ALL ITALIAN VICTORY IN RACE 1 AND PODIUM IN RACE 2 IN SPAIN.
RANKING LEADER MAX BIAGGI RIDES A BRILLIANT RACE 1 AND FINISHES JUST SHORT OF THE PODIUM IN RACE 2.
SECOND PLACE FOR EUGENE LAVERTY IN RACE 2 AFTER FIFTH PLACE IN THE FIRST.
Aragon, 1 July 2012 – The two Superbike races in Aragon Motorland resulted in good spoils for Aprilia Racing. An exciting Race 1, with Max Biaggi taking victory after a heated battle with Melandri, opened up the show for this World Superbike Spanish Sunday.
Getting off to a great start from the second spot on the starting grid, Max set a pace on the track which none of the other rivals except Melandri were able to maintain. From the halfway point of the race on positions were inverted frequently without either of the contenders leaving a gap behind the front runner. A perfect overtake by Max two laps from the end put an end to the competition: the rider of the Aprilia RSV4 with the unmistakeable number 3 on the fairing earned an advantage which was sufficient for him to cross the finish line first.
In Race 2 four riders fought the battle for victory. Melandri and Biaggi were joined by Laverty and Davies, launching a battle which ended with Max in fourth place, just short of the podium. The Corsair maintains the lead in the rider rankings, 48 points in front of Melandri and 65.5 ahead of Rea.
“We certainly didn’t hold anything back – commented Max Biaggi right after the race – we were basically all in the same conditions, so there was no way to make the difference. I really had to give 100%, especially after the halfway point when the tyres started to lose grip and I had to be careful not to make any mistakes. After overtaking the last time in Race 1, the decisive overtake, I gained a few metres advantage and managed to win”.
It was a positive Sunday for Eugene Laverty as well, with victory in Race 2 just out of reach, having to settle for second place. The Northern Irish rider, after complaining of a lack of grip in the first race, was able to improve enough to aim for victory in the second. Just 42 thousandths of a second separated him from the top step of the podium, a result which leaves Eugene quite satisfied.
Laverty’s words confirm this: “I came here with the goal of getting on the podium and I achieved that. It was a shame for Race 1. I didn’t have the grip to keep up with the lead pack and I finished fifth. Before the second race we made some changes that allowed me to ride significantly better, even enough to get out in front. In the last lap Marco overtook me where I didn’t expect it, but second place is still an excellent result that lets me leave the difficulties of the last few rounds behind me”.
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SUPERPOLE AT ARAGON.
TWO APRILIAS ON THE FRONT ROW AFTER SUPERPOLE: MAX BIAGGI TAKES SECOND PLACE, FOLLOWED BY TEAM MATE EUGENE LAVERTY.
JUST ONE INCREDIBLE LAP BY SYKES PREVENTS THE APRILIA RACING TEAM FROM TAKING A ONE-TWO IN SUPERPOLE.
Aragon, 30 June 2012 – The Aragon Superpole was the umpteenth confirmation of the level that the World Superbike Championship has reached. At the end of three very close sessions the Aprilia Racing Team finds itself with both riders on the front row: Max Biaggi and Eugene Laverty did not disappoint expectations after showing consistent speed throughout the weekend.
The Corsair's Superpole can be considered perfect. Max came through the first two sessions easily without making any mistakes and arriving at the last session in the best possible conditions. His time was surpassed only by a fantastic lap by Tom Sykes, the Superpole specialist: this, however, does not take away from Biaggi's performance, who will turn up on the starting grid tomorrow with absolute motivation.
Max Biaggi had this to say about his Superpole: “This second place comes after some good test sessions which placed us consistently in the top five. I like this track. We were fast here last year as well, so it's a shame about first place, but Tom was really faster than anyone else. I think tomorrow will be a battle. Most of the riders will be in the running and we'll have to deal with the temperatures. We still have some uncertainties that we'll try to resolve between this evening and the warm-up tomorrow morning”.
Eugene Laverty also had an excellent Superpole, finishing in third place under the chequered flag. The Northern Irish rider proved to be fast during the sessions leading up to Superpole, confirming the progress made during the tests at Aragon last week. Eugene is well aware of the difficulties ahead, but he is also confident in his chances of battling for the positions that count.
