WSBK-Misano

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Return To Misano For Motivated KRT Riders

The seventh round of the FIM Superbike World Championship offers KRT SBK riders Tom Sykes and Loris Baz more chances of podium success, on the return of the Misano World Circuit to the SBK calendar. KRT SBK Evo rider David Salom aims to win more Evo category races this weekend, as he enjoys the championship lead in this class-within-a-class.

Sykes enters the Misano round 13 points in the lead in the championship fight on his official Ninja ZX-10R and having scored four race wins so far. His most recent race finish was third at the steamy Sepang circuit in early June, despite suffering from painful hand and leg injuries sustained in first race crash, following a mistake from his team mate Loris Baz.

For 21-year-old Frenchman Baz a first race win of 2014 has proved elusive so far, but he has scored five podiums and is currently fourth in the championship fight. Like everyone else in the class he will have to re-learn the Misano layout again after the race was dropped from the calendar in 2013, but he has ridden there on a wide variety of machinery in the past.

In terms of previous Misano circuit experience Sykes has visited the 4.226km track near the Adriatic coast on four previous occasions, all in the Superbike class. Tom has enjoyed two Superpole qualifying successes at the Misano circuit, in 2011 and 2012, and this year he will be out to score his first podium finishes at the twisty Misano layout.

During his single previous SBK class visit to Misano Baz made two race starts in the 2012 season and this prior knowledge will help him find an optimum bike set-up to take on one of the most intense circuits on the SBK calendar.

At Misano David Salom has been a regular rider in different classes and despite the lingering effects of injury to his throttle hand he is out to try and win in the Evo category again, as he did in race one at the previous round in Sepang.

There was no SBK race at Misano in 2013, but it still ranks as one of the most visited tracks in the history of Superbike racing, with fully 42 individual races having been completed there. The most recent layout of the track has seen contests being run in reverse of Misano?s original anti-clockwise direction. This makes for some unique corner approaches on the current layout, particularly from the exit of the Tramonto hairpin through a series of right hand curves, with riders gradually losing speed at each apex on the approach to the tight Carro hairpin.

At Misano the raceday schedule now returns to the norm for a European race in the 2014 season, with the 21-lap Superbike races taking place at 10.30 and 13.10 local time.

The regular rhythm of the 2014 calendar season continues at Portimao in Portugal after the Misano weekend, with raceday on Sunday 6 July.

Tom Sykes: ?Misano, in general, is a circuit with quite a few corners and is built on a smaller scale than some others. Kawasaki and myself have worked hard to develop a Ninja ZX10R that can be competitive on a mixture of circuits. We have proven that. In the combination of myself, the bike and the team I feel confident that we can be competitive anywhere. My hand is slowly improving and we are back on track this weekend, so we will see how we go for the races on Sunday. I will have a good chat with my crew chief Marcel on Thursday at Misano and we will see how I we can arrive at the best possible race scenario on Sunday. Misano is not the most enjoyable layout as a rider because it is very small and there is not so much room to let the Ninja ZX-10R get rolling. It is the same for everybody, however, and I feel have ridden well there in the past. Will try to ride well there once more this weekend.?

Loris Baz: ?I really like the Misano track - even though it is not my favourite one to ride at - simply because I have always felt quite strong there. I am sure we can go well there again because in 2012, the first time I went there with the Superbike, I felt good on the Ninja ZX-10R. I think I was eighth back then in race two, not so long after I had got on the official bike for the first time. I am really looking forward to going to Misano after a disappointing weekend in the previous round at Malaysia. Hopefully we can continue the rest of the year the way we were on the previous weekends. We have start that good work again, get back onto the podium and then take the first win. Misano is totally different from Sepang and I am sure we can go well there because we have been fast from Aragon to Donington, which are very different to each other.?

