by Russell Atkins
World Superbike sophomore
Roberto Rolfo is aiming to bounce back from a luckless qualifying session at
Donington Park today – and has set his sights on a top five finish in tomorrow's races.
The Italian had shown promising pace throughout the weekend, but a brake problem in Superpole sent him straight on at the Melbourne Hairpin as he came around to begin his sole flying lap. Although it has left him down in an unrepresentative 16th place on the starting grid for both races, he is clearly not going to be deterred.
“It was a bad day,” he acknowledged, speaking to
Crash.net after the session. “I had a problem in Superpole which was unlucky for me, because I was very good this morning when we were working on finding a good set-up for the race and I thought I would have a good Superpole.
“For sure it would have been possible to improve my laptime from qualifying to be maybe on the second row. This is what I wanted. It's a pity because we had worked well with the team all weekend, but I'm quite confident for tomorrow. Starting at the rear in a race like Superbikes certainly isn't easy, but I will do my best and I am sure if I am consistent I can improve. I would like to be in the top five, and I realistically think we have the potential to be there.”
One thing the 26-year-old did point out was the tricky conditions that caught out a number of riders, most spectacularly Josh Brookes who flew off the track at speed at the Old Hairpin during his Superpole effort. Despite this, the challenge presented by Donington is one the former 250 Grand Prix championship runner-up undeniably relishes.
“The conditions to today were very strange,” he admitted. “They changed a lot during the session. The downhill parts of the track were very difficult because of the wind, and the bike wasn't very stable in the fast sections.
“I always like coming to Donington a lot, though. It's a track where I was very fast in the 250cc class, I've been on the podium before and I enjoy riding the Superbike around here.”
