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BSB set to intensify in 2010 with new rule changes

BSB set to intensify in 2010 with new rule changes.

Checa the early leader at a hot Phillip Island

Scorching weather conditions for the first qualifying session at Phillip Island saw Carlos Checa (Ducati Althea) continue his good testing form with a 1’32.155 lap, leading Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) and Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare). Checa was only 0.007 seconds ahead of Fabrizio, 0.218 ahead of Englishman Haslam.

The air temperature in qualifying was 33°C, the track temperature a very high 51°C, which made the hour-long session hard work for all competitors.

Checa’s team-mate Shane Byrne went fourth fastest but suffered a fast highside crash at the final corners of his last lap, while trying to improve his ranking still further. Several riders fell in what was an expectedly close and intense period of qualifying.

Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) was fifth today, Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing) went sixth fastest but was also a faller in the final session of the day.

Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was top Honda rider in the opening qualifying battle, seventh, with Sylvain Guintoli’s Suzuki eighth.

Jakub Smrz was ninth fastest on his privateer Pata B&G Racing Ducati, and the top ten was rounded out by Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Superbike) the top Yamaha rider.

Chris Vermeulen scored 12th on his Kawasaki Racing Team bike, Troy Corser, another late faller, put his BMW Motorrad Motorsport S1000RR 16th, but was on course for a vast improvement in lap time before his fall.

James Toseland was a faller in the session, while Ruben Xaus crashed three times today, but recovered each time and went 19th in the ranking.

One more session remains for riders to try and qualifying for Superpole on Saturday, with Superpole determining the final top 20 grid places.

The top 20 riders were all within 1.910 seconds, the top ten within 0.883 seconds today.

Carlos Checa: “I know what I can do. I have to confirm my time tomorrow but I know that I wish we had the same weather as today for the race. The crash in qualifying was not a problem. Ducati’s work very well at Phillip Island and my pace at the moment is very good. I do not know yet if it is good enough for the race.”

Michel Fabrizio: “We tried different tyre solutions this morning and various small things that my engineer wanted to test. I had a fall, losing the front, but without causing myself, or my bike, too much damage thankfully. Then in the qualifying session we sorted a lot of things out and with the tyre solution that may well be the one to choose for the race many riders were able to drop their times. During my fast lap I lost a couple of tenths through the last corner but I’m fairly happy anyway; we’ve worked well and I’m satisfied with the results. We have a good race pace but a lot will depend on Sunday’s weather.”

World Supersport Championship – Lascorz leads on day one of new school

The first qualifying session of the year proved to be the property of Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com rider Joan Lascorz, who was also fastest man in the official tests a few days ago.

Second was the perennially powerful Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda), who left it very late to move up.

Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) posted third while another old stager in this class, Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki) was fourth. Sofuoglu’s team-mate Michele Pirro secured fifth best lap time, while changes in set-up allowed Chaz Davies to jump up the order to sixth on his Triumph BE1 triple, ahead of another Kawasaki rider, Fabien Foret. The top six riders were within only 0.310 seconds of each other.

Phillip Island Superbike – Qualifying 1st Session

1   7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1’32.155 
2  84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’32.162 
3  91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’32.373 
4  67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1’32.635 
5  41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1’32.703 
6   3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1’32.850 
7  65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’32.884 
8  50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’32.902 
9  96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’32.905 
10  35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’33.038 
11   2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1’33.296 
12  77 Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’33.389 
13  52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’33.422 
14  57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’33.454 
15  66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’33.492 
16  11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’33.512 
17  88 Pitt A. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’33.940 
18  76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1’33.960 
19 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1’33.984 
20 123 Resch R. (AUT) BMW S1000 RR 1’34.065 
21  31 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’34.417 
22  25 Brookes J. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1’34.663 
23  15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’35.892 
24  95 Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’36.113

Phillip Island Supersport – Free Practice 1st Session

1  37 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’35.260 
2  26 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’35.371 
3  54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1’35.530 
4  50 Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1’35.586 
5  51 Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1’35.847 
6  99 Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’35.872 
7  40 DiSalvo J. (USA) Triumph Daytona 675 1’36.341 
8   7 Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 1’36.422 
9  55 Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1’36.715 
10 117 Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 1’37.117 
11  16 Charpentier S. (FRA) Triumph Daytona 675 1’37.244 
12 127 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 1’37.504 
13   9 Dell’Omo D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1’38.368 
14   5 Lundh A. (SWE) Honda CBR600RR 1’38.397 
15   4 Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’38.597 
16  33 Cazzola P. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1’39.879

Phillip Island Superbike – Free Practice 1st Session

1  91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’32.468 
2   3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1’33.008 
3  67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1’33.121 
4  65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’33.149 
5   7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1’33.218 
6  35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’33.239 
7  41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1’33.259 
8  52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’33.264 
9  96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’33.360 
10  50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’33.363 
11  84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’33.413 
12  57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’33.449 
13 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1’33.692 
14  77 Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’33.775 
15   2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1’33.804 
16  66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’33.924 
17  11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’34.008 
18  76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1’34.121 
19  88 Pitt A. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’34.433 
20  25 Brookes J. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1’34.440 
21 123 Resch R. (AUT) BMW S1000 RR 1’34.914 
22  31 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’35.844 
23  15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’36.084 
24  95 Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’36.287