Melandri the top man on the opening day
Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) took the fastest time in the first qualifying session of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship weekend at MotorLand Aragon in Spain. He overtook this morning’s free practice fastest man Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) who finished up second, with Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) third. Eugene Laverty, Biaggi’s team-mate, was fourth quickest with an improving Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) fifth.
A good day for the German manufacturer saw BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet riders Ayrton Badovini and Michel Fabrizio go sixth and seventh respectively. Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Racing Aprilia) completed the provisional second row in eighth.
Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) rode his way to ninth in a hot qualifying session, with Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) the first Ducati rider home on day one, tenth. Checa’s team-mate Davide Giugliano secured 11th place, with Camier’s team-mate John Hopkins 12th. Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) was 14th in his first visit to the MotorLand Aragon racetrack for a race weekend.
One more qualifying session and then Tissot-Superpole will take place tomorrow to determine the final grid places for Sunday’s races.
Times: 1. Melandri (BMW) 1’58.608 average 162.202 kph; 2. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1’58.973; 3. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1’59.123; 4. Laverty (Aprilia) 1’59.263; 5. Haslam (BMW) 1’59.396; 6. Badovini (BMW) 1’59.751; 7. Fabrizio (BMW) 1’59.770; 8. Davies (Aprilia) 2’00.146; 9. Camier (Suzuki) 2’00.147; 10. Checa (Ducati) 2’00.401; 11. Giugliano (Ducati) 2’00.514; 12. Hopkins (Suzuki) 2’00.570; 13. Canepa (Ducati) 2’00.615; 14. Rea (Honda) 2’00.617; 15. Guintoli (Ducati) 2’00.640; 16. Baz (Kawasaki) 2’00.690; etc.
World Supersport
Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda) secured the provisional pole starting spot by putting over half a second between himself and second place rider Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) in the first qualifying session at Aragon. The Kawasaki Intermoto Step machine of former champion Fabien Foret was a late third in the rankings at the end of day one, with Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Racing Parts Honda) fourth.
Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Lorenzini) and Roberto Tamburini (Team Lorini Honda) completed the top six with a great effort from Jed Metcher (Rivamoto Junior Team Yamaha) taking him seventh ahead of another 2012 WSS rookie, Joshua Day (Team GO ELEVEN Kawasaki).
Times: 1. Lowes (Honda) 2’03.067 average 156.325 kph; 2. Cluzel (Honda) 2’03.635; 3. Foret (Kawasaki) 2’03.771; 4. Parkes (Honda) 2’03.955; 5. Morais (Kawasaki) 2’04.385; 6. Tamburini (Honda) 2’04.411; 7. Metcher (Yamaha) 2’04.516; 8. Day (Kawasaki) 2’04.838; etc.
Superstock 1000
Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) set the fastest time of the first day, just ahead of his own team-mate Lorenzo Baroni in second. Markus Reiterberger (Team Alpha Racing BMW) posted third, making it a clean sweep for S 1000 RR machines in the early exchanges.
Two Kawasaki riders followed closely behind today, Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS) and Bryan Staring (Team Pedercini). Fabio Massei (EAB Ten Kate Junior Team Honda) secured sixth place, with the top ranked Ducati Panigale rider Lorenzo Savadori (Barni Racing Team Italia) in seventh. One more qualifying session remains, on Saturday.
Times: 1. Barrier (BMW) 2’02.741 average 156.740 kph; 2. Baroni (BMW) 2’02.833; 3. Reiterberger (BMW) 2’03.230; 4. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 2’03.508; 5. Staring (Kawasaki) 2’03.870; 6. Massei (Honda) 2’03.984; 7. Savadori (Ducati) 2’04.492; 8. Coghlan (Ducati) 2’04.533; etc.
Superstock 600
Riccardo Russo (Team Italia FMI Yamaha) took the provisional pole position in the Superstock 600 European Championship class today, followed by another top championship contender, Michael van der Mark (EAB Ten Kate Junior Team Honda). Gauthier Duwelz (Team MTM Racing Yamaha) and his team-mate Adrian Nestorovic were third and fourth fastest.
Another pair of team-mates, Tony Covena and Christian Gamarino, from the GO ELEVEN Kawasaki team, finished fifth and sixth in the heat at Motorland, with one more qualifying session left to run tomorrow before the race itself takes place on Saturday afternoon.
Times: 1. Russo (Yamaha) 2’06.129 average 152.530 kph; 2. Vd Mark (Honda) 2’06.492; 3. Duwelz (Yamaha) 2’06.635; 4. Nestorovic (Yamaha) 2’06.782; 5. Coveña (Kawasaki) 2’07.189; 6. Gamarino (Kawasaki) 2’07.605; 7. Suchet (Honda) 2’07.790; 8. Ponsson (Kawasaki) 2’07.812; etc.
— Suzuki Report
FIXI Crescent Suzuki racers Leon Camier and John Hopkins had a profitable first day at the eighth round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship at Aragon in Spain today.