“The first row is definitely a good result – confirmed Eugene – but the most satisfying thing is the pace we've demonstrated during all the practice sessions. We did some work on the bike to solve the problems we had during the last few races and for the moment the results are quite encouraging. Things will be complicated tomorrow, but starting from the front is always an advantage, especially when there are several riders with a similar race pace”.
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POSITIVE FRIDAY FOR MAX BIAGGI, FIRST IN THE FREE PRACTICE SESSIONS AND SECOND IN THE QUALIFIERS.
A PROMISING THIRD AND FOURTH PLACE FOR EUGENE LAVERTY IN THE TWO SESSIONS.
Aragon, 29 June 2012 – The first sessions of the Spanish World Superbike round were held on the fiery hot track of Aragon . The Aprilia Racing Team demonstrated excellent form, both with ranking leader Max Biaggi and his team mate Eugene Laverty.
The Corsair, first in the morning free practice sessions and second in the qualifiers, worked hard to optimise tyre wear on several laps, a fundamental element given the high asphalt temperatures. In the second session Max was also involved in a sliding, but harmless crash on the last turn, in any case managing to get back to the garage without any physical or technical damage.
“We started off well – confirmed Max Biaggi – maybe we're not the absolute fastest out there, but we have a good pace. With these temperatures (about 60 degrees on the asphalt) the main problem is tyre life, which deteriorate quickly and make it difficult to be fast over a lot of laps. In any case the conditions are difficult. We'll evaluate what choices to make based on the weather and track conditions tomorrow and Sunday. I like this track, so we'll see how the weekend develops”.
Eugene Laverty also got off to a good start, benefiting as Max did from a day of testing on this track last week. The rider from Toomebridge made no secret of his desire to leave the last three, not particularly favourable race weekends behind him: today's third and fourth place seem to be a good calling card, even though there is still much work to be done.
“This was definitely the best Friday of the season. We knew we could be fast straight away after the good test sessions last week. I really want to forget about the last three races. Aragon could very well be the turning point for my season. Anyway there is still a lot of room for improvement before we can aim for the podium, which is still my goal. The temperatures are definitely not normal, especially for me, so Sunday I'll be expecting two hard races”.
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ON A FRIENDLY TRACK MAX BIAGGI SEEKS TO CONTINUE THE POSITIVE TREND AFTER HIS DOUBLE WIN AT MISANO.
EUGENE LAVERTY IS EAGER FOR REDEMPTION WITH HIS SIGHTS SET ON THE PODIUM.
Aragon, 27 June 2012 – The Superbike weekend at Aragon promises to be a heated one, and not only because of the expected temperatures. With the double victory in Misano at the end of two commanding performances, Max Biaggi has shaken up the rankings, extending his lead over the rivals, who will be looking to challenge the leadership of the Corsair straight away.
Even the tests which were held last week on the Spanish track showed that Max Biaggi is in grand form - focused and motivated as always. In any case, the races will be another story: the tight battle for the top positions will have an ideal venue in the technical and fast track of Aragon Motorland.
Max Biaggi is calm, but does not underestimate the difficulties: “The Misano races left a nice memory. The team is working well and I'm more focused than ever, even though the tests last week didn't go as we'd hoped, so we'll have to get the most out of what we have to work with. Those who were unlucky at Misano will certainly be eager to redeem themselves, so I expect the qualifying sessions and races to be extremely tight, where small details and motivation will make the difference”.
Eugene Laverty used the tests at Aragon to improve the feeling with his RSV4 after the difficulties during the last race weekend. The rider from Toomebridge sees the podium as his minimum goal, a result that is within reach if Eugene is able to find the right pace straight away.
“I'm entering Aragon in a positive frame of mind following our successful test at the same circuit last week. We discovered the electronics problem that has hindered us over the past three rounds and so I aim to be back on the podium again as we were in Assen and Monza. In one hand I'm angry that this issue has cost us severely in the championship fight but at the same time I'm relieved that at last we've fixed the problem. We are only at the halfway point of the season and so there are plenty of races left for me to fight my way back into the top five in the championship”.
