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BMW Motorrad Motorsport – Superbike World Championship – Imola, Italy – Qualifying.
Mon Sep 28 15:51:48 CEST 2009 Press Release
First practice abandoned, but Troy and Ruben happy. Munich. Today’s first practice at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola was abandoned after less than two laps due to the lack of grip at the 4.936 kilometre track. The slippery track caused a crash straightaway and all the riders rode straight back to the pits after numerous slides. The officials set about cleaning the track, but it was only at 17.45 that the riders were able to go out for a free practice session. Although the track was in much better condition, there were still areas of concern and the lap times were down on when the teams tested here in July. After nearly eight weeks out of action, Ruben was back in the saddle. Despite having broken the top of his femur and surgery that required three screws inserted into it and his hip, he rode superbly today and was happy to end with the 16th fastest time. Troy Corser and his mechanics spent the sole session of the day trying out a variety of settings on the traction control and throttle feel, but still managed to finish in the top ten. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) ended the day fastest, with Carlos Checa (Honda) second and Ben Spies (Yamaha) third.
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First practice abandoned, but Troy and Ruben happy.
Munich. Today’s first practice at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola was abandoned after less than two laps due to the lack of grip at the 4.936 kilometre track. The slippery track caused a crash straightaway and all the riders rode straight back to the pits after numerous slides. The officials set about cleaning the track, but it was only at 17.45 that the riders were able to go out for a free practice session. Although the track was in much better condition, there were still areas of concern and the lap times were down on when the teams tested here in July.
After nearly eight weeks out of action, Ruben was back in the
saddle. Despite having broken the top of his femur and surgery that
required three screws inserted into it and his hip, he rode superbly
today and was happy to end with the 16th fastest time. Troy Corser and
his mechanics spent the sole session of the day trying out a variety
of settings on the traction control and throttle feel, but still
managed to finish in the top ten.
Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) ended the day fastest, with Carlos Checa
(Honda) second and Ben Spies (Yamaha) third.
Troy - 10th, 1:50.876
I’m pretty happy to be in the top ten, considering the
circumstances, and we were able to try out quite a few things and end
with some positive ideas about what we want to do tomorrow. The first
time we all went out was incredible because the track was unbelievably
slippery. It felt like the front tyre had suddenly gone flat and it
was impossible to ride. I lost count of the number of slides I had -
in just two laps! There was a Touring Car race here last weekend and
if felt as if a lot of diesel was on the track, but I don’t
think I’ve ever had this kind of feeling on a track that was not
wet! They cleaned the track and cancelled all the sessions except us
and Supersport and we went out late - at 5.45 pm! The grip was
definitely better, but there are still three areas where the grip is
poor. I hope that the conditions improve tomorrow, but already we are
at a disadvantage to most teams because we really need as much track
time as possible.
Ruben - 16th, 1:51.527
I am very happy with my performance this afternoon, but I would
have liked to have had the other session to get back into the groove
properly. I haven’t ridden for almost eight weeks and it takes
time to get back into the swing of things and this is what I tried to
do today. The track was incredibly slippery when we tried to start the
first session and it was obvious that it needed cleaning before we
could ride. After the hour long session, my hip and leg don’t
feel so bad. My arms are a bit sore because of all the concentration
required in the areas of the track that are still slippery, but I feel
very positive about the rest of the weekend.
Berti Hauser - Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director
Firstly, I am very happy to welcome Ruben back and see that he
is getting back into it so easily. I am happy that he took things
steadily and rode using his mind and we are all waiting to hear his
comments on the bike when he has pushed it a bit harder. The decision
to abandon the first practice was correct. So many riders complained
about the track and there could’ve been many injuries if the
session had gone ahead. It’s strange to start your first real
practice at 17.45, but that’s the way it had to be. We lost a
session today and that puts us at a disadvantage, but we will battle
away tomorrow and see what we can achieve.
Friday qualifying
1 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati) 1:49.895, 2 C Checa (ESP-Honda)
1:50.125, 3 Spies (USA-Yamaha) 1:50.213, 4 Rea (GBR-Honda) 1:50.308, 5
Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia) 1:50.515,
6 Kagayama (JPN-Suzuki) 1:50.516,
10 Troy Corser (AUS-BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1:50.876, 16
Ruben Xaus (ESP-BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1:51.769
High resolution photos can be found for downloading at
www.motorsport-communication.com/bmw (user: bmw, password: press).