Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands
April 15, 2016
Free Practice Two Results (wet conditions, all on Pirelli tires):
1. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 1:52.701
2. Tom Sykes, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:53.288
3. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Yam YZF-R1), 1:53.846
4. Xavi Fores, Spain (Duc Panigale R), 1:53.856
5. Nicky Hayden, USA (Hon CBR1000RR SP), 1:54.070
6. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:54.070, mechanical
7. Davide Giugliano, Italy (Duc Panigale R), 1:54.267
8. Lorenzo Savadori, Italy (Apr RSV4 RF), 1:54.277
9. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Hon CBR1000RR SP), 1:54.280, crash
10. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale R), 1:54.348
11. Leon Camier, UK (MV F4 RC), 1:54.564
12. Alex De Angelis, San Marino (Apr RSV4 RF), 1:55.392, crash
13. Matteo Baiocco, Italy (Duc Panigale R), 1:56.199
14. Matthieu Lussiana, France (BMW S1000RR), 1:57.122, crash
15. Lucas Mahias, France (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:57.264
16. Roman Ramos, Spain (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:57.726
17. Josh Brookes, Australia (BMW S1000RR), 1:57.768
18. Jordi Torres, Spain (BMW S1000RR), 1:57.798
19. Josh Hook, Australia (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:58.014
20. Markus Reiterberger, Germany (BMW S1000RR), 1:59.239
21. Peter Sebestyen, Hungary (Yam YZF-R1), 2:00.882
22. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), 2:01.447, mechanical
23. Dominic Schmitter, Switzerland (Kaw ZX-10R), 2:01.594
24. Saeed Al Sulaiti, Qatar (Kaw ZX-10R), 2:02.838, crash
25. Pawel Szkopek, Poland (Yam YZF-R1), 2:04.051
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Lowes’ Yamaha Leads the Rush to Tissot-Superpole
Wet weather characterises Day 1 as low grip shuffles the deck
After a weather forecast that seemed to hint Day 1 in Assen may be hit by the first real wet weather of the season, FP1 at the TT Circuit Assen got underway with rain falling and a wet track under grey skies. With the forecast for the rest of the weekend still unsure, the usual lack of track action in wet conditions was replaced by a good amount of activity on the circuit and riders were keen to begin working on a wet setup should it be needed for either of the WorldSBK races this weekend.
Riders were initially tentative in testing out conditions around the Circuit van Drenthe, with MV Agusta rider Leon Camier and Kawasaki rider Jonathan Rea proving the first pacesetters, and small crashes and incidents characterized the session as the riders sought the limit.
Karel Abraham, Markus Reiterberger, Michael van der Mark and Chaz Davies were all among those who crashed during the session, with the Welshman taking a tumble in the dying minutes. Nicky Hayden also had a run off track when the Kentucky rider found the limit, but stayed on the bike and got back on track quickly.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) and Sylvain Guintoli (Yamaha) were P2 and P3 on Day 1
Rea spent most of the session with a clear advantage of over a second and a half, before other riders began to push and improve their laps to hunt down the Champion’s time. Teammate Tom Sykes eventually took top honours, going fastest by 0.748 from Rea, followed by the Yamaha pairing of Guintoli and Lowes.
Conditions didn’t improve in the afternoon, with Alex Lowes topping the timesheets from FP1’s fastest man Tom Sykes. Lowes’ Yamaha teammate Sylvain Guintoli was third quickest, as the Pata Yamaha duo again put in a strong performance after a strong FP1 from the Crescent squad.
Barni Racing’s Xavi Forés was the fastest Ducati in fourth, ahead of the ever-improving Nicky Hayden onboard his Hodna Fireblade. Reigning Champion Jonathan Rea ended the day in sixth after a technical problem at the final turn in FP2, ahead of Davide Giugliano on his Aruba.it Ducati and Lorenzo Savadori, who put in a late charge to gain access to Tissot-Superpole 2 on his Aprilia.
Xavi Fores (Ducati) and Michael van der Mark (Honda) to Tissot-Superpole 2 in difficult conditions
Home hero Michael van der Mark kept cool under pressure and went straight through to Superpole 2 in difficult conditions, in P9, just ahead of Aragón’s double winner and Championship P2 man Chaz Davies on the second Aruba.it Ducati. Leon Camier took MV Agusta to 11th just outside the top ten after a great FP1, and Matthieu Lussiana was the fastest BMW rider in 14th.