David Salom: ?In Misano it is always very hot but I am sure it will be better than the heat in Malaysia! There are maybe five or six hard braking areas on the Misano layout, plus many changes of direction, so it is tough track for these aspects. I am feeling OK for the weekend because I have changed my training routine a little recently, to try and help my injured right hand recover. Until recently I was training every day with a motorcycle to try and make it stronger, but when I got to the races it was painful and inflamed. Now I do not use a motorbike for training, I just do cycling or work in the gym, and now the feeling is better. Of course I am happy to be leading the Evo class championship at this stage, by 17 points, but although I get asked about it all the time this is not the way we want to think about it. We just want to concentrate to win the races as they come along because if you win all the races you will win the championship.?

 

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LOWES TOP-6 IN MISANO WSB PRACTICE

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki?s Alex Lowes secured a top-six position at the Misano World Circuit ?Marco Simoncelli? in Italy today after the opening two free practice sessions of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship.

Lowes set his fastest time of 1?36.689 on his 16th lap, after two red flag?s had delayed the afternoon?s second free practice session by almost half-an-hour. The British racer remained in the top-10 for the duration of the day?s two 45 minutes on track after initially completing set-up work with his Yoshimura-powered machine on used tyres. Improvements mid-way through the final session saw him advancing to hold fourth in the closing five minutes before dropping to sixth as the times improved.

Eugene Laverty continued his consistent lap times throughout the afternoon stint after finishing the morning?s track action in seventh; and having also spent the entire session working-on used tyres. Laverty secured ninth-place overall with a time of 1?37.149 and with less than a second separating the top 11 riders the Irishman is confident of his long-term race-pace aboard the Suzuki GSX-R1000, but is looking to further improve in tomorrow?s practice and qualifying sessions.

Blue skies and 30?C temperatures welcomed the championship back to the Adriatic circuit after a year?s break. Two red flag?s caused by technical issues to the Team Hero EBR machine of Aaron Yates and the MV Agusta of Michael Savary delayed the end of the afternoon?s second session - the final 10-minutes getting underway at 16:31hrs local time - with Ducati?s Davide Giugliano taking the fastest lap in the day?s combined times.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki will continue to work on improvements to Lowes and Laverty?s GSX-Rs ahead of Saturday?s final timed free practice session commencing at 09:45hrs local time (08:45BST) with the first Superpole scheduled for 15:00hrs local time (14:00BST).

Alex Lowes:

?I really like the Misano track; it?s a lot of fun. We completed some work on old tyres which felt ok and then made some steps forward towards the end of this afternoon?s session. We have some work still to do tonight to make some improvements for the end of the lap, but I feel good. Now I need to work hard in the final practice tomorrow to make sure we are in a position to challenge for podiums on Sunday!?

Eugene Laverty:

?The position is not where we want to be. Race-pace we are good but we are still lacking the ability to push for one hard lap, we can?t use the grip of the tyre; and it?s something we still need to work on. For the second-half of the race I?m confident but it?s for the first half - and for Superpole tomorrow - that we need to put-in some more work.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?It?s been a good first day?s work for the team and it?s a pleasure to be back in Misano on the Adriatic Coast. The GSX-R is working well at this track and the lap-times are ferociously close amongst the top-10 riders, so it is going to be a question of maximising every-single aspect of the performance that we possibly can overnight and making sure the riders can use the full potential of the bike.

?Alex took a big-step forward towards the end of this afternoon?s session and is right on the pace with the fastest guys. Eugene, as always, showed great consistency, particularly when the tyres had taken a drop, so there are a lot of positives; but at the same time a lot of work to do to improve the level for tomorrow.?

Misano ? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Free Practice combined times: 1. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) 1?36.370: 2. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +0.127: 3. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) +0.130: 4. Chaz Davies (Ducati) +0.266: 5. Loris Baz (Kawasaki) +0.291: 6. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +0.328. 9. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +0.779.

 

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Pata Honda team makes steady Superbike progress at Misano

Pata Honda riders Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam were eighth and eleventh-fastest respectively after today?s two free practice sessions for Sunday?s seventh-round World Superbike championship races at Misano in Italy.

However, while not content with their overall positions on the Friday leaderboard, which was headed by local rider Davide Giugliano, both Pata Honda pilots are quietly satisfied with progress made in today?s two 45-minute sessions.

