Top ten qualification for Martin and FPR in Germany
 Steve
Martin will start tomorrow’s races at round 10 of the
Superbike World Championship from tenth on the grid at Eurospeedway
Lausitz, Germany.
The Australian pulled a typically impressive lap out of the
bag during morning qualifying to set the sixth fastest lap
on race tyres, with a time of 1:38.9, an improvement of eight
tenths on yesterday.
He was unable to improve on that time during his Superpole
lap but still made the top ten, with Troy Bayliss claiming
another pole position.
Team-mate Craig Jones recovered from a disrupted morning
session to further improve his best lap to 1:40.4, before
a high-side crash in the afternoon prevented further progress.
He will start from 21st on the grid.
Steve said: “I was a little bit disappointed
with my Superpole lap as I had it in me to do at 1:38 but
I made a couple of small mistakes. But Bayliss also went quicker
on race tyres than he did on a qualifier. And we have still
ended up on the third row, which is pretty amazing really.
I am in front of a lot of guys who were doing similar times
on race tyres so I should be able to challenge for good points
if I get off to a good start. We were two seconds off the
pace at the test here and now it’s only a second so
that shows how we are continuing to improve all the time.”
Craig said: “I had a problem with
the alternator of my race bike this morning and had to switch
to the spare bike. I know I could have gone quicker on my
race bike but my aim was to be in the top 20 and I was nearly
there. In the afternoon I started on a hard race tyre but,
when I switched to a medium rear, I was a bit too keen on
the gas going onto the back straight and high-sided. Fortunately
I was okay and there was not too much damage to the bike.
I went back out and did 10 laps on a soft tyre, which felt
good, so I have got to stay positive for tomorrow because
I am riding for my career and my future.”
Superpole results, Superbike World Championship round
ten, EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Germany: 1 Bayliss 1:37.923;
2 Haga +0.156; 3 Toseland +0.331; 4 Pitt +0.368; 5 Lanzi +0.556;
6 Corser +0.584; 7 Barros +0.690; 8 Kagayama +0.811; 9 Muggeridge
+0.826; 10 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) +1.142; 11 Nieto
+1.260; 12 Laconi +1.285; 13 Neukirchner +1.399; 14 Walker
+1.419; 15 Xaus +1.672;16 Fabrizio +2.537
Saturday qualifying (best time bracketed):
1 Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1:37.623; 2 Corser (Alstare Suzuki
Corona Extra) 1:38.394; 3 Barros (Klaffi Honda) 1:38.566;
4 Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:39.197 (1:38.869);
5 Pitt (Yamaha Italia) 1:39.214 (1:38.871); 6 Martin (Foggy
PETRONAS Racing) 1:38.905; 7 Haga (Yamaha Italia) 1:38.924;
8 Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:39.005 (1:39.948);
9 Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 1:39.470 (1:39.048); 10 Toseland (Winston
Ten Kate Honda) 1:39.220; 21 Jones (Foggy PETRONAS Racing)
1:40.433
Saturday free practice: 1 Kagayama 1:38.035;
2 Bayliss 1:38.261; 3 Corser 1:38.281; 4 Muggeridge 1:38.529;
5 Haga 1:38.608; 6 Pitt 1:38.615; 7 Barros 1:38.700; 8 Toseland
1:38.944; 9 Lanzi 1:39.176; 10 Neukirchner 1:39.390; 11 Martin
(Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 1:39.480; 20 Jones (Foggy PETRONAS
racing) 1:40.882
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