WorldSBK is back on track tomorrow at 8:45am local time (GMT +2) for FP3, before Tissot-Superpole gets underway at 10:30. Keep up to date with everything on WorldSBK.com and make sure to follow WorldSBK on social media.
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
Competitive start to Dutch round for the Honda WorldSBK Team
Round 4 – The Netherlands
TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands
It has been a rainy opening day of action for the Honda WorldSBK Team at the TT Circuit Assen, the venue hosting the fourth round of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship. In the combined times of today’s two one-hour free practice sessions, Nicky Hayden and Michael van der Mark have claimed a fifth and a ninth place, respectively. Therefore, both riders are seeded directly into tomorrow morning’s Superpole 2, taking place at 10:55 local time (GMT +2).
For Nicky Hayden, this was his first real WorldSBK experience in wet conditions on Pirelli tyres, but after a much-needed hour of learning the 34-year-old American was able to get up to speed on-board his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP. Hayden improved steadily lap after lap and, in the closing stages of FP2, he managed to log a 1’50.070 that catapulted him in fifth place.
Michael van der Mark had a not-so-easy start to his home round compared to his teammate: the 23-year-old from Rotterdam crashed unhurt once per session, both times at turn 10. The second tumble happened due to the sudden worsening of track conditions towards the end of free practice two. Despite the late incident, the 1’54.280 lap-time set by the Dutch rider this afternoon proved to be quick enough for what is a very important top 10-finish ahead of Superpole.
Nicky Hayden 69
5th / 1’54.070
It has been a good learning day for me. At some point in the season I would have had to try the bike and the Pirelli tyres in the wet, so it’s all experience for me. It was not easy at the beginning, because if you’re riding slowly in these conditions it takes longer for the tyres to warm up, so then it’s harder to get a good feeling from them. This morning I stayed out for almost the entire session and managed to get comfortable with the bike, while this afternoon we started to work a little bit with the setup. It has been a good day and a fifth place is definitely not a bad result; let’s see how it goes and what weather we encounter tomorrow.
Michael van der Mark 60
9th / 1’54.280
Today went OK. It has been a long time since I last rode in the wet but my confidence was high, maybe a bit too much as I ended up on the gravel at turn 10. The bike was badly damaged, but the guys managed to get it fixed so quickly that I was back on track for the last ten minutes. So, a big thanks to them. On my last lap I even improved and the bike felt great. In the afternoon I knew the track was drying so I kept pushing, but towards the end it started raining again and I made a silly mistake, as I didn’t take into account that on the second part of the track the asphalt was wetter. The crash was very similar to the morning one, but fortunately this time I had virtually no damage to the bike. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, we’re in Superpole 2 and that’s what matters.
Pieter Breddels
Technical Manager
Given the track conditions, for Nicky it was a very useful two-hours of track time. He did adapt very quickly as we made some adjustments to the bike in terms of balance, engine braking and rear brake settings, as there was a bit too much stopping power for wet conditions. In the end, he was able to put together a great lap and we’re happy with fifth place. Michael had a tumble this morning, which cost us some to fix but we got another 10 minutes of track-time in. In the afternoon he was able to improve a lot, despite another small fall, but I think he’s happy with how the bike feels and he is very confident for tomorrow.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Davide Giugliano and Chaz Davies in 7th and 10th position respectively in wet conditions in Assen
After a short break, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team resumed action in Assen (Netherlands) for the fourth round of the World Superbike Championship. In different weather conditions compared with the previous round in Spain, with temperatures slightly above 10 degrees and a nonstop rain, Davide Giugliano and Chaz Davies concluded the first day of practice in 7th and 10th position respectively, separated by less than a tenth of a second (Alex Lowes posted the provisional best lap with a 1:52.701).
The 2016-spec factory Panigale R thus debuted in the wet, and both Giugliano and Davies significantly improved their lap times throughout the day (taking four and three seconds off respectively since FP1, during which the Welshman crashed out without consequences) but, as the rain unexpectedly intensified during the final minutes, they were not able to take advantage of the improving track conditions. Despite not having a chance to perform the usual “time attack”, both Giugliano and Davies gained direct access to Superpole 2, scheduled for 10:55 (CET) tomorrow.
