eni FIM Superbike World Championship

Jerez Circuit, Spain

September 6, 2014

Superpole Qualifying Results (all on Pirelli tires):

From Superpole Knockout Session One (top two advance to Superpole Knockout Session Two):

1. Sylvain BARRIER, France (BMW S1000RR), EVO, 1:41.768

2. Leon HASLAM, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:41.943

3. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, 1:42.329

4. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), EVO, 1:42.356

5. Alessandro ANDREOZZI, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, 1:42.622

6. Sheridan MORAIS, South Africa (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, 1:43.380

7. Jeremy GUARNONI, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, 1:43.628

8. Bryan STARING, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, 1:43.640

9. Claudio CORTI, Italy (MV Agusta F4 RR), 1:43.651

10. Imre TOTH, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), 1:44.633

From Superpole Knockout Session Two:

1. Loris BAZ, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:40.298

2. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), 1:40.533

3. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:40.561

4. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:40.822

5. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:40.877

6. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:41.092

7. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), 1:41.199

8. Leon HASLAM, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:41.338

9. Alex LOWES, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:41.421

10. Jonathan REA, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:41.447

11. Toni ELIAS, Spain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:41.882

12. Sylvain BARRIER, France (BMW S1000RR), EVO, 1:42.928

Combined Qualifying Results:

1. Loris BAZ, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:40.298

2. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), 1:40.533

3. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:40.561

4. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:40.822

5. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:40.877

6. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:41.092

7. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), 1:41.199

8. Leon HASLAM, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:41.338

9. Alex LOWES, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:41.421

10. Jonathan REA, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:41.447

11. Toni ELIAS, Spain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 1:41.882

12. Sylvain BARRIER, France (BMW S1000RR), EVO, 1:42.928

13. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, 1:42.329

14. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), EVO, 1:42.356

15. Alessandro ANDREOZZI, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, 1:42.622

16. Sheridan MORAIS, South Africa (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, 1:43.380

17. Jeremy GUARNONI, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, 1:43.628

18. Bryan STARING, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), EVO, 1:43.640

19. Claudio CORTI, Italy (MV Agusta F4 RR), 1:43.651

20. Imre TOTH, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), 1:44.633

21. Gabor RIZMAYER, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), EVO, 1:45.590

22. Geoff MAY, USA (EBR 1190 RX), 1:45.693

23. Aaron YATES, USA (EBR 1190 RX), 1:45.929

24. Luca SCASSA, Italy (Kaw ZX-10R), EVO, 1:47.525

More, from a press release issued by WSBK Dorna Press Office:

Baz takes Tissot-Superpole and sets new best lap at Jerez

Jerez (Spain), Saturday 6 September 2014 – An intense Tissot-Superpole second session has been won by Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) who claimed Pole Position today at Jerez. the young Frenchman will move off ahead of everyone else in the two Sunday races for the second time this year. Baz also recorded the new best lap of the track for the Superbike class in 1’40.298, beating the previous record by 0.322s.

Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) will join Baz on the front row for the two 20 lap races tomorrow. The top-3 riders were awarded with the Tissot-Superpole trophies by 2011 Superbike World Champion Carlos Checa. Row two will see the Aprilia Racing duo of Marco Melandri and Sylvain Guintoli as well as Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) who was 6th.

Alex Lowes crashed his Voltcom Crescent Suzuki at turn two in the final 30 seconds and will start 9th behind Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team, 7th) and Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike, 8th), and ahead of other Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea.

The accolade of being the fastest of the EVO qualifiers went to Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia) who will start tomorrow’s races from 12th on the grid despite falling at turn 6 with two minutes to go.

Superpole 1 was as equally exciting with Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia) posting an incredible lap of 1.41.768s, a time that would have put him 3rd overall on the pre-Superpole classification. Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) also made it through to Superpole 2 with his fastest lap of the weekend where they joined the automatically seeded top ten riders after free practice.

More, from a press release issued by Team Hero EBR:

Team Hero EBR Close To Making Superpole Once Again In Jerez

Team Hero EBR riders Geoff May and Aaron Yates narrowly missed progressing to Tissot Superpole for the second race in succession at Jerez earlier today with both riders needing to only improve by the smallest margin to make it through.

Geoff, who will start tomorrow’s two 20 lap races from 22nd on the grid is nevertheless pleased with the performance of the engine this weekend as is Aaron who will line up alongside his team mate tomorrow in 23rd position on the grid.

