end I could not take part in the qualifying session. The bike still struggles with the bumps but we are working on it. To start from the fifth row doesn’t make it easier, even if, in the end, we’re not really that bad. Now I need to rest to try to be in the best condition for tomorrow.”
Serafino Foti (Sport Director BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team):
“It was not a good day. On this track we struggle with the bumpy surface and we also had some bad luck. Marco, after this morning’s crash, tried to take part in Superpole despite the pain but then could only do one lap due to a mechanical issue. We still have some work to do to make the bike ready for the race as we were not able to complete our job. In addition, Marco probably will have some pain tomorrow but I’m sure he will do his best to limit the damage and to get the best result he can. Chaz is quite satisfied, he feels a little more comfortable than Marco on this track and over the day he was able to improve his performance. He is on good form for tomorrow. In the warm-up we will work further on improving our performance.
In the Superstock class, Sylvain claimed pole position and also set a new lap record, being seven tenths faster than the old best lap time. This is a very good result which makes us really confident for tomorrow. We only hope that the weather will be good, because tomorrow we will have two Superstock races and results will be very important for the championship. Greg needs some more time to learn the track.”
Andrea Dosoli (Technical Director BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team):
“Today we experienced the tough side of racing. Unfortunately we had some issues with both riders. Chaz had a mechanical issue during the free practice so he could not ride through all the session. Marco also had an unlucky free practice. He crashed and for sure he was not in the best shape for Superpole but the unfortunately he could not ride due to another issue. Overall I must say that Chaz managed to qualify on the second row which is a good position considering all the adversities we have had and the good point is that he was able to improve the feeling with the bike. He is still not 100 percent comfortable with the bike’s behaviour as he experiences some vibrations but we have another chance tomorrow during the warm-up where we are going to test something else in order to allow him to fight at the front.
Also Marco has improved his feeling for the bike, the rear end is better than yesterday and this was proven by the fact that he was doing faster lap times. Also the rhythm is not too bad. But it will be very important to understand what his condition will be tomorrow and starting from the fifth row does not help but he has shown us in the past that he is able to make a very good start and tomorrow he will need one of his best. Then we are confident that he will able to catch up with the other guys and try to fight for the top positions.
— Pata Honda
Jonathan Rea will start tomorrow’s ninth-round World Superbike races from the front row of the grid after setting the third-fastest time in this afternoon’s Superpole at Silverstone in the UK.
In an often-confusing Superpole, the 26-year-old from Northern Ireland lapped the 5.902km circuit in a time of 2m05.078s, just 0.2s from pole sitter Eugene Laverty.
Superpole 3 was declared wet after all participants had registered a flying lap of Silverstone but those lap-times were scrapped in favour of a 20-minute wet session, which in fact started dry. After some light rain, the riders went out again with just a few minutes remaining on the clock to register their final lap-times.
Rea’s Pata Honda World Superbike team-mate, Leon Haslam, qualified for Superpole 2 but was unable to progress and will start tomorrow’s two 18-lap races from 12th place on the grid.
Jonathan Rea – P3 2m05.078s
I almost lucked into that, which wouldn’t have been nice, so it was really cool to go out at the end with some dry track so everyone could put in a lap-time. I actually only went out to practice a start but I saw how dry it was out there and thought I’d give it another go. It’s a good job I did, because I would have been bumped off the front row position that I took with my earlier lap time. It was a little chaotic but I’m quite happy to be on the front row because it’s good for the team – we made a big set-up gamble today and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s two long races. It’s also the last race that my wife Tatia can attend before our baby is due to be born so I hope we can put on a good show!
Leon Haslam – P12 2m05.573s
We’ve been struggling to find the right chassis settings most of the weekend and ended up going in a few wrong directions today. We thought we had something for Superpole but that turned out to be a mistake, even though I don’t think it would have changed the result too much if we hadn’t tried it. Hopefully, we can rectify that tomorrow and have a good go in the two races.
Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator
Unfortunately, Leon has had some problems with settings here. We have made a few changes to the bike and ended up going nowhere. I think we should have been at least top eight but we’ve ended up 12th, which I’m a bit sad about. We’ll have to re-think one more time and come up with something for the warm-up. We got a bit stuck with Jonathan, too, but some last-minute changes paid off and we were a little lucky that Superpole 3 got red-flagged. Third was a good result, but we still need to find a little more
tomorrow to fight for the podium.
— Aprilia Racing
The weather, which seemed to have decided not to trouble the Silverstone weekend, instead became a key factor in Superpole today. In fact, during the last session, the one that decides the first three rows of the grid, threatening showers convinced race marshals to suspend the action and start wet procedures, therefore limiting Superpole3 to one 20 minute session. Both of the Aprilia Racing riders (the team which is currently leading the manufacturer standings) had gotten into the top nine without any trouble.
