Day One
Fabrizio flies to provisional pole time
The intensity of competition in World Superbike Racing in 2010 was continued in the first qualifying session today, with all seven participating manufacturers represented in the top 11 places, all within 0.859 seconds of each other.
Michel Fabrizio led the charge on the opening day at a warm and welcoming Kyalami, pushing his Ducati Xerox factory machine to the best time of 1’38.477 around the 4.246km circuit near Johannesburg. On race tyres he is already under his own lap record pace from the 2009 season at this round, with one more day of practice and Superpole to go before Sunday’s two races.
A spread of machines ranged out behind Fabrizio, with the Yamaha Sterilgarda R1 of Cal Crutchlow second, Jonathan Rea’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda third and Troy Corser’s BMW Motorrad Motorsport fourth fastest. Points leader Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) was fifth, with privateer Althea Ducati rider Carlos Checa sixth. All the top six set lap times under the 1’39 mark. Seventh was the Pata B&G Ducati of Jakub Smrz, with the top eight rounded out by recent Monza race winner, Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia). Privateers Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati) and Luca Scassa (Supersonic Ducati) were the final riders into the top ten places on the opening day.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was 11th fastest, top Kawasaki rider in the 22-strong pack, one place ahead of Biaggi’s team-mate Leon Camier. Some legendary Superbike names had a tough first day, with Noriyuki Haga only 13th, Ruben Xaus 14th and James Toseland still hurt from his big Monza crash, 15th.
Local wild card rider Sheridan Morais (EmTek Aprilia) was a creditable 16th, only 1.3 seconds from pole at his local track, while the top 18 riders were covered by only 1.547 seconds.
World Supersport
Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) secured the top spot in the opening qualifying session with a 1’41.363 lap, before a red flag came out to halt proceedings with almost four minutes left to run. He carried on in the lead after the session had been completed but Matthieu Lagrive (ParkinGO Triumph BE1) used the last minutes to improve to second, just in front of Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Kenan’s team-mate Michele Pirro. Championship leader Joan Lascorz was fifth fastest on his Motocard.com Kawasaki. The best-placed local wildcard was Ronan Quarmby (Bike Fin Safe Sky Honda), eighth.
| Superbike First Qualifying | Supersport First Qualifying |
| 1 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1’38.477 2 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1’38.529 3 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1’38.687 4 Troy Corser BMW AUS 1’38.896 5 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1’38.951 6 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1’38.954 7 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1’39.027 8 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1’39.094 9 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 1’39.281 10 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 1’39.288 11 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 1’39.336 12 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1’39.621 13 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 1’39.630 14 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 1’39.642 15 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1’39.656 16 Sheridan Morais Aprilia RSA 1’39.798 17 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki 1’39.894 18 Max Neukirchner Honda 1’40.024 19 Chris Vermeulen Kawasaki AUS 1’40.646 20 Roger Lee Hayden Kawasaki USA 1’41.054 21 Broc Parkes Kawasaki AUS 1’41.216 22 M Baiocco Kawasaki ITA 1’42.172 | 1. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’41.363 2. Lagrive M. (FRA) Triumph 675 Daytona 1’41.418 3. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’41.613 4. Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’41.872 5. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX- 6R 1’42.834 6. Salom D. (ESP) Triumph 675 Daytona 1’42.545 7. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’42.569 8. Quarmby R. (RSA) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’42.644 9. Isaacs L. (RSA) Honda CBR 600 RR 1’42.743 10. Harms R. (DEN) 1’42.791 |
— Ducati Report
Ducati Xerox rider Michel Fabrizio immediately demonstrated his pace when he closed first qualifying in pole position, thanks to a fastest lap time of 1m38.4. His team-mate Noriyuki Haga finished thirteenth.
The Superbike riders enjoyed great weather (air temperature 25°C, track 36°C) on this first day of the South African World Superbike race weekend, at the Kyalami circuit. In the first practice session that took place in the early afternoon factory riders Noriyuki and Michel were both immediately fast. Towards the end of the 60-minute session Michel ducked under 1m40 for the first time and then, in a final exit in the last minutes, he made his fastest lap of 1m39.081, three tenths faster than Jakub Smrz who, on his privateer Ducati, finished the session in second. Noriyuki improved throughout the session, but concluded in tenth citing problems regarding the absorption of the suspension.
Just over an hour later in the first qualifying session, Michel recorded a first lap of 1m38.7, a very fast time that remained the time to beat for the first half of the session until, on new tyres, he improved further, registering a 1m38.4. In the final stages Cal Crutchlow and Jonathan Rea came close to Michel’s best time but no-one was able to better it and the Italian rider closed in first place. For Noriyuki the morning’s problems continued into the afternoon and the Japanese rider struggled to push hard on the bumpy track surface. At the end of the session Noriyuki was in thirteenth position.
