BMW Motorrad Motorsport - WSBK - Magny-Cours - Superpole
Weather conditions: Scattered clouds.
Temperature: Air: 19 – 24 °C, Track: 22 – 40 °C
Number of riders participating: 21 from 13 teams
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: Sylvain Guintoli (Althea Racing) 1:38.300 min
Fastest lap Superpole 3: Cal Crutchlow (Sterilgarda Yamaha Racing) 1:37.699 min
There are a couple of question marks for Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport after Saturday’s Superpole Qualifying in Magny-Cours (FRA). With the top sixteen riders within eight tenths of a second, the Superpole Qualifying was one of the closest ever of the 2010 season. Both riders,Troy Corser (AUS) and Ruben Xaus (ESP), complained about a lack of grip and will start Sunday’s races from the third row of the grid. While Troy qualified ninth and is in a good position for the start tomorrow, Ruben finished the Superpole Qualifying 11th.
Troy Corser:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:38.801 min / Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:39.508 min / Fastest lap Superpole 2: 1:38.250 min
“Tomorrow will be a really tough day for us. We definitely need to get a good start. When you approach the first hairpin you really want to be in a good position, as you can lose a lot of time there. We still need to find more grip. We have tried everything on the bike to get more grip, but whatever we tried did not work out. This is quite confusing. Nevertheless, we will have a look at the data and see what we can do for tomorrow.”
Ruben Xaus:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:38.793 min / Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:39.748 min / Fastest lap Superpole 2: 1:38.364 min
“I am slightly disappointed with the outcome today. We have been improving all weekend and our pace on race tyres has been good. Sadly we are still suffering from some grip issues when the bike is on the edge of the tyre, which is preventing me from posting a really good lap time. Still I know we have a good race pace and, given a good start tomorrow, I think we can be up there with the leading pack. The pace in this championship has been so good all year, so we know it is not going to be easy tomorrow. But my team will do everything it can to give me what I need to hopefully finish the year on a high.”
Rainer Bäumel (Technical Director Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport):
“This was a tough day for us. Starting from the third row will be tough as well, and we need to make good starts in the races. Troy’s starting position is not too bad: Although he will go into the races only from the third row, he will be able to enter the first corner from the outside. It seems as if the grip level has dropped from yesterday to today. While Ruben generally handles this situation well and has had a good pace all weekend long, Troy especially is suffering a lot. We again consider some chassis changes to improve the grip.”
