WSBK-Philip Island

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VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI SET FOR WSB OPENER


Team Suzuki Press Office ? February 20.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki prepares to line up at Philip Island in Australia this weekend in a positive mind-set as the team embarks on the opening round of the 2014 eni FIM Superbike World Championship.

Eugene Laverty and Alex Lowes head into the weekend buoyant after a successful two-day test at the Australian track earlier this week. Completing the test second and third overall, both racers are eager to come out fighting for the season's inaugural race on Sunday February 23rd.

Laverty has a flourishing history with Phillip Island ? taking two podiums on his last outing here, the second of which saw him victorious - and is aiming to continue his form this weekend on his new Yoshimura-powered machine. Lowes, a rookie to the championship, is looking to start his season strong after gelling well with the Suzuki GSX-R1000 in pre-season testing. Both racers are hoping to capitalise on their positive showings in the official test to kick-off the 2014 championship as serious contenders.

A favourite among many world-class racers, Phillip Island is a demanding, fast and flowing 4,445m circuit. Set on the cliffs overlooking the spectacular Bass Coastline, the 12 high-speed corners and 900m final straight test the riders to their limits throughout, with the changeable weather and strong costal winds increasing the challenge.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki takes to the track for the first of this weekend?s three qualifying practice sessions at 11:45 local time (00.45 GMT) on Friday as it begins the 2014 eni FIM Superbike World Championship, in readiness for Sunday?s two races which are scheduled to get underway at 12.00hrs local time (01.00hrs GMT) and 14.40hrs local time (03.40hrs GMT).

Eugene Laverty:

?We have had two good days testing here with the team so far and it would be nice to start the season strong. I have a good history with the track having won here last year but having moved manufacturers I wasn?t expecting to be as fast as I was on Monday straight away.

?It?s Sunday that is important so I?m looking to concentrate on some long runs in practice over the next two days and work on my race pace with the Suzuki GSX-R for the opening round. It would be a dream come true to win again here but the competition is so high I?m not taking anything for granted.?

Alex Lowes:

?I?m really looking forward to this weekend. Obviously it is my first race with the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki team and I?m a little bit nervous, but only because I want to do well and I think we have a chance of fighting at the front. I?ve never competed in a flyaway race before so it?s all new to me but I love the track and I?m thoroughly enjoying the whole experience. I?m looking to improve further over the practice sessions and see how we get on at the weekend.?

 

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Friday, 21 Feb. Free practice SBK

MV Agusta Reparto Corse - YAKHNICH MOTORSPORT

Phillip Island, Australia

Stage 1

Superbike

21-23 February 2014

A lot of riders of the top class as well as members of the Supersport also preferred to stay in boxes during the first Friday session. During the second session the work in MV Agusta Reparto Corse ? YAKHNICH MOTORSPORT Superbike box didn?t stop. Corti?s crew experimented with the geometry of the bike to make tyres work better.

Claudio Corti: ?It?s very hard session. We are still moving forward. We are not searching for one fast lap, we try to be fast during all race. We need a combined solution, we have good achievement. Now we need to unite everything. Even though the wind is the same for everybody, still gives a lot of trouble. I?m an optimist. I know tomorrow will be better!

 

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Alex Lowes ends Day 1 on top at the Island
Friday, 21 February 2014 06:02


The Brit ahead of Marco Melandri for only a fraction of a second.

Only 37 thousands of a second separated Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) and Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) at the end of second free practice for the eni FIM Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island. Following a wet morning session that saw only few riders taking to the track, the whole field made the most of the near perfect conditions to continue their preparation for the debut races of the year. Rookie sensation Lowes started off well by moving on top of the classification and kept the lead as the session progressed, followed by team mate Eugene Laverty.

As the on track action moved into the final stages, Melandri elevated himself to second ahead of fellow Italian Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), who also climbed up the timings in the late stages. The reigning Champion had an off track moment before regrouping to put in his session best, whilst on the other hand team mate Loris Baz suffered his third crash of the week, fortunately unhurt. The young Frenchman finished eighth behind Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike), who was seventh, Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), who dropped to sixth and Haslam's team mate Jonathan Rea, who eventually climbed to fifth in the final minutes.

Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team) suffered a spectacular high side at turn 9 and was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks. Race 1 winner last year Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) rounded out the top 10.

A three way battle for twelfth place involved EVO riders Niccol?Canepa (Althea Racing Team Ducati), Fabien Foret (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki) and David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team), with Italian Canepa coming out on top to lead the EVO field.

World Superbike action will resume tomorrow morning for the third free practice session and the last chance for all riders to make it into the first Tissot-Superpole of the year.

 

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LOWES FASTEST IN WORLD SUPERBIKE DEBUT


Team Suzuki Press Office ? February 21.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki racer Alex Lowes attacked his inaugural outing on the World Superbike stage at Phillip Island in Australia today with the same panache that saw him become British Champion last year by taking the top spot in the second free practice session.

Changeable conditions saw only a handful of riders briefly take to the track in this morning?s free practice, with the majority opting to wait for the afternoon session before setting a hot lap in the new timed format. Lowes quickly found his form, setting his fastest lap of 1?31.100, less than half-way through the session. The consistency shown by the Englishman continued as he set seven of 20 laps all under the 1?32 barrier.