Rea is 0.6s off Giugliano?s time while Haslam is a further 0.3s away and both British riders are confident of further improvement in tomorrow?s two free practice sessions ahead of Superpole which will determine final grid positions for Sunday?s two 21-lap races at the 4.226km Misano circuit.



Jonathan Rea - P8

After a couple of difficult rounds at Donington and Sepang, we turned up here with some different engine brake strategies. To be honest, we got off to a slow start developing that and getting some base settings into it this morning. Our position of eighth might not reflect it, but we?re actually making quite good progress. I?m starting to feel like I have a bike that I can push again and I think we?ll make some good steps overnight. I?ve given some good feedback to the guys and I?m actually enjoying riding. It?s a shame we?re not closer to the sharp end, but we reduced the gap to the front quite a lot in the heat of that second session and we need to do the same in the morning. I?m satisfied with our work today but we need to keep pushing.


Leon Haslam - P11

This morning?s session wasn?t ideal and we got a bit interrupted with two red flags in this afternoon?s practice when we had a new tyre in the bike. But we found quite a major electronic issue that we couldn?t solve today but it should be quite easy to fix for tomorrow. I?m looking forward to that, even though we?ve still got some way to go. We?re 0.9s off the quickest time and although it?s quite tight we definitely need to make those steps.


Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator

We were quite a bit off with Jonathan?s settings this morning but we made some good steps this afternoon. We?re not there yet, but we?re improving and we have some good plans for tomorrow. We?ve seen some good progress during the day with Leon, too, and he?s not so far away from Jonathan. We?re speaking about some chassis changes for tomorrow and there are some electronics changes required, so we?ll see how those work tomorrow.

 

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Modern Era Superpole King Sykes Turns 21

The Superpole exploits of Tom Sykes became even more legendary during the FIM Superbike World Championship race weekend at Misano as he scored his 21st career Superpole win at new track best pace, equalling Carl Fogarty?s Superpole total in the process.


Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) worked his way to a starting slot in fourth place after Superpole 2 as he found his best pace of the weekend on the second lap riding with a qualifying rear tyre.

David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team SBK Evo) made it to Superpole 1 but was only just unable to make progress into Superpole 2 by one position as he starts the races on Sunday from 13th place on the grid, which equates to a fifth row start.

Sykes scored his second Superpole win of the season on his Ninja ZX-10R, after his first at Motorland Aragon, with a new track best lap of 1?34.883. Tom and his pit crew made set-up changes to his machine to allow for the extra grip and drive allowed by Pirelli?s qualifying tyres. He then rediscovered his often peerless ability to set fast single laps and in taking his latest Superpole victory he is now third equal in the Superpole win rankings.

Sykes has some way to go to reach the all-time SBK pole record of 43, set by one of his racing idols Troy Corser, but Tom now needs five more Superpole wins to go equal second with another SBK former champion, Troy Bayliss, who has 26 poles to his credit.

For Sykes and his team-mate Baz attention now turns to the 21-lap races on Sunday, with Sykes looking to add to his 2014 season total of four wins and Baz looking for his first victory of the season.

Tom Sykes: ?The support from the Italian fans has been fantastic as always. I have been happy with my pace over race distance since the start but I knew it was over one lap that I really needed to attack the circuit. The people around me are very, very special and they were able to adapt the bike so that when we put the Pirelli qualifying tyre in I was able to do well and take Superpole. I was very happy with the character of the bike and I was able to move the bike from one side of the track to the other side of the track and hit each apex as I wanted to. We are always learning and I think we have done a fantastic job. To take the circuit record from one of my racing heroes, and a very, very talented rider like Troy Corser is a very proud moment for me.?

Loris Baz: ?We are not so far off and honestly I knew it was going to be hard in Superpole because since the beginning of the weekend we have been struggling a little bit on new tyres. But in a race simulation this morning I was quite fast at the end, maybe even faster than the beginning, which is the first time I have done that in three years! I knew that with new tyres in Superpole it was going to be a little bit hard so I am happy to go fourth today. I am really confident for the race because our pace looks good.?

