WSBK – Losail Superbike Statements and Analysis – Losail Superbike Statements and Analysis

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Losail Superbike Statements and Analysis

WSBK - Losail Superbike Statements and Analysis - Losail Superbike Statements and Analysis

The twelfth and final round of the 2014 World SBK took place last night in Losail, Qatar. To complete our live reports, here are the statements of the Superbike riders as well as the Site analysis of the two Qatari races.

Losail Superbike Statements and Analysis

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

Here are the statements of the pilots who distinguished themselves on Sunday … Honors to the double winner and world champion of Superbike 2014 !

Sylvain Guintoli, 1st (x 2):
"The feelings at this moment are truly incredible! It was a great day, two fantastic races during which I felt stronger than I had ever been in my life! I was able to be fast without any problem and the times were just coming. Coming to Aprilia last year was a great opportunity for me and before my shoulder injury I was fighting for the championship. It was a shame to lose a lot of ground because of it"

"This year my physical condition was perfect, which allowed me to be consistent and show our potential. I really started to believe it afterwards. I knew we were fast, I felt good and my team was very supportive. Today I showed that I am the fastest on the track. Winning the title by 6 points is symbolic, but it’s extremely important to me after the recent controversy".

"I want to thank so many people, starting with my family who gave me stability, had faith in me, and supported me during these months under high pressure. I am grateful to Aprilia. They provided me with the best bike I have ever ridden, as well as a team that has become like a second family to me.".

Loris Baz, 2nd then 7th:
"In the first run, I couldn’t follow Sylvain because of my front tire too worn out. In the first corner of the second race, a rider touched me: I had to straighten the bike and go straight … It was a shame because I had a really good pace. I lost six or seven seconds on that lap and finished just nine seconds behind Guintoli, after struggling to get back into traffic. It was a big comeback, but it wasn’t enough".

Jonathan Rea, 4th then 2nd:
"I’m really, really happy, it’s a great way to end the season here in Qatar, in the spotlight. The atmosphere here, having a good time around the hotel swimming pool during the day: I realize how lucky I am to do this remarkable job and to be here! I just want to thank my team for all their efforts: they gave me a bike that I enjoyed riding and we have developed the CBR a lot this year. I was really happy to finish on many podiums at the end of the season and to regain third place in the championship. All this makes me happy and allows me to approach the next season in a very good way.".

Tom Sykes, 3rd (x 2):
"We gave everything in this final and we have no regrets. We got on the podium in both races and attacked as hard as the bike and its set-up allowed. We set very good lap times during the second round but Sylvain had a better pace. That’s how it is, and the races today were decisive. I’m disappointed, but that’s all we could do. We knew this weekend would be tough and we shouldn’t be ashamed of our performance. It was unfortunately insufficient. Fortunately, the winter is not too long and we will be able to fight again next year".

Marco Melandri, 8th then 4th:
NC.

Davide Giugliano, 5th then 8th:
"The first round went very well. I think we had a very good race, especially since taking the start we didn’t know what we would be able to do today. The result was therefore clearly positive. We had more trouble in the second run. We opted for the same tire but suffered a sharp drop in performance from the middle of the race. It’s a shame because I started strong, sticking to the leaders in the first laps. I hoped I could do more at the end of the race, but it was impossible. Anyway, we end the season with two good results, I had a good fight with my teammate Chaz and I am happy with the result. I think we have a good starting point to start next year’s work".

Chaz Davies, 7th then 5th:
"From halfway through the first heat, I was continually on the verge of losing the front end. The performance of the tire dropped and it continued to deteriorate in the final laps. We changed a few things for the second race and the tire handling is back to normal, as it had been during practice. The second race was a good battle, one of the funniest races of the year in my opinion. I was losing ground on Marco and Toni in the straight line, but I was trying to recover in other sections and overall we had a good pace. We are ending the season on a positive note and on a circuit which, on paper, was not in our favor. It gives us confidence for the winter".

Toni Elias, 6th (x 2):
NC.

Eugene Laverty, 9th then fall:
"The first race was disappointing, I really struggled with the front tire and ninth place was all I could handle. We were stronger in the second half of the race, but it was too little too late. We changed the front tire for the second race and it felt a lot better. I wanted to fight for fourth place but I had a problem with the grip of my rear tire which suddenly passed in front! It was a strange fall, I had never fallen like this before and it was a sad way to end the season"…

"I was dying to get on the podium this weekend and I was attacking for that, to try to reward the team. This year has not been the best, with only one win at and a podium at. The guys deserved a lot more because they worked hard. I really don’t like to invoke bad luck, but it seems to me that it has sometimes been the case this year. Thank you to the whole team and to all the sponsors for never giving up. I’m just disappointed that we couldn’t end on a high note !"

David Salom, 13th then 11th:
"Winning the Evo class is a great reward because we have been pushing very hard all year. Everyone in the team, as well as Kawasaki, has worked all year for this. We took a lot of points in the middle of the season and we won comfortably. I tried to win the championship with a victory in the first run, but my front tire was very worn. In the second heat, I tried to overtake Canepa at the halfway point, but he came back in front and I lodged behind him. I beat him at the finish line. It was a great way to end the year. A big thank you to everyone for their hard efforts".

Sylvain Barrier, 14th then retirement:
"In the first round, I suffered from the consequences of my fall yesterday (an impressive highside on Saturday night, editor’s note). I couldn’t find the right feeling with the bike because it was difficult for me to handle it the way I wanted. In the second run, I used pain relievers and was able to ride properly. During the third lap unfortunately, I suffered a technical problem which forced me to leave the track to avoid falling. I tried to come back to at least finish the race, but the problem reappeared and I had to stop. My crash yesterday in Superpole made it difficult for me. So far, things had gone well. But this is the race. I want to thank all my team who have always done a great job, very useful and very important, especially in difficult times".

Jeremy Guarnoni, 16th then crash:
"And there you have it, the 2014 season is over … I’m disappointed that I couldn’t finish the second round when I was fighting for 3rd place Evo: I got caught in turn 14, one of the fastest on the circuit and the result of the races is a beautiful cube … Despite this fall, I keep 3rd place in Evo and finish 14th in the SBK World. Now, focus on 2015! I hope I can announce my future soon"…

And now, it’s time for our MNC analysis of the Mondial Superbike in Losail !

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