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+--- Thread: HASLAM JUST MISSES MONZA SUPERBIKE FRONT ROW (/showthread.php?tid=9106)
HASLAM JUST MISSES MONZA SUPERBIKE FRONT ROW - Malcolm - 08-05-2010
Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam just missed out on a front-row grid place in Superpole 3 this afternoon at the Monza World Superbike fifth round when he was baulked on his two flying laps:
The first time was by James Toseland (Yamaha) and the second was by another of his fellow countrymen - Tom Sykes (Kawasaki). But for those two instances, Haslam would've qualified on the front row.
His team mate Sylvain Guintoli struggled to find a good rhythm today and ended with the 14th-quickest time in Superpole. He now faces a difficult task staring tomorrow's pair of 18 lap races from the fourth row of the grid.
Max Biaggi (Aprilia) stormed to victory in Superpole with Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) second, Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third and Jonathan Rea (Honda) fourth.
Leon Haslam - 5th, 1:42.725:
"I'm disappointed not to be on the front row but I am pretty happy with my bike and feel confident about the races tomorrow. I was on a quick lap in final Superpole, but got pushed out wide by James, so I thought I'd go for it on the second lap, but this time Tom was on my racing line and I had to go round him to get past and lost time in the process.
"It's good that the first turn is a long way from the start and as long as I get off the line well I'll be with the front guys for sure. The first chicane is going to be tight and I hope nobody tries to do anything stupid there on the first lap. I think that a wet race might be better for the Championship, but I guess we'd all rather prefer two dry races and a lot of close-quarter racing. We're probably going to get that anyway!"
Sylvain Guintoli - 14th, 1:43.691:
"Once again, I am having a problem finding a good rhythm and being here in Monza for the first time is no real excuse. It's my job as a racer to learn tracks quickly and I have not succeeded as well as I wanted to. I'm disappointed not to have done better today and now my job tomorrow is going to be a lot harder as I will be starting from the fourth row of the grid. The other thing is that I didn't manage to improve much when I was on qualifying tyres and that is something I will have to get used to and sort out.
"We not far off where we want to be, but in this Championship not far is a like a long way off! The series is so competitive that any small slip in qualifying can push you way back down the grid. I have been practicing my starts and now I need two good ones tomorrow."
Final WSB Qualifying:
1 Max Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia) 1:42.121, 2 Cal Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha) 1:42.154, 3 Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati) 1:42.499, 4 Jonathan Rea (GBR-Honda) 1:42.633, 5 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 1:42.633, 6 Ruben Xaus (ESP-BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1:42.725. 14 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 1:43.691.