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The Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Lowes and Canepa Challenge 'The Corkscrew'


Crossing the Atlantic this week, the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team is gearing up for round nine of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. Alex Lowes is excited to be returning to the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and will be joined once again by replacement rider Niccol? Canepa.

A favourite stop on the calendar, Lowes is greatly looking forward to his Californian visit. Having spent the past week testing in Suzuka - ahead of the FIM Endurance World Championship 8 Hours race later this month - the British rider is confident that his fitness has improved, enabling him to truly show the recent advances made to his YZF-R1. Frustrated by his shoulder injury inhibiting his performance over the past two race weekends, Lowes is determined to put on a show in the United States. The progress made by the Pata Yamaha team during recent competition and the last two tests at Misano have left him eager to come out fighting as he tackles the infamous 'Corkscrew' for the first of two 25 lap races at 14:30 local time on Saturday 9th July.

An impressive debut performance with the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK YZF-R1 at Misano last time out, immediately followed by a successful day of testing with the Crescent-run team left Canepa the obvious choice to continue as Sylvain Guintoli's replacement as the championship moved to America. The Frenchman will continue his rehabilitation over the summer break with his Italian stand-in eager to impress again as he returns to the world stage. Canepa is no stranger to the Laguna circuit, having ridden here on WorldSBK and MotoGP machinery on five occasions throughout his career, and is keen to show what he can do on his newly acquired Yamaha Superbike as the action commences at 10:15 Friday morning for the first free practice of the weekend.

The Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca presents a short but challenging 3,610m circuit with 11 turns twisting itself around the banks of a dried lake. The technical track's iconic feature sits at turns 8 and 8a as 'The Corkscrew' plummets 59 feet in just 137 meters - an 18% drop in elevation with a blind crest and apex - and truly has to be seen to be believed. Located just 16 km's from the stunning Monterey coast, the fast and flowing roller-coaster of a circuit is loved by fans and riders alike as the laid back Californian vibe welcomes the world championship for its final contest ahead of the long summer break.

Alex Lowes Alex Lowes
Championship: 10th / 81 points


"I really love the Laguna circuit, it's a real thrill to race there and you never quite get used to 'The Corkscrew' no matter how many times you ride it! I'm really excited about being in a better shape physically than I have been at the last two rounds, to take advantage of the recent steps forward we have made with the Yamaha. I'm looking forward to getting back out there on
Friday, starting the weekend strong and progressing from there."
Niccolo Canepa Niccol? Canepa
Championship: 19th / 16 points

"I'm very excited to race again with the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team! I had a great weekend in Misano at the debut, and I'm sure I can try to do a better result in Laguna. After the Misano tests I feel more comfortable on the YZF-R1 and really enjoyed discovering the latest improvements. I literally love the Laguna circuit and the atmosphere of the US round, so I'm 100% motivated and ready! Thanks again to Yamaha and to the Crescent Team for this opportunity. I can't wait to get started!"
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
The Althea BMW Racing Team prepares for the US round at Laguna Seca



Having concluded the latest round at the Misano World Circuit two weeks ago, the Althea BMW Racing Team is now on its way to the United States, and the Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway, where it is taking part in round 9 of the 2016 World Superbike championship this weekend with riders Jordi Torres and Raffaele De Rosa.

Unfortunately, Markus Reiterberger is unable to compete Stateside, having suffered a compression fracture of the D12 vertebra during the second race at Misano. So for this reason, De Rosa, Althea BMW?s Superstock rider, will substitute for the German at this event.

The Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway is located near to Monterey in central California. A shorter track, 3610 metres in length, it boasts eleven corners and, of course, its most famous element, the renowned Corkscrew.

Last season at Laguna Seca, Jordi, racing at the track for the very first time, put together two great races, closing with a fourth and fifth place result. Raffaele has not seen the American track before now, ?knowing? it only from video footage. Both nevertheless hope to be able to complete two good races this weekend.

Jordi Torres

?I can?t wait to get back on track at Laguna. We?d like to make the most of the weekend and collect as much data as possible so that we can continue our work over the two month summer break. Last year, my first visit, I really had fun and was able to score a fourth and fifth place. The track is spectacular and after everything we?ve continued to learn over recent rounds, I really hope to be able to put together two great races this time around. I think we have the potential, we just need to work well right from Friday morning?. I?m optimistic.?

