Today, teams and riders from the FIM Superbike World Championship experienced really hot conditions for the first time this season. At Misano (ITA), host of the seventh round of 2012, temperatures went up to 30 degrees Celsius. Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport proved to be competitive in these summery conditions. Factory rider Marco Melandri (ITA) was quickest in the free practice in the morning and qualified for the provisional first row in the afternoon, finishing the first qualifying practice in fourth. In that session, his team-mate Leon Haslam (GBR) was in the top three for a long time. At the end of the session he put his BMW S 1000 RR on the provisional second row being eighth. BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team rider Ayrton Badovini (ITA) finished the first qualifying practice in 12th; his team-mate Michel Fabrizio (ITA) was 18th.
Save the date: BMW Motorrad Motorsport is delighted to welcome you to a Happy Hour with music, drinks and snacks on Saturday, June 9, 5:30 pm at the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Hospitality in the paddock. Please find the invitation attached.
Marco Melandri
Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:36.613 min (P1)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: 1:36.795 min (P4)
“I am very happy about today. It was the first time riding in very hot conditions. We had one day of testing in Phillip Island when it was similar, but we have been at a different level since then. This afternoon we struggled a little bit with the feeling at the front. We tried to fix it and I think that in the end we made good progress. The bike was working much better. It is not going to be easy, but so far we can be happy. For sure, Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi will be very strong, but I will try to make their life not too easy.”
Leon Haslam
Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:37.713 min (P10)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: 1:37.009 min (P8)
“It was a good day. We collected a lot of data as we have a lot of tyre choices this weekend. We are doing more research on what tyre we are using and working on finding a set-up for each tyre we have. So far we have not tried them all yet, but three different options from five. With the options we will try tomorrow we can be faster, but we need to look for a tyre that lasts the whole race. Overall I am positive. We are not too far away, the times are pretty close and I didn’t throw tyres at it to get a lap time so I am really happy.”
Andrea Dosoli – Head of Race Operations
“Overall, this first day was positive for us. Both riders spent the two sessions working on the settings and evaluating different tyres. Marco was fastest this morning; in the afternoon with the hotter conditions it was a little bit more difficult for him and he was struggling entering corners. His crew collected good information and tomorrow for sure he will improve, although the gap to the front is not so big. We are confident that we can be faster and consistent. Leon and his crew have been working hard on several areas, including tyre selection, electronics and chassis. They will continue evaluating the tyres tomorrow. Also with Leon, it is clear in which direction we have to head in order to improve the lap time and we are sure that he will be faster tomorrow.”
