2007 Superbike World Championship
Round 4, Valencia, Spain
Circuit: 4.005 kms. Weather: Mostly damp
Final qualifying,
RAIN PUTS A DAMPER ON PROCEEDINGS TODAY.
After yesterday’s dry conditions, today saw a damp track
for most of the day, with Superpole declared a “Wet
Superpole”. The Superpole session then saw the sixteen
fastest riders have a maximum of twelve laps in which to set
their quickest lap and determine their position on the grid.
Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Yukio Kagayama struggled
with grip problems, but managed to post the eighth quickest
time overall and so end up on the second row of the grid.
His team mate Max Biaggi also struggled this afternoon, mainly
with front end problems, and ended up with the twelfth fastest
lap and so will start tomorrow’s pair of 23-lap races
from the third row of the grid. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) posted
the fastest time in Superpole, with a lap of 1:51.982, just
ahead of local favourite Ruben Xaus (Ducati). Third quickest
is Josh Brookes (Honda), with Troy Corser (Yamaha) fourth.
YUKIO - 8th, 1:53.634
Conditions today were very difficult and it was easy to crash.
It was important to concentrate at every corner, otherwise
big problems. It was slippery everywhere on the track and
very hard to understand how much grip you had - or did not
have. What happened in every corner depended on your luck!
When I came back in at the end, I had to check my hair had
not turned white with the stress! I hope it is dry tomorrow,
but then we might have a different problem because I haven’t
enough dry time to find a good set- up for the bike.
MAX -12th, 1:55.196
I don’t think I have the best set-up yet on my bike
so I cannot relax and ride it as a I want to. The problem
in both the wet and dry is the front end feeling and that
is stopping me from pushing hard. We had this problem when
we tested here recently and we have not solved it yet. I know
that I’ve always been in good in the wet in the past
- normally in the top four - so to be this far down the grid
is not such a good feeling for me. I don’t know what
the weather will do tomorrow, but I’ll be trying my
hardest in both races for sure.
Final qualifying
1 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:51.982, 2 Xaus (E-Ducati) 1:52.085,
3 Brookes (Aus-Honda) 1:52.199, 4 Corser (Aus-Yamaha) 1:52.733,
5 Toseland (GB-Honda) 1:52.801, 6 Lanzi (I-Ducati) 1:52.942,
7 Haga (J-Yamaha) 1:52.961, 8 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki)
1:53.634, 9 Fabrizio (I-Honda) 1:53.750, 10 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda)
1:54.108, 12 Max Biaggi (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:55.196,
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