Press Release
4 August 2013
Road Race
WSBK, Silverstone, Great Britain
Baz Wins Race Two For KRT At Silverstone As Sykes Gathers Points
Loris Baz repeated his 2012 Silverstone race one win for his KRT squad with a race two victory
today, in what were changeable weather conditions. Tom Sykes remains second overall in the
championship
Loris joined the race winners’ list in 2013 with a strong start-to-finish performance in race two that made
up for what he saw was losing a sure podium finish in the opening race. He eventually finished fifth in the
first race of the day, also held in ever-changing conditions. Tom Sykes finished 11th in race one while in
race two he scored valuable points for seventh place.
Both races at Silverstone witnessed falls of rain, some small and some more intense, but under the
flag-to-flag rules for this season the riders stayed out on slicks in both races.
The second race, led in the early dry stages by Loris for almost ten laps, was a strong early showing for
both KRT riders, until the rains re-appeared and championship challenger Sykes slowed his pace to make
sure he could finish the race and score points in both contests.
In the championship fight Tom is still second, now 13 points behind Sylvain Guintoli, while Loris is sixth -
but equal on points with the rider in fifth place.
Federico Sandi (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) scored points for 13th in race two, while Mark Aitchison
(Kawasaki Team Pedercini) was first 15th then 14th in his SBK comeback ride.
Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki) was second in the first Superstock 1000 race of the Silverstone
weekend, with Leandro Mercado and Lorenzo Savadori (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) were second and
third in race two. Guarnoni and Mercado are now third equal on points in the championship fight.
Loris Baz: “After race one I was really disappointed because I was fighting for the podium but maybe I
was thinking too much about this and made a lot of mistakes, so I finished fifth. In race two I said to
myself, “OK, this one is mine.” In the first part of the race, even in the dry, I had good pace and I pushed
at the front. I tried to control the pace from the front but there were some fast people behind me and it was
difficult to go away. Every time somebody tried to pass me I passed them back and at the end the
conditions were really wet and I nearly fell. I want to say thanks my team because they are making a
really good job with this bike for not just Tom or me but for both riders. Now I feel really comfortable. I also
want to dedicate this victory to Andrea Antonelli’s family.”
Tom Sykes: “Race two was similar to race one and today in these weather conditions it was always going
to be a difficult one. I was not prepared to put too much on the line in these kinds of conditions - slick
tyres, rain falling - and that is just the way it is. I was not prepared to gamble too much and we saw how
easy it was for people to crash, so taking some points is better than taking none. I do not like thinking
about the championship but I was maybe forced to think a little bit about it in race two. We have not given
away too much to the championship leader. We struggled a little bit in the beginning of race two as the
rear tyre did not feel as strong as in race one but I know the Ninja ZX-10R is working well.
Congratulations to Loris on his win and after the summer break we will move on and see what we can do
at some circuits we should do well at.”
4 August 2013
Road Race
WSS, Silverstone, Great Britain
Sofuoglu Wins And Foret Takes A Podium At Silverstone!
Kenan Sofuoglu and Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Mahi Racing Team India) scored a win and third
respectively after 16-laps of WSS action at Silverstone, with Sofuoglu making up ground in the
championship
Only Sofuoglu and Sam Lowes had the pace to lead and they gapped the following riders
comprehensively to fight it out right to the very last lap. Close to the end, after Lowes had taken the lead,
both riders entered a slow hairpin and touched, with Lowes crashing, but restarting to finish second.
Sofuoglu took the win, the 24th of his career.
It was Sofuoglu’s second race win in succession, his third of the season and takes him to within 29 points
of championship leader Lowes.
Foret battled through from a third row starting place to take a clever third place, holding off the charging
local rider Kevin Coghlan (Kawasaki DMC-Lorenzini) which had his best race of the year today, in fourth
place.
Florian Marino (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) was held back after a potential podium performance in
the early laps when he was hit by another rider, and his rear wheel alignment adjuster was damaged by
contact with another rider. He finished eighth.
Luca Scassa (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) overcame his foot injury and a lowly starting position to
go 13th, while David Salom (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) placed 15th.
Kenan Sofuoglu: “My first two laps were very good but after that my rear tyre spun on the rim and this
affected me in the race. I lost my best speed and I just tried to control Sam. In the last lap we were really
fighting and I thought maybe something was going to happen. I understood he wanted to win too much
and I wanted to win too much. When Sam passed me on the last lap we both ran away from the track,
and neither of us had an ideal line. Both of us entered the next corner on a very tight line and I touched
him. He crashed and I am sad for that. I will still have to be lucky to win the title because of the points gap,
but I hope I can win more races.”