Raffaele De Rosa

?Laguna Seca will be a new experience for me and so I?m really excited. The races I?ve seen at the track have always stood out and are pretty spectacular. It?s an historic track and when you ride tracks like that, like Assen or Mugello for instance, there?s always a magical air to them and I expect there to be a similar feel at Laguna? I?m really pleased to have the opportunity to race with the Superbike and for this I thank Genesio and the team. I?m really sorry for Markus and hope he can back soon to continue with his season. For now though, I admit I can?t wait to get there and hope to be able to complete two good races.?


Track information:

Country: USA
Name: Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway
Length: 3.610 km
Pole position: right
Race distance: 25 laps/90.250 km

RECORDS: Best lap - Giugliano (Ducati) 1'23.403 (2014). Superpole ? Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'21.881 (2014).

2015 RESULTS: Race 1 - 1. Davies (Ducati); 2. Sykes (Kawasaki); 3. Rea (Kawasaki). Race 2 ? 1. Davies (Ducati); 2. Sykes (Kawasaki); 3. Rea (Kawasaki).


Weekend schedule (CET -9):

Friday
10.15 ? 11.15 ? SBK Timed Practice 1
13.30 ? 14.30 ? SBK Timed Practice 2

Saturday
9.15 - 9.30 ? SBK Free Practice
11.30 ? 11.45 ? Superpole 1
11.55 ? 12.10 ? Superpole 2
14.30 ? SBK Race 1

Sunday
11.00 ? 11.15 ? SBK Warm-up
14.30 ? SBK Race 2
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
American Round Welcomes KRT?s Championship Leaders

As Kawasaki Racing Team riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes sit 1-2 respectively in the FIM Superbike World Championship rankings the forthcoming Laguna Seca event in the USA offers them more opportunities to go for race wins and even greater championship advantage.

So far in 2016 Jonathan has maintained his 100% podium finishing record having posted seven wins - including three doubles - where he has won both races on an individual race weekend.

Tom moved confidently into overall second place in the championship after his double win at Donington Park and extended his advantage over the third place rider Chaz Davies with two second places last time out at Misano. Tom has scored four race wins in 2016.

Both Tom and Jonathan were enthused by the results of a recent ?in-season? one-day test immediately after the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli round of the championship. Each found real improvements from the Ninja ZX-10R?s race package and from some of the new Pirelli tyres on offer.

Now the focus returns, with enhanced confidence, to the business of gathering more points and podium success. This time at the truly unique and challenging 3.610km long Laguna circuit, located between the towns of Monterey and Salinas in the State of California.

Laguna came back into the WorldSBK calendar in 2013 and since its return Sykes has scored two race wins there, one in 2013 and one in 2014. Laguna is one of the few venues that Jonathan Rea has not won at in previous seasons but he has great ambitions to do just that in a few days? time.

With the Laguna event taking place outside Europe the WorldSBK races (one to be held on Saturday 9th July and the second on Sunday 10th July), will not start at the usual time of 13.00. Each race will start at 14.30, local time in California. As has become customary, there will be no WorldSSP round in the USA.

After the Laguna weekend a long summer break will commence. The full WorldSBK paddock will reconvene for round ten at the German circuit of Lausitzring, with race weekend between 16th and 18th September.

Jonathan Rea, stated: ?I am so excited to go to Laguna because I really enjoy the fly away races. Last year the race weekend was quite nice because we were not so far from the race victories ? two times in third place. In the past three rounds I have felt really good on the bike and I am looking forward to taking the Ninja there after two weeks of hanging out in Italy after the race and tests in Misano, just preparing for the Laguna race. There is a lot of enthusiastic support from the American side, especially for Kawasaki as well, and I am excited to go there and get amongst it.?

