Tomorrow’s World Superbike double header at Brno will be all about the weather, it’s expected to rain at some point which could mix up things and tire management, with some riders still unsure on which tire to use.
Here’s what some of the riders had to say after today’s Superpole session:Max Biaggi – 1st“Obviously I’m very pleased to start from the front and also to have made a really good lap.
Evidently, along with my team, we have adapted well to the track’s extremely fickle conditions.
I’m also pleased for the many fans that I have here and for the many who have followed me to be here.
But, as always, what really counts are the results tomorrow.
And that is a job that still must be done.
I won’t delude myself.
There are two very long and difficult races ahead of us tomorrow.
There are many variables which can affect our performance tomorrow and the weather, which I’m told is uncertain, is the one I’m least concerned about”.
Marco Melandri – 2nd“It was a good day for me, my Yamaha worked very well.
My team has done a great job, working hard and step by step making improvements, so thanks a lot to them! We knew the qualifying would be difficult so I’m really happy with my second place.
It’s not pole position but that’s not important for me.
The main thing is to be on the front row.
The weather conditions tomorrow will make it interesting.
We are expecting rain so anything can happen.
But also if it’s hot like today the race will be difficult too, as it won’t be easy to keep the pace.
”Carlos Checa – 3rd“I think we did a great job throughout the whole weekend.
We didn’t have any particular expectations; we followed our normal work programme and are happy with the outcome.
Qualifying went well and we finished third in Superpole.
It will be a tough battle especially against Max and Marco tomorrow as you can see they have a strong pace but I believe we can stay with them at the front, this is the objective at least.
Tomorrow’s races will have a lot to do with the tyres, the temperature and the general conditions, and we’ll see how we measure up against the others.
But considering that this is not one of our favourite tracks, we are satisfied with today’s result.
”Eugene Laverty – 4th“This morning we tried something which didn’t work very well, so we had to take a step backwards.
In the free practice session we made progress in the right direction and I topped the times for the first time this year, which I am quite pleased with.
Superpole went smoothly.
All I wanted was a front row for two good races tomorrow so that’s what I’m hoping for.
A good starting place on the grid is very important in order to be in a position to fight for a win.
That’s what I’m aiming for, but I’d be happy with a podium!”Michel Fabrizio – 6th“I am happy to be on the first two rows of the grid, because it feels like a long time since I was there.
It was very hard work out there today and I am very tired now because I was riding over my limit.
But that’s what you have to do in Superpole and today my reward was the sixth quickest lap time.
Our plan, as usual, was to get into Superpole 3 and we did that today by using our two qualifying tyres in Superpoles 1 and 2.
That meant that I only had regular race rubber to use in Superpole 3 and so I wasn’t able to go any faster.
Yesterday we had some problems with the rear end of the bike moving around on the brakes and today we solved the problem just by changing the tyre.
I am happy with the set-up of my bike for the race and I am looking forward to getting two good starts and being right with the leaders from the beginning.
Rain is forecast for tomorrow, but I really don’t think any of us want that.
It will make life difficult for all of us and I don’t think the fans would be too happy either.
I hope it stays dry and I can fight for the podium in both races.
”Leon Camier – 7th“Well, at least I can say I picked the right turn to fall on, I really thought I’d had it, and I’m not pleased about the mistake, but I was able to recover quite well.
Starting from the second row won’t compromise my hopes of doing well tomorrow and, considering how things were shaping up, I have to be happy”.
Tom Sykes – 8th “Overall, not too bad because our target is always to get on the front two rows.
Our hand got forced and we had to use a qualifier in Superpole one that was not in our script! We put a hard front tyre in thinking we should be OK but the tyre would not dig in and grip and make the apex the way we wanted it to and I almost lost the front a couple of times.
In Superpole Two when we tried another option of front tyre and another rear qualifier, everybody saw what we could do.
The boys are working hard and I am digging in and we managed to put it on the second row of the grid.
Tomorrow is another day and we will keep chipping away and hopefully we can have a bit of a surprise like Misano and Aragon.
We were pole and second row there, and were running top five in the races.
I just need something I have not quite mastered on this bike yet, a good clean start.
If we get that I am confident that I can get away and be top five or six again.
”Mark Aitchison – 11th“Our bike seems to work best when we have a lot of tyre grip.
There is a lot of transfer of weight when we have the grip and this helps our situation a lot.
When we have less grip there is less transfer and less feeling from the bike.
That is what we are trying to understand more fully now.
We have changed a few things this weekend and we also changed the settings for Superpole.
We are trying something different every time and finding improvements.
”Leon Haslam – 13th“As soon as we have rear grip on the bike we come across a lot of issues.
The bike gets better the older the tyre gets, but with a new grippy tyre the issues start.
The engine still accelerates into the corners, which on this circuit is quite difficult.
The rear grip with the bike was really good with the qualifying tyre.
I made a mistake on that lap with the engine push.
So less than a tenth again and we are out.
Our race pace is quite good, and this circuit is a bit wider and flowing, so we just need another good start and then we will try to get the best result we can.
”Noriyuki Haga -14th“I’m disappointed about the Superpole.
We eventually managed to improve the bike but I misjudged and it costed me at least two rows on the grid.
If I’m going to perform a good start, I’m sure I’ll be able to run two good races.
We still have to work on the back tyre though, because it wear out pretty fast.
”Ruben Xaus – 17thIt’s been a very tough weekend for me so far and we have not been able to dial out the chatter problem I’ve had.
Also, with the higher track temperatures today, the grip level fell and we have been looking for the right balance today.
It didn’t come unfortunately and that will mean two difficult races tomorrow but I think temperatures will be lower tomorrow which might help a little bit.
Joan Lascorz – 19th“It has been difficult because I crashed in free practice in the morning yesterday and in the afternoon in qualifying I did not have a good result.
I changed the settings for today and we improved the rear shock and in the end I put on a new set of tyres to do a fast time.
Then we had a little problem with the filter in the fuel tank being a little blocked, so I could not make the time I wanted to.
I missed out on Superpole so it will be difficult because of my starting position but there are some places to pass here at Brno.
”Chris Vermeulen – 20th“I fell in the first session yesterday and I landed on my same elbow I had injured previously.
It has swollen up quite a lot.
There is no major damage and the doctors said I can ride but it will be painful.
I also landed on my back, which is quite stiff and sore.
We started one session behind because my bike was damaged in the Friday crash and we could not get it fixed in time to go out again.
Yesterday afternoon it went well and the times came a bit better.
Today we have not been able to improve the bike to get that next half-second, which is what I need to get into that next group ahead.
”Alex Lowes – 21st“I definitely made some improvements on the braking side today and you can see from the data that, in some places, I’m braking twice as hard as yesterday.
It’s difficult to make such a major change to my riding and I’ve been concentrating so hard that sometimes it’s affected other par ts of my riding! But I’m loving it and learning all the time about the bike and about how I can improve how I ride it.
I’ve knocked about three seconds off my lap time since yesterday and I’m going to shave some more off tomorrow and try to have two mega races.
I can’t wait for the lights to go off now!”