WSBK – Videos, statements and analysis from SBK in Moscow – Statements by Superbike riders in Russia

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SBK Moscow Videos, Statements and Analysis

WSBK - Videos, statements and analysis from SBK in Moscow - Statements by Superbike riders in Russia

The eleventh round of the World SBK 2012 took place yesterday in Moscow. 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 from Superbike riders in Russia

Tom Sykes, 1st then 2nd:
"This victory was better than Monza’s because we got a better reward in terms of points. I did a lot of tire work yesterday and we took a slightly different path than most people in the first race. We worked a lot on this yesterday and it paid off today. The bike was going very well. I had a little bit of pressure halfway through, but was trying to save my tire a bit. When the gap went down to three seconds I pushed a bit more and it looks like it worked. Leading from start to finish and winning the total distance of a race is very rewarding. We had a good margin at the end, it was a good race. Quite a long race to be honest, on a fairly physical track. The tour is short but it requires more concentration and physical commitment than some of the other tours. Overall we must consider ourselves very satisfied".

"The first race was great with the maximum points and the second race brought us 20 more points. I got a little carried away with Eugene when he was behind me in the second race, and trying to save my tire, I didn’t read my sign. When I looked at him, there were two laps left: I wanted to attack and try to put pressure on Marco in the last laps. I felt I had a good machine today and I could have done it (the double, Editor’s note), but when you ride with guys of Marco’s caliber you can’t handle things at the last minute. But in reality, we are happy. A first and a second place in the race, the third still provisional and a gap which is narrowing in front. There are still a lot of points at stake".

Marco Melandri, 2nd then 1st:
"It’s an amazing day. It’s special to win here, on the occasion of the first round of the Championship organized in this country, I am very, very happy. This morning the sky was cloudy and it was raining a little, so it was not easy. The first race was very difficult at the start with the slick tire in the wet and the fact that a wasp stung my leg made it even more difficult. It was a very difficult race and finishing second was a kind of victory for me. For the second race, the team made a little modification to the bike and I felt great from the first lap. When I saw that Biaggi was out of the race, I understood that I could try to win and I did. I was a little worried about my rear tire, but it worked perfectly with my BMW. Once again, the team did a great job. Thank you all.

"We are now leading the Drivers’ Championship, but we are going there race after race. We’re not going to start defending our lead because there are six races left, which is a lot: anything can happen. We have to stay focused and work hard, and if I have the chance to fight for the win then I will. For me it’s important to have fun with every run and I can’t run without trying to do my best. Overall I am very happy. We had a bit of bad luck in the past, today we are working very well, but you never know what will happen in the last few races. I would also like to thank the Clinica Mobile. They helped me a lot, not only with the wasp, but also with the back problem I hung out all weekend".

Max Biaggi, 3rd then fall:
"A fall was the last thing we needed. Unfortunately, when I changed my braking line, I ended up on dirty asphalt and was unable to slow down. I saw Haslam come closer and tried to avoid the collision, to no avail. I immediately apologized to him. At first I thought he was injured, but luckily he assured me he was fine. After the podium in the first race, I wanted to stay ahead. It really complicates the championship, but it’s certainly not over yet".

Chaz Davies, fall then 3rd:
"All in all, this weekend has been a positive one. We found a good set-up relatively early and worked well all weekend. We made a big mistake yesterday in the Superpole thinking we were wide, and we got out for a thousandth of a second, getting 13th on the grid, which was going to make this day difficult"

"The first race was very disappointing, I was very happy with my pace because in Brno, in the same tricky conditions, I was always a little behind, I lost a small second on the lap. But we made a lot of progress in the wet, I felt more comfortable and I think if Haslam hadn’t taken me out, and if I hadn’t had a mechanical problem, I could have fought For victory. The second run was good, but it’s the same, we were handicapped by our place on the grid and we had a new little problem which cost me a little time. I found myself fighting against Loris Baz in a crazy round during which I lost a lot but in the end I reached the podium. After my bad luck, it feels good".

Eugene Laverty, 4th then fall:
"The first race did not go too badly, considering our poor choice for the rear tire. In the second heat, I expected to have more grip, but it didn’t. On the contrary, after a few laps, I was already having trouble keeping up the pace. From around the middle of the race, the leading peloton slowed down slightly which allowed me to catch up with the group, until a sudden loss of grip knocked me offside, just two laps from the end. ‘arrival".

Carlos Checa, crash then 4th:
"We did what we could and this is the result. In the first round, we chose slick tires: it would have been impossible to finish the race on wet tires. It’s a shame about the fall: I was fighting with Johnny, he came too close to me, didn’t give me room and I lost the front when he hit the handlebars. We had to reassemble the bike on another frame for the second race because my bike had some problems following the crash. I had feelings similar to yesterday (Carlos signed the pole, Editor’s note), but I was really struggling in the straight: it was extremely hard to overtake, or even to get close enough to try to do it".

Michel Fabrizio, 5th then fall:
"The first race went very well and I am happy with the result. In round 2 it was a racing fact that can happen, especially if you start far from pole position. Aoyama braked a little too hard, another rider was able to avoid him, but I saw him at the last moment and I couldn’t do anything".

Leon Camier, 15th then 5th:
"The track was quite wet for the first race and the dry trajectory was only about sixty centimeters (yes, two "feet", Editor’s note) on most of the route. Given my position on the grid, I knew that to overtake I had to get out of that line. It wouldn’t have been possible on slicks, so I opted for wet tires instead. I also thought the rain would reappear, but it didn’t come and the trail dried up. I had no other choice but to return to the pits and pass slicks. It cost me a lot of time and once the tires were fitted, I joined the race last. I attacked as hard as I could and I finished 15th"."Fortunately, there was no difficult choice to make for the second race as the track was dry and the sun was shining. I got off to a pretty good start and then rode very aggressively, passing people both on the outside and inside. My Suzuki was doing fine and the only place I was really struggling was the long straight. In the end my body ached (following his cabriole with Baz on trial, Editor’s note) and it was more and more difficult to concentrate, but I was happy enough to take fifth place".

Loris Baz, 11th then 9th:
"In the first run I was just waiting for the track to dry because in these conditions there is only one line. I tried to pass one driver, but a second tried to pass me on turn 11 and he fell. I widened and we lost some pressure in the rear tire afterwards. I was slipping everywhere. The second race was not that bad but I couldn’t keep up with a faster pace than mine. I had three or four very difficult laps where I couldn’t keep pace with Leon Camier and Ayrton Badovini. I knew what we could gain more ground later and tried to pass Badovini, but he always got me back. I’m happy to finish ninth after everything we’ve been through this weekend (a violent stamp with Camier on the first day in particular, Editor’s note). He had not started very well but it ended with two places in the points, including a Top 10".

Sylvain Guintoli, fall then 11th:
"The choice to start with the intermediate front tire was not the right one but I did not want to take any risks on still wet asphalt. Unfortunately I lost the front and the first race was over for me. Things could have gone better if I hadn’t compromised my weekend with a qualifying place far too far away. It wasn’t good and I’m sorry we will make up for it in Germany".

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