Courtesy of Aprilia

SUPERPOLE: BIAGGI IN THE SECOND ROW, CAMIER FINISHES THIRTEENTH

It was sunny and warm at Portimao for the final Superpole of the 2009 season. Ben Spies, on his Yamaha factory conquered the pole position with a time of 1:42:412, 0:584 ahead of Byrne’s Ducati and 0:603 ahead of Fabrizio’s factory version.
Max Biaggi came in sixth with a time of 1:43:714, just 1:114 from the pole position. The Roman driver was the victim of a bad fall during the warm-ups before the Superpole, suffering several contusions and damaging the motorcycle that he had chosen for the race. In Superpole 1, he used the second bike and managed to secure the second place time by using racing tyres. In Superpole 2 he the first qualifying tyre and he achieved a time of 1:42:956, which qualified him for the last stage in third place.
Leon Camier finished in thirteenth place with a time of 1:43:671, 1:259 behind Spies. During the first stage, the English driver qualified for the last open spot with the first qualifying tyre. In Superpole 2, he used the second one and remained in ninth place for quite a while, dropping back to thirteenth only during the last moments of the qualifying race.

"During the fall that happened in the warm-ups I damaged the bike that I do the best with,” stated Biaggi, “and I had to use the second motorcycle which wasn’t ready. In order to qualify, I couldn’t push it to the maximum with the qualifying tyre because I wasn’t very secure, and I don’t know how to explain the reason why Superpole 3 was slower for everyone. I ended up with some contusions, which hurt a bit and I went to the Mobile clinc. Fortunately nothing is broken and starting this evening I'll begin a therapy with painkillers so I can participate in the two races tomorrow. Tomorrow we’ll have to work a lot more during the warm-ups to be able to make up for the time that was lost with the falls.”

“We changed the bike quite a bit with respect to yesterday,” said Camier, “and the situation has improved a great deal, just as my feeling with the RSV4 has also improved. The grid position isn’t the best, but we all have times that are close to each other. We’ve understood which direction we have to work towards and I’m certain that well have a great race tomorrow.”

RACE 1: BIAGGI CLIMBS ATOP THE THIRD STEP OF THE PODIUM

It was warm and sunny at the Portimao circuit for Race 1 of the last SBK round of the season. Spies, on his Yamaha Factory, seized the victory, 1:697 ahead of Rea and 2:113 ahead of Max Biaggi who finished in third place on his RSV4.
Spies started off well from the pole position, followed by Biaggi and the two drivers immediately broke away from Rea and Byrne who attempted to keep up. The American pushed the pace, trying to get away from Biaggi, but Max wouldn’t give up. During the eleventh lap, Rea managed to catch up to the leaders and during the sixteenth round passed Biaggi who ended up long in the sixth curve. The duel between the Italian driver and the native of Northern Ireland gave Spies an advantage, allowing him to extend his lead and cross the finish line in first place, shooting him to the top of the world classification thanks in part to a fall by Haga. Just two laps from the end of the race, Rea managed to pass Biaggi at the end of the straightaway, holding on to the second position until he passed the chequered flag.
It was an excellent sixth place finish for Leon Camier who started off well from thirteenth position and moved up to ninth place by the fourth lap. Then he began to battle it out with Smrz, Corser and Checa, managing to pass them halfway through the race to take over sixth place. Leon tried to catch up with Fabrizio as well, but his pace wouldn’t allow it and he remained in sixth position until he reached the finish line.

“We had some small problems this weekend,” said Biaggi, “but I drove over them. I’m satisfied because I’m still hurting from yesterday’s fall and at the beginning of the race I didn’t know if I would manage to make it to the end. I was fine at the beginning, but during the final laps, I lost my strength. I managed to hold on to third place just the same, though, which I believe is an excellent result, considering my physical condition. Now we'll make some modifications to the RSV4 to try and do better in Race 2."

RACE 2

The heat became unbearable at the Portimao circuit and for Race 2 drivers and team members were forced to review their choices with respect to the first race. Michel Fabrizio, on his Ducati Factory, won the race with a 1:195 lead over his teammate Haga, and a 1:494 lead with respect to Rea’s Honda.
Byrne started off very well, followed by Spies, Biaggi and Rea while Haga and Fabrizio were slightly slower. The English driver drove the first part of the race with his fellow countryman on the Honda right behind him, as well as Fabrizio, who managed an excellent recovery. Halfway through the race, Biaggi caught up to them, but an error caused him to lose ground which he then regained and then lost once more due to another “overshot” at the fifth curve. During the final laps, Haga passed Byrne and caught up with Rea who he passed, finishing in second place right behind his teammate. Spies’ fifth place finish ruined his recovery for the title by just six points. Max Biaggi finished just behind the new world champion, ending up in fourth place in the overall classification, the same position occupied by Aprilia in the Manufacturer’s Championship during the debut season for the revolutionary RSV4.
Leon Camier finished in seventh place, right behind the best drivers. Starting off well from the thirteenth position, Leon immediately found a good pace that allowed him to recover several positions, making it to seventh place by the eighth lap and managing to keep Corser and then Smrz under control without too much effort.

“It was a rough race," declared Biaggi. “We made some changes to the bike after Race 1 and they didn't help us so it was really a shame because we could have had a good result. I started off well and I tried to stay in the lead, but it was really difficult, the problems from the first race were accentuated and I made a lot of errors. Then, my physical condition made the situation worse because in order to try to recover, I had to make a lot more effort. In any case, I’m very happy because I managed to hold on to fourth place in the overall rankings, which is an excellent result, both for me and for Aprilia during this debut year. Together we reached a goal that even the most optimistic of fans couldn't have predicted."

“I gave it my all in both races," said Camier, “and we achieved two good placements. In Race 1 I started off well and during the first three laps I was very aggressive while trying to recover positions, I made a few mistakes but they helped me to better understand the bike and to drive it better. In Race 2 I was much less aggressive, I immediately set a good pace and I made fewer errors. I'm happy about how things went also because at the end of the races I was able to hold off competitors that have much more experience than me."