Tom Sykes, stated: ?I feel we took a big step in the right direction at the Misano test so, considering that, I am really looking forward to going to Laguna. We have had great success there in the past and I love the track. I really, really love the country and the people. The track is quite a one off. When you go around the layout on a scooter at low speed, or even just walking, it is unbelievable. You go up towards the Corkscrew and when you look back not only does the track drop away, the world itself also seems to because the land just keeps going down and down. Laguna is unique, and quite testing, so I really enjoy it. It is special and I like the whole American experience from when I first land there.?
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
The Honda WorldSBK Team flies in for Hayden?s home round at Laguna Seca


The Honda WorldSBK duo of Nicky Hayden and Michael van der Mark are ready to take on the ninth round of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship, which takes place this weekend at the legendary 3.610km Laguna Seca Raceway near Monterey, California. This is the last WorldSBK event before a two-month break for the series, which builds even greater excitement for what is an already highly anticipated racing weekend for teams, riders and fans.

Former AMA and MotoGP race winner at Laguna Nicky Hayden is looking forward to attacking the ?Corkscrew? for the first time since 2013, that same year when the circuit hosted its last MotoGP event as well as the returning round of the World Superbike Championship. In fact, it was the Californian track that witnessed Hayden?s WorldSBK debut in 2002, as the-then 20-year-old had a successful wildcard appearance on board Team American Honda?s RC51 machine. His debut World Superbike encounter ended up with a fourth-place finish, only half a second away from Colin Edwards in third.

After returning to the podium in race one at Misano three weekends ago, Michael van der Mark is aiming to continue in the same vein in America. The 23-year-old from Rotterdam in the Netherlands has only raced once before at Laguna Seca and has a 7th place finish as his best result. Van der Mark is now eager to put last year?s experience to good use and to make the most of the vastly improved Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP around the spectacular American circuit.


Nicky Hayden 69

It?s been a few years since I got the chance to ride at Laguna, so I can?t wait to drop down the Corkscrew again and ride at such a great track. The atmosphere there has always been amazing and there?s definitely a great vibe. I?m looking forward to it; I know people are expecting a lot from me, but I have to be realistic and know what our pace has been in dry races. It won?t be easy to battle with the British guys, who at the moment are kind of dominating, but we?ll go there and give it our absolute best shot. We?ll try to have some fun and most importantly get some results that me, my fans and the team can be happy about.

Michael van der Mark 60

After our podium in Misano it looks like we?re finally back to our early season form. The post-round test there was also good for us and allowed us to try many different things. So I now hope we can keep the momentum going at Laguna Seca: my goal is the top 5 and, if we can get back on the podium before the summer break, it surely would be an amazing thing for us. I just can?t wait to go out on track because I really enjoy riding at Laguna Seca; the circuit is amazing and so are the fans. Let?s hope we can make them proud this weekend!

Pieter Breddels -Technical Manager

We are ready to take on the American round at Laguna Seca, an important event for us given it?s Nicky?s home race. His presence is surely going to add extra interest to the event, and I?m sure there will be many of his fans there to cheer him on. At Misano, Nicky missed out on an opportunity for a great result, but his pace was there, so our hope is that he will be able to fight for a podium this weekend. Michael didn?t qualify too well but was able to show good speed in the races, so overall we?re happy that both riders are on pace. We will have a new software upgrade for our electronics package at this round which, combined with the things we tried during Misano?s test, will hopefully allow us to be nearer the sharp end of the field.
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Hayden begins home round with third place in free practice



The Honda WorldSBK Team has completed the opening day of the US Round at the Laguna Seca Raceway in California, United States of America, with local hero Nicky Hayden claiming third place in the combined times of today?s two free practice sessions. After missing out on a top-10 finish today by only 0.007secs, Michael van der Mark will start tomorrow?s Superpole from the first session, with the goal to make it through and enter the battle for a spot on the first four rows of the grid.

Round nine of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship started off well for both van der Mark and Hayden, who were fourth and fifth, respectively, at the end of the first hour of action. The two Honda riders had a slightly more difficult time in getting up to speed on board their CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machines in the afternoon: Hayden was able to bounce back in the late stages of FP2 and, after elevating himself to fifth place, he logged in 1?23.866 to take third at the chequered flag. Van der Mark was tenth until the very final moments of the session, but was displaced by a late comeback from Jordi Torres.

The ninth Superpole of the season will get underway tomorrow at 11:30 local time (GMT -7).


