Losail Circuit
Doha, Qatar
February 24
World Superbike
Provisional Qualifying:
1. Troy Corser, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:01.244
2. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:01.388
3. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F05, 2:01.980
4. Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:02.217
5. Max Neukirchner, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:02.236
6. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:02.284
7. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:02.469
8. Pierfrancesco Chili, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:02.507
9. Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:02.687
10. James Toseland, Ducati 999F05, 2:02.754
11. Ivan Silva, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:02.759
12. Andrew Pitt, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:02.769
13. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:02.868
14. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 2:02.921
15. Marco Borciani, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:03.178
16. Giovanni Bussei, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 2:03.268
17. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 999RS, 2:03.314
18. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:03.532
19. Fonsi Nieto, Ducati 999RS, 2:03.956
20. Steve Martin, Foggy Petronas FP1, 2:04.045
21. Gianluca Vizziello, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:04.587
22. Miguel Praia, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:04.627
23. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 2:04.630
24. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 2:04.689
25. Garry McCoy, Foggy Petronas FP1, 2:04.991
26. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 999RS, 2:05.182
27. Alessio Velini, Ducati 999RS, 2:05.777
28. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:08.199
29. Talal Al Nuami, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:11.590
More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group:
CORSER TAKES PROVISIONAL POLE AT LOSAIL
Troy On Top: In the first timed qualifying session of the 2005 World Superbike season Troy Corser (Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki) secured provisional pole, with a new track Superbike best of 2:01.244. Setting his time in the final minutes of the one-hour session, Corser, like all his fellow competitors, found the track surface in good condition, it having dried out quickly after a morning of sustained rainfall. Second fastest rider was Yamaha SBK rookie Jose Luis Cardoso (DFX Extreme Sterilgarda Yamaha) only 0.144 seconds down on Corser, with factory Xerox Ducati rider Regis Laconi third; the only other rider in the 2:01 bracket.
New Kids Show Pace: Two riders facing their first full World Superbike season, Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) and Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda) had outstanding first qualifying displays. Gimbert took a brilliant fourth fastest time, but an unexpected fifth place for the 2004 World Supersport �Rookie of the Year,” was a tremendous reward for 21-year-old Neukirchner and his team, which has joined him in the step up to Superbike this year. His result put four different manufacturers’ machines in the top five positions, with Neukirchner top Honda rider on the day.
Four Cylinders To The Fore: Fastest man in Losail pre-season testing, Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki) could not quite reach the heady heights again, setting sixth best time, just over a second from his team-mate. Unlike Corser, he did not resort to qualifying tyres in this session. Winston Ten Kate rider Chris Vermeulen, embarking on his second season in the premier production class, had recovered from a serious bout of �flu to some degree. He took seventh, one ahead of new Klaffi Honda recruit and SBK senior member Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda).
Haga and Toseland Top Ten: Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) and reigning champion James Toseland (Xerox Ducati 999F05) completed the top ten, with Toseland recovering still from a big crash in testing, which left him battered and bruised.
Wild Card Heaven: Ivan Silva Alberola (La Glisse Yamaha) continued his good Qatar testing form with 11th fastest time in the first session, only some 1.5 seconds from provisional pole – during what is a wild card weekend before he embarks on a full Spanish Championship season. He is endeavouring to compete in more races as a wild card, and has shown he could do more than just add to an already heavily subscribed grid.
Top Sixteen: Should day two final regulation qualifying dawn wet then the top 16 riders who would qualify for the Superpole competition on Friday 25th (by which method the final four front rows of the grid are determined). Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia), Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France), Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki), Marco Borciani (DFX Ducati) and finally Giovanni Bussei (Bertocchi Kawasaki) would be the 16 if times stay as they are now.
Runners and Riders: With such intense competition for the championship showing up at such an early stage, some big name riders were out with provisional Superpole qualification.
Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati SC Caracchi) and Karl Muggeridge (Winston ten Kate Honda) slipped to 17th and 18th, with Muggeridge another of those struck by pitlane flu. Fonsi Nieto (Ducati SC Caracchi) went 19th fastest, while a sterling effort from Steve Martin (Petronas FP-1) netting him a top 20 time on his outgunned 900cc triple.
His team-mate Garry McCoy was 25th fastest, but worse luck was to befall seven times SBK race winner and 2005 prodigal son Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji). He fell during his fifth lap of the hour-long session, and failed to rejoin the competition due to machinery damage.
