The new Misano circuit provided mixed fortunes for Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Yukio Kagayama and Max Biaggi during qualifying for Sunday’s World Superbike Championship eighth round.
Both riders were seeing the new layout for the first time - the track now runs clockwise instead of anticlockwise - but Kagayama still managed to put in a superb performance this afternoon setting the third quickest lap to end on the provisional front row of the grid.
It was not such a happy return to Italy for his team mate Max Biaggi who suffered some bike problems in the afternoon timed qualifying and ended with the 11th fastest lap.
Troy Bayliss (Ducati) was one of many riders who tested here recently and he used that advantage well finishing with the day’s fastest lap - 1:36.479. Second quickest is another rider who tested recently, Troy Corser (Yamaha) with Kagayama third ahead of Ruben Xaus (Ducati).
Yukio Kagayama - 3rd, 1:36.803:
“Considering this is my first time here I am pretty happy to be third just behind two riders who have tested here before. It is always a bit difficult when you come to a new track because you have to learn it before you can go fast. The new layout is very technical and there are quite a few bumps, so there is a lot to discover - quickly. I knew about the bumps beforehand, so I was expecting them, but they were not as bad as I was led to believe. The grip level of the track is not bad but, as usual, when the temperature goes up the grip goes down. We made some improvements to the chassis setting today and now we have to see if we can make the bike better tomorrow. I still have to get more knowledge about the track, but I feel this could be quite a positive weekend for us. “
Max Biaggi - 11th, 1:37.766:
“Today, especially this afternoon was a little frustrating. First I had to learn the track before I could push hard. The track is ok, but it is quite bumpy and that is unusual for a new track, or a track with a new surface. The grip level is so-so, but my biggest problem this afternoon in timed qualifying was that my bike cut out a couple of times. I think there was about seven minutes until the end of timed qualifying and I wanted to set a quick lap or two, but when I was on one of my fast laps, the bike just cut out. I managed to restart it ok, but then it did it again and basically I lost any chance of improving my lap times. Afterwards I spoke with my mechanics and they think that maybe a sensor was playing up and it sent the wrong information and that’s why the bike stopped. They will check everything, look at the data and hopefully they will find the cause of the problem. It is a pity because I feel I could’ve qualified much higher up the grid if I had not had that problem. “
Friday Qualifying:
1 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:36.479,
2 Corser (Aus-Yamaha) 1:36.524,
3 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:36.803,
4 Xaus (E-Ducati) 1:36.879,
5 Haga (J-Yamaha) 1:37.453,
6 Nieto (E-Kawasaki) 1"37.512,
7 Toseland (GB-Honda) 1:37.522,
8 Fabrizio (I-Honda) 1:37.594,
9 Laconi (I-Kawasaki) 1:37.645,
10 Lanzi (I-Ducati) 1:37.692.
11 Max Biaggi (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:37.766.
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