WSBK-Magny-Course

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VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI SET FOR MAGNY-COURS

Four weeks on from its last race, Voltcom Crescent Suzuki travels to France this week as the eni FIM Superbike World Championship returns to the Circuit du Nevers Magny-Cours for 2014?s final battle on European soil.

Delivering two strong sixth-placed finishes in the Jerez races last month, Eugene Laverty is determined to end his Superbike career with a return to the podium on board his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R. Having previously climbed the rostrum three times at the French circuit in recent years, the Irishman is looking to continue his development with the GSX-R1000 for the final two rounds before setting his sights on the GP class for 2015.

With two outings at the Magny-Cours track already under his belt from his early Superstock career, Alex Lowes is hoping his previous knowledge from 2008-9 will allow him to hit the ground running on his return to action during Friday morning?s first free practice session. The Crescent team has been hard at work since Jerez and has a new engine brake control strategy to introduce at the French circuit as well as other smaller updates so Lowes is looking forward to getting to grips with the Ni?vre circuit, believing the Suzuki GSX-R has what it takes to tackle its technical layout.

Originally built in the 1960s and redesigned in 2003, the 4,411 metre-long Circuit du Nevers Magny-Cours has promoted Superbike racing since the early 1990s, with consecutive races being held here since 2003. Located just over 250kms from Paris, the track?s 20 corners test a multitude of disciplines throughout its clockwise revolution including the hard-breaking Adelaide hairpin and Estoril?s smooth and sweeping right-hander.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki begins its track action at 11:45hrs local time (10:45BST) on Friday October 3rd for the first of the weekend?s four free practice sessions. Saturday?s Superpole is scheduled for 15:00hrs (14:00BST) with Sunday?s two races showing at 10:30hrs (09:30BST) and 13:10hrs (12:10BST) respectively.

Eugene Laverty:

"I really expected podium finishes last time out in Jerez so I left feeling very disappointed. We need to find a way to transform our strong pace in practice into race pace. It's no secret that we have struggled to match the others on new tyres and a full tank of fuel and I hope we can make improvements in this area for Magny Cours.

?We've found a much-better clutch-setting though, allowing me to make consistently good starts and that's a huge positive. My aim is to qualify on the front two rows at Magny Cours, make a good start; and then fight with all my might!"

Alex Lowes:

?I?m really looking forward to Magny-Cours, we?ve had an inconsistent few races but we?ve made changes going in to this weekend. It?s a track that I?ve previously ridden which will make a positive difference for this year. The team has made some improvements since Jerez and I can?t wait to get out there, work hard for the final two rounds; and get some results that the team deserve so we can all finish the year on a positive note.?

 

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Penultimate Round Full Of Opportunities For KRT Trio

After a gap of a month the FIM Superbike World Championship will get underway this weekend at a race meeting which could be pivotal for all three KRT riders ? Tom Sykes, Loris Baz and KRT SBK Evo rider David Salom.

For 2013 champion and current series leader Tom Sykes Magny Cours was the place where he just missed out on the championship by half a point in 2012, before he went on to win a double that helped propel him toward champion status at the final round last season. Magny Cours is a favoured circuit for Sykes and one that seems to suit his Ninja ZX-10R even more than most, as he has won three of the last four WSBK races to have been held in France.

With eight race wins already this year ? making a career total of 22 - Sykes will be out to defend his championship lead of 31 points in the best way possible, by setting out to win the races in France.

Magny Cours is the most important race of the season for Loris Baz, and the French rider?s only home venue on the championship trail. He missed the event last year because of injury and is keen to make the best possible showing in front of what is traditionally a strong and enthusiastic crowd. It will also be the final race of the season to be held in Europe, with the championship finale taking place in Qatar in early November.

Like Sykes in the full SBK Class, David Salom is the leader of the Evo category inside the full SBK grid. The Spanish rider has an impressive 41 point lead over his nearest Evo rival and is 12th overall in the combined standings, which include all the SBK competitors. He has made a good recovery after an operation on his long term right hand injury and feels strong for the two 21-lap races this coming Sunday.

At the Magny Cours race the team will feature more prominent sponsorship logos from long time team partner and French oil company ELF.

After Magny Cours there will be a one-month gap before the final races of the year, to be held under floodlights for the first time, at the Losail circuit in Qatar. Raceday will be Sunday 2 November.

Tom Sykes: ?A big weekend coming up and it is potentially getting down towards crunch time. I am very relaxed and yet also excited to go to Magny Cours. It is a circuit we have done very well at in the past so I am looking forward to getting back on my Ninja ZX-10R. Despite scoring a podium in race two at Jerez we had a few issues at the previous round, especially in race one, so I am hoping we can be a lot stronger this time out. At this present time we are in a good championship position with the biggest margin for error. Hopefully we can stretch it a bit more this weekend.?


