WSBK-Laguna Seca

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American WorldSBK Round Next Up For Kawasaki Racing Team

With the second half of the 2015 FIM Superbike World Championship season well underway Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes will now face two ?long-haul? rounds in succession, beginning with the Laguna Seca weekend between 17th and 19th July.


So far KRT riders have won the great majority of the races, having secured 14 of the 16 possible victories since the start of the year. Championship leader Jonathan Rea has taken 11 of those wins, with his team-mate Tom Sykes having secured three.
Since Laguna Seca returned to the WorldSBK calendar in 2013 Sykes has taken two race victories for Kawasaki at the 3.610km circuit near the town of Monterey in California. Rea was forced to miss the first return to Laguna in 2013 through injury but last year he learned the circuit well enough in his first visit to record a third place in race two.
In the current championship Rea has a total of 375 points and Sykes is in second place on 242 points. Kawasaki has 390 points in the Manufacturers? Championship and a healthy 122-point lead overall.
Each KRT rider will arrive in America with strong recent form to rely on, having shared a win apiece at the previous championship round in Misano, on 21st June.
After the completion of the Laguna Seca weekend the championship relocates to Asia and the impressive Sepang International Circuit for the tenth round of the series, between 30 July and 2 August.
Jonathan Rea: ?I am ready to get back into it because three weeks off is quite a lot. I want to keep going, not just to carry the momentum but also because I enjoy my time at the track. I miss hanging out with my team and riding my bike because I am really enjoying being at the track this year. I wish we had a lot more race weekends than just 13. We have had an amazing start and have a good thing going. We want to continue that and achieve better things. I want to win as many races as possible in the year. From pre-season testing onwards our goal has been to win the championship and now, just after the halfway stage, we are in a good position. I have only ever raced at Laguna once because I was injured when the championship went there two years ago. With one year more experience there I hope we can do a good job. I was on the podium in race two last year and, in the paddock show after the race, it was nuts!?
Tom Sykes: ?I am really looking forward to Laguna. I love the country, the people and the circuit, so I am really fired up and motivated. I have gone well at Laguna even though we have only been going for two years. I won the first race the first time I competed there and that is a nice memory. We have a decent track record there, which gives me something extra to aim for. It is a great circuit, tight and technical. I have been speaking with my crew chief Marcel and we have some ideas in the pipeline. We need to try a couple more things on the bike and hopefully we can make some more progress. We have had a little bit of bad luck dealt to us in the last couple of races so it would be nice to try and get over that and really start to get the results we deserve.?
David Salom (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) and Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki will continue their battle in the midfield when they get to Laguna, with Ramos currently in 14th place overall on 51 points, while Salom is just one place and eight points behind.

 

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LTHEA RACING PREVIEW: LAGUNA SECA

With the cancellation of the Russian round, Team Althea Racing prepares for the third of the 2015 eni FIM Superbike World Championship?s five long-haul rounds, taking place in the United States of America.

The Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will host the ninth round over the weekend of 19 July. The particular characteristics of the Californian track, and its legendary ?corkscrew?, guarantee a real show and highlight riding ability. An old-school track for tough riders where, as well as a good bike set-up, the skill and courage of the rider counts for a lot. Only the Superbike category will attend the American round while the Team Althea Racing riders participating in the Superstock 1000 series, Luca Salvadori and Raffaele De Rosa, will enjoy watching the SBK races from home. Of the two, Raffaele is surely the most relaxed, fresh from his second place finish scored at the Misano round.

It is therefore up to Matteo Baiocco and Niccol? Canepa to fight on behalf of the team on board their Ducati Panigale R bikes.

Niccol?, who only returned to Team Althea Racing as of the last round, taking the place of Nico Terol, knows the Californian track well and is convinced he can do well. The twelfth place scored in race 2 at Misano, and his first points, were an important injection of trust for both him and the team. Laguna Seca is definitely not the track at which to increase feeling with a bike that you don?t know well but Canepa?s undisputed talent will be the added value that can make the different at this type of track.

Niccol? Canepa: ?I?m pleased after my first weekend with the new bike. I was able to be consistent in both races even though, in race 1, I unfortunately had to stop. I am adapting the bike to suit me and can?t wait to get to Laguna Seca because the bike is working really well and the feeling I have with the team is the same as last year. I?m feeling really confident.?

Matteo Baiocco flies to the States hoping to make up for the unlucky races at Misano. Tyre wear problems limited his performance and the potential that we all know he has. For Matteo this is his first visit to Laguna Seca but we are convinced that he will soon find the right feeling. His experience in the BSB championship, where many of the tracks are tight and undulating, will surely be to his advantage, helping him to improve on the overall tenth place he holds in the championship.

Matteo Baiocco: ?The Misano races did not meet with my expectations and despite the efforts made by the whole team we were unable to obtain what we?d hoped for. Now we head to the tough but spectacular Laguna Seca round. A brand new experience for me and I cannot wait to get to grips with the track.?

 

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VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI READY FOR LAGUNA SECA

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki?s Alex Lowes and Randy de Puniet are excited about tackling the iconic Corkscrew this weekend as the eni FIM Superbike World Championship heads stateside for round nine at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California.

Lowes showed impressive pace on his debut at the American circuit last year, concluding Friday?s three practices in fourth and finishing his first race in eighth on his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R before a dramatic clash at the Corkscrew ended his day early. With experience of the layout now under his belt the British racer is looking forward to confronting the California track on his 2015-spec machine.

Having raced at Laguna Seca on six occasions throughout his career, with two top-six finishes, de Puniet is keen to return for his World Superbike debut on American soil. Looking to regain the momentum found at the Portimao test last month, the Frenchman is hopeful he can re-set and recharge the second half of his season aboard the Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Originally built on U.S. Army land in 1957, following the path of a dry lake bed just 12kms from the central Californian coast, the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca began modifications in 1988 to become an FIM homologated circuit. The lengthened 3,602m layout features huge elevation and speed changes throughout due to its hillside location, with the production class machines reaching 258km/h during last year?s event despite its short straights (the longest of which is just 453 metres).

