QUALIFYING SESSIONS REPORTS, VLADIMIR “NOT BAD” LEONOV

Misano, 9/04/2011, CIV, Round 1

Arrived at Misano after the astonishing season opening in Vallelunga, where setted pole position, fast lap in the race and victory, in first round of Dunlop Cup 2011, Vladimir Leonov continued on the first traning day, (free practice of 7/4), to set up his bike. Work was so good (1’41”6 the best time) that team decided not to ride in free practice of Friday 8/4, to save all the 4 sets of tyres admitted for week-end in stock 600 category. First qualyfing in the morning was a good impact for him in the very hard CIV stock 600. He started session with old rear tyre SC1, but immediatly he setted his Yakhnich Motorsport R6 in the first 10 position, and showed a very good rithm with some laps under 1’42” and best one in 1’41”552 that gived him the third position for some minutes. In the meddle of the sessions all fast riders stoppet at box to put the rear SC0 Tyre to try to push for improving time. Leonov too stoppet ad the 8 laps, tyre was changed in less then 2 minutes, but, unfortunatly, as he went back in the truck he was stopped for the rest of the session by traffic... So he lost the possibility to improve his 1’41”552 that at the end had a seventh place value. “Not Bad”, as Leonov love to say, considering especially the rithm he shoved in the sessions, that according to the team techics could value as thirth or fourth position in race.Whit this good feeling inside, Leonov started the second session in a very aggressive way, and in the middle of first lap he was already under his morning time... but he lost the front in one corner in the second part of the circuit crashing with no conseguence for the bike.Soon he went  to box and mechanich tried to fix his bike from damages, but no time enough to change the handlebar. In any case Vladimir decided to try to ride with a no pefect handlebar position, and no way to improve his morning time. Nevetheless, in any cas he was one of the faster rider of the session, even if he lost one positioni in the grid, from seventh to eight position.Ok, to be in the first two row was the initial target of the team and .. there we are...Be in touch for the race, as we are sure that leonov has good change for podium...NOT BAD...