Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse Ninja ZX-10R) chose a successful Superpole strategy to secure his first ever SBK pole position, and in a great day for the Kawasaki riders Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse Ninja ZX-10R) took second best time. With the ‘wet’ Superpole rules in place, due to wet weather marring most of the second day of qualifying, the 50-minute session started out with a largely dry track surface and most riders running slicks. Nieto could sense the rains coming and decided to make a quick exit from pitlane, getting out fastest and first, and he managed to get his ZX-10R across the line just before the rains came back with real vengeance. Hence his best time was almost four seconds faster than his team-mate Laconi, who made the best job possible after half the track suddenly became drenched in rain water.
The rains came and went throughout the session, but the notoriously slick Lausitz track surface remained wet throughout, and many of the top 16 riders fell trying to improve their times.
Kawasaki’s perfect 1-2 performance was an assured display of using the conditions to best advantage, and with unsettled weather predicted for raceday, with a real chance of additional rain, more intelligent thinking may have to be done before racing starts for real.
Fonsi Nieto:
“I knew it was going to rain and there are times when you have to make up for in your head that you do not have in the set-up of the bike. I had the bike in gear and ready to go and as soon as I saw the lights start to change I made almost a full racing start just to get clear of everyone else. Three quarters of the way through the my first flying lap it started to rain but when I completed the lap I knew I would be on pole, because all the riders behind would have had to ride on more wet tarmac than me.”
Regis Laconi: “I am quite satisfied with that result and I also used a slick tyre, like Fonsi. The plan was to get a quick start and try to beat the rain but halfway around my lap I felt spots of rain on my visor. I pushed as hard as I could on the first part of the flying lap but them I had a slide from the rear so I had to slow down a bit. I hope it will be dry for tomorrow as we have a good set-up for that, so we will have to wait and see.”
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