In the new session, held in any case on a dry track, Eugene Laverty was the one that rode to the top, skillfully taking advantage of the optimum window to widen the gap in front of his rivals. This first pole position in the Northern Irish rider’s career was the icing on the cake on a day which saw him steadily improving in the practice sessions leading up to Superpole. In the second free practice session he had made the best time, being the only rider to stay under 2.05 with race tyres. Everything seems to point toward two races tomorrow with the Aprilia standard bearers on the attack.
Eugene Laverty: “I have been waiting for my first Superpole for so long. After so many front row starts it was about time! I’m quite pleased. I’m sure we were also a bit lucky, but that’s the way it goes. In the two sessions today we showed in any case that we have a really good race pace in the dry, so tomorrow we should be able to ride two great races”.
Team mate and current leader in the rider standings, Sylvain Guintoli, also showed that he has what it takes to battle with the front runners in the practice sessions. The response from the shoulder he injured in training was positive today and allowed him to ride the entire programme that he and his mechanics had planned, in order to optimise his RSV4 even on worn tyres. The times he put on the board were encouraging until a technical problem (still being analysed) stopped him precisely during the Superpole session. Eighth time and third row for Sylvain, who looks at the races tomorrow as just another challenge.
Sylvain Guintoli: “It’s a shame about Superpole 3, but in compensation the good news is that we have an excellent race pace in the dry. Today we were able to work really well because my shoulder is improving, so we also took some laps on used tyres in order to better prepare for the races. To be honest I had hoped to start farther forward, so the races tomorrow will be a nice challenge for me”.
— Fixi Crescent Suzuki
FIXI Crescent Suzuki’s Leon Camier saw a front-row start cruelly disappear when the session he was competing in at Silverstone in England was cancelled due to rain during this afternoon’s Superpole at the eni FIM Superbike World Championship event.
Camier had continued with the form he showed on Friday by finishing this morning’s second qualifying session on top of the time-sheets, to give him second overall on combined times and followed that up with third in the final free practice to signify his intentions for the Superpole. The Englishman – who celebrates his birthday tomorrow – made his way comfortably through Superpole 1 and 2 and into the third and most significant session. Camier immediately used a qualifying tyre and set a very impressive lap-time to take third place and what looked like the team’s first front-row start of the season. As the session wore on, small spots of rain fell around the 5,902m Silverstone circuit and immediately Race Control red flagged the session and declared a Wet Superpole, making all the previous times void. This led to a 20-minute session that would decide the front three rows. Camier started well on his Yoshimura-powered Suzuki GSX-R and was again in third when larger spots of rain fell, forcing all riders back to the pits. As the rain cleared the track was dry enough for some fast times, but unfortunately Camier wasn’t able to improve on his time and will start tomorrow’s two races from seventh place.
Jules Cluzel again made another step in the second qualifying by taking a further 0.7 seconds off his best time from yesterday and making his way into Superpole. He again showed his qualifying skill as he set the fastest time in Superpole 1, but wasn’t able to replicate that and missed out on progressing to the final session by just 0.008 seconds. His time was good enough to give him 10th place on the grid and a start immediately behind his team-mate.
Sunday’s two 18-lap races look to be an exciting affair with both FIXI Crescent Suzuki riders determined to perform well in front of the team’s home crowd and the many sponsors, partners and guests that will be joining them at Silverstone. The first race is scheduled to get underway at 12.00hrs local time, with race two ready for the off at 15.30hrs.
Leon Camier: “I’m really upset by what happened in Superpole, but it is what it is and we have to accept it. We have been second or third in every session so far this weekend and I was third in Superpole 3, which I thought was good enough, but typically with how our luck seems to go, it sort of half dribbled at the wrong time and my time didn’t count. The few spots of rain didn’t affect us as we had already done the lap-time, but even when I was on my lap it wasn’t enough to slow me down, but they decided to stop it and end the session anyway – which was really frustrating. In the wet Superpole I went out on race-tyres and instantly went fast because it wasn’t wet and I set the third fastest time, which again I thought would be good enough because it did start to rain a bit more, but again it proved that it wasn’t. We went out at the end and I tried the kerbs to see if there was enough grip, but there wasn’t and I had a bit of a moment so I backed off, but everyone else went quicker and that was the end of it. We have improved this weekend though and the bike is working really well, we still need to find a bit of consistency on race tyres, but I am sure we can be challenging tomorrow; they are long races and anything can happen.”
Jules Cluzel: “I was happy with the feeling in Superpole, because we have improved the bike and I had a good feeling with the race-tyre. I put in a qualifier for the first Superpole, the bike was great and I could do a really good lap-time. In Superpole 2 I started with another race-tyre and did a better time and the feeling was still improving, so this is good for the race. With the second qualifier I expected to improve, but I had a strange sensation from the front and I nearly crashed, so I didn’t have the best feeling and I made a big mistake in the last sector, so this cost me a place in Superpole 3. I am disappointed about this, but happy with the way the weekend has gone because I am here to improve on every exit and I have done that and now tomorrow I think we can make a good race.”