Despite missing out on the Superpole progression the entire team continue to work hard and everyone including both riders are positive that they the opportunity for two solid races tomorrow on their EBR 1190RX machines.

Geoff May: “We were so close to making it into superpole again and I am a little disappointed not to make it because I love this track and I thought I had the chance to fight with the riders inside the top 20. My target for tomorrow is to close the gap to the top 15 and try to get some points.”

Aaron Yates: “I was happy with the changes we made to the bike overnight and we made an improvement from yesterday’s practice. I hope that tomorrow we will make another step so we can fight inside the top 20. A special thanks to all my team for the great job they did on the bike so far this weekend.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

SECOND ROW FOR APRILIA RACING TEAM’S OFFICIAL RSV4s IN THE JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA SUPERPOLE

FOURTH BEST TIME FOR MELANDRI AND FIFTH BEST FOR GUINTOLI AS THEY GEAR UP FOR THE ANDALUCIAN ROUND OF WORLD SBK

Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), 6 September 2014 – After dominating the practice sessions and setting he best time in both qualifying and free practice on Saturday morning, Marco Melandri finished fourth this afternoon in Superpole, the decisive session that defines the order on the starting grid. This means that the rider from Ravenna will start from the second row of the grid astride his silver RSV4. A couple uncertainties and Barrier’s crash right in front of him as he was making a play for the front row compromised his time, but they did not affect his ambition for victory, especially considering the excellent race pace and consistency demonstrated from the start of the weekend.

“I made a couple of mistakes in the first part of the track with the qualifier mounted and then in turn 6 Barrier crashed in front of me so I lost a bit of confidence. In the second lap the tyre had lost some efficiency so I wasn’t able to improve. I’m sure I lost a few tenths of a second. In any case, compared to the other rounds this was a good Superpole, especially because I was able to get even closer to the front runners. Getting off to a good start will be important tomorrow. Jerez is a track where it isn’t hard to overtake so the second row with a good pace is just fine”.

Sylvain Guintoli, who is holding out his hopes for the championship on the eve of the Spanish races, given his current second place in the standings, also encountered a few uncertainties in Superpole. However, the second row is still a good placement which puts him among the contenders in Sunday’s race, especially if Sylvain and his team are able to recover a few tenths in race pace during the warm up session tomorrow morning.

“We have worked a lot over these two days but there is still something missing. In any case we are all very close, so it will be important to make the right choices for the races tomorrow. We’ll use the warm up session to try something different in the hopes of improving our pace. I haven’t planned out a strategy. The important thing at the moment is shaving off a little more in the warm up session”.

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Baz Takes Jerez Superpole Win With New Best Lap Time

Loris Baz took a confident second career pole position for the Kawasaki Racing Team with a new best lap of 1’40.298 in Superpole 2 at Jerez. Tom Sykes (KRT) placed third on the grid with a 1’40.561 and in doing so joins Baz on the front row for both of Sunday’s 20-lap Superbike races. David Salom (KRT SBK Evo) was 13th Superpole qualifying and now starts from the fifth row of the grid tomorrow.

Baz made an almost perfect lap in his desire to start from the front row of the grid, only losing a fraction in the early stages of his fastest lap as he found the true limits of grip on his rear qualifying tyre.

Sykes looked like he may have just edged out Baz’s best time near the end of the second Superpole session but Baz held on to record his second career pole position and his first in fully dry and hot track conditions.

Tom was also under the previous lap record as he prepares to go out and defend his championship lead on Sunday at the same venue he became world champion at in 2013. With eight race wins under his belt in 2014 already Sykes would like to add to his collection at a circuit that only reappeared on the SBK calendar for the first time in over 20-years last season.

David Salom (KRT SBK Evo) will start from 13th spot on the grid after Superpole One, just missing out on progressing to Superpole Two by one place. He is still recovering from a recent hand and wrist operation but still pushed to the maximum he could in qualifying and is determined to defend his Evo championship lead at his home round.

Sunshine and warm conditions have blessed the Jerez circuit all weekend so far and the prospects for a similar raceday are good, with high track temperatures expected once more.

Loris Baz: “We changed something on the bike set-up for Superpole and it worked out well. I could have pushed a little bit more in the first split because I did not know how the full grip of the tyre would be. I think I did the second part of the track really fast so it was a really good lap. My second pole this year but it is the first in fully dry conditions and I am really happy about that. This morning I was struggling a little with finding the best grip but it was the same for everyone. When the conditions are hot here it can be a little strange. Allowing for this I think we have been strong from the beginning of the weekend, especially on fresh tyres. I am happy and confident for the races now.”

