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WSBK Press Office

Baz and Guintoli celebrate despite the weather
 
Silverstone (Great Britain), August 5, 2012 - A remarkable day, thanks to the ever changing British weather conditions, saw two French riders on top at Silverstone in round ten of the eni FIM Superbike Championship in front of a weekend crowd of 42,000. In the first race SBK rookie Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) became the second youngest rider ever to win at this level, with the nineteen-year-old, who started the season in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, overcoming the changing conditions to win a close run thing.
 
In the second race a rider who parted way with one Ducati team at the recent Brno round and found a berth in the Pata Racing Team - Sylvain Guintoli - posted his second win of the year on a Ducati 1098R in horrendous conditions after a delayed and shortened race two.
 
The biggest names were all left struggling in both qualifying and races as the track conditions shifted from dry and sunny to fully wet, and everything in between. Points leader Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) was a non-finisher in race one, then only 11th in race two. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) is now only 10.5 points from Biaggi after finishing seventh and then eighth. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was eighth and 12th at his home round, Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) was fifth and sixth, despite crashing late in race two, then being included in the results on the lap count back.
 
Race 1
Baz won after weather conditions played an ever-changing role in the first 18-lap race of the day. The first attempt to run it was halted after two separate crashes, and the restart was declared wet, but with a mostly dry track surface visible over the length of the circuit. Light rains came and went as the lead changed a bewildering number of times, but with a few laps to go the rains got even heavier and rider movements forward and back got even more frenzied. Over the line for the last time, Baz won by 0.383 seconds, with BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet duo Michel Fabrizio and Ayrton Badovini second and third respectively and Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) fourth. As Badovini crossed the line he fell on the edge of the track and the following Rea also crashed into Badovini's machine, but after each had crossed the line. Checa was fifth, but championship leader Biaggi was a late faller and he no-scored.
 
Loris Baz: "At the beginning it was full dry and I was missing grip but when I saw the rain coming I kept pushing to the front. It was hard at the end because it was wet, but I stayed on the bike and I'm really happy. A big thanks for the team and our thoughts go out to Joan Lascorz."
 
Michel Fabrizio: "It was the craziest race but I'm very happy to be on the podium. I don't know what clicked in my head! We have to be happy with the first podiums this year for our team, and my team-mate was here with me as well so it's a great result! I feel sure I was in a position to win, but there was only one problem, Baz!"
 
Ayrton Badovini: "It's incredible! Finishing without a bike is crazy! I'm happy because I started from 18th position, but with these conditions I could push and I saw that the conditions were changing. A great result for me and my team."
 
Results: 1. Baz (Kawasaki) 18 Laps/106.236 km in 40'46.128 average 156.349 kph; 2. Fabrizio (BMW) 0.383; 3. Badovini (BMW) 0.459; 4. Rea (Honda) 0.539; 5. Checa (Ducati) 1.012; 6. Haslam (BMW) 2.619; 7. Melandri (BMW) 6.123; 8. Sykes (Kawasaki) 9.170; 9. Giugliano (Ducati) 19.022; 10. Laverty (Aprilia) 19.087; etc.
 
Race 2
Guintoli was declared the winner of an eight-lap second race after the rains fell so hard that three rider fell on the same part of the track, and the red flag was shown. Half points were awarded to the top 15 riders. Baz had been in the lead on the lap that the flag was shown but he had fallen shortly before, so on the countback he was credited with second. Third went to long time second place rider Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert) with Aprilia Racing rider Eugene Laverty, who was 16 seconds behind rain master Guintoli when the flag went out, fourth. Maxime Berger (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati) was fifth, Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Aprilia) was eventually classified seventh.
 
Sylvain Guintoli: "What a day, what a last couple of weeks actually! It's been an up and down road after Brno, but I've just bounced back quickly with the Pata team and Ducati. I made the wrong choice of tyre in the first race, but in race 2 I went from zero to hero! I was really angry with myself at the start then when the rains came I eased off for the podium because I didn't want to go from zero to zero! It's my first win with Pata and hopefully there are many more to come!"
 
Loris Baz: "A fantastic weekend, in the beginning it was not so wet and I was saving the tyres for the big rain to come, but Kuba and Sylvain were fast. I passed them then I crashed without doing nothing because there was fuel and oil on the track. A big thanks to the team, they are doing a great job, also Kawasaki!"
 
