Team Guandalini Racing - Sudafrica – Kyalami - Races - 17 May 2009
Important points for the general ranking were obtained by Guandalini Racing Team in the South African round of World Superbike Championship in Kyalami circuit. Thanks to the good results obtained during Saturday Superpole, Jakub Smrz took starting grid from the second row with the sixth absolute time, while Gregorio Lavilla started slightly earlier sixteenth time, fourth row.
Kyalami - RACE 1
It was very unfortunate for Jakub Smrz that despite a good start he was involved a crash with Ruben Xaus (BMW), falling from eighth position at the time of the accident to twenty-third. As has happened at other times, Jakub drew strength from this difficult situation and has begun to recover, lap after lap, completing the race in fourteenth position, thereby earning two unexpected points. Gregorio Lavilla finished in eleventh position, demonstrating that he has not lost strength despite a period of inactivity.
Kyalami - RACE 2
Kyalami was fought hard by both riders who after an unimpressive start, had a very consistent race with a wonderful duels with Kyionari and Kawasaki Factory Parkes and surprise Morais, finishing the race in tenth (Smrz), and twelfth position (Lavilla).
In both rounds the first two positions were made by 1198 Ducati Xerox, with a double triumph for Noriuki Haga who preceded his teammate, an improving Michel Fabrizio. Third place was obtained in race 1 by Ben Spies (Yamaha), and in race 2 by Jonnhy Rea (Ten Kate Honda). The assessment of the South Africa trip, for the Team Manager Mirco Guandalini, is considered positive and we look forward to the next overseas trip to Salt Lake City, which will be contested in fifteen days.
“After a not so good superpole in Monza I am back on top, and that's very important for me and my team. I missed first row by my mistake in the second lap in SP3. I was fastest after the first split but after this I made a mistake and went wide in one corner. Anyway it's a good starting position considering that all factory riders were testing here in winter. For the race it wasn't as good as I expected but I have some good points and I am closer to 8th position in championship. In race 1 I made great start but was too careful in the 1st lap so some riders passed me. I was still 8th but after this when I was in a slow corner on the top of the track, Xaus hit me in my swingarm, bottom fairing and hand. I was lucky I didn't crash and I went out of the track and started from last position. In the end I couldn't be better than 14th even though I pushed hard. In race 2 I burned the clutch so I made terrible start and at the end of the 1st lap I was still 14th. After this I did quite well with very good laptimes and in the end finished 10th, which was pretty good.”
Jakub Smrz