Supersport: Winston Ten Kate Honda rider Sebastien Charpentier held off the attack of his team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara, setting a stunning time of 2:03.841 in the process. This was 0.967 seconds better than Fujiwara, and over a second faster than third place rider Michel Fabrizio (Italia Megabike Honda).
The second Team Megabike runner, Fabien Foret, secured fourth place, for a provisional front row Honda whitewash.
Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) was fifth fastest, 1.355 seconds down on Charpentier. Returning WSS veteran Christophe Cogan (Moto 1 Suzuki) was top Suzuki runner, 2.5 seconds off the pace. Fastest Ducati qualifier was Gianluca Nannelli on his SC Caracchi 749R.
Final qualifying in SBK and WSS, and Superpole in World Superbike, take place on Friday 25th; in the morning for Superbike competitors, the afternoon for Supersport. Superpole, the exciting discipline where the top 16 riders complete a single flying lap in which they earn their ultimate grid position, is at 16.00 hours Qatari time (GMT +3 Hours).
The 18 lap races, two for Superbike and one for Supersport, take place at the usual local times, with Qatar three hours ahead of GMT.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
2005 WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP KICKS OFF IN QATAR
Losail (Qatar), Thursday 24 February: Qualifying for the opening round of the 2005 World Superbike Championship got underway this afternoon at the brand-new Losail circuit in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar, with Ducati Xerox Team riders Régis Laconi and James Toseland setting third and tenth quickest times respectively.
After the morning’s free practice had turned into a washout due to heavy rain, this afternoon’s one-hour session saw non-stop action as the riders made the most of a dry track. Laconi, who remained at the top of the timesheets for the first half of the session, was one of only three riders to break through the 2:02 barrier. The 29 year-old Frenchman was pleased with his eventual time of 2:01.980, just over half-a-second behind front-runners Troy Corser (Suzuki) and new arrival José Luis Cardoso
(Yamaha).
“I am quite pleased with third fastest time, but the conditions on the track after this morning’s rain are not yet perfect”, declared Régis. “Today
we concentrated on the front forks with a different setting to try and improve the bike on a race tyre and then I put the soft tyre on at the finish. Tomorrow we will concentrate on going faster, in particular in the last sector where I am losing a bit of time. There is a lot of action at the top of the timesheets, this year will be an incredible championship for sure”.
Reigning champion Toseland eased his way back into the seat of his Ducati 999F05 as he was still feeling somewhat stiff after Sunday’s
come-off, in which he suffered several bruises. The 24-year-old British rider was not too concerned about his position in first qualifying and was confident there was more to come in tomorrow’s second and final session.
“I’m just getting back up to speed, I wasn’t that relaxed on the bike today because I didn’t realise just how big that crash was”, declared
Toseland. “I’m still a bit stiff but tomorrow morning I’ll be a lot better because I’m loosened up by riding. I was tenth but I feel my ideal position was seventh today and all I need is more laps to get back into the rhythm. The bike doesn’t have an ideal setting at the moment, but a little bit more from the bike and me riding as I did in the tests and I’m sure we’ll be fine. I should be doing the times of the top 3 and I will be doing them eventually”, he concluded.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:
CORSER LEADS SUPERBIKE CHARGE
Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser led the charge in the first World Superbike Championship qualifying session at Losail, Qatar today.
His best lap of 2:01.244, was one tenth of a second ahead of his nearest rival Jose Louis Cardoso (Yamaha) with Regis Laconi (Ducati) some way behind in third place and team mate Yukio Kagayama sixth on the day that saw the morning un-timed session washed out. The rain started falling just before Supersport practice and got worse as the Superbike competitors were about to go out.
Troy, Yukio and the team decided that it would be pointless to go out in the slippery conditions and sat out the entire session instead. In the event, only nine riders went out in the wet and most only completed a few laps.
TROY CORSER – 1st, 2:01.244:
“The was absolutely no point going out this morning. All we’d have done is use up some tyres and maybe crash. This track is difficult in the dry because there is such a narrow usable line, but in the wet it is terrible. We carried on today where we left off after the tests at the weekend. We tried a different link and played about with the mapping and improved a little in all areas. I didn’t push hard at all today and I feel that today’s lap times could be fairly similar to what we may run in the race. I know I can go quicker if I have to, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow. This track is not an easy one for overtaking so a front row start is crucial.”