Loris Baz: ?I am really looking forward to going to Magny Cours, especially because I missed the race last year. It is always a bit special, your home race. I am ready to restart at Magny Cours and even though I did not race there in Superbike last year I know the track very well because I have done two Bol D?Or endurance races. I like the track, the Ninja ZX-10R is going well, so I am sure we can make something really good there. There are always a lot of spectators at this race and it is a little bit special to go there and ride in front of my home fans.?

David Salom: ?I am in a good position in the points table heading to France. It is not a bad circuit at all, especially in fully dry conditions, but it is just not my favourite one of the year. I have a 41-point advantage in the Evo class but in my mind, I am not even thinking about the championship heading to France; I am only thinking about winning the Evo races. I feel good because my hand is now much improved. If not 100% then it is maybe 95%. The doctor said maybe in a month it should be perfect, and the recovery after my operation has been very good.?

 

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Pata Honda ready for WSBK's 2014 European finale

The Pata Honda team is heading for this weekend?s (3-5 October) final European round of the 2014 World Superbike championship season at Magny-Cours in France.

Jonathan Rea, currently sitting in third place in the championship standings, is looking forward to battling with his rivals once more on his Pata Honda CBR1000RR machine and targeting an eighth rostrum finish of the 2014 season having twice visited the Magny-Cours podium in the past.

The 27-year-old British rider is 36 points behind second-placed Sylvain Guintoli and, with the final round scheduled to take place at Losail in Qatar on 2 November, both riders still have a mathematical chance to overhaul leader Tom Sykes, who is a further 31 points ahead of Guintoli.

Similarly, Rea?s Pata Honda team-mate Leon Haslam is intent on maintaining his challenge for improved results. The 31-year-old currently lies in tenth place in the points table but has shown steady progress in the last five races with a string of consistent top eight finishes.

Haslam, who has not enjoyed podium champagne at Magny-Cours since the 2010 season, will be targeting a stronger qualifying performance at the French circuit this weekend in order to mount a sustained challenge for further podium places.

The 4.411km Magny-Cours circuit lies in central France, approximately 260km south of the capital Paris. The scene of James Toseland?s World Superbike championship title victory for Honda in 2007, it features 20 corners - nine lefts and eleven rights - with one of the tightest hairpins (Turn 5) seen on any world championship circuit.

Jonathan Rea:
I?m really excited to be going back to Magny-Cours ? I enjoy the circuit layout a lot and its fast direction changes seem to suit our package really well. We?ve also had some good results there in the past. To be honest, I?m just looking forward to riding the bike again; these long gaps between the last few races of the season are not good or helpful for maintaining any kind of rhythm. I?ve been doing a lot of training on my CRF450R motocrosser, just to keep my levels of concentration as high as possible. Last time out in Jerez we had some really good pace at the end of the races ? probably among the strongest. Now we need to work on getting that pace earlier in the race to allow us to challenge for podiums and wins. But we?ll be starting in Magny-Cours with what we know and concentrate through the weekend on getting the best possible set-up for Sunday.

Leon Haslam:
Yeah, I?m looking forward to getting back on the bike at Magny-Cours this weekend. Another month off since the last race has not been ideal in terms of keeping recent momentum going but it is what is it. I like the circuit and I?ve had some pretty good results there in the past, even though last year?s races were not great. The weather can always play its part at Magny-Cours as well ? it might suit us if it?s wet but, either way, I?m looking forward to getting out there again.



Magny-Cours World Superbike event schedule (local times):

Friday 3 October

11.45-12.30 Free Practice 1

15.30-16.15 Free Practice 2

Saturday 4 October

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 5 October

08.40-08.55 Warm-up

10.30 Race 1 (21 laps, 92.631km)

13.10 Race 2 (21 laps, 92.631km)

 

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PROVISIONAL FRONT ROW FOR LAVERTY AT MAGNY-COURS

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki's Eugene Laverty showed early promise at Magny-Cours today claiming a provisional front-row position in the eni FIM Superbike World Championship?s opening free practice sessions.

Having finished the morning?s initial session fifth, the Irishman continued perfecting the Yoshimura-powered GSX-R's set-up with a consistently strong performance to finish with the day?s second best time of 1'38.138. Laverty is looking to emulate this progress throughout tomorrow to consolidate an advantageous qualifying position for Sunday?s races.

Reacquainting himself with the French track after a five-year absence, Alex Lowes took ninth in the times, with a 1?38.888, at the close of play having circulated in seventh in the earlier session. Initially testing a new engine braking system - developed since the last round at Jerez - the British rider returned to the original settings to enable his continued study of the Nevers circuit and is confident he can maintain his progression into Saturday's qualifying.

An unseasonal summer?s day greeted the fans at the Circuit du Nevers Magny-Cours for the opening track action, with the blue skies providing glorious 26?C temperatures by mid-afternoon. Ducati?s Davide Giugliano topped the times with a 1?37.866 while his satellite compatriot Niccol? Canepa took the early lead in the Evo class.

