3 wins across the race categories with Chaz Davies grabbing a double and Rinaldi finishing 1st in the Supersport, as well as Marco Melandri getting a podium finish in race 1 before only managing a still positive 5th in race 2. Aside from these clear successes we had Xavi Fores finishing 5th in race 1 and 4th in race 2 ahead of Melandri! Leon Camier also got himself a 6th place finish with a very solid race in race 1.
We are as proud as ever of the results from our riders for the performances achieved and entertainment given to the masses. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did, just as we enjoy the satisfaction of brining Nolan to the world and making it an Italian success for almost 45 years!
Please read on for the race quotes from our riders to see their insight. We look forward to the next round now in the UK at Donington Park and hope you will be supporting us as ever. In the mean time we hope you get out on your bikes, whether it be for work or leisure, we hope you enjoy, and ride responsibly.
SUPERBIKE:
Chaz Davies Race1 1st:
"It's been a perfect weekend so far. I think this track really suits me and the Panigale R. We've made good steps forward under acceleration this year, and it was a big help here with the tight chicanes. Also, this layout helps me to take advantage of the strong points of my riding style. I kept controlling the gap from Rea, looking after the tyres, and the bike felt really consistent. It was a lonely race, but not an easy one. Tomorrow's going to be different, starting from the back. We need to keep it clean and be patient. We can still improve something on the electronics side, but clearly we won't make any big changes. Thanks to all the ducatisti for their amazing support today!"
Marco Melandri Race1 3rd:
"To step on the podium in front of the home crowd is amazing, but it wasn't easy out there today. From this morning, we had some issues. I still didn't feel at 100 percent under braking, and under acceleration I had to shut the throttle often while upshifting, without being able to fully take advantage of our power. Nonetheless, Chaz was really fast, especially in the third sector, and while trying not to lose contact with him I made some mistakes. After a few laps, with less fuel in the tank and a lighter bike, we improved. I was ready to fight against Sykes and in general I expected to battle against the two Kawasakis, but we didn't take advantage of our full potential and I want to do better tomorrow."
Chaz Davies Race2 1st:
"What a weekend! For the first time this year, I feel we’ve been the benchmark from the beginning. We were able to find our rhythm on Friday, and it sort of snowballed from there. The team has done an awesome job, the bike worked superbly in both races, in different conditions, but today it was quite interesting. We got mixed up at the first start, but after the re-start we got a good launch and I was able to make some good moves that put us in a good position. Sykes’ pace was strong, so I had to put my head down to hunt him and, once I caught him, I was able to set my own pace and that was good enough. Thanks to all the Italian fans for showing up this weekend, their push was something special."
Xavi Fores Race1 5th:
"I'm very happy because I did not expect a race like this after the few laps we had on the weekend. I made a good start and I was constant on 1'47 '' I saw Tom Sykes and Marco Melandri ahead and I was pushing hard to look to stay with them, but they had a slightly faster pace. For us this fifth place is like a podium."
Leon Camier Race1 6th:
"Definitely a good race and a great qualifying session. I am very happy with this result, especially because the bike worked really well for all the weekend so far. Maybe the weather will change a bit tomorrow and we have to work again on the bike’s setting; also we need to be stronger at the beginning of the race. I love this track, people here are amazing and I really look forward to another big race tomorrow."
Marco Melandri Race2 5th:
"It was a difficult day for us, and we can’t be happy with the result because it’s not representative of our potential. Yesterday we managed to step on the podium, but we already had some issues under acceleration and unfortunately we weren’t able to solve them. The rear kept losing contact with the ground while upshifting, and this penalized us a lot coming out of slow corners. Also, I didn’t have enough confidence with the front to try and pass Forés. Still, I wanted to thank all the fans for their support, it was incredible and it made me really proud to represent the Italian flag on an Italian bike. We’ll bounce back at Donington."
Xavi Fores Race2 4th:
"I'm really happy about the race because if we take off the first laps I cannot be as fast as the first three or four riders, our pace is fast. We fought with Melandri and eventually we came in front, so for us is like a podium. We have done a great job and even though on Friday I have slipped twice, every time we go down the track we approach the top three and this is the thing that motivates me more."
SUPERSPORT
Alessandro Zaccone 10th:
"All in all I am very happy about this 10th place in the WorldSSP championship, both because it is the best seasonal result so far and, above all, considering the difficult physical conditions in which I ran today. The shoulder problem strongly affected me throughout the race and if it was not for the pain, I’m sure I could do much better, because the bike here was really fast."
SUPERSTOCK 1000:
Michael Ruben Rinaldi 1st
"It's been a great weekend, where we built our win during practice, starting from pole position. But, the race itself was strange, filled with interruptions, and it wasn't easy to stay focused. We decided to change the clutch before the last re-start. It was a risky, calculated move, which paid off. My strategy was to force the pace and pull away early on, and we managed to do that. We hope to stay at this level at Donington, but we only rode three races and we have to stay focused because our opponents are always ready to strike back."
Marco Faccani 4th:
“It was a difficult race, with two red flags. The third start turned out to be the worst for me, I was having trouble stopping the bike, and particularly defending myself from the other riders. With the pace I had, I think fifth was about all we could do today, conditions weren’t easy. I thank the whole team for their great work this weekend, we’ve scored some points and I hope we do more at Donington.”
