06-13 Great Britain – Donington – 2018 WSBK Drivers Statements at Donington Park: First Race –

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2018 WSBK Drivers’ Statements at Donington Park: Race One

06-13 Great Britain - Donington - 2018 WSBK Drivers Statements at Donington Park: First Race -

The sixth round of WorldSBK 2018 took place this weekend at Donington Park (Great Britain). In order to complete our almost live reports, Site gives you the main reactions of Superbike riders at the end of the British races.. Here are those of the first round … Do you speak french ?

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 Donington Park circuit. For latecomers:

Below are the statements of the drivers who distinguished themselves on Saturday during the first Superbike round. Honor to – double – winner !

Michael van der Mark (Yamaha n ° 60), 1st:

06-13 Great Britain - Donington - 2018 WSBK Drivers Statements at Donington Park: First Race -

"It’s an incredible feeling to win again! This morning I felt good, I had a good rhythm with the bike and we haven’t changed it much since yesterday. It should be noted that no one had had a lot of running on the dry track. SP2 went well, we finished sixth and I felt good. In the race, I got off to a good start and got back to the front lines. I was behind Tom and Jonathan, and I tried to follow them to get away from the other guys. After a while the gap became safe enough. Johnny and Tom fought, Johnny made a little mistake: I was getting closer to Tom then, I could see he was struggling. I took a chance to pass him and escape. Towards the end, Johnny came back really, really really close … it was great to win my first victory and, of course, give Yamaha the first victory since returning to competition.They have been involved in this WorldSBK project for now t kings years old and it’s amazing to bring them their first victory, especially in the team’s home race. The latter did an amazing job and it was worth the wait. In the second heat, I will start from ninth place on the grid but it can be difficult to overtake in Donington. So we’ll have to be lucky, get a good start and try to fight for the podium again. "

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki n ° 1), 2nd:

06-13 Great Britain - Donington - 2018 WSBK Drivers Statements at Donington Park: First Race -

"The bike was going well honestly, it was only from halfway through the race until the end that the grip level dropped. So I had to deal with it and try to compensate, especially in the Craner Curves area, where I was losing a lot to Mickey. I felt good in the more stop and go sections, and I could be consistent. He just had better pace. Michael was riding well and his bike was running fine, but the race one gave us some good information for tomorrow. I felt good on the acceleration, but I was really struggling wherever you had to put a lot of angle, trying to keep the momentum. We just need to re-evaluate our set for tomorrow. I feel like I did the best I could because at the end of the race the bike was getting very physical, moving a lot and I was riding a little tense. was not our day ".

Tom Sykes (Kawasaki n ° 66), 3rd:

06-13 Great Britain - Donington - 2018 WSBK Drivers Statements at Donington Park: First Race -

“It was pretty good to get a new Superpole record. It’s a personal satisfaction because for me the Superpole is all about sheer speed: you’re the fastest guy right now. is a great record, which one can be proud of personally. In the race, I just wanted to take the lead. I had a much better pace at the start. But for some unknown reason, in the middle of the race, I started to suffer from because of my rear tire slipping. I think I got through it, we did our best. Michael had amazing grip and when he passed me he immediately left. For tomorrow so we have a bit of work to do, although our podium is nothing short of lousy. I think we can improve the bike and give it a better chance ".

Alex Lowes (Yamaha n ° 22), 4th:

06-13 Great Britain - Donington - 2018 WSBK Drivers Statements at Donington Park: First Race -

“First of all I would like to warmly congratulate Michael, the whole Pata Yamaha team and all the sponsors because we have worked very hard on this project, in search of this first victory. I hope this is the first of a long series and that I can join in soon. For my part, we had a lot of trouble this weekend with the tuning of the bike out of the corners so I knew before the race that it would be difficult . I held on as long as I could, but unfortunately my feeling with the bike and my pace was not good enough, although it was another solid race for me. I missed something in the last laps … The end of the race has always been my strong point and I was counting on that to improve, but we can’t do it now. We have to find solutions for tomorrow : I’m starting from pole position and I’m really looking forward to it! "

Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia n ° 32), 5th:

06-13 Great Britain - Donington - 2018 WSBK Drivers Statements at Donington Park: First Race -

“The Superpole was tough for me. I didn’t find the extra grip with a new tire and it was difficult to attack. My start in the first run was okay but not great. I pushed hard and I caught up with the riders in front, but I lost a lot of time at the start. We had trouble in the middle and out of corners here, which really handicapped me: it made overtaking more difficult. It will be essential for us to solve that ".

