WSBK-Jerez

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Haslam finds pace in Jerez heat

Pata Honda?s Leon Haslam set the fourth fastest combined time in today?s two free practice sessions for round 10 of the 2014 World Superbike championship at Jerez in Spain this afternoon.

Fresh from his recent Suzuka 8-hours victory in Japan, the 30-year-old British rider fired his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP around the 4.423km Jerez circuit in a time of 1m42.881s, just two tenths behind provisional pole sitter Loris Baz.

Haslam?s Pata Honda team-mate Jonathan Rea, 27, was tenth fastest on combined times from today?s two sessions, which were run with temperatures in the mid-30s and a track temperature this afternoon of 55 degrees centigrade, but the Northern Irishman is confident of improvement tomorrow.

Following a third free practice session tomorrow morning, Saturday?s two afternoon Superpole sessions will determine final grid positions for Sunday?s two 20-lap Jerez Superbike races.

Leon Haslam

We actually had a few issues in the first session this morning and most of the afternoon one, too, but the boys worked really well and we managed to get a good setting for the end. Hopefully we can keep plugging away but these hot conditions have definitely thrown a few different settings at us. I?ve felt pretty good the last few rounds and a few little issues have kind of determined the results, but at the minute, fingers crossed, everything?s going OK and we?re only a couple of tenths off.

Jonathan Rea

Honestly, if you can look past the actual result, today?s been very productive for us. We started the day with a little problem but session two was good and we were able to try a new weight distribution on the CBR. There were some positives and negatives and we still need to maximise the set-up for that. Nissin have brought some new brake components for me to test and I?m finding a really positive feeling with that. Also my team worked hard on a new engine specification during the break and I?m still getting used to that as it has a quite different power character. Today we worked solely to get a good feeling and we took a little weight off the front in the middle of this afternoon?s session. I didn?t have the best feeling with that but we?ll look at the data tonight. We got a lot of work done today and I?m quite satisfied.

 

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LAVERTY AT THE SHARP-END IN JEREZ WSB

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki?s Eugene Laverty rapidly got down to business at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain today claiming sixth in the combined times at the end of the two free practice sessions; just 0.2-seconds from provisional pole.

Laverty, refreshed from the eight-weeks away, reacquainted himself quickly with his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R at the Andalucian track. Initially working on improvements made throughout the summer break, the Irishman consistently improved on his lap times as the day progressed. The culmination of his efforts was almost enough to see him on the provisional front row, his fastest time of the two sessions ? a 1?42.899 set on his final revolution - being interrupted by traffic in the final sector to leave him just 0.2-off the day?s best.

Alex Lowes, building on his testing knowledge of the Jerez circuit, confidently continued his development aboard the Suzuki GSX-R1000 setting a 1?43.204 as the eni FIM Superbike World Championship announced its return in dramatic style with the top 11 riders separated by less than 0.6 seconds at the close of play.

With the southern Spanish sun bathing the Circuito de Jerez, the asphalt registered 58?C for the afternoon session, a balmy 29?C high greeting the enthusiastic fans.

Kawasaki?s Loris Baz topped the times with a 1?42.677 with the manufacturer?s satellite Pedercini rider Alessandro Andreozzi claiming the fastest EVO.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki is on track at 09:45hrs local time (08:45BST) tomorrow for the final timed-for-qualifying free practice session ahead of Superpole scheduled for 15:00hrs (14:00BST).

Eugene Laverty:

?It?s nice to be back at a race weekend again after so long away! Like we thought, it?s hot and slippery and it?s suiting my riding style and the bike - we?re right at the sharp end! There?s nothing in-it between the front guys. It?s also good to see that we are able to use our new tyre; this year we haven?t been able to so I?m hoping in Superpole that we can qualify on those front two rows and be there at the beginning of the race on Sunday!?