Now a central part of the Monterey County Parks Department, the circuit?s seven left and four right-hand curves are somewhat overshadowed by the infamous Corkscrew at turns 8 and 8a which sees a blind crest give way to an 18m drop in just 137m of track, and denotes much of the racers? enthusiasm for the US visit.

A change from the 2014 schedule sees Voltcom Crescent Suzuki undertake just two free practice sessions on Friday July 17th at 11:15hrs local time and 15:00hrs (19:15 and 23:00BST). With Sunday?s two 25-lap races on track at 11:30hrs and 14:30hrs (19:30 and 22:30BST) respectively.

Alex Lowes:

?I have only raced at Laguna once, last year, and I really enjoyed it. It?s a technical track with a lot of elevation throughout but the most exciting part is definitely the world famous Corkscrew, it?s even steeper than it looks on TV! There aren't any parts of the circuit that I don't like but it is going to be really important for us to get the Suzuki working well there early on, so I can relax and concentrate on good lap times. I am really hoping to get my season 'back on track' in America, with a very solid weekend.?

Randy de Puniet:

?I?m looking forward to Laguna Seca as I really like the track and have good memories from my MotoGP? races there. It is one of the most difficult and technical tracks on the calendar and is very physical with no easy places to overtake so the race can be a challenge but the famous Corkscrew corner is incredible! We are looking to continue the progress made so far with the GSX-R and for two good races on Sunday.?

 

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Pata Honda riders target Californian boost

The Pata Honda team is preparing for round nine of the 2015 World Superbike championship which takes place this weekend (17-19 July) at Laguna Seca in California, USA.
French rider Sylvain Guintoli, 33, knows the 3.61km Laguna circuit well and collected two second place finishes at the iconic Californian track last season on his way to the 2015 World Superbike title.

After two ninth place finishes last time out at Misano in Italy, Guintoli is looking to make further development steps with his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machine which has benefited from the recent addition of revised chassis components, such as a new swingarm.

For Pata Honda team-mate, Michael van der Mark, this weekend marks his first-ever visit to the United States and is the first stage of a demanding three-week racing schedule. Following the Laguna Sec a SBK event, the 22-year-old Dutch ace will fly directly to Japan to contest the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race, which he has won for the last two seasons.

From Suzuka, van der Mark, will make the relatively short hop to Malaysia for round 10 of the World Superbike championship at Sepang, near Kuala Lumpur on 2 August.

Set in a scenic national park a little under 200km south of San Francisco and just 16km off California?s stunning coastal Highway 1, Laguna Seca is a 3.61km roller-coaster of seven lefts and four rights and the nearby town of Monterey is a delight for visiting race fans.

Featuring perhaps the most infamous corner in racing ? the legendary Corkscrew ? Laguna has secured its own place in motorsport heritage. But the Californian circuit is much more than just one corner, even if it is one of the most daunting corners in world motorsport.


2015 World Superbike championship, round nine

Laguna Seca Raceway ? California, USA

Event schedule (local times GMT -7):


Friday 17 July

11.15-12.00 ? Free practice 1

15.00-15.45 ? Free practice 2


Saturday 18 July

09.45-10.30 ? Free practice 3

12.30-13.00 ? Free practice 4

15.00-15.15 ? Superpole 1

15.25-15.40 ? Superpole 2


Sunday 19 July

09.15-09.30 ? Warm-up

11.30 ? Race 1 (25 Laps, 90.250km)

14.30 ? Race 2 (25 Laps, 90.250km)


Sylvain Guintoli

I really like going to America where everything is just big and different. It starts at the hire car desk where they usually give you the biggest car available! Everything about San Francisco and California lets you know that you?re in a very different place and Laguna Seca is like nowhere else that we race. I really like the track, every aspect of it is fun and exciting, and I had a couple of good results there last year. Of course, we still have work to do to be up where I think we should be and where we deserve to be considering the hard work that everyone in the team is putting into the CBR package. We will keeping concentrating on getting the best setting with the recent chassis changes and do our best to be closer to the front on Sunday.


Michael van der Mark

I?m really excited about this weekend because I?ve never even been to America before! Of course, I?ve seen some of the amazing races that have taken place at Laguna Seca and I'm really looking forward to riding the circuit for the first time myself. The Corkscrew is one of those corners that everyone wants to ride so I can?t wait to see it for the first time. It?s going to be a tough three weeks with the 8 Hour race on the weekend following Laguna and then Sepang the week after. I had a test on the Suzuka CBR last week with my new team-mate for the 8 Hour, which was good, but I?m really looking forward to getting back on my SBK Fireblade this weekend. I?ll start by learning the Laguna track on Friday and then doing my best over this first weekend.

 

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Pata Honda work hard on day one at Laguna

Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark worked hard with their Pata Honda crews on the opening day of the ninth-round World Superbike championship at Laguna Seca in the USA today, with Guintoli setting the tenth fastest time.

Provisional pole position was taken by Chaz Davies, as French ace Guintoli, who ended this morning?s opening Free Practice in seventh place, put his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP a second behind the British rider?s time.

Van der Mark is visiting the USA and Laguna Seca for the first time and was deeply impressed by his initial laps of the 3.61km circuit, which included his first encounter with the infamous Corkscrew.

The Dutchman made steady progress learning the demanding circuit and ended day one in 14th place, but is confident of further improvement in tomorrow?s third Free Practice session ahead of Superpole, which will determine grid positions for Sunday?s two 25-lap races.


