Six manufacturers at Monza in QP1 top seven; Aprilia sets top speed record

A mixed first day at the Autodromo Nazionale of Monza, with meteorological conditions conditioning performances to a certain extent. Ducati Xerox rider Michel Fabrizio nonetheless put in a very strong performance and concluded first qualifying in third position, reserving a provisional spot on the front row of Sunday’s grid. Noriyuki Haga, still losing time in the last sections of the track, closed this first day fifteenth.

Earlier today, in the weekend’s first free practice session, the Ducati Xerox riders got straight to work and it was Michel who made an immediate impression, lapping consistently fast and placing in the top five for almost the duration of the hour-long session. Light rain fell intermittently throughout but this didn’t stop Michel from setting a 1’43.8, in the latter stages of the session, which projected him to the top of the timesheets where he remained right up until the final seconds, when Crutchlow managed to shave a tenth of a second off the Italian rider’s best time. Michel thus closed in a solid second position, while team-mate Noriyuki closed the opening session in twelfth place.

Later in the afternoon, after further rainfall, the first qualifying session was declared wet. The track quickly began to dry out however and during the second half of the session times started to tumble. With around twenty minutes to go, both Michel and Noriyuki exchanged their intermediate tyres for slicks and Michel’s lap times in particular continued to drop his until he achieved his final, and best, time of the session in the very last minutes, a 1’45.1, to reserve a provisional third position on Sunday’s grid. Noriyuki meanwhile had a few problems, losing valuable time particularly through the last section of the track and, with more work to do tomorrow, finished in fifteenth position today.

Michel Fabrizio
“At the start of the session I was not wanting to take too many risks as some of the corners were pretty slippery so I stayed calm and then began to push as the track dried out. It’s a shame the conditions were so mixed because there were a few things we wanted to work on today but this wet weather didn’t give us the chance. Anyway, it’s been a positive first day. I think the testing at Misano last week helped us to get back on the right track and I’m feeling confident.”

Noriyuki Haga
“Although the lap times were not so great, I’ve actually got quite a good feeling with my 1198. I’m losing time in the last part of the track, from the Ascari corners to the Parabolica, and I need to concentrate on that section tomorrow. We’ll be making a few changes before tomorrow’s sessions and we’ll see how we go, the weather will surely make the difference too.”

—  Althea Ducati

Monza, 7th May 2010 – The fifth round of the 2010 World Superbike championship takes place this Sunday, at the historic Monza track, that plays host to the first of the series’ three Italian events. Expectations are high for the two Althea Racing riders, who will do their utmost to consolidate the solid results already attained in the first part of the season. This afternoon the Ducati riders were out on track for the first official qualifying session, conditioned in the initial stages by the wet asphalt.

A provisional seventeenth position for Carlos Checa; the Spaniard is fourth in the championship standings and on Sunday will aim to take a first ever podium place at Monza.

“We need to improve in two sections mainly, at the first chicane and through the long corner – said Carlos – Tomorrow we’re continue to work, concentrating on the gear box set-up, which is one of the tricky issues. Even though it won’t be easy, we know that we must, and can, improve. I’m ready and will do my best to close the gap that separates me from the leaders.”

Fifth row too for Shane Byrne, who closed this first session in eighteenth position and who will be looking for an improvement on his unlucky outing at this track in 2009.

“This morning we had a problem with bike one and so, this afternoon, on a dry track, I went out on the second bike that was set-up for the wet – said Shakey – I’m confident however and am sure that tomorrow, with both my Ducatis and both set-ups available, we will able to improve. I’m ready to make a great race at my team’s home racetrack.”

Genesio Bevilacqua, team owner, declared. “I don’t think we have any particular technical problems and so I’d say that today’s performances were conditioned more by the uncertain track conditions and the riders’ caution; perhaps the situation distracted them slightly. Tomorrow we’ll be back on track, focused from the word go, with the goal being to work hard, to get into the Superpole and to find the ideal set-up ready for race day.”

—  Yamaha Report

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow made an impressive start to the Monza race weekend, fastest in both the first free practice session and then the first qualifying session of the weekend that followed. Team mate James Toseland made a slower start, finishing fifth in the free practice and then taking ninth in the first qualifying as he and the team tested a number of set up options.

The afternoon’s qualifying was complicated by weather, rain before the session meant the superbike riders had to contend with an initially wet but drying track, gradually changing from intermediate to slick tyres as the session went on. The nature of the Monza circuit with its tree lined track meant some areas including chicanes remained greasy and damp throughout.

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1st, 1’43.758)
“It was nice to top the time sheets in both sessions today. We’re still looking for better grip a bit on the bike and also need to improve when pushing going into the corners, I think we can work on that. We tried a couple of things today which is good and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. It’s great that it’s the team’s home race and we’ll have lots of fans here and Yamaha guests so it’s nice to be on top today for them.”