Nicky Hayden 69-3rd / 1'23.866

It was a good day overall. Things weren?t looking too good this afternoon, though, until the final moments, when I was able to get out and put together a decent lap time. I was feeling good on the bike and thought I could even improve a bit more. We ran into a few problems today with the electronics, we needed a bit more time than usual to get the right power and the right mapping for the right part of the track. Today wasn?t as smooth as we hoped, but we will try something more tomorrow morning, also tyre-wise, hoping it won?t be too foggy. I?m happy to back at Laguna and to see so many people around on Friday already.


Michael van der Mark 60-11th / 1'24.317


After the difficulties we had last year here at Laguna, I was happy to jump on the bike this morning and feel good straight away. We made some small changes after FP1 but we decided to go back to the previous settings, we then tried a different tyre but, although I was very consistent, the lap-time wasn?t coming. In the end we used the old tyre from the morning and I was able to put together a good lap, but it wasn?t enough. It?s a shame not to be in Superpole 2, but I think we already have a good bike for tomorrow.


Pieter Breddels -Technical Manager


Nicky had a few small issues this morning and lost some more time this afternoon, which was unfortunate. After some steady work with the set-up and with a new set of tyres on, though, he was able to massively improve on his previous lap-time and to go from eleventh to third, with only a quarter of a second gap from first place. That?s a good sign ahead of tomorrow; there are some things we need to sort out but hopefully we can continue improving before race one. Michael was very quick in the morning session, then in the afternoon we got stuck a bit while trying different tyre combinations. It took a while to fully realise the A solution was not the right one for him and, because we had used too many tyres already, we couldn?t give him a fresh set for his last outing. Nonetheless, he is quite happy with the bike and, although he is in Superpole 1, things are still looking good for him.
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Leading Morning for Lowes at Laguna Seca


Alex Lowes started his American adventure in the best way possible this morning, by leading the opening WorldSBK free practice times at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca before completing Friday in fifth position overall. Teammate Niccol? Canepa also impressed as he began his second outing on the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK YZF-R1, finishing inside the top ten and joining Lowes with direct qualification into tomorrow's Superpole 2.

Lowes began the morning with a quick exploration lap before returning to the pits for set-up work. Instantly hitting the top five on his return to the track, the British rider continued his evaluation and progression. Setting a top-three time at the half way stage with a 1'24.9, he swiftly followed it by claiming second with a 1'24.693 on the next lap. A red flag situation with just three minutes to go brought a delay to the session's close but with the green light returning, Lowes made the most of the sprint finish. His fastest lap of the day, a 1'23.912, saw him lead the times for the morning session and allowed him to retain his top-five position at the close of play - despite a crash 20 minutes into the afternoon calling time early on his free practice action.

Getting up to speed quickly at the Californian circuit, Canepa sat fourth in the times after the morning's opening laps, consistently improving his times and sitting within the top-ten as the session developed. Returning to the track for the remaining eight minutes, having concentrated on setting's evaluations with his Pata Yamaha crew, the Italian rider was on for a top-five lap time before the session was red flagged. Regrouping for the closing moments, he set a 1'24.814 on his final revolution to end the session seventh and eager to continue into the afternoon. Working through chassis adjustments to allow greater rear grip and front feel, Canepa concluded the final hour-long free practice in tenth, improving his time to 1'24.310.

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team returns to the Laguna Seca track tomorrow morning for a final 15 minute free practice at 09:15 local time. Qualifying begins for both Lowes and Canepa at 11:55 with Saturday's second Superpole shootout, ahead of the weekend's first 25-lap race at 14:30.
Alex Lowes
5th / 1'23.912 / 32 laps


"This afternoon was disappointing as I had a small crash that ultimately resulted in missing the whole session. It's frustrating because we had a good first session, we started well, the YZF-R1 was fast and it would have been great to continue the momentum and make the most of it in FP2. I feel good, I really enjoy this track and the bike is working well. I haven't had the chance to do any long runs, so we have some work to do to allow it to challenge over 25 laps but hopefully we will be able to keep working, both myself and the team, and have a good result tomorrow."
Niccol? Canepa
10th / 1'24.310 / 52 laps


"We made a lot of changes to the YZF-R1 today, some were good, some not, so we lost some time in the morning with those but at the end we found a good setting and a top ten position is important. It was very important for me to finish inside the top ten for the qualification to Superpole 2 tomorrow, so I'm quite satisfied, but we still have some work to do. Now we have the whole afternoon to study the data and work on the correct setting on the bike, as I'm struggling a little more than in Misano, but I'm quite confident because we already know which areas we need to concentrate on. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, my target was to start better than in Misano where I was in P15 so I've already managed that and for sure we can continue to improve further."