With Friday?s action complete at Magny-Cours, Voltcom Crescent Suzuki returns to the track at 09:45hrs local time (08:45BST) tomorrow for the last timed-for-qualifying free practice session ahead of Superpole at 15:00hrs local time (14:00BST).

Eugene Laverty:

?It?s been a very positive start to the weekend! I didn?t believe we would be as strong here actually so it?s always nice to surprise yourself. We tried two different types of tyres to try to understand which could be our race tyre, so we are working positively and once again we are focused on getting a good qualifying position, which would be nice.?

Alex Lowes:

?Even though I?ve had one year?s previous experience here five or six years ago now, it was like learning a new track again today. This morning was really good, we had a couple of little set-up issues this afternoon but all-in-all it?s been a pretty good day! It?s nice to be back on the bike after four weeks; Eugene was fast so we know the GSX-R can be competitive, so I?m looking forward to tomorrow.?

Paul Denning - Team Manager:

?Unusually the weather has been perfect at Magny-Cours today which makes it a very nice circuit to be at. The layout of the track is not particularly flowing and we didn?t expect it to really suit the GSX-R but Eugene?s excellent lap times and consistency today have put an end to that theory. The bike has clearly got good potential here, as always the small details will make a big difference come race day and for Alex the most important thing now is time on the track. He has virtually no experience here and it?s a tricky place so his performance today, especially considering we had some electronic settings issues which didn?t make the job easy this afternoon, also looks really positive for the rest of the weekend.?

Magny-Cours ? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Free Practice Combined Times: 1. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) 1?37.866: 2. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +0.272: 3. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) +0.286: 4. Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.291: 5. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) +0.585: 9. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki +1.022.

 

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Rea fourth in opening salvos at Magny-Cours

Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea set the fourth-fastest combined lap time in today?s opening free practice sessions at Magny-Cours in France in preparation for Sunday?s two 11th-round World Superbike championship races.

The British rider took his Pata Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP around the 4.411km circuit in a time of 1m38.157s, just 0.2s off the provisional pole time of Italian Davide Guigliano.

Rea?s Pata Honda team-mate, Leon Haslam, was fourth fastest himself in this morning?s first free practice but the 31-year-old could only marginally improve his time this afternoon and ended the day in tenth place overall.



Haslam will have an opportunity to improve his position in tomorrow?s third free practice session ahead of the afternoon Superpole which will determine the grid for Sunday?s two 21-lap races at Magny-Cours.

Jonathan Rea - P4, 1m38.157s

I?m quite satisfied with our day to be honest, although we had a couple of problems. We got off to a steady start in the first session but had a bit of a misunderstanding over the direction we wanted to go, which lost us a bit of time. But during the break the guys worked well, especially in the electronics area where we made a lot of improvements. This afternoon I was able to do a run and got into a rhythm and went steadily faster. When I tried with the new tyre at the end I was feeling really, really good, but I made some mistakes on the lap so it was frustrating that the lap time wasn?t better. But the bike is really user-friendly here and it?s important to have a bike that you can race hard for 21 laps at Magny-Cours. We?ve got a good base setting now that we should be able just to fine-tune t o aim for the front row tomorrow.

Leon Haslam - P10, 1m39.040s

I was quite happy with this morning. We had to try a few things and needed to work on some other settings. This afternoon we had a little bit of a problem but I think we know what it is and how to work on it so we can start again tomorrow. I was P4 this morning and felt pretty confident with what we were doing. Unfortunately this afternoon we couldn?t make any improvement but we found the issue, which should allow us to make a good step tomorrow.

Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator

We didn?t have a smooth session with Jonathan this morning and we lost a lot of time which meant that our plan to do a lot of laps didn?t work out. Fortunately, things turned around quite a bit this afternoon and we managed to improve the settings and rideability. This brought him fourth place and he?s really close to the front runners so he?s happy with that. It was a little bit of the opposite with Leon because he was close to the front in fourth this morning and it looked really promising. In the afternoon it came to a bit of a standstill and he just managed to do the same lap time as this morning. We?ll have to look at why we went in the wrong direction and improve that for tomorrow.

 

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A HARD DAY'S WORK AND GOOD SENSATIONS ON THE FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE FOR BOTH GUINTOLI AND MELANDRI

Magny-Cours (France), Friday 3 October 2014 - A usual hard day's work. The first day of practice at Magny-Cours on Friday followed the same tried and true script for the Aprilia Racing Team.

The most important note is that both Guintoli and Melandri seem to be on the right path to preparing their official RSV4s for the penultimate round of World Superbike on the French track. The intention is to pick up where they left off at the last race in Jerez, made unforgettable by Melandri's double win and the two second place finishes Guintoli brought home.

