Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
World Superbike Superpole Results:
1. Steve Martin, Ducati 999RS, 1:27.213
2. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.398
3. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F04, 1:27.565
4. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati 999RS, 1:27.833
5. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:28.110
6. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, 1:28.121
7. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:28.131
8. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.144
9. James Ellison, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:28.356
10. Leon Haslam, Ducati 999RS, 1:28.432
11. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.701
12. James Toseland, Ducati 999F04, 1:28.721
13. Chris Walker, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:28.822
14. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:29.212
15. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.602
16. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati 998RS, no time
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
FRONT ROW START FOR LACONI AT BRANDS – TOSELAND DOWN IN TWELFTH PLACE IN SUPERPOLE
Brands Hatch (UK), 31 July 2004: Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila) clinched third place on the grid for tomorrow’s round 8 of the World Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch on the factory Ducati 999 F04 as Australian Steve Martin (Ducati DFX) powered to his third pole position of the year.
In the morning, Laconi crashed at Paddock Hill Bend but then got on his second bike to set the quickest time in the final qualifying session, which set him up for his good performance in Superpole.
“I didn’t do a very good Superpole lap after making a small mistake on the back straight, but I am pleased because I feel good on the bike and am happy with the race setting” declared Laconi. “The best thing for Brands is to start on the first row because it’s not easy to pass. I think I made a good job today and it was not perfect but I hope for two good races tomorrow. I crashed this morning in the second session before the compression at the bottom of Paddock Hill Bend. It was a fast crash and I arrived on my back, which hurts a bit but I’m OK.”
His British team-mate James Toseland, who had improved to fifth quickest in qualifying, made a mistake in Superpole and slipped down to twelfth position on the grid.
“I touched the kerb on the inside of the fast right and nearly lost it, that was it my mistake. It was a big enough moment to spoil everything on my lap” commented Toseland. “It was a pity because after the changes we made this morning I feel a lot happier with the bike. Yesterday it couldn’t get any worse but today we changed the offset, the fork springs, the rear spring, the length of the bike and I also had a
couple of Weetabix this morning!
“We know the parameters of the bike, it was a gamble but the changes that we made solved everything I was complaining about. The races will be tough but despite there being only a short run down to Paddock for the start, there are only a few guys running at my race pace so I should be up there tomorrow.”
STARTING-GRID:
1. Martin (Ducati DFX) 1’27.213
2. Chili (PSG-1 Ducati) 1’27.398
3. Laconi (Ducati Fila) 1’27.565
4. Haga (Renegade Ducati) 1’27.833
5. Corser (Petronas) 1’28.110
6. Borciani (Ducati DFX) 1’28.121
7. Vermeulen (Honda) 1’28.131
8. Nannelli (Ducati Pedercini) 1′ 28.144
12. Toseland (Ducati Fila) 1’28.721.
ROW 3 START FOR LANZI (DUCATI BREIL) IN BRANDS SUPERSPORT
Brands Hatch (UK), 31 July 2004: Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Breil) will start tomorrow’s seventh round of the World Supersport Championship from the third row of the grid after qualifying eleventh in today’s second and final session at Brands Hatch.
The 22 year-old Italian was able to knock one and a half seconds off his Friday time but just missed out on a top 10 position by one thousandth of a second.
“I said yesterday that if I could qualify in the top 10 then I would have been pleased with the result. Unfortunately we just missed out by one thousandth of a second. However it’s OK because we have an excellent race pace and the team has worked really well over the past couple of days.
“We have made a lot of progress, not necessarily regarding our position but above all in our pace on race tyres and this makes me hopeful for a good race tomorrow.
“I’ve opted for the softest race tyre as always, hopefully I can get a good start and get up with the front-runners immediately.”
