BMW Motorrad Motorsport - WSBK - Nürburgring - Superpole
Weather conditions: Mostly cloudy.
Temperature: Air: 13 – 21°C, Track: 18 – 30°C
Number of riders participating: 19 from 12 teams
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:55.232 min
Fastest lap Superpole 3: Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing) 1:54.595 min
The Saturday of the FIM Superbike World Championship at the Nürburgring (GER) started in a more than promising way for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Troy Corser (AUS) topped the timesheets in the second Qualifying Practice and then again in the Free Practice, setting the fastest time of the whole weekend so far, before crashing out in the first corner. But in the Superpole the team’s fortunes turned. All of a sudden Troy was struggling and crashed two more times, finishing 14th. Ruben Xaus (ESP) was on course for a good qualifying for the final Superpole session, but also crashed when another rider in front of him suddenly slowed. This meant Ruben could not improve his time and finished 11th. The most important thing is that both drivers escaped unhurt, and all that bad luck only gives the team even more motivation for tomorrow's races.
Ruben Xaus:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:55.804 min / Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:56.583 min / Fastest lap Superpole 2: 1:55.375 min
“I have been struggling today with grip. Going into Superpole I thought I could make it onto the second row, but sadly I have to settle for a row three start. The bike feels good, so we just need to work on a few things to ensure the grip levels are consistent. All in all I am happy with the progress we have made so far. I am not setting any goals for the races tomorrow, am just going out there to do my best and hopefully the setup we have for the race will work well. I am certainly looking forward to the races.”
Troy Corser:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:55.429 min / Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:55.081 min / Fastest lap Superpole 3: 1:55.599 min
“In the first two crashes I just lost the front going into the first corner - without warning. With the qualifying tyre we had no rear grip compared to what we had on the race tyre. There was nothing I could do. It is a little disappointing because I feel we had a good balance for the bike, a good setting and I could have easily finished on the first row. But we never give up. The lap times we can do are fast enough, so we will just try to have a good start and make our way through the field.”
Davide Tardozzi (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager):
“We were convinced we would be in the last Superpole session with both riders, and that we would even be in contention for the Superpole with Troy. There is not much to say. But we are still optimistic for tomorrow because Troy proved that the bike is good and he can manage a podium.”
