Written by:
SPEED Staff
SPEEDtv.com
Stiggy Racing Honda sub Jake Zemke (Photo: Stiggy Racing)
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The first of the three Italian rounds in the World Superbike Championship took off at the Monza Park circuit today. The famously fast track - dubbed the Temple of Speed because of its long straights, wide curves and fast chicanes that provide the perfect scene for slip-streaming battles and full throttle action - enjoyed a competitive first day of qualifying.
After dominating the first Free Practice session, Italian rider Michel Fabrizio shot to the top of the sheets once again in the Qualifying Practice, closely followed by Yamaha rider Tom Sykes in second, and Ducati teammate Noriyuki Haga in third.
Stiggy Racing Honda's Leon Haslam opened his first session on the fast track in a best time of 1'47.268s, and managed to take another second off in the Qualifying session. He remained 0.7s off the pace ran by Fabrizio, and finished the first day of qualifying in 12th position in a best time of 1'46.208s.
American Formula Extreme Champion Jake Zemke made his first appearance aboard the Stiggy Racing Honda in the Superbike series today, and focused on getting used to the behavior of his new bike and the Pirelli tires before setting out for a fast lap. Zemke opened things up in his second outing and managed to lower his time by almost 2 seconds in the qualifying session to a best of 1'47.751s, which currently puts him in 22nd position.
