WSBK – Superbike riders’ statements at Sepang –

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Superbike riders’ statements at Sepang

WSBK - Superbike riders' statements at Sepang -

The tenth round of the World SBK 2015 took place yesterday in Sepang, Malaysia. To complete our live reports, here are the statements of the Superbike riders of the two Malaysian races.

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 Sepang circuit (for latecomers, read, then).

Here are the declarations of the pilots who distinguished themselves on Sunday … Honors to the winners !

Jonathan Rea, 1st then 2nd:
"I am really satisfied with this good weekend, I am happy to go on vacation in good health and I am looking forward to go to Jerez. With three laps to go, during the second race, Arturo my mechanic gave me a sort of secret signal. I knew then that I could catch up with Chaz. Halfway through the last lap, I realized it was possible. I passed Chaz and passed him cleanly. We got in touch, I don’t blame him for it – I would have done the same – but I almost fell".

"I’m really happy because we get a new first place and another second in a weekend and we fill up on points. If I had won the championship here my wife might not have spoken to me for a day or two because she is home! I just wanted to make a really good weekend and that’s what we did".

Chaz Davies, 2nd then 1st:
"The first race went really well, especially considering our situation yesterday. I thought then that finishing in the top six would be good. Anyway, we made some changes overnight which allowed us to fight for the victory, although we still lacked something in the last laps, in terms of grip and its electronic management.".

"Then in the second run, I saw that Johnny was getting closer but my tire really went down in the last two laps and I had to give everything to stay ahead. The battle was played out into the home stretch again, and we made contact on the last corner. I thought it was all over, but luckily we both stayed standing and I was able to cross the finish line in front! I am very happy with the results we got today, on one of the most difficult tracks for us. This demonstrates the progress made so far. I’m also happy to move up to second in the standings by gaining a lot of points against Tom this weekend. Thanks to my whole team, the guys did a fantastic job here! Now is the time to relax, and after a good vacation we can get back to work".

Max Biaggi, 3rd then retirement:
"Getting on the podium is an incredible result. It’s a challenge accomplished, a challenge whose bar was so high that no one had ever done it before. My race pace was constant. Rea, Davies and Sykes went ahead from the start. I tried to find my rhythm, without overheating and destroying the tire. It was not easy, because we had to attack at the same time. After passing my teammates, I started to focus on Sykes who was getting closer and closer. I managed to catch him and overtake him on the last lap. I am super happy. This is the result I dreamed of, the real icing on the cake and the best I could hope to achieve".

"The fall in the second race does not detract from my satisfaction. Now that the weekend is over, I can tell you that my crash during practice last week resulted in a dislocation of my left shoulder and an injury that required stitches on my right ankle. It was mainly the shoulder that bothered me, especially in the more fluid parts of the circuit. But we gritted our teeth and everything went very well: one more reason to rush into a happy summer break".

Jordi Torres, 10th then 3rd:
"First of all, I would like to thank my team. Between the two races the guys did an incredible job, changing the bike, working on its settings, tweaking the electronics, especially the engine brake. It allowed me to ride so much more smoothly. I would have been more aggressive if I had followed my own instincts, but it allowed me to save my tires in the second run and get on this podium which makes me happy. Obviously, as always this season, I needed a bad result in the first heat to get a great one in the second. This race was important for me because it taught me a lot and that’s exactly what I want from this season. Can’t wait to go to Jerez and give myself 100%"

Sylvain Guintoli, 4th (x 2):
"This weekend has been a very good weekend for us. We found some pace on the qualifying tire yesterday, which gave us a front row start for the races. It’s very positive for us and, at the risk of repeating myself, the whole team has been working really hard all season and it looks like it is paying off in the end. Today’s two races were very difficult and I had to push really hard, but it’s good to get these results before the summer break. Unfortunately, there is no cut for the fourth, but we are eating ground. We are not very far now. We will work hard to further improve our performance and we will try to finish the championship on the last three strong laps.".

Tom Sykes, 5th then 15th:
"We were unlucky in the second run: someone (a certain Guintoli, NDLR) made the inside to Max and he was pushed. He had nowhere to go and he picked up his motorcycle. I was outside, I had no luck, that’s all. I caught up with the group in front and I felt good thanks to the change made on the bike after the first race. It was better but not perfect. I was struggling with a bent brake lever from first contact, and when I fell down a bit later I bent the selector about 15mm and broke the footrest, only that was left a small piece. We were unlucky today which is a shame because our pace on the bike was great. In the first run, the performance of the tire plummeted when we didn’t expect it".

Michael van den Mark, retirement then 5th:
"We have to be content with fifth in the second run, but the retirement in the first race and the way some of our races have slipped us this season does not please me. I got off to an excellent start in the second race and had a great battle with Sylvain. I managed to overtake Leon Haslam on the last lap. I think I could have fought for fourth or fifth place in the first run as well, but it didn’t".

Alex Lowes, 6th then 8th:
"It was a tough day, but I feel like I rode really well. I’m disappointed with my sixth and eighth places on paper, but from a driving point of view I think I did a good job. Obviously I was unlucky with the incident in the first round of the second round: it can happen at any time, but it seems like it happens to us when everything is going a little better for us! Other than that I absolutely did my best, got as far back as possible without falling and improved through both races. We struggled a bit with the qualifying pace here, so we tried to set our bike up for 16 laps, because it’s a bit of a peculiar track in terms of tire longevity.".

"It’s been a tough weekend, but I feel like I’m starting to understand a lot better how to ride in this heat. Without the incident at the start of the second race, we could have fought for fourth place. I can’t wait to rest a few weeks before competing in the last three events of the year, and I hope to achieve a very good final because I really want to rebuild some confidence and faith in myself now.".

Randy de Puniet, 12th then 13th:
"Difficult race day! In the first run, I finished 12th but I could have finished eighth without my mistake in the last corner by passing Baiocco, because I had a good pace in the race, I braked too late, I went out on the grass, I left and finished 12th. It was disappointing but the pace was there. In the second run I got a better start, I was 10th during the first lap – I was 13th during the first race – so it was a lot better, but I didn’t have the right feeling at all. long. I am disappointed because if my feeling had been the same as during the first race, I am sure that the seventh place would have been within my reach. We have continued to improve the last few races but I am still not where I want to be, so we will continue to work".

Christophe Ponsson, 16th (x 2):
"From the warm-up, I understood that the day would be difficult because my feeling with the worn tires was not good at all. I finished 16th of both races without being able to score any points unfortunately, but I learned a lot this weekend and I think it will help me a lot in the future. You can’t say that this weekend has been positive for me, but it’s a very long circuit: if like me you don’t know, then it’s not easy to start strong. Anyway, I want to thank the team and David for all the help and support they continue to give me. I always look forward to the next race".

Le Journal moto du net is also eager to comment live on the next World Superbike event to be held on Sunday, September 20 in Jerez. Analysts will be back from vacation … Stay tuned !

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