mika
Still Wondering
Saturday, 1 October - Update II ÔÇô WSBK/Magny Cours, MotoGP/Motegi
SBK
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fim-live.com: Rea wins his first pole
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Magny-Cours ÔÇô Qualifying Practice 2 & Superpole.
Saturday, 01 October 2011.
Weather conditions: Sunny.
Temperature: Air: 23 ÔÇô 27 ??C, Track: 28 ÔÇô 42 ??C
Number of riders participating: 18 from 12 teams
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: Marco Melandri (Yamaha WBK Team) 1:38.171 min
Fastest lap Superpole 3: Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) 1:37.490 min
Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport started with high hopes in todayÔÇÖs Superpole qualifying at Magny-Cours (FRA). In the previous practice and qualifying sessions, factory riders Leon Haslam (GBR) and Troy Corser (AUS) were close to the top on their BMW S 1000 RRs. But in the deciding Superpole qualifying both of them experienced some issues that prevented them from qualifying at the very front. Leon finished seventh and will start the penultimate round of the 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship from the second row. Troy qualified 12th and on the third row. Ayrton Badovini (ITA) from the BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team will start with his RR from 16th. His team mate Xavi Fores (ESP) qualified 17th.
Leon Haslam:
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:38.483 min (P5) / Fastest lap FP: 1:39.344 min (P10) / Fastest lap Superpole 3: 1:38.382 min (P7)
ÔÇ£We had a few issues in Superpole, which made the bike quite difficult to ride. If we can sit down now and solve these issues before tomorrow then a podium finish is certainly what we are aiming to achieve. We have been strong so far this weekend and the times are good on race tyres, but we just need to make some small improvements then we will be in a good position for the races. Right now starting positions and lap times are not what I am thinking about because we know if everything falls into place then we can be right up there.ÔÇØ
Troy Corser:
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:38.485 min (P6) / Fastest lap FP: 1:39.334 min (P9) / Fastest lap Superpole 2: 1:38.516 min (P12)
ÔÇ£It was a tough session. The qualifying tyres didnÔÇÖt really improve my time as I was able to do the same times on race tyres, and that cost us in the end. It is a little frustrating because in order to qualify well you need to be going faster on the softer tyres, otherwise you wonÔÇÖt be able to match the speed of the other guys who can. But on race tyres the bike is working really well and I am happy with the set-up, so let see what happens tomorrow. Around here you need to get away well and run with the leaders, otherwise it can become very difficult to make up the time. A lot will depend on the first lap tomorrow. We have been in the top five all weekend so we are optimistic.ÔÇØ
Rainer B?ñumel (Head of Race Operations):
ÔÇ£Leon did a good job. In Superpole 3 he did not have a qualifying tyre left. In view of this he did a good lap time. All the riders are very close and in Superpole 1 we had to send out both riders on qualifying tyres. Nearly everybody in the field did that, as one tenth of a second more or less means five places higher or lower. Troy unfortunately had some issues with his tyres in Superpole 2 that led to small mistakes. That is a shame, because otherwise he would also have made it to the next session.ÔÇØ
TroyCorser.com
Despite missing out on final Superpole today, Troy is feeling positive about tomorrowÔÇÖs 23-lap races in Magny-Cours. Although, he will have to start from the third row of the grid, he is happy with his bikeÔÇÖs handling and his pace on race rubber. Once again, TroyÔÇÖs problems in Superpole were to do with the bikeÔÇÖs performance on qualifying tyres. As it has been so many times, the bike doesnÔÇÖt seem to perform as well on the supersoft tyres and so Troy loses out in Superpole. TroyÔÇÖs team mate, Leon Haslam, also struggled, but just managed to get ahead of Troy on row two. Jonathan Rea (Honda) took Superpole this afternoon, with Eugene Laverty (Yamaha) second and series leader Carlos Checa (Ducati) third. Troy - 12th, 1:38.516 My grid position is not so good, but I am still pretty positive about tomorrow. I know that my pace on race rubber is good, so there is no reason why I cannot be competitive. I am really