Sykes Takes Kawasaki to 9th Superpole of the 2012 Season at the Final Round of the eni SBK World Championship at Magny-Cours

Ninja warrior Sykes makes it nine poles in 2012

Magny-Cours (France), Saturday 6 October 2012 – Tissot-Superpole was won for the ninth time in 2012 by Kawasaki Racing Team rider Tom Sykes, after a he set a new track best of 1 minute 36.950 seconds in Superpole 3 at Magny-Cours. Sykes now has nine Tissot-Superpole successes to his credit this year, and 11 in his relatively short SBK career. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) posted second quickest time, over half a second away from Sykes, while Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) held off the attentions of Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), who will line up on the front row in fourth place. Championship leader Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) is only tenth on the grid after failing to get out of Superpole 2. This puts him on the third row of the grid for Sunday’s races.

Tom Sykes: “It’s nice for me to start in pole position, I’m not a big fan of this place, but the ZX-10R is working very nice and I’m able to do what is needed with the bike. We’ve been consistent, our dry race setting is very good and when we put in the Pirelli qualifying tyres the Kawasaki seems to accept these very well. It makes my life easier and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Tom Sykes took his 9th Superspole of the season today on the #66 Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R at the season-finale round at Magny-Cours.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Carlos Checa: “I have great memories from last year when I won here, and arriving here for our last race this year, it’s a great satisfaction to bring the Ducati 1198 to the front row in its last race. Hopefully tomorrow we can have some great races and finish as best as we can.”

Eugene Laverty: “I went for a second lap in qualifying, took a bit of a breather then went for it again, but I’ve been struggling all weekend in the last sector and I lost the front and the rear came around as well. It was all action I didn’t really need, that but what’s important is the front row after a tough weekend.”

PATA Ducati rider Sylvain Guintoli was a popular top five rider in Superpole at his home round, while Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) put himself into the top six. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) pushed to seventh despite a badly injured right index finger. Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Racing Aprilia) completed the top eight after making a great improvement on his early qualifying places. Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) finished up ninth on the grid one place ahead of Max Biaggi.

 

 

Carlos Checa, Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty celebrate during Tissot-Superpole festivities at the season-finale round in France today.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

 

Tissot-Superpole Times: 1. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'36.950 average 163.792 kph; 2. Checa (Ducati) 1'37.422; 3. Laverty (Aprilia) 1'37.516; 4. Melandri (BMW) 1'37.658; 5. Guintoli (Ducati) 1'37.901; 6. Rea (Honda) 1'38.252; 7. Haslam (BMW) 1'38.280; 8. Davies (Aprilia) 1'38.425; 9. Camier (Suzuki) 1'38.072; 10. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1'38.095; 11. Fabrizio (BMW) 1'38.318; 12. Corti (Kawasaki) 1'38.516; 13. Baz (Kawasaki) 1'38.548; 14. Berger (Ducati) 1'38.727; 15. Giugliano (Ducati) 1'38.807; 16. Zanetti (Ducati) 1'39.354; etc.

World Supersport

Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Racing Products Honda) posted the pole position time at Magny-Cours today, making this the third race he will start off the front of the grid this year. The Aussie rider is a big fan of Magny-Cours and he is closely followed in the pre-race rankings by a rider with an even closer connection to the track, Frenchman Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step). Another local man, Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) could not improve his best time today and thus dropped to third on the grid, with the new class champion, Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Lorenzini) fourth. The second row is headed by a British rider, Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda), while Gabor Talmacsi (PRORACE Honda) is sixth and Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Lorenzini) seventh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broc Parkes on the #23 Ten Kate Racing Products Honda CBR600RR set fast time today in World Supersport for tomorrow's finale round at Magny-Cours.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

 

Results: 1. Parkes (Honda) 1'41.545 average 156.380 kph; 2. Foret (Kawasaki) 1'41.742; 3. Cluzel (Honda) 1'41.886; 4. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 1'41.937; 5. Lowes (Honda) 1'41.943; 6. Talmacsi (Honda) 1'42.108; 7. Morais (Kawasaki) 1'42.265; 8. Iannuzzo (Triumph) 1'42.440; 9. Roccoli (Yamaha) 1'42.454; 10. Baldolini (Triumph) 1'42.499; etc.