Jakub Smrz: "I'm really happy because it was a tough Sunday for us. I was taken down in race 1 and we were still fixing the bike and had no time to get new parts. In race 2 it was good, I was together with Sylvain, we were fast but there was so much rain that I just crashed without doing nothing. I'm happy that they counted the end of the race one lap before and this is the first podium for me this year."
 
Results: 1. Guintoli (Ducati) 8 Laps/47.216 km in 19'42.051 average 143.799 kph; 2. Baz (Kawasaki) 0.881; 3. Smrz (Ducati) 1.671; 4. Laverty (Aprilia) 19.045; 5. Berger (Ducati) 22.116; 6. Checa (Ducati) 23.736; 7. Davies (Aprilia) 24.690; 8. Melandri (BMW) 26.197; 9. Rea (Honda) 26.861; 10. Hopkins (Suzuki) 27.194; etc.
 
Points (after 10 di 14 rounds): 1. Biaggi 274; 2. Melandri 263.5; 3. Sykes 222.5; 4. Checa 220.5; 5. Rea 203.5; 6. Haslam 170; 7. Laverty 160.5; 8. Guintoli 122.5; 9. Fabrizio 108.5; 10. Giugliano 106; etc. Manufacturers: 1. BMW 316; 2. Aprilia 302.5; 3. Ducati 300; 4. Kawasaki 253.5; 5. Honda 209.5; 6. Suzuki 75.5.
 
World Supersport
A thrilling race long fight between three PTR Honda riders ended up in a man-to-man duel between eventual winner Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) and Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda). The contest was so close that they touched on the final corners but the French rider was not to be denied and won the race by only 0.157 seconds. Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Racing Products Honda) came from slightly behind the PTR runners to take third, 0.591 seconds back, while Ronan Quarmby (PTR Honda) hung in with the leading group almost throughout the restarted race and was an impressive fourth. Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Lorenzini) ran off track early on but recovered to score fifth place, ahead of two more Kawasaki riders, Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step) and Sofuoglu's Lorenzini team-mate, Sheridan Morais, who was seventh.
 
Results: 1. Cluzel (Honda) 16 Laps/94.432 km in 34'48.860 average 162.747 kph; 2. Lowes (Honda) 0.157; 3. Parkes (Honda) 0.591; 4. Quarmby (Honda) 2.068; 5. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 5.067; 6. Foret (Kawasaki) 19.484; 7. Morais (Kawasaki) 20.038; 8. Baldolini (Triumph) 23.169; etc.
 

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Aprilia

MAX BIAGGI DEFENDS HIS LEAD IN THE WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP DESPITE THE DIFFICULTIES AT SILVERSTONE.

FOURTH PLACE FOR EUGENE LAVERTY IN RACE 2 AFTER STRUGGLING IN THE FIRST PART.


Silverstone (UK), 5 August 2012 - It was a complicated Sunday at Silverstone for the Aprilia Racing Team, but it ended with Max Biaggi's leadership intact. There was no escape from the weather for World Superbike on race day, confirming the unpredictability seen earlier in the weekend.

Race 1 started under dark clouds but track conditions influenced all the riders to choose slicks. In the brawl that broke out on the slippery asphalt, Max Biaggi managed to claw his way into sixth position, only to suffer an unfortunate crash just a few kilometres from the end of the race.

Race 2, on the other hand, was wet, with increasingly hard rain until it was finally red flagged during the tenth lap. Max's race was starting to take a turn for the better, with the Corsair's feeling improving lap by lap. The interruption, due to oil and petrol on the track, led to the finishing order being decided based on the eighth lap raced, which had Max Biaggi in eleventh place, with half points awarded.

"In Race 1 I brushed onto the white line and the bike got away from me, a passable mistake. It was a shame though, because the sixth place I was defending was a good position, considering the conditions. In my opinion stopping Race 2 was the right decision, you could see oil or petrol on some of the turns and it was too dangerous. My lead has been cut in half - that's the outcome of the weekend, so now we'll focus on Moscow where we're starting from scratch on a track that is new to everyone".

