Magny-Cours Day 1 Qualifying Sees Tom Sykes Atop the Charts in 2012 eni SBK World Championship Season-Finale Round 14

Season finale starts best of all for Sykes

Magny-Cours (France), Friday 5 October 2012 – After first qualifying of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship season finale one of the potential champions, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), leads the field, with a lap time of 1 minute 38.200 seconds. He was 0.448 seconds ahead of the next best qualifier at this early stage of proceedings.

 

The English rider heads the outgoing champion Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati), with another of this year’s potential champions, Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) third quickest. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati) was the second fastest Ducati rider in the official session this afternoon, fourth overall.

This morning’s quickest man, Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) was fifth after first qualifying. Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) was one place up on seventh place rider – and clear championship leader – Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing). Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) completes the top eight riders on day one, in a field of 21.

Sylvain Guintoli (PATA Racing Team Ducati) was ninth and therefore the top local rider at Magny-Cours, his French compatriots Maxime Berger (Red Evils Roma Ducati) and Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) fourteenth and fifteenth respectively. Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) went tenth in first qualifying, after a strong showing in the morning free session.

Tom Sykes on the #66 Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R led first day qualifying today at the final round of the World Superbike season at Magny-Cours.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Results: 1. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'38.200 average 161.707 kph; 2. Checa (Ducati) 1'38.648; 3. Melandri (BMW) 1'38.742; 4. Giugliano (Ducati) 1'38.962; 5. Rea (Honda) 1'39.014; 6. Fabrizio (BMW) 1'39.139; 7. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1'39.144; 8. Haslam (BMW) 1'39.149; 9. Guintoli (Ducati) 1'39.186; 10. Camier (Suzuki) 1'39.285; 11. Laverty (Aprilia) 1'39.382; 12. Badovini (BMW) 1'39.530; 13. Zanetti (Ducati) 1'39.709; 14. Berger (Ducati) 1'39.842; 15. Baz (Kawasaki) 1'39.945; 16. Davies (Aprilia) 1'40.084; etc.

 World Supersport

Frenchman Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) slotted into the top spot on the overnight grid after the first qualifying session at his home round. He was followed by another Honda, the Ten Kate Racing Products machine of Broc Parkes, while the first Kawasaki in the early skirmishes belonged to another local favourite, Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step) in third place. Sam Lowes (Bogdanka Honda PTR) slotted in fourth in the rankings as he hopes to finish his season on a high note. The new champion, Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Lorenzini) had a steady start in fifth place after the first qualifying session, while experienced runner Massimo Roccoli (Team Pata by Martini Yamaha) was a top six rider today.

 

 

Jules Cluzel on the #16 PTR Honda CBR600RR was fast qualifier today in day one activities in the World Supersport class at Magny-Cours.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Results: 1. Cluzel (Honda) 1'41.886 average 155.857 kph; 2. Parkes (Honda) 1'42.292; 3. Foret (Kawasaki) 1'42.318; 4. Lowes (Honda) 1'42.570; 5. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 1'42.613; 6. Roccoli (Yamaha) 1'42.840; 7. Morais (Kawasaki) 1'42.925; 8. Scholtz (Honda) 1'43.136; 9. Quarmby (Honda) 1'43.148; 10. Metcher (Yamaha) 1'43.361; etc.

Superstock 1000

Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) heads the pack in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup class after the first qualifying session, only a fraction ahead of another Frenchman, Kawasaki rider Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki). Markus Reiterberger (Team Alpha Racing BMW) pushed his way to third in the rankings, with new force Greg Gildenhuys (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) fourth. Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Team Italia), one of the main championship challengers, was fifth.

Results: 1. Barrier (BMW) 1'41.633 average 156.245 kph; 2. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 1'41.674; 3. Reiterberger (BMW) 1'42.709; 4. Gildenhuys (BMW) 1'42.716; 5. La Marra (Ducati) 1'42.873; 6. Lussiana (Kawasaki) 1'42.876; 7. Savadori (Ducati) 1'43.024; 8. Mercado (Kawasaki) 1'43.089; 9. Staring (Kawasaki) 1'43.116; 10. Bergman (Kawasaki) 1'43.186; etc.

Superstock 600

A new track best lap of 1 minute 44.489 seconds for Italian rider Riccardo Russo (Team Italia FMI Yamaha) gave him the lead in the first qualifying session at Magny-Cours, with his championship rival Michael van der Mark (EAB Ten Kate Junior Team Honda) second. Van der Mark’s team-mate Bastien Chesaux was third fastest with the ever-improving Adrian Nestorovic (Team MTM Racing Yamaha) fourth. The second MTM Yamaha rider, Gauthier Duwelz placed fifth on the provisional grid while Garnier Racing Yamaha’s Stephane Egea was a strong sixth.

Results: 1. Russo (Yamaha) 1'44.489 average 151.974 kph; 2. Vd Mark (Honda) 1'44.726; 3. Chesaux (Honda) 1'45.635; 4. Nestorovic (Yamaha) 1'45.828; 5. Duwelz (Yamaha) 1'45.838; 6. Egea (Yamaha) 1'45.849; 7. Ponsson (Kawasaki) 1'46.003; 8. Calero Perez (Yamaha) 1'46.044; 9. Marchal (Yamaha) 1'46.143; 10. Gamarino (Kawasaki) 1'46.164; etc.

KTM European Junior Cup

Lukas Wimmer (MSC Schalchen) headed up the grid after qualifying in the KTM European Junior Cup, over three quarters of a second ahead of his closest challenger Joshua Harland (Redline KTM Motorcycles). Javier Orellana (Europ Foods) was third and Adrian Pasek (Bogdanka Junior Team Poland) fourth. His team-mate Artur Wielebski and Spanish rider Gaston Garcia (KTM Espana) completed the top six.

Results: 1. Wimmer (KTM) 1'54.006 average 139.287 kph; 2. Harland (KTM) 1'54.785; 3. Orellana (KTM) 1'54.947; 4. Pasek (KTM) 1'55.320; 5. Wielebski (KTM) 1'55.657; 6. Garcia (KTM) 1'55.680; 7. Raymond (KTM) 1'56.107; 8. Patterson (KTM) 1'56.311; 9. Odegard (KTM) 1'56.521; 10. Mikhalchik (KTM) 1'56.743; etc.

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In 2011 the FIM Superbike World Championship achieved the following:

 

- A worldwide TV audience of 462 million - Live broadcasts on 95 television networks covering 173 countries - 3,106 broadcast hours - Approximately 1,000,000 race spectators - 3,779,237 contacts on the official website www.worldsbk.com