Bayliss hits the top slot in first day of official SBK tests at Vallelunga, Canepa second on debut with factory Ducati
Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) dominated the first day of action in official SBK tests at Vallelunga. The tests have been organized in view of the second part of the season and in particular the Italian Round at the Rome circuit on September 21st.
The Australian and the Japanese rider were at the top of the standings for almost the entire day, but in the final few minutes Bayliss powered to a time of 1 minute 36.595 seconds, four tenths clear of his closest rivals.
In the final minutes of the session Haga slipped from second to third after being demoted by SBK rookie Niccolò Canepa. The 20-year-old Ducati Corse tester will be taking part in three rounds of the World Superbike Championship this year as wild-card (Brno, Vallelunga and Magny-Cours).
Michel Fabrizio made it three factory Ducati 1098 machines in the top 4, ahead of Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), an increasingly competitive Jakub Smrz with a private Guandalini Ducati 1098, and Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate), the first Honda in the standings.
Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) was in slight difficulty for much of the day but by the end of the two sessions the Rome rider had moved up to ninth, while team-mate and Misano winner Ruben Xaus completed the top 10.
In the afternoon Lorenzo Lanzi and Checa both crashed, the Italian banging his right knee, while Canepa, Smrz, Pridmore and Aoyama all went off in the morning session.
Alstare Suzuki (Max Neukirchner, Fonsi Nieto and Yukio Kagayama) and PSG-1 Corse Kawasaki (Régis Laconi and Makoto Tamada) are not taking part in the Vallelunga tests, which conclude tomorrow with a second and final day.
Times: 1. Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 1'36.595
2. Canepa N. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 1'37.044
3. Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1'37.115
4. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 1'37.312
5. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 1'37.417
6. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1'37.430
7. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1'37.639
8. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1'37.753
9. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1'37.999
10. Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1'38.022
11. Aoyama S. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1'38.087
12. Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1'38.202
13. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'38.458
14. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'38.976
15. Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1'39.097
16. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1'39.251
17. Pridmore J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'39.748
18. Morelli L. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'41.320
In the Supersport category, Craig Jones of the Parkalgar Racing Honda team put in a great performance to set the quickest time in 1 minute 40.205 seconds during the morning session. The British rider again looked good on the Vallelunga track following his positive performance here in last year’s race. Two-tenths of a second slower was Broc Parkes with a Yamaha World Supersport team R6, ahead of the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda duo of Jonathan Rea and championship leader Andrew Pitt.
Times: 1. Jones C. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1'40.205
2. Parkes B. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R6 1'40.452
3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1'40.855
4. Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1'40.915
5. Van Keymeulen D. (BEL) Suzuki GSX-R600 1'41.053
6. Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 1'41.250
7. Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R6 1'41.265
8. Dell'Omo D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'41.415
9. Nannelli G. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'41.492
10. Aitchison M. (AUS) Triumph 675 1'41.563
11. Gowland G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1'41.567
12. Holland R. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1'41.989
13. Clementi I. (ITA) Triumph 675 1'42.340
14. Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 1'42.450
15. Vizziello G. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'43.156
16. McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph 675 1'43.638
17. Alfonsi L. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'44.118