Eugene Laverty, electing largely to use the track time to work on rear tyre evaluation, swiftly followed his team-mate to the top of the timesheets. He set a time of 1?31.448 a few minutes after Lowes - the second fastest time of the day at the midway point - and the Yoshimura-powered racers continued to hold the top-two positions for the majority of the session.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki will now evaluate this afternoon?s data in a bid to capitalise on the current form ahead of tomorrow?s final timed qualifying practice at 09:45 local time (22:45 GMT) and the new-style eni FIM Superbike World Championship Superpole sessions commencing at 15:00 local time (04:00 GMT).

Alex Lowes:

?Today was good. The wind was really bad and affecting the bike a lot, but we still made some progress in certain areas. I?m looking forward to going out tomorrow and confirming that it is definitely better when the weather?s more favourable. I really like Phillip Island; when a track is as windy as it?s been today it is hard to enjoy it, but I think it?s a great track, and I?m looking forward to the racing here. I still need to work hard to see if we can be in a good position for tomorrow and the race on Sunday, we have a lot of refinements still to do with the electronics and the suspension so we?ll put our heads together tonight and see what we can improve for tomorrow. ?

Eugene Laverty:

?The weather turned on us a little bit today so we lost one practice session, but it was the same for everybody. The second practice we tried a different tyre and got some work done because we have got a lot of rear tyres to try and evaluate. We will have a study of the data collected and make a plan for tomorrow but everything so far is going to plan.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?For Alex to top the leader board on his first-ever timed session as a World Superbike rider is an amazing achievement for him and also hopefully indicates how far we?ve come with the bike since the end of last season. Clearly there is a lot of work still to do before we can be confident of challenging the best riders in the race, but we have had very good pace since the morning of the first day of the test and Alex has taken to the circuit and to World Superbike incredibly well.

?Eugene tried a few small adjustments this afternoon but with the weather conditions as they were, and the amount of laps and success he?s had at Phillip Island previously, there was no need to push too hard. He looks super-smooth on the track and at this point in the weekend we hope to have both the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki riders challenging for top results on Sunday.?

Phillip Island ? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Free Practice Two: 1. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) 1?31.100: 2. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) +0.037: 3. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) +0.105: 4. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +0.295: 5. Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.336: 6. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +0.348.

 

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Aprilia Racing Team: first day of practice at Phillip Island

A nice second best time for Melandri and Guintoli lagging a bit open Aprilia's 2014 World Superbike Season. First day of practice at Phillip Island with the morning session thwarted by bad weather and a very heated afternoon session.

Melandri, in his first round with the Aprilia RSV4, put a nice second best time on the boards. After the first morning session that was basically abandoned due to the wet asphalt and changing weather conditions that hindered a decisive choice for bike setups, the games got underway in the afternoon session. Melandri lapped quite a bit (20 laps), working on various setups and trying several technical solutions in anticipation of Saturday's Superpole and ? above all ? the races on Sunday. It was only in the last few minutes that he went out on the track with his sights set on a fast time and he hit the bullseye with a 1?31.137, just 37 thousandths of a second behind Lowes and ahead of Giugliano, Sykes, Rea and Laverty.

Marco Melandri: ?This was not an easy day because of the weather, but it was definitely positive. Even with only one session we managed to follow the scheduled testing programme with good results. There is still room for improvement in many areas, but we are able to lap fast easily and that is a good starting point for Sunday's races. Tomorrow I'll try to focus efforts on speed and on the fast lap for qualifying because with times as close as they are starting as far up front as possible will be important.?

The day didn't go quite as well for Sylvain Guintoli, winner on this track at the world championship's opening race last season. In the 16 laps he put in the best time the Frenchman put on the boards was 1,31.759 which relegates him to tenth place, although the gap is just 66 hundredths of a second from the leader. The French rider took advantage of the session to try out a few setup solutions on his RSV4, identifying the path he needs to follow in the weekend ahead. The small gaps (the top 11 are all within less than a second of one another) is indicative of just how well balanced this Superbike season is right from the start.

Sylvain Guintoli: ?The first day went well. I was trying to confirm a few setups that we had to try before the race, so we used this session to check them. I wasn't looking for a top time. Besides, the strong wind bothered my riding quite a bit. Tomorrow we'll try to pick up the pace now that we know which direction to go. We need to prepare as best as possible for two long and difficult races.?

 

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Rea fifth in opening Phillip Island practice

Jonathan Rea was fifth fastest after today?s two timed free practice sessions for Sunday?s opening round of the 2014 FIM eni World Superbike championship at Phillip Island in Australia.

Rea?s Pata Honda team-mate Leon Haslam was seventh fastest today but the two British riders are in close touch with pace-setter Alex Lowes, who is less than half a second quicker than the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP-mounted duo.

Indeed, by the end of the afternoon, the top 11 riders in today?s opening sessions were covered by less than a second after this morning?s opening free practice got off to a slow start with the 4.445km Phillip Island circuit still wet from morning showers.

Tomorrow morning?s third free practice session will also be timed, with the 10 fastest riders automatically qualifying for the afternoon?s second Superpole session. The riders with the 11th to 20th quickest times will go into Superpole 1, with the two fastest riders from that session going forward to Superpole 2 to determine final grid positions for Sunday?s two 22-lap races.


