World Superbike 2008 - Round Eight

World Superbike 2008 - Round Eight - Misano (Spain)

Day 3 Report - Pirelli

ROUND 8 – MISANO – 29th JUNE 2008 – RACE REVIEW

29 June 2008, Misano (Italy) – A Misano race in June, by the Adriatic Sea, is always characterised by very hot temperatures. And it also means a relatively new racetrack design that has still has not been fully assimilated by all the riders. The tarmac is not completely smooth and regular, it has some undulations, so tyres are asked to follow the racetrack contours while ensuring the best grip and stability.

In the Superpole contest Troy Corser, the all time Superpole specialist, made no mistakes and grabbed a great Pole Position, ahead of Ducati riders Bayliss, Xaus and Fabrizio.

Race1:
AIR HUMIDITY 48% AIR TEMPERATURE 31°C
TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 52°

Hot temperatures... and a very hot race.

At the start only Corser seemed to be able to fight the Ducatis of Xaus, Biaggi, Bayliss and Fabrizio, while behind Neukirchner, starting from 10th, was trying to climb up the standings.

Corser and Xaus made some ground on Bayliss, who had chosen a harder rear tyre than his competitors and was hoping to make the difference on the last few laps. Unfortunately for him even the soft solution brought by Pirelli proved to be able to go full distance and his rivals didn’t allow him to maximize any advantage he thought he had.

A collision drove Fabrizio and Biaggi out of the game, while Neukirchner continued his masterpiece until he first reached and then passed Corser.

The riders kept a constant pace for the whole race, and at the end Neukirchner took another great victory, his first since Monza, heading up Corser and Bayliss.

Race2:
AIR HUMIDITY 58% AIR TEMPERATURE 30°C
TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 58°

Race two was a restart due to oil on the track on the third lap of the first attempt: good news for Ducati Xerox’s Fabrizio, who had been forced out earlier but was allowed back in, while Xaus - leading at the moment of the stoppage - was maybe disappointed. But not for long.
Only Bayliss decided to change the tyre choice from race one choosing a soft rear tyre.

At the second start the fastest riders were Xaus, Corser, Bayliss and Biaggi, while Haga was trying, as Neukirchner in race one, to overcome a less than perfect grid placing.

Bayliss and then Corser took the lead and set a really fast race pace that only Xaus, Bayliss and Haga seemed able to sustain.
Xaus and Biaggi passed Bayliss after a great inter team battle, and then also Corser, who had to surrender to his team mate Haga on the 20th lap.

Although they were racing with the softest solutions the race pace did not change through all the 24 laps, when Xaus took his first victory of the year, heading up his team-mate Biaggi and then Bayliss.

AIR HUMIDITY 48% AIR TEMPERATURE 33°C
TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 53°

At Misano Pitt conquered all with his fourth victory of the season, at the end of a race that was really only an eight lap fight with Parkes, until the Yamaha rider crashed. No one else could bother Pitt, who increased his advantage in the standings ahead of Foret, fourth here after three Honda riders Pitt, Jones and Rea. Parkes rejoined the race but ended up only 10th, taking six points. Despite the very hot conditions the Pirelli DIABLO SUPERCORSA SC2 tyres made a great race of it, proving they are the best Supersport tyres.

AIR HUMIDITY 60% AIR TEMPERATURE 32°C
TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 48°

Once again the Superstock 1000 class offered us a great show, and the protagonists here in Misano were Polita, Pirro and Giugliano, who really exploited the Pirelli DIABLO SUPERCORSA SC2 tyres to the max, changing lines and positions so many times. The three fought until the 12th lap when Giugliano was so confident of his grip that he made an exaggerated lean on a tight line: the right footpad of his Suzuki hit the track, lifted the rear tyre and he slipped to the ground. He rejoined the race but at the end finished 20th, taking no points. Polita leaves Misano with the 25 points for victory intact, giving him a total of 67 points and third place in the championship, behind Simeon and Roberts.

AIR HUMIDITY 50% AIR TEMPERATURE 33°C
TRACK CONDITION Wet TRACK TEMPERATURE 50°

The Superstock 600 guys raced before everybody else on Saturday afternoon, under a very hot sun. Pirelli DIABLO SUPERCORSA tyres, in the SC2 compound, offered - as always - great performance despite the 50° temperature of the track. The tyres offered great performance and above all great consistency and the race became a real show. Vostarek won, doubling his Nürburgring tally and reducing the gap to Baz who is leading the championship by 12 points. The championship has reached the second half now: with five races disputed, five still to go and the next one will be on 19th July at Brno, where Vostarek will be at home and trying to have a great result.