WSBK – World Superbike riders’ statements at Phillip Island – WSBK 1st round statements

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World Superbike riders’ statements at Phillip Island

WSBK - World Superbike riders' statements at Phillip Island - WSBK 1st round statements

The first event of the 2016 World SBK took place this weekend in Phillip Island, Australia. To complete our near-live reports, here are the statements of the Superbike riders at the end of their two Australian races.

WSBK 1st Round Declarations

Site readers – who, as everyone knows, are a little more fortunate than others – have already been able to watch the Mondial Superbike and Supersport races on Saturday and Sunday, almost live, on the Phillip Island circuit (for latecomers, read, then).

Find below the statements of the drivers who distinguished themselves on Saturday during the first round, and on the following page the statements of those who animated the second WSBK race on Sunday. Honor to – double – winner !

Jonathan Rea, 1st:
"We expected to be strong, I’m so lucky to have Father and my guys. I trust them completely, we had a strategy for the winter testing in November and it clearly worked. Being strong in a race, controlling the race in the lead on this track is so difficult. I glanced at the big screen every time I walked through MG and could see the size of the leading pack. It finally got down to four guys, then three at the end. I put my head in the handlebars six laps from the end and picked up the pace, but my sign still said "+0". Then, three from the finish, I attacked again and Chaz hung on. I knew the only way to win the race was to close the door on MG, but he blew it up to open it wide! I managed to brake the bike and accelerate hard. This last sector was not pretty, but we won the race and its 25 points. I’m really happy because all of our work paid off".

Chaz Davies, 2nd:
"The battle was fun, with many vigorous but clean maneuvers. I was planning on passing Rea on turn 10, but he widened his line very slightly and I had to attack the turn a little too tight. I was already at the limit with the front tire and had to release the brakes for a moment. He passed me in turn. I am nevertheless very happy. Compared to last year, we made great progress with the electronics and I was much more comfortable at the end of the race. The battle with Rea could have ended in two different ways, and now I’m going to think of a new strategy with the team. The goal is to win a place tomorrow".

Michael van den Mark, 3rd:
"I am really delighted with this podium! This morning we were fast and consistent, I felt great on the bike. I had a very good start to the race, I managed to stay with the guys and keep their pace quite easily. I was basically trying to save the rear tire. It was a great fight with the guys (from Ducati) and really a great race. I was faster in some places, but they were better in others, which led to a lot of overtaking. I wanted to attack more at the end, but the grip up front just wasn’t there, not as much as I would have liked anyway. I struggled a bit, did my best to stay with Johnny and Chaz, while keeping the gap on the fourth, which allowed me to get on this podium. We need to improve a little more for tomorrow, and see how it turns out".

Davide Giugliano, 4th:
"This race has been great, both for us and the fans. This track was associated with bad memories for me: I was badly injured during pre-season testing last year. Today I narrowly missed pole position and fought for the podium until the end. I’m happy because it was my first race since my back injury seven months ago. The podium was within our reach, unfortunately I made a small mistake in turn 4 a few laps from the end and lost contact with the leading group. With the team, I worked hard to find a setup that allowed me to be consistent throughout a race. Achieving the fastest lap at the end is a nice confirmation. We have taken a big step forward, and we must continue to work in this direction to be even more competitive tomorrow.".

Tom Sykes, 5th:
"In my opinion, no one wanted to lead. Jonathan and I had a good pace at the start, but unfortunately I missed out on a few places. It disrupted my pace a bit, although it was good until three quarters of the race. We only really had problems on two corners and we had the advantage in many other parts, but I lost everything on the two crucial points of the circuit. I had to compensate for that, and the positive point is that our lag behind the leaders is ultimately lighter than before. We are constantly improving. I’m not down and it’s a long season. We have another race to go tomorrow"

Sylvain Guintoli, 6th:
"Sixth place is a good way to start my 2016 WorldSBK campaign on the YZF-R1 but to be honest this race was a bit frustrating. I had a lot more pace than I could demonstrate because I was blocked by slower drivers during the first laps. The result is solid despite that and we will continue to work to improve for tomorrow’s race. There are clearly some positive points to take away from this first race: the YZF-R1 preserves the tires well here, so we have some changes to make to improve in terms of performance and we will see what we can achieve on Sunday.".

Leon Camier, 7th:
"I am really grateful for the effort everyone put in for the first race. The bike ran really well, the chassis and electronics worked great too. We just lack a little power: we have to work on this point, that’s for sure. My start was really bad. I got into the rhythm quickly, a good pace, and we went from 17th to 7th place. The battle was difficult, with many drivers and very good overtaking. I am happy with the work done here, we hope we will be stronger tomorrow for the second race".

Sylvain Barrier, 15th:
See his only statement on the next page.

Mathhieu BRETILLE – Photos DR

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