STARTING-GRID:
1. Muggeridge (Honda) 1’28.991
2. Parkes (Honda) 1’29.095
3. Charpentier (Honda) 1’29.099
4. Foret (Yamaha) 1’29.190
5. Curtain (Yamaha) 1’29.339
6. VD Goorbergh (Yamaha) 1’29.533
7. Fujiwara (Suzuki) 1’29.567
8. Chambon (Suzuki) 1’29.889
11. Lanzi (Ducati Breil) 1’30.451.
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:
Muggeridge Takes Pole With Parkes Second
Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) and Broc Parkes showed that the recent summer break in the World Supersport Championship schedule has affected their excellent form not at all as they finished 1-2 in the final timed qualifying session. Muggeridge was the only rider to squeeze into the 1:28 second mark, with his time of 1:28.991 the best of the weekend, delivering him an amazing sixth pole position in seven attempts this season. Parkes improved on his first day performance also, taking second quickest time with a 1:29.095, securing his second place starting position by only 0.004 seconds.
Always in the top few places, Muggeridge and Parkes had to fight off a serious threat from the Honda of Sebastien Charpentier, in third overall, with the Yamahas of 2002 Champion Fabien Foret and Aussie Kevin Curtain in fourth and fifth overall respectively. Muggeridge’s main championship rival Jurgen van den Goorbergh will line up sixth for the 23-lap race on Sunday 1 August. The race is expected to take place in the same sunny 26°C conditions which were present today.
Muggeridge, concentrating on taking his pole prowess forward once more in a race situation, stated, “We’ve been working on the chassis and because we don’t have super-soft tyres these days; it’s just a matter of getting the bike to work to its maximum. When the tyres are a bit fresh you need to push a little bit harder but there is a compromise between that ideal setting and what your race setting has to be. It’s going to be tight tomorrow but I will be pushing for sure. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”
Parkes was particularly happy to secure such a speed and start position at what he has already confessed is not the best track for him. “Yeah that was pretty good and pretty unexpected. I was just coming in trying to find my way around so I’m happy with that. It is my third time this year to be second, but I cannot complain. We worked our way around the bike fine-tuning setting and then I just hung it out to have a go, for one or two laps. You have to ride this circuit 95% pretty much all the time but sometimes you can ride it 101%.”
Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate heaped praise on both his riders and his fellow team-members, “Karl already has a big reputation for taking pole positions and it makes us particularly happy to see him doing it right after the summer break. I am even more happy for Broc, who came here to one of his less favoured tracks, and worked very hard over the weekend with the team to give him the confidence to do what he did. Racing is something quite different around here, and it will be a pretty long and especially hot race so starting from the front row is very important. I’m as happy as can be.”
World Supersport Championship
Round Seven – Brands Hatch, Great Britain
30 July – 1 August 2004
Final Qualifying
1. K. Muggeridge, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’28.991
2. B. Parkes, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’29.095
3. S. Charpentier, FRA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’29.099
4. F. Foret, FRA, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’29.190
5. K. Curtain, AUS, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’29.339
6. J. vd Goorbergh, NED, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’29.533
7. K. Fujiwara, JPN, Suzuki GSX – R 600, 1’29.567
8. S. Chambon, FRA, Suzuki GSX – R 600, 1’29.889
9. A. Corradi, ITA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’30.088
10. C. Kellner, GER, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’30.522
Vermeulen Seventh After Superpole
Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR rider Chris Vermeulen experienced a tough Superpole qualifying session, with a couple of front end slides and a small error holding down his Superpole time and pushing him to seventh overall. He thus starts from row two, when his more usual position this year is amongst the leading four on the front row.
The track has proved a challenge to the team and rider on qualifying tyres from day one, despite a fruitful test at the very differently proportioned Oschersleben circuit prior to the race. Vermeulen was sixth after regulation qualifying, only 0.3 seconds from the then provisional pole time, but has set good times on a full race set-up.
Vermeulen commented on his Superpole lap and regulation qualifying, outlining how the weekend has panned out so far. “I made a little mistake but I had grip problems with the front two or three times in that lap so I was a bit concerned that there might not be something right with the tyre. But it wasn’t a good lap and I had done quicker laps than that on a race tyre this weekend. At one stage I was worried about being on the third row, not the second, so at least that didn’t happen. We’re still not happy with the bike setup and this is such a different circuit. We also seem to have reduced grip here, because normally on the Honda we could use a softer tyre than the Ducati. But everyone is using a softer tyre here.”
Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate is confident of good race results, despite the disappointment of Superpole. “For sure were hoping and expecting a bit more from Superpole. For some reason the front was sliding around too much and this was a bit unexpected because so far this weekend we had no problems from the front. For raceday starting from the second row is Ok and Chris has been up front with the leading riders all weekend on a race tyre set-up.”
World Superbike Championship
Round Eight – Brands Hatch, Great Britain
30 July – 1 August 2004
Superpole Qualifying Session
1. S. Martin, AUS, Ducati 999 RS, 1’27.213
2. P. Chili, ITA, Ducati 998 RS, 1’27.398
3. R. Laconi, FRA, Ducati 999 F04, 1’27.565
4. N. Haga, JPN, Ducati 999 RS, 1’27.833
5. T. Corser, AUS, Petronas FP1, 1’28.110
6. M. Borciani, ITA, Ducati 999 RS, 1’28.121
7. C. Vermeulen, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR100RR, 1’28.131
8. G. Nannelli, ITA, Ducati 998 RS, 1’28.144
9. J. Ellison, GBR, Yamaha YZF R1, 1’28.356
10. L. Haslam, GBR, Ducati 999 RS, 1’28.432
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:
Yamaha Italia World Supersport Team
Saturday, 31st July 2004
Circuit: Brands Hatch, m. 4.197
Final Qualifying
Weather: dry, mostly sunny Temperature: air 26° C, track 45° C
Crowd: 25.000
FRONT ROW FABIEN! JURGEN CLOSE BY.
Yamaha Racing Italia Fabien Foret will start tomorrow’s 23-lap Supersport World Championship race from the front row of the grid and is confident that he can get on the podium. His team mate Jurgen van den Goorbergh finished final qualifying with the sixth fastest time and will start from the second row. He too is confident of success tomorrow and will be going all-out to maintain his title challenge. Aussie Karl Muggeridge continued his dominating form in qualifying and took pole ahead of his Honda team mate – and fellow countryman – Broc Parkes. Third quickest is Frenchman Sebastien Charpentier, also Honda-mounted.
FABIEN FORET – 4th, 1:29.190
I’m very angry today because twice I tried to put in a fast lap, but didn’t get the chance because of the traffic. Otherwise, I feel sure that I could’ve got pole position – it was a real possibility! However, the important thing is that I’m on the front row and this is vital at Brands
Hatch if you are to get a good result. I think that my bike is a winning package and I feel very confident about tomorrow.
JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH – 6th, 1:29.533
I am satisfied, because the I feel that the second row is still a good situation to be in. But, I’m also happy because I found a good set-up for my R6 Yamaha for the race. For me the championship is still wide open and I certainly haven’t given up my thoughts of the title. I need a good start and then I can make a good result.
MAIO MEREGALLI (Team co-ordinator)
Today our biggest problem was traffic and a lot of slow riders who didn’t seem to respect the blue flags. Yesterday I put in a protest about this situation to the officials, but they said that there was nothing they could do. But, we are in a great situation and we are confident that tomorrow will be our day
More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:
2004 World Superbike Championship
Round 8, Brands Hatch (UK)
Saturday 31st July
Final Qualifying
Circuit: 4.197kms
Weather: dry, mostly sunny 26°C
TROY HAPPY, DESPITE SECOND ROW
Troy ended final qualifying and Superpole with the fifth fastest time and will start tomorrow’s pair of 25-lap races from the second row of the grid. He made a small error on his Superpole flying lap and that lost enough time tom drop him from the front row. But Troy’s position on the sloping grid is actually quite a good one and he is relishing the thought of a good getaway and fighting with the leaders from the outset. Troy’s fellow countryman Steve Martin (Ducati) surprised everybody by taking Superpole – his third of the season – after starting midway down the order. Second quickest is Frankie Chili (Ducati), with Regis Laconi (Ducati) third and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) fourth. It wasn’t a good Superpole for series leader James Toseland, who finished twelfth today and so will start from the third row.