David Salom: ?Not too bad but I just missed getting into Superpole 2. In qualifying practice today I had a little problems with our front tyre option and I was 19th, but in free practice I tried a different front tyre choice and my lap times were good. My rhythm was also good. In Superpole I tried hard for just one lap, on my own, so there is a difference if you do not ride with another rider. The most important thing is the lap-by-lap pace for the races on Sunday, and that seems positive.?

 

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LAVERTY POSITIVE FOR MISANO WSB RACES

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki?s Eugene Laverty will start tomorrow?s two eni FIM Superbike World Championship races at the Misano World Circuit ?Marco Simoncelli? in Italy from the third-row, but he is positive for a good result.

After a solid morning?s work in free practice, Laverty was confident in his Yoshimura-powered Suzuki?s race performance, and - having already qualified for the second Superpole session - the Irishman set-about the real task of grid-qualification for the last 15-minute stint. But, after bettering his times, an unexpected issue prevented him from capitalising on his progress. However, his 1?36.043 lap-time saw him rounding-out the third-row.

Team-mate Alex Lowes had a difficult day at the Italian track: Safeguarding his place in Superpole two with his initial free practice performance on-board his GSX-R1000, Lowes? best time of 1?36.489 sees him on the fourth-row in 11th place for the two 21-lap races, but the British racer is determined to challenge come Sunday.

A large Italian crowd and glorious 31?C sunshine greeted qualifying at the Misano Adriatico circuit as Kawasaki?s Tom Sykes stole Superpole with a 1?34.883 - setting a new best lap for the first time since Troy Corser?s lap-record in 2010. Althea?s Niccolo Canepa secured the highest EVO time of the day.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki returns to track-action at 10:30hrs local time (09:30BST) for the first of tomorrow?s two races, with the second outing beginning at 13:10hrs local time (12:10BST).

Eugene Laverty:

?During free practice today we made a big improvement with our race setting and I was much more content. In Superpole we had a problem with corner entry, the bike was skipping and jumping in braking and we have to find-out the reason for that. Our Superpole didn?t go well - third row - but our race-pace is good, so that?s positive for tomorrow!?

Alex Lowes:

?It?s been a difficult day today and we haven?t qualified where we need to be but I?m really enjoying the Misano circuit. We have some work to do overnight before the two races and hopefully I can come back on the Suzuki GSX-R and fight for a good result tomorrow.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?We haven?t found the sweet spot in Superpole in a lot of races this year but today?s result is particularly disappointing because on Eugene?s side we?ve made some good improvements to the bike, but an unexpected problem held us back during the qualifying laps. On Alex?s side there unfortunately haven?t been any improvements since yesterday; in fact the performance-level has gone backwards relative to Friday?s result. We now need to see what we can do to help Alex with the bike, and he needs to do what he can to regain some confidence for tomorrow morning. The races here are quite challenging at 21 laps each, but consistency on used tyres with the GSX-R has been great again this weekend so let?s hope we come good in the second-half of the race and can move up the grid.?

Misano ? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Superpole: 1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 1?34.883: 2. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) +0.196: 3. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) +0.223: 4. Loris Baz (Kawasaki) +0.371: 5. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) +0.433. 9. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +1.160. 11. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +1.606.

 

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Hot work in Misano sun for Pata Honda

Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea will start tomorrow?s two 21-lap seventh-round World Superbike championship races from the third row of the grid after setting the eighth-fastest time in this afternoon?s Superpole session at the Misano World Circuit ?Marco Simoncelli? in Italy.

With air temperatures in the low thirties and the track approaching 50˚C, the 27-year-old British rider fired his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP around the 4.226km Misano circuit in a time of 1m35.675s, 0.8s behind the pole position time of Tom Sykes.

Rea and his Pata Honda team-mate Leon Haslam have been working with their crews to optimise the effect of their CBRs? engine-braking around Misano?s 16 turns but both riders believe that, while good progress has been made, further efforts are required before tomorrow?s races.

Haslam had two slow crashes in the 15-minute Superpole 2 session today and, although the 31-year-old was uninjured, he will start from 12th position on the grid tomorrow.



