LEON HASLAM ON THE SECOND ROW WITH THE SIXTH BEST TIME

Laguna Seca, 18 July 2015 – The Laguna Seca Superpole brought Jordi Torres his first front row start in a Superbike race. The rookie rode his Aprilia RSV4 RF to the third best time, giving the excellent work done since yesterday a concrete conclusion, with an apprenticeship that had him improving lap after lap on a track that he is tackling for the first time.

For Jordi this was a great opportunity. The California track is short, demanding and has a few places suited for overtaking, conditions that make a good start particularly important. Keeping up with the fastest is also the prefect chance to learn some Superbike riding secrets, gaining fundamental experience for a rookie in the factory derivative category.

Jordi Torres: “Being on the front row here at Laguna Seca is a dream come true for me. When I first got here I never would have even imagined achieving this result. Playing the video games I would always win on this circuit which I have always liked, but being third in Superpole has a decidedly different taste. We did a good job and finally I was able to take full advantage of the soft tyre. It is just a first step and my goal in the race is to stay with the leaders to learn from them, using the battle to continue growing and improving my riding style. This is a short track with only a few points where you can overtake, so starting out front is essential.”

A few indecisions, on the other hand, kept Leon Haslam from putting his best foot forward during the qualifying session. The English Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils rider, looking very good in terms of race pace, had a small problem in FP4 just before Superpole. At the decisive moment Leon had to wait a few minutes before getting onto the track, so he was forced to speed up the usual programme in the 15 available minutes. Despite this, and in spite of a few mistakes in his two flying laps, Haslam was still able to finish on the second row with the sixth best time, a starting grid spot that does not jeopardize his ambitions for the two races.

Leon Haslam: “It wasn't a perfect afternoon. In FP4 a small problem cost us some time and even at the beginning of Superpole I had to stay in the garage for a few minutes. Then, during the two laps with the qualifier tyre, I made a couple of mistakes that kept me off the front row. It's a shame because grip was really quite good and we had the potential for a better result. Now we just need to analyse everything that happened today and set up the changes we need to make for the races.”