Paul Denning - Team Principal

"The teams and riders all enjoy being at Laguna Seca, the enthusiasm of the fans and the unique nature of the racetrack always combine to create a great event. 13 riders are covered by 0.8 of a second, so the competition is fierce as well.

"We need to find a slightly better balance in the YZF-R1 for both riders and make up for Alex's lost track time tomorrow. The pace is there, and I am sure we can challenge the front runners in both qualifying and race one."
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Seventh for Torres and Althea BMW in SBK timed practice at Laguna Seca


The two timed practice sessions making up day one of the World Superbike action at the Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway took place today in dry conditions, with the Althea BMW Racing team on track with riders Jordi Torres and Raffaele De Rosa.

During the morning, Jordi Torres, having completed a few laps in which he refamiliarised himself with the American track, almost immediately moved up into the top five. Proving to be at his ease at Laguna, he recorded a series of solid laps. A red flag unfortunately interrupted the session three minutes from the end, after which there was time to make just one final lap. For Jordi this proved to be his best lap of the session ? 1?24.829 ? which put him in eighth place at the session?s end.
Raffaele De Rosa, standing in for injured team-mate Markus Reiterberger this weekend, spent session one getting to grips with both his BMW S 1000 RR and the track itself, a new experience for the young Italian. Improving on his performance during the 60-minute session, Raffaele?s fastest lap, a 1?26.459, saw him finish 17th.

Later in the day, in the second timed session, De Rosa made a good step forward in the early stages, and was able to lower his time by more than a second. Thanks to a best time of 1?25.210, he concluded day one in fifteenth position and will take part in tomorrow?s Superpole 1.
Torres too was able to improve both his lap times and position, particularly in the second half of the session, to finish in seventh place (1?24.022) and therefore qualifying directly for Superpole 2.

Jordi Torres

?In the morning the team and I worked well, and understood right away which set-up we should use. There were still some things to sort out though so in the afternoon we tried to make some modifications in order to have a more stable, calmer and less ?aggressive? bike. We?re not doing badly in terms of lap times but we know we have the capacity to shave off another three or four tenths. So our work will continue tomorrow!?

Raffaele De Rosa

?My first impression of the track this morning is that it is beautiful but also really tough. In the afternoon session I definitely already felt more comfortable. The track is short and so we?re all quite close in terms of times. Anyway, as a first experience I?m really pleased to be here and I knew that it would definitely be a challenge? We?ll do our best to continue to make progress tomorrow.?
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Opening Day A Learning Process For Rea And Sykes At Laguna

The first day of practice at the Laguna Seca round of the FIM Superbike World Championship saw Kawasaki Racing Team riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes finish second and fourth fastest respectively. They now head into the final session of Superpole qualifying and race one on Saturday, after the short third free practice session early in the morning.



At a warm and welcoming Laguna Seca circuit in California KRT?s Superbike squad got down to work in the first two practice sessions around the undulating 3.610km circuit, looking for a set-up to best suit the unique challenges offered up at this iconic American venue.

With two one-hour sessions to use to the maximum Rea finished up second quickest on day one, a mere 0.074 seconds from the fastest rider. Sykes was fourth fastest after he and his technical crew tried out some different set-up ideas, based on some of the information gathered during a recent post-race test session at Misano in Italy.

On a dry track surface both official Kawasaki riders found slightly less grip and a few more bumps than they remembered from their 2015 experiences, but still took the all-new model Ninja ZX-10R into the leading times on day one.