Sylvain Guintoli - P10, 1m24.742s

We?re still working hard in all areas to improve the CBR package and the lap times were consistent this afternoon, which is positive. I was also held up on each of my fast laps, so my ideal time is quite a bit faster than what we currently have. But we?re still missing some speed so we need to spend some time on the data tonight to understand where we can gain some time. There is not any particular part of the track or aspect of the bike that?s causing issues, it?s an overall thing that?s costing us a tenth or a tenth-and-a-half in each sector, but we?ll keep working hard to improve it.


Michael van der Mark - P14, 1m25.636s

It?s just amazing to ride this track. I?ve looked forward to it for a long time and the first couple of laps certainly impressed me. Riding down the Corkscrew for the first time, was? well, I can?t really use the words I want to, but it was incredible! I really enjoyed riding the track today but we still need to keep working on the bike, step-by-step, to improve the time. I hope tomorrow we can make a big step, because we need it, but I?m learning my way round here and I?m loving it.


Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator

Michael?s coming from Supersport so he?s new to this track and learning it is not easy. To do that while trying to find a setting is even more difficult and we?re working particularly on the front end of the bike and trying to improve grip levels. Sylvain started quite well this morning but from that point we could only improve the lap time by a few tenths. We tried a few things, including different gearing options, but we?ll take the good from this morning and the good from this afternoon and aim to move forward tomorrow.

 

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Laguna Seca (California), 17 July 2015

The first two timed practice sessions concluded positively today with Niccol? Canepa concluding in fifth position very close to the front. Matteo Baiocco is further back but making excellent progress (this is his first visit to the track).

Niccol? Canepa?s solid performance today projects Team Althea forward and gives the team a significant boost and added confidence after a period in which it has suffered some unlucky episodes.

The prudent approach of Matteo Baiocco is logical seeing as this is his first visit to the Californian track. The intense work carried out by his technicians and his desire to do well may well allow him to move into the top ten where he normally places, now at ease and in the company of many riders who are more experienced than him.

Niccol? Canepa: ?After Misano where I ran my first race, and where I had a little trouble at first due to the approach of the new Superbike Ducati Panigale R, this is a track where I can really express myself, having always had great feeling here. Already today, scoring the fourth and fifth time, I think we?ve made a great start and this gives us confidence for tomorrow when I will try to obtain a front row position that I think is within reach. I?ve reconfirmed the great feeling that I had with this same Team in 2014 and this spurs me on and motivates me further.?

Matteo Baiocco: ?This track is definitely difficult to learn and I?m understanding its secrets more and more with each lap. You can?t afford any mistakes and so I have to work well, personally speaking and also on the set up of my Ducati in order to ride it as well as possible. I believe that session after session I will be able to improve and hope to return to fighting in the front. Our aim is two bring home two strong results of course.?

 

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SEASON BEST PERFORMANCE FOR DE PUNIET IN AMERICA

A positive start to the eni FIM Superbike World Championship weekend at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca saw both Randy de Puniet and Alex Lowes in the top ten for Friday?s practices with eighth and ninth respectively, with de Puniet?s ideal pace hinting at seventh on his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R.

His season?s best performance for Friday practice continued into the afternoon as the Frenchman?s confidence, renewed from his recent ?arm pump? surgery, settled into his familiar rhythm with the Monterey track. Setting a 1?24.598 on his fifth lap of the second session, de Puniet concluded the day eighth in the combined times and eager to continue his development tomorrow.

Opening his second visit to the Californian circuit by completing 45 laps during the day?s two 45-minute sessions, Lowes worked consistently with his Voltcom Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000 to improve corner-entry confidence. With work still to be done, the British racer heads into Saturday?s final qualifying practice firmly in the top 10 and less than a second from the front times.

While air temperatures rose gently to an agreeable 23?C, the blue skies and Californian sun warmed the track by a further 20 degrees for the mid-afternoon action. Chaz Davies claimed the provisional pole for Ducati, his 1:23.633 lap just two-tenths from the current lap record.

Lowes and de Puniet return to the Mazda Raceway at 09:45hrs local time (17:45BST) tomorrow for the final timed-for-qualifying practice, with Superpole commencing at 15:00hrs (23:00BST).

Randy de Puniet:

?I?m very happy! Today was a really good day, the feeling of the GSX-R has been good since first thing this morning and I?m feeling good myself on the bike. We?ve made some adjustments, some good some not, but in the end everything looks ok so far with the original settings and the lap time also looks good. I?m really hoping we can continue in this direction for the rest of the weekend and improve a little further to be close to the top five. It?s great to have two strong sessions and be close to the top, and I?m feeling much, much better after my surgery so I?m happy. I think the break was good for everybody, thanks to the team for continuing to work so hard throughout the year, now if we can have a good race and finish the season in this way it will be great.?

Alex Lowes:

?Today we?ve been trying to find a bit more confidence from the bike. We?ve made a bit of progress throughout the day, it?s only Friday and there is still more to do but the lads are working hard as always. I?m looking forward to tomorrow, the track is great and I really enjoy riding it so hopefully we can find that bit of confidence, which I think will translate into big improvements in the lap times, so fingers crossed for tomorrow.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?It?s great to be at Laguna Seca enjoying the Californian weather at such an amazing race track. As always two 45-minute session fly by very quickly and we didn?t get everything done that we would have liked to but none the less it was a pretty positive day overall. It?s Randy?s best Friday performance all year by some margin and it is great to see him riding with more confidence and enjoying the GSX-R.

?For Alex it has been a bit more frustrating, the pace is very consistent but it?s not fast enough to challenge the top competitors and we need to make some reasonably big changes, which always has the potential of going the wrong way but we need to make that step forward! Randy?s performance ? being a lot closer to the top guys ? will also help in terms of data so hopefully the riders can work together to help each other to improve.?

