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Team Pedercini - Magny Cours Qualifying 2, October 01 2011, Second day of qualifying in Magny Cours for team Pedercini’s Superbike riders Mark Aitchison and Roberto Rolfo.
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October 01 2011 - Team Pedercini - Magny Cours Qualifying 2
Second day of qualifying in Magny Cours for team Pedercini’s Superbike riders Mark Aitchison and Roberto Rolfo. During the morning’s qualifying session, on a dry track, Aitchison (1’39”072) was able to improve on best lap time set yesterday, reaching the sixteenth position and progressing to the Superpole. Team-mate Rolfo (1’40”285) was not able to improve on yesterday’s times, obtaining only eighteenth position and missing out on the Superpole. In the afternoon’s free practice, the Italian rider worked with his team to try to solve some problems with the settings, which had prevented him from entering the Superpole. At the end of the free practice, he was in eighteenth place (1’40”837). Fifth row for him in tomorrow’s races. Aitchison (1’40”744) also worked with his technicians to be ready for the Superpole reaching the seventeenth position. In phase one of the Superpole, he put in a great performance (1’38”623) and was able to improve greatly on his best lap time, but unfortunately he reached only the fifteenth position and did not progress to the second phase. He’ll start from the fourth row in tomorrow’s 23 lap races.
Superbike – Qualifying 2: 1) Melandri (Yamaha) – 2) Guintoli (Ducati) – 3) Smrz (Ducati) – 4) Badovini (BMW) …... 16) Aitchison (Kawasaki) …… 18) Rolfo (Kawasaki)
Superbike – Free practice 2: 1) Checa (Ducati) – 2) Rea (Honda) – 3) Laverty (Yamaha) – 4) Smrz (Ducati) ……17) Aitchison (Kawasaki) - 18) Rolfo (Kawasaki)
Superbike – Superpole: 1) Rea (Honda) – 2) Laverty (Yamaha) – 3) Checa (Ducati) – 4) Camier (Aprilia) - 5) Guintoli (Ducati) ……15) Aitchison (Kawasaki)
Roberto Rolfo: “I’m really disappointed with today’s qualifying result because I was not able to improve on yesterday’s times to enter the Superpole. I didn’t find the right feeling with my bike and I had a lot of trouble when it came to changing direction. It’s a problem we have had throughout the entire season. I completed a lot of laps with used tyres and I think I have a good rhythm for the races. Tomorrow I’ll be starting from the fifth row and it will not be easy, but I’ll try to do my best and I hope to reach good results”.
Mark Aitchison: ”Our second day in Magny Cours has gone well enough. In the morning qualifying we experimented with a few different tyre option and setting changes which helped me enter into the Superpole stage of qualifying. In the afternoon we did not do so many laps as we had to save some tyres for the Superpole section, so we focused on using old tyres to find a better race setting. In Superpole I found a good feeling from the first tyre and then looked to improve on the second, but the tyre unfortunately did not give me the same level of grip. I ended in fifteenth position so I am looking forward to our races tomorrow. In warm up I want to find a slightly better race set up, so this is what we are focused on”.
Team Pedercini’s Superstock riders continued to struggle with a lack of grip and some setting problems during both today’s free practice and qualifying session. In the morning free practice Mercado crashed during his first real lap. The Argentinian rider was unable to rejoin the session. Bussolotti (1’43”375) improved on yesterday’s time to reach tenth position while Staring (1’44”031) worked with his team on the bike’s suspension but was not able to improve his lap time. The Aussie rider obtained only the sixteenth position. In the afternoon’s second qualifying session, in hotter temperature, all three Pedercini riders suffered from a lack of grip ending the session very close to each other. Bussolotti (1’42”734) obtained the twelfth position followed by Staring (1’42”803) and Mercado (1’42”961) in thirteenth and fourteenth position respectively. The Italian rider will start from the third row, and Staring and Mercado from the fourth in tomorrow’s 14-lap race.
Superstock 1000 – free practice: 1) Giugliano (Ducati) – 2) Barrier BMW) – 3) Petrucci
(Ducati) – 4) Canepa (Ducati) ……. 10) Bussolotti (Kawasaki) …… 16) Staring (Kawasaki) …….. NQ) Mercado (Kawasaki)
Superstock 1000 – qualifying 1: 1) Petrucci (Ducati) – 2) Giugliano (Ducati) – 3) Canepa (Ducati) – 4) Zanetti (BMW) ……. 12) Bussolotti (Kawasaki) - 13) Staring (Kawasaki) – 14) Mercado (Kawasaki)
Marco Bussolotti: “This morning we found some good ways to improve my bike’s performance but unfortunately this afternoon the temperature was hotter and I suffered from some chattering on the front and a lack of grip. My race pace is not so bad and I’m confident for tomorrow’s race also if, starting from the third row, I need a very fast start if I want to reach the front group of riders.”
Brian Staring: “We’re in the position that we’ve been in many times before. Even though we had a good Friday it didn’t translate into a good Saturday. We need to see if we can make any improvements before tomorrow’s race. I’m starting from thirteenth so I’ll need to make some big steps up in the race as we’d like to finish somewhere between fifth and tenth.”
Leandro “Tati” Mercado: “This morning I crashed in my first lap because my rear tyre was still cold. I damaged my bike and I was not able to rejoin the session. This afternoon I suffered mainly in changing direction. It’s difficult for me to ride my bike inside the chicane where I’m losing a lot of time. My technicians are working to solve this problem and I’m confident for tomorrow race because without the problem we have had in the chicane I’m sure we can reach a good result.”
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