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (9th, 1’46.019)
“It was one of those sessions today where it starts wet then just dries up continually over the heat. We were trying a few different suspension settings over the session but obviously the track was never fully dry, a couple of corners were still quite damp at the end and really quite greasy. With the trees around here in the park it doesn’t dry out too well. All in all we’ve tried some interesting things, and were pretty quick in the free practice, coming in fifth in the dry. We’ve got some work to do tonight, some big things to improve on which is encouraging so I’m optimistic that the changes we’re going to make later which were too long to do today will bring the next step. Fingers crossed again for the weather tomorrow.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“A good start for us today. The weather gave us some trouble but in the end we finished the day in good shape. Hopefully tomorrow will be dry to finalise the set up and tyre choice ahead of Superpole and Sunday’s races.”

—  BMW Report

Both Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders, Troy Corser (AUS) and Ruben Xaus (ESP), had a solid start to the fifth race weekend of the 2010 FIM Superbike World Championship season. The team worked on the Monza specific set-up for the BMW S 1000 RR of the two riders during Friday’s Free Practice session. The start of the afternoon session was declared wet. Both Troy and Ruben were able to set good lap times on the drying track and finished the Qualifying Practice fourth and sixth respectively.

Troy Corser:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:44.416 min (7th ) / Fastest lap Qualifying 1: 1:45.234 min (4th)
“I am quite happy. I am not over pushing the bike at all, and we are able set good lap times quite easily. With a little bit of luck, we can be quickest here tomorrow. The bike is really strong here. The bike’s settings feel not too bad for the first day of the weekend. The engine is definitely strong, and the bike is fast. We now have to work a little bit on the engine braking. There is still some room for improvement, not so much from top speed into the chicanes, but in the mid-speed corners.”

Ruben Xaus:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:44.547 min (9th ) / Fastest lap Qualifying 1: 1:45.542 min (6th)
“I really did a lot of laps during today’s Qualifying Practice – 23 laps are more than an entire race distance. Of course, on a high-speed circuit like Monza the impact on the brakes is massive. At the end of the session the brakes were not in the best condition any more, and I couldn’t really attack. Nevertheless, on my quick lap I followed Max Neukirchner, but missed the line in the first chicane. I was able to close the gap to Max again and finally pass him in the Ascari corner. When I braked into Parabolica I went wide, and Max was able to pass me. The traction control saved the situation and I was still in a position to do quite a good lap time. A big “Thank You” to all my crew. They have been helping me all season long. I want to keep going ahead like this.”

Davide Tardozzi (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager):
“We are very happy today, as we have been consistently close to the top guys. Finishing today’s Qualifying Practice in fourth and sixth is a really good result. I am especially happy that Ruben is back. For us, it is important that both riders are close to the top.”

—  Suzuki Report

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam endured mixed conditions on the opening day of qualifying at the Monza World Superbike Championship round in Italy, but ended fifth quickest and happy enough with his day’s work.

The track was hit by torrential rain yesterday, and although today dawned dry, it was not long before it began raining again. This afternoon’s qualifying session began with a damp track and the first half of the session saw many unfamiliar names at the top of the leaderboard. The track then began to dry out and by the end; there was virtually a dry line round the whole of the 5.777 kilometre circuit.

Briton Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) posted the fastest lap with fellow countryman Jonathan Rea (Honda) second. Third went to Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third with Troy Corser (BMW) fourth.

Leon Haslam – 5th, 1:45.303: “The morning was good and really all today was pretty good, though there were a few small problems in the afternoon session and some of it was a bit of a waste of time. We had some sort of strange clutch problem with both bikes for a while, so to get fifth was not so bad, especially considering the changing conditions.

“This afternoon’s qualifying started with a wet track and then it began to dry. By the end, there was almost a dry line round the whole track, but there were still some places where you had to keep a look out.

“The new chicane is a bit safer and it makes the track flow better, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens when the whole pack is charging into it in a race before we can say that it is a success. For me though, the track is now more enjoyable to ride, particularly when you are by yourself. Slipstreaming round here is crucial and will be a big factor in the races. So far, I’ve not had a tow from anybody so I’m looking forward to that tomorrow. Come Race day though, I’d prefer to be a long way out in front and not have to worry about anybody drafting me. That’s my plan anyway.”

Sylvain Guintoli – 16th. 1:46.588: “I’ve not been here before, so the new chicane means nothing to me. Today, my first job was to learn the track and that’s what I tried to do. The track is quite technical and there are a lot of high speeds and fast corners and so it’s important to be very accurate if you want to go fast. Conditions were changing a lot in this afternoon’s qualifying session and I think I was a bit too cautious in the first chicane and that’s where I lost a lot of time. If I had been more aggressive there, I would’ve been quite a bit further up the leaderboard for sure.

“I know that slipstreaming is going to very important here – especially in the races – but there are a lot of opportunities to do that round here. However, it’ll also be very easy to get done, so I’ll have to watch out for that.”

—  Ten Kate

Jonathan Rea was second fastest in today’s opening qualifying session for round five of the 2010 World Superbike championship at Monza in Italy, just two tenths of a second behind provisional pole sitter, Cal Crutchlow.

