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DONINGTON PARK - 9th ROUND - 26, 27 and 28 JUNE 2009
Donington Park, Saturday 27th June 2009
Spies gets back to Superpole domination at Donington
Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) soon got back to his Superpole winning ways with his eighth pole of the year in nine races at Donington Park in the UK. The 24 year-old Texan was the only rider to dip under 1'30" in the final run, which was conditioned by a light rain shower that prevented his rivals from responding, and he ended up in the top slot with a time of 1 minute 29.846 seconds. After a difficult weekend at Misano, the Aprilia Racing team had a superb qualifying day, with both of their riders getting onto the front row, Max Biaggi in second and Shinya Nakano in fourth. The final front row slot went to British rider Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati), who also had the satisfaction of being the first Ducati 1098 on the grid.
Ben Spies: "It was a good session for us, but we almost got caught out. I was one of the last to leave the garage and as soon as I went out of pit-lane I could see the drops starting to come, so I had to really attack the warm-up lap to make sure I got around and get relaxed in case it started raining. The first sector was brilliant, but then the rain started to come and I had to be careful not to touch the paint. It was good to get pole, this circuit has a short start for turn one so it's good positioning. The bike's working well on race tyres so we need a good start tomorrow."
Max Biaggi: "In the last session I was really lucky because no one expected any drops and then it really started to rain. I started soon because I had nothing more to learn after what I had done in free practice and I thought I must put my head down and go as fast as I can. Second place is good for us, for tomorrow I'm quite OK, maybe not exactly the way I wanted to be but OK. It's great to be here, I like this track, my bike could be a little bit better but I think I can go well tomorrow."
Shane Byrne: "I think we got a little bit lucky because the bad weather came in quickly. Fortunately we got through the first Superpole session without using qualifying tyres, but I was kind of hopeful of a good result anyway. We've been doing a lot of work on both bikes this weekend and we ended up with them going in different directions, but I'm happy with the direction that we've been going since America and Misano. I'm delighted with getting the first front row of the season for myself and the team."
Shinya Nakano: "Like Max said we had some luck today, but so far this is my best qualifying performance in Superbike. On Friday we were struggling but things went much better today and I am looking forward to racing here at the Donington Park track."
The factory Ducati Xerox team had to settle for the second row, with Michel Fabrizio qualifying ahead of Noriyuki Haga in fifth place. In the second Superpole run the Italian powered to a new Donington Superbike best lap with an amazing time of 1 minute 29.664 seconds. The first Honda on the grid was the Hannspree Ten Kate version of Carlos Checa, who almost didn't make it into Superpole after taking twentieth place in qualifying. Riders who failed to make the final session cut included Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda), by just 0.003 seconds, Tom Sykes (Yamaha World Superbike), the rapidly improving John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda), and Misano winner Jonathan Rea Hannspree Ten Kate Honda). Both BMW men, Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus, easily made it into Superpole and will start from row 4, while British Superbike points leader Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) had a disappointing session and could only qualify in 17th place.
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Spies defies the rain to take his eighth Superpole
Ben Spies
Ben Spies
Yamaha World Superbike superstar Ben Spies showed more of his unbeatable talent today, flying through the three Superpole sessions with ease. Despite rain drops starting to fall as the third and final session got under way, the American rider hit the track with an incredible display of speed and put down a pole grabbing lap less than two tenths off the Best Lap record put down in the dry by Fabrizio in the previous session. He was the only rider to drop under the 1.30 mark in the final session. Spies enjoyed a good qualifying session earlier in the day, perfecting his race set up and tyre choice, and finishing in third, just two tenths from session leader Fabrizio. Spies time was just 1.1 seconds off Valentino Rossi's 2007 qualifying time in the 2007 Donington MotoGP.
Team-mate Tom Sykes continued to show his potential today as he spent the majority of the second qualifying session in the top three, only dropping to sixth as the session drew to a close. Sykes started the Superpole sessions well, and went through to the second with ease. The second session saw him take what was thought to be a safe fifth place, only to be dropped to tenth at the last minute. With not enough time to get back out he missed out on the third and final session.
Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1st, 1'29.846)
"It was a good Superpole session for us, we almost got caught out as I think I was the last one to leave the garage. As soon as I came out of the pit lane I could see the drops start to come so I had to really attack the warm up lap. I told myself to nail the first sector so I could relax a little bit in the back half in case it rained a bit more. The first sector was brilliant, in the second and third rain drops were coming so I wanted to be careful not to touch any paint down. It was good to get up there to the front as it's a short start to turn one so it's a good position for us. The bike is working great on race tyres as well so I'm looking forward to what will be an exciting race."