Jonathan Rea -5th, 1m31.426s

We continued with our testing programme from earlier this week when we completed a race distance on the C-spec tyre. We also wanted to try the bigger Pirelli tyre but we still need to do a bit more time on that. It was harder for me to do the lap time but it might be good for the end of the race, so we?ll have to see. We have also refined our engine-braking strategies and I?m quite happy with that. I think the grip has dropped a little today and I experienced a bit of instability from the rear on corner exit so we need to look at that. It might be the new engine that we put in for the start of the season or the lack of grip, but it occurs in quite a few areas. It?s a shame we missed the first session this morning but we?ll do some more time on the big tyre tomorrow morning and also try Pirelli&rsq uo;s soft option to see if that is a potential race tyre, too. The wind changed a lot today and that made my problems in the last corner vanish because it really helped me to turn, but it also made it harder to get into turn one. Windy conditions here really do play with the set-up of the bike so we need to pay attention to that come raceday.


Leon Haslam -7th, 1m31.533s

We?re not a million miles away, in spite of the fact that we actually had a few problems. The front brake was dragging quite badly in a straight line, which obviously affected top speed, but also in the corners. We also had slightly different software for the engine-braking so had to use the whole session getting it back to where we were in the test; and we?re still not quite there. I didn?t use the soft today and felt pretty good on the harder tyre from the test. I think we could have gone a lot quicker but just ran out of time. Tomorrow, we need to do some work on the race tyres. There are three possible options, including two softer ones, so we?ll have to see how they perform.


Ronald ten Kate -team manager

The morning was wet and, although it started to dry, the guys just did a few laps so we didn?t really learn very much. With the dry track this afternoon we could really get on with it and, after his crash on Tuesday, Leon had no problems getting back up to speed and I think he did a good job. He may be seventh but it?s all very close and, if you can gain two tenths, you can jump three places easily, so it?s OK. For Jonathan, we changed the chassis set-up and electronics setting a little after the test and he also went OK. We tested some tyres, some of which didn?t work so well, and with the softer option he managed to get fifth place, but again it?s very close. There seems to be less grip than we had in the test and with a fresh engine in the bike we had to make some adjustments for this; but we?re in touch, so let?s see what happens tomorrow.

 

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VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI ON THE PACE


Team Suzuki Press Office ? February 22.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki racers Eugene Laverty and Alex Lowes qualified fourth and fifth respectively today in the first Superpole session of the 2014 eni FIM Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island in Australia.

Laverty, improving on the already consistent form shown this week, set a 1?30.385 early in the session to claim his position at the head of the second row. Finding his pace from the off, both his first and second flying laps were enough to challenge for the front of the grid; the Irishman set his fastest lap on a Pirelli race tyre and increased his confidence ahead of tomorrow?s opening races.

Lowes continued his stellar performance shown on Friday, capturing the fastest time in the morning practice to secure his place in the afternoon?s final Superpole. Even a heavy crash after just 25-minutes - which resulted in a dislocated ankle ? couldn?t stop the Englishman, as he dug deep to continue the day?s events. He set the fourth fastest time in the final free practice, before taking on the top-11 riders for the battle for Pole Position. Lowes will have treatment overnight to make sure he is as fit as possible to take part in tomorrow?s two races on-board his Yoshimura-powered Suzuki GSX-R.

Sunday will see Voltcom Crescent Suzuki begin the challenge for the 2014 World Championship at the Australian circuit. The first race is schedule to start at 12:00 local time (01:00 GMT) with race two at 14:40 local time (03:40GMT).

Eugene Laverty:

?Second row! It?s not quite the front but we did our lap-time on a race tyre so to be right there at the head of the second row without a qualifier is definitely confidence inspiring. The qualifier just didn?t work for us; we had some vibration causing us to lose the ability to flow. Race setting was good so the aim now is to try for a good start, stay with the Aprilias and fight for a podium in the first race of the season.?

Alex Lowes:

?I?m frustrated more than anything. I think we?ve made some really good steps with the Suzuki GSX-R. Dale, Russell, Ash and Lez have worked really, really hard with the bike and Tim, Davide and the whole team have worked to give me the bike that I?ve wanted. We?ve improved every time that I?ve gone out, obviously I?ve made a mistake this morning - a small mistake but with big consequences and they?ve had to work really hard to get me back out, so fair play to them. I felt I did as good as I could do in the qualifying, my foot was holding me back a bit and I really need to work on that tomorrow because the bike is better than me at the moment and it?s frustrating because I think we can do so much better. It?s nice to be injured and still be fifth, I think people would have taken that if I was fit! I?m happy, I?ve been fast every session and I believe that I can go well and it?s now a case of trying to get my ankle to the best that it can be and have two good races.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?Today has been tougher than yesterday, particularly with Alex?s huge high-side this morning. The damage isn?t too bad but a normal person would definitely still be in hospital waiting for treatment! Shifting gears is the biggest restriction along with coping with the pain, but he?s done an amazing job so far to qualify fifth in his first ever World Superbike weekend. Alex is extremely fit and extremely tough and whilst the injury is going to be a restriction tomorrow I don?t expect it to hinder him too badly.

?Eugene has been consistently quick on the GSX-R throughout the test and the race weekend and it was no different today. It?s the first time that he has used a qualifier on this bike and unfortunately we just didn?t have the setting right to capitalise, so in the end his best lap was set on the race tyre that we will choose for tomorrow, which definitely augurs well.

?I couldn?t be prouder of the whole team and the riders and we are all looking forward to getting the 2014 championship underway tomorrow.?

Phillip Island ? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Superpole: 1 Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) 1?30.038: 2. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) +0.0097: 3. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) +0.294: 4. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +0.347: 5. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +0.383.

 

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Pole position and two Aprilia RSV4s on the front row.