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34) – 1:54.267 (7th)
“Today the conditions were far from perfect, but we still managed to make a good progression, improving our lap times at each exit on track. I progressively gained confidence with the front and, if we had been able to make another attempt before the downpour at the end of FP2, we would probably have gained another half second, but what matters the most is going straight into Superpole 2. We still have work to do, however, to improve rear grip, especially under acceleration. The forecast for tomorrow is still uncertain, unfortunately. I know I can be fast in the wet, but honestly I would prefer a dry track, or at least stable conditions.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 1:54.348 (10th)
“Since it was our first time out in the wet this year, we still have to make a few adjustments in terms of chassis to find more grip, especially at the maximum lean angle. The crash during FP1 had nothing to do with this, however, since I was barely leaning at that moment. I didn’t expect it, but luckily it didn’t have any physical repercussions. The weather conditions can change quickly here in Assen, but I’m not worried because in the last races we found a versatile setup in the dry, which usually allowed us to be quick out of the blocks without making radical changes. Also, as long as I was out on the track with all our competitors, I wasn’t far from the top.”
More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing BMW:
A complicated first day for the Althea BMW Racing Team at the Assen TT Circuit
Assen (The Netherlands), Friday 15 April 2016
The Althea BMW Racing Team faced difficult conditions during the opening day of Round 4 of the World Superbikes, taking place this weekend at the Dutch TT circuit in Assen. The Althea BMW riders Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger, on track today for the first timed practice sessions, had to deal with persistent rain and a track that remained wet from start to finish (air temperature 11°C, track 14°C).
Both riders completed some laps on board their BMW S 1000 RR as they tried to build confidence in the wet. Unfortunately, Reiterberger suffered a fall in the second phase of the session, though luckily without physical consequences. At the end of this tough opening session, Torres closed sixteenth while Reiterberger finished 22nd.
The atmospheric and track conditions sadly remained unchanged for session two. Torres was able to take a step forward, particularly in the final stages, improving his time by almost two second to record a best of 1’57.798. After the morning’s crash, Markus Reiterberger improved on his time but continued to struggle in the afternoon, closing day one in 21st position (1’59.239). Both therefore qualify for tomorrow’s Superpole 1.
The riders in the Stock1000 category had no better luck with the weather. The Althea BMW rider, Raffaele De Rosa, worked calmly in the morning, choosing not to take any risks and closing in 22nd position. In the afternoon, the Italian was able to push a little harder, improving on his time by more than 3.5 seconds to finish up in 21st position, thanks to a time of 2’03.533.
Jordi Torres:
“Today was difficult, there was a lot of rain and cold win, and we struggled because we can’t find a good solution at the rear. We’re missing grip not just on corner exit but also on entry. In the second session we tried to work to improve this aspect but we were unable to find a solution, though we have seen we can lean more through the corner. The movement at the rear persists and this means I have no confidence because I feel I’m always on the verge of crashing…. We definitely have work to do tomorrow…”
Markus Reiterberger:
“Today’s weather conditions were not easy. Normally I feel OK in the rain and can be fast in the wet but it didn’t go that way today. I wasn’t comfortable in first practice, working to find feeling and gain confidence but I wasn’t fast and then had a small crash, losing the rear, and a lot of time as a result. We improved the bike for the second session and my lap times picked up but we are still far from the front and have work to do to improve tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Provisional Pole for Lowes at Rain-Hit Assen TT Circuit
Free practice
Successfully navigating his first ever wet WorldSBK session aboard the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK YZF-R1, Alex Lowes claimed the fastest time of the day – a 1’52.701 – to hold provisional pole position at the rain-soaked Assen TT Circuit in The Netherlands today. Sylvain Guintoli was equally impressive on his Yamaha debut in damp conditions, securing third with his final lap.
Rain fell for the majority of the opening day as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returned to the Cathedral of Speed, with strong winds and cold temperatures making for tricky conditions around the high-speed 4,542m circuit. Looking strong from the outset, Lowes concluded the morning’s practice in fourth position. Feeling confident with his YZF-R1 and determined to continue the settings work started earlier, Lowes returned to the Assen circuit for the second session, immediately matching both his and the day’s highest speed of 271.3 km/h on his third revolution. The times improved as the rain abated slightly, with Lowes timing his final run to perfection to secure his provisional pole just as the heavy rain returned.
Guintoli looked just as comfortable on his YZF-R1 in the wet as he completed the morning practice in third and ahead of his teammate – both Pata Yamaha riders having frequently swapped places as they remained within the top five throughout the two, hour-long sessions. Returning to the pits to make a settings change, Guintoli was unable to capitalise on the adjustment – getting caught out by the weather in the closing stages – but as the afternoon concluded the Frenchman retained his podium-worthy position, having set a 1’53.846 on his 14th lap.
