LEON HASLAM WILL START FROM THE SECOND ROW IN THE TWO RACES TOMORROW
JORDI TORRES FORCED TO THE FIFTH ROW
Donington, 23 May 2015 – The World Superbike Saturday at Donington started off well for Leon Haslam who rode his RSV4 RF to the top of the list in the last practice session before Superpole. The English Aprilia Racing – Red Devils riders confirmed his improvement despite the fact that the extremely tight gaps preclude any predictions.
In Superpole the English rider managed the available 15 minutes well, taking two flying laps on a race tyre and then throwing himself into an attempt on the softer tyre. The final, exciting minutes of Superople had many of the riders improving on their times, with the final standings under the chequered flag placing Haslam fourth, which translates into the first spot on the second row of the grid. Leon is pleased with the work done today, whereas the races promise to be close, especially in the final laps.
Leon Haslam: “After being fastest in FP4 I’m pleased with the fourth best time in Superpole, especially considering a few mistakes I made in the first sector. Looking at the last few sessions it’s clear that the races will be close tomorrow as there are a lot of riders with very similar pace. A good start and staying in the lead pack will be important. Here at Donington the last two tight turns have always shuffled the deck in the last few laps of the race. My ribs are still hurting a bit, maybe more than I expected, but it shouldn’t be a problem tomorrow.”
Hard luck for Jordi Torres who, after putting the eighth best time on the sheets this morning with a good feeling astride his RSV4 RF, took on Superpole 1 in the best possible way. Putting in the best time with a race tyre, Jordi was slowed down on his flying lap by a few uncertainties in the braking sections, having to settle for the thirteenth best time in the end. Starting from the fifth row won’t be easy, although the progress he demonstrated in the final session makes the Spanish rookie cautiously optimistic.
Jordi Torres: “This morning we took a big step forward, even bigger than the times show because the different tyre we tried was lacking a bit of grip at the rear. This is the positive aspect of the day, because for me it is always important to improve from one day to the next on a new track. I went through to Superpole 1 confidently. I felt like I was doing well but after a good lap on the race tyre the bike was a bit twitchy in the braking sections so I wasn’t able to exploit the qualifier tyre well. These things happen, and unfortunately starting from the thirteenth spot is less than ideal, but we’ll need to be focused to take on the races, trying to get off the line well and overtaking as many riders as possible in the early phases of the race.”