Camier and Hopkins are comfortably within the provisional top-16 for tomorrow’s Superpole after they recorded the ninth and 12th quickest times respectively during this afternoon’s first qualifying session. Camier recorded a best time of 2’00.147 from his 12-laps around the 5,344m Motorland Aragon circuit. Hopkins (2’00.570) saved his best till last as he posted his quickest time on his 11th – and final – lap of the afternoon onboard his Yoshimura-powered Suzuki GSX-R1000. Camier and Hopkins produced one of their strongest joint first days of the season so far today. This is especially encouraging for the team as it’s the first visit Hopkins has made to Aragon for a race weekend and also that both riders are confident there is more to come as the weekend progresses.
Today’s practice and qualifying were held in very hot conditions as air temperatures reached 37°C and the track surface hit 60°C at its peak during this afternoon’s session. Marco Melandri took provisional Pole Position this afternoon on a BMW with current World Championship leader Max Biaggi on an Aprilia in second.
FIXI Crescent Suzuki will have a final qualifying session of 45-minutes tomorrow morning when Camier and Hopkins will be aiming to cement their positions in the final-16 shoot-out for the afternoon Superpole. Their goal will be to secure the best grid places for Sunday’s two races, the first of which gets underway at 12.00hrs local time (11.00hrs BST).
Leon Camier: “I would’ve been higher up the grid if it wasn’t for a little mistake on my fast lap. Coming out of the last turn, I ran a bit wide and went onto the grass and lost time. I’m sure I would’ve easily got my FIXI Crescent Suzuki into the 1:59s otherwise. This is the kind of track where you need to be smooth and flowing, but sometimes I was a bit too aggressive and so the lap times didn’t come. We tried quite a few different settings today and I’m confident that there’s room for improvement tomorrow and I’m looking forward to that.”
John Hopkins: “The high track temperatures affected us adversely, because normally we can make up time on the others on our speed into the turns and in the turns themselves. But when the track is so hot, the tyres limit what can be done and make it the same for everybody and so the advantage is lost. I had a little fall this morning, at the slowest corner on the circuit, but picked the bike up and rode it back to the pits undamaged. I only saw this track for the first time last week and although it is a bit of a challenge, I really like it. There’s more to come from me and the GSX-R tomorrow and the cooler it is, the better we’ll go.”
Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “I think that today was not a bad day for us. Both riders finished comfortably in the top 12 and I’m sure they’ll be quicker tomorrow. This morning Leon showed good pace and was only 0.8 seconds off the fastest time. He was also quicker than he was in last week’s tests. John was also running very well in the morning free practice and was fourth fastest for a while, but a small fall cost him time. Otherwise he probably would’ve finished in the top six. We’re ahead of all the Ducatis and the factory Hondas and hopefully tomorrow we’ll see more improvement and a decent and positive qualifying.”
— BMW Report
Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport secured provisional pole position for the eighth round of the 2012 FIM Superbike World Championship. Factory rider Marco Melandri (ITA) set the fastest time in today’s first qualifying practice at Motorland Aragòn (ESP). His team-mate Leon Haslam (GBR) qualified fifth which puts him on the provisional second row. BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team’s Ayrton Badovini and Michel Fabrizio (both ITA) finished the session in sixth and seventh, thus four BMW S 1000 RRs are on the first two rows. It was a hot start to the second half of the 2012 season with air temperatures near 40 degrees Celsius and track temperatures up to 60 degrees Celsius making the day a challenge for riders, crews and bikes.
Marco Melandri:
Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:59.576 min (P5)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: 1:58.608 min (P1)
“Every day is a new day but it is always important to start with a good pace. The bike is working very well here and we can focus on our target which is to get a good race rhythm so I am confident. Today it was very hot and we have never ridden in these conditions. We struggled with the consistency at the front of the bike. The lap times were really good, but after two laps the front tyre had already become unstable so I think that it will be difficult for everybody, because on this track with long braking in a leaning position the front is under a lot of stress. With these temperatures the race is going to be tough physically. Maybe it is going to be little bit cooler on Sunday, but it is okay. It is the same for everybody and I have trained very well on my fitness.”
Leon Haslam:
Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:59.718 min (P8)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: 1:59.369 min (P5)
“Today we were just doing our normal work. The pace is not too bad. We started off here as we finished at the test last week and the lap times were okay, even in the hotter conditions. We are getting closer but we just need to keep working. Today we were focusing on race set-up and the race tyre which I think is going to be the key for Sunday, especially in conditions like this. We had a few issues in the afternoon when we were struggling with the rear. Today was certainly very hot which changes the bike quite a lot. Obviously the tyres are a big factor in the heat. The tyre we would normally use doesn’t seem to be ideal for hotter conditions so we have to try to make the softer tyres work and last.”
Andrea Dosoli (Head of Race Operations):
“For sure we are happy with today’s result. It was a good start to the weekend but we must remember that it is only the first day. We could see that all the guys who tested here last week were in the top ten so we expect the others to come further up the grid tomorrow. Marco started this morning with a slightly different set-up to last week’s test. He and his crew have made some adjustments and Marco improved in the afternoon, but there is room for improvement at the front end. Leon’s lap time was not so far away from Marco’s, but he was not yet happy with how the bike feels. There are a few areas on the chassis and electronics set-up we have to work on but we are confident that tomorrow both of our riders can take a step forward.”