Alex Lowes:

?The times are really close! I tried really hard in the second session and completed two-or-three-more laps compared to everyone else. It?s disappointing when you don?t make big improvements throughout the day but looking through the data we are going to make some good changes for tomorrow. It?s really good to be back on the bike after the long break, we?re only half a second off; and I feel like I?m riding well so hopefully with the changes tomorrow should be good.?

Paul Denning - Team Manager:

?Jerez is a very different circuit in the summer than in the winter test months and the 50?C track temperatures make it very difficult to replicate the same amount of grip and lap time that we can generate in the winter. Therefore it is always a balance to understand how much information from the winter test is relevant because really the race track has a completely different character. None of the riders seemed to have suffered from the long summer break as within two 45 minute sessions the top 11 are all within 0.5-of-a-second and as ever those very small differences will make a big difference in the result come qualifying tomorrow afternoon and the races on Sunday.

"Both Eugene and Alex are performing well. Eugene really should have been P1 today if he hadn?t been held-up in the last sector of his last lap and Alex, whilst the position isn?t what he wants, is only half-a-second away with some fairly big adjustments to come, to make his job a lot easier for the rest of the weekend.?

Jerez ? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Free Practice Combined Times: 1.Loris Baz (Kawasaki) 1?42.677; 2. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) +0.091; 3. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +0.136; 4. Leon Haslam (Honda) +0.204; 5. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) + 0.219; 6. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +0.222. 11. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +0.527.

 

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Baz Takes Jerez Superpole Win With New Best Lap Time

Loris Baz took a confident second career pole position for the Kawasaki Racing Team with a new best lap of 1'40.298 in Superpole 2 at Jerez. Tom Sykes (KRT) placed third on the grid with a 1?40.561 and in doing so joins Baz on the front row for both of Sunday's 20-lap Superbike races. David Salom (KRT SBK Evo) was 13th Superpole qualifying and now starts from the fifth row of the grid tomorrow.

Baz made an almost perfect lap in his desire to start from the front row of the grid, only losing a fraction in the early stages of his fastest lap as he found the true limits of grip on his rear qualifying tyre.

Sykes looked like he may have just edged out Baz?s best time near the end of the second Superpole session but Baz held on to record his second career pole position and his first in fully dry and hot track conditions.

Tom was also under the previous lap record as he prepares to go out and defend his championship lead on Sunday at the same venue he became world champion at in 2013. With eight race wins under his belt in 2014 already Sykes would like to add to his collection at a circuit that only reappeared on the SBK calendar for the first time in over 20-years last season.

David Salom (KRT SBK Evo) will start from 13th spot on the grid after Superpole One, just missing out on progressing to Superpole Two by one place. He is still recovering from a recent hand and wrist operation but still pushed to the maximum he could in qualifying and is determined to defend his Evo championship lead at his home round.

Sunshine and warm conditions have blessed the Jerez circuit all weekend so far and the prospects for a similar raceday are good, with high track temperatures expected once more.

Loris Baz: ?We changed something on the bike set-up for Superpole and it worked out well. I could have pushed a little bit more in the first split because I did not know how the full grip of the tyre would be. I think I did the second part of the track really fast so it was a really good lap. My second pole this year but it is the first in fully dry conditions and I am really happy about that. This morning I was struggling a little with finding the best grip but it was the same for everyone. When the conditions are hot here it can be a little strange. Allowing for this I think we have been strong from the beginning of the weekend, especially on fresh tyres. I am happy and confident for the races now.?

Tom Sykes: ?I am happy enough because for me the target was the front row, to make sure we would get a good start tomorrow. We have tried a lot of things this weekend and now we have left ourselves in a good position for raceday. We know Jerez is a circuit where we have to work a lot compared to some other circuits but the times are very close. When you look at practice times many riders put in a soft tyre near the end of a session, so you can drop down the order because of that. In reality I think there are two or three riders who will be very strong on raceday. We will see how the two long races go and I am happy to be sitting where I am on the front row.?

