Kawasaki WSBK - Monza

[MadKaw]

Monza Another Milestone On The 2011 Championship Trail
WSBK, Monza, Italy, 2 May 2011
The fourth round of the season gets underway at Monza this coming weekend with all three of the main Kawasaki hopes ready to enjoy the unique challenge of this circuit on the awesome new Ninja ZX-10R. The fabulously historic Monza is well known to all three official riders, with Tom Sykes in particular keen to return to a circuit he had some high points at last year and at which he expects even more from in 2011. Tom qualified on the second row of the grid at Monza in 2010, and raced his way to fifth in the second race of the day. After a successful recent test in Japan, Tom has even more confidence to take into the next round.

For team new boy Joan Lascorz - an experienced WSS rider and race winner for Kawasaki in recent seasons - the circuit is another he has to re-learn now he has taken the step up to Superbike competition. After a largely positive introduction to WSBK racing, including an impressive fifth in one race at Donington Park recently, he has shown that he is a natural on the new Ninja ZX-10R.

Like Lascorz, Chris Vermeulen continues to improve his physical condition after a big crash in the 2010 season, with Vermeulen’s right knee now even more improved after more physiotherapy sessions and higher levels of training. Ten times WSBK race winner Chris is looking at completing two strong rides in Italy, and gaining more experience of the Ninja ZX-10R in real race conditions.

Monza is the first of three Italian-based rounds in the 2011 championship and it is arguably the biggest. Held on the ultra-high speed parkland circuit, now peppered with chicanes that allow many overtaking opportunities, Monza is a true classic - having witnessed racing for the first time in the 1920s. As well as the long straights and heavy braking areas there are several long and fast curves, all of which demand a high degree of trust between the top riders.

The Pedercini Team Kawasaki squad will once more be out in force, with regulars Roberto Rolfo and Mark Aitchison heading to Monza amid all the expectations of a home round for the team and for Rolfo.

Tom Sykes: “I am really looking forward to Monza because it is a venue I enjoy and a circuit we had a relatively good result at last year. We should be looking to improve on that result with this year’s bike. I have had a boost because we had a test in Japan after the previous round and we found some good settings, so hopefully those changes will transfer to the Monza round and then through the rest of the calendar. My crew chief Johnny, and also Danilo who is the man behind the electronic strategy, were there in Japan for the test and it was good for me to work with the Japanese development engineers again. It was all a positive. I am quietly confident and I do like racing at Monza.”

Joan Lascorz: “Each race I know the bike a bit better and it seems each time if we make a good setup we should be competitive. The choice of the tyres will be important, as we learned in Assen. I think my transition to WSBK has been fine, I feel comfortable and competitive. Not as much as I used to be in WSS but I think that will arrive soon. Our bike is good, KHI is focused so much and my technicians are very good. I just have to learn a little more and regain more physical strength and I’m sure the results will arrive. I know Kawasaki is working hard, and me too, so we are heading in a good direction.”

Chris Vermeulen: “My knee was a bit sore and swollen after the Assen weekend but I started back into training and physio and the weather has been good to help me. My doctor is very happy with everything and now I just need to build up muscle strength and endurance in my leg. My intention is to do the full weekend and both races on Sunday at Monza and to become quite competitive again on the new Kawasaki. Our engine is fast and I think we could be competitive with the quicker bikes.”

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Parkes And Salom Out To Fly At Superfast Monza
WSS, Monza, Italy, 2 May 2011
No circuit on the WSS calendar can match the sheer velocities reached at Monza and both Broc Parkes and David Salom from the Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com team are going out to enjoy its unique nature. Parkes is a serial winner in this class of racing, but has yet to take his first full victory for Kawasaki despite a few strong podiums since he joined the official Kawasaki team at the end of last year. Broc also knows there is no better place to write your name large in the public consciousness than Monza, one of his personal favourites. Despite some residual pain from a rib injury, Parkes expects to be on top form at Monza, and he is only three points behind the lead after three action packed races in the 12-round series.

David is still working to improve his own physical condition to be strong throughout the entire race on May 8. Salom is proving to be a strong asset for the official Kawasaki team, as he is currently in fifth place and only 16 points behind the lead - and therefore only 13 behind Broc. The competition in this class in 2011 is remarkably close. That may see the usual trains of riders using each other’s slipstreams around the ultra-fast Monza bringing in more and more potential competitors this weekend. Always a favourite with riders and spectators, Monza will be a difficult race result to call for this very reason.

Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki riders Vittorio Iannuzzo and Massimo Roccoli will be in the mix at their home race, aiming high after some strong results I have already been recorded. Roccoli is now seventh overall.

Broc Parkes: “I feel much better in terms of my rib cartilage injury and I have been doing a bit more training, so my injury is getting better and better. I feel we have not been able to show our full abilities in the first three races because of some things that have happened – like being run off track at Assen - but we are still second in the championship and only three points off the lead. Monza is a great track but you have to have a strong engine there. If you can stay in the draft you can get pulled along, but you never know at Monza. It is a unique track and it has got to be one of my favourite circuits. The atmosphere is awesome and springtime is a nice time to go there to race.”

David Salom: “Monza is a very difficult circuit because there are a lot of areas where there is hard braking and long straights. Now our bike is working very well and therefore I think we can also do very well. I like the second part of the circuit, particularly the Ascari Chicane. When we get there we must work quickly to find good settings as soon as possible and for sure if we do, we can be on top. At the moment after only a few races we can still finish the championship in the top positions as all the top five are now close together. I have to look after my shoulder injury recovery because Assen was a very hard race for me. I am working with my physiotherapist a lot so I hope to be at the highest level when we get to Italy.”

[fezzick]

I wonder if the Italian police will want to search the transporter??

[Lt-Dan]

My mouth has began salivating a few days early! Normally it starts on Saturday when I read up on the free practice sessions.

I'm pretty sure that SpeedTV is once again broadcasting the superpole session - this usually settles the cravings for my "kwak" addiction until racetime

[MadKaw]

Superpole Proves Tough At Monza
WSBK, Monza, Italy, 7 May 2011
Tom Sykes and Joan Lascorz each qualified for Superpole at Monza, with Lascorz finally placing 13th on the grid and Sykes 14th in readiness for Sunday’s two 18-lap WSBK races. Lascorz had been fast in his first visit to Monza on a Superbike but could not make the most of his opportunities on qualifying tyres as they caused him to drift wide in the exit of corners, losing valuable time that counted against him in Superpole one.

Sykes had similar issues to deal with, finding good levels of performance on used race tyres but being unable to improve once fresh tyres had been fitted. Now each rider faces a start from the fourth row of the grid, meaning that clean getaways from the line are essential to make up places in the early laps.

Chris Vermeulen will miss Sunday’s races after he fell on Friday and suffered a long and deep gash in his left elbow. Swelling around the elbow has also restricted his movement considerably. After a rest day today and much treatment from the Clinica Mobile staff a decision has been made that Chris will not attempt to race on Sunday.

Pedercini Team Kawasaki riders Roberto Rolfo and Mark Aitchison qualified 18th and 20th respectively.

Joan Lascorz: “On race tyres were good but on the qualifying tyre we could not go so fast. The bike seems to run wide when we have more grip from the rear tyre. We should have a good race set-up for Sunday and we were fast at some stages this weekend. We need two good starts and then we can make up some places in the chicanes.”

Tom Sykes: “On used race tyres we can set good lap times and we are looking very strong in those conditions. But for whatever reason we have struggled to set the best lap times on fresh tyres. That got even worse when we used qualifying tyres. I am feeling confident over race distance to get a decent result for the bike and the team, but we will have to see how it goes on Sunday. We maybe need to go back to the drawing board to work it out a bit. We will come out swinging tomorrow and we can still make a good day of it. We just need to get all our ideas together tonight.”

Chris Vermeulen: “My elbow is the only problem, even though the rest of me is a bit sore after my Friday fall. They say the gash in my elbow needs about six stitches in it and the elbow has swollen up a lot inside. I have been having it drained of fluid a couple of times a day. They say there is nothing majorly wrong with my elbow and it was only a problem because it got stuck under the bike when I crashed. I have been advised not to ride this weekend but the good thing is that my knee feels a lot better and we were reasonably quick after only a few laps.”

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Parkes Jumps To A Front Row Starting Position
WSS, Monza, Italy, 7 May 2011
Despite suffering a crash on another rider’s oil in the morning session today Broc Parkes bounced back to take third place on the grid for Sunday’s race and put himself in a strong pre-race position Broc has suffered two crashes over the weekend but recovered from each to post impressive times on his Ninja ZX-6R. Sitting only three points behind championship leader Luca Scassa, who qualified sixth, Parkes is keen to get off the line sharply and ensure he stays with the front group at a track that demands clever use of slipstreaming to get the best results.

David Salom was only able to take part in the first qualifying session and thus slipped from eighth to 14th on the grid. Technical issues played a part in stopping him from setting an even better lap time in the final session but the team is working hard to make sure David has a competitive package to take into the 16-lap Supersport race on Sunday.

Massimo Roccoli from the Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki team went into the top ten in qualifying, his team-mate Vittorio Iannuzzo found it tougher going and qualified 19th.

Broc Parkes: “I feel happy with where we ended up and we always aim to get on the front row. I had a bit of an off today on someone else’s oil on the track and we were pretty lucky that we had enough time to fix the bike while they were cleaning the oil spill on the track. I was happy on a soft tyre at the end and I made such a big jump using it that maybe we need to sit down and look at that. A good start is needed tomorrow and I think there will be a big group of us. There may be a big freight train tomorrow and as long as nobody gets a break up front it may be a very interesting race!”

David Salom: “We had some issues in practice and today was not so good for me. I had a problem in the morning and in the afternoon we found some other issues when we fitted another engine. The mechanics will do a good job to get us ready for the race and we will see how we go tomorrow. I like the track so I will work hard to try and make up some places in the early laps.”

[laidback]

CV can't take a trick...

[MadKaw]

Lascorz Top Ten At A Sunny Monza
WSBK, Monza, Italy, 8 May 2011
Joan Lascorz left the Monza round of the Superbike World Championship with the best Kawasaki finish, ninth in race two, in what was a challenging raceday under the hot Italian sun. Tom Sykes was 13th in race one and then 11th in race two, keeping him top Kawasaki rider in the overall points rankings, one place ahead of Joan. Lascorz was to fall in race one, but he was unhurt and learned from the experience to post his top ten finish in race two, despite not being able to use his favoured soft rear tyre. This is still only Joan’s fourth WSBK meeting on the all-new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R race machine.

Tom had two difficult races partly due to the softer choice race tyre that the team had used most in practice being taken from the allocation, due to concerns about the possible effects of the hot 45 degree track temperatures around Monza’s many high speed curves.

Third official Kawasaki regular Chris Vermeulen did not ride at Monza due to a nasty gash in his elbow, suffered when he fell in practice on Friday.

Roberto Rolfo and Mark Aitchison scored 13th and 14th places respectively in race two for the Team Pedercini Kawasaki squad in its home race.

Marco Bussolotti (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) was the top Kawasaki finisher in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup class, going seventh.

Joan Lascorz: “All weekend we had been working with the soft race tyre then this morning when we tested the harder tyre, which we had to use, the bike needed a lot of adjustment. We are still developing and understanding the bike because it is still quite new. We made some changes after warm-up and found some better rear grip, but lost it in the front and I crashed. In race two I did my best and I was reasonably satisfied with a top ten finish and we will be better in the next one. I would like to be fighting more in the front group.”

Tom Sykes: “We didn’t have the speed or the race package to work with this weekend obviously there is some work to be done. We all need to pick our heads up and stay focused and positive. I think people may expect a lot of us very early in the season with a new bike and I think that is putting a bit of pressure on. I will keep my head down and keep working and I am still confident we can make it work. I got caught up in the crash at the first chicane and lost time on the exit, which made things harder. I think I had a bit of a bit better pace early on if I had got latched onto a leading group.”

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Parkes Well In Championship Contention After Gritty Monza Performance
WSS, Monza, Italy, 8 May 2011
A sometimes challenging weekend for Broc Parkes and David Salom culminated in Broc securing fourth and David going eighth in the 16-lap race after showing true grit from first to last. Under brilliant sunshine Parkes made a good start and was looking capable of staying with the group immediately behind runaway early leader and eventual race victor Chaz Davies but Broc ended up in a battle for fourth at the end. He used all his experience to control that fight in the final sector of the race and got a good points haul as a reward.

Broc is third in the rankings, on 60 points compared to the joint leaders Davies and Luca Scassa on 70, and Parkes is still well in contention after four rounds.

David Salom could not call on his very best race spec engine at Monza and therefore his eighth place was a fantastic performance from both rider and team. He also won the fight for supremacy in his own group of riders and the Spanish rider is now fifth, on the same 52 points as officially fourth ranked Robbin Harms.

A strong performance from battling Italian rider Massimo Roccoli (Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki) saw him take ninth place and now eighth place in the championship overall. His team-mate Vittorio Iannuzzo was involved in a collision late in the race and could not finish.

The next round for the Supersport class will be at Misano, on June 12, as the WSS competitors will not take part in the Miller Motorsports Park WSBK event on May 31st.

Broc Parkes: “I was pretty happy because I got away good from the line. I was a little bit concerned about my pace after morning warm-up. It is so important to have a good top speed here but also pace in other areas. Two guys came past me and then I ended went fourth. I could see that this probably going to be my battle so I tried to stay there. Every time I tried to break the guys behind they could slipstream me so I sat on the back until I felt I could go and then I tried in the last three or four laps and I broke them to get fourth place. I think that was the best I could do today in the circumstances.”

David Salom: “It was a difficult race and a difficult weekend for me. I had some issues with engines in practice and I was not sure how it would go in the race. The engine we had to use was not our fastest one and at this fast track, at Monza, I think eighth position is good in these circumstances. The guys in the team worked really hard to get us to this result so thanks to them. I was in a group fighting and I was able to made sure I finished at the head of my group. We have more races in the championship and it is a long season so now we can look to the next race in Misano.”

[09sydrd]

I'm surprised as i would had thought the 2011 model zx-10r at Monza would be significantly faster than the 08-10 model specially since monza is a faster style circuit based on looking at some results for 2010/2011 Monza. (TS)

(race 1) 2011 - 1.44.00 fastest lap. qualifying 1.43.43 overall 13th position.
(race 1) 2010 - 1.43.92 fastest lap. qualifying 1.43.11 overall 9th position.

(race 2) 2011 - 1.44.12 fastest lap. qualifying 1.43.43 overall 11th position.
(race 2) 2010 - 1.44.15 fastest lap. qualifying 1.43.11 overall 5th position.

Maybe kawasaki should enter the zx-14 next time and see how it goes , on paper it should be quicker than a 10r at monza. ..