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Still Wondering
BMW Motorrad Motorsport - PressClub | FP1 and Q1 Miller Motorsport Park
Salt Lake City – Free Practice & Qualifying Practice 1.
Saturday, 26th May 2012.
Weather conditions: Heavy rain in the morning, cloudy in the afternoon, strong and gusty
winds.
Temperature: Air: 10 – 15 ??C, Track: 11 – 20 ??C
Number of riders participating: 24 from 14 teams
Fastest lap Free Practice: Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team) 2:02.138 min
Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team) 1:49.842 min
On a cold and windy Saturday at “Miller Motorsport Park” (USA), Team BMW Motorrad
Motorsport qualified for the provisional first row. The circuit in Tooele/Utah, host of the sixth
round of the 2012 season, welcomed the teams with some heavy rain in the morning, cold
temperatures and gusty winds. Factory rider Marco Melandri (ITA) finished the closely fought
first qualifying practice in third. Marco??s team-mate, Leon Haslam (GBR), qualified provisional
12th. The first twelve riders were separated by just 0.888 seconds. In Friday’s free practice
session, Marco was second and Leon twelfth. BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team rider
Michel Fabrizio (ITA) finished the first qualifying practice in 13th with his team-mate Ayrton
Badovini (ITA) in 14th. The Superpole will take place on Sunday and the race starts Monday.
Marco Melandri:
Fastest lap Free Practice: 2:04.832 min (P2)/Fastest lap Qualifying P. 1: 1:50.038 min (P3)
“It has been a pretty good start to the weekend, as my RR worked consistently well under
different conditions. Finding a good line was really tough in today’s qualifying as the wind was
really gusty and coming from different directions every single lap. In the morning it was raining
very hard but I am happy with our performance today. After Assen it was important for me to
understand how the bike works in the wet, and we now know why we were not fast in the wet
there. Now we will focus on Superpole.”
Leon Haslam:
Fastest lap Free Practice: 2:07.191 min (P12)/Fastest lap Qualifying P. 1: 1:50.730 min (P12)
“I face similar issues to last year. We have issues with the engine brake, and we need to work
on our electronics side to resolve this. Set-up wise I am riding the same as at Donington.
Maybe it is the altitude here at Miller that makes the bike change the way it is working. I am
confident that my crew and I will solve it. Thanks to all of them.”
Andrea Dosoli (Head of Race Operations):
“The weather conditions made this a tough day for us. The Salt Lake weather gave mixed
conditions today with heavy rain in the morning and with a dry track and strong and gusty
winds in the afternoon. I am glad that the bike performed well in both dry and wet conditions.
Marco’s initial feedback was positive, which is a positive sign as Marco struggled here last
year. Leon is still struggling. He had similar issues in the wet and the dry when entering the
corners. We are working on the engine brake and the gearing to try to improve his feeling.”
Salt Lake City – Free Practice & Qualifying Practice 1.
Saturday, 26th May 2012.
Weather conditions: Heavy rain in the morning, cloudy in the afternoon, strong and gusty
winds.
Temperature: Air: 10 – 15 ??C, Track: 11 – 20 ??C
Number of riders participating: 24 from 14 teams
Fastest lap Free Practice: Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team) 2:02.138 min
Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team) 1:49.842 min
On a cold and windy Saturday at “Miller Motorsport Park” (USA), Team BMW Motorrad
Motorsport qualified for the provisional first row. The circuit in Tooele/Utah, host of the sixth
round of the 2012 season, welcomed the teams with some heavy rain in the morning, cold
temperatures and gusty winds. Factory rider Marco Melandri (ITA) finished the closely fought
first qualifying practice in third. Marco??s team-mate, Leon Haslam (GBR), qualified provisional
12th. The first twelve riders were separated by just 0.888 seconds. In Friday’s free practice
session, Marco was second and Leon twelfth. BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team rider
Michel Fabrizio (ITA) finished the first qualifying practice in 13th with his team-mate Ayrton
Badovini (ITA) in 14th. The Superpole will take place on Sunday and the race starts Monday.
Marco Melandri:
Fastest lap Free Practice: 2:04.832 min (P2)/Fastest lap Qualifying P. 1: 1:50.038 min (P3)
“It has been a pretty good start to the weekend, as my RR worked consistently well under
different conditions. Finding a good line was really tough in today’s qualifying as the wind was
really gusty and coming from different directions every single lap. In the morning it was raining
very hard but I am happy with our performance today. After Assen it was important for me to
understand how the bike works in the wet, and we now know why we were not fast in the wet
there. Now we will focus on Superpole.”
Leon Haslam:
Fastest lap Free Practice: 2:07.191 min (P12)/Fastest lap Qualifying P. 1: 1:50.730 min (P12)
“I face similar issues to last year. We have issues with the engine brake, and we need to work
on our electronics side to resolve this. Set-up wise I am riding the same as at Donington.
Maybe it is the altitude here at Miller that makes the bike change the way it is working. I am
confident that my crew and I will solve it. Thanks to all of them.”
Andrea Dosoli (Head of Race Operations):
“The weather conditions made this a tough day for us. The Salt Lake weather gave mixed
conditions today with heavy rain in the morning and with a dry track and strong and gusty
winds in the afternoon. I am glad that the bike performed well in both dry and wet conditions.
Marco’s initial feedback was positive, which is a positive sign as Marco struggled here last
year. Leon is still struggling. He had similar issues in the wet and the dry when entering the
corners. We are working on the engine brake and the gearing to try to improve his feeling.”