Haslam holds off Biaggi at Monza

From the WSBK Press Office

Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) snatched the top slot in the first World Superbike qualifying session from local hero and double 2010 race winner Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) at Monza on Friday, despite Biaggi setting a new all-time best top speed of 332.5km/h.

Haslam put in a superhuman effort on his last flying lap around Monza to take the provisional pole slot with a time of 1 minute 42.934 seconds. The gap between the two was just 0.019 seconds in favour of Haslam.

Third fastest time went to Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team), who got the better of an impressive Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team); the 2010 Superstock 1000 champion was entirely in tune with the Monza track on his privateer machine.

Jonathan Rea followed up his strong morning form with fifth slot for Castrol Honda, while Noriyuki Haga did a good job for the PATA Racing Team Aprilia to get in front of Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team).

Championship leader Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) for the moment is still off the pace of the frontrunners and is languishing down in 14th place.

Troy Corser, Haslam’s team-mate, took his BMW to eighth place, while a man in his rookie season, Maxime Berger was fastest Ducati rider on show on day one, in ninth place for the Supersonic Racing Team, only 0.745 seconds away from leader Haslam.

Leon Camier rounded out the top 10 on his Aprilia Alitalia v-four. The top 13 riders were within the same second after the first qualifying session.

Chaz Davies and Luca Scassa (Yamaha ParkinGO) dominated the first World Supersport qualifying session on Friday, the Welshman getting the better of his Italian team-mate with a time of 1:48.408. The two Yamaha men, who have had three out of three wins so far this year, headed up two Hondas CBR600RRs, the Step Racing version of Gino Rea and Florian Marino on the Hannspree Ten Kate machine.

Lorenzo Zanetti followed up his win in last weekend's Italian domestic championship counter with provisional pole position for the BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock Team in the Superstock 1000 class. The promising young Italian set a time of 1:46.381 to head his team-mate Sylvain Barrier and Danilo Petrucci of the Barni Racing Ducati team.

Frenchman Romain Lanusse (MRS Yamaha Racing France) took provisional pole in the Superstock 600 category, which has its race on Saturday. The winner of the Assen opening round, Michael van der Mark (Ten Kate Junior Team Honda) at the moment lies down in 18th position.

Matt Davies was quickest in the first free practice session for the second round of the European Junior Cup, the Australian youngster finishing three-tenths of a second ahead of Spain’s Miguel Aranda, and South African Daniel Teixiera, all riders on identical Kawasaki Ninja 250R machines.

Superbike Qualifying Times
1. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000RR 1:42.934
2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1:42.953
3. Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:43.265
4. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000RR 1:43.276
5. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1:43.321
6. Haga N. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1:43.531
7. Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:43.588
8. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000RR 1:43.640
9. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1:43.679
10. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1:43.730
11. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:43.762
12. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:43.850
13. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1:43.861
14. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1:44.071
15. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:44.095
16. Xaus R. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1:44.232
etc.