Disappointment for Eugene Laverty, despite a good fourth place in Race 2. In fact, the rider from Toomebridge was penalised by the race suspension that came when he was fighting for the podium and recovering important seconds on his rivals. Eugene's feeling in the wet was very promising, while in the first race he struggled and gritted his teeth to take tenth place.

"In the first race we had a few problems, but the important thing was to finish and take some points home. In Race 2 the set-up on my RSV4 wasn't working very well with damp asphalt, but when the heavens opened my pace increased as well. I recovered several positions and I could have improved even more but the race was called. The rules were enforced correctly, although I think they could have considered the next lap as they had done initially".

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ten Kate Honda WSBK

Rea salvages points at chaotic Silverstone

Jonathan Rea took fourth and ninth place finishes in today's two tenth round World Superbike championship races at Silverstone in the UK. The races were won by two French riders, Loris Baz and Sylvain Guintoli, as Rea's Honda World Superbike team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama also finished in the points.
 
The changeable weather was always going to play a big part in today's racing and it duly intervened early in the first 18-lap encounter, which was red-flagged after two laps when rain began to fall.
 
Rea got away well in the restart but ran wide on to the grass at turn five on the opening lap, re-joining the race in last position. However, the 25-year-old fought his way back through the field to battle for the race win, eventually crossing the line in fourth place as he tangled with Ayrton Badovini, both crashing unhurt immediately afterwards.
 
The start of race two was delayed at the end of the warm-up lap and then declared wet, as rain threatened the 5.9km Silverstone circuit once more. On the re-start Rea had climbed to a top ten position from 13th place on the opening lap when the heavier rain arrived. He crashed at turn one on lap nine but remounted as other also riders crashed out, causing the race to be red-flagged at the end of the lap.
 
After several minutes of confusion because the race had not reached two thirds distance, the result was declared on a two-lap count-back, with half points awarded - Rea in ninth place and Aoyama 14th.
 
Jonathan Rea - 4th and 9th
 
Race one was just crazy but I enjoyed it because I knew it would be tough to race for a win, but we genuinely had a shot at it there! I got a bit wide at turn five on the first lap and the rear came round when I hit the kerb and I was dead last. But I never gave up and it was nice to be in the hunt for the win until the last corner, which gave me motivation for race two. That was really strange starting on full wets when the track wasn't completely wet - it was difficult for everyone though. I was looking after my tyre at the beginning, which is why I was so far back, but when the monsoon came I started to push a little bit. My crash, like pretty much everybody else's out there happened on the rear tyre, which had no grip. There have been so many crashes in the wet like that this year - off the gas, at the apex - it's getting a bit frustrating. Overall, we took points out of the championship leaders, so it's not bee n a bad job today. To come away with a fourth and a ninth is better than I expected last night, so we'll take these results and move on.
 
Hiroshi Aoyama - 13th and 14th
 
The races were made a little bit complicated by the weather and we started the first race with slick tyres like everybody, but in the middle of the race we got some rain. It got quite difficult when the rain was heavier, but in race two we started on rain tyres and there was no water! This was also critical, then in the middle of the race there was too much rain and everybody started to crash. In some parts of the track there was fuel or oil and it was very, very slippery. I tried to stay on the bike and finished 12th but, in the end, the result was confirmed as 14th, which was a pity. The feeling was not so bad in the wet and the dry and for the next race we got to a new racetrack in Moscow, which I look forward to.
 
Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator
 
It's been quite a hectic day thanks to the varying weather conditions. Race one was difficult and wet in the end, but it was incredibly exciting. At the end it started to rain a bit more and Jonathan moved to the front and was battling for victory, but ended up fourth, so well done to him. Hiroshi was quite fast in the beginning and at the end, but lost a bit of time in the middle. Race two was wet and Hiroshi didn't have enough pace. Jonathan was moving towards the front before he crashed. The race was red-flagged soon after and they went two laps back for the result. A fourth and a ninth is not so bad after all because we struggled quite a bit in the first two days.
 
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BMW

Silverstone - Races.
Sunday, 5th August 2012.
  