Laguna Seca ? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Free Practice Combined Times: 1. Chaz Davies (Ducati) 1?23.633: 2. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +0.156: 3. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) +0.225: 4. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) +0.388: 5. Niccol? Canepa (Ducati) +0.510: 8. Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +0.965: 9. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +0.995.

 

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Second Row Starts For KRT Duo At Laguna Seca

At the ninth round of the 2015 FIM Superbike World Championship Tom Sykes and his KRT team-mate Jonathan Rea qualified fourth and fifth respectively to earn second row grid slots for Sunday?s two 25-lap races.


In warm and dry conditions Sykes and Rea eased into the second Superpole contest after regular qualifying had been completed. Neither KRT rider was able to match the single lap pace of some of their rivals but each is confident that the work they put in to prepare for the heat of battle will pay dividends on raceday.
Sykes had been second and Rea fourth on the combined time sheets to earn their Superpole 2 places and each rider used the free practice session to make final set-up choices before going for their ultimate grid positions.
For Sykes, who won a race at Laguna Seca last year, the arrival of a qualifying rear tyre in Superpole promised much but he felt he could not get the best out of the increased grip levels. He will now start the races from the head of the second row at the intense 3.610km circuit near Monterey.
It was a case of working on race set-up and making a strong race simulation for Rea in the third qualifying session, before he set his fifth place time in Superpole 2. He now starts from the middle of the second row as he goes to extend his championship lead on raceday.
Tom Sykes: ?We have been working on race performance all weekend and at this circuit, for whatever reason, the grip has been low. Not only for me but for everybody. When I put the qualifying tyre in the bike in Superpole it did some really nice things but I have to hold my hands up because I do not think I took the best from the package. The level of performance was much better than it was with the race tyre so it was really rider error and I am sorry for the team. It was difficult for me to react quickly because it is a short track and we only had one really good lap on the Q tyre. We had a little bit of a stumbling block in free practice four, which made us play a little bit conservative for Superpole, so that also did not help for us. But being on the front of the second row is not the end of the world. After practice and qualifying we have some good information for raceday. Tomorrow we can work on something a little bit extra in warm-up before the races.?

Jonathan Rea: ?We have been working really hard for the races and tomorrow is the day we score points. It is going to be a race of two halves, I think, because the first part will be queued up. This is a hard track to pass at so we need to get a good position in the early laps and find our rhythm. The last part of the race is going to decide who wins because there should be some guys going forward and some guys going backward. I just hope I am one of the guys going forward. We did a race simulation and I tried to put 20 consistent laps together, so we got some good information. Our bike is not using up tyres so much and Paolo my electronics guy has got our traction control and mapping really sorted. Track position is important here so a clean getaway tomorrow is at the top of the shopping list.?

David Salom (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) automatically qualified for Superpole 2 and ended up 11th on the grid. Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) was 16th after Superpole 1.

 

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Laguna Seca (California), 18 July 2015

Saturday?s qualifying at the Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway comes to a positive conclusion for Team Althea, with Niccol? Canepa to start from seventh place on the race grid tomorrow, on row three, and Matteo Baiocco to line up thirteenth. The latter has made good use of the kilometres he has clocked up at this track until now.

Baiocco needs to capitalise on this experience in tomorrow morning?s warm-up where he will try to further improve his feeling with the difficult American track, but his race pace should see him running inside the top ten tomorrow.

Canepa?s feeling with Team Althea?s Ducati Panigale R continues to improve and he was consistently within the top positions during all of the qualifying sessions. The talented rider is adapting the Ducati to him and has demonstrated a very strong and consistent pace across all of the sessions. At the end of the morning?s FP3, he gained direct entry to Superpole 2 with a best of 1'23.854. In the afternoon a small problem with the gearbox prevented him from making the most of the qualifier but Niccol? nevertheless concluded in seventh position overall which will allow him to start the race together with the category?s frontrunners.

Niccol? Canepa: ?I?m satisfied as we look ahead to tomorrow as I know we have good pace. I still have to improve my feeling regarding the flying lap because it?s important to start further forward, inside the front two rows. We?re not far from the frontrunners and my aim tomorrow is to fight for the positions that count and head home having scored strong results.?

Matteo Baiocco: ?I?m sorry I was unable to proceed to Superpole 2, missing out by just a few thousandths of a second, as we could have carried out further tests that we now have to do in warm-up tomorrow. In general we?ve made some significant steps forward, having worked intensely all weekend. I thank the whole team that is working to the max to help me find the right feeling on this track.?

 

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LOWES & VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI 8TH IN SUPERPOLE

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki?s Alex Lowes qualified in eighth place after a dramatic Laguna Seca World Superbike Superpole in the USA.

Continuing to improve his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R as the American weekend progressed, Lowes was denied his initial qualifying lap after an on-track incident ? resulting in his 1.23.285 time being set on third-lap rubber. However, confident of the developments made so far, the British racer is looking forward to Sunday?s two 25-lap races.

Randy de Puniet?s bright start to the weekend continued in the opening sessions with further refinements made to his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Despite missing out on the automatic top-10 qualification in the final timed practice, the Frenchman?s pace in FP4 looked to be on his best form of the season, before a crash at turn 10 cut short his session with 20 minutes remaining. Reverting to the spare bike for the afternoon?s qualifying, his continued improvement was stalled, leaving him in 17th position and on the sixth row.

Similar conditions to Friday saw a cloudy start give way to Californian sunshine as the Monterey track warmed to 43?C for the Superpole shootout, allowing Ducati?s Chaz Davies to secure his debut WSBK pole position with a time of 1?22.101.
Lowes and de Puniet will be back on their respective Voltcom Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000?s at 11:30hrs and 14:30hrs local time (19:30 and 22:20BST) for the two races.