One can never pass judgement on Friday, but the stopwatch also comforted the riders' good feelings.

Sylvain Guintoli, whose objective is to continue gaining points on current leader Sykes, was fastest on the track in the morning session. In the afternoon, although finishing third in the combined standings, he expressed his satisfaction in the changes that were tested.

Sylvain Guintoli: ?We did a lot of work with the races in mind today. Tomorrow we'll focus on improving further but we are already pretty well set for pace. As I said before, I like this track and I like riding my RSV4 here. We'll keep working on a dry track setup and if the situation changes on Sunday we'll have to adapt. The good thing is that most of the riders seem like they'll be able to be fast, so hopefully that will give us a hand?.

Marco Melandri's impressions were fairly similar. The rider from Ravenna is in excellent shape with 6 wins out of the last 10 rounds and coming off the double win in Andalusia. Third in the morning session, he finished fifth in the afternoon but improved his time. However, he is also convinced that what counts today is the work done with the races in mind.

Marco Melandri: ?All told it was a good day for us, definitely difficult but in the end we were able to find the right direction. Looking at the times the situation seems encouraging for us, but I'm sure that some of our adversaries were holding their cards close to their chests in the last run. Tomorrow we'll keep working on pace. Magny-Cours is a track where I have never been able to take home a good result for various reasons, so I would really like to vindicate myself?.



FRIDAY ? COMBINED STANDINGS

1. Giugliano (Ducati)1?37.866

2. Laverty (Suzuki) 1?38.138

3. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1?38.152

4. Rea (Honda) 1?38.157

5. Melandri (Aprilia) 1?38.451

6. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1?38.518

7. Baz (Kawasaki) 1?38.647

8. Davies (Ducati) 1?38.747

9. Lowes (Suzuki)1?38.888

10. Haslam (Honda)1?39.040

 

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Sykes Scores Superpole Five Of The Season

Superpole qualifying at Magny Cours delivered Tom Sykes (KRT) his fifth Superpole of the year and the 24th of his career. He will now lead the field off the line in Sunday?s two 21-lap races. Loris Baz (KRT) was seventh and KRT SBK Evo rider David Salom 17th after Superpole One.

Sykes overcame a slow speed fall in the final free qualifying session to go out in the second Superpole session and take a convincing pre-race win, and at new track best pace on his Ninja ZX-10R. The English rider set a 1?36.366 to beat his own previous record set in 2012. He secured his fifth pole of the year in confident fashion, with the next best rider 0.227 seconds back.

Already the third best rider in pre-race qualifying over the history of the SBK championship Sykes took a 24th career Superpole win today, which means he is now only two away from equalling the tally of SBK legend Troy Bayliss. Tom has also taken pole at four of the last five races this year.

Tom now has a clear track ahead of him for Sunday?s races, which may be important if there is changeable weather conditions after the first two days proved dry and relatively warm.

Baz had to compete in Superpole one after finishing outside the top ten in regulation qualifying. He posted the fastest time in Superpole One and therefore moved straight into Superpole Two, to join Sykes. Loris found some pace in that final session to go seventh overall and earn a starting position at the front of the third row.

David Salom hurt his recently injured right hand and wrist after a violent weave exiting the final chicane in free practice this afternoon. Despite the pain he batted hard to get out of Superpole One and he ended up seventh. He will therefore start the races on Sunday from 17th place on the grid, on the sixth row.

Tom Sykes: ?I always ride a little bit reserved with a race tyre in Superpole, especially with the one bike rule in place. My target today was very clear, however. It is always to get onto the front row at every race, but today I wanted to go for full glory. As soon as I put the qualifying tyre in the Ninja ZX-10R was working brilliantly. All of a sudden we were able to put the bike where we wanted on the track a bit more easily and the new best lap time came relatively nicely. I was pushing, of course, and the bike was moving, but at the same time it was working well. Because of that I am very happy.?

Loris Baz: ?We improved a lot from the early part of practice and for Superpole Two we could have had a good performance. It could have maybe been P3 or P4, but I seemed to be losing everything in one corner. We have to see if we can make something with the electronics because we are just missing power in that one point. It is not too bad and for the race it should be OK if we can find something for this corner. With this improvement we could fight for the podium at my home race.?

David Salom: ?I tried to advance from Superpole One using some painkillers but it was too much for my hand and it was not possible push more than one or two laps. Tomorrow may be very difficult but I will have more checks later and we will see how things are in the morning.?

 

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LOWES LEADS VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI WSB CHALLENGE



Voltcom Crescent Suzuki?s Alex Lowes leads the team?s charge for tomorrow?s

two eni FIM Superbike World Championship races after seizing eighth position in today?s Superpole shoot-out at Magny-Cours in France.

A determined Lowes ? who has consistently improved across the weekend - consolidated his third-row grid position with a 1?37.270, less-than four-tenths from the front row and is confident he can deliver in tomorrow?s two races at the Circuit de Nevers.

