The first day of qualifying for round 12 of the 2007 World Superbike Championship took place in unpredictable weather at the Autodromo di Vallelunga in Italy today. HANNspree Ten Kate Honda's James Toseland ended the day as the fifth fastest rider while team-mate Roberto Rolfo was not far behind in sixth. Although the morning's heavy rain subsided in time for the free practice, the track surface remained damp and this hindered results. Despite this, both HANNspree Ten Kate Honda riders set fastest laps and remained in the top six for the majority of the session.
The official qualifying followed a similar pattern, with Toseland and Rolfo putting in fastest laps each before finally settling into fifth and sixth positions respectively. The team has made good progress towards finding the correct set-up for the CBR1000RR machines on the 4.110km Vallelunga circuit. Both riders are confident that they can improve on their lap times in tomorrow's final qualifying.
Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager:
"It's been quite a good start to the weekend, although there is still quite a lot of work to do on different areas of the machine. James is suffering a lot in the infield area of the circuit but with all the data gathered from today and the test here we should be able to make some improvements for tomorrow. I am quite happy to see Roby riding so well round here so hopefully we can also improve things for him - let's see what tomorrow brings."
James Toseland: "I am really pleased that the rain held off this afternoon because if it had rained we'd be in a really difficult position for tomorrow. As it is, we have a few small problems but it's nothing we can't solve. We've definitely moved in the right direction today and we can improve tomorrow."
Roberto Rolfo:
"Today was good for me. We have made a lot of improvements to the bike compared to the test here. We found a good set-up almost immediately. At the end of the first qualifying I am happy - although we still have some work to do on things such as rear grip. Anyway, I am confident and I am looking forward to the race."
Qualifying times:1. T. Corser 1'37.537
2. T. Bayliss 1'37.578
3. N. Haga 1'37.951
4. M. Biaggi 1'37.962
5. J. Toseland 1'38.111
6. R. Rolfo 1'38.279
7. M. Fabrizio 1'38.310
8. R. Laconi 1'38.486
9. S. Nakatomi 1'38.573
10. R. Xaus 1'39.659
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