WSBK – Videos, statements and analysis from SBK in Assen – Statements from Superbike riders in the Netherlands

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Videos, statements and analysis of the SBK in Assen

WSBK - Videos, statements and analysis from SBK in Assen - Statements from Superbike riders in the Netherlands

The third round of the World SBK 2012 took place yesterday in Assen. 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..

Statements by Superbike riders in the Netherlands

Sylvain Guintoli, 1st then 2nd:

"We’ve been chasing this first victory for some time. Since the start of the season we have been fast but we made a mistake in Australia during the second round while at Imola I did not manage to ride at a good pace, I was unable to fight in the outposts. We are finally getting there here in Assen: I would like to dedicate this victory in the first place to my team who have worked so hard since the start of this adventure last year. It’s a fantastic feeling for me, it’s just great, this race was crazy, a bit like in Germany last year, not so wet but not far either … There were a lot of crashes, I almost fell myself several times, it was quite dangerous, our sport is dangerous. Also, as this is the first race since Joan’s accident, I hope he watched it, that he liked it, and I would like to dedicate this race to him. It’s definitely a great weekend for us. I thought I would get the double, it was off to a good start and I was controlling my lead. But Johnny had that little extra and I couldn’t follow it. I feel really good and I think I could get used to this type of results ! "

Jonathan Rea, DNF then 1st:

"I was pretty confident in our strategy for the first run and felt quite comfortable when the rain came in and stopped the race. The rain trapped a few people in the second part of the race, including me. I was attacking a little too hard when the rear slipped. I’m really happy with my result in the second run though, especially for all the guys in the workshop. We know the material is not where it should be, but they continue to grow 100%. I’m so grateful to them: no one gave up and we try, race after race, to make the bike a little better. I felt I had a little more oomph this weekend – I struggled to get a good feel with the forks, but we get to make them work now. The new one-bike rule also makes tune-up more difficult, so riding a day here last week with two bikes was really helpful. My confidence is strengthened and we are entering a new phase of development on the bike. I shifted the handlebars and my own weight back to get a little more grip on the angle and we actually worked all weekend on a strategy with the harder rear tire. No one was considering this option for the race, but if the first run had remained dry today … I was comfortably posted in a good position, ready to pounce at the end. It’s really nice to give the team a little reward, but we still have work to do".

Davide Giugliano, 2nd then 9th:

"I’m very happy with the way the first race went of course, I didn’t really expect that after a very difficult weekend which was conditioned from start to finish by the weather. It was not easy of course, and the bike was sliding a lot, even in the straight line. The conditions made this race very trying, but that being said, I felt quite comfortable in the "real" wet after the new start. I had to fight Carlos towards the end and it was not easy as I was afraid I would make a mistake which would also affect Carlos’ run. Fortunately everything went well. I was able to take some good points in the second race as well, and thanks to today’s results I have improved my position in the general classification considerably. So I go home very happy".

Carlos Checa, 3rd then 17th:

"I am more than satisfied with the result in the first round: the conditions were already difficult in the first phase, and even less so in the second! After the second start there was little traction, little grip, and when I saw some fall I decided it was better to finish the race than risk a fall. Considering the conditions, arguably one of the worst Superbike races I have ever participated in, we are happy with this third place. Congratulations to Davide too who had a good race: he deserved this result. In the second heat I made a mistake and I take full responsibility for it. I chose a rain tire because I thought it would happen, but I was wrong. I’m sorry I didn’t come in directly to change it after the warm-up lap. That way I probably would have been able to finish in the Top 10. Instead I waited and couldn’t catch up. We turn the page and look to the future".

Eugene Laverty, 5th then 3rd:

"We worked really hard this weekend and after a tough start I knew I could fight for the podium. Both races were difficult, especially the restart of the first round in the pouring rain and really poor grip conditions, but in the end we leave Assen more confident and with my first podium for Aprilia. I had fun in the second run. I fought from the first to the last lap for third place. Now we have to be good enough to continue on this path, to accumulate important points for morale and championship standings.".