happy with the way the bikeÔÇÖs chassis is working and now that the bike is less physical to ride I can push harder without wearing myself out. The engine is still a bit too aggressive and the bike just wants to wheelie. Time spent in the air is time wasted, so itÔÇÖs important to try and get the bike to wheelie less. All year we have been trying to smooth out the engine power and we are still trying to find some good solutions. The sharpness of the engine is a characteristic that weÔÇÖre working on and trying to make the bike easier to control. I still feel that this bike has the potential to win a world championship. It may be that we will have to consider another electronics system, but thatÔÇÖs just one of the ideas we are thinking about. If I can make a couple of good starts tomorrow, I am positive that I can get some good results. See ya, Troy
BMW MOTORRAD ITALIA SUPERBIKE TEAM - MAGNY COURS ÔÇô SUPERPOLE
01.10.2011
In Magny-Cours Superpole, Ayrton Badovini, who took fourth in qualifying, could not repeat the lap times from the morning session and is set to start from the fourth row. Xavi Fores is constantly improving. First and second row for the Superstock riders: Lorenzo Zanetti put in the 4th fastest time followed by Sylvain Barrier with the 5th.
Emotions were high on the second day of testing at the Circuit de Nevers - Magny Cours for the BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team.
Ayrton Badovini put in a great performance in qualifying setting the fourth fastest time on a race tyre, but then failed to repeat his fast times in Superpole and will start tomorrow's race from the fourth row.
Ayrton said of his performance: "I'm not happy because we got a result in practice that we were unable to repeat in Superpole. For tomorrow I am more confident as today's pace promises a tough race as we are all very close. It has been my worst qualifying of the season. The races will be better."
Xavi Fores didn't qualify for Superpole but continues to improve every lap. In the second practice session he put in a time that saw him only a second behind the leader Carlos Checa.
In Superstock, Sylvain Barriercrashed at the beginning of qualifying yesterday. The team was able to rebuild the bike, allowing the Frenchman not only to set the fifth fastest time (second row) today but also to help Lorenzo Zanetti who was fourth quickest putting him on the front row.
Serafino Foti, sporting director of BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team at the end of the day of testing, said: "The Superpole went wrong because we failed to take advantage of the soft tyres. Ayrton was faster on the race tyre than the qualifying tyres. With race tyres we are not in bad shape and we will try to achieve as much as possible, knowing that starting from the fourth row penalises us a lot. Fores has missed the Superpole but had a good free practice session. He improves constantly and I think that he will have a good race tomorrow. In Superstock, Barrier crashed again unfortunately. It was a difficult qualifying session, but the guys were able to quickly patch up the bike and luckily Sylvain managed to make fifth. I am sure that without the problem he would have be better. Zanetti has improved a lot compared to yesterday and thanks to Sylvain giving him a tow. The race pace is good and both are sure to perform well in the race."
Superbike - Superpole: 1?? J. Rea (Honda) 1'37.490 - 2?? E. Laverty (Yamaha) + 0.110 - 3?? C. Checa (Ducati) + 0.442...16?? A. Badovini (BMW) - 17?? J. Fores (BMW)
Superstock - Qualifyng: 1?? D. Petrucci (Ducati) 1'41'335 - 2?? D. Giugliano (Ducati) + 0.037 - 3?? N. Canepa (Ducati) + 0.345 - 4?? L. Zanetti (BMW) + 0.355 - 5?? S. Barrier (BMW) + 0.493
hondaproracing.com: Rea takes pole in France
suzuki-racing.com: Fabrizio and Suzuki on 4th row
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nxY9uhYs2wk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
MotoGP
motogp.com: Stoner leads again in Motegi warm up
Other Racing
fia.com: Rallye de France ÔÇô Day 2
reuters.com: Rally of France standings
In French
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SBK
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/I26i7C-5HI4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
fim-live.com: Rea wins his first pole
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XaFZshi1GSs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Magny-Cours ÔÇô Qualifying Practice 2 & Superpole.