Fabien Foret: “I was riding hard today but starting from the third row is always going to make it difficult. It
was good to get on the podium and we had a good strong race today. I started the weekend in a difficult
position and I took what I could take on raceday. I hope I can be much closer in the Nürburgring at the
next round.”
4 August 2013
WSS
1 Kenan Sofuoglu Kawasaki ZX-6R
2 Sam Lowes Yamaha YZF R6
3 Fabien Foret Kawasaki ZX-6R
4 Kev Coghlan Kawasaki ZX-6R
5 Christian Iddon MV Agusta F3 675
6 Roberto Rolfo MV Agusta F3 675
7 Jack Kennedy Honda CBR600RR
8 Florian Marino Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
9 Michael Vd Mark Honda CBR600RR
10 Vladimir Leonov Yamaha YZF R6
13 Luca Scassa Kawasaki ZX-6R
15 David Salom Kawasaki ZX-6R
DNS Vladimir Ivanov Kawasaki ZX-6R
PRESS RELEASE
Silverstone – Rennen.
Sonntag, 4. August 2013.
Wetter: Bewölkt mit Regenschauern.
Temperatur: Luft: 19 –21 °C, Strecke: 22 – 26 °C
Teilnehmende Fahrer: 18 von 11 Teams
Schnellste Runde Rennen 1: Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing) 2:05.513 min (Rd. 4)
Schnellste Runde Rennen 2: Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing) 2:05.083 min (Rd. 2)
Das BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team erlebte im britischen Silverstone einen turbulenten Sonntag mit unberechenbarem Wetter, berechtigten Hoffnungen auf das Podium und einem schwierigen Ende. Werksfahrer und Lokalmatador Chaz Davies (GBR) kämpfte in Lauf zwei mit um den Sieg, schied dann aber mit technischen Schwierigkeiten aus. In Lauf eins belegte er nach einer starken Anfangsphase Rang zehn. Sein Teamkollege Marco Melandri (ITA) versuchte, das Beste aus seinem 15. Startplatz zu machen. Er wurde in beiden Rennen Neunter und sammelte damit mit seiner BMW S 1000 RR wichtige Punkte. Es gab jedoch auch Grund zum Feiern: Sylvain Barrier (FRA) vom BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team sicherte sich in beiden der heutigen Superstock-1000-Rennen den Sieg.
Der Start des ersten Superbike-Laufs wurde aus Sicherheitsgründen um 20 Minuten verschoben, da leichter Regen einsetzte, während die Piloten sich auf der Startaufstellung bereit machten. Als das auf 17 Runden verkürzte Rennen begann, war die Strecke überwiegend trocken. Chaz, der von Platz sechs aus gestartet war, kämpfte in der Anfangsphase in der Spitzengruppe mit und nahm das Podium ins Visier. Später fiel er jedoch zurück. Marco arbeitete sich von Startplatz 15 aus schnell in die Top 10 nach vorn. Ab der sechsten Runde fiel immer wieder leichter Regen, und es wurde enorm schwierig, die Bedingungen richtig einzuschätzen. Ab diesem Moment gab es im gesamten Feld zahlreiche Positionswechsel. Nach 17 schwierigen Runden kamen Marco und Chaz auf den Plätzen neun und zehn ins Ziel.
Auch Lauf zwei wurde zu einem Thriller, und Chaz war einer der Hauptdarsteller. Er lieferte sich in der Spitzengruppe packende Duelle mit seinen Gegnern und mischte im spannenden Kampf um den Sieg und die Podiumsplätze mit. Dabei übernahm Chaz zwischenzeitlich auch die Führung. Doch seine Hoffnungen auf einen Heimsieg oder eine Podestplatzierung endeten in der 15. Runde, als er wegen technischer Schwierigkeiten am Motor ausrollte. Kurz danach wurde das Rennen abgebrochen, da es wieder zu regnen begonnen hatte und zwei Fahrer gestürzt waren. Marco fuhr in der Anfangsphase von Platz 15 vor bis auf Rang acht, kam dann jedoch kurzzeitig von der Strecke ab und fiel zurück auf Rang 14. Er versuchte, sich wieder nach vorn zu arbeiten und belegte am Ende Rang neun. Die Siege gingen an Jonathan Rea (GBR) und Loris Baz (FRA). In der Fahrerwertung belegt Marco nach neun Saisonrunden mit 221 Punkten den vierten Platz. Sein Rückstand auf die Spitze beträgt 41 Zähler. Chaz folgt mit 180 Punkten direkt dahinter auf Rang fünf. In der Herstellerwertung ist BMW mit 276 Punkten Dritter.