Weather conditions: Cloudy with rain showers, thunderstorms and some sun.
Temperature: Air: 17 - 19 °C, Track: 27 - 34 °C
Number of riders participating: 23/21 from 13 teams
Fastest lap Race 1: Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team) 2:06.764 min
Fastest lap Race 2: Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2:24.324 min
 
At the tenth round of the 2012 FIM Superbike World Championship, BMW Motorrad extended its lead in the Manufacturers' Classification of the FIM Superbike World Championship. In the Riders' Standings factory rider Marco Melandri (ITA) reduced his gap to leader Max Biaggi (ITA). Despite this Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport experienced a difficult Sunday with extra tricky conditions at Silverstone (GBR). Rain showers and thunderstorms made racing a lottery. Marco finished the difficult races in seventh and eighth respectively, securing important points. His team-mate, local hero Leon Haslam (GBR), was on course to win race one, but once again had bad luck and had to settle with sixth and 17th in the two races.
 
Race one started in dry conditions, although black clouds were already hanging over the track. At the start Leon took the lead, coming from fourth. But the race had to be red flagged during the first lap as it had started to rain and several riders crashed. More than half an hour later the race was restarted as a "wet race". The rain had stopped, but the track was still damp. Most of the riders opted for slicks, including Leon and Marco. Leon took the lead on lap two, but slipped back to second behind Carlos Checa (ESP) on lap five. After that the Englishman was involved in an exciting fight for the podium places, and fought his way back into the lead on lap 13. He was then able to open a gap to the rest of the field. However, the rain became heavier, making the conditions tricky for the riders on slicks, and second placed Leon Camier (GBR) crashed on lap 15. As the race continued in the rain, Leon was struggling with grip as the temperature of his rear tyre went down and he was not able to defend his lead against the closely packed field that was chasing him. He finished the race in sixth. Marco was struggling with the conditions from the start, but rode a steady race and crossed the line in seventh. Michel Fabrizio and Ayrton Badovini (both ITA) finished second and third respectively, so securing the first podium positions in the Superbike World Championship for the BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team.
 
There was even more drama in race two. On the warm-up lap it started to rain lightly while a thunderstorm was getting nearer the track. The start was delayed and the race reduced to 17 laps. This time, Leon and Marco opted for rain tyres and, in fact, the rain became heavier with every lap and the conditions worsened. In addition on lap eight there was oil on the track causing one rider after another to crash. Leon also fell, but was able to continue. When the leaders were on their tenth lap the race was red flagged after several crashes. At this point, Marco was sixth and Leon had fought his way back to 14th. As some riders had not completed their ninth lap when the red flag was shown, the result was declared as the positions after lap eight. Marco was classified eighth and Leon 17th. Fabrizio was 13th, while Badovini also crashed on lap eight. For this race only half points were awarded.
 
In the Riders' Championship, second placed Marco now has 263.5 points and has reduced his gap to leader Biaggi to 10.5 points. Leon is sixth with 170 points. In the Manufacturers' Standings BMW now has 316 points and has extended its lead to 13.5 points over Aprilia. The races were won by Loris Baz and Sylvain Guintoli (both FRA).
 
 
Leon Haslam:
Result Race 1: 6th / Gap to 1st: 00:02.619 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 2:07.524 min
Result Race 2: 17th / Gap to 1st: 00:58.530 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 2:27.850 min

"It was another bad race day. It wasn't the fault of the team or the bike. We could have won race one, but were unfortunate with the weather and the tyre. In race two we had an issue during the first half, and there was something strange with the centre of the tyre when it was dry. The more and more it rained the better the tyre became and I started to catch the guys again, but then I crashed on some oil. I was able to get back into the race and moved up to 14th, but then it was red flagged and the classification was based on the result after lap eight, so I was out of the points. It is really frustrating. They should have stopped the race before that." 
 
 
Marco Melandri:
Result Race 1: 7th / Gap to 1st: 00:06.123 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 2:07.596 min
Result Race 2: 8th / Gap to 1st: 00:26.197 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 2:28.664 min

"This day was actually unbelievable. The two races were completely different, but they were both equally as difficult. It was very important to finish today. Many young riders who are not involved in the championship fight were pushing very hard, so the races were not easy. However, I am so happy because we leave here without any damage and good points. Now I am looking forward to Moscow because the track is new for everybody. I just hope the weather will be more stable there."
 