Eugene Laverty (Aprilia n ° 50), 6th:

06-13 Great Britain - Donington - 2018 WSBK Drivers Statements at Donington Park: First Race -

“The Superpole went really well for us, although we should have finished higher. I was angry with myself for losing the lead in the last corner as I was on track for the third I wasted a lot of time there and it was disappointing, but we made up for it in the race. It was better than expected. Yesterday I had a hard time warming up the tire and staying consistent. So I was a little worried about the race, but we kept a decent pace and sixth place is a good result for us. I think tomorrow’s race will depend on the weather. The wet would obviously be a great opportunity and I will not hesitate to try my luck. In the dry, we have to work on our rear grip in order to hold out in the second half. But whatever happens, I’m confident ".

Loris Baz (BMW n ° 76), 7th:

06-13 Great Britain - Donington - 2018 WSBK Drivers Statements at Donington Park: First Race -

"It was a good day. We rode well from the last free practice session. Everything is going a lot better this weekend and we have found settings that work well. We are getting used to racing with a different setting for this bike. , which allows us to solve some of our problems. I really did not expect to be in the front row. We still lack grip and the rear end is very nervous entering the curve. On this track, the qualifying tire allows to alleviate these issues. I was very comfortable and even convinced that I could have done better, but I was once again embarrassed. Honestly, it feels good, I didn’t even know how It took place at the Parc Ferme! It has been five years since BMW was on the front row … It proves that I still know how to put gas! I made a rather average start, hampered by Lorenzo Savadori on the first braking . I made only one mistake by pulling straight. from that, I was consistent and fought hard from start to finish. I gave my all to close the gap, but I didn’t succeed. However, we managed to put the Ducatis behind us and that is positive. We have taken a big step forward and it feels good. Rain is forecast for Sunday, but we have a good pace in the wet and I will start from the second row. I will try to get a better start and follow the right group. We will continue to work in this direction and try to do even better tomorrow if conditions allow ".

Chaz Davies (Ducati n ° 7), 8th:

06-13 Great Britain - Donington - 2018 WSBK Drivers Statements at Donington Park: First Race -

"I was confident going into the race despite my position on the starting grid (9th, editor’s note). I thought we might have a chance to get on the podium, but the race was unfortunately difficult. failed to get the feel I wanted: yesterday’s crash obviously didn’t help as it cut our time on the track, but I expected to make more progress today. didn’t have a lot of grip so it was just a matter of getting the most out of it, which means today I rode as smoothly as possible. The wheel spins pretty quickly in this discipline so hopefully that we will be able to change things before tomorrow ".

Leon Haslam (Kawasaki n ° 91), 9th:

06-13 Great Britain - Donington - 2018 WSBK Drivers Statements at Donington Park: First Race -

"Race 1 is over, in a positive way since we finished first independent team, but I am still really frustrated with the result. I made a mistake during the first lap, and as we started from the fourth row, I found myself very far behind. But my race pace was good and I managed to overtake Chaz and then catch up with Toprak. On the last lap we got together. Chaz passed me and Toprak crashed, so I got a little frustrated , but the pace was not that bad and I hope that with some improvement we can maybe fight for that podium place that we are aiming for ".

Leon Camier (Honda n ° 2), 10th:

06-13 Great Britain - Donington - 2018 WSBK Drivers Statements at Donington Park: First Race -

“What a day! It was a really tough race and in the final laps I had to fight against fatigue so finishing in the Top 10 is more than I could have hoped for today. Fireblade was working great and I could keep a good pace, especially in the first two sectors. But on the hard braking and the left turns my injuries made it difficult for me. The goal today was just to finish. the race, but being able to keep up with the Ducatis ahead of me and finishing tenth is encouraging. So I’m pretty happy. ".

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