Paul Denning -Team Manager: “In terms of outright performance, it’s been another positive day at Silverstone for the FIXI Crescent Suzuki team. Leon was quickest in final qualifying this morning, third in free practice and looked to have qualified third in Superpole when the weather and some bad luck intervened. I don’t really have too much to say about that, other than I hope it doesn’t compromise the race tomorrow, but starting from seventh isn’t a complete disaster and we’re looking forward to Leon translating the pace he’s had all weekend into two very good results tomorrow.
“Jules has found more confidence today and Les – his Crew Chief – has worked patiently to improve the GSX-R. He only missed the final nine in Superpole by just eight-thousandths-of-a-second and improved his race pace. He’s enjoying riding the bike now, which is a big part of any riders’ performance, so we hope he can show his racing spirit tomorrow and make us proud.”
— Matt Davies Report
Aussie Matt Davies is thinking ‘what might have been’ after a low speed crash in final qualifying prevented him from challenging for a top 20 qualifying position ahead of the 9th round of the World Supersport championship at Silverstone tomorrow.
The PTR Honda rider was in confident mood as the final session began only to return to the garage mid-session after losing the front end of his machine.
The crash means Matt will have a hard fight ahead of him tomorrow, starting from the 11th row in 33rd position overall.
— Previously……. World Superbike 2013 – Round Eight – Marco Melandri wins unpredictable Moscow round
Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Goldbet) is back on the top step of the podium after an epic race 1 that was hard to imagine before the lights went off. Melandri’s third win in the season means a big step up in the points for the Italian, who is now 32 points away from new Championship leader Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team).
Constantly changing weather conditions and several DNFs played a huge factor in today’s first race, with 2013 flag-to-flag rules that came into place. The Italian, along with several other riders in the top positions, pulled in for a tyre change at the end of lap 20 as the rain got heavier, making almost impossible to ride on slick compounds. Thanks to a formidable pit-stop performed by his crew, Melandri closed the gap on the leader and team mate Chaz Davies, eventually getting on first position and pulling away to cross the line a lonely winner. Davies, on the other hand, led the race for the most part, showing great skills on both dry and mixed conditions.
Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare) brought the 1199 Panigale R to a long-awaited first podium finish, thanks to an impressive performance in the last part of the race. The former STK1000 Champion found himself at ease on soaked wet conditions, to edge out from the top-3 Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) while entering the penultimate lap.
Sylvain Guintoli put in another heroic performance today by finishing sixth behind Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Aprilia), despite the dislocated right collarbone and a big moment in the first half of the race.
Tom Sykes’ (Kawasaki Racing Team) second technical problem of the weekend resulted in a no-score for the Brit, as his bike stopped and got on fire during the fourth lap. A big number of crashes took place and involved Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare), Jules Cluzel (FIXI Crescent Suzuki), Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia), Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team), Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike), Lorenzo Savadori (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) and Vittorio Iannuzzo (Grillini Dentalmatic BMW).
Race 1 results:
1. Melandri (BMW) 25 Laps/98.275 km in 46’03.043 average 128.044 kph;
2. Davies (BMW) 7.441;
3. Badovini (Ducati) 12.754;
4. Rea (Honda) 21.317;
5. Fabrizio (Aprilia) 47.456;
6. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1’00.999;
7. Neukirchner (Ducati) 1’04.762;
8. Baz (Kawasaki) 1’04.947;
9. Camier (Suzuki) 1’09.140;
10. Cluzel (Suzuki) 1 Lap;
11. Sandi (Kawasaki) 1 Lap;
RT. Laverty (Aprilia); RT. Haslam (Honda); RT. Sykes (Kawasaki); RT. Giugliano (Aprilia); RT. Savadori (Kawasaki); RT. Iannuzzo (BMW); RT. Checa (Ducati).
Cup of Nations – Dakota Mamola winner of the race
Dakota Mamola (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) dominated the Cup of Nations race today at Moscow Raceway. The 18 year old American crossed the line a lonely first with a 7.2 seconds margin over Honda rider Ilja Mikhalchik, from Ukraine. Third on the podium was Italian Giuseppe De Gruttola on a Kawasaki.
Results: 1. Mamola (Yamaha) 8 Laps/31.448 km in 13’46.074 average 137,049 kph; 2. Mikhalchik (Honda) 7.373; 3. De Gruttola (Yamaha) 8.622; 4. Fasanella (Suzuki) 21.656; 5. Eremin A. (Yamaha) 27.536; 6. Dusek (Yamaha) 28.941; 7. Davidov (Yamaha) 46.911; 8. Buryakov (Kawasaki) 49.753; 9. Kozheurov (Yamaha) 54.052; 10. Petrovskiy (Triumph) 1’27.168; etc.