First place for Sylvain Guintoli, third best time for Marco Melandri.
Aprilia Racing turns up at Phillip Island with a performance worthy of its reigning manufacturer world champion title.

Phillip Island (Australia), 22 Feb 2014 - Aprilia Racing turned up at the start of the first 2014 SBK race with a performance worthy of the Manufacturer World Champion title earned last season.
Sylvain Guintoli dominated Superpole on the Australian Phillip Island circuit, setting the track record and taking first place on the starting grid and Marco Melandri also rode his silver RSV4 to the front row, earning the third spot.

After the Friday and Saturday morning practice sessions, used to find the best setup and race pace, Sylvain Guintoli took his best shots in the 15 minutes of Superpole, moving into the lead in the second lap with a race tyre (at 1?30.696) and then, after being overtaken by Giugliano and team mate Melandri, he improved even more in his fifth good lap and on a qualifier, stopping the clock with an amazing time of 1?30.038 which broke the record for the magnificent Australian track and gave him the third pole of his career.

Sylvain Guintoli: ?This winter was hard. After 4 months without riding a bike and only a little bit of testing I was concerned about my physical conditions. But my Aprilia worked very well and it is no secret that this is one of our favourite tracks. I really had a lot of fun today. It's a shame I couldn't get my time down to 1?29 - that would have been fantastic. The important thing is that we grew and developed throughout the weekend. My shoulder isn't giving me any problems so tomorrow I'll be able to push hard since we've also got an excellent race pace. I expect to have two good races. There are a lot of riders with good pace, but I hope to be able to use my RSV4's power to bring home the win?.

Despite an accident - with no consequences for the rider - which basically cost him all the times from the morning, and despite having spent the next free practice sessions trying to find the setup he lost with the wrecked bike, Marco Melandri rode a Superpole worthy of his name. He even took a provisional lead at one point and in the end he landed a spot on the front row with the third best time (1?30.332). Overall an excellent performance and a nice way to start the races tomorrow.

Marco Melandri: ?That was an incredible Superpole. After my crash in the test sessions the guys did an exceptional job fixing my RSV4. I had lost my feeling with it a little bit and before Superpole I admitted to my crew chief that I'd be happy if I made it into the top six. In all actuality I found a good feeling with the race tyre straight away and I put in an excellent lap, but with the qualifier I tried to push but I was struggling too much and went wide in Siberia. I'm happy to be here. Starting from the front will be fundamental tomorrow. I have a good race pace but it will be a battle with at least five other riders?.

Superpole
1. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1?30.038
2. Giugliano (Ducati) 1?30.135
3. Melandri (Aprilia) 1?30.332
4. Laverty (Suzuki) 1?30.385
5. Lowes (Suzuki) 1?30.421
6. Rea (Honda) 1?30.660
7. Baz (Kawasaki) 1?30.796
8. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1?30.835
9. Haslam (Honda) 1?31.138
10. Canepa (Ducati) 1?31.274

 

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Second row for Rea in Phillip Island opener

Pata Honda?s Jonathan Rea will start tomorrow?s two opening races of the 2014 FIM eni World Superbike championship from the second row of the grid after setting the sixth-fastest time in this afternoon?s Superpole qualifying session at Phillip Island in Australia.

In the new-format, two-part Superpole, Rea?s team-mate Leon Haslam took his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP into Superpole 1 as the 12th fastest rider from the first three timed practices.

The 30-year-old British rider qualified comfortably fastest from Superpole 1 and joined Rea and the other nine quickest riders from the timed free practice sessions for the 15-minute Superpole 2 to determine the final positions for the first four rows of the grid. Haslam set the ninth-quickest time in Superpole two for a third row start tomorrow.

Pole position was taken by Sylvain Guintoli as Haslam and Rea, 27, improved on their best times from free practice with a single Pirelli qualifying tyre. However, the Northern Irishman lost some grip towards the end of his solitary flying lap on the softer rubber.

The first of tomorrow?s two 22-lap openers at the 4.445km Phillip Island will start at 12.00 local time, with the second outing at 14.40.


Jonathan Rea - P6 1m30.660s

Superpole went quite smoothly for us, really ? no major problems apart from the fact that my qualifier really ran out of grip halfway through the lap. It meant the last two corners were a little bit?er, exciting! But we worked quite well today and I was really happy with our earlier free practice run when we worked solely on our race set-up. I?m not exactly sure about everyone else?s pace but I think we?ve definitely moved forward from yesterday, which is good. I guess we?ll know after 22 laps tomorrow if we?ve done our homework properly, but I?m quite happy with my choice of race tyre. The weather conditions and wind direction in warm-up tomorrow will determine our last-minute settings, but I?m really looking forward to getting the season underway. It?s been a lo ng winter coming back from the injury last year and I want to thank everyone that has helped to get me back on to the grid again ? they know who they are and hopefully we can do a good job for the whole Pata Honda team tomorrow.


Leon Haslam - P9 1m31.138s

It?s a little disappointing after feeling really confident after the test here earlier this week. We put in a new specification engine yesterday, which is more powerful and a bit more aggressive. It?s thrown a few little bugs into our plans and we?ve only been able to make a few steps back towards where we were in the test. I?d say we?re around 50% of the way there and we made some more progress in those two Superpole outings. But, as I say, it?s a little disappointing because in the test I was feeling really confident. On the positive side, we can see where the issues are and we just need to study the electronics to get them sorted. The chassis settings and tyres are exactly the same as we ran in the test and, apart from one or two other niggling little problems, I?m happy with all that.


Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator

It?s not been an easy day for us, especially on Leon?s side where we struggled to get the right electronics set-up. It has been harder for him to do the lap times compared to the test here and this seems to be connected to the difference in engine performance. We are on to something now and have already made some steps; if we can find something more tomorrow, I?m quite sure he can do the rest and find a few tenths because he has been quick since we got here. Jonathan was sixth, but we?ve had similar problems to Leon?s. We still need to find a couple of tenths in the last sector and if we can get those he can still fight for the podium.

Qualifying position
1 Sylvain Guintoli 1'30.038 FRA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
2 Davide Giugliano 1'30.135 ITA DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
3 Marco Melandri 1'30.332 ITA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
4 Eugene Laverty 1'30.385 IRL SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
5 Alex Lowes 1'30.421 GBR SUZUKI Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
6 Jonathan Rea 1'30.660 GBR HONDA Pata Honda
7 Loris Baz 1'30.796 FRA KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
8 Tom Sykes 1'30.835 GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
9 Leon Haslam 1'31.138 GBR HONDA Pata Honda
10 Niccolo Canepa 1'31.274 ITA DUCATI Althea Racing
11 Chaz Davies 1'31.281 GBR DUCATI Ducati Superbike Team
12 David Salom 1'31.950 ESP KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
13 Toni Elias 1'32.107 SPA APRILIA Red Devils Roma
14 Claudio Corti 1'32.187 ITA MV AGUSTA MV Agusta RC-Yakhnich Motorsport
15 Fabien Foret 1'32.248 FRA KAWASAKI MAHI Racing Team India
16 Alessandro Andreozzi 1'32.902 ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
17 Jeremy Guarnoni 1'33.146 FRA KAWASAKI MRS Kawasaki
18 Sheridan Morais 1'33.404 RSA KAWASAKI IRON BRAIN Kawasaki SBK Team
19 Glen Allerton 1'33.605 AUS BMW BMW Motorrad Italia SBK
20 Imre Toth 1'34.137 HUN BMW BMW Team Toth
21 Matt Walters 1'34.453 AUS KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
22 Geoff May 1'36.150 USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR
23 Aaron Yates 1'35.521 USA BIMOTA Team Hero EBR
24 Peter Sebestyen 1'37.274 HUN BMW BMW Team Toth

 

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FOURTH ROW FOR CANEPA IN TOMORROW?S RACES AT PHILLIP ISLAND
Saturday, February 22, 2014

Fourth row for Canepa in tomorrow?s races at Phillip Island The Phillip Island circuit today hosted the second day of qualifying as well as the first Superpole of the 2014 Superbike World Championship. There were cloudy skies and fairly low temperatures this morning for the third and final timed practice, in which Niccol? Canepa was able to put in a fantastic performance. The Althea Racing rider was able to improve not only on his best time of yesterday but with an exceptional lap time of 1?31?065 he even improved on the times he?d recorded during testing earlier this week. Thanks to this result, Canepa qualified directly for Superpole 2, the only Evo rider to do so.
This year a change to the regulations means that the first ten riders in qualifying proceed directly to Superpole 2, while the riders that place between eleventh and twentieth position take part in Superpole, in order to establish which two riders will move on to Superpole 2, which therefore sees a total participation of 12 riders.
In this early afternoon free practice, Canepa and his technicians worked to set-up their 1199 Panigale R ahead of the Superpole. Canepa closed fourteenth with a time of 1?32?445.

In Superpole 2 Niccol? made a few laps with the race tyre and then worked hard to improve further with the qualifying tyre. On his best lap the Althea rider showed signs of moving up into sixth place, but through the very last corner the tyre lost grip and Canepa risked crashing, losing valuable tenths which meant that he closed in final tenth position, meaning a place on the fourth row of tomorrow?s grid. Both he and the team can nevertheless be very pleased with the performance and the fact that they have consolidated their position at the head of the Evo pack.

Niccol? Canepa: ?This morning?s qualifying session went well, so much so that i was able to improve on my best time set during testing and I qualified directly for Superpole 2. Unfortunately, in the Superpole we had a problem with the qualifying tyre; I didn?t have a good feeling with it and through the last turn it gave up on me and I risked crashing. It was a pity because I could have improved and perhaps started from one row in front. I?m satisfied anyway because I?m nevertheless the first Evo rider and together with my team we have found good race pace that should allow us to be there with the Superbike guys tomorrow. I?m confident.?

Genesio Bevilacqua: ?I?m pleased with how today has gone. We did very well in qualifying and our Superpole was only ruined on the final lap, due to a tyre that didn?t hold out until the end. The team and Niccol? have made a great job and have been consistently at the front of the Evo pack, which is our main goal. We would have liked to disturb the Superbike riders even more and the Superpole result could have been better, seeing as the split time put Canepa in sixth position, but we are confident ahead of tomorrow?s races and have reached a competitive level with a bike that is, let us remember, still completely new.?