David Salom: ?My hand is sore and it was quite difficult to ride the bike so soon after an operation. I will try tomorrow but it is not possible to push as hard as I normally could. The team worked very well here, like they do at every race. I wanted to finish first Evo rider in Superpole, but I could not today. I am not sure if it is possible to finish the two races in the best physical condition but in a race you can find something extra and push hard.?

 

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VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI ON JEREZ 2ND ROW

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki?s Eugene Laverty will start tomorrow?s eni FIM Superbike World Championship races from the second row after securing sixth place in this afternoon?s Superpole shoot-out at Jerez in Spain.

A strong start to Saturday?s action saw Laverty conclude the weekend?s free practices in fourth and second positions respectively, consolidating the previous day?s efforts and good feeling aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Continuing his progression into the mid-afternoon heat, the Irishman again showed promise on his race tyres before setting a 1?41.092 with qualifying rubber - the time awarding him sixth position and a second-row grid start for Sunday?s two contests.

Alex Lowes maintained his challenge to the front runners at the Cadiz circuit as fractional differences separated the times during the three excursions on track. Claiming sixth and seventh on his Yoshimura-powered machine in the opening sessions ? just half a second between him and the quickest efforts - the British racer rounds-out the third row for tomorrow?s races; a late crash in the closing minutes of Superpole preventing him from advancing on his ninth-place 1?41.421 lap time.

Kawasaki?s Loris Baz collected pole position with a 1?40.298 under the 30?C Andalucian sunshine, his countryman Sylvain Barrier taking the fastest EVO position for BMW.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki returns to action at the Circuito de Jerez at 08:40hrs local time (07:40BST) tomorrow morning in preparation for the day?s two races scheduled for 10:30hrs (09:30BST) and 13:10hrs (12:10BST) respectively.

Eugene Laverty:

?It has been a really positive day. We got progressively faster and faster and finished the free practices in second, so on race tyres we are right at the sharp end. We know we?re not the best in qualifying, the aim was to get on the first two rows and we?re there. The GSX-R really feels like ?my? bike here and as my confidence grows so will the qualifying speed. We?ve got the race pace to fight at the front and that?s the important thing, so fingers crossed for a good start in the race tomorrow and I think we?ve got a chance!?

Alex Lowes:

?Not the result we were looking for! Superpole obviously didn?t go to plan with my small crash at turn two but I?m actually really happy with my race pace. We are planning to make some small changes to try in the morning so I?ve got a good feeling that we should be there or thereabouts tomorrow. As always the team is working very hard and I?m pretty optimistic of what tomorrow can bring.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?We have taken good steps today compared to yesterday especially in Free Practice 4, where Eugene and Alex were the second and sixth quickest riders on race tyres. Qualifying, compared to where we have been at some tracks this year, was disappointing in terms of the grid positions but still allows us a really good shot at challenging for the top positions tomorrow. On race tyres in qualifying Eugene was again second quickest and his consistency and rhythm is outstanding. He hasn?t had the best of runs on the qualifiers this year so it takes a while to build your confidence to really use the additional grip, so all-in-all second row is a decent result.

?For Alex we have some work to do to improve the stability of the bike. It is quite a challenge to set the bike as the temperature increases throughout the day, but also for the rider to adapt to the relative lack of grip as it gets hotter and hotter. Overall, the pace is there and we?re looking forward to the races tomorrow.?

Jerez ? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Superpole: 1. Loris Baz (Kawasaki) 1?40.298: 2. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) +0.235: 3. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +0.263: 4. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) +0.524: 5. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) +0.579: 6. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +0.794. 9. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +1.123.

 

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Third row for Haslam in Spain

Pata Honda?s Leon Haslam will start tomorrow?s two tenth-round World Superbike championship races at Jerez in Spain from the third row of the grid after setting the eighth-fastest time in this afternoon?s Superpole sessions.

Haslam, 31, finished this morning?s third free practice session in 11th place and therefore took part in the opening Superpole, progressing to Superpole 2 by setting the second-fastest time.

