All posts tagged wsbk imola
Francis Batta statement on Suzuki
On Saturday after QP2 at Imola, we posted what Francis Batta had said regarding Suzuki’s plans for 2012 reporting that the Japanese manufacturer would not be helping in future development nor would they back the team financially. Apparently Batta felt the need to further clarify his previous interview as the team issued this following press release after Sunday’s round in Italy.
At the moment, Suzuki Japan has not made their final decision regarding the 2012 World Superbike Championship. Currently, Suzuki Japan are able to offer Alstare the current bikes and spares, but are not in a position to provide funds for research and development. Furthermore any parts that Suzuki produce in 2012 would have to be purchased.
Alstare understand that Suzuki Japan are not in discussions with any other team regarding the 2012 World Superbike Championship, save for perhaps Paul Denning in UK, should Alstare not be involved with Suzuki in 2012. A final decision by Suzuki is promised after the Magny-Cours round and Alstare hope to be able to make an official statement then.
Highlight videos and rider quotes from the WSBK round at Imola
More than 87,000 fans showed up at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit at Imola expecting to see Carlos Checa take home the 2011 World Superbike championship crown (Ducati’s Filippo Preziosi wasn’t sitting in the Althea Racing garage for nothing), but the Spaniard was thwarted in race 1 by a fantastic Jonathan Rea and a reborn Noriyuki Haga and in race 2 despite winning the race, it was Marco Melandri finishing 6th that stopped him from taking the crown.
For those of you wondering what technical issue stopped Rea from doing the double in Italy, it was a battery connector. And for those who were suprised by Haga’s performances in both races, rumors say that team Pata was given Max Biaggi’s engines to use for this weekend, while the Italian is recovering from his foot injury.
Jonathan Rea (1st and DNF)
Race one was pretty emotional, because it’s been a long journey back. Last season ended for me here, so it’s a credit to all the people around me – my family, my friends, my girlfriend, and of course the team – who have got me back to the top step. I used last year’s disappointment as a big motivation today and race two was looking really good, too, so it was disappointing not to finish. I know the guys behind me were pushing pretty hard but I felt quite comfortable at the front. We’ve come a long way and I’m not going to get wrapped up in the negative of race two. What happened was a failure of a one-Euro battery connector so in my heart I know we had two really good races today. The biggest result was the continued development of the new electronics system, so I can’t thank the team enough for the faith they’ve shown in me to keep pushing with that development. We’re still looking to improve in other areas, too, not just electronics, so that fills me with confidence for next week in Magny-Cours.
Continue reading: Highlight videos and rider quotes from the WSBK round at Imola
Carlos Checa wins Race 2 at Imola - Championship title to be decided at Magny Cours
Race 2 at Imola was a heartbreak for Jonathan Rea as his Honda broke down while he was leading the race by over 2.5s and with five laps to go and had to retire, which let title leader Carlos Checa ride to the win and seal his 13th race victory of the season.
However, it was Marco Melandri who after running off track while he was 5th and rejoin in 12th and his charge through the field to take sixth, after a last lap pass on both Joan Lascorz and Sylvain Guintoli, which left the championship still open - by just three points - making Checa and Althea Racing wait for the next week’s round at Magny Cours to try take the title.
The Northern Irishman had been controlling the race from the start, while behind him all hell broke loose with wild man Noryuki Haga and Leon Camier and Checa getting it on, but Camier ran off track to come back in a distant fourth letting Checa and Haga decide it between themselves. Checa snatched the second place from Haga on lap 16, who was having a couple of moments with his rear tire, as Rea began slowing on lap 17 and from there it was easy for Checa to catch and pass the Castrol Honda rider and cruise to the win.
Jonathan Rea bags victory in Race 1 at Imola
The new electronics that Jonathan Rea’s Castrol Honda is sporting, may have helped him in today’s race 1 at Imola, but it was all the Northern Irishman’s talent and determination that let him keep a faster and reborn Noriyuki Haga at bay for almost half of the race and let him take and emotional win, his second this season (Assen race 1) after so many injuries.
