WSBK – Statements and analysis of Superbike in Aragon – Statements of Superbike riders in Spain

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Statements and analysis of the Superbike in Aragon

WSBK - Statements and analysis of Superbike in Aragon - Statements of Superbike riders in Spain

The second round of World SBK 2013 took place yesterday in Aragon, Spain. To complete our live reports, here are the statements of the Superbike riders as well as the Site analysis of the two Spanish races.

Statements by Superbike riders in Spain

Site readers – who, as everyone knows, are a little more fortunate than the others – were already able to experience yesterday, almost live, the unfolding of the Mondial Superbike and Supersport races on the Aragon circuit (for latecomers , read then).

Here are the statements of the pilots who distinguished themselves on Sunday … Honors to the double winner !

Chaz Davies, 1st (x 2):
"This day is just amazing, I can’t explain how happy I am. What a weekend! My first win with BMW and then the one-two: this is something I was hoping to achieve this year, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. I want to thank BMW and all those who have supported me. I knew coming here that we would be strong. BMW has done a fantastic job over the past month since we left Australia and everyone has worked really hard. Plus now I really feel like the RR is mine, I feel so comfortable on it. In the first heat, the retirement of Tom and Eugene certainly made things easier. In the second race you could think I was handling comfortably, but to be honest I must have pushed a lot. One of the most impressive things is the fact that we did a lot of testing in Jerez, but not here in Aragon, where almost everyone has come. Winning despite that is therefore quite impressive, and I owe it to the work of BMW. We are going to stay focused, continue to work hard and project ourselves on Assen, another track that I really like.".

Sylvain Guintoli, 2nd (x 2):
"In the first run I was a little worried because I was really in pain, as I had been throughout the weekend. Aragon is perhaps the trail I dread the most. These two second places are therefore a really brilliant result. I would like to thank the Aprilia team, the engineers and my team manager, Aligi Deganello, because thanks to them I rode really well during the second race. The changes we constantly made to the RSV4 worked as expected, although Chaz was truly impossible to beat. I walk towards Assen with a lot of confidence. Surprises in the race and today’s results are the perfect opportunity to announce the arrival of my fourth child !".

Marco Melandri, 3rd then 5th:
"It’s not my best weekend … After the first race, I was still quite happy. At first I was not very comfortable with my front end and I made a big mistake trying to catch up with the guys in front at the end of the main straight. Then I picked up a good pace and climbed back to second place. I thought I would keep this position until the end, but unfortunately I ran into a false neutral point between third and second gear. I finished in third place, which wasn’t bad. In the second run I used my experience with the 16.5 inch tire and chose a harder front tire. But with the 17 inch tire, it didn’t go as I hoped. I lost grip and couldn’t ride properly. I attacked very hard at the start, but I preferred not to take too many risks afterwards. I had no pain in my shoulder, but I had no more strength in my arms at the end of the race. I’m looking forward to the next race in Assen, then we’ll be in better shape. Congratulations to Chaz. He drove superbly: well done !".

Tom Sykes, retirement then 3rd:
"Getting on the podium in the second run was not the ideal way to end the weekend, but it was certainly acceptable. It would have been good to have finished the first race just as well in order to gather a little more information to hold in view of the second race, but I have no excuse: the drivers in front of me in the second run drove fantastically well. We are now heading towards circuits where we are a little stronger than here. Also, I’m no longer injured and Kawasaki has worked really hard, so let’s see what the next outing in Assen can bring us.".

Jonathan Rea, 4th then 15th:
"It’s hard to know what to say, really, because it was obvious that we were on cloud nine when we arrived here after the test two weeks ago. Friday morning the bike was going much better immediately and we worked really hard with the guys all weekend. We did a long series of laps to figure out the electronics tuning. I think we had reached a satisfactory level that allowed me to attack, but I’m disappointed with the overall performance. During the races I couldn’t compete with the guys in the straights which made the driving intense the rest of the course.".

