Today’s WSBK races at the Motorland Aragon circuit will be all about tire choice and conservation and the much higher track temperatures, both factors that could throw up some interesting surprises.
Rider quotes from yesterday’s exciting Superpole.
Marco Melandri – 1st“This is an amazing day.
I really didn’t think I’d be in pole position, especially after the first Superpole where I risked not qualifying.
My team has been working harder than ever since Misano and we’ve really come a long way and the bike is working very well.
I’m really happy with today and I want to say thanks to Yamaha and all my team.
The race tomorrow will be very difficult and competitive.
A lot will depend on the heat of the track and tyre wear but hopefully it won’t be as windy as today.
” Max Biaggi – 2ndThe result was the second spot on the starting grid, but it will be the heat and its effect on the tyres.
We worked very hard with my team looking for the best possible set-up and also exploring various avenues to improve our situation.
Unfortunately all of the information we logged during the autumn tests was useless because of the different conditions which we found this time.
Sure, I’m pretty happy about the second place, but the two races tomorrow will be long and difficult, especially with the unknown factor of how the tyres will react to the heat and how long they will last.
But we have no choice because a switch to harder tyres would compromise performance too much.
Anyway, this is what we have to work with, so we’ll bring out the most of what we have”.
Leon Camier – 3rd“From the very beginning of the weekend, and with the last race at Misano fresh in our minds, we decided to make some changes to my RSV4 to get back some confidence.
So we made a few important modifications to the chassis and now the feeling is good.
Now I’m enjoying the result, but I want to stay focused for the races tomorrow, which will be difficult”.
Carlos Checa – 4th“Today a few of the other riders went really well.
We knew we had the pace needed to finish on the front row and we did it.
Unfortunately I made a small mistake at one point in the final Superpole phase and without that I think I could have gone a few tenths faster.
Anyway we are satisfied to be on the front row and I’m feeling confident ahead of the races because we’ve shown that we have strong pace.
All that’s left is to select the best tyre for the races, but we’ll wait to see exactly what conditions and temperatures are like tomorrow before making a decision.
I know that the races will be a lot of fun in the presence of the Spanish fans.
”Tom Sykes – 5th “We have been in the top five places all weekend and I am quite happy.
I still don’t think we made the best out of the qualifying tyres and in superpole we had no option but to run with the race tyre and we produced quite a good lap.
I was happy with that.
I was just a little bit disappointed we lost out on a front row start but that is just me putting pressure on myself and wanting to achieve more things.
I am confident with our race pace and over 20 laps we are quite consistent, so it just depends what the other guys do and which tyres they choose.
We did a bit of a race run this afternoon and without busting a gut it seems we were very strong and consistent, so we will see tomorrow.
I just pray that I get real good starts, that is all I need.
If we get away clean I will have a big smile on my face ready to battle away for the rest of the races.
”Eugene Laverty – 6th“It was a very tough morning.
I didn’t find a good set up, so I wasn’t very confident.
The team worked hard and we made huge improvements in the afternoon’s free practice and I regained confidence prior to Superpole.
I knew I had to go out again in the first heat and improve my time even if that meant using a qualifier and only have one left.
Unfortunately I also knew that then I couldn’t produce a faster lap in the third session.
Marco, Checa and Biaggi will be very strong tomorrow but I’m sure I’ll be competitive as well.
”Joan Lascorz – 7th “I found things easier at this circuit with the qualifying tyre on the bike.
We improved by a second when we made that change.
On the entry to corners on closed throttle it turned better and that made the whole machine work better.
I made a good adjustment in the final Superpole sessions but we were losing a bit of time because the bike was sometimes trying to do a wheelie.
So we will work on that aspect of set-up.
We have made one step more and every time I start nearer the front we can improve.
We have not chosen a tyre yet, it just depends on the weather conditions we find in the morning.
”Ayrton Badovini – 8th“I am delighted to have ridden in all three Superpoles.
I enjoyed the SP 2 because I had never been so fast with the qualifying tyres.
Too bad for PS 3, where I didn’t get the most out of the race tyre.
I’m confident for tomorrow because we have a good pace and we can be consistent in the race.