 
Andrea Dosoli (Head of Race Operations):

"Overall we are happy because BMW increased its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, and that was also thanks to the good job done by Michel Fabrizio and Ayrton Badovini. On top of that we reduced Marco's gap to Max Biaggi, but we would have preferred to achieve these results in a fair competition with proper track conditions. The conditions were extreme and dangerous for the riders. I am happy with the job done by Leon and Marco because they were able to manage two very difficult races. Marco realised under these extreme circumstances there was nothing to be gained by taking any unnecessary risk. He took the right decision in the fight for the World Championship. Unfortunately Leon crashed in the second race on some oil on the wet track, otherwise he would have been much further up in the results. In race one Leon deserved a better result because he was able to lead the race. We are sure he can soon achieve his target and get this top result he deserves."

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Althea Ducati

ALTHEA RACING'S CARLOS CHECA LIMITS THE DAMAGE IN TODAY'S DIFFICULT SBK RACES AT SILVERSTONE

Silverstone (UK), Sunday 5th August 2012: a very difficult day's racing for team Althea and riders Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano with heavy rain showers that conditioned both of today's SBK races at the Silverstone track. Despite the less than ideal circumstances, current champion Checa was able to score some good results, crossing the line in fifth and sixth place, while Davide secured points in race one thanks to a ninth place finish.

Race 1- Althea Racing had to battle against the elements again today with a first race that was declared dry, before being red-flagged and restarted as a ?wet' race that became increasingly difficult over the course of the 18-laps. Carlos made a good start to the restarted race and was sixth at the end of lap one while Davide was ninth through the first corners, slipping however to seventeenth by the end of the first lap. During the next few laps both riders were able to recover; Carlos passed a group of riders, including Biaggi and Sykes, and took the lead by lap five and Davide was up to twelfth by lap eight, having been the fastest rider on track in the early laps. Carlos built up a three second gap between himself and the chasing group, made up of Sykes, Camier and Haslam but on lap eight it began to rain and he was forced to reduce his speed. He lost several positions as a result but, evaluating the conditions, he decided it was preferable to finish the race rather than risk a crash. The current world champion thus crossed the line in fifth position, behind a group of four riders who battled it out right to the line, with two of them - Badovini and Rea - crashing just a fraction of a second after passing the chequered flag. Davide, despite suffering from pain in his right hand as a result of a crash on Friday and dealing with a small technical problem with his boot, fought long and hard against Laverty before making up a few places in the final stages to cross the line in final ninth position.

Race 2 - the second race started exactly as the first had done, with the start delayed due to instable conditions. The race was then declared wet, as a result of the damp track. This time all riders opted for rain tyres and this proved to be the right decision, as heavy rainfall arrived as soon as the race got underway. Carlos lost ground in the opening stages and was in fourteenth place at the end of the first lap while Davide lay in ninth. Both found a good rhythm and while Carlos moved up through the field to reach sixth position, Davide, now fourth, was pushing to close the gap between himself and Baz, third. Reaching a very slippery section of the track, that was perhaps oil-coated, Davide unfortunately crashed out on lap six, with team-mate Carlos suffering the same fate just two laps later. The race was stopped during the course of the ninth lap, and half points were awarded according to riders' positions at the end of lap eight, meaning that Carlos scored five points for his sixth place finish.

At the end of Round ten of the championship Carlos is now in fourth position in the standings with a total of 220.5 points. Davide is now tenth with 106 points. Ducati lies in third position in the manufacturer's standings with 300 points behind Aprilia (302) and BMW (316).

Carlos Checa:

"The conditions today, especially in race 1, were dangerous; racing in the wet with slick tyres is obviously no fun for anyway, although it probably makes for exciting races for the spectators. Before the rain started to fall I was going really well but then once the rain came, and certain sections of the track became wetter than others, I lost a bit of confidence and slowed down a bit, thinking that maybe one or two guys would come past me but instead there were five or six of them! In the final stages, when I saw how the front group was pushing and how hard it was just to stay upright, I chose to stay put and follow them rather than push and take risks. Fifth isn't bad considering the conditions. In race 2 I lost some ground at the start but then managed to make that up again over the subsequent laps to arrive close to Berger who was in fifth. I saw some oil on the track and went wide to avoid it - I put my hand up at that point to indicate to Race Direction that conditions were getting worse but then I fell. Anyway, we've made up a few points in the standings and now we have to concentrate on the Russian round."