TROY – 5th, 1:28.110
Funnily enough, I’m happier being fifth then fourth, because the start straight is on an incline and I’d rather be on the top of the slope then the bottom. If I was fourth, I’d be on the inside and then I could get trapped going into turn one. I’ve being round the outside of people quite often in the first turns this season, so hopefully I can do that again and get away with the leaders. The two races are going to be hard though because my bike is just a little too slow on the straights and there’s no way I can get on the throttle any earlier.
At the moment I still haven’t decided which rear tyres I am going to use. I’ve got two compounds to choose from so I shall have a look at the telemetry and see what Chris has been trying before I make my final decision. The new construction of the qualifying tyre I used has made a difference. Before we used to struggle to go quicker on the qualifying tyre, but now stiffer construction feels like our race tyres. It has more side grip and I can open the throttle earlier in the sections where we struggled before. I overshot Paddock Hill bend on my Superpole lap, but I’m happy to be fifth considering last year I was 12th after practice.
More, from a press release issued by FGSport:
2004 FIM WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
8th round Brands Hatch
30 July – 1st August 2004
SUPERPOLE QUALIFYING
POLE DANCER: DFX Ducati rider Steve Martin, only ninth fastest in regulation qualifying, trimmed almost a whole second off his previous best to take the Superpole win at Brands Hatch. One of the most experienced riders in the series, Martin was a smooth operator while several others slid and slithered their way home after experienced traction issues on the unexpectedly slick Brands Hatch tarmac. Martin’s time of 1:27.213, was the best of the timed sessions over the weekend.
CHILI WOWS FANS: Other than the local riders the most popular man on show at Brands Hatch was series veteran Pierfrancesco Chili. Cheered throughout his 4.197km Superpole lap Chili went second quickest, 0.12 seconds from Martin. Chili was as usual using his 998 Chassis and 999cc engine throughout the Brands Hatch weekend.
REGIS REDEEMS: Regis Laconi and James Toseland (Ducati Fila) experienced differing fortunes in Superpole; Laconi the fastest man in regulation qualifying now starting from the front row, in third place, after some fraught moments and a morning session crash. His team-mate Toseland almost high-sided on his Superpole lap, his ‘moment’ dropping him to 12th overall and a third row starting position.
RENEGADE REBELS: For the Renegade Ducati team Brands has been a tough test, the injured Leon Haslam and his team-mate Noriyuki Haga not matching the times set during a race meeting at Brands in June, due largely to the prevailing track conditions. Nonetheless Haga will start the race from the front row after setting the fourth best time in Superpole, while the brave Haslam fought his left hand injury to finish tenth overall.
CORSER FORWARD: Troy Corser (Petronas FP-1), jumped from seventh in qualifying to fifth after Superpole, and will thus head up the second row for the races. The former champion’s team-mate Chris Walker had a rapturous welcome from his legions of British fans, but 13th and a fourth row start were his lowly reward for his usual high level of effort.
BORCIANI MOVES ON UP: After heading the early qualifying for a time Steve Martin’s team-mate Marco Borciani ended his weekend’s qualifying in a well placed sixth in Superpole. He also improved on his best previous lap, as did the majority of the field.
HONDA HOME BOYS: Chris Vermeulen’s one man Honda assault on World Superbike this season has netted him and his Ten Kate Honda team the last three race victories but after a tough weekend of handling problems and a Superpole lap in which he experienced front end slides, Vermeulen now starts a disappointed seventh.
PRIVATE PROWESS: Gianluca Nannelli (Team Pedercini) overcame the disadvantage of having lower revving 998RS machine, against a field of more modern machinery, to take eighth place in Superpole, backing up his incredible fourth place finish after regulation qualifying. The Italian rider has shown true flair and talent all weekend, and is sure to be in with a chance of a career-best finish in the two 25-lap SBK races on Sunday.
LOCAL TALENT ON DISPLAY: Wild card rider James Ellison made a marked improvement in his position from regulation qualifying, having started Superpole in 16th place he ended his flying lap in ninth. A BSB regular, Ellison was one of the success stories of the previous SBK race in Britain this season, at Silverstone.
