Luca Scassa - Photo: MotoRaceReports

After a very good start of the World Supersport season, Luca Scassa from the ParkinGO team did not end where he wished to be at the beginning of this new adventure in the spectacular 600 series.  The middle part of the season was crucial for his final standings, and during the last races gained his confidence back and the Italian rider was able to end with some good results.  His Supersport team, Yamaha ParkinGO – well managed by former racer Giuliano Rovelli, had a blast of a season, getting both the World Championship with Chaz Davies and the Manufacturers title.  Here is what Luca had to share with us:

You finished the season in a good way; after all you had three victories and took the fifth place overall. What are your thoughts on this first World Supersport year?

LS: I had a very good start, maybe because I started very confident while the other riders needed some time to warm up and be fit to battle on each race. Then, by the mid season I had some bad luck and made some mistakes, mostly because I was in a hurry after the Misano disqualification. That was probably the biggest mistake I made during the season, the mentality I had after the Misano race. The good thing is that I learned a lot from this and probably I will not repeat those actions.

It was very nice to see how you celebrated the championship of your teammate Chaz Davies. I think it was a feast for everyone on the team, since ParkinGO really dominated  the entire season with a total of nine victories on twelve races.

LS: Yes exactly, it was like that because we all did a great job in the end. Chaz made a great season but also the team was excellent in every single race. I really learned a lot during this first WSS season and I also think Chaz learned something from me, so it was a very profitable exchange.

ParkinGO will be in World Superbike series next year, switching to a new factory with Chaz Davies. How do you see this new adventure?

LS: I am really happy for them; Chaz did exactly what needed to be done staying with them, even though he had some other options with BMW Italia and Suzuki Alstare. It would’ve been my very first choice as well, but for now there is no chance to have two bikes in that team. For now I am still organizing my next season that could be both in WSS or WSBK.

Last thoughts are for Marco Simoncelli, a real talented rider that will be sorely missed after a tragic loss we all witnessed at the Sepang circuit recently.

LS: Yes, it was a real tragic event. Marco was a great rider and a great person.  I was not at the funeral but I went the previous day to Coriano on my bike to make my personal farewell. Some people just realized that this is a dangerous sport but we are neither crazy nor immortal because it is just what we love to do. After each single start the thought of not coming back to the pits comes to your mind, and this stays with you also in the very first corner. But is something we need to live with, it is part of our sport.

Photo: Ben Henderson/MotoRaceReports

Photo: Ben Henderson/MotoRaceReports

Photo: Sports-Photography.org

Photo: Sports-Photography.org

Photo: Ducati MotoGP Team

Photo Credit: Jared Earle/MotoRaceReports

Photo Credit: Jared Earle/MotoRaceReports

Marco Melandri (Photo Credit: Jared Earle/MotoRaceReports)

Photo Credit: Jared Earle/MotoRaceReports

Photo: Jared Earle/MotoRaceReports

World Superbike - Donington 2011

Photo Credit: Alex Briggs: Ducati MotoGP Team

Click on image to download in high resolution

]]> http://www.motoracereports.com/3435/photo-of-the-day.html/feed 0 http://www.motoracereports.com/9782/wsbk-round-9-silverstone-all-the-results.html http://www.motoracereports.com/9782/wsbk-round-9-silverstone-all-the-results.html#comments Sun, 31 Jul 2011 15:47:22 +0000 Gaelle http://www.motoracereports.com/?p=9782 All the race results and championship standings after Round 9 at Silverstone can be found HERE

World Supersport Gallery

Ellison - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Foret - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Iannuzzo - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Jezek - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Marconi - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Gino Rea - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Gino Rea looking pensive - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Salom - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

World Superbike

Berger - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Biaggi comes in - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Biaggi in garage - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Biaggi - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Camier stretches - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Camier - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Checa in garage - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Checa - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Corser - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Haga - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Haslam - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Hopkins, wildcard for the weekend - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Hopkins in garage - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Melandri - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Toseland being interviewed - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Toseland - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Xaus - Photo: Stuart Dallas for Motoracereports

Extra photos

Badovini crash - Thankfully, rider was ok! - Photo: Jared Earle for Motoracereports

Putting the fire out after the Badovini crash- Photo: Jared Earle for Motoracereports

Biaggi's board goes back in - Photo: Jared Earle for Motoracereports

Checa's pitboard - Photo: Jared Earle for Motoracereports

In Biaggi's garage - Photo: Jared Earle for Motoracereports

Mechanics at work - Photo: Jared Earle for Motoracereports

On Thursday, Melandri and Laverty did a cooking competition! - Photo: Jared Earle for Motoracereports

First of all congrats on the start of this season, you won the first two races and you are leading the standings in WSS at the moment. How do you feel about this?