Saturday, 01 October 2011.
Weather conditions: Sunny.
Temperature: Air: 23 ÔÇô 27 ??C, Track: 28 ÔÇô 42 ??C
Number of riders participating: 18 from 12 teams
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: Marco Melandri (Yamaha WBK Team) 1:38.171 min
Fastest lap Superpole 3: Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) 1:37.490 min
Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport started with high hopes in todayÔÇÖs Superpole qualifying at Magny-Cours (FRA). In the previous practice and qualifying sessions, factory riders Leon Haslam (GBR) and Troy Corser (AUS) were close to the top on their BMW S 1000 RRs. But in the deciding Superpole qualifying both of them experienced some issues that prevented them from qualifying at the very front. Leon finished seventh and will start the penultimate round of the 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship from the second row. Troy qualified 12th and on the third row. Ayrton Badovini (ITA) from the BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team will start with his RR from 16th. His team mate Xavi Fores (ESP) qualified 17th.
Leon Haslam:
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:38.483 min (P5) / Fastest lap FP: 1:39.344 min (P10) / Fastest lap Superpole 3: 1:38.382 min (P7)
ÔÇ£We had a few issues in Superpole, which made the bike quite difficult to ride. If we can sit down now and solve these issues before tomorrow then a podium finish is certainly what we are aiming to achieve. We have been strong so far this weekend and the times are good on race tyres, but we just need to make some small improvements then we will be in a good position for the races. Right now starting positions and lap times are not what I am thinking about because we know if everything falls into place then we can be right up there.ÔÇØ
Troy Corser:
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:38.485 min (P6) / Fastest lap FP: 1:39.334 min (P9) / Fastest lap Superpole 2: 1:38.516 min (P12)
ÔÇ£It was a tough session. The qualifying tyres didnÔÇÖt really improve my time as I was able to do the same times on race tyres, and that cost us in the end. It is a little frustrating because in order to qualify well you need to be going faster on the softer tyres, otherwise you wonÔÇÖt be able to match the speed of the other guys who can. But on race tyres the bike is working really well and I am happy with the set-up, so let see what happens tomorrow. Around here you need to get away well and run with the leaders, otherwise it can become very difficult to make up the time. A lot will depend on the first lap tomorrow. We have been in the top five all weekend so we are optimistic.ÔÇØ
Rainer B?ñumel (Head of Race Operations):
ÔÇ£Leon did a good job. In Superpole 3 he did not have a qualifying tyre left. In view of this he did a good lap time. All the riders are very close and in Superpole 1 we had to send out both riders on qualifying tyres. Nearly everybody in the field did that, as one tenth of a second more or less means five places higher or lower. Troy unfortunately had some issues with his tyres in Superpole 2 that led to small mistakes. That is a shame, because otherwise he would also have made it to the next session.ÔÇØ
TroyCorser.com
Despite missing out on final Superpole today, Troy is feeling positive about tomorrowÔÇÖs 23-lap races in Magny-Cours. Although, he will have to start from the third row of the grid, he is happy with his bikeÔÇÖs handling and his pace on race rubber. Once again, TroyÔÇÖs problems in Superpole were to do with the bikeÔÇÖs performance on qualifying tyres. As it has been so many times, the bike doesnÔÇÖt seem to perform as well on the supersoft tyres and so Troy loses out in Superpole. TroyÔÇÖs team mate, Leon Haslam, also struggled, but just managed to get ahead of Troy on row two. Jonathan Rea (Honda) took Superpole this afternoon, with Eugene Laverty (Yamaha) second and series leader Carlos Checa (Ducati) third. Troy - 12th, 1:38.516 My grid position is not so good, but I am still pretty positive about tomorrow. I know that my pace on race rubber is good, so there is no reason why I cannot be