However, the British rider was pleased to have the opportunity to try an additional qualifying tyre which set him up for Superpole 2 and allowed him to improve his previous lap time by almost a second.

In 30˚C of Spanish heat this afternoon and with track temperatures again over 50˚C, Haslam?s Pata Honda team-mate Jonathan Rea and his crew struggled to find an optimum setting for the 4.423km Jerez circuit. British rider Rea, 27, will consequently start from the fourth row after setting the 10th fastest time in Superpole 2, 0.1s behind Haslam?s time.



Leon Haslam - P8, 1m41.338s

I?m not too unhappy really and we made some good progress towards our preparation for tomorrow?s races. It was a little cooler today, especially this morning, and going from hot to cool conditions makes a big difference in lap times and in set-up. It?s the first time that I?ve gone a lot quicker on a qualifying tyre compared to a race tyre so that was a bonus. We've never found 0.9s like we found today and hopefully we can translate that into the race set-up. Other than that, I?m on the third row at a track where we?ve really struggled in the past and I?m pretty happy.



Jonathan Rea - P10, 1m41.447s

It?s been a little frustrating to be honest because we were optimistic coming here with the new specification on the engine. We?ve had a few problems which is making it hard work and this is not where I want to start from. It?s been a tough weekend so far but the plan for tomorrow morning is to go back to the engine spec that we?ve been running all season. That might put us back a little with regard to electronics settings so warm-up will be crucial. But we need to do something because to race in the top five with the current setting is not possible.



Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator

Eighth position for Leon is not too bad and he also made quite a step improving his lap time on a qualifying. For the race, we still need to dial in a few things because we?re losing too much in the first split so we?ll find a solution for that. Jonathan was tenth and we hoped to make more progress than we did. We chased our tails a little with settings and we?ll make a big change for tomorrow. We?re a little bit behind compared to yesterday and our rivals have all made a jump up today.

Qualifying position
1 Loris Baz 1'40.298 FRA KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
2 Davide Giugliano 1'40.533 ITA DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
3 Tom Sykes 1'40.561 GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
4 Marco Melandri 1'40.822 ITA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
5 Sylvain Guintoli 1'40.877 FRA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
6 Eugene Laverty 1'41.092 IRL SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
7 Chaz Davies 1'41.199 GBR DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
8 Leon Haslam 1'41.338 GBR HONDA Pata Honda
9 Alex Lowes 1'41.421 GBR SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
10 Jonathan Rea 1'41.447 GBR HONDA Pata Honda
11 Toni Elias 1'41.882 SPA APRILIA Red Devils Roma
12 Sylvain Barrier 1'42.928 FRA BMW BMW Motorrad Italia SBK
13 David Salom 1'42.329 ESP KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
14 Niccolo Canepa 1'42.356 ITA DUCATI Althea Racing
15 Alessandro Andreozzi 1'42.622 ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
16 Sheridan Morais 1'43.380 RSA KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
17 Jeremy Guarnoni 1'43.628 FRA KAWASAKI MRS Kawasaki
18 Bryan Staring 1'43.640 AUS KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
19 Claudio Corti 1'43.651 ITA MV AGUSTA MV Agusta RC-Yakhnich Motorsport
20 Imre Toth 1'44.633 HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
21 Gabor Rizmayer 1'45.590 HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
22 Geoff May 1'45.693 USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR
23 Aaron Yates 1'45.929 USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR
24 Luca Scassa 1'48.073 ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
Championship standings
1 Tom Sykes 325 pts GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
2 Sylvain Guintoli 281 pts FRA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
3 Jonathan Rea 261 pts GBR HONDA Pata Honda
4 Loris Baz 253 pts FRA KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
5 Marco Melandri 217 pts ITA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
6 Chaz Davies 159 pts GBR DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
7 Davide Giugliano 153 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
8 Toni Elias 137 pts SPA APRILIA Red Devils Roma
9 Eugene Laverty 134 pts IRL SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
10 Leon Haslam 133 pts GBR HONDA Pata Honda
11 Alex Lowes 119 pts GBR SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
12 David Salom 88 pts ESP KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
13 Niccolo Canepa 51 pts ITA DUCATI Althea Racing
14 Leon Camier 37 pts GBR BMW BMW Motorrad Italia SBK
15 Jeremy Guarnoni 33 pts FRA KAWASAKI MRS Kawasaki
16 Sylvain Barrier 21 pts FRA BMW BMW Motorrad Italia SBK
17 Sheridan Morais 17 pts RSA KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
18 Alessandro Andreozzi 17 pts ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
19 Luca Scassa 16 pts ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
20 Fabien Foret 14 pts FRA KAWASAKI MAHI Racing Team India
21 Claudio Corti 13 pts ITA MV AGUSTA MV Agusta RC-Yakhnich Motorsport
22 Bryan Staring 12 pts AUS KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
23 Glen Allerton 6 pts AUS BMW BMW Motorrad Italia SBK
24 Riccardo Russo 5 pts ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
25 Kervin Bos 5 pts NED HONDA Winteb LiquidRubber Racing T.
26 Michel Fabrizio 2 pts ITA KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
27 Imre Toth 2 pts HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
28 Roamin Lanusse 1 pts FRA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
29 Gabor Rizmayer 1 pts HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
30 Peter Sebestyen 0 pts HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
31 Geoff May 0 pts USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR
32 Christian Iddon 0 pts GBR BIMOTA Team Alstare
33 Aaron Yates 0 pts USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR

