In sadly, the last ever motorcycle race at Lausitzring (which will become a test centre for cars) Nolangroup riders triumphed above all. With Chaz Davies winning both races with aplomb, as well as Marco Melandri doing remarkably well to finish 4th in race 1 and 3rd in race 2. To further our domination we finished with 4 others in the top 10. Including Camier, Savadori, Fores & Reiterberger.
In Superstock 1000, Ducati doubled with Rinaldi and Jones, as well as many other lads placing well. But less successful in Supersport 600 in which Caricasulo suffered from an incident on the track, which fortunately didn’t result in serious consequences.
Quite a break before the next race in mid-September in Portimao of Portugal where we will of course be hoping for another weekend like this one!
After the summer break did such great things for the Nolan Group riders, we’re hoping it was just as good for all of you! Let us know how it went on social media.
SUPERBIKE
CHAZ DAVIES RACE1 1th:
“The sighting lap was pandemonium, I nearly high-sided going into the last corner because of an issue with the rear brake. That made for a few tense minutes on the grid, because usually you can’t fix something like that in such a short time, but I have a good crew and they fixed to almost entirely, so it was good enough to allow me to do what I needed to do. Then, I got a great start and found myself in a good position in the early laps. Once I took the lead, I just tried to set my pace without looking at the lap times and we came out on top. The rhythm was good, but there is still room for improvement ahead of Race 2. We’ll start from 9th position but I think this track offers opportunities for overtaking and we’ve worked on our starts recently, finding more consistency, so I’m in for another interesting race.”
CHAZ DAVIED RACE2 1th:
“It was a great race and I loved every minute of it. It was different from yesterday though, as we had to work our way up from third row on the grid. We had a good start and in the first couple of laps we were within sight of the lead, so when I saw Rea making his move I tried to hunt down him and Marco. It wasn’t easy to pass them, but then I just tried to set my own pace, ride clean, and not make mistakes. I was surprised by our rhythm today in the high 1:36 mark, we definitely improved since the tests here a month ago, and it shows the effort everyone is putting in. I’m confident going into Portimão, but we’ll enjoy this double for now and get prepared for another battle.”
MARCO MELANDRI RACE1 4th:
“It wasn’t an easy race for us. In the first few laps we managed to stay within the leading group, but as the rear tyre dropped our bike started to wobble too much over the bumps and I was forced to ease off the throttle, losing contact with the riders ahead of me. At first, I tried to compensate by braking later to make up for it but, the harder I pushed, the more mistakes I made, and I almost lost the front a couple of times. Our pace was in the high 1:37 mark today, we couldn’t do more and it wouldn’t have been smart to take more risks. Tomorrow we’ll try some setup modifications during WUP. The goal is to stay with our rivals for the whole race.”
MARCO MELANDRI RACE2 3rd:
“After the issues we encountered yesterday, I wouldn’t have thought we could take the podium here. But, we did a great job together with the team, changing the weight distribution and the overall balance of the bike. The Panigale R was much easier to ride today, and I felt comfortable. Unfortunately, the bike still moved a lot in a couple of corners and I was losing ground under acceleration. I tried to brake deeper to recover, but I made a couple of small mistakes and I decided to secure the podium, thinking back to what happened in Race 1 at Misano. It’s been a positive round: we keep learning new things about the bike, and soon we’ll race on tracks that suit my riding style better. I’m confident ahead of the next rounds.”
LEON CAMIER RACE1 5th:
“It was a really good race for us and I am truly happy because the bike was working really good in the race. I set a solid rhythm from the first lap and I managed to make some good passes as well. I couldn’t go with the lead group as I lost too much time passing the riders at the beginning of the race but I am quite sure if I had had one more lap I could have passed Melandri as well. Big thank to MV Agusta and my team for their great job and effort.”
LEON CAMIER RACE2 6th:
“Unfortunately the start wasn’t perfect and I think we have to work on the setting of the clutch for a better start. Despite this, the bike today was perfect again and I had a really good rhythm. I tried to pass Sykes early on and we start battling for the 4th position, his pace was very strong too so I made a little mistake in the last corner and Lowes beat me for the 5th place. I am a little bit frustrated with my mistake but at the same time I am happy with our performance today and I really look forward to the next race in Portimao.”
LORENZO SAVADORI RACE1 7th:
“The start of the race was good, although I lost some positions at the start, I managed to continue my game.
I tried to keep up my pace waiting to attack the leaders, but in the middle of the race I had a traction problem with the bike that made it difficult to push and I lost a lot of time.
I was not so happy to finish just in seventh position but scores are good and we know the areas we can improve for Race 2.
However, I am happy that we have had a good speed in qualifying and hope we can continue this way.”
LORENZO SAVADORI RACE2 7th:
“In general I'm happy with how the weekend went.
In today's race I tried to stay with the group but it was not easy to pass the riders in front of me.
I kept a good pace and knew that the riders behind me were very close, so I defended the position as much as possible, concentrating on my rhythm. Towards the end of the race I tried to push back and recover some positions, but we had a small problem and lost acceleration.
We had a good weekend and think we have made good progress with the Aprilia RSV4-RF and we know how to improve again.
Portimao is a great circuit but it is quite difficult so we have to work hard and I still want to thank SMR and Aprilia Racing for their work.”
SUPERSTOCK 1000:
MICHAEL RUBEN RINALDI 1st:
“Today we have won with our head, which has not always been successful in the past. We have improved so much on every aspect: after a difficult WUP we were focused, managing the race and going to the top. The bike today was extremely competitive, so I want to thank all my team. The battle was tough, maybe too much, but the important thing is that we continue to work this way. Although we have taken important points, we must keep the focus at the highest level.”
MICK JONES 2nd:
“I'm in seventh heaven, it's great to have my first podium in the STK1000. Of course, we have not been able to do so before, but I am happy to pay at least part of the team's work and give an indication of my potential. The race today was very tactical. We have been patient and this has paid us back. I think the test of a month ago here in Lausitz was a turning point, because I focused more on driving style than on the set. I want to extend this positive momentum and improve again if possible. The support of my family, team and sponsor repays me all the effort.”
