BMW MOTORRAD ITALIA SUPERBIKE TEAM - PORTIMAO - RACE

The  BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team  finished the 2011 season of World Superbike Championship - the first year in the top level category for the Italian team - with a strong result.  Ayrton Badovini  had a problem with his rear tyre in race one that prevented him from finishing higher than 13th, but still scored valuable points. In race two he put in a strong performance, running as high as sixth place and finishing in 9th place. The points collected confirmed his tenth position in the overall standings, fulfilling one of BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Teams’s objectives for their first year in the series.

Ayrton Badovini said: "Race two was fun and certainly better than the first. On the starting grid I spoke with my mechanics and didn’t know if I would make it to the end but I gave it my all and made it up to sixth and finished well. I'm happy with race 2 and the season as a whole. It was a great experience and certainly challenging. The team was fantastic and helped me grow a lot. To finish in the top ten is a small victory for me. Thanks to the experience and technical development of the bike this year we will definitely be more competitive next season."

Xavier Fores failed to take points this time out in what is a very competitive championship. 

Superstock saw Sylvain Barrier ride a beautiful race with a late comeback that earned him second place.  Lorenzo Zanetti had a bad start, recovering to finish in fifth place. The final ranking of the FIM Cup Superstock saw Lorenzo in third place and Sylvain in fourth.

The two riders commented on the race: "It has been a difficult weekend” -  Sylvain said after the race – “because we had difficulty finding the right set up. The team has worked hard to solve the problem and did a great job getting the bike sorted for the race. I had a difficult start, but then the bike felt good, especially when braking. I would like to thank the team for the support they have given me during the whole season."

"In the last race I struggled” said  Lorenzo – “but here we found we were competitive. I have not found the "twist of luck" at the end of the season but I’m happy with the points, given six podium finishes. I'm pleased with the season and I want to thank the team for the work it has done for me this year.”

Serafino Foti, sports director of BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team, said today: "Unfortunately in race one Ayrton was affected by a degraded tyre and finished in thirteenth place. In race two we changed something which helped with tyre wear and it went much better. The Superbike Championship is the pinnacle of the sport and Fores has struggled. We thank him, however, for his commitment in recent races. After testing in Superstock our ultimate goal was second place which Sylvain achieved. Lorenzo made a bad start, finishing in fifth place."

Superbike

Gara 1: 1° C. Checa (Ducati) 38'13.293 - 2° S. Guintoli (Ducati) + 2.860 - 3° J. Rea (Honda) + 8.481... 13°  A. Badovini (BMW) + 31.765

Gara 1:  1° M. Melandri (Yamaha) 38'11"326 - 2° E. Laverty (Yamaha) + 1.075 - 3° J. Rea (Honda) + 1.363...9°  A. Badovini (BMW) + 19.128...19°  J. Fores (BMW) + 1'04.011

Campionato: 1° C. Checa (Ducati) p. 505 -  2° M. Melandri (Yamaha) p. 395 - 3° M. Biaggi (Aprilia) p. 303 - 4° E. Laverty (Yamaha) p. 303 - ...10°  A. Badovini (BMW)  p. 165 ...22°  J. Toseland (BMW)  p. 13 - 23°  J. Fores (BMW)  p. 12 - 24°  L. Lanzi (BMW)  p. 10.....29°  B. Veneman (BMW)  p. 3

Superstock

Gara: 1° D. Petrucci (Ducati) 19'31.819 - 2°  S. Barrier (BMW) + 8.019 - 3° S. Morais (Kawasaki) + 8.115 - 4° B. Staring (Kawasaki) + 8.364 - 5°  L. Zanetti (BMW) + 9.354

FIM Cup: 1° D. Giugliano (Ducati) p. 171 - 2° D. Petrucci (Ducati) p. 169 - 3°  L. Zanetti (BMW)  p. 148 - 4°  S. Barrier (BMW)  p. 132 - 5° N. Canepa (Ducati) p. 109