BMW Motorrad Motorsport - WSBK - Phillip Island - Superpole
Phillip Island – Qualifying Practice 2 & Superpole.
Saturday, 26 February 2011.
Weather conditions: Sunny with some clouds in the afternoon.
Temperature: Air: 22 – 25 °C, Track: 36 – 49 °C
Number of riders participating: 22 from 13 teams
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:31.577 min
Fastest lap Superpole 3: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:30.882 min
After a tough start to the first race weekend of the 2011 season, Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport is happy with today’s Superpole Qualifying result. Both riders, Leon Haslam (GBR) and Troy Corser (AUS), made it into the third and final qualifying session, with Leon starting tomorrow’s races from fourth and Troy seventh.
Leon Haslam:
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:32.023 min (P7) / Fastest lap FP: 1:32.184 min (P4) / Fastest lap Superpole 3: 1:31.429 min (P4)
“This is a great result. If someone had offered me a front row start two weeks ago I would have been over the moon, so certainly we are all really happy. The team has pulled together and worked hard to overcome the issues we have had so far this weekend, and the end result has come at the right time. We have made good progress, but I still have a few areas I want to work on tomorrow before the races. Still as a team we are confident we have the pace to do well in the races tomorrow. Everybody in the team has worked very hard, so thanks to all the guys.”
Troy Corser:
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:32.520 min (P15) / Fastest lap FP: 1:32.820 min (P7) / Fastest lap Superpole 3: 1:32.182 min (P7)
“We struggled at the start of the weekend with the set-up, but since then we have all worked really hard to make positive steps forward. Leon and I were having the same issues, but collectively we found a solution and we both showed clear signs of improvement. In the last session I didn’t have a new qualifying tyre to go out on, so I had to settle for a used one, but I cannot complain. Our race pace looks pretty good on paper, but a lot depends on the temperatures around here. On the whole I think we can all look forward to tomorrow.”
Rainer Bäumel (Head of Race Operations):
“The entire team has worked very hard over the course of the last few days. Today we are satisfied, but at the same time we know it is still a long way from where we want to be. We made some alterations on the chassis side after yesterday’s sessions, and the grip level was higher today, which helped us a lot. Both Leon and Troy made it onto the front two rows, which makes us happy.”
