This is the final straight of the championship, there are only two races at Jerez and one at Valencia to run. Pierre TEXIER in sixth in general standing, second private rider, first French and first Kawasaki.
Pierre had rode well last season at the Jerez circuit. It was the first time he drove a 1000cc and he was discovering this technical track. The weekend was unfortunately finished at the medical center following a brake failure. We are hopeful to move up in the rankings.
The Friday first free practice session goes well, we see a big gap with the riders who carried out the tests, as always we will have to take the best of each session without mistake for hope to catch them up.
The second session begins well, settings improove and times with it.
A red flag stops the session, Pierre does not come back ... He had a huge crash in Turn 5, at the entrance of the straight.
We recover the motorcycle, fairings are destroyed but it is not very damaged.
There are many people in the medical center and we have to wait half past one to have a verdict! Pierre has nothing! Finally, last year he had nothing either, they might consider a pneumothorax is a scratch...
He hurt everywhere, especially to the head. Back in the box we find that Pierre suffers from short term memory disorder. The doctor reassures us, other teams that visit us too, they usually see these symptoms, this can last from several hours to several days...
The weekend seems very compromised, we still prepare the bike keeping hope.
We return to see the doctor with Pierre before returning to the hotel for a final check. It is positive, no neurological problems detected.
Pierre Texier, European Superbike championship 2015
Pierre seems to have regained his faculties awakening! He always hurts everywhere, especially to the head and feels severe fatigue.
He is keen to participate in the first qualifying session. The weather is threatening and so we decide to let him do a few laps to validate the bike after the crash and try to qualify before the rain arrives.
Pierre have problems with the front brake lever and he returns to box in the first lap. We tighten it so he can go back quickly but he returns again and so we decide to change it. Pierre leave again for five laps after which we adjust a few settings.
He goes back to the track and improves his first lap times but unfortunately doesn't finish the second one after shotting straight in a gravel trap and fall, the session is already over for us.
He ranks therefore twelfth with only five timed laps, three places ahead of its direct competitor in the championship which seems, too, in trouble. We are far from our usual performance, but, curiously, we have smiles.
As expected it rains for the second session. So we will not be able to improve our performance in the dry.
Pierre is the fifth time of the session, growing steadily until his last lap!
This time we really have to smile, well done Pierre!
Pierre Texier, European Superbike championship 2015
The weather forecast predicts rain for Sunday, which would be ideal for us, everyone restarting from scratch with less physically demanding races for Pierre. Sunday, the sky is threatening, there is a lot of wind. While we have some things to test, we choose not to participate in warm-up because Pierre is very tired and we have two scheduled races. The rain does not come as expected! It's with slick tires that Pierre goes on the grid in fourth line inside. It will be hard for him, we hope he will hold the distance.
He takes a good start but loose a few positions in the first corners, he recovers before the end of the first lap.
He goes back to a group of three riders, taking his main opponent, Eeki Kuparinen in his wheel. It takes the lead but returns a lap on two of the pack, sometimes slightly distanced. We believe when it is a technical problem.
Kuparinen finally managed to get rid of the group but Pierre remains mired in the pack and finish the race in eleventh!
Arriving at the parc fermé, we find Pierre in a rage, he suffered suicide attacks from a competitor for the entire race until he fall by hitting another rider. The bike carries traces of impacts everywhere!
Pierre was very sore arms and hands, his head is a little better, he says he does not think being physically able to make a second race in the dry.
Pierre Texier, European Superbike championship 2015
This is yet again on a dry track we go on the grid for the second race. The wind is still there, the clouds too, but not a drop.
A few minutes from starting now we hope it does not rain not to revive the Navarra scenario with a wheel change on the grid or worse, during the race.
Pierre takes again a good start and crosses the line in tenth position. In the fourth round he overtakes Kuparinen and takes ninth place, he goes back at the eleventh lap following a gear selection trouble in the straight.
Overtaking on Al-Naimi in the fourteenth lap make him loose a bit of distance with Kuparinen he is again ninth.
And the rain comes, two laps from the end! It is too late to change anything, he must finish the race in these conditions.
We see on the screens that both Pierre's predecessors frankly reduced their speed, but not Pierre who gets closer, he should rejoin in the last corners!
We wait anxiously to see the bikes appear in the pit straight ... But Pierre comes up behind, he narrowly avoided falling on the penultimate corner and could not pass them.
So he ends this race ninth, not bad for someone who does not feel able to finish it.
In the championship, Pierre Texier remains sixth, first French and first Kawasaki, ten points of his predecessor. He retains second place in the ranking of private riders, eight points behind the leader.
A weekend to forget, we have not made any progress with the exception of that single session in the rain.