LS: Thanks a lot, I’m extremely happy about this I can tell you. We had a very limited time for testing in the pre-season (Editor’s Note – Due to the switch from Triumph to Yamaha) and the bike was still set for Cal Crutchlow. I had to change the riding position a lot since I’m bigger than him and still the bike is very small for me but it has a great potential indeed.

Your team dominated the first three rounds of the season, as your teammate Chaz Davies won the last race in Assen. What are your goals for this season?

LS: The team is fantastic and we all are working very well together. To be honest, my main goal was the title from the very beginning. I usually start to improve a lot during mid season, so to get such a start is positive sign.

Your decision to quit WSBK to go in WSS at the beginning could have been seen as a risky one, but now is repaying you well. Can you tell us more about the deal?

LS: Sure, I think that many riders from the WSBK could step back into WSS if they want to. Maybe you don’t see this happening very often but I was confident it was a good choice for me. In fact, the proposal at the beginning was to ride a Triumph for 3 years with a future project of WSBK.

Let’s talk about your machine, the Yamaha R6. It looks like the bike remained the winning beast we saw in 2009, right?

LS: Exactly, the R6 is fantastic and probably the best bike out there. The problem for me is that I cannot really fit into it, I’m too big for it. We made all the changes we could with foot pegs and handle bars but it still not so comfortable. For this reason I suffer a bit in the corners exit but the engine is so good I can have some more power on the straight. Plus, the electronic part is very advanced with the ride by wire and other cool stuff to play with.

What do you think are the main differences with a WSBK machine, other than less engine power?

LS: The Supersport machine is a bit lighter then a WSBK one but the main change is on the brakes. Here in WSS we use almost production brakes so you must go pretty hard on them to let the bike get a good braking point. We have reached very high pressure values here, while WSBK machines are a lot easier to brake in terms of strength used on the lever.

Are you training in a different way now?

LS: Absolutely, the goal now is to work on lower body weight and agility. The diet is also pretty different from the one in WSBK, where you need good amounts of energy to face the double race schedule.

So, What do you think about the WSS series and who are your most aggressive riders to battle with this season?

LS: For me Sam Lowes, Chaz Davies, Broc Parkes and Fabien Foret showed that they have the potential to stay up front. But also some younger rider like Gino Rea or Florian Marino could go very fast. The races in WSS are always packed and fun, I think the level of the bikes is more homogeneous.

Your relationship with the fans is great, you like stay in contact with them using social networking also. Are you trying to organize something special for them in the near future?

LS: Yes, fans are the ones that really motivate you. We are going to have a stand with some of our gadgets in Monza; this should be nice.

We are going to have two consecutive rounds in Italy now: Monza and Misano. How do you feel about this challenge?

LS: Riding in my own country is always special, I’m really looking forward to some great results there. My goal is get some good advantage in the standings after those rounds.

What is your favourite track and why?

LS: Laguna Seca is the place I love to ride in, it’s very difficult for me to get out of the track when I’m there! Everybody talks about the corkscrew of course but I think that the best parts of the circuit are Curve #7 (Editor’s Note – just before the corkscrew) and the Rainey Curve (Editor’s Note – just after the corkscrew). About the tracks that we race during the season, I think Imola is the best one. Great atmosphere and great track but we need to be very careful on race start there.

What are your goals for the future?

LS: I’d say that the best place for me could be riding with this team in WSBK. I’d like only to change the bike with a WSBK one next season but I’d love to stay with this team that is giving me a lot.

OK Luca, thanks for your time is your turn now to thank or greet someone if you want to!

LS: Thank you, it was my pleasure. I’d like to spend some nice words for our Team Manager Giuliano Rovelli, he is really putting in a great effort to give us the best package possible and I really appreciate that. I want also to thank all my team, because they are doing a superb job each Sunday!

Our dedicated page to Round 3 of the 2011 FIM World Superbike round at Assen is up with qualifying results and information about the circuit.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZsElwOT-OE

Video Link for iPhones -- Play Video

World Superbike Race 2:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuHpOnrTqow

Video Link for iPhones -- Play Video

World Supersport Race:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrPz9DqQmWA

Video Link for iPhones -- Play Video

BONUS:

Marco Melandri reflects on his Race 1 victory:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNSJe22CEKk

Video Link for iPhones -- Play Video

Carlos Checa reflects on his Race 2 victory (that’s 3 wins in 4 races for those of you keeping score at home):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=t34CMBfM_ow

Video Link for iPhones -- Play Video

Scassa reflects on his 2nd consecutive Supersport class win:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXjBMXtN0zI

Video Link for iPhones -- Play Video