Tom Sykes: “I am happy enough because for me the target was the front row, to make sure we would get a good start tomorrow. We have tried a lot of things this weekend and now we have left ourselves in a good position for raceday. We know Jerez is a circuit where we have to work a lot compared to some other circuits but the times are very close. When you look at practice times many riders put in a soft tyre near the end of a session, so you can drop down the order because of that. In reality I think there are two or three riders who will be very strong on raceday. We will see how the two long races go and I am happy to be sitting where I am on the front row.”

David Salom: “My hand is sore and it was quite difficult to ride the bike so soon after an operation. I will try tomorrow but it is not possible to push as hard as I normally could. The team worked very well here, like they do at every race. I wanted to finish first Evo rider in Superpole, but I could not today. I am not sure if it is possible to finish the two races in the best physical condition but in a race you can find something extra and push hard.”

More, from a press release issued by Voltcom Crescent Suzuki:

Spanish second row for Voltcom Crescent Suzuki

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s Eugene Laverty will start tomorrow’s eni FIM Superbike World Championship races from the second row after securing sixth place in this afternoon’s Superpole shoot-out at Jerez in Spain.

A strong start to Saturday’s action saw Laverty conclude the weekend’s free practices in fourth and second positions respectively, consolidating the previous day’s efforts and good feeling aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Continuing his progression into the mid-afternoon heat, the Irishman again showed promise on his race tyres before setting a 1’41.092 with qualifying rubber – the time awarding him sixth position and a second row grid start for Sunday’s two contests.

Alex Lowes maintained his challenge to the front runners at the Cadiz circuit as fractional differences separated the times during the three excursions on track. Claiming sixth and seventh on his Yoshimura-powered machine in the opening sessions – just half a second between him and the quickest efforts – the British racer rounds out the third row for tomorrow’s races, a late crash in the closing minutes of Superpole preventing him from advancing on his ninth place 1’41.421 lap time.

Kawasaki’s Loris Baz collected pole position with a 1’40.298 under the 30°C Andalucian sunshine, his countryman Sylvain Barrier taking the fastest EVO position for BMW.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki returns to action at the Circuito de Jerez at 08:40hrs local time (07:40BST) tomorrow morning in preparation for the day’s two races scheduled for 10:30hrs (09:30BST) and 13:10hrs (12:10BST) respectively.

Eugene Laverty:

“It has been a really positive day. We got progressively faster and faster and finished the free practices in second, so on race tyres we are right at the sharp end. We know we’re not the best in qualifying, the aim was to get on the first two rows and we’re there. The GSX-R really feels like ‘my’ bike here and as my confidence grows so will the qualifying speed. We’ve got the race pace to fight at the front and that’s the important thing, so fingers crossed for a good start in the race tomorrow and I think we’ve got a chance!”

Alex Lowes:

“Not the result we were looking for! Superpole obviously didn’t go to plan with my small crash at turn two but I’m actually really happy with my race pace. We are planning to make some small changes to try in the morning so I’ve got a good feeling that we should be there or thereabouts tomorrow. As always the team is working very hard and I’m pretty optimistic of what tomorrow can bring.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“We have taken good steps today compared to yesterday especially in Free Practice 4, where Eugene and Alex were the second and sixth quickest riders on race tyres. Qualifying, compared to where we have been at some tracks this year, was disappointing in terms of the grid positions but still allows us a really good shot at challenging for the top positions tomorrow. On race tyres in qualifying Eugene was again second quickest and his consistency and rhythm is outstanding. He hasn’t had the best of runs on the qualifiers this year so it takes a while to build your confidence to really use the additional grip so all-in-all second row is a decent result. For Alex we have some work to do to improve the stability of the bike. It is quite a challenge to set the bike as the temperature increases throughout the day, but also for the rider to adapt to the relative lack of grip as it gets hotter and hotter. Overall, the pace is there and we’re looking forward to the races tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Giugliano and the Ducati Superbike Team to line up on the front row of tomorrow’s grid at Jerez!

Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), Saturday 6 September 2014 – The tenth Superpole of the 2014 season took place at the Jerez circuit this afternoon, and brought positive results for the Ducati Superbike Team; Davide Giugliano qualifies on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s races, in second position, Chaz Davies seventh.