Phillip Island ? Combined qualifying times: 1. Lowes (Suzuki) 1?30.566; 2. Laverty (Suzuki) 1?30.801; 3. Giugliano (Ducati) 1?30.864; 4. Davies (Ducati) 1?30.962; 5. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1?30.982; 6. Canepa (Ducati) 1?31.065;

Free practice - 1. Giugliano (Ducati) 1?30.712; 2. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1?30.905; 3. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1?30.906; 4. Lowes (Suzuki) 1?30.946; 5. Laverty (Suzuki) 1?31.025; 6. Davies (Ducati) 1?31.324; 7. Melandri (Aprilia) 1?31.359??????..14. Canepa (Ducati) 1?32.445

Superpole 2 - 1. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1?30.038; 2. Giugliano (Ducati) 1?30.135; 3. Melandri (Aprilia) 1?30.332; 4. Laverty (Suzuki) 1?30.385; 5. Lowes (Suzuki) 1?30.421; 6. Rea (Honda) 1?30.660; 7. Baz (Kawasaki) 1?30.796; 8. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1?30.835; 9. Haslam (Honda) 1?31.138; 10. Canepa (Ducati) 1?31.274; 11. Davies (Ducati) 1?31.281; 12. Salom (Kawasaki) 1?31.950;

 

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LAVERTY CLAIMS FIRST WSB WIN ON SUZUKI


Team Suzuki Press Office ? February 23.

Eugene Laverty stormed to victory on his Voltcom Crescent Suzuki debut in race one at Phillip Island in Australia today, securing the first World Championship win for the Japanese manufacturer since 2010.

Laverty fought back from a difficult start and made his way through from seventh to hunt down the leading pack of Giugliano, Melandri and Guintoli from lap seven. The Irishman advanced on the leaders, making his break for the lead on lap 17 and didn?t look back. The Yoshimura-powered GSX-R firmly controlled the pace for the remaining five laps bringing the first victory for Crescent Suzuki on the world stage.

Race two again saw Laverty challenging for the lead; a brief battle in the opening laps resulted in the Suzuki GSX-R again dominating the mid-race before a mechanical issue brought about an early end to the weekend?s activities.

Alex Lowes - battling the ankle injury sustained in Saturday?s free practice - looked to be finding a strong rhythm in his debut race in the eni FIM Superbike World Championship, before a crash at turn one saw his efforts halted prematurely. Regrouping for race two, the Englishman?s team worked tirelessly to rebuild the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000 and despite running-on at turn four in the opening lap, Lowes? determination saw him charging through the field and into the top 10, from 21st, in just five laps. He posted his fastest lap of the race on his second lap and held the fastest time for a further 10. The ankle injury ultimately compromised his race and after a further mistake at turn four, Lowes finished his debut weekend with three points and a top-13 finish to show for his brave efforts.

Sunshine, blue skies and a pleasant 22?C greeted the crowd as the track temperature fluctuated by more than 10 degrees between the two races, peaking at 48?C for the afternoon?s event.

As the championship prepares to travel back to Europe, Aprilia?s Sylvain Guintoli heads the standings with 41 points, Laverty?s win positions him in fifth and Lowes begins his rookie campaign in 15th.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki will now use the month-long break to re-evaluate the data from this weekend?s racing before preparing for the first European leg of the World Championship with a private test at Jerez on March 31st ahead of the second round of series at Aragon in Spain on April 13th.

Eugene Laverty:

?A day of highs and lows! The first race was incredible! To be so far back on the first lap and come through to win; it was the perfect race for us and a nice way to pay back the whole team for the belief they?ve shown in me. Paul Denning worked hard to get me on board and he delivered everything I needed. He brought in my Crew Chief Phil Marron, Davide Gentile to work on the electronics and Stan; who I?ve worked with before. All the rest of the boys have welcomed me, so it was nice to be able to reward them with the win right away, and it?s a win that means more to me than any so far in my WSBK career. The second race was a disappointment for everyone. We didn?t deserve that - that?s for sure - but that?s racing and unfortunately that?s how it goes sometimes.?

Alex Lowes:

?I?m frustrated with today. I tried really hard and don?t have a lot to show for it really. The first race crash, and in the second race the run on; on the first lap and then the crash later was all because I was struggling to change gear with my foot. I had a numbing injection, lost a bit of feeling and I couldn?t change gear so it was hard work! I was riding through the pain, so to just get three points has upset me a bit because we had such good pace all through the test. I?ve never been here before and we were still looking like we could run at the front and challenge for a podium so I?m really disappointed, but I?m going to come back fitter and stronger and we should be ok for Aragon.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?It?s very strange to have won our first ever World Superbike race - and in such a dominant fashion - and still be leaving Phillip Island feeling very disappointed! As a team we are very sorry to have let Eugene down in race two when another podium ? and quite possibly another win ? was on the cards. We will do everything in our power to ensure it?s the last time!
?The additional disappointment is for Alex who was so unlucky to dislocate his ankle in the Saturday morning crash as many other riders crashed heavily and got away with it. The injury made it impossible to enter the corners properly and inevitably the difficulty in down-shifting gears caused the mistakes in the races. The frustrating thing is that he was still so fast and could have joined the fight at the front.

?I have to once again thank the team and all our partners for getting us and the Suzuki GSX-R back into the winner?s circle and on top of that, thank Eugene for believing in this project and for riding with such aggression, precision and outright desire to win.?

Phillip Island ? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Race One: 1. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) 33?39.440: 2. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) +2.959: 3. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) +3.034: 4. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) +6.972: 5. Loris Baz (Kawasaki) +11.132: DNF. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki).

Phillip Island ? eni FIM Superbike World Championship ? Race Two: 1. Guintoli (Aprilia) 21?34.034: 2. Baz (Kawasaki) +0.283: 3. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +1.103: 4. Giugliano (Ducati) +2.052: 5. Jonathan Rea (Honda) +4.951: 13. Alex Lowers (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) +19.694. DNF. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki).

