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The official race report service of Kawasaki Racing Team.

26 Květen 2018

Okubo Top Five After Donington Superpole

Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) recovered from a tough opening day to take a second row start for Sunday’s WorldSSP race by setting the fifth best time in Superpole 2. Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was also a top ten qualifier today.

Despite a late fall in Superpole 2 and finding a wet track surface a difficult challenge on the opening day, Okubo was finally pleased with his top five qualifying pace for Sunday’s race.
 
This was a career best grid position for him in WorldSSP racing, after six races as a Kawasaki rider. He was top Kawasaki qualifier at Donington.
 
For the more experienced Morais, back in the team after missing the Imola round, only braking into the slow hairpins and chicanes at Donington Park caused him issues in Superpole qualifying. He was tenth on the grid as a result, but feels he can make advances in real race conditions.
 
Now each rider will try to fight for season best finishes around the 4.023km long Donington Park circuit in Great Britain.
 
Hikari Okubo, stated: “Yesterday in the damp conditions I was not happy and I spent a lot of time thinking in the hotel last night. In the dry morning session today I had a better feeling and I like this track as well. I pushed hard in Superpole 1 in the first lap and that was the best one I had set at that time. We made some setting changes to the bike but they did not work so well but my time in Superpole 1 was enough to take me to Superpole 2. I got 15 minutes more riding on a dry track because of that too. I pushed hard in SP2 and the bike felt good, so I pushed again and I crashed. I have done a lot of that this year so I want to say sorry to the team. But we qualified fifth, which is our best qualifying so far. I think today was a good day. ”
 
Sheridan Morais stated: “It was difficult today but actually I was really impressed, because we have a lot of good grip in the rear of the bike. We are just struggling to stop. We have some ideas to try in the morning warm-up on raceday. We wanted to try them in Superpole, but it is risky, because you only have a couple of laps in which to perform. I am not happy with the Superpole result today but I am confident that if we can just sort out the stopping problem in the last two sectors then we can be competitive tomorrow.”
 
Anthony West (EAB antwest Racing Kawasaki) started fast in the wet sessions on the first day but finally ended up 15th on the qualifying grid, for a fifth row start on Sunday.
 
Top ESS rider today was once again leading ESS runner Rob Hartog (Team Hartog Against Cancer) who starts from 17th place on the grid. Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) was 23rd, leading Wayne Tessels (Chromeburner Wayne’s Racingteam MTM) and Team GoEleven Kawasaki riders Michael Canducci and Javier Ezequiel Iturrioz.
 
                                                #NinjaSpirit