For the first time, the Superbike Championship brought Nolangroup riders to Thailand. The race finished with good results but also a lot of misfortune. Matteo Baiocco did very well, he came first of the Italian riders and won the sixth and eight place. Ducati official rider Chaz Davies crashed in both races however still managed to finish in eleventh and fifteenth place). Not bad also for David Salom 8th and 9th, Leandro Mercado 10th in both races. Nico Terol also won points by finishing 12 twice and Barrier 14th and 13th.
In the Championship Chaz Davies is sixth and Baiocco eighth.
Next race in Spain April 12th.
Matteo Baiocco, X-lite X-802R. “I’m pleased to have made continuous improvement throughout these two races. Even in qualifying we saw that that we could be inside the first eight and we are able to achieve this in the races too. I made two good starts, keeping pace until the end. I have grown a lot since Phillip Island and now we head to Aragon in high spirits. I am also very pleased for the Team as the guys have worked really hard, the bike was working well and to be the first of the Ducatis across the line makes both me and the team very happy.”
David Salom, X-lite X-802R.In Race 1 I felt very comfortable on the bike. It was very hot, but my real problem was a little touch with another rider who drove me wide in a turn. Besides, both Bayliss and Lowes they overtook me during yellow flags. Race 2 was a real hell for me because I suffered from headache. Nevertheless i made my best lap of all the weekend. That means I have to improve my feeling with qualifying tyres and I'll be able to fight for higher positions.
Nico Terol, X-lite X-802R. I have had more trouble than I expected this weekend, I was unable to interpret the circuit as I wanted. This only spurs me on to work harder, the team has worked really well, seeking and testing different solutions which gave me better feeling with the bike in race 2 – I improved a little. Now I’m focusing on Aragon, a circuit that I really like and where I want to make two great races in front of my fans.”
Chaz Davies X-lite X-802R. “I’m really disappointed with how today’s races went. It was very difficult as I was constantly having to push, riding at the limit, to fight with the others. The fact that there are three straights here really hindered us today… We made some changes for race 2 and the bike was better, but then the race went more or less like the first one. The crash was different, I lost grip at the rear on entering Turn 3 but then the second part of the race was similar. I tried to make up as many positions as possible. The lap times were good and when I find myself riding alone I have a lot less trouble. When I’m fighting with the others, I have a lot more trouble with initial acceleration and on the straight, losing too much ground which means I then have to force the entry. I have faith in the technicians at Borgo Panigale and their work to find us some more power ahead of the next races…”
Leandro Mercado, X-lite X-802R. "I am really happy, This weekend was really positive. From Friday till today my feeling with the bike has improved a lot. Race 1 went well even if I had some problems with the front. In view of Race 2 we did some changes that permitted me to have a better pace. It was a nice fight with Baiocco, Salom and Troy Bayliss. At the end of the race I tried to stay with them, but the gap increased and I couldn’t remain with them till the very end. I am satisfied of the steps forward that we are making. I hope that we will continue like this also in the next races. Obviously, there are still things that we need to improve, but I am happy with the great progresses that we have already made. Thanks to all the team for the job done and to everyone who helped me being here“.