Jonathan Rea - P8

I?m quite frustrated with this weekend because we thought Misano would be good for us. But when grip levels drop we really seem to struggle with engine brake issues. We?re having to tune the system for each circuit at the moment and don?t really have a good base setting. We haven?t been able to put our finger on the problem because we we?re OK with fresh tyres in the bike. I feel a bit better for the races tomorrow but eighth seems to be where I?ve been all weekend and I don?t want to be riding around for that again tomorrow. We need to engineer ourselves out of this position and try to find balance to get a smoother sensation from closing throttle to the corner apex and to keep the wheels in line. The crash that I had at the end of practice this morning showed the problem clearl y on the data so we know where to concentrate our efforts. We?ve not been getting the best out of the bike this weekend but we?ll go out tomorrow and give it everything.



Leon Haslam - P12

We?ve made some good steps this weekend and there have been some positives. I was only 0.5s off in Free Practice 3 and ended up seventh, but we had a familiar problem with the qualifying tyre, which usually puts a spanner in the works for us. Two crashes during Superpole were certainly not ideal either, especially as I was on target for a 1m35s and probably something around P7. But we?ve had the same problems as Jonathan really, and we?ve been looking for more stability from the bike. We?ve got some work to do this evening for sure, and we?ll try hard for two good results tomorrow.



Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator

Until the time we had to make grid positions in Superpole, Leon had been making quite good progress this weekend. Unfortunately, his setting didn?t really match the grip of his qualifying tyre and he had a couple of small crashes this afternoon, which is disappointing for him. We?ll try to find out more detail on the problem and improve things for tomorrow. For Jonathan, it?s been a little bit like the last couple of races and we?ve been one step behind on the settings. He?s quite close to the front and had to make some progress after FP2 yesterday, so he?s doing a good job. Hopefully, we can get the last couple of problems sorted for warm-up tomorrow and have two good races.

Qualifying position
1 Tom Sykes 1'34.883 GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
2 Davide Giugliano 1'35.079 ITA DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
3 Sylvain Guintoli 1'35.106 FRA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
4 Loris Baz 1'35.254 FRA KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
5 Marco Melandri 1'35.316 ITA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
6 Toni Elias 1'35.404 SPA APRILIA Red Devils Roma
7 Chaz Davies 1'35.602 GBR DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
8 Jonathan Rea 1'35.675 GBR HONDA Pata Honda
9 Eugene Laverty 1'36.043 IRL SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
10 Niccolo Canepa 1'36.404 ITA DUCATI Althea Racing
11 Alex Lowes 1'36.489 GBR SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
12 Leon Haslam 1'36.515 GBR HONDA Pata Honda
13 David Salom 1'36.843 ESP KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
14 Matteo Baiocco 1'36.931 ITA DUCATI Grandi Corse by A.P. Racing
15 Ayrton Badovini 1'37.038 ITA BIMOTA Team Alstare
16 Claudio Corti 1'37.351 ITA MV AGUSTA MV Agusta RC-Yakhnich Motorsport
17 Sylvain Barrier 1'37.499 FRA BMW BMW Motorrad Italia SBK
18 Ivan Goi 1'37.540 ITA DUCATI BARNI Racing Team
19 Sheridan Morais 1'37.807 RSA KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
20 Fabien Foret 1'38.008 FRA KAWASAKI MAHI Racing Team India
21 Christian Iddon 1'38.170 GBR BIMOTA Team Alstare
22 Jeremy Guarnoni 1'38.308 FRA KAWASAKI MRS Kawasaki
23 Riccardo Russo 1'38.402 ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
24 Alessandro Andreozzi 1'38.850 ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
25 Bryan Staring 1'39.412 AUS KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
26 Imre Toth 1'40.270 HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
27 Aaron Yates 1'40.424 USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR
28 Peter Sebestyen 1'40.994 HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
29 Geoff May 1'41.176 USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR

 

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Two Wins For Sykes As KRT Riders Dominate Misano Podiums

Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) grew his career total of WSB wins to 20 today after taking two clear victories in the 21-lap Superbike races at Misano. Each time he headed up his own team-mate Loris Baz by one place in the results on a great day for the official Kawasaki riders. The joy of the KRT team was boundless when David Salom (KRT SBK Evo) won both Evo races at Misano, extending his championship lead in the Evo classification.
In race one Sykes pushed on ahead to lead every lap and although Baz was able to stay close to him for some time Sykes had the pace at the end to win by 5.012 seconds after 21 laps of intense action at the 4.226km Misano circuit.

