BMW SBK Report
In World Superbike race 1 from Portimao, both BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders, Troy Corser (AUS) and Ruben Xaus (ESP), made good starts.
Troy moved up from 8th on the grid to 3rd, Ruben climbed from 10th to 7th. Unfortunately, neither of them could keep their positions and they finished the race in 9th and 10th respectively. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing) won the race.
During WSBK race 2 from Portimao, history repeated. Both riders started the race well, moving up a couple of positions.
Again, during the race both Troy and Ruben lost ground. While Troy managed to finish in the top ten for the fourth time in a row, Ruben ended up 12th. Again, the race winner was Max Biaggi.
Troy Corser BMW S1000RR
"Race 1 really was a struggle. The bike was changing quite a lot and we lost grip quite early on. It seems the bike is very sensitive to grip – whether it is from the asphalt or from the tyres. For race 2 my crew changed the bike a bit. The guys worked on the suspension settings in order to give me more grip."
"It was a little bit better for a little longer. While I started to fight the bike in the first race after six laps, I was able to go over half the race distance in race 2 without major difficulties. Still, this is not where we want to be. I am happy we have time to test tomorrow without any pressure."
Result Race 1: 9th, Gap to 1st: 00:24.514 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:44.036 min
Result Race 2: 10th, Gap to 1st: 00:16.377 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:43.699 min
Ruben Xaus BMW S 1000 RR
"Today has not been too bad. We had good starts in both races, and I was in touch with the top guys. However, after a few laps I began to struggle with the bike and my laps were not as good as in the beginning. This weekend has definitely helped me regain some of my rhythm."
"My confidence has been building all weekend, and I have had great support from everyone at BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Tomorrow we have some work to do in the test, but I am relatively happy with our progress this weekend."
Result Race 1: 10th, Gap to 1st: 00:32.427 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:44.337 min
Result Race 2: 12th, Gap to 1st: 00:27.964 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:44.463 min
Berthold Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director):
"I am happy that Ruben is back. This weekend helped him a lot to recover his self-confidence. Although we hoped for better results after the great race starts for Troy and Ruben, overall we can view the weekend as positive. We have had far worse days in Portimão."
"On the technical side, today we learnt we have to improve some chassis settings so both Troy and Ruben can ride the bikes with less tyre wear. The guys simply do not have the grip needed on the rear tyre when exiting corners, which is why they cannot really push. For sure we would have loved to move up the ranks quicker, but we have to accept that racing in this championship is really tough."
Hendrik von Kuenheim, President BMW Motorrad, said: "Congratulations to the BMW Motorrad Italia STK team. Ayrton’s win on the BMW S 1000 RR in the inaugural race of the 2010 season proves the competitiveness of the bike. Compliments to Serafino Foti and his crew."
Weather conditions: Partly cloudy.
Temperature: Air: 18 – 23 °C, Track: 20 – 41 °C
Number of WSBK riders participating: 24 from 15 teams
Fastest lap Race 1: Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing) 1:42.774 min
SBK Fastest lap Race 2: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:43.285 min
SBK Championship Point Standing (after 2 Rounds of 13)
1. Haslam 85; 2. Biaggi 69; 3. Checa 60; 4. Fabrizio 46; 5. Haga 43; 6. Rea 39; 7. Guintoli 33; 8. Camier 32; 9. Corser 29; 10. Crutchlow 25
Manufacturers standing: 1. Suzuki 85; 2. Ducati 71; 3. Aprilia 69; 4. Honda 40; 5. Yamaha 32; 6. BMW 29; 7. Kawasaki 7