 

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Baz Leaves Phillip Island Second Overall As Sykes Podiums

Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) scored a second place finish in race two while his team-mate Tom Sykes took a best of third today, also in race two.

On a day when the temperatures rose on track, after two days of cooler conditions in practice, Baz put in a good first race to go fifth after the full 22-lap distance. He upped his game once more in race two after some set-up changes and finished only 0.238 seconds from eventual race winner Sylvain Guintoli. The second race was halted because of an oil leak, and the results counted back to lap 14 of the planned 22.

Reigning SBK champion Tom Sykes experienced some grip issues in race one and finished seventh, but changes to his set-up arrived at by his team allowed him to fight back through the field in race two and he took a strong third place. He could have challenged for the win had the race not been cut short by the red flag, but he was still only 1.103 seconds from the winner.

In the new Evo category David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team SBK Evo) made a clean sweep of the two top places on offer on his Ninja ZX-10R, finishing ninth in race one overall and then tenth in race two. He is ranked ninth in the oval championship standings after two races, and clearly leads the Evo class.

Baz is a brilliant second in the overall SBK points, on 31, while Sykes? recovery from seventh in race one puts him sixth overall, but very close to the top positions after one round.

Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Mahi Racing Team India SBK Evo) scored two 12th places today. Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki SBK Evo) was also in the points, for 14th in race one. Sheridan Morais (Iron Brain Kawasaki SBK Evo) scored 15th and then 14th places.

Loris Baz: ?We changed just a little thing on the bike for race two and then opted for a new front tyre. So to score second place and then leave here second in the world championship is really good. In race one I was really happy with a top five and it felt like a podium. When I crashed again on Friday I really did not think I could make it this week but it worked out well on raceday. I wanted to go really fast in the beginning of race two and I saw that my pace was really good. I was even faster than Sylvain in the lead, but I always rode with the idea to save the tyres. My bike was feeling great. Tom was coming back and I am sure the end of the race would have been a great fight if it had gone full distance.?

Tom Sykes: ?We had some issues in race one but in the second race we changed the set-up. I really do have to say a big thanks to the team. I have a real good set of guys working for me and their knowledge is incredible. We went back to some basics and it was so nice. Although Sylvain rode well to win the race I felt race two would have been our race, but unfortunately it was cut short. That is how racing goes sometimes. I am very happy with how things have gone finally. For track temperatures to be so hot on raceday here in Phillip Island, and a little bit of wind blowing around, these are usually the worst conditions for us. So it was great to come back so strong at the end. We reeled in the Aprilia and that never usually happens here, so I felt the next second laps of the second race would have been my part of the race. Now I can head back to Europe knowing that we have been so competitive at our worst circuit. We?re off to a steady start but I am only six points off second in the championship and 16 points off the lead.?

David Salom: ?I can add this Evo class win to the one from race one. The second race was hotter and I did not have as much grip. Marco Melandri passed me so I followed him and he helped me to push forward. On the last laps I took a lead over Canepa and I was going faster every lap. The team and I worked well in the winter tests to arrive here in Australia 100% ready.?

 

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Top six results for Pata Honda at Phillip Island

Jonathan Rea took sixth and fifth place finishes in today?s two opening races of the 2014 FIM eni World Superbike championship at Phillip Island in Australia. His Pata Honda team-mate Leon Haslam bounced back from a first race crash to take sixth place in race two.

The two 22-lap encounters at the 4.445km Phillip Island circuit, which lies two hours drive south of Melbourne, were won by Eugene Laverty and Sylvain Guintoli, although race two was cut to 14 laps when red flags were waved following a technical problem for Laverty.

Starting from the second row of the grid, 28-year-old Rea got a good start to race one and became involved in a race-long battle with Tom Sykes and Loris Baz. His start to race two was even better and he was fighting for a podium place in the early stages before getting pushed wide and losing touch with the leading group.

In contrast, Haslam did not get a good start to race one and crashed out at the fast turn 12 on the fifth lap. The 30-year-old was unhurt but his crew had to work hard to completely re-build his CBR1000RR Fireblade SP in readiness for race two.

The Pata Honda team will re-group for further testing in Spain at the end of March before round two of the championship takes place at Motorland Aragon on 11-13 April.

Jonathan Rea - 6th/ 5th

I guess we have to be reasonably satisfied with the result here because we?ve made a big improvement over last year here at Phillip Island. It?s clear which areas we need to work on and it?s mostly mechanical grip. In race one, some of the guys struggled with tyre problems because it went the full distance, but I was able to look after my tyre which was a good thing. But we still need to make improvements in that area because the guys at the front had no problems. Race two was unfortunately stopped early because I think I was probably conserving my tyre a little more than I should have been. Sykes passed me into turn one but kind of stopped up in the corner and I lost a lot of places and lost touch with the group so the last few laps were quite boring. But I?m quite happy with everyone on my side of the box ? we?ve been making good linear progress. They?re not results to jump up and down about but it?s a good way to start the season. I?m looking forward to getting back to some more conventional circuits in Europe and to aiming a lot higher than we did here.


