LACONI AND TOSELAND ON ROWS 2 AND 3 FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM AS SUPERPOLE
PACE HOTS UP – LACONI IMPROVES ON TOP SPEED RECORD WITH 318 KM/H!

Phillip Island (Australia), Saturday 2 April: Régis Laconi and James Toseland
(Ducati Xerox Team) will start tomorrow’s Australian Round of the World
Superbike Championship at Phillip Island from rows 2 and 3 of the grid
respectively as a highly-competitive Superpole qualifying session produced a few
surprises.

Neither the Frenchman, seventh after the two qualifying sessions, nor his
British team-mate, five places lower, were able to make much of a surge up the
grid in the one-lap dash despite both shaving vital tenths from their times and
they ended up eighth and tenth. Both riders are confident with their race set-up
however and are convinced that the two 22-lap races will see a different outcome.

“I didn’t do a good lap in Superpole, it wasn’t that bad because we got under
the 1m34s mark but we were missing a bit everywhere” declared Laconi. “I’m on
row 2 and I absolutely have to get a good start otherwise the others will get
away. We are all more or less there, no one rider has that much of an advantage.
Superpole is becoming more competitive race after race, it’s only a question of
tenths, but remember that’s only in qualifying, the race is another thing”.

After setting the top speed record of 316 km/h yesterday, Laconi went even
quicker today, ending up at 318 km/h, an extraordinary performance from the
twin-cylinder Testastretta-engine Ducati 999 that was achieved with the
contribution of the special fuels and lubricants developed for the Factory ‘05
machine by technical partner Shell. “Yesterday we were already quick at 316 km/h
and today we went even faster. If we go any quicker tomorrow, at this rate we’ll
be approaching the speed of the MotoGP bikes!” added Laconi.

Toseland was clearly disappointed with his row 3 starting position, but is
confident that his good race set-up will enable him to be up at the front
tomorrow. “I don’t know what happened there with everyone in the 33s, I thought
my 34 flat in the free practice would have put me second or third and I’m tenth
on the grid” he declared. “I’m not happy, I really stuck my neck out even to do
a 34 flat so we’ve got a bit more work to do on the bike. It’s going to be
difficult from the third row of the grid, but we’ve been very consistent on race
tyres and hopefully we can get into the low 34s to be there or thereabouts, but
the main problem is if the leaders get away. It’s going to be a real endurance
test tomorrow, the tyres will be a problem after half distance and whoever keeps
it together will bring it home. It’s going to come round to grip in the end and
who’s got the best race set-up and that’s what I’ve been concentrating on all
weekend”.

TIMES:

 1. Kagayama (Suzuki)        1m33.241s
 2. Martin (Petronas)        1m33.301s
 3. Neukirchner (Honda)      1m33.375s
 4. Corser (Suzuki)          1m33.398s
 5. Pitt (Yamaha)            1m33.461s
 6. Muggeridge (Honda)       1m33.557s
 7. McCoy (Petronas)         1m33.676s
 8. Laconi (Ducati Xerox)    1m33.837s
 9. Vermeulen (Honda)        1m34.053s
10. Toseland (Ducati Xerox)  1m34.068s