 

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STRONG SIXTH PLACES FOR LAVERTY AT JEREZ

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki?s Eugene Laverty secured two sixth place finishes at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain for today?s eni FIM Superbike World Championship races with team-mate Alex Lowes consolidating his qualifying position in ninth.

Laverty leaves the Championships? final Spanish race in seventh position overall after a solid performance saw him mirror his grid position across the line in both of the day?s two races.

Despite a poor start to the morning?s action relegating him to 10th, the Irishman dug deep on-board his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R, his persistence paying off as, after a brief battle with Kawasaki?s Tom Sykes for fifth in the final quarter, the Irishman eventually claimed sixth place at the flag. The afternoon race saw the Suzuki rider away from the lights quickly, maintaining his position amongst the front group. Laverty moved to fifth on lap seven before a late challenge from Rea relegated him back, matching his finish from the previous race and awarding him 20 points for the day?s endeavours.

Reunited in action with his Suzuki GSX-R1000, Lowes? got off to a blistering start in the opening contest; holding second as he crossed the line for the initial revolution, the British racer retained the final podium position for the opening four laps. Circulating in 10th for the middle stint of the race, he eventually succumbed to the track?s greasy conditions at turn one on lap 14. The second outing saw Lowes sustain a steady pace, looking to challenge the two riders in front by lap 10, eventually settling into a rhythm to bring his Suzuki home in ninth for seven championship points.

A cloudy and humid Jerez circuit greeted the fans and competitors for the 10th round of the Championship this morning. Aprilia?s Marco Melandri took victory ahead of his team-mate in both of the day?s races.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki now heads back to its UK Headquarters to prepare for the next round of competition at Magny-Cours in France in a month?s time.

Eugene Laverty:

?Unfortunately today wasn?t as good as I?d hoped. Race one was really disappointing - we had a problem with the start off the line and dropped backwards ? but we made good progress although sixth wasn?t what we expected. In the second race we made a better start, and I think from start to finish it was the best race I could have possibly had, but it was only good enough for sixth. We are going to put our heads together and try to figure out how to get back up on to the podium now because I want to be challenging the top-three and improve our championship position.?