Davide Giugliano:

"In race 1, I decided to take it easy for the first couple of laps to see what conditions were really like and then I started to push and felt quite comfortable. Unfortunately once I got up near to Badovini I had a problem with my boot and I couldn't change gear easily. In the second race I had a strong pace and was feeling quite happy in the now full wet conditions. I was there in fourth and felt I was in a position to push and try to catch Baz for third but at a certain point I unexpectedly crashed - I don't know it if was just me pushing too hard or if there was oil on the track but anyway there was nothing I could do. It's a pity because I know I had the pace in that race and could have taken a good result."

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Kawasaki

Baz Scores Brilliant First Win And Another Podium

WSBK, Silverstone, Great Britain, 5 August 2012

Loris Baz took his Kawasaki Racing Team Ninja ZX-10R to a race one victory and then second place in race two at Silverstone, on a day when Tom Sykes defended his third place in the points table.

Baz Scores Brilliant First Win And Another Podium

Baz won an incredibly confused first race, which was delayed as the weather went from reasonably dry to wet, after pushing his way to the front of a group of riders who were running slick tyres on a damp surface. Risking a lot but riding assuredly Baz ignored that fact that this was only his 11th race start at this level of competition, and he became the second youngest rider in SBK history to win a full SBK race.

In race two, his 12th career SBK race, Baz finished second in strange circumstances. Running on wets on a track that got wetter and eventually covered in both oil and fuel from other rider's machines, Baz hunted down early leaders Sylvain Guintoli and Jakub Smrz. When in the lead on lap ten Baz was to fall but the race was stopped soon after, and thanks to the count back rules, it as called a result after only eight laps, placing Loris second overall. Half points were awarded, so Loris got ten points and not the 20 he would have normally been awarded, with race winner Guintoli getting 12.5.

For Sykes the promise of much at Silverstone was washed away by the weather and simple bad luck. Having had his bike rebuilt before raceday his set-up in race one did not last all the distance, and his lap one lead ended up as eighth place. In race two he fell on oil or fuel, which had been spilled on a wet track and with many other riders he persuaded Race Control to stop the race. He would finally be classified 12th.

Most importantly for Tom, his main championship rivals also had tough days so he kept third place overall. He is now 51.5 points behind the leader Max Biaggi, and 41 points behind second place rider Marco Melandri.

Kawasaki Team Pedercini Superbike rider David Salom was 15th and then a retiree in race two. His team-mate at Silverstone David Johnson fell in the first attempt to run race one, and did not start the real race one or race two.

Superstock 1000 FIM Cup rider Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS) was only 0.2 seconds from the win after a strong ride from the Frenchman and a great fight from Bryan Staring (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) put him third. In the points Staring is third, Guarnoni fourth, with three rounds remaining.

Loris Baz: "It is really special to win and to win in England because I raced here in BSB last year for a while. I would also like to thank Kawasaki for believing in me. We made no mistakes in race one and finished up front. I think in the dry we are also really fast and we can fight for the first five or seven places. I chose the slick tyre because it was the best choice in race one. The conditions in race one were crazy for a while and early on I was missing some grip but when I saw the rains coming I pushed hard even though it was quite wet but I stayed on the bike and I am really happy, as you can imagine, for this victory. I want to thank all the team and we are also thinking of Joan Lascorz, because this victory is for him now. As for race two it was amazing to be here inside the top three again. The start of race two was not so wet so I just tried to keep my tyres, and then it started to move back up to Kuba and Sylvain, passed them both and them before falling, I think it was the right decision to take the race results back to lap eight because there was a lot of fuel on the track for two laps, and a lot of water. I am really happy and thanks to all my crew and Kawasaki again."

Tom Sykes: "The general conditions in race two I was very annoyed about. For sure there was some contamination on the track, it was very greasy and I saw it for two laps and had tried to get the race red flagged. Lots of people crashed and it was red flagged on the lap I crashed. Now, lots of people have been put in the results from previous laps. It could have been worse today but I am disappointed that we did not come away with more points when we could have done. We are still third in the championship so we will just forget this one and move on."

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