Rea took the lead from Tom Sykes on lap five, but the Castrol Honda rider would almost meet his match when the Samurai of Slide began a hard charge to the front after being bumped back to fifth in a contact with Skyes at the first turn. Haga would set the fastest laps in the race (1′47″960) as he started to reel in Rea and finally caught him on the 14th lap, but Imola is a difficult track to find places to overtake and they would take the race to the finish line one directly behind the other.
Carlos Checa struggled in the open laps and was lying in a distant fourth behind Sykes, but he upped his pace in the second half of the race to stay on Sykes tail. The Kawasaki rider managed to keep the Spaniard behind him riding in defense mode until the final lap when the Althea Ducati rider tucked in and went past the Kawasaki rider.
Continue reading: Jonathan Rea bags victory in Race 1 at Imola
WSBK Imola: Noriyuki Haga fastest in warm-up, Carlos Checa crashes
Warm-up practice at Imola this morning saw Noriyuki Haga set the fastest lap with his Pata Aprilia with a best time of 1.48.242 followed by Tom Sykes who was just 0.137s adrift. Lap times were quite tight with 10 riders in less than a second from Haga, however track temperatures were slight lower this morning.
Jonathan Rea posted the third best time with BMW’s Leon Haslam close behind. Pole sitter Carlos Checa crashed trying to avoid a suddenly slow riding Matteo Baiocco, who suffered a technical glitch on his Ducati. Luckily the Spaniard did not suffer any apparent physical consequences, but his Althea Ducati did.
Effenbert Liberty riders Jakub Smrz and Sylvain Guintoli were 6th and 7th respectively, while Michel Fabrizio, Maxime Berger and Mark Aitchinson closed out the top ten.
Continue reading: WSBK Imola: Noriyuki Haga fastest in warm-up, Carlos Checa crashes
World Superbike Superpole quotes from Imola
Today’s Superpole session at Imola showed why Carlos Checa will soon be winning the 2011 World Superbike title (he just needs 26 points over Marco Melandri) as he took his 6th pole position of the season on race tires and not qualifiers, which starting tongues wagging again on Pirelli favouring Ducati.
Here’s what some of the riders said about their Superpole session.
Carlos Checa - 1st
“I’m really happy with today’s pole because it comes just at the right time. I was having some problems with the first Q tyre and had to use the second, to then do the final stage without a qualifier. I gave it my all in the final phase and was able to make a very fast, very clean lap, but you always have that doubt at the end that maybe someone went faster in the final seconds! Rea was really strong today and I knew he’d be there on the front row. I’m looking forward to two really competitive races tomorrow.”
Continue reading: World Superbike Superpole quotes from Imola
Carlos Checa charges to Imola Superpole on race tires
Carlos Checa grabbed his 6th Superpole of the season at Imola with a fantastic record breaking lap time of 1.47.196, and amazingly he took the pole using hard race tires as he ran out of qualifying tires to assure his making into SP3.
Castrol Honda’s Jonathan Rea took second and he was a mere 0.078s from the Althea rider. Noriyuki Haga was another rider who showed and excellent feeling with the Italian circuit, taking third and bumpingTom Sykes from the position with his last flying lap. Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes will complete the front row and he was less than three tenths from Checa.
Opening the second row will be Yamaha’s Eugene Laverty, while team mate and Checa’s closest rival, Marco Melandri didn’t make the cut to SP3, managing 9th, unable to use the qualifying tires to their fullest. Leon Haslam also ran out of qualifiers for the final stint, but he managed a 6th spot with race tyres, while Ayrton Badovini was the best Italian on the grid with his 7th position. Effenbert Liberty’s Sylvain Guintoli took 8th.
Leon Camier closed out the top ten for Aprilia, a little more than four tenths slower than Haga on Pata’s satellite Aprilia.
Continue reading: Carlos Checa charges to Imola Superpole on race tires
Tom Sykes tops QP2 at Imola with record breaking lap
The newly asphalted Imola track let times drop significantly from last year, and in this morning’s QP2 Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes not only topped the timesheet but also broke the previous circuit lap record that was set by Jonathan Rea just minutes earlier in the session.
The Kawasaki rider who took the Superpole last year at Imola, blazed through the Italian circuit stopping the clock with a stunning lap of 1.47.799. Jonathan Rea also was able to break the 1.48 barrier with his 1.47.973 which was just 0.174s adrift from Sykes.
