Aprilia's Max Biaggi is hoping...
Aprilia's Max Biaggi is hoping to claw back some points from Carlos Checa this weekend at the Nürburgring round of the World Superbike Championship.
After languishing outside the top ten in the wet-but-drying opening morning practice for the World Superbike contingent at the Nürburgring, Aprilia Alitalia’s Max Biaggi suddenly found his stride when the provisional qualifying session began in the afternoon. Sitting second behind championship leader Carlos Checa for the majority of the session until his last lap, Biaggi suddenly uncorked a 1:55.524 lap that put him 0.149 seconds up on Checa, who elected to sit out the remaining portion of the period after setting his quick time midway through in order to conserve his tire allotment. Yamaha’s Marco Melandri was the only other rider with a chance to better Biaggi’s time, but he came up well short, putting him third behind Checa.
Suzuki’s Michel Fabrizio put himself in fourth on the timesheets after having to use his spare bike due to crashing his number one machine with barely 10 minutes gone in the session. Melandri’s Yamaha teammate Eugene Laverty took fifth, with Team Effenbert Liberty Ducati’s Sylvain Guintoli coming in just ahead of a returning Jonathan Rea on the Castrol Honda, who was forced to sit out nearly three months of the season in order to let his wrist injury heal. Supersonic Racing Team Ducati’s Maxime Berger surprised many with his eighth quickest time, coming in ahead of factory riders Tom Sykes on the Kawasaki and BMW-mounted Leon Haslam.
World Superbike Nürburgring Friday provisional qualifying results:
1. Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia 1:55.524
2. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati 1:55.673
3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Yamaha 1:55.819
4. Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Suzuki 1:56.085
5. Eugene Laverty (IRL) Yamaha 1:56.197
6. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Ducati 1:56.319
7. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Honda 1:56.325
8. Maxime Berger (FRA) Ducati 1:56.338
9. Tom Sykes (GBR) Kawasaki 1:56.353
10. Leon Haslam (GBR) BMW 1:56.354