Im FIM Superstock 1000 Cup wurden heute, anders als üblich, zwei Rennen ausgetragen. Sylvain startete mit seiner BMW HP4 von der Poleposition. In Lauf eins am Vormittag musste er sich mit seinen Gegnern einen harten Kampf liefern, bevor er seinen ersten Sieg des Tages feiern konnte. In Lauf zwei konnte er sich einen Vorsprung herausfahren und sich wieder den Sieg holen, seinen fünften in dieser Saison. Sein Teamkollege vom BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team, Greg Gildenhuys (RSA), fuhr zum ersten Mal in Silverstone. Er belegte die Plätze 14 und zwölf. Als Führender der Fahrerwertung hat Sylvain nun 145 Punkte, er baute seinen Vorsprung 36 Zähler aus. In der Herstellerwertung führt BMW mit nun 156 Punkten.
Marco Melandri:
Rennen 1: 9., Abstand zu P1: 0:14.017 min / Schnellste Rennrunde: 2:05.682 min (Rd. 5)
Rennen 2: 9., Abstand zu P1: 0:20.209 min / Schnellste Rennrunde: 2:05.439 min (Rd. 2)
„Es ist wirklich nicht einfach, von hinten zu starten. Im ersten Rennen war ich bei trockenen Bedingungen recht schnell unterwegs. Doch in manchen Kurven hatte ich mit Vibrationen zu kämpfen. Deshalb konnte ich meinen schnellen Rhythmus nicht konstant über eine ganze Runde halten. Dann hat sich das Wetter geändert und in den langgezogenen Kurven ist es mir nicht gelungen, die Reifen auf Temperatur zu halten. Ich habe entschieden, nichts zu riskieren und einfach das unter diesen Bedingungen bestmögliche Ergebnis zu holen, um den Schaden zu begrenzen.
Im zweiten Rennen lief es leider nicht besonders gut für mich. Nach ein paar Runden, ich war gerade dabei, Positionen gutzumachen, kam ich leicht von der Strecke ab. Dadurch habe ich den Anschluss an die Führenden verloren. Ich habe versucht, erneut zu attackieren, doch ich hatte mit enormen Vibrationen zu kämpfen und konnte nicht richtig fahren. Glücklicherweise habe ich in der Fahrerwertung nicht zu viele Punkte auf die Spitze eingebüßt. Die Pause vor dem Rennwochenende am Nürburgring wird uns helfen, neue Kräfte zu tanken und dann optimal gerüstet in den letzten Teil der Saison zu starten.“
Chaz Davies:
Rennen 1: 10., Abstand zu P1: 0:14.167 min / Schnellste Rennrunde: 2:05.753 min (Rd. 5)
Rennen 2: DNF / Schnellste Rennrunde: 2:05.320 min (Rd. 4)
„Das erste Rennen lief am Anfang nicht schlecht. Ich konnte ein gutes Tempo gehen, und auch wenn ich mit dem Bike nicht rundherum zufrieden war, waren wir vorn dabei. Ich war Vierter und mittendrin in der Spitzengruppe. Von daher war es okay. Dann setzte der Regen ein und ich hatte Schwierigkeiten, die Bedingungen einzuschätzen. Ich bin ein paar Mal auf der Seite des Reifens weggerutscht, ohne dabei Gas zugeben. Das hat mich ein bisschen vorsichtig gemacht. Etwas später habe ich zu einem guten Rhythmus zurückgefunden, doch dann begann es erneut zu regnen und das Fahren wurde wieder schwieriger.