Michel Fabrizio pipped Carlos Checa for third in his last flying lap, while Noriyuki Haga took fifth. Leon Haslam grabbed sixth, while the Yamaha factory team is struggling slighty as they usually do at Imola. Marco Melandri was seventh, while team mate Eugene Laverty qualified for the Superpole in 12th.
Coming in eighth was Jakub Smrz followed by lone Aprilia Alitalia rider Leon Camier, as Max Biaggi had to skip the rounde due to his injured foot. Camier was sandwiched between the other Effenbert Libery rider, Sylvain Guintoli.
CIV wildcard Althea rider Federico Sandi made the cut to this afternoon’s Superpole with his 11th place and 0.916s from the top of the chart. Also moving into the Superpole will be Troy Corser, Maxime Berger, Ayrton Badovini and another CIV wildcard, Alex Polita for Barni Racing team.
Continue reading: Tom Sykes tops QP2 at Imola with record breaking lap
WSBK Imola: Jonathan Rea tops the charts in QP1
It’s been a little while since we’ve seen Jonathan Rea head the timesheets in this season’s World Superbike championship, but the Castrol Honda rider seems very comfortable with the new ride-by-wire system that’s helping him get a little more out of his CBR1000RR today at Imola, as he jumped ahead of Carlos Checa in the final minutes to post a 1.48.241 lap that left the Althea Ducati rider adrift by 0.159s.
Leon Haslam continues his good form at the Italian track with the third best time followed by Michel Fabrizio and Marco Melandri. Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes was just shy of the Yamaha rider by 0.040s which put him into sixth.
Maxime Berger who is out of a ride at the end of season, with Supersonic closing up shop was seventh, while Noriyuki Haga and Jakub Smrz closed out the top ten, but wildcard riders Federico Sandi and Alex Polita were very close behind.
Continue reading: WSBK Imola: Jonathan Rea tops the charts in QP1
Carlos Checa leads in FP1 at Imola
The World Superbike championship’s first free practice at Imola kicked off with the usual Carlos Checa leading the top of timesheets. Checa who needs just 26 points to win the 2011 title this weekend, put in a blazing 1.49.294 final lap that once again re-confirmed his dominance this season.
Behind the Althea Ducati rider was a suprising Leon Haslam on the BMW Motorrad Motorsport machine followed by Marco Melandri, who doesn’t seem to have have forgotten the Italian circuit, even if a lot of years have gone since his 125cc days.
Jakub Smrz was fourth, but he rose to the spot in the final minute of the session in one of his usual do-or-die laps. Jonathan Rea took 5th and officially debuting the ride-by-wire system on his CBR 1000RR. Sylvain Guintoli took sixth ahead of Michel Fabrizio, Ayrton Badovini, Leon Camier and Eugene Laverty.
Max Biaggi to miss Imola Superbike round
Max Biaggi will not be racing in this weekend’s World Superbike round. The Aprilia Alitalia rider who won his his World Superbike title at Imola last year, will be forced to skip the Italian round as hasn’t recovered from his foot injury.
Biaggi was hit by an unidentified object at Nurburgring a little more than two weeks ago, that fractured a bone in his left foot, and following a medical check-up that the Italian underwent today, it was revealed that the fracture has still not healed.
According to several Italian websites, Biaggi may be forced to also skip next week’s round at Magny Cours.
With the Aprilia rider out of action, Carlos Checa has only Marco Melandri to worry about, and the Yamaha rider is a distant 74 points behind him with just six races to go.
Chris Vermeulen to miss WSBK round at Imola
Kawasaki’s Chris Vermuelen return to fitness has suffered still another setback, and the Australian will not be racing in this weekend’s World Superbike round at Imola.
Vermeulen took part in the Superbike test at Misano last week, but was only able to ride for one of the two testing days, as one of screws in his right knee come loose therefore had to undergo more surgery (in Barcelona) to remove it.
At the moment it’s unknown whether Vermeulen will recover in time to take part in next week’s Magny Cours round or if his goal will be the season finale at Portimao, October 16th.
Between his knee and elbow injuries, the Australian has been able to compete in only six races this season.
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