BMW has vowed to recover from a disappointing World Superbike round at Miller Motorsports Park after both Leon Haslam and Troy Corser struggled to maintain a consistent race pace.
The manufacturer had been expected to challenge towards the front of the field prior to the weekend, but while Troy Corser qualified in sixth position and led initially after a fast start, both he and Haslam couldn't sustain their form to the chequered flag.
Indeed, while Corser led until lap six, he faded dramatically with tyre problems to finish in 13th, while Haslam was left a disgruntled eighth. The pair fared no better in race two, Corser falling after clipping a kerb at Attitude, while Haslam crossed the line 13th.
Tellingly, BMW's top representative in both races was its satellite Italia rider Ayrton Badovini, who managed sixth and ninth place finishes. It is form that BMW Motorsport Director Bernhard Gobmeier was not pleased with.
“This was a very disappointing weekend,” he said. “We cannot be satisfied with results like these. We ended up way behind our own expectations. We now have to analyse the reasons for our weak performance. We have to and we will work hard to perform better soon.”
Indeed, Haslam was keen to draw a line under a weekend in which he struggled for form throughout, particularly in the dry.
“This was a race weekend to forget. We have identified some issues, and we have to solve these. I am confident the entire team will work hard to take us further up the order soon. We need to go away from here and regroup if we want to be strong for the next races. We must now look to move forward with the bike.”
Interestingly, despite his struggles, Haslam has actually gained a place in the overall standings at the expense of Jonathan Rea in fifth place. However, he leads a close group of five riders, with just 12 points covering him down to Jakub Smrz in ninth. Troy Corser, meanwhile, is down to 14th.
Source: http://www.crash.net