Bayliss on Top in Misano

Paul Carruthers | June 27, 2008

Ducati Xerox’s Troy Bayliss ended day one with the fastest lap in final qualifying for the World Superbike Championship round at the Misano Adriatico circuit near the Italian coast of the Adriatic Sea.

Bayliss lapped the track in 1:36.863 minutes, which was a new Superbike track record. The time was .276 seconds up on the second fastest rider, but the top 12, and almost the top 13, were on the same second.

Jakub Smrz qualified second on the Guandalini Racing by Grifo’s Ducati 1098 RS08. It was the best qualifying effort to date for the Czech rider

Yamaha’s Troy Corser, who’d set the previous track record in morning practice, was .085 seconds behind Smrz.

It was behind Corser that the riders were most tightly bunched. In one of his three home races, Italian Max Biaggi was fourth on the Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati with the next two riders, Yamaha Motor Italia’s Nori Haga and Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse’s Regis Laconi, on the same tenth.

Then came R.G. Team’s Lorenzo Lanzi (Duc), only .044 off Laconi, and Biaggi’s teammate Ruben Xaus. Xaus, who yesterday signed a two-year deal to race with BMW in the World Superbike Championship, was less than a tenth out of seventh place.

Team Alstare Suzuki’s Max Neukirchner was an uncharacteristic ninth and only .001 secs. in front of D.F. Racing’s Karl Muggeridge (Hon), with Team Suzuki Alstare’s Fonsi Nieto another .007 secs. back.

Alto Evolution Honda Superbike’s Jason Pridmore qualifying 27th.

2008 Misano World Superbike Qualifying Results:

1. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) 1:36.863

2. Jakub Smrz (Ducati) 1:37.139

3. Troy Corser (Yamaha) 1:37.224

4. Max Biaggi (Ducati) 1:37.477

5. Nori Haga (Yamaha) 1:37.542

6. Regis Laconi (Kawasaki) 1:37.574

7. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) 1:37.618

8. Ruben Xaus (Ducati) 1:37.710

9. Max Neukirchner (Suzuki) 1:37.751

10. Karl Muggeridge (Honda) 1:37.752

Paul Carruthers | Editor

Paul Carruthers took over as the editor of Cycle News in 1993 after serving as associate editor since starting his career at the publication in 1985. Carruthers has covered every facet of the sport in his near-28-year tenure at America’s Daily Motorcycle News Source.