Im zweiten Lauf habe ich alles gegeben und versucht, den Sieg zu holen. Das Heck des Bikes war nun stabiler als im ersten Rennen. Dann begann es wieder zu regnen, und das hat auch eine Rolle gespielt. Dennoch haben wir zu diesem Zeitpunkt haben wir immer noch im Kampf um den Sieg mitgemischt. Aber dann bekam ich das Problem mit dem Motor. Es war frustrierend. Es wäre schön gewesen, bei meinem Heimrennen auf dem Podium zu stehen, aber leider hatten wir heute keinen guten Tag.“
Andrea Buzzoni (Leiter BMW Motorrad WSBK):
„Wir müssen unseren Fokus weiter auf die Meisterschaft ausrichten. Das hat das Team getan und wird es weiter tun, und sich als konstante und starke Mannschaft präsentieren. Die Ergebnisse dieses Rennwochenendes spiegeln unser Potenzial nicht wider, heute war ein ungewöhnlicher Tag. Im ersten Rennen hat das unbeständige Wetter dafür gesorgt, dass innerhalb des Feldes unterschiedliche Prioritäten gesetzt wurden. Im zweiten Rennen hätte Chaz gewinnen oder zumindest auf das Podium fahren können. Doch dann hatte er einen technischen Defekt, der uns den Erfolg kostete. Das Team hat in einer schwierigen Situation professionell und mit hoher Motivation weitergearbeitet. Glücklicherweise haben die Ergebnisse in Bezug auf die Gesamtwertungen keine allzu negativen Auswirkungen für uns und am Nürburgring werden wir uns zurückmelden. Dann wollen wir wieder um Siege kämpfen. Auf der anderen Seite hatten wir in der Superstock-Klasse einen fantastischen Tag. Das Team und die Jung von BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport in München haben exzellente Arbeit geleistet. Mit zwei großartigen Siegen hat Sylvain einmal mehr bewiesen, dass er ein konstanter und reifer Fahrer ist.“
Andrea Dosoli (Technischer Direktor BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team):
„Unsere Fahrer hatten heute beide sehr schwierige Rennen. Im Vergleich zu gestern haben wir Anzeichen einer Steigerung gesehen. Chaz hatte ein besseres Gefühl für das Bike, vor allem im zweiten Lauf. Da ist er ein fantastisches Rennen gefahren, und ich muss ihm und seiner Crew dazu gratuliere. Aber leider konnte er das Rennen wegen eines Problems mit dem Motor nicht beenden. Das tut uns leid für ihn, und es war für uns alle schade. Doch das kann im Rennsport passieren. Wir müssen nun aus dem Geschehenen lernen, es besser machen und dann gut gerüstet an den Nürburgring reisen. Für Marco war es sicherlich nicht einfach, von Platz 15 loszufahren. Er hatte zwei gute Starts und konnte dann recht schnelle Rundenzeiten fahren, schnellere als am Freitag und am Samstag. Damit hat er gezeigt, dass sich sein Gefühl für das Bike gebessert hatte, aber es war noch nicht gut genug. Er hatte in beiden Rennen beim Einlenken Schwierigkeiten mit der Front und das hat ihn beim Überholen behindert. Das Wetter hat dabei sicher nicht geholfen, aber das war für alle gleich und soll keine Ausrede sein. Wir müssen unser Paket weiter verbessern, damit wir für die nächsten Rennen gerüstet sind, egal wie das Wetter wird.“
--
Back-to-back podiums for FIXI Crescent Suzuki at Silverstone!
Cluzel took a stunning second in race two, after leading the race for three laps. He got a good start from 10th on the grid and by the end of lap-one had moved up four places. He continued his march through the field and by lap-eight was in the top-three. Cluzel was involved in a monumental battle with a number of riders for the top places including team-mate Camier, which saw the FIXI Crescent Suzuki duo take first and second place as the race wore on. Cluzel battled on in to second place after Camier had suffered some bad luck and dropped a couple of places, but as the rain got heavier the Frenchman crashed out. Cluzel never let go of his machine and quickly re-mounted and for once luck was on the side of the FIXI Crescent Suzuki man, as unfortunately another rider also crashed and the race was red-flagged. The result was declared from the previous lap, which saw Cluzel take a deserved second place and give the team its best-ever result in World Superbikes. Camier challenged all the way to the line before finishing in a very creditable fifth.
Camier carried the torch for the Yoshimura-powered GSX-R in race one, as the Birthday Boy celebrated in style by taking a hard-earned podium after 17 tough laps of racing. The start was delayed as rain gently fell on the 5,902m track, but when the race started Camier got a poor start and found himself back in 10th place at the end of the first-lap. The rain stayed off until lap-six when it started to fall on parts of the track. As none of the front runners came in to change tyres, Camier seized his opportunity and bravely pushed on to make his way through the field. On lap-12 he had made his way to third, Camier again attacked and on lap-16 he was in second, but couldn’t hold on to the position as a last-lap battle with Eugene Laverty saw Camier miss out on the higher place. He brought his machine home in third for the team’s first podium finish of the season and a fitting reward to an impressive weekend’s performance. Cluzel also had strong first race, which also saw him push up into the top-three on lap-10, but his choice of tyre didn’t work to his advantage and he was unable to sustain his challenge. The rookie eventually finished in sixth place, but was sure a better result was possible if his gamble with the compound had worked.