Tom Sykes
Tom Sykes
Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team (10th, 1'30.229)
"A bit of a shame, obviously I'm not impressed, on the qualifier I ran wide on lap one a little bit and didn't make it happen. It's especially frustrating as looking at the times in Superpole three a front row start was definitely on the cards for me. We messed up a bit in session two, really disappointing as race pace is up there and I wanted a good clean start for tomorrow. We're on row three so let's see what happens. I'm going to have to dig deep and make some passes. The qualifying session was ok, we definitely have a fast race pace, if we can get away clean we are in with a good chance tomorrow."
Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
"Another Superpole is great, it just gives us more confidence for tomorrow with Ben. Tom has also been making great improvements compared to the last races. I think tomorrow the results will depend a lot on the weather, it could be wet or dry. I really hope it's dry as its always better to have a dry race, but whatever happens we are ready for both conditions."
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WET CONCLUSION TO SUPERPOLE; FABRIZIO AND HAGA (DUCATI XEROX) TO START ON THE SECOND ROW AT DONINGTON PARK TOMORROW
Donington Park (UK), Saturday 28th June: today was once again conditioned by the British weather and unfortunately the Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio had to complete the final phase of today's Superpole under a light rain. For tomorrow races the two Ducati men, on board their Ducati 1198s, will line up on the grid next to each other in fifth (Fabrizio) and sixth (Haga) position.
Although the Superbike riders woke up to another grey and cloudy day, the weather fortunately did not impede them in the morning's first qualifying session and all of the strongest players were able to improve on yesterday's lap times. Michel Fabrizio, the only rider to duck under 1m31 yesterday, continued to progress today and closed the session at the top of the timesheets, three tenths of a second faster than the best time he recorded in first qualifying. Today's forty-five minute session also proved to be more positive for Haga who, after the problems experienced yesterday, got back on the right road this morning and, mid-session, put in a few very fast laps to record in the process the second fastest time, just two tenths off team-mate Fabrizio's pace.
In the afternoon the first two mini-Superpole sessions took place in the dry and both Noriyuki and Michel passed from the first to the second and then to the final phase without difficulty. Michel recorded a new lap record in the second phase, lapping in 1m29.6s. Of the eight riders remaining in the third and final session, those who exited the pits immediately gained a small advantage as the rain then began, preventing the Ducati Xerox riders from pushing without taking risks. The technicians declared themselves satisfied with the performance of Haga and Fabrizio today; the riders will line up in fifth (Michel) and sixth (Noriyuki) place on the grid tomorrow, alongside Byrne on Team Sterilgarda's 1198 in third place, and Czech rider Smrz on the Ducati of Team Guandalini eighth.
Michel Fabrizio 1m30.7s
"It was a pity it started to rain right at that moment, in the last part of the Superpole, but I did my best and starting from the second row shouldn't be too much of a problem. For tomorrow I'd say that we're sorted with regard to the race tyre and as far as the qualifiers we used today are concerned it didn't go badly. I wanted to get under 1m30 and in the second Superpole I managed that, breaking the lap record in the process. Tomorrow we have to see what the weather will do, and then based on the track temperature, we'll decide which rear tyre we'll use to try and get back on the podium again."
Noriyuki Haga 1m31.0s
"We found a good solution today for the setting of my 1198 and I considerably improved my lap times. We just need to decide on the race tyre. The choice comes down to which rear, because there are two quite similar solutions, but we need to wait and see and decide tomorrow based on the track temperature. I just hope that track conditions tomorrow are not damp but either totally dry or totally wet. In the final Superpole this afternoon I could have pushed harder but to tell the truth I didn't want to risk a crash; some of the guys made some fast laps but I preferred not to take risks and so will start tomorrow in sixth."
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SUPERPOLE: BIAGGI AND NAKANO REWARDED BY THE RAIN FOR THEIR COURAGE
The unpredictable British weather conditions made the SBK Superpole round
at Donington even more exciting and uncertain. After the first two sessions
took place on a dry track, a few drops of rain began to fall just as the
green light from the pit lane gave the go ahead for the final eight. At
first it seemed as though the weather would be inconsequential, but about
halfway through the lap, it began to rain harder, making the track
completely wet. In the end, Ben Spies, on his Yamaha, would take home the
victory with a perfect race, despite the rain-soaked circuit, stopping the
clock at 1:29:846.
