Chris Vermeulen took provisional seventh place today’s first qualifying practice at Losail in Qatar today in preparation for the opening round of this year’s World Superbike championship on Saturday. The Australian rider’s compatriot and Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Karl Muggeridge, set the 18th fastest time as the 2004 World Supersport champion continues to adapt to his new Honda CBR1000RR.

After a flu bug affected both riders and prevented any meaningful testing last weekend, rain effectively washed out this morning’s first free practice session at the 5.38km Losail circuit just outside Qatar’s capital, Doha, leaving the Winston Ten Kate Honda superbike pairing short of valuable track time. However, with a further qualifying session tomorrow morning, the team remains confident of competitive grid placings for Saturday’s two 18-lap races.

Ronald ten Kate – Winston Ten Kate Honda team manager - "There is no denying that we have a lot of work to do to get the bike right for this new World Superbike circuit because we basically lost last weekend and this morning’s free practice session. We are therefore playing catch-up, but we’ll download the data and find out how the bike is behaving. Then we’ll make some decisions about what changes to make which could lead to a late night working for the crew. Chris is very nearly there and, for Karl, today was virtually his first time on the bike at this circuit. I’m pleased that he is taking a really sensible approach and not pushing too hard, too early. We know how fast he can go but, for now, he’s taking it carefully and learning to get a strong feel for the CBR1000RR."

Chris Vermeulen: position – 7th, lap time – 2m02.469s - "The test last weekend didn’t really give us anything and I could hardly remember the circuit when I went out this afternoon! I really didn’t get a chance to use my qualifying tyre properly because right at the end of the session there was some slower traffic out on the circuit. With a clear lap I could have gone quicker and I know that both the bike and the rider can improve. I think I have some areas where I can make up some time and so does the bike, so we’ll sit down tonight and decide where those areas are. But I’m really confident in the team because they’ll just do whatever it takes; then it’ll be down to me tomorrow morning."

Karl Muggeridge: position – 18th, lap time – 2m03.532s - "We’ve only just started really, what with the weather when we were testing in Spain, flu last weekend and then rain this morning – in the desert! So I’m not panicking. I’ve said from the beginning that I’m going to take each session as it comes and keep trying to make the right changes and keep going in the right direction. I haven’t set myself any other targets than that because then I’d just be putting myself under pressure. We’re a bit behind but I know there’s a lot more to come. I’m just not going to go looking for it all at once."

Supersport

Frenchman Sébastien Charpentier took provisional pole position in this afternoon’s first qualifying session for Saturday’s opening World Supersport championship round at the Losail circuit in Qatar. After showers during this morning’s free practice, warm and sunny conditions saw Charpentier’s Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara go second fastest as the new blue Honda CBR600RRs dominated the 45-minute session.


Ronald ten Kate – Winston Ten Kate Honda team manager: "That was an incredible time by Sébastien because it’s not often that you see a gap of almost a second between first and second in this championship. I’m very happy that it’s Katsuaki in second place because he is still working hard to get used to the chassis characteristics of the CBR, and his crew is still getting used to the way he likes it. We still have some changes to try tomorrow but this afternoon confirms the good shape that the bikes, the crew and the riders are in."


Sébastien Charpentier: position – 1st, time – 2m03.841s - "It’s OK! The wind is quite strong when you’re riding into it so we may need to do some more work on the gearing and the front goes a bit light on the last of the three right-handers here. But I’m really quite happy with the front now, which we’ve been working hard on. I’m sure my team manager would like me to go two seconds faster but, for now, it’s OK!"


Katsuaki Fujiwara: position – 2nd, time – 2m04.808s - "It’s good to finally get the season underway after all the hard work and the bad weather we’ve had in testing. The CBR is a fantastic bike and I am still getting used to the way the chassis performs, but we still have tomorrow to try some things that we didn’t get the chance to try in the rain this morning. The team is working really well together and we’re definitely going in the right direction and I’m really happy to be where I am."