Qualifying - Assen
BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX TEAM) TAKES PROVISIONAL POLE
AT ASSEN TT CIRCUIT
 Troy
Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) and his Ducati 1098 F08 took provisional
pole in this afternoon's qualifying session at Assen's TT
Circuit. Despite a bad fall while training on his bicycle
in Montecarlo two days ago, Bayliss was the only Superbike
rider to lap in under 1m40s today. Dry conditions meant that
all riders were nevertheless recording some very quick times
with the 19 fastest riders behind Bayliss all lapping within
a second of each other. Fellow Ducati Xerox Team rider Michel
Fabrizio had a fall on his first lap out during the morning's
practice session but was unhurt and subsequently able to make
strong progress in the afternoon, to conclude the first qualifying
session in seventh position.
Troy Bayliss 1m39.6s
"It's the first time we've been here on the 1098 but
we started out pretty confident and feel that we have progressed
in the right direction during this morning's practice and
then in qualifying this afternoon. There are a few things
we want to test tomorrow morning if we have dry weather. I
feel pretty good on the bike and am quietly confident so if
we can make a few modifications to make my riding a bit more
smooth then I'll be very happy. Everyone is riding well today
and the track always makes for close racing, with guys in
all the classes going pretty quick. It would be great to have
a dry weekend but here you never can tell - we'll see how
we go."
Michel Fabrizio 1m40.3s
"This morning, just a few moments into the session, I
was exiting a curve and just didn't see a wet patch on the
track in time. It was a shame I fell because then I only had
the second bike to use for the rest of the session and we
had spent less time preparing that machine. This afternoon
went a lot better, as I went back to riding the first bike
and I'd say we're going well, although it was a shame we had
the two red flags right at the end of the qualifying session,
as I think I could have gone faster. Anyway tomorrow we'll
try a few different things but I can say that I am satisfied
with my performance today."
TIMES: 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1m39.6s;
2. Haga (Yamaha) 1m40.0s; 3. Kagayama (Suzuki) 1m40.0s; 4.
Smrz (Ducati) 1m40.0s; 5. Nieto (Suzuki) 1m40.1s; 6. Tamada
(Kawasaki) 1m40.2s; 7. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1m40.3s
|