Laguna, home of the famous Corkscrew corner, presents unique challenges to any rider and machine package. After the previous round was held at the completely flat Misano World Circuit, there is now overnight work to do in the garages to choose the optimum race settings to take into Superpole, and then the opening race on Saturday afternoon.

Jonathan Rea, stated: ?We were just working with the bike today, playing with the spring balance, and we also tried the new rear tyre that Pirelli brought. We reconfirmed that one with the SC0 ?normal? tyre, just gathering information. Tonight we will sit down and understand exactly how things are. I feel good with the bike and it feels like it did at Misano, but the grip level of the track is not so high here. I need to improve entry stability a little bit, as it seems like when we get a lot of laps on the tyre, the entry traction is not so good. It is the first day so we are learning, really. It also seems like the track is bumpier than last year but I feel good with the bike.?

Tom Sykes, stated: ?We used the hard tyre all session and I am fairly happy. We got a lot of information from the two Friday sessions and I don?t feel we have put our best package together yet. This gives me excitement for tomorrow. We made a lot of changes and we now we need to put those into our package. We will now finish our technical chat with my crew chief Marcel and the boys in the garage and see what we can do. We based ourselves on the Misano test and some things here are not quite as clear as they were then. Compared to Misano it is lower in grip and a little bit bumpy, so we are just having to work at set-up a little bit more. Tomorrow we hope to improve our set-up again.?
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Flying Fifth for Lowes in Laguna Race One


Round nine of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship truly got underway with a thrilling battle this afternoon as the Californian sun shone down on Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Alex Lowes took his Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK to a fantastic fifth place in the first race on American soil with Niccol? Canepa scoring his third consecutive top-10 finish aboard the WorldSBK-spec YZF-R1.

A stunning start by Lowes saw him jump four positions in the opening lap as race one unfolded, holding sixth as he crossed the line after the first 3,610 meter dash. Maintaining his position for the initial laps the British rider joined the top-five on the fifth revolution, his sights set firmly on the podium. Picking up pace on his YZF-R1 as the mid-race distance approached, Lowes dug deep, repeatedly attempting a move on the third placed rider but failing to complete the pass successfully. The promise of a podium was not to be but with just a second separating him from third, Lowes met the flag in fifth position, collecting a further 11 points to retain his 10th place in the championship standings.

Commencing this afternoon's race from the third row of the grid, Canepa initially held his ninth position strongly. Losing out on the second lap, the Italian was briefly demoted to 12th before immediately increasing his pace and hunting down the riders in front. Refusing to be beaten, Canepa pushed hard on his Pata Yamaha, regaining his grip on the top-10 by mid-race and maintaining position for the remainder of the 25-lap contest.

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team returns to Laguna Seca at 11:00 local time for Sunday's warm-up session ahead of Lowes and Canepa's final contest before the long summer break, on track at 14:30.
Alex Lowes
Race: 5th / +13.335 / 25 laps. Championship: 10th / 92 points


"It was a good solid race this afternoon, obviously there was a bit of pressure on after a disappointing qualifying from 10th, so overall I'm happy to be fifth. I felt like, with 10-15 laps to go, we could challenge for the podium but unfortunately I was struggling to pass and just couldn't find the right place. I had a couple of attempts but unfortunately I just didn't have the pace in the areas I needed to get the pass done. In the end it felt quite frustrating but really it was a solid race and we're quite happy. I'm hoping if we can make a few changes to the bike to give me a bit more confidence in the areas that I need to get past people a bit easier, then I can really look forward to tomorrow."
Niccol? Canepa
Race: 10th / +22.832 / 25 laps. Championship: 19th / 22 points


"It has been a very difficult race as we've been struggling all weekend to find the right set-up. We made some more changes for the race but they were maybe not so good, and we chose a different tyre to everybody else which was a little bit risky but I had nothing to lose so we tried to go for it. I think we have to rethink the changes and go back to an earlier set-up because the Superpole was better and choose the other tyre option for tomorrow. Anyway it was not so bad, we are still in the top ten, but I know the potential of the bike, the team and my own potential. I know that we can be faster here so we will keep working and I am confident that we will make an even better race for tomorrow."

