WSBK – Statements and Analysis of Superbike at Laguna Seca – Statements from Superbike riders in the United States

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Statements and analysis of the Superbike at Laguna Seca

WSBK - Statements and Analysis of Superbike at Laguna Seca - Statements from Superbike riders in the United States

The ninth round of the World SBK 2014 took place yesterday in Laguna Seca, USA. To complete our live reports, here are the statements of the Superbike riders as well as the Site analysis of the two American races.

Statements by Superbike riders in the United States

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 World Superbike races on the Laguna Seca circuit (for latecomers, read then).

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

Marco Melandri, 1st then fall:
"My start in the first race was great, although I was a little nervous in the first few laps because Tom usually tries to pack himself in. When he made that mistake in Corkscrew I thought it was time or never to attack to the limit. I got into the rhythm, staying focused and avoiding making mistakes".

"It’s a shame for the second race. I messed up a few gear changes after the third start which made me think there was a problem with the gears and disturbed my concentration. When I realized everything was fine I decided to push but widened in the last corner. I’m disappointed because the double was really close at hand, but I’m still happy with the job we did this weekend".

Tom Sykes, 3rd then 1st:
"An eighth win this year and one more point lead in the championship … I knew this circuit would be difficult for us, given our, so if you had offered me this deal last night I would have signed it ! I expected to see the championship points gap narrow a bit after this event. I was a little wide in Corkscrew on the first lap of the first race, the bike was doing well but just not enough to win. The guys who finished ahead of me have a lot of experience here, they have raced so many times here in Grand Prix and had done well last year. I was happy with everything in the first race except the traction. For the first race you could talk about strategy, but in the second race with all the red flags and the race reduced (seven laps, Editor’s note!), it was pure attack !"

"I was motivated after the first race and the bike was working well. We had made some changes for the second race, they were good, then we improved those settings for the second start, and did the same for the third start. I am very happy to have increased my lead in the championship, and it was a real pleasure to take the victory. I can go on vacation very relaxed and very motivated !"

Sylvain Guintoli, 2nd (x 2):
"I was 100%, as always. I had a good tempo in the first run and I didn’t make a single mistake. I felt good in the first laps and probably could have attacked Marco, but I preferred to stay behind him. From the middle of the race, he got very fast. He drove really well and I couldn’t match his lap times. The red flags during the second race reminded me of last year and I thought maybe I could turn the tide. But Sykes is really unbeatable on these mini races. We are really present and we will not give up, but we will have to work hard during the summer break in order to come back even stronger for the end of the season.".

Jonathan Rea, 6th then 3rd:
"I think we should have been stronger in the first run today, but it was a backlash to my mistake in the Superpole. On the other hand, the red flags really helped me in the second race by improving my position on the grid. The bike my team gave me today was pretty good. During the second part of the race, I felt that my machine would have been able to go straight ahead, if I had been on the first lap. It is unfortunately really difficult to overtake in Laguna, so I had to do some daring maneuvers, but I liked it! That’s how I like to ride, and I’m delighted to come away with a podium that’s almost tastier than my victory in Portugal last week. I’m happy to go on vacation and get back in shape for the last part of the season".

Davide Giugliano, 4th then crash:
"The first race went pretty well, unfortunately I wasn’t able to keep up the pace of the guys in front of me. We had a little problem on the brakes and I made a lot of mistakes because I didn’t have the right feeling. I was going too far in some places. I lost a bit of time because of that but in the end, fourth place wasn’t that bad"

"We were lucky that the second race was stopped the first time around as we were having issues with the rear tire which was not giving me the usual level of grip. After the second start, I got back up quickly: I was the fastest driver on the track and I knew I had a chance to win. I got to Tom’s level and wanted to attack him in Corkscrew, but to avoid bumping him in halfway through the turn, I had to tighten on the inside and hit the edge of the vibrator that got me drop. It’s a shame, I think we were able to do a lot more today".

Eugene Laverty, retirement then 4th:
"We have put in a lot of effort and done a good job all weekend, but the first race was played before we started because we had a technical problem. We held on for a few laps but the bike was lost, and by the eighth lap it was over".

"In the second race, I managed to hang on to the guys in front when our bike is not as strong as the others with a full tank of fuel and on new tires. Then the GSX-R started to feel really good and I felt I could go back up but the red flag came out. The sprints of seven laps don’t help us much because we are always better at the end of the race. Our team could aim for the podiums today, the guys worked so hard this weekend that we all deserved the summer break. But a fourth place wasn’t really the reward we were looking for".

Toni Elias, 5th (x 2):
NC

Loris Baz, 9th then 6th:
"We’ve been strong in every fixture this season except this one. We saved a few points and we are still not too far from the drivers ahead of us in the championship. I don’t know what was wrong in the first race but from the second lap and until the end I couldn’t get into the corners and I couldn’t get out as I wanted. I don’t understand why, we played a lot with the set-up of the bike. I tried to change my riding style but our result remained unchanged, which is very strange. We found some things that worked better for us in the second run, but not enough. It was a funny weekend, but we had a nice comeback during the second race. It was much better than the first".

Sylvain Barrier, 12th then crash:
"Iddon hit me on the handlebars while passing, which resulted in a nice crash and no points while I was in the lead. Angry…"More – good – news in our analysis on the next page.

Jeremy Guarnoni, 14th then 11th:
NC

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