RACE 2
The Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team experienced a weekend of ups and downs at the debut of the SBK 2010 World Championships. Following a difficult Superpole, which ended with Max Biaggi in eleventh position and Leon Camier in sixteenth, the Aprilia RSV4s returned to their competitive nature out on the track.
In Race 1 Max Biaggi recovered from tenth position and ended up with a good fifth place finish after a long battle for fourth position. Leon Camier took his Aprilia RSV4 to eleventh place after overshooting and being forced to re-enter the race and catch up. In any case, both of the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team drivers showed that they are able to keep up with the times turned in by the top drivers.
Something quite similar also occurred in Race 2. This time both Biaggi and Camier paid their dues for running of the track (during the fourth lap for Max and during the ninth for Leon). Despite the severe handicap, both re-entered the tight group that was following the five leaders and battling it out the sixth to twelfth positions, and managed to race once again after setting excellent paces. The race ended with Biaggi in eighth position and the young Brit finishing eleventh.
The results left somewhat of a bitter taste, but they also provide some important points in a world championship that even this early on is proving to be extraordinarily balanced.
“It didn’t go very well,” stated Biaggi. “In Race 2, I went straight for the little curve, where Camier went off the track twice, because I was at my limit, and in these situations, a mistake is right around the bend. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but I’m not going away disheartened or discouraged because we are aware of our own potential and we know we can surely do better when once we have eliminated these problems.”
“I’m very sorry about all of the mistakes I made,” said Camier. “In Race 1 I tried to pass the other drivers at the little curve, but I overshot a bit while braking and in order to avoid hitting Max, I went off track. Then I really pushed to recover as many positions as possible. During the second race, I started off quite well and I was with the lead group right behind Checa, who immediately passed Toseland. When I attempted to pass, we ended up a bit wide. Then I shifted into the wrong gear and overshot at the same curve as in Race 1. I’m disappointed because I ran with very good times and seeing how the race ended, I could have had an excellent result. We’ve improved a lot, but I wasted a good opportunity. Now we’re headed to Portimao, a track that I know well and where I intend to keep up with the leaders. But, there’s still a lot of work to do and I especially have to improve during the Superpole.”
RACE 1
Race 1 of the first SBK round of the 2010 season took place against the splendid backdrop of the Australian track at Philip Island. The weather was a bit dubious, with cloudy skies and strong winds - quite different from what the drivers encountered in recent days. And it was Leon Haslam, on his Suzuki, who won this first race in a photo-finish just ahead of Fabrizio and Haga, both on Ducati Factories.
It was also a good race for Max Biaggi, who, after a slow start, moved into tenth position during the first lap. The Roman driver then set an excellent pace and caught up to Rea and Checa who were fighting it out for fourth place. The duel with the Brit continued until the end of the race, with the two drivers passing each other nonstop at the end of the straightaway and at the entrance to the final curve during the last six laps. In the end Max lost out to Rea and had to settle for fifth place.
Leon Camier also had a good run at his debut here at Philip Island. The young English driver started off well, already recovering four positions by the end of the first lap. Leon set a good pace and during the tenth lap managed to catch up with Biaggi, Rea and Checa in the little group battling it out for fourth place. Unfortunately, an error just six laps from the end of the race which caused him to overshoot the first curve left him out of the running and set him back to fourteenth position. Nevertheless, Camier managed to stay focused and kept pushing forward, crossing the finish line in eleventh place.
SUPERPOLE
The first Superpole of the 2010 SBK season held many surprises. Without a real favourite to win, it was Leon Haslam who turned in the best time at this very difficult Australian track at Philip Island.
And it was eleventh place for Max Biaggi with a time of 1:32:850, which he obtained in Superpole2. The Roman driver passed the first stage in seventh place, using his first available racing tyre. During the second, he used the first qualifying tyre, but he was left out of the final eight by a tenth of a second.
Leon Camier ended up in the fourth row with a time of 1:32:293. The young English driver passed the SP1 in tenth position with the racing tyres. During the second stage, Leon used his first qualifying tyre, but was forced to return to the pits because he was blocked by the other drivers. So he re-entered the track with the second available racing tyre, but at the fourth turn he lost control of the front wheel and fell to the ground. He managed to get up and continue, but had no time left for a last attempt and re-entered the pits in sixteenth place.
"It’s the same problem,” declared Biaggi. “We suffer too much because of the rough terrain and it creates skips and annoying vibrations. So we can’t take advantage of the bend angle and the ideal lines and therefore we don’t use the power that we have available. Also, the new qualifying tyres aren’t helping us because, in order to last for several laps, they don’t offer the necessary grip that we would need to make time. Just like last year, Philip Island has proven to be a difficult track for us, I can’t drive as I should, and I lose those precious tenths of a second along the track.”
“I’m very sorry,” said Camier. “I ran stronger with the racing tyre than with the qualifying tyre. In Superpole 2 I lost time with Toseland who blocked me on a good lap and I had to return to the pits. So I changed to the other racing tyre and at curve 4, when I had already had a good intermediate time, I lost control of the front wheel and ended up on the ground. It’s a real shame because with 2-3 tenths of a second less, I could have started off from the third row. This morning, the bike was working much better and I achieved good times, but there’s still a lot of work to do for tomorrow’s two races.”
QUALIFYING SESSIONS
Max Biaggi opens the season with the sixth fastest time (1:32:850) 0:695 behind the best time achieved by the Spaniard Carlos Checa (1:32:155). A fall halfway through the trial, without any physical consequences for the driver, contributed to complicating the Roman’s quest for the best configuration for his Aprilia RSV4 in preparation for Sunday’s races.
During the trial run session, Max recorded a maximum speed of 319.8 km/h,a new absolute record at the Philip Island track and testimony to the Aprilia 4-cylinder bike’s ability to reach extremely high speeds.
Rookie Leon Camier managed to finish in eleventh place with a time of 1:33:296. The young English driver is continuing to improve his feeling with the difficult Australian track, even if he is still having some suspension problems.
"This track is giving us trouble,” declared Biaggi. “In the long curves, the bike suffers on the disconnections, not smooth them and you can feel the skips, so we aren’t able to maintain the ideal lines and that’s a real problem for us. The fall was also a consequence of this problem, and because of the vibrations in the curve at the first bend, I lost control of the front wheel, but luckily I wasn’t hurt.”