News

Round 9 of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship began today with the two opening free practice sessions that, combined with the third one scheduled for tomorrow at 9:45am local time (GMT-7) will decide the twenty riders qualifying for the Tissot-Superpole of the GEICO Motorcycle US Round. Here is what some of the protagonists of today's action had to say during this afternoon's official press conference.

Chaz Davies - Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Superbike Team - 1st
"Today has given us a solid platform. I thought it was going to go a bit wrong at Turn 1 as I arrived with too much speed, but we kept it upright. Looking forward to chucking the qualifying tyre in tomorrow, a good grid position here is so important."

When asked by a young fan what it is like to win, he said with a clear American accent "Awesome!" to the cheers of the crowd

Tom Sykes - Kawasaki Racing Team - 2nd
"It’s always great to start the weekend the right way. I’m carrying a few extra kilos following a few nights down in Fisherman’s Wharf but surely in 24 hours we won’t be carrying quite as much weight! It’s a fantastic circuit, with amazing fans and we have had some success here in the past. We made a couple of changes and although it was difficult today to make too many consistent laps because of traffic I am happy. I’ll continue to discuss things with my crew chief Marcel after the press conference."

Davide Giugliano - Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Superbike Team - 3rd
"I went faster then crashed, but that’s what happens when you’re Davide Giugliano (laughs). We are working to improve things and to be provisionally third at this stage is satisfying. My helmet is a tribute to my hero Kevin Schwantz, it’s for him, for my fans and for all the Americans who support both me and him."

Niccolò Canepa - Althea Racing Ducati - 5th
"Sector three is the craziest part of the track but I’m crazy too, which I think is the reason why I can be so fast in that section. I love this track, I have always had good times here and I hope to continue this form tomorrow."

Randy de Puniet - Voltcom Crescent Suzuki - 8th
"It’s nice to finally be able to come to the Friday press conference. I don’t really know what has happened since Misano but so far it’s positive. I am 100% fit, my operation to fix my arm pump went well and I am enjoying riding the Suzuki. We need to keep working but I think that we can have a strong end to the season."