Bayliss fastest but Kagayama out

Troy Bayliss has set the fastest time of the day in the first qualifying session for this weekend’s European round of the WSB Championship at Donington.

The field were able to revert to full dry settings and tyres by the midway point in the session, with Bayliss taking advantage of the drying track. But all the times are expected to come down dramatically tomorrow with the track temperature only reaching around nine degrees centigrade at best today.

Yamaha revealed that tyre temperatures in this morning’s session were around only 30 degrees centigrade.

Troy Corser set the early pace and broke the 1.33 bracket first, but his progressively faster laps came to an end when he lost the rear down Craner Curves, running onto the grass and laying the bike down uninjured, three quarters of the way into the hour long session.

James Toseland managed the fourth fastest time in what where very chilly conditions this afternoon.

The session wasn’t without incident. During a lap faster than his final provisional pole Bayliss and Biaggi were close to coming together at Fogarty’s Esses when Biaggi aborted his lap in front of the Australian who was baulked. Bayliss gesticulated at Biaggi to let him know he wasn’t impressed.

Corser was not the only big name to come off in this latest session with Lorenzo Lanzi and Yukio Kagayama also crashing.

Lorenzo, who has been struggling with the pace on his Ducati, was unhurt but only managed to post a best time in 17th place more than four seconds off the pace.

Kagayama’s condition is worse than first thought as was unconscious for around five minutes. He was taken to the medical centre and has now been declared unfit to ride for the rest of the weekend as he is suffering from concussion.

Making up the front row was Sterilgarda Ducati’s Ruben Xaus, and the remaining Brits, Dean Ellison and Aaron Zanotti, ended the session 20th and 22nd respectively.

RESULTS

1. Bayliss 1.32.23
2. Corser 1.32.82
3. Xaus  1.33.65
4. Toseland 1.33.69
5. Laconi 1.33.73
6. Muggeridge 1.34.20
7. Kagayama 1.34.55
8. Haga  1.34.55
9. Biaggi 1.34.59
10. Rolfo 1.35.36
11. Bussei 1.35.90
12. Fabrizio  1.35.91
13. Nieto 1.36.00
14. Martin 1.36.07
15. Brookes 1.36.44
16. Neukirchner 1.36.66

20. Ellison GBR  1.37.65
22. Zanotti GBR  1.38.67