Superpole Results
An Australian rider on a German World SBK stole the Superpole show from the Italians at the race in Misano (ITA): Troy Corser (AUS) secured Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s historical first ever pole position in the FIM Superbike World Championship on Saturday.
Corser’s brilliant 1 minute 35.001 seconds was a new track best lap and BMW’s first ever Superpole win. In doing so he extended his own record of pole wins in WSBK racing to 43 and he did it in some style, finishing half a second clear of his nearest rival.
Italian riders Max Biaggi and Michel Fabrizio will start from second and third on Sunday. Troy lapped the 4.226 kilometre long Misano World Circuit in a new Superbike lap record of 1:35.001 mins. His team mate, Ruben Xaus (ESP), qualified 12th for Sunday’s races.
Troy Corser says: “First of all I would like to say ‘Thank You’ to the entire team – my mechanics, technicians and the guys in the workshop in Germany. We have struggled a lot with the tyres over the last couple of weeks, but completed some very good steps in last week’s test. We made some changes to the chassis and the suspension.”
“Finally our work has paid off. This was more or less a perfect lap. Nevertheless, I am a little surprised about the lap time. For tomorrow, I do not want to change a lot on the bike’s setup, as now it really works well. Maybe we can play a little bit with the electronics and the engine brake, but that’s it. Today we reached another milestone. Certainly now I also want to win a race soon.”
Corser continued: “I don’t know who’s older, Max or me but here we are! I’m very happy with what we did today, it’s been a long time since I was on pole, but the team has put in a lot of work since Miller and this is a really good result. I am happy with the set-up of the bike, it’s easier to ride and it has a more balanced position. It was very hot this afternoon and the surface was a bit more slippery but it is the same for everybody. If we get a good start tomorrow I will go from the front and see what happens.”
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR – Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:35.791 min / Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:36.240 min / Fastest lap Superpole 3: 1:35.001 min
Ruben Xaus says: “I feel good on the bike. I did my fastest qualifying lap today on race tyres, so I know we have a strong race pace. Unfortunately I struggled to make the qualifying tyre work for me.”
“Troy has posted an unbelievable time today. I just need to work on my riding style so it suits the characteristics of the qualifying tyre. Based on my lap times this weekend, I am confident for tomorrow. I have left myself a lot of work to do from the third row, but I know anything can happen in racing, so I am still optimistic for some good results. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.”
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR – Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:36.218 min / Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:36.720 min / Fastest lap Superpole 2: 1:36.204 min
Davide Tardozzi (BMW Motorrad WSBK Team Manager)says: “I am really happy today. Troy secured the young team’s first ever pole position. The bike is definitely improving all the time, but Troy made the difference today. We have made some improvements with the S 1000 RR over the last couple of weeks.”
“Tomorrow will not be easy because the times on race tyres have been really close. Nevertheless, I believe in the package we have. Sadly Ruben was unlucky today. He was riding well and pushing hard, but he crashed on his flying lap which prevented him from posting a quick time. I still believe he will be able to finish in the top eight tomorrow.”
Weather conditions: Overcast in the morning, sunny in the afternoon.
Temperature: Air: 25 – 32°C, Track: 25 – 50°C
Number of Superbike Riders Participating: 23 from 14 teams
Fastest Lap Qualifying Practices: Troy Corser (BMW WSBK) 1:35.791 min
Fastest Lap Superpole 3: Troy Corser (BMW World SBK) 1:35.001 min
