The Nürburgring (Germany) : after the month long summer break the World Superbike riders returned to the track today and, at the end of first qualifying, the Ducati Xerox team and its riders Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga can be satisfied with the results, Michel having concluded in third position and Noriyuki in fifth.

In the first free practice session, the two factory riders made a strong start, particularly Fabrizio who, having identified the best rear tyre, was able to lap consistently fast, recording interesting lap times. The Italian riders closed the session in second position, a fraction of a second behind Max Biaggi. Noriyuki also made constant progress throughout the free practice session, to close in fourth, two tenth of a second behind team-mate Michel.

Later in the day, Noriyuki made an even more determined start to first qualifying, recording a 1m56 flat almost immediately. Despite fast lap times, he was unable to improve on that time but nonetheless closed in fifth position, satisfied with his pace. Michel was victim of a crash mid-way through the 60-minute session but was fortunately unhurt and able to return to the track minutes later. In the final phase Fabrizio finally ducked under the 1m56 barrier with a time that projected him to third in the standings, a position he held until the close of the session.

Source: http://www.ducatipress.com/index.php?id=173

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