Pata Maxus Yamaha’s Xavi Vierge secured a fine fifth on the grid after an excellent Superpole lap, before finishing tenth in the FIM Superbike World Championship Race 1 at the team’s home round at Donington Park, as conditions cooled a little on Saturday.
Saturday got underway with a much fresher FP3 compared to the scorching temperatures of Friday. In Superpole, Vierge delivered an impressive lap to line up fifth on the grid, recovering confidence ahead of the afternoon’s race. In the 23-Lap Race 1, the Spaniard pushed hard to stay with the leading group, fighting hard for the full distance and crossing the line in 10th position – a result he is determined to improve upon tomorrow.
Teammate Andrea Locatelli had a challenging qualifying session, resulting in a 14th position grid slot, but showed some encouraging signs of progress in Race 1 before crossing the line in 13th. The Italian will look to make some positive changes and carry momentum forward into tomorrow, with the clear intent to take a step in performance to return to the top 10 alongside Vierge.
In the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship, Monster Energy Crescent Yamaha’s Chloe Jones put in a strong performance at home, fighting for the podium until the final lap before eventually crossing the finish line sixth. Beatriz Neila was unfortunate to crash after controversial contact from her closest championship rival, but the Ampito Crescent Yamaha rider will be determined to bounce back tomorrow.
The final day at Donington starts on track at 09:00 BST with the 10-minute WorldWCR Warm Up, followed by WorldSBK at 09:20. The Superpole Race begins at 11:10 for the premier class, WorldWCR’s Race 2 at 13:00 and WorldSBK Race 2 to close out the weekend at 15:30.
FULL SUPERPOLE RESULTS
FULL RACE 1 RESULTS
Xavi Vierge, Pata Maxus Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team:
“A positive Superpole – I really enjoyed those laps and it was important to have a strong qualifying after a tough few rounds in that area. In the race, I tried to stay with the front group but struggled a bit to match that pace but I believed I could at least keep my P8 position. It’s my first race here with the R1, but now we have a lot of data to work with tonight and I think we can make another step. I believe in my speed and tomorrow we’ll push for more.”
Andrea Locatelli, Pata Maxus Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team:
“A difficult weekend so far. I tried to give my best in the race – pushing hard from start to finish and managing to maintain a quite consistent pace throughout. The problem at the moment is that I cannot use the grip to perform as the other riders have at the start of the race, especially with the rear tire on corner entry. We need to keep working and look for improvements. We’ll keep fighting and taking it step by step, and with some changes on my R1 I think I can do something better than this tomorrow.”
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