Michel Fabrizio has highlighted the Superpole session as the key to his weekend as he looks to make use of the Suzuki GSX-R1000's strong race pace at Silverstone.
The Alstare rider is yet to start a race from the front row in 2011 with sixth in Brno his best qualifying position so far. The Italian is encouraged by the progress being made with the Suzuki machine but knows that the single pace must improve.
“I know my race pace is very good, but that’s not good enough when you have to start the races from the third or fourth rows of the grid because it’s hard to make up the time on the leaders. Like many times this year, for me, the first practice will be spent learning the track on my Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000. Last year I was on a twin, so I will have to learn to ride the track on a four-cylinder and that will take a bit of getting used to. I am getting more and more comfortable with my bike as the season goes on and the team are doing a fantastic job. There is a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes and at the track, so for sure I will be trying my best to get some good results for myself and the team this weekend.”
Last year's Silverstone meeting was the last time Fabrizio started a World Superbike race from the front row, and the 26 year old is hoping that's an omen for his weekend.
“Last year I didn’t start the first practice well – I was only 13th – but improved to fifth in the remaining practices and then finished Superpole with the third-best time to end on the front row of the grid. This year, I have not been very successful in Superpole, so I would be very happy to be on the front row of the grid at Silverstone.”