"In the first heat, we had a plan that worked better than expected, because some riders have been unlucky. We stayed in touch and we were there to pick up the crumbs by finishing in fourth place. It was the equivalent of a podium for me because we came back a long way, it was like climbing a ladder! Then, in the second run, I had the impression that I was being let down because of a problem with the brake adjustment. I insisted for a turn but the lever came back against the handlebars. I was going to become a danger to the other drivers, so I went to the pits to fix that. Once again, my pace was good when I got back on the track, it’s a shame because we deserved a few more points on the second race. We go to Assen without further testing, which will give the guys a bit of a break. I think we all need it, because we’ve been doing a lot of testing recently".

Davide Giugliano, retirement then 4th:
"The second race was amazing and I finished in fourth place. After the disappointment of Philip Island, this result is a fair reward for me, because bad luck did not spare me. I still think that the two races today went very well. I was both quick in both races and ended up with a satisfactory result. This is the first direct confrontation with our opponents and we now know that we are not fighting on an equal footing against some competing bikes, but I am sure my team and Aprilia will make my RSV4 even more competitive.".

Loris Baz, 5th then 6th:
"The first race went well but I missed my start a bit and I think that by doing it better I could have been with some of the guys in front. I had to fight to overtake drivers and we knew the race distance was going to be a problem for us. We have made a big step in terms of the quick lap in practice and I think we can fight for the Top 4 or 5, but we still have to improve on the whole race. However, I was happy to finish fifth in the first run, even though I would have finished sixth without another driver stopping. The first race proved that hard work pays off. In the second run I went to the grid and they delayed the race, so I cut my engine because that’s what we normally do in this situation. They said I couldn’t do that and I had to leave the pits with Jules Cluzel. I don’t know if I could have finished higher than sixth by starting normally, but at least I could have seen how long I could stay with the other guys. We scored two nice scores in the dry so I’m happy".

Jules Cluzel, 6th then 7th:
"The second race was very complicated and we had some problems. When I got to the grid, I didn’t find a dead point. It’s normally easy, but I could only go first or second. I was in second, waiting for the start, and I tried to pass the first but it didn’t work … and the bike was starting to roll as the clutch warmed up. I thought it would be fine if the lights came on quickly but they took their time and I had to put up my hand to point out my problem. I had to leave the pits, got out as quickly as possible and did my best. I felt comfortable, but when I passed Baz I felt a strange vibration in the motor and then heard a noise. I looked behind me to make sure nothing was broken, because the power seemed different too. There was no smoke so I continued, but Baz came back in front of me and made a little gap. I caught it again, but my engine was not running properly so I did my best to finish seventh and I am very happy with this result".

"The first race was difficult as I had a few grip issues that caused me to slide a lot, but I was happy to finish sixth. I was eager to improve my result in the second run and eventually finish in the Top 5, but it didn’t. It’s been a good weekend for us and I’m delighted with both of my results after everything that has happened. It was really good to see Leon (Camier, his teammate injured Friday, Editor‘s note) on the track and I hope he will fully recover as soon as possible because we need him in the garage and on the circuit".

Carlos Checa, 7th then 8th:
"I think there has been some improvement on the chassis side, although I still had some issues in the corners. In the first run, I had trouble finding the point of rope. After a while I realized I had been stung by a bee and in the last few laps my shoulder started causing me some trouble. I had a lot of problems to deal with. I did what I could anyway to maintain my pace and managed to maintain my position in both races. In the end it wasn’t that bad. Of course, we’re not really happy with the results, but given the circumstances I don’t think we could have done better here today. I am satisfied with the work accomplished over the weekend. I have given my technicians a lot of feedback and they have worked very hard: I know they are capable of leading us in the right direction. We are looking forward. We now have two important testing days in Jerez and then we will go to Assen, where we hope to be able to close the gap a bit.".

And now for our MNC analysis of the World Superbike in Aragon !

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