”Noriyuki Haga – 9th“Unluckily I was overlong at one of the firsts turns.
And with such close gaps I screwed up the chance to place among the first two rows.
But my aim is still the same.
We did a good job today to prepare ourselves for the two manches so I’m positive about tomorrow’s outcomes.
”Sylvain Guintoli – 10th“This is a different track from the others and it took me some time to understand it well.
On top of refining the setting of the bike, I have to say that the more we ride on this track, the more I feel in tune with the circuit, it has to be discovered lap by lap and there are still places where the skill of the rider can make the difference.
We are improving day by day and I am convinced that tomorrow I can be a protagonist in the race.
”.
Michel Fabrizio – 11th“I was happy to do well enough to get into Superpole 2, but not happy because I didn’t get into the final Superpole.
That would have guaranteed a place on the first two rows of the grid and that is something I have not had this season so far.
So, once again I am a long way down the grid, with lot of work to do – particularly at the start.
I really need two good starts and not have to spend the best part of the race trying to catch the leaders.
I am confident in my race pace and know that my race pace would put me far higher than eleventh, so now I’ve really got to give it a go from the start if I am to get good results.
My right arm is definitely better – not perfect – but it is definitely getting stronger.
I did a longish run today (about twelve laps) and I didn’t have much pain, so I know that tomorrow it will be even better.
At the moment, we are still trying to find the best set-up for the bike.
I am losing time on the braking at the end of the long back straight.
We go from flat out in sixth gear all the way down to first gear and our bike is not quite set up perfectly for this yet.
We will try a little change in the warm-up tomorrow and see if we can improve the set-up.
It seems that when the track temperature is high, the grip goes down, but the tyre life is better.
When the track is cooler, the grip is better, but the tyre life is worse.
But, I guess it’s the same for everybody and we just have to deal with it.
If I can get good starts, I know that my race pace is good enough to fight with the leaders and that’s my goal.
”Jakub Smrz – 13th “I was out of the second Superpole for my mistake on the final lap and this is why I could not fight with the others for a better placement.
It’s the first time this season that I don’t pass the cut on the first Superpole, this surely will bring me extra motivation for the race tomorrow, to redeem this bad position and be among the protagonists.
”Leon Haslam – 14th“We posted a good time in Superpole one on race tyres and decided to stay in the garage.
Along with the guys, I thought we were safe and planned to save the qualifying tyres for the remaining two sessions.
Sadly the gamble didn’t pay off.
A lot of the other guys put a qualifying tyre on for their second run in SP1, and that pushed us down from fourth to outside the top 12.
It’s a shame because I felt we had good pace, and the qualifying tyre seemed to be giving the other guys an extra second, so I think we could have done the same.
Still we believe we have a good race pace for tomorrow, so will try to get a good start and see what we can do in the races.
”Troy Corser – 16th“Today the bike just was not doing what we wanted it to do.
We were struggling with the race tyre, so we put the qualifier on.
But with that we struggled even more.
It was a difficult day.
We will work hard to sort out these issues for tomorrow.
In the races anything is still possible.
We just need a good start and to find a better setup with the bike.
”Ruben Xaus – 17th“It’s been a difficult day and, of course, I was disappointed not to make it into Superpole for this afternoon.
Everyone has been working very hard and I’ve been riding as well as possible, but as soon as the guys have found a possible way through one problem, I have found another.
We’ll keep working this evening and in warm-up tomorrow to find some more improvements and I’ll ride my hardest in the races to get something.
It’s great to be at this new track with the enthusiastic Spanish fans, and I hope I can give them something to cheer about tomorrow.
”Chris Vermeulen – 19th “We improved it a little bit this afternoon, and as my chief mechanic Marcel said, our race pace is not that far away on race tyres.
As far as the bike set-up is here, I am having the same sort of issues I was having in Misano.
Just not being able to stop the bike and get confidence in the front while braking.
We made a little bit of a step forward using the tyre we expect to be racing on.
I used the hardest front too, just because I wanted to try it out.
We were only a couple of tenths off getting into Superpole but I could not get a good feeling this morning.
The lap times are close so it should be an exciting race.
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