Nürburgring - Qualifying Practice 2 & Superpole

By: BMW Motorrad Motorsport

The Saturday of the FIM Superbike World Championship at the Nürburgring (GER) started in a
more than promising way for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Troy Corser (AUS) topped the
timesheets in the second Qualifying Practice and then again in the Free Practice, setting the fastest
time of the whole weekend so far, before crashing out in the first corner. But in the Superpole the
team's fortunes turned. All of a sudden Troy was struggling and crashed two more times, finishing
14th . Ruben Xaus (ESP) was on course for a good qualifying for the final Superpole session, but also
crashed when another rider in front of him suddenly slowed. This meant Ruben could not improve
his time and finished 11th . The most important thing is that both drivers escaped unhurt, and all that
bad luck only gives the team even more motivation for tomorrow's races.

Ruben Xaus:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:55.804 min / Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:56.583 min /                            
Fastest lap Superpole 2: 1:55.375 min
"I have been struggling today with grip. Going into Superpole I thought I could make it onto the
second row, but sadly I have to settle for a row three start. The bike feels good, so we just need to
work on a few things to ensure the grip levels are consistent. All in all I am happy with the progress
we have made so far. I am not setting any goals for the races tomorrow, am just going out there to
do my best and hopefully the setup we have for the race will work well. I am certainly looking
forward to the races."

Troy Corser:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:55.429 min / Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:55.081 min /                            
Fastest lap Superpole 3: 1:55.599 min
"In the first two crashes I just lost the front going into the first corner - without warning. With the
qualifying tyre we had no rear grip compared to what we had on the race tyre. There was nothing I
could do. It is a little disappointing because I feel we had a good balance for the bike, a good setting
and I could have easily finished on the first row. But we never give up. The lap times we can do are
fast enough, so we will just try to have a good start and make our way through the field."

Davide Tardozzi (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager):
"We were convinced we would be in the last Superpole session with both riders, and that we would
even be in contention for the Superpole with Troy. There is not much to say. But we are still
optimistic for tomorrow because Troy proved that the bike is good and he can manage a podium."


Weather conditions: Mostly cloudy.
Temperature: Air: 13 - 21°C, Track: 18 - 30°C
Number of riders participating: 19 from 12 teams
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:55.232 min
Fastest lap Superpole 3: Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing) 1:54.595 min

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