Alex Lowes:

?It was a frustrating day and not the results we wanted but, as ever, I never give in and pushed hard on the GSX-R. I?m frustrated with the crash as I don?t really know what happened but the team worked really hard to make the changes needed for race two. If it wasn?t for the bad start I think we would?ve had a chance of running with Eugene in the second race, but I lost time getting caught up with Elias. I?m looking forward to the next round and will be working hard with the team to get back up there for Magny-Cours.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?The results today were below our target but at the same time both riders and the team gave it everything and different conditions just didn?t quite work for us. Eugene rode two very strong races - the first one massively compromised by a dreadful start - and was able to achieve two very solid finishes. The margins are so fine between the podium and sixth place that it?s a case of us continuing to work hard to make the GSX-R as adaptable as it can be to all circuits and all conditions so that we can achieve those targets.

?The greasy conditions caught Alex out in the first race, but he showed a lot of fight today and in the second race he learnt a lot and maintained a very consistent pace right to the end. Not the best day, but not the worst; and as a step towards the future, a lot of learning and good effort by the full Voltcom Crescent Suzuki team.?

Jerez ? eni FIM World Superbike Championship ? Race One: 1. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) 34?20.164: 2. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) +1.397: 3. Chaz Davies (Ducati) +4.283: 4. Jonathan Rea (Honda) +5.705: 5. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +6.979: 6. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +7.342. DNF: Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki).

Jerez ? eni FIM World Superbike Championship ? Race Two: 1. Melandri 34?25.940: Guintoli +2.845: 3. Sykes +6.097: 4. Davies +7.749: 5. Rea +7.935: 6. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +10.510. 9. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +16.554.

World Championship Classification: 1. Sykes 352: 2. Guintoli 321: 3. Rea 285: 4. Melandri 267: 5. Baz 262. 7. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) 154. 11. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) 126.

 

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Points Leader Sykes Takes A Podium Finish At Jerez

Tom Sykes scored fifth and then third place finishes at the Jerez round of the FIM Superbike World Championship on his Kawasaki Racing Team Ninja ZX-10R to maintain a strong championship lead with two rounds to go. His team-mate Loris Baz was on course for a first race podium until he collided with another rider, while David Salom in the SBK Evo class had a mixed day, but still enjoys a significant Evo championship lead.


In the first 20-lap WSBK race Sykes moved up and down the order after missing a gear near the start, and had to work hard to overcome a less than ideal race set-up in cool conditions to finish fifth.

A strong recovery from Tom in race two, in which he finished third, saw him defend his championship leading status in determined fashion, with his 14th podium finish of the year leaving him now 31 points in the championship lead over Jerez double second place man, Sylvain Guintoli.

Baz, starting from pole in convincing fashion, was always a factor in race one until he fell shortly after double race winner Marco Melandri passed him into a hairpin and they touched at the apex. Loris went out for race two with high hopes again but despite a full effort he had to work hard to finish seventh. He battled strongly and won a three-rider battle over the line. Loris is now fifth in the rankings, five points from fourth place.

In the SBK Evo class David Salom won the first race-within-a-race on his Ninja ZX-10R, but was unfortunate to fall in race two, on the second lap. He is now 41 points ahead in the Evo class and ranked 12th overall in the SBK table.

The FIM Superbike World Championship calendar will now head to Magny Cours in France for the penultimate round, between 3 and 5 October.

Tom Sykes: ?A lot of hard riding got me the podium in race two because physically it was really difficult. I had to use a lot of rider input. We made some changes in race two and came close to the front in third place. There was nothing more I could do and tried my hardest. I always thought this weekend could be a little bit uphill. Overall, I have to say I am satisfied, particularly as we had some misfortunes in race one. We did a decent job and we have not lost too much ground. I am very motivated and we have tried a lot of things this weekend. We will continue with our racing season and the guys have worked super hard to cater to my requests and needs here, so it was nice to repay them with a podium finish in race two.?

