WSB / WSS Magny-Cours - Qualifying 1

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QUALIFYING 1 REPORT 03/10/2008 Haga quickest with Corser close behind Noriyuki Haga Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) made another strong start to race weekend, securing provisional pole despite having very little track time at his disposal. The rains that have peppered the build-up to the first day of action arrived again shortly after the start of the first qualifying session, meaning Haga only set seven laps in an hour long period. Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) only posted six laps but was also right in the leading bunch, finishing fifth in the rankings as he started to find a race set-up for Sunday's two 23-lap contests. Weather conditions are expected to improve as the weekend carries on, with two more qualifying sessions and Superpole coming on Saturday. David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) led the morning untimed session for a time, dropping to 11th in the official rankings in the afternoon, just one place ahead of his team-mate Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94). Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) was 19th from the 28 WSB riders who took part in day one. Noriyuki Haga (1st - 1'41.012 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "Not so much track time today, just a few laps but I think I can improve things a little more. The lap time was not so bad but we have to go a bit faster. We had some bad luck with the weather, so I just hope to improve tomorrow, if we have a dry track. Our first impression was not so bad, and I think all we need to do is make some small changes to the set-up." Troy Corser Troy Corser (5th - 1'41.515 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "We only did a few laps today but it was not too bad. I felt there were a few things on the bike that we can improve. To be honest I was not that comfortable on the bike so I was pleasantly surprised with the lap time. We were only half a second off after six laps. I'm not too worried because the track time we have is the same for everyone." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "Usually we have good results here and for our bike this circuit is pretty good. On flatter circuits, with good grip and not too many bumps, our bike seems to work best. We are confident for Sunday, for both riders. Troy has the choice of one machine with conventional suspension and one with electronic suspension, but he seems to be using the conventional one most. Overall, for the first day, we're fine." Circuit Length: 4411 2008 WSB France - Magny-Cours 03/10/2008 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'41.012 2 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'41.020 3 Carlos Checa Honda ESP 1'41.130 4 Fonsi Nieto Suzuki ESP 1'41.513 5 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 1'41.515 6 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 1'41.681 7 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'41.783 8 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'41.885 9 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'41.892 10 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'41.900 11 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'41.936 12 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'41.963 13 Max Biaggi Ducati ITA 1'42.410 14 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'42.683 15 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'42.704 19 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'43.139 QUALIFYING 1 REPORT 03/10/2008 Parkes second fastest as Foret returns Broc Parkes Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) overcame the less than ideal conditions and 10°C track temperatures in the first qualifying session at Magny-Cours to record the second fastest time of the day. His best was only 0.158 seconds from provisional pole, and despite the cold track conditions, the best times were only just off lap record pace. This race marked the return of legendary Yamaha WSS rider Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport Team) who secured a qualifying position of 26th as he stepped onto his R6 machine for the first time since his crash at the Brno round. The bad weather that has followed World Supersport this season continued once again, with occasionally wet track surfaces and an all-pervading cold robbing the track of consistency of grip. Unlike some other teams in the championship, the Yamaha World Supersport squad did not test at this venue recently, making the first day showings an impressive display. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) finished an encouraging 11th on day one, while David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport) was 20th. Broc Parkes (2nd - 1'43.007 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "It's good for a first day because we didn't test here and Ten Kate did, so it's always a good feeling when you can just wheel out the bike and be on top. The Yamaha always works well here and I like the track, so we just need to get as much time on the track as we can and get ready for Sunday. I'm happy for the first day." Fabien Foret Fabien Foret (26th - 1'46.914 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "Not too bad but not the best track conditions I could expect before I got back on the bike. It was cold and there were some wet patches around, so that was not good for my confidence. I need to get some more reference points on the track to get more confidence. Everything is a bit sluggish now and it is like I have restarted. If the weather is good tomorrow and I can work from the first thing in the morning, we should be better." Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) "We did not have ideal track conditions to set-up the machines, especially as we have not tested here, but Broc likes the track and was fast right away. That's great. The Ten Kate guys were testing here but it seems we can compete straight away without testing. Let's wait and see tomorrow what we can do. I will not say anything about weather for tomorrow because it seems very unpredictable! Fabien has no pain but it will take some time for him to get back into it. Small things matter when you come back and he has to get used to the speed again. Nothing can simulate that and the co-ordination you need to ride fast. But he qualified and tomorrow is another day. I can say that he has come back to be ready for next year more than be ready for the next race in Portimao." Massimo Roccoli Massimo Roccoli (11th - 1'44.636 - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "This morning I only had four laps because of the wet track, but it was important because I rode with a wet set-up, just to test it. In the second session, I rode with a dry set-up and it went better lap-by-lap. With a new clutch fitted tomorrow we will be able to make more improvements, if the weather is OK of course!" Circuit Length: 4411 2008 WSS France - Magny-Cours 03/10/2008 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'42.849 2 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 1'43.007 3 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 1'43.343 4 Matthieu Lagrive Honda FRA 1'43.390 5 Joan Lascorz Honda ESP 1'43.445 6 Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 1'43.601 7 Didier Van Keymeulen Suzuki BEL 1'43.710 8 Gianluca Nannelli Honda ITA 1'44.010 9 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 1'44.390 10 Josh Hayes Honda USA 1'44.615 11 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'44.636 12 Miguel Praia Honda POR 1'44.636 13 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 1'44.712 14 Julien Enjolras Yamaha FRA 1'44.788 15 Katsuaki Fujiwara Kawasaki JPN 1'44.790 20 David Salom Yamaha ESP 1'45.608 26 Fabien Foret Yamaha FRA 1'46.914 Yamaha Racing Communications Hoogte Kadijk 61hs / 1018 BE Amsterdam / The Netherlands T. +31 (0) 20 625 6539 / F. +31 (0) 20 420 9470 E. office@yrc.nl W. http://www.yamaha-racing.com