Max Biaggi will start off tomorrow from second place after achieving a time
of 1:30:080. The Roman driver passed the Superpole 1 with the top time on
racing tyres at 1:30:351. During the second session, Max used his first
qualifying tyre and finished in sixth place. In Superpole 3, after noticing
the sporadic drops of rain, Biaggi decided to immediately start off with
the last racing tyre available. This choice would prove to be winning. Max
managed to complete the timed round on dry asphalt, making the most of the
efficiency provided by the soft mixture. Only Spies, who started off a few
seconds later, would manage to snatch away the Superpole after a perfect
race on a track that was near impossible to navigate on slicks.
Shinya Nakano conquered his first chance to race in a Superbike round
starting off from the first lane, thanks to his time of 1:30:671. The
Japanese driver came through the first session in sixteenth place using
racing tyres, and then qualified for the final eight with the fourth place
time, using his qualifying tyres. Shinya adopted the same strategy used by
his teammate for Superpole 3, starting off right away with used qualifying
tyres from the previous round, given that the new Pirelli racing tyres from
his previous race had a longer life with respect to the ones that he used
earlier. On the dry track, Shinya achieved a time of 1:30:671 that would
allow him to secure fourth place and take his RSV4 into the first lane.
"It was a very exciting Superpole," declared Biaggi. "During the last lap,
I noticed that the first drops of rain were beginning to fall and I started
off immediately by trying to make the most of the track while it was still
dry, and it went well. This time the rain helped us out. We had some rather
good qualifying rounds, we've improved along the way, even if we aren't as
fast as we need to be yet. We still have too much trouble at the slowest
portion of the track. I hope to have a great race tomorrow on this track,
which I like a lot."
"I'm very pleased," said Nakano. "This is my first first lane in this
category. When I saw the rain start to fall from the sky, I came out right
away and tried my best to finish the lap. Fortunately, it went well. We've
improved, but we've had quite a few problems on the wet track. I know this
track well, and I hope to have a good race."
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Ten Kate Honda Racing's Ryuichi Kiyonari qualified in 20th position after today's Superpole sessions at Donington Park in preparation for tomorrow's two 23-lap races of the ninth round of the 2009 World Superbike championship.
The Japanese ace, who won race two at Donington last September, made it through to Superpole after struggling in the two free practice and qualifying sessions. However, the Honda Accessories-backed rider was unable to progress beyond Superpole1 and qualifies on the fifth row of the grid for tomorrow's two 23-lap races around the 4.023km circuit.
Pole position was taken by American Ben Spies, and Kiyonari hopes to find a better setting in tomorrow morning's warm-up and is aiming for two good starts in the races to give him a chance of a good result.
Ryuichi Kiyonari - P20, 1'31.260s
To be honest, I'm not really sure what the problem is. I'm lacking confidence in the package at the moment and maybe I'm just trying too hard to think about a solution. I know very well what potential the Honda CBR1000RR has so maybe I have to learn to ride around the problems I am having. We have changed many things to find a better feeling and I hope for a dry warm-up tomorrow to find something new.
Ronald ten Kate - team manager
It's a shame that Kiyo has struggled so much here this weekend because everyone enjoyed the show that he put on last September when he won in great style. Unfortunately, one or two things are not quite right for him but, as ever, we will strive to put them right and see what he can do in the races tomorrow.
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Carlos Checa will start from the second row of the grid for tomorrow's two ninth-round World Superbike championship races at Donington Park after setting the seventh fastest time in this afternoon's final Superpole shoot-out.
It is the sixth time this season that the Spanish Hannspree Ten Kate Honda has qualified in the same position as the race number that adorns his CBR1000RR machine.
Pole position was taken by Ben Spies as Checa's team-mate, Jonathan Rea, was only able to qualify in 12th place for a third row start, in spite of running in the top six during today's second qualifying and free practice sessions.
Carlos Checa - P7, 1'31.342s (Superpole)
As soon as the rain started to fall at the end of the final Superpole session, I rolled off a little, but also, when I hooked sixth gear down the back straight, the bike jumped back into fifth, so the lap would not have been better. It's a difficult track to come to with a new suspension package - especially since we have not enjoyed fully dry sessions. We have made some improvements though, and we will try to fine tune things in the morning, but we won't make such a big change I think. Second row is not such a bad place to start and I did some consistent laps today, so I think quite a good pace is possible.