SUPERSPORT: In the middleweight class of Supersport a record breaking performance from Ten Kate Honda rider Karl Muggeridge put him in pole position for the sixth time in 2004 and the 13th time overall, a new record for the class. His time of 1:28.991 was the only one posted in the sub-1’28 category. In second place Muggeridge’s team-mate Broc Parkes conquered his dislike of the unique Brands Hatch layout, while another Honda rider, Sebastien Charpentier from the Klaffi squad, secured third place on the grid, only 0.004 seconds slower than Parkes. Fabien Foret put the first Yamaha into the front row, his Yamaha Italia machine just ahead of Yamaha Motor Germany rider Kevin Curtain. A close qualifying had the top eight within one second of pole.
SUPERSTOCK: In the keenly contested European Superstock class, Gianluca Vizziello (Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) took pole for the arrow grid formation, with German based Turk Kenan Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motor Germany) second, just outside the 1:29 bracket. Vizziello’s main championship rival Lorenzo Alfonsi was third, ensuring the championship fight should be close as ever.
More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:
Corser heads second row of grid at Brands Hatch
Troy Corser will start tomorrow’s eighth round races of the Superbike World Championship at Brands Hatch at the head of the second row.
But it was an unlucky 13th for Foggy PETRONAS Racing team-mate Chris Walker, who was forced to switch from his favoured bike just minutes before his Superpole lap.
Both riders benefited from the availability of a new construction of qualifying tyre on a day of minimal margins, with just three hundredths separating the four second row grid positions.
Troy’s Superpole lap time was just 0.01 seconds off his best qualifying lap of 1:28.100, while fellow Aussie Steve Martin set a blistering pace of 1:27.213 to claim pole position.
Troy said: “I am actually happier to be on the second row and at the top of the hill than fourth and on the inside of the front row. I have been going round people quite often at the first corner so hopefully I can do that again and get away with the leaders. It’s going to be a hard race, though, because the bike is a little too slow on the straights and I can’t get on the throttle any earlier. I’m still undecided between two compounds for the rear tyre so I will look at the telemetry and Chris’s times to try and make a decision tonight. The new construction qualifying tyre made a difference today as previously we have struggled to go faster on the other qualifier. But this stiffer construction – the same as the race tyre that we normally use – has more side grip and I could open the throttle earlier in the sections of the circuit where we have been struggling. On the other qualifier I seemed to have a lot of sideways movement in the faster corners. The time I did in Superpole was ab out the same time I did in qualifying, although I overshot Paddock Hill Bend a little, so I am reasonably happy with fifth considering we qualified in 12th here last year.”
Chris said: “I’m `smashed’ to be on the fourth row. I had to use the second bike for Superpole after a problem with my preferred bike and that spare one had not felt as good all weekend. I want to be having `Stalker starts’ from the second row so that I can take the lead, not from the fourth row. Until then, the bike hadn’t felt this good since Monza. I have been in the top eight all day on race tyres but now I am starting from the fourth row and that is not going to help when we are losing two tenths on the back straight and two tenths through Clearways.”
More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda:
Muggeridge Takes Pole With Parkes Second
Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) and Broc Parkes showed that the recent summer break in the World Supersport Championship schedule has affected their excellent form not at all as they finished 1-2 in the final timed qualifying session. Muggeridge was the only rider to squeeze into the 1:28 second mark, with his time of 1:28.991 the best of the weekend, delivering him an amazing sixth pole position in seven attempts this season. Parkes improved on his first day performance also, taking second quickest time with a 1:29.095, securing his second place starting position by only 0.004 seconds.
Always in the top few places, Muggeridge and Parkes had to fight of a serious threat from the Honda of Sebastien Charpentier, in third overall, with the Yamahas of 2002 Champion Fabien Foret and Aussie Kevin Curtain in fourth and fifth overall respectively. Muggeridge’s main championship rival Jurgen van den Goorbergh will line up sixth for the 23-lap race on Sunday 1 August. The race is expected to take place in the same sunny 26°C conditions which were present today.
