Two 23-lap races allowed the PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse Team’s riders to compete for strong top ten positions in Spain, during round three of the World Superbike Championship. Régis Laconi scored an eighth place in race one today and followed that up with a second race ninth place to overtake his team-mate Makoto Tamada in the championship standings.
Tamada was ninth and then a non-finisher in race two after a crash caused by eagerness to pass an opponent and get to a higher position.
In the first 23-lap contest Laconi recovered from being 12th on lap one to eighth at the end, finishing over four seconds ahead of his own team-mate Tamada. The race was marked by falls for many of the top riders and Laconi himself was forced to run at full pace and high risk through a tight midfield battle to stay in contention. He had qualified 15th in Superpole and had to work his way forward from row four each time.
A crash dislodged a track side kerbstone in race one, causing the World Supersport race to be delayed, but on a repaired circuit Laconi went ninth after a typically brave ride, leading a bunch of four riders across the line, while Tamada collided with another rider and fell, at marshall post 8 on lap eight.
After their latest points scores, Laconi is now 18th on 16 points, Tamada is 19 on 13 points. The next races will be at Assen, on April 27th.
Regis Laconi: “I'm looking for a better result than eighth but we made great improvements today. In race one we had chattering and I had no grip in the bends, but after adjustments to the Ninja ZX-10R we almost eliminated it, and in race two the feeling I had was good. I made a quick start in both races, maintained my rhythm and I was really fighting until the end to defend the positions I had gained. We're heading in a good direction and I want to thank the team, because they are working flat-out.”
Makoto Tamada: “I'm disappointed for what happened in race two. I hadn't made a good start and it was difficult to pass my rivals in order to reach the top group. I was waiting for a good time, but I waited too long and I started to become nervous. I started to push as soon as I saw the possibility to. I crashed into the rider in front of me and fell. It's a pity as the adjustments we made to the suspension increased grip and the bike was behaving well. Race one gave me satisfaction, not only for the result but because I maintained a good rhythm during the whole race. Now we'll go to Jerez for a test to prepare for the next round at Assen.”
