Good performance for the team

With Sylvain Barrier in fourth position and Michaël Savary tenth, there are good reasons for the team to be satisfied with this Portuguese weekend with the new BMW.

Sylvain finishes less than one second from the podium, which is good considering that he started from an average position on the grid. Michaël was discovering the team and his bike, so a finish in the top 10 is very satisfying and full of promises for the season.

The story of the race is a great fight between Ayrton Badovini (BMW) and Maxime Berger (Honda) for the victory. The two riders had a nice battle, until Berger made a little mistake and had to settle for second.

Sylvain Barrier started from the ninth position on the grid because of a front tyre problem during the qualifying session on Saturday. After one lap, he was eighth. Then he went back to eleventh and he was seventh at half distance. Finally he climbed to the fourth place. With a better position on the starting grid, things would have been easier for Sylvain, but we have to remember that he was second after the Friday session, which is promising for the future.

Michaël Savary was fifteenth after the first lap. Then he progressed and was twelfth at half distance. He kept on trying and was tenth under the chequered flag. This is an other reason to be happy.

Sylvain Barrier: “I had a good start in the beginning, but I had to use the clutch again. During the early laps, I was surprised because I arrived too fast after some slipstream and I ran wide better than taking chances. After that I gained many positions. I passed Loris Baz, but I hesitated one time and he overtook me. There was only one lap to go and I didn’t have the possibility to pass him. I am happy to score some big points for the first race.”

Michaël Savary: “I had an average start and I was sorry about it. During the first few laps, I got stuck with a group of riders and had to settle for the 15th position for a while. Then I gained some positions, with good lap times. My best time was 1’43.2 which is one second faster than during the qualifying. I am happy with this progression during the weekend.”

Michel Garnier (team owner): “Sylvain had a good start and he progressed really well. He did everything he could to be on the podium. I am happy with his fourth position. Michaël finished tenth, which is very well for his first race on a BMW. This is a good result. Both riders and the team did a good job this weekend and we hope to be even more competitive in the future.”

Race result:

1 86 Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 21′18.245 (155,193 km/h)

2 21 Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2.744

3 65 Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 13.154

4 20 Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 13.800

5 5 Bussolotti M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 15.304

6 47 La Marra E. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 15.861

7 34 Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 16.727

8 8 Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 17.334

9 9 Petrucci D. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 20.558

10 30 Savary M. (SUI) BMW S1000 RR 22.386

11 11 Tutusaus P. (ESP) KTM 1190 RC8 R 23.129

12 69 Jezek O. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 1000 29.915

13 91 Walkowiak M. (POL) Honda CBR1000RR 37.183

14 12 Vivarelli N. (ITA) KTM 1190 RC8 R 38.271

15 119 Magnoni M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 38.561 …..

2nd round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup: April 11 at Valencia (Spain).