Eugene Laverty completes the third row, setting a 1?37.407 to claim ninth place. The Irishman struggled to fully-realise the promise shown throughout the weekend?s free practices, but is looking forward to Sunday?s battles.

A misty start delayed the morning?s proceedings at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, with the opening session seeing a 24?C cooler track than the afternoon?s Superpole. Kawasaki?s Tom Sykes recorded the circuit?s best lap to claim the pole position with a time of 1?36.366, with BMW?s Sylvain Barrier qualifying top of the EVO Class.

With considerably-cooler conditions forecast for tomorrow, Sunday?s race action gets underway at 10:30hrs local time (09:30BST) with the second outing scheduled for 13:10hrs (12:10BST).

Alex Lowes:

?Obviously my goal was to get on the first two rows of the grid. That didn?t quite happen but it was really close! If I had just gone one tenth-faster we would have been in the top-five, so we?re not too far away; now we are just trying to find that last little bit. I feel like my confidence is improving all the time, I?m enjoying riding my bike again and if I can have two solid races tomorrow I should be quite happy. We normally race a lot better than we qualify and I don?t want to be too greedy; a couple of top-sixes would be nice! Thanks to everyone for working hard on the bike, we?ve made some good improvements, a difficult free practice fourth-session; but we?ve come back well in qualifying.?

Eugene Laverty:

?Superpole was really disappointing to be on the third row. We?ve had better-pace all through practice, on used tyres as always we are fast, and then struggled for the outright lap in Superpole. It makes it difficult for us tomorrow but on race tyres as usual we are fast so we have got to try for a good start, but it?s going to be difficult from the third row.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?We?ve had a solid day today in general at Magny-Cours, with Eugene in particular very, very fast on used tyres in the final free practice session before qualifying but unfortunately for him Superpole was simply a disappointment. He couldn?t find the step in the soft tyre that he wanted. However, we still have to look at the positives in the race-pace on used tyres and irrespective of the weather tomorrow I?m sure Eugene will be somewhere very close to the front.

?Qualifying was a very good-step forward for Alex, and even though eighth position wasn?t the target, he is within less-than-a-tenth of fifth position and both factory Aprilia?s, so put in that context - it really is a very good result. Alex has been working hard all weekend with virtually no experience of the track and has done a great job so far. The lap-times are very close round here and I think there will be two very exciting races tomorrow irrespective of the weather.?

Magny-Cours? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Superpole: 1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 1?36.366: 2. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) +0.227: 3. Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.540: 4. Chaz Davies (Ducati) +0.655: 5. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) +0.818: 8. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +0.904: 9. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +1.041.

 

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French front row for Rea

Pata Honda?s Jonathan Rea will start tomorrow?s two eleventh-round World Superbike championship races from the front row of the grid after setting the third fastest time in this afternoon?s Superpole at Magny-Cours in France.

On the second lap with his Pirelli qualifying tyre, the 27-year-old Northern Irishman fired his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP around the 4.411km Magny-Cours circuit in a time of 1m36.906s, just 0.3s off the pole position time of Tom Sykes.

Rea will line up on the inside of the front row, next to Italian Davide Giugliano, who was second fastest today, as the World Superbike field embarks on two 21-lap races at the French circuit.

Leon Haslam, Rea?s Pata Honda team-mate, was unable to extract the best performance from his qualifying tyre and will start from the fourth row for tomorrow?s races, which go at 10.30 and 13.10 CET.

Jonathan Rea - P3, 1m36.906s

I?m really satisfied with our work because the team has given me a great package here that I can ride really hard. I feel that in the race we?re more prepared because the CBR is quite easy to ride and changing direction here is really good. We?ve been working on acceleration and maximising the power where we need it and also taking some away where it?s maybe too much. In Superpole I made a small mistake on my first lap with the qualifier and ran into the first turn too quickly which ruined the lap. I tried to give it a good go on the second lap and was able to finish on the front row. It gives me an opportunity for a good start and my starts have been really good this year. It?s very important to be on the front row because the hairpin is a big bottleneck for the riders on the first lap. Hop efully I can be at the front of that and set myself up for a good rhythm in the races.

Leon Haslam - P10, 1m37.575s

It?s not been an ideal afternoon, although we went a little bit quicker on the qualifying tyre. But I came across a few issues when we added a bit of grip to the bike. I?m feeling quite confident for the race though, because I feel we?ve got a good direction. It?s looking like it might rain, too, which could put another spanner in the works! I?m feeling good for tomorrow and we?ll see what it brings.


Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator

We?ve been changing a few settings with Leon and not quite getting it right and, as a result, he hasn?t really been able to get a feeling or a rhythm with the set-up of the bike, how it is and what it can do. I think in the end this has caught him out a little bit and left him in tenth place. It?s all close, though, and a few tenths here and there could put you seventh or sixth. We?ll see what we can do in warm-up and give him the best bike possible for the races. Jonathan had a good day with third and a front row start. That?s perfect for us and his race setting is really good. It might even be wet in race one but we?ll see what happens. Either way, we?re ready to race.

