SUPERBIKE ENTERTAINS ONCE AGAIN.
DOUBLE PODIUM FOR A TOUGH MAX BIAGGI WHO LEAVES THE UNITED STATES AS RANKING LEADER OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
EUGENE LAVERTY FINISHES FIFTH AND SIXTH IN THE TWO RACES AT MILLER MOTORSPORTS PARK.
Tooele (Utah), 28 May 2012 – The United States was the venue for yet another great Superbike race. Two spectacular races, especially for the lead pack, which the Aprilia Racing Team left with good spoils thanks to Max Biaggi's double podium.
The Corsair, taking third place twice, got off to a good start from the second row in both races, then having to carefully tackle an extremely heated battle in the first curve.
As the laps went by, Max took advantage of his pace, gaining ground toward the podium. Even the suspension after three laps in Race 2 (due to oil left on the track by Aoyama's bike) was not enough to compromise Max's concentration, still ranking leader in the championship with an 18 point advantage over the nearest contender. However, overtaking cost Biaggi precious tenths of seconds, preventing him from battling for the win.
“Two good races – commented Max Biaggi – even if the hectic initial phases made us lose a lot of ground. I was able to recover well and make it to the third step of the podium, but unfortunately overtaking and battling for positions means that you can't lap the way you could on an open track. We are leaving the United States ahead in the standings, but the last few races have shown how BMW and Honda have been improving. We need to improve our bike as well, because our rivals' progress is clear”.
The sun at Miller Motorsports Park created some unexpected difficulties for Eugene Laverty, who appeared competitive during the practice sessions in lower temperatures. The rider from Toomebridge was unable to find the right feeling straight away in the new track conditions and had to settle for crossing under the chequered flag in fifth and sixth place.
Eugene does not hide his disappointment: “It was not a good day for me. To be honest my expectations were much higher. After the test session all the conditions were there to aim for the podium. Unfortunately in the higher temperatures I wasn't able to find the right feeling with my RSV4, which is not an uncommon problem when you're riding a new bike. In any case, points are important, especially since I'm continuing to learn and this will be helpful for the races to come”.
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SUPERPOLE AT MILLER MOTORSPORT PARK.
THE APRILIA RACING RIDERS WILL START FROM THE SECOND ROW TOMORROW.
SEVENTH TIME IN SUPERPOLE FOR MAX BIAGGI AND EIGHTH PLACE FOR EUGENE LAVERTY.
Tooele (Utah), 27 May 2012 – The Superpole round that just ended at Miller Motorsport Park saw the Aprilia Racing standard bearers take the second row on the starting grid. Max Biaggi, ranking leader in the world championship, is seventh, with team mate Eugene Laverty right behind him.
For Max the two races tomorrow will definitely be demanding. During the test sessions immediately prior to Superpole he worked hard with his mechanics, looking for that spark that would place him in the right conditions to battle for the positions that count. Progress was made, but the Corsair is convinced that there are still improvements to be made before the races tomorrow in order to keep up with the lead pack.
“I'm still not where I'd like to be – admitted Max – in spite of the amount of testing we've done, something is missing that would give us a consistent and fast pace. Superpole went well enough, although at the end of the day we weren't at the same level as the top riders. Tomorrow I expect to make more progress and move in the right direction to be able to push with greater confidence and aim for a good result”.
The Sunday sessions left Eugene Laverty with good sensations and a positive outlook. After consistent progress in the two practice sessions, Eugene came through the first two Superpole sessions without much difficulty. Unfortunately an unexpected problem kept him from competing in Superpole 3 and he had to settle for eighth place, which is still quite good.
Eugene knows that he can do better tomorrow: “Yesterday we were fast and today I'd say we got even better. The progress we've made with the set-up on my RSV4 lets me take full advantage of its potential. Even in Superpole on a qualifying tyre, I finally had a positive feeling. Tomorrow we'll start from the second row, which is not bad, and the goal is to battle for the podium”.