FIXI Crescent Suzuki will now have a short summer break before it resumes racing action at Nurburgring in Germany on Sunday 1st September.
Jules Cluzel:
“It has been really good today, especially in the second race because I chose the right tyre and my pace was fast. I didn’t get a very good start, but in the dry I was able to come back and when I saw some little spots of rain I continued to push hard because it was not wet. I had some chance to make up some places and for the first time this season the rain helped me. The last lap was unbelievable though, because as I arrived in the corner it was impossible to stay on the bike, but I was able to get back on and then the race was stopped, so I finished second. I think I deserved this result and I want to say thank-you to my team for all their hard work. I also want to congratulate Leon on a great podium and wish him a very Happy Birthday – I enjoyed his cake!”
Leon Camier:
“The first race was good, because everything on the bike felt good and it performed well. When it dried out fully I felt like we didn’t quite have the pace of the others, but in the in-between conditions I made the most of it so I was able to be in there at the end. I made a pass on Eugene on the last-lap but he came past on the straight and I couldn’t do anything about that. I tried again, but couldn’t get past him as I felt I was on the limit. In the second race I got a better start and the bike was working really well – the guys have done a great job with it this weekend – and towards the end of the race I felt stronger than everyone else. I thought I had the speed to win the race so I was disappointed with the result. I got beaten up a couple of times in the turns and then Chaz blew up in-front of me and that cost a lot of time. Then Guintoli pushed me wide and it turned into one of those races. If you were in the wrong place at the wrong time it was a bit of carnage and that was what happened to me!
“I want to say a big ‘well done’ to Jules, he rode two really good races today and it was great to see him get that result in the second race, not just for him, but for the whole team and all our sponsors here today.”
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“It’s been a great day for FIXI Crescent Suzuki here at Silverstone and just rewards for the incredible dedication and efforts that the team continually makes. There was a moment about four-laps from the end of the second race when Leon and Jules were first and second – and pulling away – when I thought the day would go from positive to dreamlike! I don’t think there is much I can say about the performances of both riders that can’t be seen from the incredible racing footage and the results they achieved. I genuinely believe that if the second race had stayed dry, that with five-laps to go, Leon was in a position to pull away and win. He had incredible pace, but being the first rider to arrive in the rain and a bit of bad luck with Davies’s BMW exploding in front of him knocked him backwards. I don’t think we can be unsatisfied with a third and a fifth for Leon and Jules backing that up with an amazing ride to second in the second race was more than we could have asked for.
“I want to thank all of our partners, sponsors and guests for coming this weekend, it was incredibly busy and I hope that they all had a great time and went away happy with these two results. I also want to thank all the team and hospitality crew for a fantastic job in all departments.”
Silverstone – eni FIM Superbike – Race One:
1. Jonathan Rea (Honda) 37’16.058: 2. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia) +3.073: 3. LEON CAMIER (FIXI CRESCENT SUZUKI) +3.480: 4. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) +3.608: 5. Loris Baz (Kawasaki) +4.140: 6. JULES CLUZEL (FIXI CRESCENT SUZUKI) +5.659:
Silverstone – eni FIM Superbike – Race Two:
1. Baz 33.46’622: 2. JULES CLUZEL (FIXI CRESCENT SUZUKI) +0.609: 3. Laverty +869: 4. Rea +2.145: 5. LEON CAMIER (FIXI CRESCENT SUZUKI) +2.229:
World Championship Classification:
1. Guintoli 262: 2. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 249: 3. Laverty 226: 4. Marco Melandri (BMW) 221: 5. Chaz Davies (BMW) 180: 9. LEON CAMIER (FIXI CRESCENT SUZUKI) 114: 10. JULES CLUZEL (FIXI CRESCENT SUZUKI) 113:
Temperature : Air 19°C / Track 20°C
Humidity : 50%
Race 2 Conditions : Mixed Weather Conditions
Temperature : Air 21°C / Track 26°C
Humidity : 53%
Pata Honda’s Jonathan Rea won the first of today’s two ninth-round World Superbike championship races at Silverstone in the UK – his 11th series victory – and followed up with fourth in race two, which was stopped early because of rain.
It was a day of mixed conditions at the 5.902km Silverstone circuit, with race one delayed by 20 minutes and shortened by one lap, but starting dry. As light rain began to fall on lap six, however, 26-year-old Rea moved to the front and extended his lead to more than six seconds before easing off in the closing two laps.