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team returns to the Dutch circuit at 08:45 local time tomorrow morning for the final free practice ahead of Superpole qualifying at 10:55 and the first race of the weekend at 13:00.
Alex Lowes
1st / 1’52.701 / 27 laps
“The first time I have ridden the YZF-R1 in the rain was the first session today, and it felt quite good! Straight from the start I had quite a good feeling from the bike and then we made two or three changes to the rear of the bike which improved this further. Obviously it’s always a difficult one in the rain as there are never two sessions that are exactly the same conditions, as there is always a little bit more or less water on the track. We will see what happens tomorrow, in an ideal world it will be dry as it’s alright to be fast in the rain, but we want to be fast when it’s dry! We’ll wait and see but I’m happy with how it went overall, I felt good, the bike’s nice to ride around here and the lads did a good job. We still have a few things to work on if it is wet – traction control and a few little bits – but we’ll see what happens tomorrow!”
Sylvain Guintoli
3rd / 1’53.846 / 31 laps
“It’s been a good first day for us at Assen, discovering the YZF-R1 in the wet! It was tricky conditions because the grip is normally quite low here, but we found a good feeling confirming that the chassis is giving us a lot of mechanical grip and we have managed to improve the electronics setting from this morning to this afternoon. There is still a lot of work to do but overall a really good day for me and for Yamaha.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Sykes Second And Rea Top Six After First Wet Day At Assen
In the first day of action for the fourth round of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship KRT riders Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea were second quickest and sixth quickest respectively, experiencing what were wet track conditions throughout.
In the first wet race weekend for the all-new Ninja ZX-10R the 4.542km Assen circuit’s weather conditions changed from fully wet to slightly drying out at times during the opening day. Full wets were required for the first session, which started well for Sykes and Rea. They took the all-new Ninja to first and second places in the opening hour of on-track action, despite a lack of previous information about the new machine from their largely dry winter test experiences.
In the afternoon Sykes was leading until close to the end of the final hour, putting in a succession of fast and consistent laps as he learned the limits of what was an always cold and wet track surface. He was only displaced from the top spot in the overall times close to the end of the second hour, as heavier rains re-appeared for the final few minutes. The heavier rain prevented him from improving his time yet again.
Reigning champion Rea started well in the morning and was also making advances in the second session when a technical issue intervened and he pulled over, having completed five laps during the afternoon practice hour. He had already improved his first session best time, which was good enough for a top six placing from 25 riders, but he was not in a position to fight for a higher position near the end of the session.
On Saturday at Assen Sykes and Rea will face a final third practice session, Superpole 2 and then the first race of the weekend, to be held over 21 laps.
Tom Sykes stated: “Overall, the nature of the circuit and the track conditions means that being second fastest on day one is quite promising. The guys are working well on the Ninja ZX-10R and considering everything together I am happy with our performance. Today has been wet but the biggest problem is the low track temperature. Because we have quite low temperatures it is difficult to keep heat in the left side of the tyre. The left side is very critical here. You always have some issues with pure grip in these conditions but it is something we are working on, in case we have these conditions again tomorrow. We have some good information to sleep on and we will see what the conditions bring for Saturday.”
Jonathan Rea stated: “It has been strange today, especially with the weather conditions. It looks unpredictable all weekend and already on Friday we have had no dry track time. It is the same for everybody but it seems we have a good wet set-up. We did not get any wet testing during the winter time so this was the first time we rode the new bike in the wet and the first feelings were not so bad. We played around with the balance of the bike a little bit, understood how it is on track when it is both fully wet and when it is drying out, just to cover our bases for tomorrow. I got up to speed in the second session, went in to make some changes and when I went out we had an issue, which the mechanics will analyse overnight. I just hope the race conditions for Saturday are one way or another, not halfway between. Wet or dry, we should be competitive.”
Track conditions made it a challenging opening day for all Kawasaki riders and teams with replacement rider for the injured Sylvain Barrier, Lucas Mahias ((Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) 15th, Roman Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) 16th and Josh Hook (Grillini Racing Team Kawasaki) 19th.
Saeed Al Sulaiti (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) and Dominic Schmitter (Grillini Racing Team Kawasaki) have yet to score qualifying times in the difficult track conditions.