Jonathan Rea - P12, 1'30.782s (Qualifying 2)
Sector three was my problem this afternoon. Last week, the circuit flowed and we never really got to the bottom of the stroke, but here we are struggling with the rear coming round on corner entry and I'm having to wait longer than I'd like to get on the throttle. As a consequence, I'm having to over-ride the bike and in that last sector I'm really on the limit and sometimes over it. That's going to be difficult to maintain for 23 laps tomorrow. We found a little something today, so all is not lost - although we're leaving it a little late to find the full solution. The third row is not what I expected here but, with a couple of good starts tomorrow, we can hopefully fight near the front.
Ronald ten Kate - team manager
We started the weekend here quite a long way off a perfect set-up for Donington, but we have made quite a big jump forward today. I don't think Johnny's Superpole result really reflects the speed he showed at times on track today and he was a little unlucky. Carlos is in his favourite position - again. It's now becoming a little scary, the times he is qualifying in seventh place! We'll all work hard through tonight to try and find another step forward; but a dry warm-up tomorrow morning is crucial for us to have some good results from the races.
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Stiggy Racing Honda pairing take third row start at Donington
The Stiggy Racing Honda pairing of Leon Haslam and John Hopkins will start tomorrow's two 23-lap Superbike races for the ninth round of the World Superbike championship from a third row on the grid.
Leon Haslam opened the first day of provisional qualifying second fastest in his chase to secure a front row start for his home race at the 4.023km Donington Park.
Both Hopkins and Haslam graduated through the first 12-minute superpole shootout and finished in eighth and tenth position respectively. Leon Haslam only fell 0.003s short of reaching the third superpole, following a flying lap posted by Carlos Checa in the ultimates minutes of the second shootout and will now start tomorrow's race - led by pole sitter Ben Spies - from a ninth place on the grid.
John Hopkins is still recovering from his injuries sustained in his horrific crash at Assen, but the American has shown true grit and determination in the qualifying sessions at Donington today. He squeezed out a fastest lap of 1'30.272 while out on a qualifier in the second shootout and put himself on the 11th place on the third row of the grid.
Leon Haslam, P9 - 1'30.159s:
"I have been struggling a little bit this afternoon. We tried a few things with the electronics, but we went the wrong way with it and ended up back to where it was initially. I am pretty happy with my lap times, it is just a little bit unfortunate I didn't make it through to the last superpole. The times were all pretty close and just 0.1s faster would have put me in third place. I am ninth on the third row on the grid with some of the other British riders, and am looking forward to the start of the race and hopefully we can have a good one tomorrow."
John Hopkins, P11 - 1'30.272s:
"I have a little bit of pain in my left hip, but it is a lot better than last week in Misano. I would like to say that we have changed a lot to the bike, but we haven't changed anything from the second we went out on Friday. It says a lot about the crew that we have found a good set-up for the machine. There are a couple of things we need to work on now I am starting to push a little harder. This is the best I could do today. I gave it my all and I am pretty happy to be in tenth position. It will be a long race, but I am normally a good starter and am looking forward to having a bit of a fight tomorrow."
Johan Stigefelt, Team Manager:
"It is good to see both riders qualify for Superpole. We are ninth and 11th, which is fine. I think Leon expected a little more to be honest, and was maybe hoping to get into the top three, but it didn't work out today and the margins are just so small. It looks like we have found a good race set up for both riders and they can both be pretty strong in the race. John has put in a fantastic job. It is unbelievable, he is still far away from being fit and has a lot of pain, but he just pushed hard and has shown he is a class act rider. We'll have to see what happens tomorrow, but I am confident we can have a good race with both riders."
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DISAPPOINTMENT FOR YUKIO. BLAKE CARRIES ON LEARNING.
Final qualifying and Superpole ended in disappointment for Team Suzuki Alstare Brux riders Yukio Kagayama at Donington Park this afternoon. Yukio suffered with grip problems in qualifying and Superpole and although he managed to get into Superpole 1, he was unable to progress any further. Meanwhile, his team mate Blake Young continued his steep learning curve with the Suzuki Alstare Bruz GSX-R1000 K9 and finished the day with the 28th fastest lap. But every time the young American goes out, he understands the bike better even though it is very different to the Suzuki he campaigns in the USA AMA championship.
