BMW Motorrad Motorsport - WSBK - Monza - Qualifying Practice 1
Weather conditions: Overcast, some rain showers in the afternoon.
Temperature: Air: 17 – 22 °C, Track: 20 – 25 °C
Number of riders participating: 24 from 15 teams
Fastest lap Free Practice: Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Team) 1:43.758 min
Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Team) 1:44.577 min
Programme:
Both Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders, Troy Corser (AUS) and Ruben Xaus (ESP), had a solid start to the fifth race weekend of the 2010 FIM Superbike World Championship season. The team worked on the Monza specific set-up for the BMW S 1000 RR of the two riders during Friday’s Free Practice session. The start of the afternoon session was declared wet. Both Troy and Ruben were able to set good lap times on the drying track and finished the Qualifying Practice fourth and sixth respectively.
Troy Corser:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:44.416 min (7th) / Fastest lap Qualifying 1: 1:45.234 min (4th)
“I am quite happy. I am not over pushing the bike at all, and we are able set good lap times quite easily. With a little bit of luck, we can be quickest here tomorrow. The bike is really strong here. The bike’s settings feel not too bad for the first day of the weekend. The engine is definitely strong, and the bike is fast. We now have to work a little bit on the engine braking. There is still some room for improvement, not so much from top speed into the chicanes, but in the mid-speed corners.”
Ruben Xaus:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:44.547 min (9th) / Fastest lap Qualifying 1: 1:45.542 min (6th)
“I really did a lot of laps during today’s Qualifying Practice – 23 laps are more than an entire race distance. Of course, on a high-speed circuit like Monza the impact on the brakes is massive. At the end of the session the brakes were not in the best condition any more, and I couldn’t really attack. Nevertheless, on my quick lap I followed Max Neukirchner, but missed the line in the first chicane. I was able to close the gap to Max again and finally pass him in the Ascari corner. When I braked into Parabolica I went wide, and Max was able to pass me. The traction control saved the situation and I was still in a position to do quite a good lap time. A big “Thank You” to all my crew. They have been helping me all season long. I want to keep going ahead like this.”
Davide Tardozzi (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager):
“We are very happy today, as we have been consistently close to the top guys. Finishing today’s Qualifying Practice in fourth and sixth is a really good result. I am especially happy that Ruben is back. For us, it is important that both riders are close to the top.”