Loris Baz: ?In race one I touched with Melandri on my handlebar - and that is racing sometimes. Maybe I did not give him enough space when I saw him. I thought he was going to take the corner straight away but instead he pulled the bike straight - maybe he lost the front or something - and then he touched my handlebar. It was a shame because I could have won that one. We did not change anything for race two but the bike did not feel the same and I am not sure what happened. We could have done something really good here and taken some good big but I lost some instead.?

David Salom: ?Maybe with six or seven laps to go in race one I had no force left in my hand but I pushed to pass Barrier. The bike was sliding a lot but I did not use the throttle too hard and tried to ride smoothly. When Barrier ran wide on the final corner I could pass him back inside and take the Evo win. I was happy for the whole team, Kawasaki and everybody after race one, so it was a shame to fall in race two. Even with that, we took a bigger points lead in the Evo championship.?

 

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Pata Honda delivers strong Superbike results in Spain

Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea took his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP to fourth and fifth place finishes in today?s two 10th-round World Superbike championship races at Jerez in Spain, retaining his third place in the series with just two rounds to go.

The two races were won by Italian Marco Melandri, with French rider Sylvain Guintoli taking two second places and series leader Tom Sykes scoring a third in race two but seeing his championship lead reduced.

Rea?s Pata Honda team-mate Leon Haslam finished seventh and eighth in the two 20-lap outings which were run in cooler, more overcast conditions than the earlier practice and qualifying sessions at the 4.423km Jerez circuit.

Following the cancellation of the Moscow round, the World Superbike championship will reconvene in one month?s time for round 11 at the French circuit of Magny-Cours.

Jonathan Rea - P4 and P5

I?m really happy with today because it was hard to have high expectations last night, knowing we had to make a big change. But when we reverted to the previous spec engine and made some changes to the front of the bike I was able to ride the way I like without having to change my style too much. Starting from tenth on the grid really didn?t help me to use the tyre to its full potential and gain lap times at the beginning; but in the end my pace was really, really strong in both races. We can take a lot of positives but, to be honest, we were chasing our tails a little earlier in the weekend.



Leon Haslam - P7 and P8

In race one I had a terrible start and struggled a bit. When we got to half race distance I think I went the wrong way with the buttons and made hard work for myself in the second half of the race. We made better steps in race two but I just couldn?t get past Loris [Baz]. I made a few mistakes but always caught him back within a lap. It was good to have a battle but it would have been nice to get by him and maybe get up to Eugene [Laverty]. But I was happy enough ? we made good steps between the two races electronically. We knew this round would be tough but we?ve come away with two top eights and, even though I would prefer to fight with the next group, I enjoyed a battle so, all-in-all not too bad.



Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator

Jonathan had quite a positive warm-up and the changes we made worked out well. He had a good start from tenth and then really got into the races. Fourth was a good result in race one and he was just a little short from another fourth in race two. With fourth and fifth, however, he is still third in the championship, so that?s good. Leon had a lonely seventh in race one but we matched the electronics better with tyre life for race two and he was able to battle until the end. The second race was actually better, despite finishing eighth, and I think he?ll be fighting in the top five by the end of the season.