Max Biaggi, 4th then 8th:

"We are leading the provisional but we can’t really be euphoric. I struggled throughout the weekend and both races were tough as well. When you play for the world title, you have to aim for the best places. Positioning is important, but it cannot become a goal. Either way, we are leaving Holland with a few points, and given the difficulties we had this weekend, we are not complaining. However, solving the issues that have slowed us down is our priority in order to come back and fight for the positions that matter.".

Marco Melandri, 9th then 4th:

"The weekend was very difficult. The most important thing today was to collect points. The first race was pretty good for us in the dry. I got off to a great start and was following Tom Sykes. I was waiting for the best moment to walk past him, when he had an engine failure. There was a bit of confusion and Leon took the opportunity to take the lead, but I got it back. I saw that a few drops of rain were falling. I was hoping they would stop the race for good, so I tried to stay ahead. Suddenly I came into a bend completely wet, didn’t see the water and fell. Unfortunately our race was compromised by the wet conditions after the second start. I didn’t have any grip so it was hard to be confident. We had a good set-up for the second race and made a good choice of tires, unfortunately we had some chattering again. From the first lap it was very difficult to control the bike, so I couldn’t attack properly. The last lap was exciting. I tried to pass Eugene and all of a sudden Eugene and Leon were in front of me but I passed them back. It was a lot of fun, Leon, Eugene and I were respectful to each other which was very important. I’m disappointed because I missed the podium very little, but we’re working hard and we’re in good shape".

Leon Haslam, DNF then 5th:

"The first run was dry at the start. I made a small mistake as I was beating Carlos Checa halfway through the race and fell back to sixth place, but came back in front. I had a little problem with the tires during this race but eventually the red flag was pulled out due to the rain. It wasn’t a bad thing for me, although my pace had been good enough to reclaim the lead from the back of the pack. On the second start, it was raining. I passed Johnny Rea quite easily. Everything was going quite smoothly and easily, and then I fell violently. I didn’t realize I was attacking that much. Looking back, I might have been able to slow down, but at the time I didn’t feel like I was pushing too hard. I was very disappointed with this first race because I could have allowed myself to lose a second per lap and win the race. The good thing is we feel pretty confident in the rain. In the second round, we opted for an intermediate tire at the front and a slick tire at the rear. Three minutes before the start I knew we would need a slick at the front, but due to lack of time we were not allowed to change the tire. After two or three laps, the front tire pulled straight and bounced back, and I had no cornering speed. I was surprised that the others did not pass me earlier. Year in and year out, I managed to keep pace with Eugene and Marco, even with this intermediate tire. I thought I beat Marco at the finish line: it was really, really tight. In the end, I’m happy because we almost got on the podium with an intermediate tire in the front".

Tom Sykes, DNF then 5th:

"A tough day, but things could have been worse. It’s racing … We had a good pace all weekend with the ZX-10R and the Superpole weather yesterday was very good. I was confident, I intended to lean on it. In the first race, we were able to take advantage of pole position, unfortunately we had a small problem with the clamping clip of the radiator hose. There was a lot to consider in race two. We chose a different tire on the back, the hard one, and it looks like it cost us a lot of time and caused me a lot of trouble. In the end, we brought the bike back in one piece and there are a lot of positives to take away. We have some very good circuits coming up for our bike".

John Hopkins, DNF then 11th:

"Today The conditions were very difficult for all of us. I got off to a good start in the first run, but got stuck in the first corner and lost a few positions. I started to pull up the peloton and came back to contact with the back of the leading group when the rain fell, bringing the race to a halt. Until then, I had settled into a good rhythm and I felt capable of rubbing shoulders with the leaders. When the race resumed in the wet, I had no grip and, like many others, I slipped on the flooded track. Regarding the choice of tires for the second race, we just made the wrong decision and we suffered. It was a bet that didn’t pay off and I slipped from front to back. I was however determined to bring the bike "home" and get some points.".

Maxime Berger, 11th then DNF:

NC.

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