WSB Valencia
 Alstare
Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner stunned his rivals by storming
to his first ever Superpole win this afternoon at the Ricardo
Tormo circuit, Valencia, smashing the lap record by well over
a second in the process.
Neukirchner's Superpole was something special, but to make
it an even better day for the Belgian based team, Suzuki Alstare
rider Yukio Kagayama took second place.
Third quickest is Troy Bayliss (Ducati), with local hero
Ruben Xaus (Ducati) fourth.
Team Suzuki Alstare rider Fonsi Nieto suffered grip problems
again and finished 13th in the 16-rider Superpole shoot-out
and so will face an uphill task starting from the fourth row
of the grid in tomorrow's races.
Max Neukirchner - 1st, 1:33.805:
"I am really happy because my Superpole lap was a great
lap, but I feel I have been fast all weekend and I was hoping
for a front row grid position. This afternoon's free practice
was hotter then the morning and the grip level went down,
but fortunately it cooled off a little for Superpole and I
was able to really go for it. We didn't make any big changes
to the bike from yesterday because the bike was working so
well. For that I'd like to give a big thank you to my whole
team."
Yukio Kagayama - 2nd, 1:33.928:
"I knew I had to do something good to beat Troy Bayliss
in Superpole and I was able to put in a good, fast lap and
beat his time. We've done a lot of good work these two days
and the hard work has paid off this afternoon. My body is
not 100% but, as I said before, that is a good thing because
I am riding smoothly and not taking any risks by pushing too
hard."
Fonsi Nieto - 13th, 1:34.959:
"Just like yesterday, I had problems with grip - both
front and rear - and so I couldn't use the throttle as I wanted
to. The rear was spinning quite a bit and I had no confidence
about what the bike was going to do today. We did a long run
and my laps were consistent, so that is a positive sign. We'll
change the bike back to how it was this morning and hopefully
it will feel better and more comfortable to ride."
Final WSB Qualifying: 1 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki)
1:33.805, 2 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare) 1:33.928, 3
Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:33.976, 4 Xaus (E-Ducati) 1:34.322,
5 Lanzi (I-Ducati) 1:34.370, 6 Kiyonari (J-Honda) 1:34.370.
13 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare) 1:34.959.
SUPERSTOCK 1000:
Team Alstare Suzuki rider Xavi Simeon struggled with grip
problems in Valencia today and was only able to post the ninth
fastest time in final qualifying.
He was frustrated because he couldn't get anywhere close
to the lap times he did at the tests in March.
Brendan Roberts (Ducati) took pole position, with a lap of
1:37.114 with Davide Giugliano (Suzuki) second and Michelle
Pirro (Yamaha) third.
Xavi Simeon - 9th, 1:38.176:
"It's a bit frustrating at the moment because I just
cannot do the lap times I did here in March. Grip was not
a problem then, but it is now and we're scratching our heads
trying to find a solution. It seems strange, but I'm actually
doing better on an old tyre, then fresh rubber.
"Just like yesterday, I didn't have a good feeling with
the bike. I looked at the lap times of the top guys and I
noticed that their fastest laps were one-offs and the rest
were so-so. But my lap times are consistent, so maybe the
race will be a very different affair. As usual, I will be
trying my hardest and we will see what happens."
Final Superstock 1000 Qualifying: 1 Roberts
(Aus-Ducati) 1:37.114, 2 Giugliano (I-Suzuki) 1:37.425, 3
Pirro (I-Yamaha) 1:37.502, 4 Corti (I-Yamaha) 1:37.513, 5
Berger (F-Honda) 1:37.678, 6 Polita (I-Ducati) 1:37.897. 9
Xavi Simeon (B-Alstare Suzuki) 1:38.176.
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