WSBK – Statements and analysis of Superbike in Jerez – Statements of Superbike riders in Spain

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Jerez Superbike Statements and Analysis

WSBK - Statements and analysis of Superbike in Jerez - Statements of Superbike riders in Spain

The tenth round of the World SBK 2014 took place yesterday in Jerez, Spain. To complete our live reports, here are the statements of the Superbike riders as well as the Site analysis of the two Spanish races.

Statements by Superbike riders in Spain

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 Jerez circuit (for latecomers, read, then).

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

Marco Melandri, 1st (x 2):
"I was very disappointed to crash in the second race because we could have achieved the double there. This weekend my team and I got off to a good start straight away, changing very little on the bike and my RSV4 performed really well today. The second race was a bit more difficult because the higher temperatures made the track less grippy. I tried to be consistent, even though I wasn’t very fast at the start of the race, but managed to maintain my pace, overtaking my rivals one by one. It was a great Sunday for me. Now I can relax for a few days before hitting the trail again".

Sylvain Guintoli, 2nd (x 2):
"Our goal here was to take points back from Tom and that’s what we did. I hadn’t been very good here, so I didn’t think I would be able to fight for the win in both races. I gave it my all, worked hard to fix the issues we had during testing and pushed to the limit today. The next event is at Magny-Cours, a circuit that I love and where I know that I can count on the support of our French fans to continue fighting for the championship. 100 points remain on the table, anything can still happen ".

Chaz Davies, 3rd then 4th:
"I have been coming here to Jerez for about 15 years and I had never been on the podium. This difficult track has always been hard on me and I am obviously very happy with the results today. At the start of the first round the bike was behaving really well and I was able to do a few quick laps but from around the 8th lap the drop in grip became more and more difficult to manage. We made a few changes to the rear end to try and improve that sort of skating that we felt in the first race, but to be honest it wasn’t much better in the second run. Our pace was not bad, but we didn’t have enough to do fast and consistent lap times in the second half of the race. In the end, however, getting a third and fourth place on a circuit that I consider one of my most less favorable is a good result and I’m really happy. I think these results will give us confidence for the last races of the season".

Tom Sykes, 5th then 3rd:
"I had to fight to get on the podium, from a physical point of view it was really difficult. I had to put in a lot of effort. We made a few changes before the second race and got closer to the outposts, in third position. There was nothing more I could do, I tried the best I could. I always thought this weekend might be a little tough".

"Overall I have to say I’m happy, especially since we had some issues during the first race. We did a good job and didn’t lose too much ground in the championship. I am very motivated and we have tried a lot of things this weekend. We will continue our season, the guys have worked super hard here to meet my demands and needs, so it was nice to reward them with a podium in the second round".

Jonathan Rea, 4th then 5th:
"I am really happy with my day because last night our expectations could hardly be raised knowing that we had to make a big change. But once I got back to the previous engine settings and after a few modifications to the front of the bike, I was able to ride the way I like it without having to change my style too much. Starting from tenth on the grid didn’t really help me use the tire to its full potential and have good lap times at the start, but at the end of both races my pace was really very solid. We can take away a lot of positives even though, to be honest, we went around in circles a bit at the start of the weekend.".

Eugene Laverty, 6th (x 2):
"Unfortunately, this day was not as good as expected. The first race was really disappointing: we had a problem starting from the grid and lost places. Even though we came back well afterwards, sixth place was not what we expected. In the second race we got off to a better start and I think I couldn’t have had a better race from start to finish. But it was just good for sixth place. We will think together and try to find a way to get back on the podium because I want to fight for the Top 3 and improve our position in the championship".

Leon Haslam, 7th then 8th:
"I got off to a very bad start in the first heat and struggled a bit afterwards. Halfway through the race, I think I made a mistake with the buttons and made my job even harder on the second half of the race".

"We made progress for the second race, but I couldn’t overtake Loris [Baz, NDLR]. I made a few mistakes, but still caught up with him in less than a lap. It was good to fight together, but I would have liked to pass it and tried to go get Eugene [Laverty, NDLR]. I was nevertheless quite satisfied: we made good progress on the electronics between the two races. We knew this was going to be tough, but we come away with a Top 8 and while I would prefer to fight with the front group, I enjoyed the fight here. Everything is not so bad after all".

Loris Baz, fall then 7th:
"In the first run I touched Melandri with my handlebars, that sometimes happens in the race. Maybe I didn’t give him enough space when I saw him arrive. I thought he would immediately dive for the rope, but instead he picked up the bike – maybe he lost the front – and hit my handlebars. It was a shame, because I could have won this race. We didn’t change anything for the second race, but the bike was not the same and I’m not sure what happened. We could have done something really good here and taken some good big points rather than losing some".

Sylvain Barrier, 10th then 11th:
"The first race was one of the best I have ever run. Thanks to my technicians who did a great job on the bike. I wrestled with Elias for many laps and it was nice to compete with a driver who was world champion, especially in Jerez which is kind of "his" track. In the end unfortunately, I paid for the wear and tear on my rear tire: I couldn’t resist Salom’s attack. It was very hot in the second race and the tires wore out even faster. I had little grip and the bike tended to move a lot. I got scared when Canepa fell right next to me, but luckily I managed to avoid him. In the tenth lap, I saw that I had a big lead over my pursuer and I was able to manage the race, placing myself at the top of the Evo category. I can’t wait to race at home, at Magny-Cours, where I will have to work very hard to get a good result in front of my home crowd.".

Jeremy Guarnoni, 11th then 13th:
NC

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

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