Rea’s Pata Honda team-mate, Leon Haslam, climbed as high as third place during the damp conditions of race one, but slipped back to finish seventh at the flag. The 30-year-old crashed out two laps from the end of race two, bringing out the red flags as rain fell once more on the Northamptonshire circuit. Haslam landed heavily on the left leg that he broke in a crash at Assen earlier in the season, although precautionary x-rays revealed no further damage.
Rea got a slow start to race two, circulating in ninth place before making a steady climb towards another podium challenge. However, the red flags prevented any further progress, leaving Rea as the overall Silverstone winner as the Superbike World Championship goes into a month-long summer break.
Jonathan Rea – 1st and 4th
Race one was probably one of the sweetest victories of my career because to ride out-front in those conditions was quite scary. I was so happy for the whole team and our sponsors, but I had to be very cautious. I also had to be smart and, as I saw the gap heading into the last few laps, I didn’t want to be throwing away that kind of lead. My team gave me a great bike after we pulled something out for Superpole that worked in the dry. We made a good change for race two and got up to fourth after I got stuck behind Tom Sykes for a few laps. I lost way too much time at the beginning but I was happy to do a 2m05s lap in the later stages. The race two result was OK but we can go into the summer break happy enough that we’ve got an overall package that can challenge for podiums.
Leon Haslam – 7th and DNF
It’s been a frustrating weekend really and we’ve had issues right the way through until warm-up this morning. We made a big step forward for that and I had pretty good pace in race one, but starting from back in twelfth place was quite hard work. I managed to get up to a position to fight for the podium but made a few mistakes late on and missed out on that. I got a terrible start to race two and got stuck behind Guigliano but started to make my way through and into the top 10. Unfortunately, the rain came and I got caught out with a big highside. My leg’s pretty sore and I’ve got an operation to take some screws out this week. A month off will be good for the leg though, and in Germany I know I’ll be a lot fitter. At least we know the bike’s working in in-between conditions, with Johnny’s race one win, but we’re also still making good progress day-by-day in full dry conditions.
Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator
Both races were rain-affected and conditions got really tricky in race one but Jonathan went to the front and gave us our first win of the season, which we were all delighted with. Leon was really fast in the intermediate conditions but slipped back a bit when it dried up at the end. In race two Jonathan got held up a bit and lost some time, but he got back up to fourth when the rain came back. All-in-all it was a good weekend for him. Leon’s pace was not so good in race two and he crashed, but fortunately he’s OK. The break will do him and everyone in the team some good but we’re looking forward to coming back at the Nurburgring.
Temperature : Air 20°C / Track 24°C
Humidity : 57%
Michael van der Mark and Lorenzo Zanetti each had to battle hard for points in today’s ninth round World Supersport race at Silverstone in the UK, which was won by Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoglu.
Starting from sixth place on the grid, 20-year-old van der Mark got a steady start and had climbed to fifth before his Honda CBR600RR touched another rider’s machine, forcing the Dutch ace off the track at the fast Copse corner.
Van der Mark re-joined the race in 22nd position but showed impressive pace and control to pass many riders on his way back to the top ten.
Lorenzo Zanetti had his own problems to contend with, not least of which were injuries sustained in his 255kph crash at Moscow Raceway in Russia two weeks ago. The 26-year-old Italian had thought it might be impossible to participate at Silverstone but sheer determination saw him take enough points to retain his fifth place in the overall championship standings.
Michael van der Mark – 9th
I made a stupid mistake when I had good pace and we could have been fighting for the podium. I am really sorry for the mistake, but the pace was great and we had found a good direction with the bike this weekend. I was really angry when I rejoined the race and I was really fast in this part. I hope that we can be back on the podium at the next race in Nurburgring.
Lorenzo Zanetti – 11th
I am really, really tired, but quite happy with this result. Before this weekend, I thought I would not be able to race here so 11th position is a bit like a victory. I raced for myself and for Andrea Antonelli and now I have a month for recovery. The last two weeks have been difficult and now I am looking forward to a rest. I want to arrive at Nurburgring in good condition so that I can finish the season really strongly.
Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator
Lorenzo’s result is almost more than we could have hoped for because of his injuries. He’s quite confident that if he had been fit he could have battled nearer the front. The break will do him some good but he did a great job here today. Michael had terrific pace but went off the track after a little mistake. He was passing a lot of people and doing really fast lap times after that, when he was as fast as the two guys at the front. The speed was there to take him to the podium but we’ll have to take what happened and try again in Germany.