YUKIO KAGAYAMA – 6th, 2:02.284:
“I didn’t want to go this morning because I didn’t want to make any stupid mistakes and I don’t think I would’ve learned anything. This track is more slippery than any other track I’ve ever know. If this had been a track in the UK, I would’ve gone out. That’s how slippery it is here! This afternoon we tried a few different little adjustments on both bikes and now I think they are very similar to each other. Today the track felt like it did the first day we rode here last Saturday so I am hoping that it will improve tomorrow. I rode very steadily today and I am happy.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:
PROVISIONAL SECOND ROW FOR VERMEULEN
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 � 2:02.469
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 � 2:03.532
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.
More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:
TROY ON TOP AFTER A WORD FROM NOT SO LITTLE A BIRD!
Troy ended the day exactly where wanted to be – at the top of the standings after the first day of qualifying at Losail today. He posted a lap of 2:01.244, a tenth of a second quicker then his nearest rival Jose Louis Cardoso (Yamaha), with Regis Laconi (Ducati) third and Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha) fourth. Troy and his team mate Yukio Kagayama only completed the afternoon timed session because the morning practice was hit by strong rain and neither wanted to go out on the slippery surface and make any mistakes. Only nine riders braved the morning practice and most only completed a few laps – such was the greasy nature of the track.
TROY – 1st, 2:01.244
“I knew it was going to be dry in the afternoon, because of a bird! Yesterday we did a bit of a photo-shoot with some camels and some falcons. I held this superb falcon on my hand (gloved of course!) and his owner took the hood off his head and eyes. The falcon was looking around, but didn’t seem at all concerned and was really quite calm. So I asked the owner if the bird was always so quiet and he said it is because the bird knows it is going to rain tomorrow! He said ‘the bird always goes quite just before it rains and don’t forget, it doesn’t rain that much here, so we take notice.’ So because of that I didn’t go out in the morning. It would’ve been a pointless exercise anyway, because we would not have learnt anything. In the afternoon we made a few little adjustments and also did a bit of work on the mapping and we made some improvements in all areas, so I am happy. I think today’s lap times are going to be similar to the race times and I know I can go quicker if I have to, so I feel pretty relaxed about it all so far. The only problem is that this is not an easy track for overtaking, so a front row start is pretty crucial. Of course, I’ll be hoping to start from pole position and leave the rest to sort themselves out behind me.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:
Yamaha’s superbike riders demonstrated the potential of the YZF-R1 at the opening qualifying session of the first round of the 2005 Superbike World Championship.
R1 riders occupy two places on the provisional front row of the grid with Spanish Formula Xtreme champion Jose Luis Cardoso second and Yamaha Motor France’s Sébastien Gimbert fourth. Cardoso’s time of 2:01.388 is just over one tenth of a second slower than provisional polesitter Troy Corser (Suzuki).
Yamaha Motor Italia’s Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt ended the day ninth and 12th in the standings, happy with the progress made during the day if not their provisional qualifying positions.
All but a few riders had ventured out for the morning’s free practice session, which was held in wet conditions. Because of this the track lacked grip in the qualifying session, causing the riders to spend much of their time adjusting their machines’ set-up.
Haga’s best time of 2:02.687 came on his final lap of the day and took him ahead of defending champion James Toseland (Ducati), while Pitt was unlucky to run into heavy traffic on his final run. The Australian had been lying sixth going into the final minutes of the session, but was shuffled back to 12th as the pace heated up.
Gimbert’s team-mate Norick Abe, like Pitt a class rookie despite his considerable experience, clocked up more laps than any other rider (24) as he adjusts to his R1 after spending over a decade in Grands Prix. The Japanese rider finished the day just behind Pitt, in 13th, with a best of 2:02.868.
Second qualifying takes place tomorrow morning, with the afternoon superpole session deciding the final grid positions.
Yamaha Motor Germany riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes got their 2005 Supersport World Championship underway by respectively setting the fifth and seventh fastest times in today’s first qualifying session at the Losail International Racetrack in Qatar.
Heavy rain meant that both riders completed just a handful of laps in the morning’s free practice session and although the track was dry for qualifying, conditions proved slippery as the sand and dirt washed onto the racing line. Curtain set a best lap time of 2:05.196 with Parkes just over a second behind on 2:06.436.
French rider Sébastien Charpentier (Honda) set the fastest time in today’s session with a best of 2:03.841.
S̩bastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) Рfourth, 2:02.217
“I feel positive about the rest of the weekend. The times are all very close but we have the bike working well and are able to do consistent lap times – at the end of the session I did three fast laps in a row.”
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) – ninth, 2:02.687
“Not so bad today. The bike is still very new so always we are finding new things to improve. Tomorrow I hope we can find some improvements through the suspension settings. The engine is very fast and has good torque, so if we can make the suspension a little better we can really fight on Saturday.”
Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) – 12th, 2:02.769
“It was a shame we couldn’t ride in the morning session as we tried some different settings from the weekend’s test. Perhaps tomorrow we will go back to the engine mappings we used last week. Where I’m struggling is in the third sector. I’m losing over half a second there so we will have to look at the gear ratios and how we can make an improvement there tomorrow.”
Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) – 13th, 2:02.868
“We did a lot of laps today and although I am in 13th place the gap to the leading riders is quite small. I am quite happy with how things went. Every session I am learning more about the bike and the championship. We decided not to use a qualifying tyre today so I know that I can find more time tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi Ducati:
BLACK AND WHITE IN THE FIRST PRACTICE DAY IN QATAR FOR SC’s RIDERS
The incredibility happened this morning on Losail circuit, when the rider which joined the track in the middle of desert found the rain and the wet asphalt. Placed in the desert, about 30 kms north far from Doha, the Qatar’s capital, Losail is a track 5,38kms long, with six corners turning right and ten turning left. On the border line of the asphalt there’s synthetic grass to devoid the sable could invade the racing surface.
The wet track ruined all the setting work made by the teams during the last week end and several riders preferred to remain in the garage, as Fonsi Nieto. Lorenzo Lanzi on the contrary rode some lap to control he validity of the wet set up made in Valencia. During the afternoon, for the first qualifying session, dry track, as well the air temperature was quite mild, just 21°C with an high humidity rate. At the end of the one hour-long practice Lanzi recorded the 17th fastest, followed of two positions by Nieto, just seven tenth of second behind his teammate.
“Our bikes are still in the faster group at the speed trap, as well today we didn’t record the top speed”. – has been the final comment by Caracchi. “The situation isn’t very different from last Sunday test: very fast machines, both the riders on the top at the first intermediate time, then in the following sectors we have setting problems. Of course we haven’t any reference about this circuit and every new situation force the team to start from zero. The sable too is a problem: it’s important to find the best riding line, to have an idea of the asphalt characteristics to understand where there’s a better grip or where is better to stay quiet, where we could overtook during the race. Now we must be focused on the final qualifying session tomorrow morning because both Lanzi and Nieto are out with the provisional Superpole qualifying, as well it happened to many expert riders. An hard fight is waiting for us tomorrow!”
More, from a Foggy Petronas Racing:
Opening day challenge for FPR riders
The opening day of the new Superbike World Championship season provided an immediate indication of the heightened level of competition facing Foggy PETRONAS Racing.
Australian pair Steve Martin and Garry McCoy were both able to improve their fastest times from last weekend’s test at the Losail circuit in Qatar by half a second.
But, with the rest of the field also reducing their lap times, the FPR riders already face a battle to qualify for tomorrow’s Superpole battle for the top 16 grid positions.
Valuable set-up time was lost when rain ruined the first morning’s free practice session, although Garry and Steve finished that session in first and second places respectively.
Troy Corser set the pace on a dry afternoon track with a time of 2:01.244, with Steve recording a fastest lap of 2:04.045 and Garry 2:04.991.
Steve said: “It was a good thing to improve another half a second on a race tyre but I didn’t make it into the 2:03s, which I thought I would do. I just hope tomorrow’s weather will allow me to have another crack at it. I am not having any rear grip problems with the race tyre when it is new, so the qualifier does not seem to be making too much difference. I have been working on anti-squat and I have found a better gearing. I’m going to try desperately to get into Superpole tomorrow, but it’s not going to be easy. It’s important to remember that this is the first meeting of 12 and I feel good about the way I am riding, that the bike is improving and the way the team is working.”
Garry said: “I am still where I don’t like to be, but the bike is definitely getting closer to what I am looking for. We still have a couple of bugs that we are looking to worm out. I am pretty close to the set-up I want but, when the clutch is not doing what I want it to, it leaves me a little bit confused with the set-up. But we are definitely going in the right direction and if I could get the clutch working in every one of the 16 corners then that would bring the time down significantly. It was a blow that it was raining this morning as it would have been nice to sort out these problems in time for the afternoon.”
Only nine riders ventured out onto the slippery surface in the morning rain. Garry set the example with a time of 2:41.775 before any other rider had left their pit garage. Steve followed his lead with a time of 2:46.327 completing three laps compared to Garry’s four.
With regulations permitting only three wet front and rear tyres per rider for the whole weekend, many riders chose to conserve their allocation with further wet weather forecast throughout the weekend.