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FIRST TESTS AT MILLER MOTORSPORT PARK.
ONE WET AND ONE DRY SESSION FOR THE APRILIA RACING TEAM'S AMERICAN SATURDAY.
FOURTH FOR MAX BIAGGI AND EIGHTH FOR EUGENE LAVERTY IS A GOOD STARTING POINT FOR SUPERPOLE TOMORROW.
Tooele (Utah), 26 May 2012 – The first day of testing and practice session for World Superbike just ended at Miller Motorsport Park. The heavy rain during free practice was contrasted by the strong wind during qualifiers, held on a completely dry track.
The Aprilia Racing Team can consider itself satisfied after the first timed results, which place current ranking leader, Max Biaggi, on the board with the fourth time in the qualifying session, while Eugene Laverty ended the day in eighth place.
The Corsair, whose morning session was interrupted due to a technical problem, seems to have already identified the areas his work tomorrow needs to focus on. Max is not far behind the front runners, but the extreme competitiveness of his rivals forces him to search for the perfect set-up. As already seen in Donington, the time gaps in the dry today were once again insignificant, with 13 riders all within just over one second.
Max Biaggi knows that he will have to give 100%: “Considering the fact that I basically skipped the free practice, we're not off to a bad start here at Miller. There are obviously some areas where we need work, especially where we lost precious tenths of a second last year as well. We'll set up our work day tomorrow based on the information gathered today, specifically with changes to the suspension set-up, but not only that. Stop watch in hand, we'll see what impact the changes have on the track”.
For Eugene Laverty the first two sessions on the difficult American track can also be considered positive. The Northern Irish rider put in a lot of laps in the dry using the same tyre in order to focus on the way his RSV4 would behave. This leads to the conclusion that there is fair margin for improvement which Eugene will have to explore tomorrow.
“Today was one of our best first days of testing yet. I took a lot of laps on the same tyre because I wanted to get a feel for the way the bike would behave, focusing on the set-up. The eighth qualifying time doesn't show our true potential, but it's a good starting point for tomorrow. The goal is to have a good Superpole and to get ready for the two races on Monday”.
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THE APRILIA RACING TEAM FLIES TO THE USA FOR THE AMERICAN ROUND OF WSBK.
MAX BIAGGI ARRIVES AT MILLER MOTORSPORT PARK AS RANKING LEADER IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.
EUGENE LAVERTY WANTS TO FORGET HIS TROUBLES AT DONINGTON.
Tooele (Utah), 23 May 2012 – World Superbike 2012 heads to the United States to take on Miller Motorsport Park, a fast and technical track just outside Salt Lake City. The second non European round for the factory derivatives sees Max Biaggi as ranking leader in the rider standings, although point spreads are tight and the competitive quality his rivals have demonstrated are no comfort to the Corsair.
The races on Monday, another peculiarity of the American round, will therefore have an important impact on the championship which has been characterised from the start by a level playing field for all the contenders.
The Miller circuit has always been good to Max Biaggi and the Aprilia Racing Team: “The race in the USA is always a special round because it's different than the classic structure of the European rounds. I like this track. It's very technical and the fact that we have always had good results here attests to that. This year things have become complicated. There are more contenders for the podium and staying up front has become more and more difficult. We have the potential to do it, if we get off on the right foot straight away”.
Eugene Laverty wants to leave behind the disappointment of Donington, an unfortunate weekend for the Northern Irish rider. Miller Motorsport Park, which Eugene will take on for the first time astride his Aprilia RSV4, is a track that Eugene likes as well, where last year he took a fifth and fourth place during his World Superbike rookie year.
“I want to forget the last round and bounce back with two strong results at Miller. I've always enjoyed the American circuit and history shows that the Aprilia can be strong there as well. We've fallen a long way behind in the points now so we really need to be at the sharp end all weekend to get back in the mix”.