In the even hotter track conditions of race two Sykes made a harder push to get away and after early leader Davide Giugliano had to take a ride through penalty for jump-starting Sykes made the best of a clear track ahead to ride clear to his second win of the day. Baz was even closer to him in race two than race one and rode with full commitment to keep the highly experienced Marco Melandri behind him on the final laps of the race.

For Sykes his fifth and sixth wins of the year came as a result of his third double win, following his successes at Motorland Aragon and Donington Park. His latest wins came despite painful hand, wrist and leg injuries he carried over from the previous round. Tom left Misano with a Superpole win and new lap record, set in race one, of 1?35.629.

An extended championship lead of 39 points was Sykes? final reward after a tough but truly rewarding weekend in Italy. Kawasaki now leads the Manufacturer's Championship by 22 points.

Only Baz put up a serious challenge to Sykes this weekend and in taking two second places he drew himself to within two points of second place in the championship standings as the championship now enters the second half at the next round in Portugal.

David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team SBK Evo) was on great form in both races to win each Evo class contest outright on his Ninja ZX-10R, and move to an impressive lead of 24 points over the next best rider in the championship after seven of 13 rounds.

The next SBK event takes place at the Portimao circuit in Portugal on Sunday 6th July.

Tom Sykes: ?I am very pleasantly surprised at these results but I knew that the adrenaline and the concentration would give me something extra. I honestly was not expecting to get that much extra but massive credit to all the team. It all went to plan in race one. I knew I had some limitation all weekend and I said that to my crew chief, and what the issues were. After that you need to get on and do the job. We have been working a lot all weekend and we have been fine-tuning the set-up of the Ninja ZX-10R. Finally when it came to crunch time I was able to give that final little bit myself, and I am happy about that. The lap times were quite surprising at the start and I was surprised to keep that pace in race one. The front and rear were moving a lot but the feedback from the bike was fantastic, so I have to thank Marcel and Danilo and all the mechanics who have all worked over time a long time to deal with my fussy requests! In race two it was even more difficult, the bike was moving a lot more and I was over compensating with my left arm. I had to stay focused but at the end the control of the second race was probably a bit more relaxed than in race one.?

Loris Baz: ?I think today Tom was just too fast and I could not go with him in each race. In the first race I thought I could but after ten laps I could see he was faster. I thought I could go fast in the last few laps, but Tom had a great pace and also made a new track record, turning in a 1'35 - a time that no one had done before. In race two Tom was faster from the beginning. I had Marco Melandri behind me in that race and kept him behind. I am really happy to have done that because he tried to pass a few times. We know how experienced he is so I think that is the best race I have ever done. I did not make any mistakes so it was hard for him to overtake me. I am really happy and I cannot wait for the next race at Portimao as I am sure that first win of the season will come pretty soon.?

David Salom: ?We took two race wins at Misano in the Evo class but it was very hard. The end of the first race was perfect for us, we made a good start and in the first laps I followed Canepa and Baiocco but at the end I passed Canepa and pushed hard. I took a good advantage then and I pushed all the way. In race two it was more difficult because some other riders were strong and fast and I had a very good fight. I knew if I pushed very hard at the end I could not be passed before the line. It ended up a very good day for Kawasaki. We have more points in the championship and that is the main thing.?

 

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LAVERTY FIGHTS-BACK INJURY AT MISANO WSB

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki racer Eugene Laverty took a hard-fought-for seventh place at the Misano World Circuit ?Marco Simoncelli? in Italy today in the second of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship races.

Having slipped back in the first race due to a complication with his previous foot injury, Laverty displayed a strong and determined performance for the day?s second outing. He fought with a number of riders and initially dropped to 10th place at the beginning of the afternoon?s contest, but the Irishman dug deep to regain positions, crossing the line in seventh to score a further nine championship points.