Alex Lowes:

?I did my best as always today but we?re not quite where I wanted to be. My aim was for the first two rows. We are still looking for that extra element to try to give us a little more confidence with turning-in on the bike and hopefully if we can find that in warm up, our race-pace will come a little easier and we can have two good races The lads did a good job, working methodically and although we started off on the wrong foot this weekend we?ve managed to build back up well. We?ve done the best we could with what we?ve had, unfortunately we weren?t quite fast enough today but we?ll try again tomorrow!?

Randy de Puniet:

?I am very disappointed because today could have been good. This morning we tried some adjustments, in a good way but unfortunately I was just out of the top-10. During FP4 I was on a very good lap, faster than my best all weekend, but I crashed on the last right corner before the end and demolished the bike. The guys had to prepare the second bike but I haven?t ridden this one since Assen and unfortunately the feeling was not the same as my original bike. We tried to make the adjustments, which was better but not enough, so I am starting 17th. I am really disappointed because I?m pretty sure I was able to go into SP2 and do a good time. Now I hope we can fix the bike to replicate the same feeling from before the crash and if we can do that I think we can have a good race. I know the guys have a lot of work now and I?m sorry for that. The pace is there so now we just need to find the feeling again so we can have two good races tomorrow.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?Qualifying day at Laguna Seca has gone in two opposite directions for the riders. Alex has continued to make improvements with the bike which has helped him under braking and improved his rhythm on the race tyres by a good step. In Superpole itself, Alex just missed out on a second row start ? which wasn?t helped by an on-track altercation meaning he had to set his qualifying time on the third lap of the tyre which is never ideal but he made a great job to dig in. The top factory-bike competitors are a little bit of a step ahead but a lot can happen over race distance here at Laguna and we hope Alex can be in the fight for a good position.

?Randy improved yesterday?s time in FP3, just missing out on the top 10, but we were still very positive for a top ten qualifying and his best start position of the year. He was pushing really, really hard behind pole-sitter Davies in FP4 and was on a great lap but the crash destroyed his race bike and we were forced to revert to the spare machine for qualifying. As often is the case, the untested spare bike didn?t feel the same and Randy struggled to make a representative lap time in Superpole. We will make sure the GSX-R is as good as it can be for tomorrow and hope that Randy can still have his best race day of the year so far.?

Laguna Seca ? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Superpole: 1. Chaz Davies (Ducati) 1?22.101: 2. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) +0.196: 3. Jordi Torres (Aprilia) +0.313: 4. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +0.425: 5. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) +0.753. 8. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +1.184. 17. Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) SP1.

 

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Pata Honda work hard on day one at Laguna

Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark worked hard with their Pata Honda crews on the opening day of the ninth-round World Superbike championship at Laguna Seca in the USA today, with Guintoli setting the tenth fastest time.

Provisional pole position was taken by Chaz Davies, as French ace Guintoli, who ended this morning?s opening Free Practice in seventh place, put his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP a second behind the British rider?s time.

Van der Mark is visiting the USA and Laguna Seca for the first time and was deeply impressed by his initial laps of the 3.61km circuit, which included his first encounter with the infamous Corkscrew.

The Dutchman made steady progress learning the demanding circuit and ended day one in 14th place, but is confident of further improvement in tomorrow?s third Free Practice session ahead of Superpole, which will determine grid positions for Sunday?s two 25-lap races.


Sylvain Guintoli - P10, 1m24.742s

We?re still working hard in all areas to improve the CBR package and the lap times were consistent this afternoon, which is positive. I was also held up on each of my fast laps, so my ideal time is quite a bit faster than what we currently have. But we?re still missing some speed so we need to spend some time on the data tonight to understand where we can gain some time. There is not any particular part of the track or aspect of the bike that?s causing issues, it?s an overall thing that?s costing us a tenth or a tenth-and-a-half in each sector, but we?ll keep working hard to improve it.


Michael van der Mark - P14, 1m25.636s

It?s just amazing to ride this track. I?ve looked forward to it for a long time and the first couple of laps certainly impressed me. Riding down the Corkscrew for the first time, was? well, I can?t really use the words I want to, but it was incredible! I really enjoyed riding the track today but we still need to keep working on the bike, step-by-step, to improve the time. I hope tomorrow we can make a big step, because we need it, but I?m learning my way round here and I?m loving it.


Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator

Michael?s coming from Supersport so he?s new to this track and learning it is not easy. To do that while trying to find a setting is even more difficult and we?re working particularly on the front end of the bike and trying to improve grip levels. Sylvain started quite well this morning but from that point we could only improve the lap time by a few tenths. We tried a few things, including different gearing options, but we?ll take the good from this morning and the good from this afternoon and aim to move forward tomorrow.

 

[KUCIAR666]

Positive steps for van der Mark in USA

Michael van der Mark took his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP to eighth and seventh place finishes respectively in today?s two ninth-round World Superbike championship races at Laguna Seca in the USA.

Both 25-lap races were won by British rider Chaz Davies as van der Mark, 22, got two good starts from a lowly 15th place on the grid. Race one turned out to be a relatively lonely affair, the Dutch rider finishing in eighth place, nine seconds behind Pata Honda team-mate Sylvain Guintoli.

Guintoli himself enjoyed an impressive start in the first outing, running as high as fifth in the early stages after starting from ninth place on the grid. The reigning World Superbike champion eventually finished seventh.

Rain threatened the 3.61km Laguna circuit for race two and, indeed, spots began falling early in the race but they amounted to nothing. However, during the uncertainty and following a solid start, Guintoli was jostling for position towards the end of lap two when Alex Lowes entered pit lane, colliding with the 33-year-old Frenchman. Guintoli damaged his right thumb in the ensuing crash but was otherwise unhurt.