Event results - Round 10- Race 1
1 Marco Melandri 34'20.164s ITA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
2 Sylvain Guintoli 1.397 FRA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
3 Chaz Davies 4.283 GBR DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
4 Jonathan Rea 5.705 GBR HONDA Pata Honda
5 Tom Sykes 6.979 GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
6 Eugene Laverty 7.342 IRL SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
7 Leon Haslam 14.868 GBR HONDA Pata Honda
8 Toni Elias 23.853 SPA APRILIA Red Devils Roma
9 David Salom 25.886 ESP KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
10 Sylvain Barrier 26.536 FRA BMW BMW Motorrad Italia SBK
11 Jeremy Guarnoni 41.308 FRA KAWASAKI MRS Kawasaki
12 Alessandro Andreozzi 46.672 ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
13 Sheridan Morais 48.742 RSA KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
14 Niccolo Canepa 50.131 ITA DUCATI Althea Racing
15 Claudio Corti 1'03.677 ITA MV AGUSTA MV Agusta RC-Yakhnich Motorsport
16 Gabor Rizmayer 1'14.881 HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
17 Geoff May 1'22.832 USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR
18 Imre Toth 1'35.170 HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
19 Aaron Yates DNF USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR
20 Loris Baz DNF FRA KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
21 Alex Lowes DNF GBR SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
22 Davide Giugliano DNF ITA DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
23 Bryan Staring DNF AUS KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
Event results - Round 10- Race 2
1 Marco Melandri 34'25.940s ITA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
2 Sylvain Guintoli 2.845 FRA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
3 Tom Sykes 6.097 GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
4 Chaz Davies 7.749 GBR DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
5 Jonathan Rea 7.935 GBR HONDA Pata Honda
6 Eugene Laverty 10.510 IRL SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
7 Loris Baz 16.078 FRA KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
8 Leon Haslam 16.098 GBR HONDA Pata Honda
9 Alex Lowes 16.554 GBR SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
10 Toni Elias 25.840 SPA APRILIA Red Devils Roma
11 Sylvain Barrier 36.839 FRA BMW BMW Motorrad Italia SBK
12 Sheridan Morais 55.531 RSA KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
13 Jeremy Guarnoni 55.980 FRA KAWASAKI MRS Kawasaki
14 Gabor Rizmayer 1'18.354 HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
15 Niccolo Canepa 1'26.338 ITA DUCATI Althea Racing
16 Aaron Yates 1'31.468 USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR
17 Alessandro Andreozzi DNF ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
18 Imre Toth DNF HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
19 Geoff May DNF USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR
20 Claudio Corti DNF ITA MV AGUSTA MV Agusta RC-Yakhnich Motorsport
21 Davide Giugliano DNF ITA DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
22 David Salom DNF ESP KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
23 Bryan Staring DNF AUS KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
Championship standings
1 Tom Sykes 352 pts GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
2 Sylvain Guintoli 321 pts FRA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
3 Jonathan Rea 285 pts GBR HONDA Pata Honda
4 Marco Melandri 267 pts ITA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
5 Loris Baz 262 pts FRA KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
6 Chaz Davies 188 pts GBR DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
7 Eugene Laverty 154 pts IRL SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
8 Davide Giugliano 153 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
9 Toni Elias 151 pts SPA APRILIA Red Devils Roma
10 Leon Haslam 150 pts GBR HONDA Pata Honda
11 Alex Lowes 126 pts GBR SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
12 David Salom 95 pts ESP KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
13 Niccolo Canepa 54 pts ITA DUCATI Althea Racing
14 Jeremy Guarnoni 41 pts FRA KAWASAKI MRS Kawasaki
15 Leon Camier 37 pts GBR BMW BMW Motorrad Italia SBK
16 Sylvain Barrier 32 pts FRA BMW BMW Motorrad Italia SBK
17 Sheridan Morais 24 pts RSA KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
18 Alessandro Andreozzi 21 pts ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
19 Luca Scassa 16 pts ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
20 Fabien Foret 14 pts FRA KAWASAKI MAHI Racing Team India
21 Claudio Corti 14 pts ITA MV AGUSTA MV Agusta RC-Yakhnich Motorsport
22 Bryan Staring 12 pts AUS KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
23 Glen Allerton 6 pts AUS BMW BMW Motorrad Italia SBK
24 Riccardo Russo 5 pts ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
25 Kervin Bos 5 pts NED HONDA Winteb LiquidRubber Racing T.
26 Gabor Rizmayer 3 pts HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
27 Michel Fabrizio 2 pts ITA KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
28 Imre Toth 2 pts HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
29 Roamin Lanusse 1 pts FRA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
30 Peter Sebestyen 0 pts HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
31 Geoff May 0 pts USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR
32 Christian Iddon 0 pts GBR BIMOTA Team Alstare
33 Aaron Yates 0 pts USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR