Sykes fastest at P.I.

[MadKaw]

Sykes starts strongest on day one of private tests

Most of the top riders in the 2012 SBK championship took the chance to test a few days before the official IMS tests and of them all Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was the fastest on the opening day. The British rider scored a blistering 1’33.0 lap time, riding on a soft race tyre.

In second place in the rankings - according to himself at least - Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) set a 1’33.3, but according to some sources in his team he was just as fast as Sykes, with a 1’33.0.

Many of the top names were in the top rankings as per normal, with new Aprilia boy Eugene Laverty setting a 1’33.3, just a tenth faster than his old team-mate and new BMW Motorrad Motorsport man, Marco Melandri.

Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) and Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) set identical 1’33.7s, with Jakub Smrz (Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati) scoring a 1’34.0. Local rider Dave Johnson (BMW) set a 1’35.7 with more to come as he gets his bike dialled in for SBK racing.

Sykes, speaking of his good pace (having set over 20 laps inside the 1.33 bracket according to his team) said: “We were just working on bike balance, getting it all dialled into the circuit, just relaxing and enjoying it. I was happy that we were showing good consistency. I did not do a full race run but we did use the same tyres for a long time.”

John Hopkins (Crescent Fixi Suzuki) had an early crash at the exit of turn two and suffered a suspected fracture of a bone in his hand, just behind the right ring finger. Hopkins was already recuperating from an operation in which he lost two knuckles from this finger. He is awaiting more tests to see the real extent of the damage, but he is not going to ride again at these tests at least.

Max Biaggi and Maxime Berger had a collision with each other earlier in the day, Davide Giugliano also fell from his Althea Ducati, all without significant injury.

Track conditions were good at PI, with the wind getting up a little in the afternoon, but the appearance of large waterfowl on the track caused a moment of real worry for Checa. He came along the main straight to find two ‘large animals’ as he called them, and he had to pick a gap in the middle as he passed between them at around 300kmph. The tests have two more days to run.

ASBK Champion Glenn Allerton on his 'Production Superbike' level BMW S 1000 RR tested alongside the WSBK regulars and his times would have put him mid-pack amongst the WSBK riders on his Dunlop shod Procon Maxima BMW.

Best Times Day One

Tom Sykes: 1’33.0
Carlos Checa: 1’33.3
Eugene Laverty: 1’33.3
Marco Melandri: 1’33.4
Leon Haslam: 1’33.7
Max Biaggi: 1’33.7
Jakub Smrz: 1’34.0
Sylvain Guintoli: 1’34.1
Joan Lascorz: 1’34.1
Maxime Berger: 1’34.3
Michel Fabrizio: 1’34.4
Leon Camier: 1’34.5
David Salom: 1’34.9
Ayrton Badovini: 1’35.0
David Johnson: 1’35.7
David Giugliano: 1’35.8
Lorenzo Zanetti: 1’37.1
John Hopkins: No time given/crash

[Wattie]

some wanker on the FX site reckons Corser did a 36 around PI 2 up.

yerrrr right...

[Jonnymac]

some wanker on the FX site reckons Corser did a 36 around PI 2 up.

yerrrr right...

I don't believe a 36 either. But...... Baylis did do a 39 two up he had a little pocket rocket chick on the back apparently. Probably didn't realize she was there.....

[Wattie]

some wanker on the FX site reckons Corser did a 36 around PI 2 up.

yerrrr right...

I don't believe a 36 either. But...... Baylis did do a 39 two up he had a little pocket rocket chick on the back apparently. Probably didn't realize she was there.....

oops, my mistake, it was Bayliss they were speaking of.

but yeah, 39's i would belive, but 36's is silly.

[Phil]

How's Hoppa, guy cant take a trick.



And he wont be doing it himself either with that many broken bokes in his hands/missing fingers

[Strika]

You offering to help him mate?

[Phil]

You offering to help him mate?

I'm sure he would have ALOT better looking help than me mate, I'll ask him next Thursday arvo though

[philbo]

Aussie Josh brookes will be riding in hoppers spot next weekend

[Phil]

Sykes second fastest on Day 2

We may have a little more to cheer about this year by the look of it.

[Lt-Dan]

Sykes second fastest on Day 2

We may have a little more to cheer about this year by the look of it.

... and Lascorz fifth fastest, 0.4s off Checa!!!

Early days yet, but I say ... bring on the 2012 Team Green Roaring Machines!!!

[MadKaw]

Sykes Flies As New Season Gets Ever Closer
Newsflash, 15 February 2012
Joan Lascorz and Tom Sykes enjoyed three days of good weather during their unofficial tests at Phillip Island, with Sykes frequently heading up the time sheets against his many competitors. On his Ninja ZX-10R Sykes was fastest on day one, then went second fastest on day two and on a race tyre setting he was only a tenth of a second off reigning champion, Carlos Checa, on the final day.

Sykes was particularly satisfied that the bike's base settings, which he has been perfecting over a few winter tests sessions, worked at a warm Phillip Island with only minor tweaks and adjustments as the temperatures changed. Today was the hottest of the three, but track action was interrupted many times during this test in general, because of crashes and several forms of wildlife that strayed onto the track quite frequently.

Joan used the fact that this is an unofficial test to run two bikes, each with its own distinct set-up philosophy, in his efforts to find a final base setting to start the season with. He improved his best lap time today and jumped into the top five in the final combined time sheets.

For both Tom and Joan two more days of testing remain before qualifying begins. These final two days will give both the chance to evaluate the race tyres that official tyre supplier Pirelli have brought for the PI race weekend. That factor alone makes it an important two days of testing, which will take place between 20th and 21st February.

Tom Sykes: “Day three went pretty well. We tried out a lot of things again, in the hot conditions this time. We had good consistency and found a bit of a better bike balance for me. Through all our tests we have explored a lot of areas, gathered a lot of information, but finally it looks like our base setting from winter testing is pretty good. This is the third or fourth race circuit, in a wide range of temperatures, that it has worked at. We did some fine-tuning and managed our lap times quite well. It is difficult to see exactly where our competitors are at in terms of set-up but ultimately we have had a successful test and have set ourselves up nicely for the official tests next week. Hopefully we will have two days of decent weather and that will prepare us for the beginning of the season.”

Joan Lascorz: “I have not decided my final settings and I need to test more at the sessions next week. We have two days to make a decision in which direction to go. I have two basic bike set-ups, both work well, but they are very different. One gives us a longer bike and one a shorter bike, so I need to make the decision which way to go. We only get to use the real race tyres at the official tests, not this test, to help me make the final decision. We have two more days on track next week and they will be very important.”

[Strika]

1 Sykes Tom Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 156 1'31.648

2 Checa Carlos Althea Racing Ducati 1098R 117 1'31.652

3 Smrz Jakub Liberty Racing Team Effenbert Ducati 1098R 134 1'31.800

4 Rea Jonathan Honda World Superbike Team Honda CBR1000RR 142 1'31.913

5 Biaggi Max Aprilia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 145 1'32.034

6 Melandri Marco BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 148 1'32.232

7 Giugliano Davide Althea Racing Ducati 1098R 108 1'32.319

8 Camier Leon Crescent Fixi Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000 129 1'32.320

9 Guintoli Sylvain Team Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R 105 1'32.347

10 Haslam Leon BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 25 1'32.397

11 Lascorz Joan Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 128 1'32.540

12 Fabrizio Michel BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet BMW S1000 RR 125 1'32.605

13 Canepa Niccolò Red Devils Roma Ducati 1098R 133 1'32.746

14 Aoyama Hiroshi Honda World Superbike Team Honda CBR1000RR 139 1'32.910

15 Berger Maxime Team Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R 124 1'32.911

16 Badovini Ayrton BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet BMW S1000 RR 107 1'32.948

17 Zanetti Lorenzo PATA Racing Team Ducati 1098R 119 1'33.136

18 Davies Chaz ParkinGO MTC Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 130 1'33.358

19 Salom David Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 56 1'33.385

20 Staring Bryan Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 127 1'33.418

21 Brookes Joshua Crescent Fixi Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000 112 1'33.623

22 Aitchison Mark Grillini Progea Superbike Team BMW S1000 RR 133 1'34.169

23 De Rosa Raffaele Pro Ride Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR 137 1'34.341