Lower track temperatures for this morning’s third timed practice session allowed all of the Superbike riders to improve on times set yesterday. Giugliano found good pace right from the start of the session, gradually improving on his lap times to record a best of 1’41.645 (over a second faster than yesterday), a time that projected him into second position overall, just two tenths of a second from Melandri. Davies continued to make small set-up modifications throughout the session, lowering his time by almost a full second to close in fifth position (1’41.983). Both Ducati men therefore qualified easily for this afternoon’s Superpole 2.

Superpole 2 – making a first exit on race rubber, and recording interesting lap times in the process, Giugliano immediately returned to the track with the qualifying tyre. Able to complete a clean, fast lap, the Ducati rider put in a time of 1’40.533. Thanks to this impressive result, Giugliano ducked under last year’s best lap record to qualify in second position for tomorrow’s races, less than three tenths from polesitter Baz. Davies also completed laps on the race tyre before heading back out with the qualifier. Unfortunately a small mistake through the fastest corner caused him to lose valuable tenths, meaning that he concluded today’s Superpole with a best time of 1’41.199. This result places Davies seventh on tomorrow’s race grid.

Quotes after the day’s sessions:

Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team #34) – 2th (1’40.533)

“I’m really pleased to be back on the front row as we haven’t been here for a while. This weekend has been tough so far because these conditions make things a bit difficult for us but this result means that the entire team has done a great job and that we are continuing to make good progress. Tomorrow’s races will be hard work I expect, due to the hot conditions. I’ll be doing everything I can to keep the tyres in the best possible condition and obtain the best possible results. I thank my whole team for their hard work so far – it’s a great result.”

Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 7° (1’41.199)

“In order to improve grip at the rear it seems like I’m losing some of the feeling at the front of the bike so that’s been a bit challenging, as to improve in one area it feels as if we’re taking away from another. I’m a little disappointed with qualifying because I didn’t manage to put together a great lap, losing a few tenths when I ran wide through the fastest corner. If it hadn’t been for that I’d have been on the second row. Anyway, my lap times are good and I feel that the bike is working well so I think we can be in the mix tomorrow. We just need to see if we can find a compromise that gives me the best possible level of rear grip but, at the same time, also good front feeling.”

More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda:

Third row for Haslam in Spain

Pata Honda’s Leon Haslam will start tomorrow’s two tenth-round World Superbike championship races at Jerez in Spain from the third row of the grid after setting the eighth-fastest time in this afternoon’s Superpole sessions.

Haslam, 31, finished this morning’s third free practice session in 11th place and therefore took part in the opening Superpole, progressing to Superpole 2 by setting the second-fastest time.

However, the British rider was pleased to have the opportunity to try an additional qualifying tyre which set him up for Superpole 2 and allowed him to improve his previous lap time by almost a second.

In 30°C of Spanish heat this afternoon and with track temperatures again over 50°C, Haslam’s Pata Honda team-mate Jonathan Rea and his crew struggled to find an optimum setting for the 4.423km Jerez circuit. British rider Rea, 27, will consequently start from the fourth row after setting the 10th fastest time in Superpole 2, 0.1s behind Haslam’s time.

Leon Haslam – P8, 1m41.338s

I’m not too unhappy really and we made some good progress towards our preparation for tomorrow’s races. It was a little cooler today, especially this morning, and going from hot to cool conditions makes a big difference in lap times and in set-up. It’s the first time that I’ve gone a lot quicker on a qualifying tyre compared to a race tyre so that was a bonus. We’ve never found 0.9s like we found today and hopefully we can translate that into the race set-up. Other than that, I’m on the third row at a track where we’ve really struggled in the past and I’m pretty happy.

Jonathan Rea – P10, 1m41.447s

It’s been a little frustrating to be honest because we were optimistic coming here with the new specification on the engine. We’ve had a few problems which is making it hard work and this is not where I want to start from. It’s been a tough weekend so far but the plan for tomorrow morning is to go back to the engine spec that we’ve been running all season. That might put us back a little with regard to electronics settings so warm-up will be crucial. But we need to do something because to race in the top five with the current setting is not possible.

Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator

Eighth position for Leon is not too bad and he also made quite a step improving his lap time on a qualifying. For the race, we still need to dial in a few things because we’re losing too much in the first split so we’ll find a solution for that. Jonathan was tenth and we hoped to make more progress than we did. We chased our tails a little with settings and we’ll make a big change for tomorrow. We’re a little bit behind compared to yesterday and our rivals have all made a jump up today.