Van der Mark was left to fly the Pata Honda flag alone, bringing his CBR home in a creditable seventh place. He leaves California immediately to fly to Japan where he is targeting a third successive victory in the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race next Sunday.



Michael van der Mark - 8th and 7th

It?s been quite a difficult weekend and, together with trying to learn this amazing circuit, we have struggled to get the bike set up properly, so I had to come a long way from 15th on the grid. I made a really good start in the first race and moved forward about five places. But I couldn?t keep up with the guys in front of me and ended up in a lonely and boring race for eighth. In race two I had another good start and had a better feeling with the CBR. I was able to keep pushing throughout the race so, in the end, I?m quite happy to get two solid top ten finishes. I?m in a good frame of mind for the 8 Hours now, which I?m really looking forward to.


Sylvain Guintoli - 7th and DNF

I had a really good start to race one but I wasn?t able to keep the pace after the first few laps. I felt I was losing out on corner exit and having to try really hard to make it up on the brakes, which was difficult. In race two, the start was OK but on lap two I was lining up to pass into the last corner when [Alex] Lowes entered the pit lane without any signal and I crashed. It was a really, really upsetting way to finish the weekend, but we?ll just have to come back fighting in Sepang in two weeks.


Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator

Sylvain had a great start in race one but he had to drop the pace a little bit and finished seventh, which was OK, but we all want to be closer to the front, of course. On the second lap of race two he collided with Alex Lowes who decided to pit when Sylvain was on the left-hand side, which was the wrong side for him. That was a very unfortunate way to finish the weekend. Michael had to come from a long way back in 15th on the grid but got a really good start in race one. He immediately jumped to tenth place and finished in a lonely eighth. He had quite a good race two and was a long time behind Canepa but eventually passed him and got away, but by then the front runners were gone. Considering his starting position, eighth and seventh are two solid results and we?ll take those to the next round.

Event results - Round 9- Race 1
1 Chaz Davies 35'15.693 GBR DUCATI Aruba.it Racing-Ducati Superbike Team
2 Tom Sykes 1.798 GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
3 Jonathan Rea 2.107 GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
4 Davide Giugliano 15.954 ITA DUCATI Aruba.it Racing-Ducati Superbike Team
5 Jordi Torres 19.661 ESP APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils
6 Alex Lowes 24.431 GBR SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
7 Sylvain Guintoli 26.971 FRA HONDA Pata Honda
8 Michael van der Mark 35.428 NED HONDA Pata Honda
9 Leandro Mercado 41.261 DUCATI BARNI Racing Team
10 Leon Camier 44.383 GBR MV AGUSTA MV Agusta Repart Corse
11 Randy de Puniet 52.748 FRA SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
12 Roman Ramos 54.906 ESP KAWASAKI Team Go Eleven
13 Leon Haslam 1'18.150 GBR APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils
14 Christophe Ponsson 1'20.220 KAWASAKI Grillini SBK Team
15 Gianluca Vizziello 1 Lap ITA KAWASAKI Grillini SBK Team
16 Imre Toth 1 Lap HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
17 David Salom DNF ESP KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
18 Santiago Barragan DNF KAWASAKI Grillini SBK Team
19 Gabor Rizmayer DNF HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
20 Ayrton Badovini DNF ITA BMW JR Racing Team
21 Matteo Baiocco DNF DUCATI Althea Racing
22 Niccolo Canepa DNF ITA KAWASAKI Grillini SBK Team
Event results - Round 9- Race 2
1 Chaz Davies 35'13.816 GBR DUCATI Aruba.it Racing-Ducati Superbike Team
2 Tom Sykes 1.406 GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
3 Jonathan Rea 1.982 GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
4 Jordi Torres 16.551 ESP APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils
5 Leon Haslam 17.772 GBR APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils
6 Ayrton Badovini 31.735 ITA BMW JR Racing Team
7 Michael van der Mark 34.446 NED HONDA Pata Honda
8 Niccolo Canepa 38.048 ITA KAWASAKI Grillini SBK Team
9 Leandro Mercado 41.755 DUCATI BARNI Racing Team
10 Leon Camier 49.105 GBR MV AGUSTA MV Agusta Repart Corse
11 Randy de Puniet 56.249 FRA SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
12 Roman Ramos 1'01.630 ESP KAWASAKI Team Go Eleven
13 Matteo Baiocco 1'12.647 DUCATI Althea Racing
14 Gianluca Vizziello 1 Lap ITA KAWASAKI Grillini SBK Team
15 Christophe Ponsson 1 Lap KAWASAKI Grillini SBK Team
16 Gabor Rizmayer 1 Lap HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
17 Imre Toth 2 Laps HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
18 Santiago Barragan 3 Laps KAWASAKI Grillini SBK Team
19 Alex Lowes DNF GBR SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
20 David Salom DNF ESP KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
21 Davide Giugliano DNF ITA DUCATI Aruba.it Racing-Ducati Superbike Team
22 Sylvain Guintoli DNF FRA HONDA Pata Honda
Championship standings
1 Jonathan Rea 407 pts GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
2 Tom Sykes 282 pts GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
3 Chaz Davies 263 pts GBR DUCATI Aruba.it Racing-Ducati Superbike Team
4 Leon Haslam 240 pts GBR APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils
5 Jordi Torres 164 pts ESP APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils
6 Sylvain Guintoli 136 pts FRA HONDA Pata Honda
7 Davide Giugliano 119 pts ITA DUCATI Aruba.it Racing-Ducati Superbike Team
8 Michael van der Mark 114 pts NED HONDA Pata Honda
9 Leandro Mercado 104 pts DUCATI BARNI Racing Team
10 Alex Lowes 95 pts GBR SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
11 Matteo Baiocco 91 pts DUCATI Althea Racing
12 Ayrton Badovini 87 pts ITA BMW JR Racing Team
13 Roman Ramos 59 pts ESP KAWASAKI Team Go Eleven
14 Leon Camier 55 pts GBR MV AGUSTA MV Agusta Repart Corse
15 Nicolas Terol 54 pts ESP DUCATI Althea Racing
16 David Salom 42 pts ESP KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
17 Xavi Fores 38 pts DUCATI Aruba.it Racing-Ducati Superbike Team
18 Randy de Puniet 32 pts FRA SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
19 Max Biaggi 20 pts ITA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils
20 Santiago Barragan 17 pts KAWASAKI Grillini SBK Team
21 Michele Pirro 16 pts ITA DUCATI Aruba.it Racing-Ducati Superbike Team
22 Troy Bayliss 16 pts DUCATI Aruba.it Racing-Ducati Superbike Team
23 Niccolo Canepa 15 pts ITA KAWASAKI Grillini SBK Team
24 Michel Fabrizio 13 pts ITA DUCATI Althea Racing
25 Christophe Ponsson 10 pts KAWASAKI Grillini SBK Team
26 Sylvain Barrier 10 pts FRA BMW BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team
27 Imre Toth 5 pts HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
28 Gabor Rizmayer 3 pts HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
29 Markus Reiterberger 3 pts GER BMW VanZon Remeha BMW
30 Gianluca Vizziello 3 pts ITA KAWASAKI Grillini SBK Team
31 Jed Metcher 2 pts KAWASAKI Race Center - Demolition Plus
32 Larry Pegram 2 pts EBR Team Hero EBR
33 Anucha Nakcharoensri 0 pts HONDA YSS TS Racing
34 Javier Alviz 0 pts KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
35 Ireneusz Sikora 0 pts BMW BMW Team Toth
36 Greg Gildenhuys 0 pts KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
37 Chanon Chumjai 0 pts BMW RAC Oil Racing Team

