WSBK – Videos, statements and analysis of the WSBK at Magny-Cours – Statements by Superbike riders

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Videos, statements and analysis of the WSBK at Magny-Cours

WSBK - Videos, statements and analysis of the WSBK at Magny-Cours - Statements by Superbike riders

The twelfth round of the World SBK 2011 took place on Sunday in Magny-Cours (France). 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..

Superbike rider statements

Carlos Checa, 1st (x 2) :
"It was a perfect day, it’s the best of my career and probably the best of my whole life. I thank everyone, everyone who has supported me throughout my career, from the beginning until today, who has helped me get there. Special thanks to Genesio Bevilacqua, my whole team and of course Ducati. I feel so emotional and have to say that I struggled to stay focused in the last laps of the first race. Then in the second run I tried to be as fast as possible, do what I love the most, and I was able to win again. We can now relax and savor this unforgettable moment".

Marco Melandri, 2nd (x 2) :
"I am satisfied with my two podiums today. The first race was very difficult, I had to struggle with the front end so we changed the fork a bit before the second race but it didn’t make the change we expected. At first I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike, but halfway through I was more comfortable and attacked as hard as I could. When I saw Eugene in the little hairpin on the last lap, I knew this was my only chance to pass him. My goal today was to catch up with the front drivers, I did my best in both races and I’m happy to come away with two second places".

Leon Haslam, 3rd then 4th :
"I haven’t been on the podium too much this year, so we’ll take every opportunity. I struggled a bit in the early laps of the first run, but then everything started to go better. It was a great battle for the podium with Marco and Eugene. In the second round we had some problems due to the warmer conditions, they prevented us from getting a new podium. We are certainly happy with his two good results, but we still have room for improvement. We still know the areas where we have to work, we will take advantage of this to put everything in order, just in time for Portimao".

Eugene Laverty, 5th then 3rd :
"Today’s two races were very difficult. I fought fiercely for a podium in the first run, but I had problems with my rear tire at the end of the race: either I fell or I secured fifth place, and it is this last choice that I have selected. In the second round, the bike seemed very strong. I tried to stay with Carlos and hang on for the win, but he’s tough to beat this year, and then Marco did some remarkable final laps and managed to pass me. It’s great to be back on the podium and it’s nice to see two Yamaha together. I am delighted to be third in the championship, but I hope that Max will be back in Portimao so that we can fight for this place"

Leon Camier, 4th then 6th :
" We knew we had a bet with our choice of tires in the second run, but we needed more grip to follow the best and try to get on the podium. I tried to manage the wear and tear as best I could to get to the last laps with a bit of rubber, but it just wasn’t enough: in the end I had no more grip and I didn’t have no choice but to give up places. It’s a shame because he was really important ahead of Haslam from a league point of view. We will try to end this season well in Portimao"

Sylvain Guintoli, 6th then 5th :
"I am satisfied, although in the second round I could have obtained a better result given our level of competitiveness over the whole weekend. In Portugal, I would like to accumulate more points to strengthen my position in the championship (I am eighth, Haga Nori is 9 points behind), but also for the team"

Joan Lascorz, 8th then 7th :
"I used the same tire in the first run as in the second run, but in the second the tire wore more. So things got complicated for me. I got a bit back in the championship and that’s a good thing. Overall this weekend was less difficult than on some other circuits but the second race was definitely harder for me. We usually say that with this choice of tires, the higher the temperature the better, but it seems that was not the case this time around.".

Michel Fabrizio, 12th then DNF :
"Frustrating and disappointing: that’s what the whole weekend has really been for me. We had managed to improve the bike a little this morning during the warm-up, but getting good results from the fourth row on the grid was still going to be tough. The grip was certainly slightly better – thanks to the changes the team had made – and I felt more comfortable than yesterday or Friday. I didn’t get off to a particularly good start and found myself battling Sykes after halfway. I could see he had tire issues and thought I could get past him. I started my attack in Chateau d’Eau, but he got in a bit slowly and I slipped on his rear end and fell. I got back on the bike and continued, but found myself quite alone. I was hoping to have better luck in the second race, but no. After two laps, I lost the front end at turn seven and flattened out. It happened so quickly that I couldn’t do anything. This time, I couldn’t leave. So I feel frustrated and disappointed. The last four events weren’t good for me and it’s a shame because before that things were going reasonably well. My podium in May now looks a long way off, but the funny thing is I think I can get back to it. First I have to qualify properly in Superpole and give myself a chance. There’s only one lap left (and two races) and I don’t want to end the season on this bad series. I will do my best to do better in Portimao and end the season on a good note".

Maxime Berger, DNF then 12th :
"It’s a day to forget. In the first race, an electronic problem forced me to retire about halfway through the race. In the second, my team fixed the problem and I chose to use a slightly softer eraser. But she was only good for a few laps. After that the bike became very difficult to ride and I couldn’t do anything, so I tried not to fall and finish at least one race in front of my crowd. We are now looking forward to the next race in Portimao. I really like this Portuguese track so I hope to get good results there".

Jonathan Rea, DNF (x 2) :
"We didn’t really expect that after a strong performance at Imola, and we were looking to make up for the disappointment of the second set withdrawal there. We sort of came halfway with pole position yesterday, but the races were a whole different story. In the first race, I admit, I got completely out of rhythm because I thought I had stolen the start. In fact, when checking the wheel speed info, it turned out it wasn’t: it was just a jerk and I drowned in the peloton. I was riding on top of my pumps and ended up making a stupid mistake on a vibrator. I led the second race for a long time and was having fun. Eugene passed me and widened the gap slightly, but I came back into contact and I realized that Carlos was coming back up. I thought I would follow Carlos back up to Eugene and then back out, but we had another little electrical malfunction. Of course it is disappointing for both me and the team to do two DNFs (Did Not Finish, editor’s note), but now we are going to Portimao, which is a track that I like a lot and where we have had some success. We are not going to feel sorry for ourselves because we know that we have the ability to ride ahead, whatever the conditions, so we are going to go to Portugal, and I will do my best as usual.".

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