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 2nd round 2018
Marco Melandri (Ducati n ° 33), 1st:
“It was a crazy race. The tire change made it impossible to strategize because a lot of the riders could be fast over 10 laps. It was a big fight, with a lot of aggressive maneuvering. even tried to take care of the tires after the pit stop, and we found our pace in the last five laps. Towards the end it was difficult to pass Rea under braking, so I decided to focus on the sprint final to take the suction in the last corner, in which I was particularly fast, and the plan worked. I’m super happy and I can’t wait to race at Buriram ".
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki n ° 1), 2nd:
"My only chance to win the race was to try to get past the last corner in the lead. On the penultimate lap and throughout the race they were passing me in the straight line. When I passed Marco on the corner 1, I thought to myself: “I’m going to forget the brakes and dive for the rope, we’ll see what happens!” I wanted to put on the best lap possible but we had problems with fourth gear all weekend: it was too long for the last curve, and we didn’t have enough momentum at the exit. I couldn’t win today and I messed up my pit exit a bit. I completely forgot to shift into second gear to deactivate the rev limiter. Van der Mark and Fores drove past me. There were already a few drivers in front of us when we got out: I had a little work. I’m happy to turn the page and open another in Thailand ".
Xavi Fores (Ducati n ° 12), 3rd:
"The hardest part was the ‘Flag to flag’ moment. After that, I tried to attack as much as possible until the end. At one point I believed I could win the race, but in the last lap I made a little mistake, Marco and Johnny got ahead and I couldn’t fight with them anymore. But regardless, the weekend was fantastic. For an independent team like us, to reach the podium is awesome. I want to thank all the team members, technicians, engineers and Marco Barnabò because we did a great job together ".
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki n ° 66), 4th:
“In one way the weekend was very successful and in another I’m disappointed because I really felt that this race, potentially, was mine. I had such a good feeling with the bike but at the third lap unfortunately arose a small technical glitch and for some reason the power dropped in some areas of the track. Apart from that the bike tuning was perfect. On the one hand we have was lucky to finish the race and take championship points but honestly I feel like I got a better result. I have to be optimistic because it’s Phillip Island, in conditions windy. I had a good feeling with the Ninja ZX-10RR this weekend and there are a lot of positives to take from this event. I can’t wait to go to Thailand now, and make progress during the season".
Alex Lowes (Yamaha # 22), 5th:
“The second race was a lot better! Honestly, the bike had never been so good all week: that promises, when you see the progress we can make on a race weekend. After the pit stop , I felt really strong and thought I could fight for the podium, but I had a few issues that were holding me back a bit. It’s unfortunate but it’s racing. I felt really strong on the bike and I I enjoyed this tough race. The tire change was not easy but the results weren’t that excruciating, especially after struggling so hard to feel comfortable during this difficult week. I am reasonably happy even. if I can’t be completely happy with my fifth and sixth place because I want to fight for podiums and win races. That’s what we will try to do in Thailand ".
Leon Camier (Honda n ° 2), 6th:
"I gave everything I had in the second run, we were very strong in some parts, not that much in others, but overall I felt very competitive. I was able to stay with the leading group before and after the pit stop and I made very good maneuvers from a long way away. I had good fights with Lowes and Sykes, and between the two races this weekend. really happy with my first weekend of racing with the Red Bull Honda World Superbike team. Now I just want to keep making progress and see what we can do at the next meeting in Thailand ".
Jordi Torres (MV Agusta n ° 81), 8th:
“We worked a lot on the stability of the bike during the Warm Up and I have to say that the reactions we had in the race were clearly positive. I knew the tire change wouldn’t help us because we are not that fast. only that with new tires, but I managed to keep my position. I think I could have closed the gap with the front group if I had not been slowed down at the start. We are happy because the work is going well, and we can’t wait to get back on track ".
Loris Baz (BMW n ° 76), 9th:
“I suffered in the first part of the race, but a lot less after the stint. It was fun to be able to compete against the others in the first five laps. Jordi Torres and I fought well. doubled three or four times in the final loop but lacked the strength in my shoulder to gain the ascend and manage to stay ahead. After my crash I didn’t think I would be able to finish a race. in the end, I managed to finish both. The wheel change went very well and the team did a great job. It’s always good to get a few points, even if not. is definitely not the weekend we were hoping for. We have gathered quite a bit of information and managed to improve a few things on the bike. It bodes well for further progress in Thailand. Until then, the the goal will be to treat my shoulder by following several physiotherapy sessions in order to be in the best possible position. ispositions in Buriram ".
Eugene Laverty (Aprilia n ° 50), fall and 15th:
“I got off to a very good start, I ended up in third, then at turn 4, I passed two riders to take the lead. The bike was amazing, very easy to ride, and I was widening the gap. 3rd lap, the rear suddenly lost grip and I went up to the high-side. I was really disappointed. I was riding a bike that could win today. This is what we expected after practice and the Superpole. The bike was very good in the turns and this is an area that we improved in 24 hours, to allow me to change direction more quickly and maintain good speed. The first race was not What a big disappointment. Today we showed our potential in a much clearer way, which we can be happy with. We have to be optimistic for the second round in Chang after the performance at Phillip Island. The team is now in the process, it’s very exciting for all of us ".
Chaz Davies (Ducati n ° 7), fall and retirement:
“I felt good honestly, and I thought we had some headroom in the first half of the race. After changing tires, I always thought I could go for the win. I think this is the first time that I ‘attack this hard with a totally new tire, because we never leave the pits and go from zero to 100% like that. Maybe I pushed the cap a little too far, I made a mistake, even though I lost the front quite late in the turn. This year there will be a lot of riders who can fight for the podium, as we have seen here, so it’s going to be interesting. We will recover and we will be ready to fight in Buriram ".
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