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BMW Motorrad Motorsport - WSBK - Kyalami - Superpole

16/05/2010

Weather conditions: Sunny, partly cloudy in the afternoon.

Temperature: Air: 20 – 25°C, Track: 28 – 34°C

Number of riders participating: 22 from 13 teams

Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: Jakub Smrz (Team PATA B&G Racing) 1:38.292 min

Fastest lap Superpole 3: Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Team) 1:37.243 min

 
A disappointing Saturday for Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport in Kyalami (RSA): 38-years-old Troy Corser (AUS) will start tomorrow’s races from 12th, while Ruben Xaus (ESP) qualified 15th. Troy set a lap time of 1:38.210 min in today’s Superpole Qualifying, while Ruben’s quickest lap was 1:38.471 min.

Troy Corser:

Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:38.896 min / Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:39.142 min / Fastest lap Superpole 2: 1:38.210 min

“Today’s result is frustrating. On race tyres the bike does not feel too bad. We can be quite consistent with good lap times. As soon as we fit the qualifying tyre, we cannot benefit from the additional grip and I have trouble steering the bike. I have understeer in a lot of places, and in the slow, tight corners the front wheel is closing, especially in the second half of the circuit. I have to be very sensitive with the brakes. Tomorrow’s races will be tough. I had good starts in the last couple of races and usually I make up positions just after the start, but here we approach the first corner quickly. There are not many places where you can overtake here.”

Ruben Xaus:

Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:39.494 min / Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:39.432 min / Fastest lap Superpole 2: 1:38.471 min

“We were not too far away from Superpole 3. Although the bike has improved a lot, I struggle with a closing front wheel in nearly every corner. The rear pushes the front, and the front wheel is just sliding. The bike does not really allow me to brake properly. We somehow need to find a solution for this problem. I would like to thank my mechanics today, they have worked really hard over the course of the weekend as we have been trying out a lot of things.”

Davide Tardozzi (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager):

“Today’s result is a shame. Both riders are really quick in the first and second split times of the track, but they are struggling in the second half of the circuit. Both Ruben and Troy complained about a closing front wheel and understeer. We will now try to fix this issue and work on tomorrow’s set-up. We still believe we can have good races.”