 

[KUCIAR666]

Double Podiums For KRT Duo At Laguna Seca

At the ninth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship season, held at Laguna Seca in the USA, KRT riders Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea battled with each other in both races, with Sykes scoring two second places and Rea taking two thirds. The KRT riders are still 1-2 in the championship itself, with Rea on 407 points and Sykes on 282.


In the first 25-lap race of the day Sykes set about trying to chase down eventual race winner Chaz Davies but ended up in a defensive battle with Rea as they vied for the 20 points available for second place. Sykes was to hold on to his runner-up position, with Rea scoring third, finishing right behind his team-mate.
In race two Sykes led Rea in the early laps, with an attempted pass from the championship leader being rebuffed by his team-mate in definite fashion. Light spots of rain on the track shortly after the start had caused some anxious moments for all the riders but the track conditions rapidly improved, allowing Sykes to take the fastest lap of race two, 1?23.842, on lap ten.
In finishing second twice today Sykes minimised his loss of points to double race winner Davies. Despite recording his two smallest points scores of the season Rea still holds a strong 125-point advantage over Sykes, with four rounds of the championship remaining. Rea has continued his remarkable run of finishing on the podium at every single race this year.
In the Manufacturers? Championship standings, Kawasaki leads by 112 points.
The Sepang International Circuit will host the tenth round of the series, from Friday 30 July to Sunday 2 August.
Tom Sykes: ?Jonathan and I had a great battle for the entire first race. I had plus zero on my pit board, so I just had to manage the situation. I felt the rear tyre drop and had to compensate in some areas, trying to do some things slightly differently. It was not ideal but overall I am happy with second position considering the circumstances. We made two small changes for race two and it was strange because at the beginning I felt I had a really good bike set-up but in the rain Chaz took a couple of more risks. It paid off because he made a big gap and I think that was probably the deciding factor in the race. We had a couple of warnings and I was just not able to stick with Chaz. Overall, I am fairly satisfied but we were just not close enough. Two second places are acceptable but another rider took the prizes this weekend.?

Jonathan Rea: ?I tried a lot but there was nothing I could do to go through on Tom in race one. He also had a good pace but I am sure I had a higher pace. I just could not through him. I tried a few times and ran wide and it was very clear if I was to stick a pass it had to be an aggressive one and in the last laps I did not get an opportunity. He was riding quite smart. In the final corner I was a little bit behind and it was one of those where you had to be clever as well, because 16 points is a lot better than zero. We also had a good pace in race two but it was a little bit my fault because I made too many mistakes. Tom and I both lost a lot of time to Chaz when the rain was coming but we ended up with a really good pace together. Today we played the long game a little bit and third is where I could finish.?
David Salom (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) was unable to finish the first race at Laguna while Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) secured 12th spot. In the second 25-lap race Salom retired again and Ramos repeated his 12th place from race one. Ramos has 59 championship points, in 13th position, while Salom has 43, and is placed 16th.

 

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TOP SIX FOR LOWES AT LAGUNA SECA WSB

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki's Alex Lowes scored a stellar sixth place finish for the opening race of the World Superbike weekend at Laguna Seca in America.

A great start off the lights saw the British racer sitting sixth on his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R for the initial three laps of the morning's action before a small error dropped him back slightly to eighth. Digging deep for the mid-race, Lowes increased his pace to take seventh from World Champion Sylvain Guintoli on lap 17. Lowes then closed the gap on Leon Haslam, pressing the Aprilia rider into an error and claiming sixth and 10 points at the flag.

Race two looked to be an equally strong performance for Lowes as he held seventh on lap one after another good start. However it wasn't to be, as an issue with the front tyre and an early incident on lap two brought about his eventual retirement on lap nine. Lowes leaves America 10th in the standings with 94 championship points and ready for two races in the far-east in the coming weeks.