 

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GUINTOLI AND MELANDRI WILL START FROM THE SECOND ROW IN THE RACES TOMORROW

Magny-Cours (France), 4 October 2014 - Marco Melandri and Sylvain Guintoli went into the session that decides the starting grid order with high expectations, encouraged by their excellent performance in all the free practice sessions where the two Aprilia Racing standard bearers were consistently in the top part of the standings.

In Superpole neither of them were able to fully capitalise on their qualifying tyres but the placement (fifth for Guintoli and sixth for Melandri) will have them starting tomorrow from the second row. This is a situation that leaves them among the protagonists for the races on French soil, especially considering the excellent race pace they have demonstrated throughout the weekend.

Sylvain Guintoli: ?I couldn't find the right feeling with the qualifying tyre which is odd because usually that is a situation where I feel quite comfortable. Today the bike was performing better in race conditions. But it isn't a problem. The important thing will be staying out front right from the first few metres of the race?.

Marco Melandri: ?I was expecting a bit more from Superpole but we are in good shape for the race. We'll have to get off to a good start and not let anybody run away at the front. And let's hope the weather doesn't mess up our plans?.

 

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TOUGH MAGNY-COURS FOR VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI

A dramatically different Magny-Cours greeted Voltcom Crescent Suzuki for the eni FIM Superbike World Championship?s penultimate round today as torrential rain caused chaos on the track.

A strong performance from Eugene Laverty on his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R saw the Irishman running sixth for the majority of race two before a crash at turn seven on the 14th lap brought an end to proceedings. Despite an early crash on lap four of the previous race, Laverty re-joined, hoping the conditions would prove advantageous to salvage points but a frustrating race saw him finish 19th.

Having progressed well throughout the weekend, Alex Lowes retired his Suzuki machine on the second lap of the opening race after succumbing to the conditions early in the morning?s warm-up. The British rider was equally unlucky in the afternoon encounter, a lack of grip resulting in his fall at turn 12 at the end of lap two.

Persistent rain created treacherous conditions at the Circuit de Nevers, with 21 crashes during the day?s three Superbike sessions and less than half the field completing the second race alone. Aprilia?s Sylvain Guintoli and Marco Melandri shared the day?s victories, with BMW?s Sylvain Barrier and Ducati?s Niccol? Canepa dividing the EVO wins.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki now leaves mainland Europe to prepare for the final round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship taking place at the Losail International Circuit, in Qatar, in four weeks? time.

Eugene Laverty:

?Two non-finishes today in wet conditions really wasn?t part of the plan. It seems that whenever I crash in race one this year I follow it up with another crash in race two! I never give in though, and I?m determined to finish the season on a high note.?

Alex Lowes:

?I?m really disappointed with today. We showed a lot of potential in qualifying yesterday and I had good pace in the wet this morning but the lack of grip in these conditions, and my lack of experience at Magny-Cours in the wet, cost us. There?s not a lot to take from today but we will come back fighting in Qatar.?


Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?Very difficult to say anything after a day like today - four races, three crashes and one technical non-finish. I don?t think there is any hiding away from the disappointment of today?s result - in particular Alex has been so competitive in the wet on this bike and until the crash in warm-up was showing that same potential. The Magny-Cours track is like ice in low temperatures and wet conditions, and we didn?t have the package or the luck today to achieve what we should have done, but both the riders are physically completely ok. We will put today behind us, draw from some of the good work across the rest of the weekend and look forward to finishing the season on a high in Qatar.?


Magny-Cours ? eni FIM World Superbike Championship ? Race One: 1. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) 36?45.206: 2. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) +2.257: 3. Jonathan Rea (Honda) +5.954: 4. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +15.670: 5. Loris Baz (Kawasaki) +16.149: 19. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +2 laps: DNF Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki).

Magny-Cours ? eni FIM World Superbike Championship ? Race Two: 1. Melandri 36?25.402: 2. Guintoli +2.669: 3. Leon Haslam (Honda) +16.450: 4. Sykes +20.759: 5. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) +46.689: DNF Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki). DNF Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki).

World Championship Classification: 1. Sykes 378: 2. Guintoli 366: 3. Melandri 312: 4. Rea 301: 5. Baz 282: 9. Eugene Laverty 154: 11. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) 126.

 

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Sykes Still In The Lead After Wet French Round

In the penultimate FIM Superbike World Championship round KRT Rider Tom Sykes battled to two fourth place finishes and kept his championship lead in the process, despite losing some of his points advantage. Loris Baz (KRT) placed fifth and then seventh at his home round while KRT SBK Evo rider David Salom did not ride today, to rest his injured right hand in time to be fully ready for the final round.