 

Superstock 1000

 

Championship points leader Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) set a new track best of 1 minute 41.079 seconds on his way to pole for the final race of the year in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup race. Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Team Italia Ducati) went second quickest, with the top four riders in the points rankings all on the front row for Sunday’s championship decider. Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki) starts from third spot on the grid, Bryan Staring (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) is fourth, just over half a second from pole man Barrier. Any one of three riders can win the title, Barrier, La Marra and Staring.

Results: 1. Barrier (BMW) 1'41.079 average 157.101 kph; 2. La Marra (Ducati) 1'41.316; 3. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 1'41.481; 4. Staring (Kawasaki) 1'41.643; 5. Gildenhuys (BMW) 1'41.849; 6. Savadori (Ducati) 1'41.866; 7. Reiterberger (BMW) 1'41.994; 8. Bergman (Kawasaki) 1'42.076; 9. Mercado (Kawasaki) 1'42.097; 10. Massei (Honda) 1'42.337; etc.

Superstock 600

The UEM Superstock 600 European Championship title went to Michael van der Mark (EAB Junior Team Honda) after he won an incredibly close final race of the year against his only rival Riccardo Russo (Team Italia FMI Yamaha). The pair made contact many times as they jostled for position in the early stages and only on the final couple of laps in the 12 lap race did van der Mark make his advantage stick, winning by 1.226 seconds. The final points score was van der Mark 219, Russo 207. Local rider Mathieu Marchal (Coutelle Racing Team Yamaha) came out on top in a three-rider fight for the final podium place. Third overall in the championship is Belgian rider Gauthier Duwelz (MTM Yamaha) who was ninth today.

 

Results: 1. Vd Mark (Honda) 12 Laps/52.932 km in 21'07.849 average 150.298 kph; 2. Russo (Yamaha) 1.226; 3. Marchal (Yamaha) 3.617; 4. Cecchini (Honda) 4.080; 5. Morbidelli (Yamaha) 4.399; 6. Schacht (Honda) 4.511; 7. Chesaux (Honda) 5.398; 8. Suchet (Honda) 5.516; 9. Duwelz (Yamaha) 7.236; 10. Vitali (Yamaha) 8.310; etc.

Final points: 1. Vd Mark 219; 2. Russo 207; 3. Duwelz 98; 4. Schacht 75; 5. Nestorovic 74; 6. Morbidelli 74; 7. Vitali 72; 8. Gamarino 61; 9. Calero Perez 59; 10. Chesaux 59; etc.

KTM European Junior Cup

Lukas Wimmer (MSC Schalchen) posted a clear win in the first KTM European Junior Cup race of the weekend at Magny-Cours. Second, after an epic fight by an eventual five riders, went to Gaston Garcia (KTM Espana) after a tough last lap fight with Guillaume Raymond (Vaillance Racing). Fourth was Polish rider Artur Wielebski (Bogdanka Junior Team Poland) and fifth his team-mate Adrian Pasek. Wimmer is now 22 points clear with one race remaining tomorrow. 

Results: 1. Wimmer (KTM) 8 Laps/35.288 km in 15'23.962 average 137.491 kph; 2. Garcia (KTM) 2.370; 3. Raymond (KTM) 2.547; 4. Wielebski (KTM) 2.896; 5. Pasek (KTM) 2.995; 6. Harland (KTM) 6.584; 7. Vidal (KTM) 13.715; 8. Odegard (KTM) 14.844; etc.
 

Points (after 7 of 8 rounds): 1. Wimmer 120; 2. Garcia 98; 3. Orellana 75; 4. Vidal 73; 5. Wielebski 72; 6. Pasek 65; 7. Patterson 57; 8. Demoulin 48; 9. Odegard 48; 10. Kyee 47; etc.

 

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