Michel Fabrizio 1m38.4
“We made a good start today. We started from last year’s set-up but then made a variety of changes to both the front and rear of my bike. I have a good feeling and didn’t have any particular problems today. The only thing we need to work on is tyre wear as I did a mini long-run today with the new tyre that’s available to us but after nine laps the grip was already dropping off.”
Noriyuki Haga 1m39.6
“Today was difficult as I didn’t have enough absorption over this bumpy track surface. I tried the different tyres available and they are not bad but without better absorption it’s hard to push. We need to work to resolve this issue tomorrow. I hope to improve tomorrow but Sunday will be difficult; there are a lot of us on a track that is not so fast.”
— Althea Ducati
The Althea Racing riders are back in the top ten at the end of the first qualifying session at the South African track of Kyalami, where the sixth round of the World Superbike Championship is taking place this weekend.
Carlos Checa finished fourth in free practice, before improving by more than a second in qualifying, to finish in sixth position, less than half a second from provisional polesitter Michel Fabrizio. The Spaniard suffered a fall in the morning’s practice but was uninjured and the crash fortunately did not affect his performance in the afternoon.
Shane Byrne (fifth in free practice) also went well, closing qualifying in ninth position, eight tenths behind Fabrizio. The English rider made 23 laps of the track, that has been modified in two places.
Genesio Bevilacqua, Althea Racing team owner declared, “We expected the bikes to be competitive at this track, although we have not yet found the ideal set-up. In Carlos’ case, a fall disturbed his rhythm and meant he had to use the second bike that wasn’t the same as bike one. Tomorrow we’ll continue our work with him, certain that we can improve. Shane was right behind Carlos in free practice while in the afternoon he continued to work in readiness for tomorrow’s sessions. His objective is to remain inside the top ten.”
— Yamaha Report
Yamaha Sterilgarda rider Cal Crutchlow got straight down to business in the first qualifying session of the Kyalami race weekend today. Crutchlow spent the session in the top two positions, only losing out to leader Fabrizio at the end by less than a tenth of a second. The British rider had been on a hot lap at the end on track to take the fastest time but was unfortunately held up and unable to complete.
Crutchlow’s team-mate James Toseland had a slower start to the South African weekend. Fresh off the back of a big crash last weekend and having not ridden the Kyalami circuit for a number of years, Toseland spent the qualifying renewing his knowledge of the track as he worked on his set-up.
Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (2nd, 1’38.529)
“I think today went ok, I’m pretty pleased to be honest. I should have been fastest but I got held up on my last hot lap. I think it’s going to be difficult in race conditions; tyre wear is a big issue as the track is very abrasive. Overall second fastest isn’t too bad on the first day, we’ll go away now and will look at more improvements for tomorrow with the team.”
James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (15th, 1’39.656)
“It’s my first day back on the bike since my crash last week and it’s also my first time back on this track for ten years, it’s very technical and I’d forgotten how bumpy it is. Unfortunately the base setting we started the session with wasn’t right so we had a lot of work to do to get the bike working well. At the end we found something that worked better and got down to good race times, so tomorrow we’ll improve on that some more and we will get down to the faster times they’re running at the front today. Given everything I’m only just over a second off after the first day so I’m not displeased with that and we’ve got a lot more to give tomorrow.”
Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“I was a little bit worried today, this is not traditionally a good track for us, but finally the results were good. Tomorrow I believe James will move up as he gets used to the track again and improves his set up. Last year the track was the most difficult for us, but after all our development the situation is completely different, to be second fastest with Cal and James only a second off after a big crash when hasn’t been here for ten years is pretty good, and taking into account our strong performance at Monza I am quite optimistic for tomorrow.”
— BMW Report
An encouraging start for Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport in the sixth race weekend of the 2010 FIM Superbike World Championship: While Ruben Xaus (ESP) finished today’s Qualifying Practice in 14th on the bumpy Kyalami track, Troy Corser (AUS) set the fourth fastest time of the session.
Troy Corser: “After having missed last year’s race, I had to get used to the track this morning as it is crucial here to know where the bumps are. We then started working on the bike’s settings. Overall, I am quite happy. There are still some small areas where I struggle a bit: I still miss some push at the hairpin at the top of the track, and I am not 100 per cent confident opening the throttle there. There are some places we have to adjust the engine braking a little, and I just can’t get one right hander in the last sector right. Overall, I am confident for tomorrow, as the bike feels very comfortable.”