Tom Sykes knew his raceday would present challenges after it dawned wet but he battled strongly to take two fourth places on his Ninja ZX-10R and leave with a 12-point advantage to take to the final round.

Starting from pole after a record-breaking track best lap on Saturday Sykes could not stay in the pace of his main championship rivals but his two fourth places mean he is still in the most enviable position of all with one round and two races to go.

The track proved slippery for all after two days of dry and often warm weather and for Loris Baz, French rider?s home venue did not offer him the results he expected. In race one he looked like he would finish on the podium at one stage but he eventually slowed to finish fifth.

His seventh in race two was disappointing as he expected an even better set-up after his first race wet weather experiences, but it was not to be and he worked hard to score useful points. Loris is now in a safe fifth in the championship table, with the possibility of finishing overall fourth if he has two strong races at the final round.

Despite not electing to ride in either of the 19-lap wet races at Magny Cours David Salom lost little in the championship fight inside the Evo category. Now 12th in the overall SBK rankings, David is 30 points ahead of his nearest Evo rival with one round and two races to go.

The final races of the season will take place at Losail in Qatar, on Sunday 2 November.

Tom Sykes: ?In race one that was the limit. I wanted to go faster but unfortunately we have had some limitations for some time in wet conditions and we cannot just quite get to where we need to be. For race two we were also restricted by conditions. It was a big shame because we know I can go much, much faster. Given the conditions these results are better than I expected, so there is one bonus. I wanted to fight with Sylvain and win the race but first I needed to finish the race. It could have been a lot worse but it could have been better. We are still in the best position in the championship so we need to go to Qatar and hopefully it lives up to its reputation as a desert and we will come out swinging.?

Loris Baz: ?In race one at one stage I felt I was able to win the race and it was easy on the bike but from one lap to another we lost a lot of grip. It was like the bike had changed in just one lap. Maybe the water was running off the track and maybe the tyre got too warm. On every right corner I was losing the rear. We changed nearly nothing for race two just a little thing on the rear but I could not do anything more and I ended up just waiting for the end of the race. Even going out of the pitlane it just felt strange and not so good. After race one I thought we could run in a good way but we were just struggling a little again. We do not understand because we used to be really good in the wet. I hope we find some more luck and finish the season strongly in Qatar.?

David Salom: ?I think it was possible to ride today with painkillers but it would have been too dangerous. When I am in good condition in the rain it is already difficult for me so with this injury it was a risk we did not need to take, especially with the championship position the way it is. I will go to the doctor who made the operation when I get back tomorrow, so he will be able to see what has happened here. Now we have almost one month until Qatar to be ready to race there.?

 

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YET ANOTHER DOUBLE ONE-TWO IN BOTH FRENCH RACES FOR THE APRILIA RSV4s

GUINTOLI WINS RACE 1 WITH MELANDRI SECOND, MELANDRI FIRST AND GUINTOLI SECOND IN RACE 2

APRILIA LEADS THE MANUFACTURER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

GUINTOLI MAKES UP MORE POINTS AND IS NOW JUST 12 POINTS FROM THE RIDER CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD

Magny-Cours (France), 5 October 2014 - The Aprilia RSV4s are proving to be unbeatable in this final phase of the 2014 World SBK season. On the French track at Magny-Cours Guintoli and Melandri divided the spoils with one win each, also taking turns on the second step of the podium in both races. This is a one-two that rekindles Guintoli's ambitions in the Rider Championship. The teams will now go to the Qatar round with just 12 points separating Guintoli from championship leader Sykes.

With this exciting season finale Aprilia has stepped over Kawasaki and now leads the Manufacturer World Championship with a 23 point advantage in demonstration of the RSV4's domination on the track.

The script for the two French races, wet and characterised by a lot of crashes, was very similar. The Aprilia RSV4s and their riders demonstrated a crushing superiority - as occurred on a dry track at the previous round in Jerez.

In both races Guintoli was the one to do away with the niceties and break away at the front.

Only Melandri was able to leave the pack behind to join his runaway team mate, demonstrating his ability to win already in the first part. Guintoli's victory in Race 1 allowed the rider from across the Alps to earn some precious points in terms of the world championship. In Race 2 Marco, after catching up and taking the lead from his team mate, built up a clear advantage, going on to win his sixth race of the 2014 season. With the second place finish Guintoli made up some very important points on Sykes, continuing his exciting comeback which takes him to just 12 points from the top spot going into the final round at Qatar.

Aprilia Racing Manager, Romano Albesiano: ?The results of the last few races are extraordinary - five wins out of six which have taken us into the lead in the Manufacturer standings and placed us in the best possible conditions to attack the leadership in the Rider championship. This is further proof of Aprilia's value and the absolute competitiveness of our RSV4, a project that continues to be victorious four years from its inception with five World Titles under its belt. We'll be going to Qatar to sell our lives dearly?.