Despite a dry opening free practice session earlier in the day, the revised 5.777km Monza circuit was damp following afternoon rain as Rea and his Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, began this afternoon’s hour-long qualifying period.

After his double win at Assen two weeks ago, Rea concentrated on further developing the revised chassis settings on his Honda CBR1000RR while Neukirchner continued to adapt his riding style to suit the bike’s handling characteristics.

Jonathan Rea – P2 1’44.789s
I’m having a lot of fun here, actually! The bike is really good and that’s allowing me to enjoy the circuit. I’m especially pleased with the long run I did in this morning’s free practice. This afternoon’s session had mixed conditions and we’ve still got some work to do to get the final sector nailed. But luckily the Assen set-up is working well, although there’s still some fine-tuning to be done to get it right for Monza. We’ll study the data later and see what we can do to improve it for tomorrow.

Max Neukirchner – P13 1’46.402s
Everything’s OK at the moment, but the first sector stayed quite wet during the qualifying session and I was stuck behind Xaus for a while. The other sectors seem to be not too bad and my riding style is still improving. It’s quite good through most of the corners, but in others I’m probably concentrating on the exit a bit too much. The team’s working really well, though, and the bike is pretty good too. I probably need to wake myself up a bit for tomorrow, so maybe I’ll take an extra coffee in the morning!

Ronald ten Kate – team-manager
The changing conditions made today’s qualifying session very different from a normal Friday and we decided to go out early in the session to see how the intermediate front tyre would behave. Towards the end we should have probably put in a new rear tyre as well, but at least we now have an extra tyre for tomorrow. Both riders are in a position to qualify for Superpole, so we’ll go through everything tonight, improve where we can for tomorrow’s sessions and look forward to the rest of the weekend.

Kenan Sofuoglu and Michele Pirro were fifth and sixth fastest after today’s first qualifying session at Monza in Italy for Sunday’s fifth round World Supersport championship race.

Provisional pole position was taken by Ireland’s CBR600RR-mounted Eugene Laverty as the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda duo worked on race settings for Sunday’s 20-lapper around the revised 5.777km Monza circuit.

Wet conditions in this morning’s free practice session prevented much meaningful progress, although a less than optimistic forecast for the rest of the weekend may indicate a requirement for an optimum wet weather set up on Sunday.

Kenan Sofuoglu – P5 1’48.938s
It hasn’t been a very good day today – at least regarding the qualifying position. It was wet this morning, which meant that I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted. After the mistake that I made at Assen, we have been wanting to work very hard on making sure that the CBR600RR is set up for the race and not one fast lap, but the weather has made it hard to make progress. I want to check a few things with my team and make some changes to the bike for tomorrow’s practice session so that we are all ready to put in a good qualifying time and a much better race on Sunday.

Michele Pirro – P6 1’49.448s
Well, I am not happy with the position I’m in but we are definitely improving the feeling that I’m getting with the bike. We’ve got a plan to improve things for the morning but we’ve also been taking it quite easy because of the conditions today. I didn’t want to crash by pushing too hard too early – that can come tomorrow as the bike improves.

Ronald ten Kate – team-manager
Well, fifth and sixth is not the biggest disaster ever, but it’s obvious that we still have some work ahead of us. With all the set-up problems we’ve had, we’re not so far off, though, so I’m sure we can fix the issues that face us and move to the front row with both riders tomorrow. So we’re not worried. Yet!

—  Superstock 1000 FIM Cup

Ayrton Badovini (BMW) continues to lay down the law in Superstock 1000, as he notched up the quickest time in qualifying. The Italian was unable to get under the two-minute mark on the damp track, but he did end up over half-a-second quicker than Austrian Rene Mahr (Suzuki). Third quickest was Andrea Antonelli (Honda). Davide Giugliano could only manage seventeenth quickest time as he was still in pain from a crash in the morning’s free practice session.

Times: 1. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2’01.246 (171,529 km/h); 2. Mahr R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX R 1000 K 9 2’01.817; 3. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 2’02.400; 4. Lussiana M. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 2’02.805; 5. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 2’03.485; 6. Beretta D. (ITA) BMW S 1000 RR 2’03.500; 7. Jezek O. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 1000 2’03.544; 8. Lacalendola R. (ITA) Ducati 1198 2’03.818; etc.

—  Superstock 600 European Championship

Federico D’Annunzio (Yamaha Martini Corse) set the quickest time of 1 minute 52.232 seconds in the first qualifying session for the European Superstock 600 race. The young Italian was more than four-tenths quicker than one of the title chasers, Frenchman Florian Marino (Honda Ten Kate). Two Italian wild-cards, Riccardo Russo (Bike & Motor Yamaha) and Stefano Casalotti (Media Action Yamaha) showed good form as they notched up fifth and sixth quickest times respectively.

Times: 1. D’Annunzio F. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’52.232; 2. Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’52.669; 3. Marcado L. (ARG) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’52.777; 4. Lombardi B. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’52’956; 5. Russo R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’53.596; 6. Casalotti S. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’53.882; 7. Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’54.036; 8. Calero Perez N. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R6 1’54.264; etc.