WSBK – Statements and analysis of the Superbike in Donington – Statements from SBK riders in Great Britain

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Donington Superbike Statements and Analysis

WSBK - Statements and Analysis of the Superbike in Donington - Statements from SBK riders in Great Britain

The sixth round of the 2015 World SBK took place yesterday in Donington Park, Great Britain. To complete our live reports, here are the statements of the Superbike riders as well as the website analysis of the two British races.

Statements by SBK pilots in Great Britain

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 Donington Park 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):
"We refueled this weekend: two wins, a pole position and a new lap record. After a few battles in the first race, I got off to a good start in the second run and went a bit faster in Craner and Old Hairpin to prevent overtaking, and off we went. The bike was really nice and I did some 1,27 at the start. When I saw that the gap was increasing, I was able to focus on managing the race".

"I’m really happy with the performance in the race, Marcel my team manager and all the guys did a really good job. It’s good to have won the last six races here at Donington, but there’s no real reason. We are approaching the goal now, I do a little more what I want on the bike, and it shows".

Jonathan Rea, 2nd (x 2):
"I didn’t think I was beaten in advance, however Donington was one of those circuits where my teammate was likely to really excel. I got really scared in the second run and I was really lucky. I found a rhythm, but found that Tom was riding on a different track today. I still finished second because I knew the Kawasaki pace would be strong in the second part of the race. I just put my head behind the bubble and did a few good laps to get second place. My team leader Pere just told me that the points gap in the championship is three digits, I can’t believe it. It’s amazing we just gotta keep it up".

Chaz Davies, 3rd (x 2):
"I am really satisfied with the results obtained today. It was not an easy weekend but we worked hard and to finish both races on the podium here is very positive. We just weren’t at the same level as the Kawasaki today: to do better than third was difficult. I didn’t have a lot of grip during the second race and I also had a small problem at the start which luckily resolved itself quickly. Let’s say I did all I could today and we can be happy especially considering that this trail has always been a problem for me. Thank you to all my team for their excellent work this weekend. We will now focus on the next races in which I hope we can achieve better results".

Leon Haslam, 4th (x 2):
"I am quite happy with my results today given my conditions. Obviously, I would have liked to have been on the podium for my fans, but in the end I think those two fourth places are all we could aim for as much as possible.".

"I got off to a good start in both races and then started to feel tired. Despite all of this, we have shown that we are in the game even here. I am looking forward to joining some tracks that are more favorable to us so that I can perform better. We will now start to think of Portimao, a track that should match my RSV4"

Davide Giugliano, retirement then 5th:
"I am obviously very disappointed with the result in the first round. I was really struggling with the rear grip so I decided to go to the pits to change the tire. In doing so, I lost too much ground and there was no way to get back up once I got back on the trail, but at least we figured out what the problem was. I was hopeful to do better in the second run, but after halfway the grip dropped and I couldn’t ride the way I wanted. It’s a shame because I’m sure we had everything we needed to have two strong races here at Donington".

Ayrton Badovini, 5th then 9th:
NC.

Alex Lowes, 6th (x 2):
"I’m pretty happy with my day because the guys – and the bike! – worked well and I did my best to be as competitive as possible. I struggled with the grip in both races and lacked confidence in the corner entries which cost me some time, but I felt better in the second run than in the first. We have made a lot of progress and now we have a good base to build on to keep improving in the next race. I did everything I could, the team did a fantastic job, and as always here the support from the crowd has been tremendous. I’m always happy to race at Donington and fight a bit with the best. It was good to get two solid results and some big points".

Sylvain Guintoli, 8th (x 2):
"This weekend was to give us the opportunity to evaluate a lot of new pieces and there are a few positives to take away. In the second section of the track, we were having very good times and we gained stability under braking. We managed to be pretty quick here which is good, but there are still areas where we are struggling".

"In the second run, we managed to maintain a much better pace at the end of the race. We weren’t faster at the start of the race, but much faster and more consistent at the end: that’s a good point. I also had a good battle with my old motorcycle and unfortunately lost it by nothing! The leaders were pretty far from us today, but we have to keep fighting and improving our package for the rest of the season. We will keep the new frame and the new swingarm in Portimao for further development".

Randy de Puniet, 14th (x 2):
"The bike has improved a lot, but the weekend has not been easy. After a good start on Friday, we had gearbox problems yesterday (Saturday, Editor’s note) and this morning I unfortunately broke an engine during the warm-up and I couldn’t find the best settings for the race. In the first race, I still encountered some downshifting issues and the engine braking was far from perfect: I therefore finished 14th".

"In the second run, the speeds were a little better but after seven laps I had engine brake problems and went off the track twice. Everyone in the team did their best and we were unlucky with the engine this morning so I really hope we can improve in Portimao".

Christophe Ponsson, 16th then fall:
"This morning (Sunday, Editor’s note), I had a very satisfying warm-up, and I went to the races very confident. I got off to a good start in the first run, but got pushed out of the line and lost several positions. My pace was not very good and I finished sixteenth, also because of my mistake which cost me about ten seconds. My second start was good too, so I found myself in a small group of riders fighting for points. I attacked hard to stay with them, until I made a small mistake by arriving too quickly in the last corner: I fell trying to avoid Mercado. I am really disappointed because it has been a good weekend, but we will make up for it in two weeks in Portimao".

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

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