(from motomatters.com)
If there was any doubt that Ducati has set its sights on reclaiming the 2010 World Superbike title, then the last test of the preseason before racing starts in earnest will have put those doubts to rest. After allowing Leon Haslam and Suzuki top honors in the first session on Sunday, a Ducati has topped the timesheet ever since, ending the session with five bikes in the top six. Fastest over both days was Michel Fabrizio, the factory Xerox Ducati rider shattering Troy Corser's race lap record on Monday morning, after the track had dried and before the wind picked up too strongly.
Fabrizio's lead, however, was minimal. Both Shane Byrne and Jakub Smrz were less than two hundredths of a second behind the Italian, with Byrne's Althea Ducati teammate Carlos Checa a quarter of a second behind Smrz. Odd man out among the Ducati riders was, surprisingly enough, Noriyuki Haga, who had spent the final day of testing working on suspension setup and finished in 6th position, six tenths behind his teammate Fabrizio.
Johnny Rea was the fastest of the four cylinders, the Ten Kate Honda rider ending the test in 5th position behind the gaggle of Ducatis. Fellow Briton Leon Haslam was 7th quickest on the Suzuki, ahead of the Aprilia pairing of Max Biaggi and Leon Camier. Camier's improvement on the second day was a welcome improvement for the reigning BSB champion, as he had ended the first day way down in 20th.
Ruben Xaus was the first of the BMWs, ending the test in 11th spot, two spots ahead of his teammate Troy Corser, but the fact that the S1000RRs are stuck in around the same position they finished last year must be worrying for the team's new manager Davide Tardozzi. But the BMW seems to be in better shape than the Yamaha. So far, the 2009 World Superbike title seems to have been more down to Ben Spies than to the YZR R1, with both James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow suffering with chatter. With a 12th and a 17th place, the Sterilgarda Yamaha team still has plenty to do.
As does the Kawasaki Racing Team. Chris Vermeulen ended the test as best of the Kawasakis, a lowly 16th place at his home track, and two spots ahead of his teammate Tom Sykes. Kawasaki is focusing its resources on the World Superbike series this year, and so far it seems that this focus has paid off mostly in the World Supersport class, where Joan Lascorz is consistently quick. Kawasaki may have to wait until the new ZX 10R is released, rumored to be using a big bang firing order, if they are to run at the front in WSBK again.
With testing now concluded, the teams have a couple of days' rest before reconvening at Phillip Island for the season opener next weekend. The wind which troubled Monday's afternoon session is abating, but the prospects for next weekend are not good. A rain front is predicted to hit the Island's coastline on Saturday, growing in intensity over the weekend and beyond. The 2010 World Superbike season could get off to a very damp start indeed.
Overall results from two days of testing at Phillip Island for the World Superbike class:
Pos. No. Rider Country Bike Time Diff Diff previous
1 84 M. Fabrizio ITA Ducati 1098R 1'31.650 0.000
2 67 S. Byrne GBR Ducati 1098R 1'31.662 0.012 0.012
3 96 J. Smrz CZE Ducati 1098R 1'31.680 0.030 0.018
4 7 C. Checa ESP Ducati 1098R 1'31.959 0.309 0.279
5 65 J. Rea GBR Honda CBR1000RR 1'32.175 0.525 0.216
6 41 N. Haga JPN Ducati 1098R 1'32.247 0.597 0.072
7 91 L. Haslam GBR Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'32.279 0.629 0.032
8 3 M. Biaggi ITA Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'32.474 0.824 0.195
9 2 L. Camier GBR Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'32.621 0.971 0.147
10 76 M. Neukirchner GER Honda CBR1000RR 1'32.691 1.041 0.070
11 111 R. Xaus ESP BMW S1000 RR 1'32.714 1.064 0.023
12 52 J. Toseland GBR Yamaha YZF R1 1'32.781 1.131 0.067
13 11 T. Corser AUS BMW S1000 RR 1'32.819 1.169 0.038
14 57 L. Lanzi ITA Ducati 1098R 1'32.830 1.180 0.011
15 50 S. Guintoli FRA Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'32.869 1.219 0.039
16 77 C. Vermeulen AUS Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'32.870 1.220 0.001
17 35 C. Crutchlow GBR Yamaha YZF R1 1'32.880 1.230 0.010
18 66 T. Sykes GBR Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'33.202 1.552 0.322
19 88 A. Pitt AUS BMW S1000 RR 1'33.699 2.049 0.497
20 25 J. Brookes AUS Honda CBR1000RR 1'33.710 2.060 0.011
21 123 R. Resch AUT BMW S1000 RR 1'33.943 2.293 0.233
22 31 V. Iannuzzo ITA Honda CBR1000RR 1'34.945 3.295 1.002
23 15 M. Baiocco ITA Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'35.663 4.013 0.718
24 95 R. Hayden USA Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'35.763 4.113 0.100
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And I ask, what happened to Yamaha, is it like the Ducati in MotoGP, where there is only one rider that can ride it?
I mean, WTF? Not even one Yamaha in the top 10?
I get way there are no Kawasaki and BMW. But not even 1 Yamaha?
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