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World Superbike
WSBK: Sykes Secures Second Straight Superpole
Kawasaki Racing Team's Tom Sykes has now taken two Superpoles in as many attempts during the 2012 World Superbike season.
Kawasaki Racing Team's Tom Sykes (Photo: Infront Motor Sports)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Round 2 of the Superbike World Championship from Imola, Italy will air back-to-back on SPEED Sunday, April 1 starting at 2:00pm ET.
The best possible starting position was taken by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) for the second round in succession after he set a new track best of 1 minute 46.748 seconds in Superpole 3. This was Sykes’ fourth career Superpole win and the second at Imola, as he took the pre-race prize on the previous model of Ninja ZX-10R here in 2010. Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati) was second, after a late charge from Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) was ultimately unsuccessful. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) was fourth and first BMW rider in the final pre-race rankings, while Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) made it to the head of the second row, fifth overall. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) went sixth at his home circuit.
Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) was seventh but suffered a very fast high-side crash, walking away after a heavy impact on the tarmac. The last place on the second row went to Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team).
Some big names missed out on the optimum starting spots on the first two rows, as Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing) experienced a technical issue in Superpole 2 that held back his final push and went to 11th on the grid, while early fast man Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert Ducati) was only one place up on the Irish rider, tenth.
Lorenzo Zanetti (PATA Racing Team Ducati) made his team proud with a fine ninth at his home race, while a troubled second superpole session saw Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati) run off track and then finally crash, finishing 12th on the grid. Leon Camier (Crescent Fixi Suzuki) was top Suzuki rider, 15th.
Tom Sykes: “To get two Tissot-Superpole wins on the roll is fantastic. I dug deep after the second Superpole because I knew the times would be fast. On my fastest lap in Superpole 3 I had a lot of feedback from my Kawasaki. A couple of times I arrived past the limit, but the feel was good so I could finish with a good lap. A few of us have very consistent race pace so there will be a big fight over full race distance.”
Sylvain Guintoli: “I am happy with our work this weekend. This circuit for Ducati is fantastic, it is a brilliant track and took me about two years to learn it. I am just getting used to it and enjoying myself here so I think tomorrow will be a good race. There should be a be a big fight and I am going to do my best to take the first victory for the team.”
Carlos Checa: “I feel quite good after practice and third position is positive, considering that Tom did a really good lap time and I could not get that kind of lap. We expect our pace to be much better in the race. We are in a good starting position for the race and I think we have good pace for the race tomorrow.”
Leon Haslam: “It’s been a good weekend so far and we have been making progress with the BMW in the past few weeks. My leg is getting stronger day by day but in the evenings it is a little bit sore. To be fair, on the bike it is not that much of a problem. By Assen, the next race, I think I will be fully fit.”
Times:
1. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'46.748
2. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1'47.221
3. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'47.423
4. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 1'47.458
5. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'47.611
6. Melandri M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'47.642
7. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'47.643
8. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'47.740
9. Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'48.108
10. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'48.137
11. Laverty E. (IRL) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'48.299
12. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'48.650
13. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1'48.267
14. Canepa N. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'48.382
15. Camier L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'48.415
16. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'48.631; etc.
The best possible starting position was taken by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) for the second round in succession after he set a new track best of 1 minute 46.748 seconds in Superpole 3. This was Sykes’ fourth career Superpole win and the second at Imola, as he took the pre-race prize on the previous model of Ninja ZX-10R here in 2010. Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati) was second, after a late charge from Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) was ultimately unsuccessful. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) was fourth and first BMW rider in the final pre-race rankings, while Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) made it to the head of the second row, fifth overall. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) went sixth at his home circuit.
Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) was seventh but suffered a very fast high-side crash, walking away after a heavy impact on the tarmac. The last place on the second row went to Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team).
Some big names missed out on the optimum starting spots on the first two rows, as Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing) experienced a technical issue in Superpole 2 that held back his final push and went to 11th on the grid, while early fast man Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert Ducati) was only one place up on the Irish rider, tenth.
Lorenzo Zanetti (PATA Racing Team Ducati) made his team proud with a fine ninth at his home race, while a troubled second superpole session saw Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati) run off track and then finally crash, finishing 12th on the grid. Leon Camier (Crescent Fixi Suzuki) was top Suzuki rider, 15th.
Tom Sykes: “To get two Tissot-Superpole wins on the roll is fantastic. I dug deep after the second Superpole because I knew the times would be fast. On my fastest lap in Superpole 3 I had a lot of feedback from my Kawasaki. A couple of times I arrived past the limit, but the feel was good so I could finish with a good lap. A few of us have very consistent race pace so there will be a big fight over full race distance.”
Sylvain Guintoli: “I am happy with our work this weekend. This circuit for Ducati is fantastic, it is a brilliant track and took me about two years to learn it. I am just getting used to it and enjoying myself here so I think tomorrow will be a good race. There should be a be a big fight and I am going to do my best to take the first victory for the team.”
Carlos Checa: “I feel quite good after practice and third position is positive, considering that Tom did a really good lap time and I could not get that kind of lap. We expect our pace to be much better in the race. We are in a good starting position for the race and I think we have good pace for the race tomorrow.”
Leon Haslam: “It’s been a good weekend so far and we have been making progress with the BMW in the past few weeks. My leg is getting stronger day by day but in the evenings it is a little bit sore. To be fair, on the bike it is not that much of a problem. By Assen, the next race, I think I will be fully fit.”
Times:
1. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'46.748
2. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1'47.221
3. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'47.423
4. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 1'47.458
5. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'47.611
6. Melandri M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'47.642
7. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'47.643
8. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'47.740
9. Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'48.108
10. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'48.137
11. Laverty E. (IRL) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'48.299
12. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'48.650
13. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1'48.267
14. Canepa N. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'48.382
15. Camier L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'48.415
16. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'48.631; etc.
WSBK: Monza Race 0513
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