WSBK – Statements by World Superbike riders in Aragon – Statements from the first WSBK round

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World Superbike riders’ statements in Aragon

WSBK - Statements by World Superbike riders in Aragon - Statements from the first WSBK round

The third round of the 2016 World SBK took place this weekend in Aragon, Spain. To complete our near-live reports, here are the statements of the Superbike riders at the end of their two Spanish races.

WSBK Round 1 Statements

Site readers – who, as everyone knows, are a little more fortunate than the others – have already been able to watch the Mondial Superbike and Supersport races on the circuit of Aragon on Saturday and Sunday, live almost directly (read, and).

Find below the statements of the drivers who distinguished themselves on Saturday during the first round, and on the following page the statements of those who animated the second WSBK race on Sunday. Honor to – double – winner !

Chaz Davies, 1st:
"It was not easy to fight in the group at first, but I managed to slowly move up the field and take the lead. Then I just tried to establish my own pace, gradually widening the gap. I am very happy, we have taken a step forward in terms of power and I want to thank Ducati for their constant efforts in terms of development. We’ve come close to winning a few times this year already, and now we have to keep the momentum going. We can still improve before the second race tomorrow".

Jonathan Rea, 2nd:
"I’m happy because if you can’t win you owe it to yourself to finish second. Today we did it on a track where Chaz has always been very strong in the past. At the start of the race I was still trying to understand the bike because we only used the race settings in Superpole. This morning we came back to something that was more like what we knew. Now we need a little more grip and we need to improve the braking situation for tomorrow. We can study and understand my pace now, take things from there to make the bike even better. I know we can get closer tomorrow".

Tom Sykes, 3rd:
"I knew that doing a quick lap would be easy, but I also knew that the pace of the race could be tougher. I struggled a bit with the balance of the bike, it didn’t really let me do what I wanted. This means that when the tire wears out I can’t keep the level I want. I’m still happy to be on the podium, it’s still good to be able to do it even when we’re not having our best day. I just didn’t have enough to come back and attack Jonathan. We have to work on this, but the two Kawasaki seem to have a very similar level. We need to be stronger tomorrow and work hard again".

Xavi Fores, 4th:
"I am so happy ! I did not expect such a race. At first I really struggled to stay close to Hayden and pass him. His bike was faster in the straight line so I lost a lot of time. I knew I had a little something more than Giugliano and Guintoli, who were both in the same group, so in the end I decided to try to overtake them and set my pace. Davide stayed behind me and tried to attack me several times until the last lap. But I did not let it go! I managed to get this fourth place which is equivalent to a victory for me and for the team, after the two extra-European races where we suffered a lot. We deserved it! Now we will continue to work towards the second race tomorrow !"

Davide Giugliano, 5th:
"So far I have unfortunately struggled more than expected here in Aragon. The race was not easy, but the good thing is that we fought to the end and we got fifth place. It’s not the result I’m aiming for, but we still scored some important points for the championship and I have time to make adjustments to do better in the second round. The technical improvements made here by Ducati are another source of motivation and I am sure that we will find a way to take full advantage of them.".

Nicky Hayden, 6th:
"Things did not go as well as I would have liked today. In qualifying, I had a nice lap before Michael fell in front of me. Even though he was high and far away he and his bike were still slipping on the track so I had to slow down. I got off to a good start to the race and felt really good, but I had too big a drop in grip: maybe my tire choice wasn’t the best today. Yesterday’s fall didn’t allow me to test different solutions, so we had to rely on what we knew. We will try something different tomorrow morning and see what the second race will be like.".

Sylvain Guintoli, 9th:
"Today there were some very good points: we managed to demonstrate that on new tires and on qualifying tires, the potential of the YZF-R1 is enormous. The qualifying time was very good and in the race we started very well. We are improving the feel of the clutch and the starting procedure. I got off to a great start in the first run, I had a really good pace and I felt comfortable. Then after about four or five laps I started to lose a lot of grip at the back and couldn’t stay in the front and hold my position. I did all I could, but it was clear that I was lacking rear grip and it got worse as the race went on. I ended up in ninth place. This is not where we want to be, but we have still shown our potential and we know that every session and every race gives us information that we can use to gain experience, to make the bike more efficient on long distances and learn not to put too much strain on the rear tire".

Sylvain Barrier, 16th:
See his only statement on the next page.

Matthieu Lussiana, 17th:
"17th position for this first race in the World Superbike category: we are really very happy with this result, a big thank you to all those who support me! Now we will work for tomorrow’s race and learn how to manage the tires for the end of the race.".

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