WSBK – Statements and analysis of Superbike in Misano – Statements of Superbike riders in Italy

Misano Superbike Statements and Analysis

WSBK - Statements and analysis of Superbike in Misano - Statements of Superbike riders in Italy

The seventh round of the World SBK 2014 took place yesterday in Misano, Italy. To complete our live reports, here are the statements of the Superbike riders as well as the Site analysis of the two Italian races.

Statements by Superbike riders in Italy

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 Misano circuit (for latecomers, read, then).

Here are the statements of the pilots who distinguished themselves on Sunday … Honors to the double winner !

Tom Sykes, 1st (x 2):
"I am very pleasantly surprised by these results, but I knew that adrenaline and concentration would give me little extras. Honestly, I didn’t expect to get so many. The whole team deserves to be congratulated. Everything went as planned in the first race. I knew I was a little limited this weekend, I told my team leader and we defined the issues. Then we had to get on with it and get the job done. We’ve been working a lot all weekend and fine-tuning the Ninja ZX-10R. Finally, when the fateful moment came, I was able to do the extra bit myself and I am delighted. The lap times were quite surprising at the start and I was amazed to maintain this pace in the first race. The front and rear were moving a lot, but the feeling was fantastic: so I have to thank Marcel, Danilo and all the mechanics who all worked to satisfy my capricious requests. !"

"The second race was even more difficult because the bike was moving a lot more and I was compensating too much with my left arm. I had to stay focused but in the end, controlling the second race was probably a little quieter than controlling the first".

Loris Baz, 2nd (x 2):
"I think Tom was just too fast today … I couldn’t ride with him. In the first run, I thought I could, but after ten laps I realized he was faster. I thought I could go fast in the last laps, but Tom had a good pace, he set a new track record by turning in 1’35, a time that nobody had done before.".

"In the second heat, Tom was faster from the start. Marco Melandri was behind me and I kept him behind. I’m really happy I did this because he tried to pass several times. We know how experienced he is, so I think it’s the best race I’ve ever done. I made no mistake, and it made it difficult for him. I’m really happy and can’t wait to go to Portimao. I’m sure the first win of the season will come soon !"

Marco Melandri, 3rd (x 2):
"I am happy with the way I rode today. I had a good feeling with the bike. In the first race, after a few mistakes at the start, I was able to overtake the riders in front of me, but the Kawasaki were just faster. I am disappointed with the second race because I was able to grab some ground thanks to the work done in the garage. Unfortunately it is very difficult to overtake here and Baz rode very well without making a single mistake. I think I could have tickled Sykes. I would have made her life a little harder".

"It is a shame that we were not able to fully confirm the progress we have made. Like in Sepang, I was constantly fast here. We’re on the right track in terms of feeling, we just need to keep making progress. The Portimao route should help us in this direction".

Chaz Davies, 4th then fall:
"Finishing fourth in the first race was not bad. In the last minutes, I was driving to the limit. At one point, I found myself very close to Marco, but he managed to pick up the pace at the very end of the race and I couldn’t answer. I’m a little frustrated because I lost time at the start when Elias got off the track: he was right in front of me and I had to brake".

"From the start of the second race, I had a strange feeling with the front axle. We hadn’t made any big changes between the two races, but I guess the higher temperatures caused that change in feeling. The problem is, you have to get off to stay with the guys up front. If, on the contrary, you have to attack to make up for lost ground, the tire deteriorates more quickly. My footrest was damaged after the fall but I stayed on track for two-thirds of the race in case the red flag was hoisted for some reason. After 15 laps I decided to go in: the engine made a few laps less like that".

Sylvain Guintoli, 5th then 4th:
"At least in the championship, I keep my second place in the standings. But I was really expecting more … We are not in need of pure speed, but we have to work on consistency in the race. In the first heat, we chose the wrong tire while in the second, with the right options and some modifications to the geometry of the bike, we managed to reduce the gap to the leaders significantly. I made a few too many mistakes following Marco and Baz which kept me from fighting for the podium at the end. It’s a shame there isn’t a third race … All kidding aside, we have to keep working to be more solid in the race".

Jonathan Rea, 7th then 5th:
"This weekend has been disappointing for me as it looks like we haven’t made any progress here. It was frustrating to be unable to identify and correct the issues we had. I don’t want to sound like an old broken record, but it kinda feels like when I deliver my comments in the garage. We managed to get a Top 5 in the second race thanks to some courageous overtaking in the fast parts of the circuit, but the leading group was way too far away.".

"Right now I just have to ride the bike to its fullest, but I want to be able to ride again. We simply cannot hope that the next event will turn out better: we have to assess what is wrong and try to find different solutions. It was frustrating for the whole team, I know we weren’t able to get the best out of CBR this weekend. I know that on the right day and in the right environment the bike is capable of a lot, a lot more. The whole team knows that we are below our level at the moment. We need to get back to work and fix things as quickly as possible".

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

Eugene Laverty, 9th then 7th:
"It was certainly not the easiest of days! After a few laps in the first race, as I leaned on the footrest in turn 5, I felt something click in my foot. I felt a sharp pain and struggled to complete the next five laps, but didn’t want to give up. I adjusted my foot position and was able to roll again and start attacking again in the last five or six laps

"I received medical treatment before the second race which allowed me to ride in a different way: I had to keep my foot in a strange position on the footrest, but at least it got me allowed me to fight when I thought I could no longer ride. It’s unfortunate because I thought the foot was getting better. I can walk but to pilot the fracture is right where I need to lean on the footrest and I think the damage has worsened … I will do my best to be as strong as possible in Portimao . Hope we can put the GSX-R at the forefront".

Sylvain Barrier, 15th then 11th:
"I am very happy ! I was a little upset for the first race and I couldn’t find the right feeling with my bike. That’s why we decided to make it more agile in the second round, because physically I’m not yet able to be fully in two Superbike races. In fact, I didn’t have enough strength in my arms and struggled to finish the first race".

"The second race went well. Thanks to improvements made to the bike, I quickly found a good feeling with the S1000RR, which allowed me to fight with Salom and get him ahead of him for a while. I did not understand why when they asked me to give up a place, I was not aware of overtaking under the yellow flag. I returned my seat, but there were only a few turns left and I couldn’t get it back. It’s not that bad, we got two good results. I would like to thank BMW Motorrad Italy who trusted me, and all the guys on my team who did a great job".

Claudio Corti, 13th then 17th:
"We are continuing to develop the bike as planned. Our feelings are getting better and better and I am convinced that in Portimao, our work will already begin to take shape.".

Jeremy Guarnoni, 16th then retirement:
"Definitely, I don’t know how to stop this bad situation … Difficult first round at the gates of points: P16. Second round significantly better, a good start and a great rhythm in the Evo lead group, until the chain hits the arm in all the turns due to the early wear of the crown. I slowed down, then I ended up returning to the box not understanding what was going on. I was thinking about a gearbox problem … I am very disappointed, but despite everything happy with my bike which was really perfect in the second round! Next step Portimao !"

And now for our MNC analysis of the World Superbike in Misano !

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