WSBK – Videos, statements and analysis from SBK at Donington Park – Statements from Superbike riders in ” Europe ”

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SBK Videos, Statements and Analysis at Donington Park

WSBK - Videos, statements and analysis from SBK at Donington Park - Statements from Superbike riders in '' Europe ''

The fifth round of the World SBK 2012 took place yesterday in Donington. To complete our live reports, here are the statements of the SBK riders, our analyzes and the video summaries of the Superbike and Supersport races..

Statements by Superbike riders in ” Europe ”

Marco Melandri, 1st then DNF (Did Not Finish):

"It is a great feeling for me to make my name part of the history of a factory like BMW Motorrad. I would never have dared to dream of this when I was young. I just want to thank BMW Motorrad in Germany, the team on the track and everyone involved in the project. We worked hard and never gave up, even when we encountered some difficulties. We will continue to push. I am more than happy! But I’m disappointed with the result of the second race … I tried to pass Leon on the last corner, even though I knew it was difficult, but I’m a driver and I had to try. I widened a bit and expected Leon to come back in front: finishing second would have been OK for me. It was then that Leon was hit and fell. His motorbike hit me and I too fell. I’m sorry for both of us, but it’s racing. We must now raise our heads and project ourselves towards Salt Lake City, where we hope to fight again for the victory.".

Jonathan Rea, 4th then 1st:

"It’s good to win and in the second round, everyone really wanted to win … The race was crazy and I did not make it easy for myself by letting the leading group start again at halfway. When I got back on them I made a big mistake and got out on the last corner. To catch up in five laps, gain places and top it off with victory is incredible! I was quite happy with my fourth place in the first race as well: the guys gave me a good bike and Chris (Pike, team leader, Editor’s note) and his team worked on it all weekend. It’s nice to come here and get a good result because it had never happened to me with a Superbike in the past. I was on the podium in Supersport, but this victory is nice for the British fans, and there were quite a few there. They were all applauding during the lap of honor. It’s good to have a British winner in a British event !"

Leon Haslam, 2nd then DNF:

"What a day ! I had a good pace in the first race. In the end, I have to say I’m a little disappointed with second place. I had a big jerk coming out of Coppers and it got me on Marco’s right side instead of the left, and he braked a bit earlier that lap … I had nowhere to go , so I opted for the gravel trap. I got fooled by a combination of things, but kudos to Marco. A BMW double is simply fantastic. Now I just want to forget about the second race. I feel a little frustrated because I was heading for my first victory with BMW Motorrad, at home, but we were taken away from a well-deserved victory. The crash was not at all my fault … Anyway it’s the race and we are looking forward to the next event. Hope we can bounce back in Salt Lake City. I want to dedicate my first race to Robert Fearnall (the Donington Park race director who died on March 2) who was a close friend of the family".

Max Biaggi, 5th then 2nd:

"Both races were thrilling. I had a little more trouble during the premiere. We were losing ground on the BMWs and Kawasaki coming out of corners, even though we were quick in the straights. In the second round, things got better. I rode well and fought for the podium. The last laps were just crazy! Everyone was trying to gain positions despite the worn tires, trying their luck at each braking zone. The last curve gave us second place, which is an important result. We will now return to Miller to confirm our performance, but we need to improve our acceleration".

Tom Sykes, 3rd (x 2):

"The first race was fantastic, I really enjoyed it and it seemed to me to last a really long time, the number of laps went by … Overall I think we put on a very good show with a lot of overtaking, a little too much in certain places, in particular in the Foggy Esses which made some victims. Unfortunately, we were struggling on a specific part of the track and it certainly affected our performance in the race. Again we took the holeshot and led a number of laps in the second run but I was missing a bit of feeling because of the wind which is unfortunate. I managed to stay ahead but I made a mistake and all the other guys rushed past. We didn’t have quite the best setup this weekend, but a pole position and two podiums are perfect for me and for the Kawasaki team. I had the best place in the last two laps of the second race, but for me five minus two equals a podium, so I’m very happy !"

Leon Camier, 9th then 4th:

"This weekend I had the pace to be with the best riders and it was nice to fight to catch up with them today. In the first race I had a problem with the brakes and I couldn’t get into the corners as I wanted, which prevented me from getting over the guys in front. We opted for a softer rear tire in the second run. My start was correct and if I hadn’t been held up for so long by Laverty and Guintoli, I’m sure I would have been on the podium at the end. It was a really enjoyable and a lot of fun race, spent catching up with people and overtaking them".

Sylvain Guintoli, 8th then 5th:

NC

Carlos Checa, 6th then DNF:

"After a result in the first race not that bad, I thought I could do better in the second round. I tried to start strong and pulled myself up to a good position, but when I got to the rope point I saw Laverty in front of me braking hard, possibly due to a rider in front. him, I don’t know. I did my best to brake myself to slow the bike down, but there were riders around me and I couldn’t avoid the crash. My leg is a little sore and a little swollen, but I’m fine. I need a few days to recover from this result, then I will start to prepare Miller".

Loris Baz, 16th then 8th:

"The second race was really good, finishing eighth is a good result even if a few drivers fell. Without that I think I would have finished about 13 or 14th and it’s really positive for a first test. But accidents are part of the race and I jumped on a few good chances. If you look at my lap times I did almost all of my laps alone in front of a group and apart from the first lap I was around 0.9 seconds off the pace of the fastest riders like Tom (Sykes, NDLR), Rea or Melandri. Being less than a second behind the best for my first race at this level is good enough".

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