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DONINGTON BSB: RIDER REACTION TO TODAY'S RACES

Shane Byrne: “I knew the Ducati 1098R would suit this circuit and with the Airwaves Ducati working as well as it has been this weekend I am so pleased to have got another double win for the team. Race one was great, I got a good start and was in front for most of the race but it still felt great to take that first win. I was a little nervous ahead of race two and unfortunately my start was nowhere near as good; the conditions felt a lot windier and with a bad start I had made it hard work for myself. I got a bit knocked about on the first few corners and I was quite far down the field but I didn’t worry about it too much. I just took my time before kicking up a gear and making my move on the leaders. I left it quite late to overtake Haslam but I was pleased I was able to pass him and take another double win for Airwaves Ducati.”
James Ellison: "The bike feels really, really good and I'm really happy with it until the tyres start to wear which is something we don't find out until we're in the actual race. I'll try to do some race-pace testing in the free practice session in future so that we can be more prepared. It's frustrating not to give the team a podium, as they deserve one this weekend. At least I've only got the factory guys in front of me now, so it's a good achievement, so close yet so far."
Cal Crutchlow: "I was pretty disappointed with the first race – sixth place is not where I should be finishing. I don’t know what happened to me in the first outing, but after the Safety Car came in I just felt as though the grip wasn’t there from the tyres. Adrian Gorst my crew chief made a couple of changes for the second race and said that it would be down to me in the final race of the day, which fired me up. It was a tough pair of races today and we struggled to keep up with the Ducatis here, but we’ve got a plan for the next race at Snetterton. The HM Plant Honda team did a great job today. The ankle wasn’t too bad, I’ve got another three days in the air-cast after today so I’m looking forward to getting 100% fit.” 
Leon Camier: “It’s been a good weekend although I am slightly gutted I was not able to get on the podium, especially when I came so close in the second race. Considering I have not been here on a Superbike before it has gone well for me and I have learnt a lot. I didn’t make it easy for myself qualifying in 8th but my starts were better today and I was in amongst it in both races. The Airwaves Ducati was working so well all weekend and I felt really strong but we were losing all our speed to the Honda’s on the straights which made it tough to overtake. I am disappointed not to have got on the podium but I have got some good points and I will look to continue it at Snetterton in a few weeks time.”
Karl Harris: "I suffered in both races with arm pump, it's something that I have not really experienced before, especially in a race. I got a fairly good start in both races, but in race two the leading pack just got away. I'm pleased to know that I can run up the front and feel that if my arms hadn't let me down I could have been on the podium. I've had two strong finishes now and we can start to build on that, it's our first proper race of the season and a positive experience from the whole weekend. I can't knock the bike, it really is fantastic, with the bike and me both on form we will see the results come in." 
Leon Haslam: "In the first race I had a terrible start! When I practice them in warm-up they’re normally pretty good, but in the race I had a bad one. I battled back through but lost the leader as it took me a while to get past Tom Sykes. He’s got a fast bike and he’s so good on the brakes it was hard to make the pass and by the time I had, Shakey had gone. In the second race I felt confident that we had the pace. I had a much better start and led for so long, but when I was in front the high winds were having an effect on me and the times we were doing weren’t so good. When Cal was behind me I was confident that if he came past I could stay with him and get back past, but then I heard a Ducati behind me! Shakey made his move and timed it to perfection and was able to pull a little bit of a gap on me. The HM Plant Honda team did an excellent job today and it’s a shame we didn’t get the win that I want so bad, but hopefully the next round at Snetterton will suit the CBR1000RR Fireblade a little better.” 
Tom Sykes: “I’ve got mixed feelings from today; obviously I’m delighted with my podium finish as that is where my Rizla Suzuki team and I should be finishing. Starting from the fourth row of the grid isn‘t ideal as I usually aim to be on the front row, however in the first race I got away well and battled in the lead group. As for race two, I got a bit beaten up into the first turn and then got caught behind a slower rider who was holding me up. The high winds weren’t helping matters either. The podium was encouraging but I still want to do better for myself and my Rizla Suzuki team.”

Atsushi Watanabe:
“Today was very hard work, it was very windy and I had a lot of riders to try and pass. My aim was to be top 10 but that didn’t happen. Next time at Snetterton I hope I can get a better result in both qualifying and the race.”
 

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