competitive. I am really happy with the way the bikeÔÇÖs chassis is working and now that the bike is less physical to ride I can push harder without wearing myself out. The engine is still a bit too aggressive and the bike just wants to wheelie. Time spent in the air is time wasted, so itÔÇÖs important to try and get the bike to wheelie less. All year we have been trying to smooth out the engine power and we are still trying to find some good solutions. The sharpness of the engine is a characteristic that weÔÇÖre working on and trying to make the bike easier to control. I still feel that this bike has the potential to win a world championship. It may be that we will have to consider another electronics system, but thatÔÇÖs just one of the ideas we are thinking about. If I can make a couple of good starts tomorrow, I am positive that I can get some good results. See ya, Troy
BMW MOTORRAD ITALIA SUPERBIKE TEAM - MAGNY COURS ÔÇô SUPERPOLE
01.10.2011
In Magny-Cours Superpole, Ayrton Badovini, who took fourth in qualifying, could not repeat the lap times from the morning session and is set to start from the fourth row. Xavi Fores is constantly improving. First and second row for the Superstock riders: Lorenzo Zanetti put in the 4th fastest time followed by Sylvain Barrier with the 5th.
Emotions were high on the second day of testing at the Circuit de Nevers - Magny Cours for the BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team.
Ayrton Badovini put in a great performance in qualifying setting the fourth fastest time on a race tyre, but then failed to repeat his fast times in Superpole and will start tomorrow's race from the fourth row.
Ayrton said of his performance: "I'm not happy because we got a result in practice that we were unable to repeat in Superpole. For tomorrow I am more confident as today's pace promises a tough race as we are all very close. It has been my worst qualifying of the season. The races will be better."
Xavi Fores didn't qualify for Superpole but continues to improve every lap. In the second practice session he put in a time that saw him only a second behind the leader Carlos Checa.
In Superstock, Sylvain Barriercrashed at the beginning of qualifying yesterday. The team was able to rebuild the bike, allowing the Frenchman not only to set the fifth fastest time (second row) today but also to help Lorenzo Zanetti who was fourth quickest putting him on the front row.
Serafino Foti, sporting director of BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team at the end of the day of testing, said: "The Superpole went wrong because we failed to take advantage of the soft tyres. Ayrton was faster on the race tyre than the qualifying tyres. With race tyres we are not in bad shape and we will try to achieve as much as possible, knowing that starting from the fourth row penalises us a lot. Fores has missed the Superpole but had a good free practice session. He improves constantly and I think that he will have a good race tomorrow. In Superstock, Barrier crashed again unfortunately. It was a difficult qualifying session, but the guys were able to quickly patch up the bike and luckily Sylvain managed to make fifth. I am sure that without the problem he would have be better. Zanetti has improved a lot compared to yesterday and thanks to Sylvain giving him a tow. The race pace is good and both are sure to perform well in the race."
Superbike - Superpole: 1?? J. Rea (Honda) 1'37.490 - 2?? E. Laverty (Yamaha) + 0.110 - 3?? C. Checa (Ducati) + 0.442...16?? A. Badovini (BMW) - 17?? J. Fores (BMW)
Superstock - Qualifyng: 1?? D. Petrucci (Ducati) 1'41'335 - 2?? D. Giugliano (Ducati) + 0.037 - 3?? N. Canepa (Ducati) + 0.345 - 4?? L. Zanetti (BMW) + 0.355 - 5?? S. Barrier (BMW) + 0.493
hondaproracing.com: Rea takes pole in France
suzuki-racing.com: Fabrizio and Suzuki on 4th row
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nxY9uhYs2wk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
MotoGP
motogp.com: Stoner leads again in Motegi warm up
Other Racing
fia.com: Rallye de France ÔÇô Day 2
reuters.com: Rally of France standings
In French
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