Live from Losail International Circuit, Qatar.
Steve qualifies in ninth for Qatar races
Steve Martin was within four hundredths of a second from
starting the new Superbike World Championship from the second
row of the Qatar grid.
The Foggy PETRONAS Racing rider was ninth fastest in Superpole,
just 0.045 behind Yukio Kagayama in seventh, with Karl Muggeridge
relegated to eighth place after crashing on his flying lap.
Steve’s time of 2:00.940 was three seconds faster than
his quickest lap at the Losail circuit last year, when neither
FPR rider qualified for Superpole, providing an indication
of the amount of progress the team has made in that period.
Steve said: “It has been a really good positive start
for us. I still believe this is one of the hardest tracks
for us, so to be where we are at this stage of the season
is a good sign for the rest of the year. It’s a credit
to everyone involved in the project. We have been able to
concentrate on the set-up of the bike today and we are still
working on rear tyre grip, so we will try some things in morning
warm-up which will hopefully take us even further forward.
My Superpole lap was great but it would have been good to
finish on the second row, although it’s such a long
drag to the first corner that anything can happen at the start.”
Steve finished the morning qualifying session in eighth place
but it was a traumatic start to the day for team-mate Craig
Jones.
He crashed on his out-lap of the morning session, suffering
a flesh wound on his kneecap that needed multiple stitches.
Despite a desperate attempt to record a qualifying time for
that session, in which he missed recording a valid lap by
just six seconds, his qualifying time in the wet yesterday
allowed him to compete in tomorrow’s races, although
he will be at the back of the grid.
Craig said: “The crash was probably down to inexperience
on my part. I cannot honestly say I know 100 per cent what
happened but I don’t mind saying I made a mistake. I
followed two other riders into the corner and was going slower
than they were, so it was a bizarre crash. I lost about a
square inch of skin and the wound had to be stitched together.
I could definitely feel it on track in the afternoon but I
will take a painkiller for the races. In the afternoon I was
still having a problem with stability so we have a lot to
try in 20 minutes tomorrow morning. The others’ lap
times on qualifiers are not anything special so I am not beaten
yet for the race, as when I find something for the set-up
I think I will take chunks off my time.”
Superpole results, Superbike World Championship,
round 1, Losail, Qatar: 1 Bayliss 1:59.696; 2 Lanzi
2:00.028; 3 Pitt 2:00.110; 4 Toseland 2:00.112; 5 Corser 2:00.206;
6 Haga 2:00.613; 7 Kagayama 2:00.895; 8 Muggeridge dnf; 9
Martin 2:00.940; 10 Barros 2:00.960; 11 Rolfo 2:01.072; 12
Wallker 2:01.137; 13 Nieto 2:01.155; 14 Chili 2:02.038; 15
Fabrizio 2:02.596; 16 Borciani 2:03.150
Friday morning qualifying: 1 Bayliss (Ducati
Xerox) 2:00.639; 2 Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 2:00.745;
3 Pitt (Yamaha Italia) 2:00.818; 4 Corser (Alstare Suzuki
Corona Extra) 2:01.008; 5 Haga (Yamaha Italia) 2:01.314; 6
Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 2:01.369; 7 Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki
Corona Extra) 2:01.579; 8 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 2:01.613;
9 Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 2:01.692; 10 Chili (DFX
Treme) 2:01.781; 28 Jones (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 2:24.221
Friday free practice: 1 Muggeridge 1:59.934;
2 Bayliss 2:00.058; 3 Pitt 2:00123; 4 Haga 2:00123; 5 Kagayama
2:00.347; 6 Toseland 2:00.525; 7 Corser 2:00.578; 8 Lanzi
2:00.660; 9 Barros 2:01.257; 10 Nieto 2:01.454; 11 Martin
(Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 2:01.539; 26 Jones 2:04.389
|