Ruben Xaus: “We tried a lot of things today. We worked on the set-up specific to this track. The tracks we have been to previously allow for more time between direction changes. Here the lap is like a roller coaster and riding here is really physically demanding. This layout demands a different set-up. The BMW S 1000 RR is very sensitive to set-up changes. However, I am confident for tomorrow as I have full trust in my crew, and I am sure they will give me an incredible bike.”
Davide Tardozzi (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager):
“Today we were not too bad. After last year, I expected us to struggle a lot more. This bumpy race track does not suit our bike perfectly. I am totally happy with Troy’s performance, although we are still losing three tenths of a second in the last sector. Ruben tested a lot of different things today, and I am sure he will finish a lot higher tomorrow.”
— Suzuki Report
There were mixed fortunes for Team Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli on the opening day of the sixth round of the Superbike World Championship in Kyalami: Haslam finished a comfortable fifth, but Guintoli could only manage 17th.
But this is the Frenchman’s first visit to this technically and physically-demanding track, so he has a big chance of improvement tomorrow.
Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) set the day’s best lap with a time of 1:38.477. Second was Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) with Jonathan Rea (Honda) third and Troy Corser (BMW) fourth. Haslam’s fifth meant that five different manufacturers filled the first five places today.
Leon Haslam – 5th, 1:38.951: “I’m pretty happy with what we did today and satisfied with the number of laps I put in. The tyres felt pretty consistent and I was able to go quite quickly on a tyre that was old, so that bodes well for the races. The track is very bumpy and it’s important to get a good bike set-up and one that works with the bumps. We’ve been working on getting a good bike balance and once you have that, it is easier to push hard.
“After the end of a session my left wrist aches a bit, but there is no problem with it when I am on the bike. Because this circuit is so physical, if I get a slide, I certainly know about it in my wrist, but I don’t see it been a problem in Sunday’s races.
“I am sure that Superpole is going to be frantic tomorrow. In the past, I haven’t made big improvements on qualifying tyres, but I have always managed good grid positions and last week was the first time this season I have been off the front row. I am more concerned with the balance of the bike and the set-up than grid positions and as long as I am on the first two rows I will be happy.”
Sylvain Guintoli – 17th, 1:39.834: “It’s my first time here and I spent most of the day learning the track and trying to work out where all the bumps are – and there a lot of them! I like this track; it’s very technical and very demanding and you don’t really get a chance to have a rest anywhere. It’s a shame that there are so many bumps and changes of tarmac because it is such a good track to ride.
“We started today with the Monza bike set-up and then made changes. But most of the changes made the bike worse and I went slower, so we will have to go back to the Monza set-up and then work from there. My position in the ranking today was rubbish, but I’m actually quite pleased with my lap times and we are not so far away. I just need to put it all together and do well in Superpole.”
— Ten Kate
Jonathan Rea set the third fastest time in today’s opening World Superbike qualifying session for Sunday’s two round six races at Kyalami in South Africa. Provisional pole position was taken by Italian Michel Fabrizio.
In perfect conditions, Rea spent most of today’s track time on race tyres dialling in his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade to the unique characteristics of the 4.263km Kyalami circuit located just north of Johannesburg. However, fresh rubber towards the end of this afternoon’s hour-long session fired him up the leaderboard.
Rea’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, continued the adaptation of his riding style whilst re-familiarising himself with the undulating Kyalami circuit, finishing in 18th place today. The German rider tested here at the end of 2008 but missed last season’s event through injury.
Jonathan Rea – P3
We did a lot of work on old tyres today to set the bike up for the bumps and its demands for grip. We definitely found a good base to start with tomorrow morning and when we put new tyres in at the end all that hard work made sense. So, it’s been a good and satisfying first day here without any major drama. We’ll look a little more at the front of the bike tomorrow and try to get it to deal with the bumps even better, but everything feels pretty good so far.
Max Neukirchner – P18
I did a long run this afternoon when the lap times were not so bad. When we put in new tyres to improve the time, the front tyre was too soft and I was not able to push hard enough. We’ll put in a harder one tomorrow morning and hope that improves things. I also need to work on my lines through one or two corners where I am spending too long with the bike leant over and not opening the throttle soon enough. I am still adapting my style and haven’t ridden here since the test 18 months ago. So, although 18th looks quite bad, I am positive about improving the position tomorrow.
Ronald ten Kate – team-manager
We’ve had to work quite a bit today since Kyalami is really a very challenging circuit, where the bumps complicate the task even more. We’re not far off on Jonathan’s side of the garage and he’s spent a long time on used tyres today. He achieved a good level of consistency, which will be a key factor on Sunday. After a good session with Max this morning, we kind of lost ourselves a little this afternoon, but we’ll work hard to move him up tomorrow.