Muggeridge, concentrating on taking his pole prowess forward once more in a race situation, stated, “We’ve been working on the chassis and because we don’t have super-soft tyres these days; it’s just a matter of getting the bike to work to its maximum. When the tyres are a bit fresh you need to push a little bit harder but there is a compromise between that ideal setting and what your race setting has to be. It’s going to be tight tomorrow but I will be pushing for sure. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”
Parkes was particularly happy to secure such a speed and start position at what he has already confessed is not the best track for him. “Yeah that was pretty good and pretty unexpected. I was just coming in trying to find my way around so I’m happy with that. It is my third time this year to be second, but I cannot complain. We worked our way around the bike fine-tuning setting and then I just hung it out to have a go, for one or two laps. You have to ride this circuit 95% pretty much all the time but sometimes you can ride it 101%.”
Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate heaped praise on both his riders and his fellow team-members, “Karl already has a big reputation for taking pole positions and it makes us particularly happy to see him doing it right after the summer break. I am even more happy for Broc, who came here to one of his less favoured tracks, and worked very hard over the weekend with the team to give him the confidence to do what he did. Racing is something quite different around here, and it will be a pretty long and especially hot race so starting from the front row is very important. I’m as happy as can be.”
Vermeulen Seventh After Superpole
Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR rider Chris Vermeulen experienced a tough Superpole qualifying session, with a couple of front end slides and a small error holding down his Superpole time and pushing him to seventh overall. He thus starts from row two, when his more usual position this year is amongst the leading four on the front row.
The track has proved a challenge to the team and rider on qualifying tyres from day one, despite a fruitful test at the very differently proportioned Oschersleben circuit prior to the race. Vermeulen was sixth after regulation qualifying, only 0.3 seconds from the then provisional pole time, but has set good times on a full race set-up.
Vermeulen commented on his Superpole lap and regulation qualifying, outlining how the weekend has panned out so far. “I made a little mistake but I had grip problems with the front two or three times in that lap so I was a bit concerned that there might not be something right with the tyre. But it wasn’t a good lap and I had done quicker laps than that on a race tyre this weekend. At one stage I was worried about being on the third row, not the second, so at least that didn’t happen. We’re still not happy with the bike setup and this is such a different circuit. We also seem to have reduced grip here, because normally on the Honda we could use a softer tyre than the Ducati. But everyone is using a softer tyre here.”
Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate is confident of good race results, despite the disappointment of Superpole. “For sure were hoping and expecting a bit more from Superpole. For some reason the front was sliding around too much and this was a bit unexpected because so far this weekend we had no problems from the front. For raceday starting from the second row is Ok and Chris has been up front with the leading riders all weekend on a race tyre set-up.”
More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks – Scuderia Caracchi:
The black week end at Brands Hatch goes on
The negative trend for Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks team on Brands Hatch circuit went on also during the second and final practice day. Garry McCoy ended only 17th fastest the qualifying practices, remaining excluded, for the first time from his Superbike debut, from the Superpole session on his 999RS Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks.
“This track goes on to be very difficult for me.” – said Garry McCoy at the end of the day. “It’s very demanding and I’m needing more time to understand it as I was thinking to. It’s obvious that I’m not satisfied about this result. Today I improved a lot my performance, more as 1,2 seconds as my yesterday’s lap time, but it has not been enough. In the second and fourth split I’m quite fast, like the top of the timesheet, but in other points of the track I’m still in trouble, despite all the setting tests that the team has done following my indications. It’s a pity, because just a couple of minutes before the end of qualifying I was 13th fastest and in a few seconds several riders improved their lap time and I found myself out of the group allowed to contest the Superpole session. It’s the first time since I challenge the Superbike championship and I’m really unhappy, also because the riders in the positions at the middle of the starting grid have been just some fraction of second faster. Tomorrow I’ll try to find an excellent race pace, to get a good result.”
During the night the bike of Miguel Praia has been equipped a new engine, but the Portuguese rider got a bad surprise this morning when he wake up with high temperature for a fever. Despite his illness conditions Praia upgraded with consistency his performance during the practice session, and the International Jury allowed him in the starting grid to contest the tomorrow’s races, also if he failed for a whisker the minimum qualifying time. That just because his strong lap time upgrading recorded during the day when he was learning better the track.
“This morning I was actually destroyed.” – confessed Miguel. “Finally the bike was right and I wake up with a strong fever. However I improved a lot my lap time and I hope to be ready for racing tomorrow.”
