World SuperBike 2001 - Round 13 - Imola

Ruben Xaus - "It was a really hard race. I made a great start from row 2 and eventually managed to get into the lead. I had a fantastic battle with Laconi, the only place where I could pass him was the Acque Minerali and I did. I didn’t get such a good start (in race 2) and lost some positions. Regis was really good in some parts of the track and not so good in others whereas I was quite good everywhere. I wanted to pass him on the last lap at the final chicane but missed out by just two-hundredths of a second. It was a great weekend and I finished sixth in the points so I’m very happy. Now I want the next season to start tomorrow!"

Troy Corser - "That was a mixed day for me and I've ended the season battered, bruised and well beat up. The podium was good in the first race though! I know I was probably a bit lucky to get it, but I certainly didn't have the same good luck in race two, otherwise I would've walked away from the crash without a scratch. In race one, I didn't make my usual good start, but I put in some good lap times and I was happy top get second place. I made another bad start (for me) in race two, but pushed hard to get back into contention - probably too hard as it turned out! I was aggressive on the brakes - trying to catch the leaders - and was adjusting the brakes almost at the same time as slamming them on. To make sure I didn't hit Colin (Edwards) I headed for the gravel. The front dug straight in and I highsided. Colin realised I would smash into him and he didn't even attempt to make the turn. I'm sorry for that, because he wasn't able to finish the race. It's been an up and down season, but I'm glad I got on the podium today. The Aprilia boys have worked hard this season and I hope we can continue the good work next year."

Regis Laconi - "I can't say how happy I am: I wanted this victory for myself, for my team and for Aprilia who've enabled me to race on this extraordinary bike. I did the last lap screaming to myself in my helmet and saw the public standing up, urging me on towards the flag. I'll need an hour or two now to metabolise all the adrenalin I've been pumping. Thanks to you all, to my fantastic team, to my Aprilia RSV!"

Ben Bostrom - "I pushed so hard in the middle of race 1 and fried my rear tyre. The last five laps I just added a second a lap to my lap time because I was unable to go anywhere. For the second race we made a few alterations to the rear suspension but it didn’t change the lap times at all and we ended up with fourth again. Its not the way I aimed to end the season and I’m a bit disappointed because I wanted to go out with a win."

Colin Edwards - Race 1 - "That was incredible, the race was always going to be about preserving tyres in the early stages and some riders went harder off the start than others. That was about my worst start of the year but I'll take third place. I was resigned to take fifth place then I saw Troy (Bayliss) and Regis (Laconi) go down and I thought, well, I'll take third if it's there." Race 2 - "Troy crashed behind me. I think he must have got in there a bit too hot and the slipstream is really bad there, you brake and nothing happens. I saw him coming and moved aside. I just got out of the way in time. After that I was in the gravel trap and all I could see was the barrier coming towards me so I jumped off the machine. I hurt my neck a bit but I'll be OK for the party tonight!"

Tadayuki Okada - Race 1 - "It was a silly mistake but I felt really good out there, I was confident of getting into at least fourth place but I maybe could have challenged the leaders. The machine was working well and the Michelin tyres were good but we always knew this would be a good track for Michelin. I can't wait for the second race." Race 2 - "I was too late in getting close to Laconi and Xaus. Maybe I could have challenged but I was happy to take third place in the end and finish the season with a podium result, like I wanted. I always felt like I could get a good result here. We had a good setting with the machine and the Michelin tyres have been strong all weekend."

Peter Goddard - "My engine started to slow in the early part of the first race. I wasn't sure what the problem was so I decided to go into the pits as a precautionary measure. In the second race my grid position was moved forward because (Troy) Bayliss and a couple of others weren't there. I made a good start and was chasing (Giovanni) Bussei. Then I started to struggle with the clutch – the bike was 'backing in' in the corners. A couple of guys passed me near the end so that turned 11th into 13th. At least we got some championship points so it was a good way to finish off the season. I'll be staying in Europe for about three weeks. There will be some meetings in the near future to sort out the off-season programme in preparation for next year. The racing we've done will be a valuable help for the future. We've been able to identify where we need to improve to get to where we want to be."

Neil Hodgson - "In the first race I made a mistake and nearly lost the front end. I was afraid that I was going to T-bone another rider so I kept going into the pit-lane. In the end, I managed to fight my way back to tenth. In the second race we changed the set-up on the GSE Ducati. The team recommended that I stay with the same settings as race one, but I felt I would be able to do better with a few changes. Ultimately I took a gamble and I was wrong. Next time I’ll listen to the team. All-in-all though, it has been a great year and a fantastic inaugural championship for GSE Racing. Roll on 2002!"

James Toseland - "It’s been a difficult day, it’s a shame I got sick, but I’ve been lucky all year long. At least I can now relax and start preparing for next year. I’m really looking forward to getting back into it now that I have a year of World Superbikes under my belt."

Troy Bayliss - "Everything started off OK but then something happened to the bike after six laps. It seemed like the exhaust because it was losing power and I was struggling on the straights and kept losing ground. However I had good corner speed and the brakes were working really good so I thought I still had a chance of winning but then it got a bit crazy in the last few laps, one thing led to another and I went down. I think I crashed on my own accord and Laconi couldn’t avoid me. I feel really sorry for him because he was having a good race."