WSBK – SBK Silverstone Videos, Statements & Analysis – Superbike Riders’ Statements

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SBK Videos, Statements and Analysis at Silverstone

WSBK - SBK Silverstone Videos, Statements & Analysis - Superbike Riders' Statements

The ninth round of the World SBK 2011 took place yesterday at Silverstone. To complete our live reports, here are the statements of the SBK riders, our analyzes and the video summaries of the Superbike and Supersport races..

Superbike rider statements

Carlos Checa, 1st (x 2) :
"It was a great day. I didn’t think I could win here, and yet we managed to do it twice! Taking the 300th victory for Ducati is an important result, and we are delighted to have been able to win the second round. I thank all the people involved in this success, my team, Ducati and all the sponsors. I also learned that I had now competed in 100 races in SBK. I did not know it, moreover what is important is that I still feel young: I am not yet 100 years old! We have a good lead in the championship at the moment but as we all know, if it’s hard to earn points, it’s also easy to lose them. We are approaching tracks where I have obtained good results in the past but we are advancing cautiously, nothing is won. It has been a fantastic weekend, I will remember it forever. Now the team can go on vacation in a more relaxed state of mind".

Eugene Laverty, 2nd (x 2) :
"Yes, I am happy with the 40 points today. No victory, but these two second places are very good. In the first race Carlos passed me and attacked but I was limited by the bike so I couldn’t really catch up with him. In the end, second place was more than enough. In the second run I really wanted to attack to win, especially to cheer up my brother John who is in the hospital, but I’m sure he’s happy with my results. My second race was better, I changed tires and noticed an improvement. In the last part, I tried to change my position on the bike and started to get closer to Carlos, but he reacted immediately. He had the advantage over us today, he was extremely hard to beat".

Marco Melandri, 3rd (x 2) :
"In the first round, my bike was very unstable, from the start of the race I did not have a good feeling and I had to deal with a lack of grip at the rear. I wasted a lot of time with Hopkins and Haga, I had a hard time getting by. We changed the tires before the second race to get better grip on the left side, but I hit a rock with my knee on the straight line and it wasted a lot of time on that lap. I then improved and saw that I could catch up with Camier. I struggled to keep Max at bay and pushed to stay in front. I am happy with my double podium today. I can’t wait to enjoy a few days of vacation and hope I can come back stronger than ever"

Leon Haslam, 4th then 8th :
"I was really happy with my start in the first heat. I was able to position myself as I wanted and I rode with the leaders. I was really pushing for the podium and struggled to stay in contact with Marco Melandri, but I really struggled to pass him and stay in front. I was happy to be racing at the front and the times were correct. I just narrowly missed a podium. In the second race, I had some problems with the bike and I had to adapt my riding style. I ended up doing solid lap times, but in the meantime the leaders were gone. We now have the summer break: I’m just looking forward to spending some time at home and getting ready in the gym for the next races.".

Max Biaggi, 11th then 4th :
"Given how the weekend went and my first race, I can say that I am happy with fourth place in the second run. It’s a shame that we had to start from the back of the grid. I hit the tires to catch up with the leading pack and that prevented me from being sharp at the end. I really gave everything, so much so that I managed to get ahead of my teammate who is quite fast here. I could have even done better in the first run, but with the brake lever bent and the technical issue with the clutch, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and collect as many points as I could."

John Hopkins, 5th then 7th :
"I didn’t know what to expect for the race because I had never really raced at the forefront in WSB before. My plan was to disembark, do my own race, and get the most out of it, just to have a few good laps here, before heading back to the British Superbike later in the year. I had some issues towards the start of the race, I felt like I was running out of power, then unfortunately we had a failure on the rear brake. However, in my driving, I use it when entering a turn, tying and then exiting a turn. I know some riders don’t use it that much, but it’s just my style so from halfway through I tried to reconsider the track without using the rear brake. We had had a great weekend so far and as a driver, therefore a competitor, I wanted to do better. But if someone had told me before the weekend that I would finish fifth, that would have been enough. In the second run I was giving way down the straights and there was nothing to do but I want to thank the team for giving me this opportunity and I can’t wait to go to Brands Hatch now (in BSB, NDLR)".

Leon Camier, 15th then 5th :
"I’m obviously very disappointed and really sorry for all the fans who came to support us, I really thought I could get a podium or two. I felt really strong in the first race, I had gained a lot of places and I was starting to think about overtaking Laverty for 2nd place when the bike had a problem. I kept going and I know the fans kept cheering me on every time I walked past them so thank you! In the second round, the start went well but I had no more grip at the end. I couldn’t keep my line, I attacked and attacked to maintain my position, but I made a mistake. It’s so frustrating, especially at home, but sometimes it is like that".

Sylvain Guintoli, 6th (x 2) :
NC.

Joan Lascorz, 7th then DNF :
"We had a good result and then another more unlucky, but my bike looked even better in the second run. It’s unfortunate that Toseland collided with me, because his footrest got stuck in a water hose on my bike. My cooling system drained and I couldn’t finish. Without it I think I could have reached the Top 6. I finished 7th in the first race and it’s not so bad after qualifying 19th on the grid. We need to improve in qualifying but it’s good to know that when things are working out on the bike I can keep up a good pace in the race.".

Maxime Berger, 8th then 12th :
"I really enjoyed the first race. After a good start I found myself in a group of four or five riders and we fought side by side. I forced the pace a few times, but then decided not to risk the crash and finished eighth. This is my best result ever in World Superbike. In the second race, the track temperature was warmer, so the bike was sliding a lot. I tried to keep a good pace and could be in the Top 10, but when it came time to overtake Lascorz his bike started to lose water from his radiator. It arrived on the visor of my helmet and on my bubble. I had to cut the throttle and lost a few positions. I still have the satisfaction of having obtained my best results this weekend and having finally brought in a good sum of points. I have to thank my team once again for giving me a really fast bike. Now I’m going to take a few weeks off and get ready for the last four races of this championship".

Michel Fabrizio, DNF then 9th :
"I am disappointed with the way things went today. I think the fall in the first run was probably a bit of my fault. I did a highside on the first lap, maybe because I was pushing a little too hard, a little too early. I injured my right collarbone and hit my right hip and thigh well, so I was a bit damaged for the second race. The temperature of the track being very hot, we chose a hard front tire for the second run as we felt the softer one would wear out too quickly. But the tire turned out a bit too hard and I just couldn’t get any grip in the middle of the turn after just a few laps. From then on, I struggled to keep my position and couldn’t do anything against the few riders who passed me. I continued to attack as hard as I could and finished a frustrating ninth place. It’s a shame, because I qualified second. I knew my race pace is usually very good, so I was aiming for at least the Top 4 or even a podium. The race is sometimes like that. I must forget about this day, take advantage of the break ahead and hope for better times around the Nurburgring".

Fabrizio Lai, DNF then 16th :
"It was a very difficult weekend because it was my first time at Silverstone, my first time with this team and this bike: it was all very complicated. Today in the first run I used a soft tire and before I fell it wasn’t giving me the best grip even after three laps. For the second race, I chose a harder tire: it was very good in the corners, but the problem was at the rear because I didn’t have the traction I wanted. I used the traction control more to finish the race. This result sorry to me, for the team, everyone and myself".

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