— Ten Kate
Jonathan Rea finished 14th fastest in today’s opening qualifying session for round eight of the 2012 World Superbike championship at Motorland Aragon in Spain. His Honda World Superbike team-mate, Hiroshi Aoyama, was 18th quickest as Italian Marco Melandri led the way to provisional pole position.
With the track surface nudging 60°C and air temperatures close to 40, it was hot work for all riders as Rea, who missed the inaugural race here last season, set about learning the undulating 5.344km Aragon circuit.
The 25-year-old was happy enough with progress in this morning’s free practice session but a technical problem limited his qualifying this afternoon to just eight laps. With the new-for-2012 one-bike rule in force, Rea spent much of the session able to do nothing more than watch his rivals.
For Aoyama, a combination of set-up issues restricted his progress, but the 30-year-old Japanese is confident of an improvement in tomorrow morning’s second qualifying session, which will determine the top 16 riders who progress to Superpole.
Jonathan Rea – P14 2m00.617s
It’s been quite a difficult day and, to be honest, I didn’t really have a clue where I was going this morning, so I felt a bit like a novice. I was up to speed this afternoon, though, and was comfortable hovering inside the top ten when I felt something not quite right with the bike and came straight back to the box. The one-bike rule really hurt us today – just when I needed to be doing some laps. There was about half an hour of the session left, so I used the time to go and watch some of the other guys out on track. I need all the information I can get because the guys really got no useful data from last year’s visit here – even the gearing was out. Two seconds is a lot to find but you can get half a second just through a bit of confidence, so it’s not all gloom and doom. There’s light at the end of this particular tunnel and we’ve got all day tomorrow to learn some more and try to improve our position for Sunday.
Hiroshi Aoyama – P18, 2m01.827s
I had quite a good feeling in the first session and I was quite confident that I could improve this afternoon. But in that qualifying session it was very strange that many things didn’t work. I could not stop the bike, I could not turn the bike and also I could not open the throttle when I wanted. So it wasn’t good. It seemed like the electronics were upsetting the braking a little, so maybe we need to adjust. I don’t know whether the higher temperatures this afternoon had an effect but it was definitely a little bit too much. It’s clear where the problem is and I think the guys can adjust for tomorrow.
Broc Parkes took a provisional front row position in this afternoon’s opening qualifying session for round eight of the 2012 World Supersport championship at Motorland Aragon in Spain.
The Australian rider had earlier dominated the first free practice session at the 5.344km Aragon circuit, finishing more than half a second ahead of fellow Honda CBR600RR rider Sam Lowes.
It was Lowes who topped the timing sheets in the afternoon session, conducted in temperatures approaching 40°C, followed by Jules Cluzel on another CBR and Fabien Foret, with Parkes rounding out the front row.
Broc Parkes – P4, 2m03.955s
“Everything felt really good in the first practice this morning so we continued with the tyres that we finished on. We change the bike and little and, to be honest, I went into turn seven a little bit too fast and lost the front. I held it on my knee for quite a while but ended up going down. It took quite a while to get the bike fixed so I went back out we didn’t bother putting in softer tyres, so just stayed on the harder ones. We’re pretty happy to be fourth, really, and the bike changed quite a bit in the hotter conditions this afternoon. We’ll be aware of that tomorrow and try to keep it better for the heat. We were still a second and a half off our best time from this morning so for sure there’s some room to improve and get back up there or thereabouts.”
— Metcher
Friday free practice session and qualifying was a positive day for the Rivamoto team in extremely hot conditions, Australian Jed Metcher qualified in 7th position and Russian Edik Blokhin produced his best lap time ever at the Aragon Motorland Circuit. The Yamaha R6 has been improving and Jed has been more confident with some new chassis settings used in Misano. The Rivamoto team are sure that will improve further.
The team has gathered some valuable data from Jed during the qualifying session, especially on the long runs with the harder tyre. Jed managed to put a good lap together on a softer tyre at the end of the session, moving him into 7th position. He is hoping to make better use of the softer tyre allocation tomorrow, but a very positive session overall. “I am happy with the result at the end of the day and I am confident we can make a lot of progression on the race tyre. We will work on our qualifying time in the second qualifying session.”
Edik had a very successful morning session, after he produced his best ever lap time at the circuit, which was within 2 seconds of the qualifying time. Edik unfortunately crashed out uninjured after already having qualified earlier; he managed to low side when pushing hard in the second session trying to improve his lap time.
Russian team mate Oleg Pozdneev was also pushing hard to put a good lap together but unfortunately lost the front on the exit of the back chicane in the hot conditions, luckily also without injury. The small mistake resulted in him being unable to qualify in today’s session as he lost some valuable track time. Oleg hopes to make amends tomorrow and everyone in the team is confident that the riders can make some improvements.
