Sunday
DIFFICULT WEEKEND FOR APRILIA ALITALIA RACING TEAM ON THE NURBURGRING. MAX BIAGGI WAS UNABLE TO TAKE PART IN BOTH RACES DUE TO AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE INJURY HE SUSTAINED ON FRIDAY, WHILE LEON CAMIER, AFTER TAKING EIGHTH IN RACE 1, HAD A SLIDING CRASH IN THE HEAVY DOWNPOUR DURING THE SECOND RACE.
Nurburgring, September 4th, 2011 – The weekend which comes to a close in Nurburgring is one where hard luck and weather got the best of the Aprilia Alitalia team's efforts. World champion Max Biaggi was forced to sit out both races due to physical conditions: the fracture to the metatarsus in his left foot kept the Corsair from riding onto the track, in spite of both Max's and the Mobile Clinic doctors' best efforts.
Max cannot help but be disappointed: “I think it must be a Guinness world record to break a foot so badly without crashing! I tried everything I could to get onto the track today, but it was impossible to race under these conditions. The pain was just too severe. I am very disappointed. This is the first race that I've missed in 19 years of my career. Unfortunately we don't have any control over hard luck, which I hope has been satisfied with this weekend because I would really like to finish out the season well".
It was not a particularly happy weekend for Leon Camier either. In the first race the English rider came back from the thirteenth spot on the starting grid to seventh place, crossing the finish line in eighth after a slight error in the very last turn. Race 2, held in torrential rains, kept the riders busy just trying to stay in the saddle, let alone expressing their full potential. Leon, with a fourth place finish in his grasp, could do nothing when his Aprilia RSV4 lost grip in a puddle in a turn on the 12th lap. The red flag came out one lap later to suspend the race.
“It was truly dangerous to run Race 2 – confirmed Leon – There were puddles everywhere, visibility was terribly reduced and the situation got worse lap after lap. Other riders also had trouble in the turn where I slid. There was a virtual river running across the asphalt. It's a shame, I think they could have stopped the race earlier given the track conditions, but there's no use complaining about it now”.
Saturday
SUPERPOLE AT THE NURBURGRING: DESPITE SEVERE PAIN TO HIS RIGHT FOOT, INJURED YESTERDAY, MAX BIAGGI GRITS HIS TEETH AND EARNS AN EXCELLENT SPOT ON THE FIRST ROW.
Nurburgring, September 3rd, 2011 – Not even the severe pain to his left foot, particularly while changing gears, keeps world champion Max Biaggi from taking a spot on the front row in the Nurburgring Superpole.
The Corsair fought hard right from the start, coming through the first two sessions and ending with the third best time in the final battle of the top eight. 1’54.743 was his time which, in spite of it all, allows him to look forward to the races tomorrow with a half smile.
His physical condition remains the unknown factor. Max suffered the after-effects of yesterday's injury during each and every lap, able to ride but with great difficulty. The check-up at the Mobile Clinic showed a fracture to the metatarsus, but the decision to race or not will be made only tomorrow morning, once Max's condition and the effects of the treatment he is undergoing have been evaluated right before the race.
Max confirms the doubts: "The position on the grid isn't bad at all. I'm more worried about being able to last that many laps. The foot I injured yesterday hurts constantly and the situation got worse lap after lap. It's a struggle for me to engage the gears now and I can't ride, so that doesn't make me very optimistic. All we can do now is wait for tomorrow morning".
Leon Camier's performance in Superpole was not positive, in spite of the good lap times he had put up in the previous sessions. The English rider was just barely eliminated (by 31 thousandths of a second) in Superpole 1 and tomorrow he'll have to start from the thirteenth spot on the grid. His good race pace may let Leon make a comeback during the race, keeping in mind that the weather forecast predicts rain tomorrow on the German Nurburgring circuit”.
Friday
MAX BIAGGI GETS OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT AT THE NURBURGRING. FIRST IN QUALIFIERS ON FRIDAY, THE CORSAIR IS READY TO DO BATTLE FOR THE GERMAN WSBK WEEKEND.
Nurburgring, September 2nd, 2011 – After the rainfall this morning which compromised the first session, the Friday afternoon qualifiers on the German Nurburgring track start to show interesting times. Key player in the standings is Max Biaggi, with a decisively motivated first place at the end of the day.
The Corsair is obviously working quite hard on the set-up of his Aprilia Alitalia RSV4: the clock, which is the true judge of the competition, gives hope for tomorrow's Superpole and the races on Sunday. The details still need to be refined, especially on the rear of the bike where Max still hasn't found the right feeling. There are, however, some physical problems: during the qualifying session Max was struck on the left foot by a piece of drainage grate, kicked up by the rider ahead of him, causing a bad contusion.
Max is in a positive frame of mind after the first two sessions: "It's good to put a helmet and racing leathers on after a month long break. My adrenaline confirms that I still have a strong desire to get on the track and do well. We're working as we always do on the set-up and we have identified the line to follow where we'll be working to find the best compromise. Especially regarding the feeling with the rear, which is still not doing what I'd like it to".
Leon Camier is sizing up the track, fifth in the morning but only fourteenth in the second session. The English rider is confident and seems to have identified the points that need work.
“I'm still trying to familiarize myself with the track and the bike – confirms Leon – even if we're not too far off on the pace. I haven't been able to take a truly fast lap, but I'm sure that with a few adjustments to the bike and a bit more feeling on my part we'll be able to keep up with the front riders".