Recovering his weekend's early form, Randy de Puniet took his Suzuki GSX-R1000 from 17th on the grid to a double 11th place finish for the day?s two races. Battling hard just outside of a top-10 position, the Frenchman collects 10 points from his American visit and is looking forward to continuing the developments made.

A mixed day of humid clouds, sunshine and the threat of rain saw lower than normal track temperatures (peaking at just 33?C) as Ducati's Chaz Davies converted his pole-sitting pace into a double race win.

As the freight is packed up to travel directly to Malaysia, Voltcom Crescent Suzuki now prepare to journey east for round 10 at the Sepang International Circuit on Sunday August 2nd, while Alex Lowes flies first to Japan for the Suzuka 8-Hours World Endurance race next week.

Alex Lowes:

?I felt good in race one. I made a small mistake in the first turn, but I recovered from that and it was great to race, catch and pass Sylvain and close down on Leon on the factory Aprilia. The bike felt much better than it has done recently and we made good progress over the course of the weekend. The second race I was fully fired-up for a good fight to try and get involved at the front but immediately on the first lap it felt like I had a front puncture, the bike was folding everywhere and I had no choice but to come into the pit. The bike itself felt perfect, the same as race one, but we will have to investigate the situation with the tyre. Because it was spitting with rain and the race was effectively over having come in, we threw wet tyres on just in case the rain got heavy which would have allowed us to get back involved. Unfortunately the rain didn?t come, I was out for a few laps but it was clear there was nothing more to be gained. A disappointing end to a really good weekend but the first race has set me up well for the 8-Hour next week and I will be coming back to WSBK in Sepang knowing that we can fight with the group.?

Randy de Puniet

?Two 11th places, so it?s better than the previous races, but I am a little disappointed because we started the weekend very well. I crashed in FP4 when I had a very good place and qualified 17th on the grid. To start on the sixth row here is not so easy and the feeling was not quite as it was before the crash so I tried to manage as best I could. We made some small adjustments between the two races but it was not enough. I also struggled a little for the second half of race two with the brake, race one was ok, but race two was not as easy, so we will look to improve this and a little more with the chassis for a better corner-entry feeling. Now with this base we can look to improve further at Malaysia. It?s a track I know well and enjoy, after my time in MotoGP?, so I can get into the rhythm quickly and look to have a better feeling with the GSX-R.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?As Alex said, the weekend has ended disappointingly with a strange problem with the front tyre feeling in race two, but we still have to take the positives from the improvements that have come over the course of the weekend. A far more competitive showing in race one, catching and passing Sylvain ? who we have to remember is the current World Champion ? and closing down the factory Aprilias shows very good progress.

?On Randy?s side, two points scoring finishes is a good step in the right direction. Less than we had hoped for after a good start on Friday but the huge crash in FP4 took the wind out of Randy?s sails a little bit and it was difficult to rebuild to the same level after that but we will look to continue the progress in Malaysia in a fortnight?s time.?

Laguna Seca ? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Race One: 1. Chaz Davies (Ducati) 35?15.693: 2. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +1.798: 3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) +2.107: 4. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) +15.954: 5. Jordi Torres (Aprilia) +19.661: 6. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +24.431. 11. Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +52.748.

Laguna Seca ? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Race Two: 1. Davies 35?13.816: 2. Sykes +1.406: 3. Rea +1.982: 4. Torres +16.551: 5. Leon Haslam (Aprilia) +17.772: 11. Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +56.249. DNF Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki).

World Championship Classification: 1. Rea 407: 2. Sykes 282: 3. Davies 263: 4. Haslam 240: 5. Torres 164. 10. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) 94. 18. Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) 32.

 

[KUCIAR666]

Laguna Seca (California) 19 July 2015

The ninth round of the 2015 eni FIM Superbike World Championship has concluded at Laguna Seca.

Team Althea returns home dissatisfied with the double DNF in race 1 due to technical issues. On the race grid, the two riders Matteo Baiocco and Niccol? Canepa suffered the same mechanical problem off the line. Both were forced to retire immediately due to the jamming of the clutch of both bikes. The team has never suffered such a problem before and so the technicians and engineers are working to understand the cause.

In race 2 the team decided to change many of the bikes? components and the two Team Althea riders took to the grid anxious to bring home a strong result. Canepa, having made a good start that saw him battle for fifth place, had to deal with the onset of rain which made an appearance in all sectors and which strongly affected his race. After scoring zero points in race 1, the Genoan rider preferred to play safe and bring home important points, closing in final eighth place.

Baiocco surely suffered as a result of his inexperience at this track and the lack of kilometres clocked up contributed to the race 1 stop. He found himself in a complicated situation when rain appeared unexpectedly and his only aim at that point was to complete the race as best he could. In the end he did not complete exactly the race that he and his Team had hoped for but that?s the way it went today. He crossed the line in thirteenth position. Baiocco and his bike still have eight more races in which to express their potential, having seen highs and lows during the season thus far.

Round ten will take place on 2 August 2015 at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.

Niccol? Canepa: ?I?m so sorry I didn?t achieve the expected result, considering the positive times set during the practices. Unfortunately we had a technical problem in race 1 while in race 2 track conditions changes compared to yesterday and it wasn?t easy to adapt to running the opening laps in the rain, so we suffered there. We?ve worked well this weekend and we had the pace but unfortunately some things happened that we had little control over. Now we look ahead to the next race.?

Matteo Baiocco: ?It?s really a pity that we couldn?t complete the warm-up in the dry and we didn?t need the technical stop in race 1 as it would have given us the chance to set a few things on the bike that I hadn?t previously had the opportunity to do. In race 2 we made some changes that I didn?t like and I really struggled. I finished the race though, trying to score some more championship points. Now we have to prepare well for Sepang so that we arrive there with clearer ideas.?