2018 World Superbike riders’ statements at Phillip Island
The first round of WorldSBK 2018 took place this weekend in Phillip Island, Australia. In order to complete our almost live reports, Site gives you the main reactions of the Superbike riders at the end of their two Australian races. Do you speak French ?
#AUSWorldSBK: statements from the 1st round 2018
Site readers – who, as everyone knows, are a little more fortunate than others – have already been able to follow Saturday and Sunday, almost live, the unfolding of the 2018 World Superbike and Supersport races on the Phillip Island circuit. For latecomers:
- WSBK Australia (1) : Melandri makes everyone agree
- WSSP Australia: Mahias wins, quickly done well !
- WSBK Australia (2):
Below are the statements of the drivers who distinguished themselves on Saturday during the first Superbike round, and the statements of those who led the second WSBK race on Sunday. Honor to the double winner !
Marco Melandri (Ducati n ° 33), 1st:
“It was a fantastic race. Sykes got off to a good start and it was not easy to follow him at the start with Rea. The race continued and I managed to close the gap. Once in the lead , it wasn’t easy either because the gusts of wind were even stronger. The last lap seemed endless to me, but we hung on and got the victory. I want to thank the whole team for their hard work work done throughout the winter. Tomorrow we will need a blazing start from the third row, and there are some details that we can still improve, but I expect another solid race. ".
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki n ° 66), 2nd:
“I smiled from start to finish. I got off to a good start with the Ninja ZX-10RR and was really happy with my gear. We had done our homework in winter testing, as well as testing. free using a pair of tires over two sessions. Today, with the strong wind, I didn’t manage to get out of some corners as efficiently as yesterday in testing. In the end, that‘s what tires me the rear tire five laps from the end. Soon after that moment we started to suffer from the front end in the third corner and other places like the last corner. Tomorrow is another day. I am quietly confident".
Chaz Davies (Ducati n ° 7), 3rd:
"I’m really happy with this result. It was a tough winter so it’s good to start the season on the podium. The race itself was different from what is usually played here: everyone attacked hard from the start. I had a fun battle with Fores and I didn’t expect Rea to have any problems and back off like that. But I took the opportunity when she came. This morning I had a good feeling on the worn tires, but in the race we struggled a bit more, especially with the left flank, and the bike was moving a bit too much. Otherwise I think we could have fought at the top. we have improved session after session, and I’m happy with the bike now. The goal is to fight for the win tomorrow ".
Xavi Fores (Ducati n ° 12), 4th:
“It’s good to be competitive, the future is brighter. But once again, I could get on the podium, for less than a second. In the last seven or eight laps, I encountered a problem with the front so that when Davies caught up with me I couldn’t fight him. I also lost some ground passing Rea. I couldn’t reach Davies anymore. I’m confident about tomorrow , it could be a positive day because I’m starting from pole position. I’m aiming for the podium ".
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki n ° 1), 5th:
"I had a blister on the rear tire from the 16th lap, which was a real shame because until then, I felt very good on the bike. sharp because obviously the tire didn’t withstand the load and the way I was riding, but my riding is not 100% natural at the moment. I’m still trying to find the right way. We changed the bike a lot to feel really comfortable. We didn’t make it. The vibrations were such that I kept thinking I was going to fall, like in Donington. The idea of going back home. in the pits and to give up crossed my mind, but I just gave my hand in all the lefts and I finished the race to recover some points ".
Alex Lowes (Yamaha # 22), 6th:
“It’s been a tough week so far because I haven’t really been 100% confident. The race hasn’t been easy. I didn’t have a very good start and I did my best. better to stay in the group, as I realized very early on that I had problems with my tires. I tried to save them as much as possible, so that I could rev up in the last loops, but even with a driving fairly cautious, the tires seemed to be in a mess at the end of the race. We managed to get sixth place and with the changes planned for the second run, we will try to learn from our day to see if we can do a better job tomorrow! "
Leon Camier (Honda n ° 2), 7th:
“Qualifying didn’t go as planned, but I got off to a good start in the race. In the first few laps I got caught up in a few battles that cost me time. Once I escaped I got managed to pick up a good pace and gain a few places, but when my rear tire "went off" in the final laps I concentrated on my position. I hope that by starting well from fourth on the grid tomorrow and by finding a setting that spares the rear tire, we’ll have a good second race ".
Michael van der Mark (Yamaha n ° 60), 9th:
“I started out pretty well from eighth on the grid, but I made a mistake on Turn 4 and lost time. I fought to get back up the field and I felt really strong. overtook people, and I ended up in fifth position at the back of the lead group when suddenly after 15 laps I didn’t have any rear grip and I struggled until the end. We don’t know why we encountered this tire issue, but it looks like a number of drivers had issues so it’s good to have made the changes for tomorrow’s race (mandatory pit use at mid-race to change tires, editor’s note) and I am hopeful that I will have the pace to fight in front! "
Loris Baz (BMW n ° 76), 11th:
"I only completed two laps this morning in order to preserve myself for the rest of the day. In Superpole, I managed to record a good time. I know it was possible to do better, but I was in a lot of pain. in the right turns. I had an excellent start which allowed me to quickly place myself in eighth position. After that, I led a good pass against Leon Camier with many overtaking. shoulder injury forced me to brake earlier and leave a few doors open. I nevertheless managed to catch up elsewhere, but as the race went on I lacked strength and lost some weight. Despite the situation, I managed to score a few points in the standings. It’s a shame, because I know I had the means to follow them. I gritted my teeth and I hope to be better on Sunday for to be in the top ten with a faster pace ".
Yonny Hernandez (Kawasaki n ° 68), fall and retirement:
“It is never easy to start from sixth place, and I knew the race was going to be difficult. But, from the start, the bike did not go well: the rear was moving a little. I continued because I wanted to finish the race, but something happened and I crashed at the sixth corner. I injured my left shoulder in the fall and went to Clinica Mobile to have her checked out. ‘is broken luckily, but it hurts. I hope I can have a good night‘s sleep and then see how I feel tomorrow morning. I would like to race, but I’m sure I’m going to have to take pain relievers for that ".
It should be noted that the unfortunate pilot of the Pedercini team was unable to take part in the second round: Yonny must undergo medical examinations on his return to Madrid and hopes to be back in good shape in a month for …
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