Ben Spies (Yamaha) was again unstoppable in Superpole. He recorded the first ever sub 1:30 lap on his way to his eighth win of the season. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) was second, with Shane Byrne (Ducati) third and Shinya Nakano (Aprilia) fourth.
Yukio - 18th, 1:31.215
Although we had improved the bike a little from the morning to the afternoon, it was only a small step forward and not enough for me. Today my biggest problem was no grip. Even when I tried a different tyre,with a different construction, the feeling was not good and it felt unsafe. So we went back to a softer tyre, but there was no improvement. In the end, we an out of time and when I did try a qualifying tyre I had the same problem, even though normally the grip level is better. There was also a bit of a problem with the traction control, so we will have to sit down with the data, work out what was happening today and then see what we can do to improve tomorrow. I am so far down the grid that it will be hard to see the lights, but I never give up and will fight for every place I can.
Blake - 28th, 1:32.735
Well that was another tough day, but I am enjoying the whole experience and getting the most out of it, thanks to the team. They are helping me a lot and there is so much to understand about this bike, the tyres and the track. I want to go faster and I would like to go faster. Every time I go out, I see the lines other riders are taking and I want to be able to lap like them. The team changed the bike for me today and the alterations they made suited me more. I just wish I could have more time and more laps, but the good news is that there is no pressure on me from the team, so I can go out and enjoy the races tomorrow.
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WSBK'09 Round 9 | Donington Park, day 2
Shane Byrne will start his home round from the front row after grabbing the third place in the Superpole which was interrupted by the rain with only a few minutes before the end of the session. The English rider confirmed yesterday's great performance and managed to improve the machine in order to fight for the top positions tomorrow.
Rain is forecast for tomorrow's two races but this will probably not stop the numerous WSBK fans from turning up at Donington Park to support Shakey, the 2008 BSB champion and one of the most loved riders in Britain.
SHANE BYRNE | Ducati 1098R | 3rd in 1'30.535 : "I'm really excited to start from the front row at Donington which is my home track. I'm happy for my best practice result of the season. I couldn't have done it though without the crew who have done such a good job. They managed to combine the best features of each of the two bikes I worked on yesterday. I'm ready for any weather condition for tomorrow's races. I'll try and use the warm up session to choose the tyres for race 1 and hopefully do well in both".
MARCO BORCIANI - team manager: "We tried to do our best to help Shakey setting up the bike and he pulled off a great performance. He is in good form and we are really confident we can finish in the top positions tomorrow".
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TROY AND RUBEN TOGETHER ON ROW FOUR.
Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus finished Superpole with the 15th and 16th fastest laps and will start alongside each other on the fourth row of the grid at Donington tomorrow.
The team had some new parts from Munich to evaluate, so most of the day was used working with these instead of chasing lap times.
At the end of the day, both Troy and Ruben were happy with the new material and are looking forward to more time on the bike and further improvement.
American Ben Spies (Yamaha) took his eighth Superpole of the season in a rain-affected Q3, with Max Biaggi (Aprilia) second, Shane Byrne (Ducati) third and Shinya Nakano (Aprilia) fourth.
Troy - 15th, 1:30.916
We had some new stuff to try today and the first signs are encouraging. It was a bit more easy to use the throttle and a bit of an improvement in set-up. Everything feels a bit more fluid and, although there's still a lot of work to do, I am looking forward to further progress.
This series is the hardest and most competitive it has ever been and there are so many strong teams out there all fighting for positions. Considering the level of competition this year, I think we're doing pretty well at this stage of our development.
Ruben - 16th, 1:31.120
I am going two seconds or so a lap faster than last year and that makes me happy. The new parts have had an impact on me straightaway and I think we can improve the bike quite a bit as we carry on the good work. This series is tough for sure, and it's interesting to realise that today's lap times are so much faster than last year. I had a bit of a problem with the brakes on one of my bikes today, otherwise I think I could've pushed harder in Superpole. But the important thing is that we are all working hard. Today has given us all something to work towards because we can see the possibilities better.
Berti Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport, Director
The new parts seem to give the bike better rideability and now we need to do more work and analyse the results. Our bike works normally on race rubber, but it seems quite sensitive when it is on very soft tyres and then it requires different settings. We decided to use this weekend more as a test, then look at the data and go for further improvements at the next two tests. Our positions today are not wonderful, but consider that both our riders are quicker than last year's lap record. That shows how competitive and hard this series is this year. I don't think this championship has ever been so tough, but we're ready for the fight and feel positive about the future.
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