Leon Haslam - DNF / 6th

I had a big disaster in race one ? we had a bit of an electronics issue and then the bike spun from under me at turn 12. We saw what that was and we know the problem in that area but the boys had to work really, really hard to get the bike ready for race two. They put a good setting in the bike that allowed me to run consistent times similar to the leaders? but we just had a few niggly issues that stopped me getting up to them. Me and Johnny had a good battle and then the race got red flagged. It was disappointing that we didn?t get to have a bit more fun out on the track but fifth and sixth for the team, considering the issues we?ve had, is not so bad. We?ll go back and work hard for the next one ? we?ve made some steps forward since Friday but we didn?t get back to where we were at the test, which was a little disappointing. We know why though, and we?ll get it sorted for next time.



Pieter Breddels - technical co-ordinator

Jonathan was sixth in race one after a race-long battle with the two Kawasakis. Considering our problems during practice and getting the bike set up, I think that was OK. Leon crashed out, unfortunately. In race two Jonathan got a really good start and was battling for a podium place for a long while but he got run wide and that created a gap. Leon?s second race was much, much better. He got a reasonable start and was fighting in the top eight, eventually getting sixth. It was really encouraging and no less than he and his crew deserved after the promising times during the test here. There?s a lot to do, but we have six days of testing before we go to Aragon so we?ll come back strong there.

 

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First race and first points for MV Agusta!

For a long time MV Agusta hasn?t taken part in races on the global level. Today was the debut in new history. F4 RR went out on the start against the best bikes in the world to understand what place take bikes from Varese?

Starting from the 14th place Claudio Corti lost few positions in the first corner on the Phillip Island circuit. Few laps later he caught good pace and showed the lap time on as TOP-10 riders. Sometime the MV Agusta Reparto Corse ? YAKHNICH MOTORSPORT rider caught up Fabian Foret whom he pursued the lasst third of the race. Italian was ready to pass the French veteran but for one and a half lap for the finish the petrol started to finish. Miraculously Claudio finished earning precious points.

To the second race engineers made some changes in the bike of the Russian team. Corti had to skip ahead all his rivals because of bad start and entered the first turn the last. Italian tried to regain lost positions but it was almost impossible. Claudio finished the race out of points on the 18th place. However, the team got important information and experience so it will help in preparing for the second round of the World Superbike Chaampionship in Aragon.


Claudio Corti: ?We got to the finish in both races and it?s very important. We have kilometers, we have data. Here in Australia we were limited in spare parts so we had to work with what we have. In such conditions it?s hard to experiment. In Europe everything will be different. Thank everybody! See you in Spain!?

 

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Aprilia starts the new WSBK season with one win and two podiums.

Guintoli triumphs in race 2 at Phillip Island and shoots to the top of the championship. Aprilia ? reigning champion ? is number one in the manufacturer standings. Melandri second in race 1 and third in the championship.

On the Australian Phillip Island track for the opening round of the 2014 World Superbike season, Aprilia wins with Sylvain Guintoli in Race 2, takes two podiums in Race 1 and immediately takes back the top spot in both the Rider and Manufacturer standings. It was an extraordinary weekend for the Aprilia Racing RSV4s, key players in both races.

The first part revolved around the duel between the two Aprilia standard bearers, Melandri and Guintoli, along with Irishman Laverty who, after making a comeback on the leading pack which also included Giugliano for a long time, kept his rivals in check in the final laps. Marco Melandri made an excellent second place finish, crossing the line just ahead of his team mate Guintoli (third) who had led the pack at the beginning stages of the race for a long time, however costing him wear on his tyre so that in the final laps he had nothing left on the rear to be able to fend off Laverty's attacks.

In Race 2 the leading pack also included Rea, Baz and Sykes, making a comeback from the rear spots. Guintoli led the first part of the race and after being overtaken by fellow leaders Baz and Laverty once, he took back the lead in the 12th lap. Two laps later an engine failure for Laverty - riding second at the time behind he French Aprilia rider - with a consequent oil spill on the track, forced Laverty to withdraw and the marshals to suspend the race. This meant that the finishing order was decided by the last lap completed which had Guintoli winning in front of Baz and Sykes.
With this performance the Frenchman provides an encore of last year's success (also with the Aprilia RSV4) and, thanks to his third place in Race 1, puts him in the lead for the Rider Championship. Sylvain's win and Melandri's second place in Race 1 place Aprilia at the top of the Manufacturer standings, an excellent bounty for the new season.

After his nice second place in the first race Melandri had a bit of a moment during the eighth lap of the second race, running on after braking too hard and having to re-enter the track in 14th place. From there he made a bold comeback to finish in eighth place, earning 8 points that put him in third place in the rider standings.

Sylvain Guintoli: ?In Race 1 maybe I had a little too much faith. I started off strong and toward the end I lost the right feeling with my rear tyre. The conditions were much different than they had been over the last few days but we did a good job anyway. In the second race I tried to look after my tyre and it worked. If I think about everything that happened during the winter I can't help but be pleased with our weekend. I'm finally back on the top step of the podium. I want to thank the guys who looked after me during my recovery. I'm pretty tired now but I'll have a month to recover before the next round.?

Marco Melandri: ?Race 1 went well. I got off to a good start and then I was able to ride smoothly in the first few laps to conserve my tyres for the end. Unfortunately after the halfway point the bike was sliding around a lot. I wasn't able to be incisive so when Eugene took the lead I preferred holding onto second place. In Race 2 I wanted to use the same tactics again but to overtake Rea I braked harder than usual and the rear wheel came up so I was forced to run on. I'm disappointed because I threw away some important points. I'm sure I still need more experience adjusting to the way the bike reacts and adapting the settings to my riding style. The track conditions also brought out some problems that I had never had before. Now I need to get a handle on the situation so that I'm ready for the next race.?