Laverty rode a solitary race on his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R for the majority of the first outing, but set his fastest time of the morning?s race on his 17th revolution of the Italian circuit. Having damaged his already injured right foot in the opening laps, he slipped back and considered retiring from the race, but regrouped, adjusting his riding position towards the latter stages and reigniting his race to regain his grid position: Although he was swiftly-closing the gap to Ducati?s Davide Giugliano, Laverty ultimately ran out of laps as the chequered flag was raised, finishing ninth.

Alex Lowes showed impressive pace in both of the day?s races, racing to eighth this afternoon after a crash in the morning?s action. Recording a 1?36.621 on his ninth lap of the opening race, Lowes had been quickly-closing the gap to Honda?s Jonathan Rea for eighth position before a fall at ?Turn 5? on lap 13 saw him leave the fight early.

A difficult start to the second race left the Englishman circulating in 11th but his consistent pace on the Suzuki GSX-R allowed him to challenge the fight for fifth position, claiming seventh by lap 14 and narrowly losing-out to his team-mate at the flag to take the eight points.

Despite an overcast start to the day, race one maintained the weekend?s high temperatures of 29?C with the track already topping 38?C and, as the skies cleared, the afternoon saw track temperatures peak at 44?C. Kawasaki?s Tom Sykes took a double win, with team-mate David Salom reflecting the achievement in the EVO class.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki will continue its championship fight in two weeks? time at the Aut?dromo Internacional do Algarve, Portimao in Portugal on July 6th after a break from racing sees the team attending the Goodwood Festival of Speed from June 27th-29th.

Eugene Laverty:

?That was definitely not the easiest of days! In race one, a few laps in at turn five while I was pushing on the footrest I felt something snap inside my foot. There was a lot of pain and I struggled to ride for the next five laps but I didn?t want to pull in so I just adjusted my foot and for the last five or six laps I was able to ride again and start pushing. For the second race I sought medical attention which allowed me to ride in a different way ? I had to keep my foot in a strange position on the footrest but at least that allowed me to fight and race, because I thought I wouldn?t be able to race again. It?s unfortunate because I thought the foot was coming ok; it?s ok to walk, but to ride the bike the break is exactly at the point I need to push on the footrest and I think I?ve done more damage now than originally. I?ll do my best to be as strong as I can be in Portimao and hope we can get the GSX-R close to the front.?

Alex Lowes:

?I?m really disappointed with the first race, I made a mistake but I was riding quite well. In the second race I did my best and got an eighth place, which I can?t really be happy with but I worked hard. It?s all experience for me, I still need to adjust my riding style for the hot temperatures but it?s my first time here on the Superbike and I felt I held my own. We still have improvements that we need to make both for me and my understanding of the GSX-R and how to get the best from it but I?m looking forward to Portugal. We had a good test there before the season started so hopefully we can continue to improve and come back fighting at Portimao.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?A tough weekend all in all! This championship is so competitive; if you miss just a small percentage of your best performance it makes a good result impossible. Both riders made a huge effort and Eugene did very well to race in the second outing ? he was clearly in a lot of discomfort. We have a good consistency on worn tyres but both riders struggle to use the grip of a new tyre at the start of the race, so this is our biggest focus in terms of improvement.?

Misano ? eni FIM World Superbike Championship ? Race One: 1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 33?46.932: 2. Loris Baz (Kawasaki) +5.012: 3. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) +6.417: 4. Chaz Davies (Ducati) +7.783: 5. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) +16.248. 9. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +26.842. DNF - Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki).

Misano ? eni FIM World Superbike Championship ? Race Two: 1. Sykes 33?55.695: 2. Baz +3.083: 3.Melandri +3.413: 4. Guintoli +5.092: 5. Jonathan Rea (Honda) +18.975. 7. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +20.17. 8. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +20.439.

World Championship Classification: 1. Sykes 251: 2. Guintoli 212: 3. Baz 210: 4. Rea 199: 5. Melandri 179. 9. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) 106. 11. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) 88.