Race results in PortugalL : Leonov - 12th, Vlasov - 22nd

World Supersport Championship

Round 12

Portimao 20-23 September 2012

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER  23.TH

We would never have thought to wake up in a hard raining day here in Portimao. Quite a storm started just half an hour before the warm up and immediately the truck was filled with water.

Our strategy to apply and study little modifications to our rider’s bikes was ruined. Put the wet setup and just try what is the rider’s feeling in these conditions.

And as usual it was not so bad... Vladimir made only four laps and it was enough to understand that we are ok for these conditions. Fourth time, in 1’58” whit only Lowes riding in 1’57”...

And even the Sergey’s 2’04”, 22.th position was considered to be very positive.

Great work was done in the box10 minutes before the race. A wet circuit for the end of Superbike race but a strong wind and high temperature was changing the circuit conditions therefore almost all teams decided to change the bikes setting from wet to dry at the last minute. And that was the right decision as the wind soon gifted a clean sky and a dry or if not even perfect asphalt.

But unfortunately for us a bad start obliged Vladimir to lose immediately some positions. As always happens when you fight in the centre of the group it’s easy to loose the right line, do mistakes, or being pushed to do mistake from the other riders mistakes... And that is exactly what happened to Vladimir in the first two laps: 13.th at the first, 17.th at the second. 6,5 second from the leader in only two laps. Our race today finished there. The other 18 laps Vladimir spent his time to recover positions, fighting at 2-3 second slower rhythm than his potential, and doing lot of mistakes, because of the traffic, and because of the not perfect asphalt conditions. At least we can consider positively the 12.th final position, but for the first time this year all of us is not really happy considering that during the practice the showed potential was good for more prestigious position... 

The Sergey Vlasov race was in the opposite direction. He took it easy in the first laps, because of a new final gear ratio could not be tested in the warm up and the strong wind changed his reference points like to all other riders. So his rhythm at the beginning was calm, but after three laps he overtook Lombardi than Pasek than Jessop with whom he fought a lot in the middle of the race, establishing the 24.th position. And just in the last corner he was able to overtook Marrancone too for the final 23.th position. 

VLADIMIR LEONOV

“I had a bad start, and during the first two laps it was terrible to lose all these positions... I don’t know why but today I had a lot of body problems... no energy, even to see the braking points was difficult. And because of that, and because of the strange way to go of the bike, I made lot of mistakes during the race. It’s strange, this morning all was ok, I felt like a lion, but in the afternoon all this problems”.

SERGEY VLASOV

“In one word, I’m happy. This week-end was wonderful for me, a so great professional experience... I would say thanks to my team that allowed me to live this dream, and to learn a lot. For sure after this WSS experience, I’m another rider!”