Sylvain Guintoli: ?This was a great weekend for the Team. We are definitely back in the running for the Championship. When I saw the weather forecast yesterday evening I immediately thought that this would be a good opportunity to get some important points. I took a few risks at the beginning of the races and then, once I had created a good gap, I concentrated on staying focused to avoid any pointless risks and to take home the best possible result. I'm very happy but I am already thinking about Qatar, where the championship will be decided. It is a track that I know well and that I like and I think it will suit the RSV4 well. I wish we were racing tomorrow!?.

Marco Melandri: ?Today we did a great job. The bike was fantastic and I was able to confirm my performance in Jerez. Sylvain was very fast and in the first laps it was difficult to overtake, but we created a good gap in front of our rivals straight way. The win in Race 2 is fair compensation for my efforts and those of the Team, and on top of that it put me in third place in the standings. I have demonstrated a good pace from the halfway point of the season, so now we'll see how things go in Qatar?.

 

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Haslam back to the podium with Pata Honda

Leon Haslam took his first podium for the Pata Honda team - his 29th in total - in the second of today?s two wet eleventh round World Superbike championship races at Magny-Cours in France.

The 31-year-old British rider, who finished sixth in the first 19-lap race at the 4.411km French circuit, made some positive changes to his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade for race two, in which he engaged in a prolonged battle with reigning world champion Tom Sykes.

Having caught Sykes with seven laps to go, Haslam tried everything to get by, eventually riding around the outside of his rival at turn seven with two laps remaining to take a fantastic podium for him and his team.

It was the team?s second podium of the day after Jonathan Rea finished third in race one. Having taken an early lead, Rea found it difficult to apply his CBR?s power to the slippery Magny-Cours circuit and the 27-year-old dropped behind eventual race winner Sylvain Guintoli and second-placed Marco Melandri.

Rea stormed into the lead again in the early laps of race two and had settled into a comfortable rhythm before becoming one of no fewer than 13 riders caught out by the treacherous Magny-Cours surface and crashing out unhurt at turn seven.

The World Superbike championship now breaks for four weeks before the final round of the series at the Losail circuit in Qatar on 2 November.



Leon Haslam - 6th and 3rd

It?s been a tough two seasons, with a leg break last year and a few other problems I?ve been having, so a big thanks to the team, to Pata and to Honda who?ve stood by me. I?ve managed to repay them with a podium so I?m over the moon. We had our share of issues over the weekend, first in Superpole and in the second part of race one when I lost all straight line grip. But the boys made some changes for race two and it was definitely a step forward, although I still suffered a bit in the same area. It was also quite difficult starting from the fourth row of the grid because I couldn?t really see anything for the first few laps. By the time I got past a few guys the leaders had already gone. But I was really happy to beat Tom in the end ? it was one thing getting to him but qui te another getting by. I passed him the first time on the brakes but started wheel-spinning and lost all my drive. I felt that I had a lot better pace than him but he was being really defensive. I lost both wheels trying to go outside him at turn three and then tried again at the hairpin and ran wide. I was running out of laps though so to get by him and then open a gap made me quite happy. We can go to Doha in a month?s time a little happier now.



Jonathan Rea - 3rd and DNF

It?s been a day of two halves really. Race one went OK although I really struggled with the power character in the wet today. It seems like Magny-Cours has just got really slippery in recent years and today?s conditions really highlighted that problem. It was satisfying to get on the podium but I wanted to give a little bit more to try and win. So for race two my team gave me some good changes but we didn?t quite solve the problem. I was still struggling in some areas but I was able to get to the front and this time just stay in a really good rhythm. Unfortunately, from the data we can see that, in turn five and six, I went through on a closed throttle as opposed to partially opened, and that was enough to have the engine braking kick in and bring the rear round. It came round so fast, I had no chance t o save it and it?s frustrating to get my first DNF of the year. One of my main targets was to finish all races this season but, speaking to the team?s technical co-ordinator and my crew chief, the target was to get to the front and go for the win this afternoon. I crashed at the front trying to win the race so I can?t be too hard on myself.



Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator

We were relatively fast with both guys in warm-up this morning but the pace in race one was a lot faster which threw up a couple of settings issues. Jonathan got a satisfying podium in race one, while Leon had to fight back from a slow start which left him quite a gap so he ended up sixth. We changed the settings for both guys in race two and we improved. This was clear when Jonathan took off and held on to the lead for the first half of the race. Unfortunately he pushed a little too hard and crashed out but this can happen when you give it all to go for the win. Leon had a much better start in race two and that put him in a position to fight for the places that matter. He was racing with Sykes for a long time, fighting for third and in a great manoeuvre he took that final podium place. We are all so happy for him and hi s team that he got finally there. It?s been a tough couple of seasons and I?m really pleased for them all.