Paul Denning - Team Principal

"It's been a challenging Saturday here at Laguna but both riders and team have made huge efforts to grind out the best possible results. The YZF-R1 has been incredible in qualifying trim all year so it was disappointing that we weren't able to take advantage of the extra grip, resulting in ninth and tenth starting positions. Alex especially did an incredible job on the first lap to get up to sixth and fight for the podium from there onwards. Ultimately it's a little disappointing to miss the first podium of the year by only a second but Alex struggled to pass Nicky who has more experience here than probably any other rider. Our focus for tomorrow will be to try and achieve more capability in the bike to allow Alex to make passes because he strongly believes that his pace over a clear lap could have seen him draw away and finish on the podium. Nonetheless it was a great effort and we will try and do more tomorrow.

"Niccol? rode a very consistent race, he's disappointed with his 10th position result but coming in as a replacement rider to this championship is really not easy and there are some elements of the bike's performance that we will work on to help his overall pace and consistency further tomorrow."
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Podium for Hayden at Laguna with van der Mark a close fourth


Nicky Hayden has crossed the line in third place at the end of a hard-fought, 25-lap opening World Superbike race in front of his home crowd at Laguna Seca. In doing so, the experienced American rider has claimed the third podium of his rookie WorldSBK season. Michael van der Mark was right behind his Honda WorldSBK team mate in fourth, after a great recovery from eleventh place on the grid.

Hayden got a great launch from row two and was fifth at the exit of turn one; while keeping a solid pace, he was promoted first to fourth and then to third as the two Ducati riders Davies and Giugliano crashed out of contention on lap five and thirteen, respectively. The 34-year-old from Owensboro, Kentucky, brilliantly held on to the final step of the podium despite the pressure from Alex Lowes and, in the final two laps of the race, by a resurgent van der Mark.

The young Dutchman was able to make up several positions in the early stages despite a small mistake on lap one and, as the race entered its second half, he joined the battle for third place. With a spectacular overtake on Lowes at turn two at the start of the penultimate lap, van der Mark moved up to fourth and set his sights on his team mate; he then dived on the inside of Hayden at the last hairpin, eventually running wide.

The second and last World Superbike race of the US round will get underway tomorrow at 14:30 local time (GMT -7), after the traditional 15-minute warm up scheduled at 11:00.

Nicky Hayden 69-3rd

First of all, I want to thank the fans and the supporters for coming to Laguna this weekend; you can feel a great energy and support I?ve been given is amazing! I got a great start to the race and was fifth early on, but my pace was not as good as we expected. We ran into a few little issues and wasn?t able to brake properly, so I felt I was quite vulnerable in that area. I tried to be as smooth as possible despite the pressure from my rivals and keep a steady rhythm. Luckily I was able to hang on for the podium, but we need to have a look at the data tonight to come up with something for race two. Overall, we must be happy with our third place and we?ll try to do better tomorrow.

Michael van der Mark 60-4th

Superpole wasn?t perfect, so I had to start from eleventh place. I had a good start to the race, but then on the first lap I missed corner and couldn?t get up to speed, so I got passed there. Step by step, I made my way up but despite pushing hard, the gap with Savadori was staying the same and that was a bit frustrating. I was able to get a little bit quicker and pass him, but Lowes wasn?t as easy to overtake. On the last lap, I closed down on Nicky but on the last corner I was simply not close enough to make it stick. Fourth place is a great result nevertheless and I?m back to fourth place in the standings; it?s good that it was Nicky the one getting on the podium today.


Pieter Bredels -Technical Manager

We surely can be happy with third and fourth today; it?s a result that went beyond our expectations after Superpole. Nicky was brilliant in holding on to third, while Michael?s recovery was incredible. Both riders were at the limit with front grip, so it was definitely not an easy race for them. In the morning, we made some geometry changes at the front with Nicky, while also evaluating a different tyre choice. Lack of time was also a problem, because free practice 3 is only 15 minutes, so you have basically to try multiple changes at the same time. Micheal tried different springs for more support but that resulted in a loss of grip, so we decided to go back to the previous choice. Our pace was one second faster than last year, so clearly we made a huge step forwards. Now we find that little extra, maybe a different tyre choice, in order to be even quicker tomorrow.
 
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