BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) FIFTH IN OPENING QUALIFYING SESSION
IN SWELTERING BRNO HEAT
 Troy
Bayliss took fifth place in today's opening qualifying session
for Round 9 of the World Superbike Championship at a sweltering
Automotodrom Brno in the Czech Republic. The Australian double
world champion was on the pace all day and was quite satisfied
with his Friday performance on what has always proved to be
a difficult track for the twin-cylinder Italian machines.
Team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi had a much tougher day today, the
Italian failing to sort out the front end set-up and suffering
as a result down in twelfth place.
"That was OK. We did a long run and it was better than
what we did last year in the race so we're making some good
progress" said Troy. "We've got a couple more things
to try tomorrow but we know that if we had put a softer tyre
in there at the end we could have got a better time. I used
the same tyres for most of the session and we're pretty happy.
Conditions are hot and hard out there, there are a few different
ideas about what the weather is going to do this weekend but
I think it's going to be hot and I'm just working towards
that. We're struggling for power here, that's for sure. I
was with Rolfo and it's just disheartening when you lose a
few bike lengths out of every corner and then you've got to
try and make up on the brakes and in the corners".
"It went worse than in the test, I couldn't even do
one good lap" commented Lorenzo. "I had a lot of
problems with the front, but behind things are not bad, we
sorted things out there and now we just have to do some good
laps on the soft tyre. I think that with this tyre it will
be possible to stay with the leading group because with the
others I'm a lot slower. I didn't think I was going to struggle
that much, the bike is the same as the test but it's handling
differently so now we've got a few things to try tomorrow.
We'll change the front around a bit, there shouldn't be two
seconds difference from the test and I'm sure we can at least
make a second up with an ideal setting."
Times: 1. Haga (Yamaha) 2m01.603s; 2. Corser
(Yamaha) 2m01.724s; 3. Biaggi (Suzuki) 2m01.968s; 4. Toseland
(Honda) 2m02.200s; 5. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 2m02.295s; 6.
Rolfo (Honda) 2m02.315s; 7. Nieto (Kawasaki) 2m02.523s; 8.
Fabrizio (Honda) 2m02.556s; .... 12. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox)
2m03.111s.
TV Coverage (Europe): Eurosport 2 - Saturday
1715 Superpole (live); Eurosport - Sunday 1200 Race 1 (live).
Eurosport 2 - Sunday 1530 Race 2 (live). TV Coverage (Italy):
La7 - Saturday 1550 Superpole (live); Sunday 1145 Race 1 (live),
1520 Race 2 (live). RaiDue - Sunday 1730 Races 1 & 2 (highlights).
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