In the first free practice session of the 2013 season, Checa made a solid start on board his 1199 Panigale but a highside fifteen minutes from the end of the session, in which he took a blow to the head and the foot, meant he lost valuable track time. His best lap, a 1'32.1 recorded early on in the session, put him in final ninth position.
On the other side of the garage Badovini, still
suffering some pain after last week's crash, was able to complete eight
laps before he too was the victim of a small crash just minutes before
Carlos. Coming just a few days after his previous crash, the incident
definitely didn't facilitate matters; Ayrton closed the practice with a
best time of 1'33.0, registered earlier on.
Qualifying was
therefore not an easy business for either rider. The session started
well for Carlos who, ten minutes in, scored a 1'32.0 which positioned
him temporarily third. Unfortunately he then started to feel dizzy and
so took the decision,together with the team, to sit out the second half
of the session, meaning that he closed twelfth thanks to the time set in
the early stages. Ayrton too was forced to take things easy and save
energy for tomorrow and Sunday; he recorded a best of 1'32.5 this
afternoon which put him in final sixteenth position.
Carlos Checa:
‘I was looking forward to today and improving the bike after the
official tests, but things didn't turn out how I wanted. This morning,
after only seven laps, I crashed exiting Siberia. It was one of the
biggest highsides of my career and I think I went up a long way before
hitting the track. I was lucky not to break anything but I hurt my left
shoulder and my right foot, which is a bit of a problem because I use
the rear brake quite a bit. The crash ended the session for me, but
fortunately I was able to get out in the afternoon, put in some laps and
get a time. Once again, I completed seven laps and ended 12th fastest
overall.
It was a shame because, up until the crash, we had been
heading in the right direction with the bike once more. We'd changed the
set-up just before the crash, but we'll have to look at the telemetry
before we draw any conclusions. In the afternoon we went back to the
original set-up - the one we'd used in testing - to make sure of a
decent lap time. I'm sorry for all the work I've caused the mechanics,
but hopefully I will feel better tomorrow morning and we can get back to
improving the bike.'
Ayrton Badovini: ‘The last thing I wanted
today was another crash, but that's what happened! I banged my right
foot and later, when I took my leathers off, the ankle was pretty
swollen. Before the crash, which happened at the last corner (so it was
pretty fast!), I could manage the left turns OK, but the right-handers
were causing me some problems. I was finding it difficult to push hard
in the right turns. So, if we can improve the set-up of the bike for
right-handers, it will make my job a bit easier. At the moment I feel a
bit destroyed, but I'm sure I will feel better after a good night's
sleep and some massages.'
Francis Batta, Team SBK Ducati
Alstare's owner: ‘I feel sorry for the mechanics, who have had to work
hard to repair the damage. After his performance in the unofficial
tests, we were looking forward to seeing what Carlos could do with the
bike today. Unfortunately, he crashed after seven laps and that meant he
couldn't push hard in the afternoon session. We knew that Ayrton's
condition would prevent him from riding as hard as he would normally.
His condition really needs at least ten days to heal properly. At the
moment he is struggling after about six laps, but he is determined to do
the best he can. Not a great day, but we have to be thankful that no
bones have been broken and hope for better luck on Saturday and Sunday.'
TIMES
(Qualifying): 1. Fabrizio (Aprilia) 1'31.3; 2. Laverty (Aprilia) 1'31.3
; 3. Melandri (BMW) 1'31.5; 4. Camier (Suzuki) 1'31.6; 5. Davies
(Aprilia) 1'31.6; 6. Haslam (Honda) 1'31.6; 7. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'31.7;
8. Giugliano (Aprilia) 1'31.7; 9. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1'31.8; 10. Rea
(Honda) 1'31.8.... 12. Checa (Ducati Alstare) 1'32.0.... 16. Badovini
(Ducati Alstare) 1'32.5
By entering your email address, you will be kept updated about Ducati innovations and promotions. You can complete your registration and create your profile on Ducati.com at any time to access all of the functions.
I confirm that I have read the information pursuant to Art. 13, Legislative Decree 196/2003 and the attached text pursuant to Art. 7 of the Privacy Code and
I agree to the use of my email address for the purposes indicated therein