DATE: JUNE 15-17, 2012 WEATHER: MOSTLY RAIN-HEAVY AT TIMES; 32c AND 88% HUMIDITY
LOCATION: ZHUHAI INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT-MAINLAND CHINA
A VERY CLOSE 2nd
Freshly healed up from a late April testing crash on his ZX10 Superbike, Dan Kruger enjoyed continued success in the Prestigious Pan Delta Superbike Championship in China.
After 3 days of solid testing, Kruger got down to a blistering 1:383 on race tyres having perfected the set-up of the completely rebuilt Kawasaki.
Great photo taken by Holly
Heavy showers were the talk of qualifying. So bad that we opted to sit out of Q1 and hope for better conditions in Q2. No such luck as the rain continued to fall and we had to go out and put a lap in. We ended up 4th overall which was fine by us.
Race 1 had teams scrambling with last minute tyre changes. In the end, it was a wet track but the rain was reduced to drizzle. The 28 rider grid saw riders on full wets, DOTs, as well as slicks. We had decided to run SC1’s front and rear and hope a dry line would form quickly into the race. Our prediction was right and we ended up battling with YES Yamaha’s Factory rider for the entire race with what will likely be the race of the season. Unfortunately, Yamaha’s Zhao crossed the finish line 0.032 seconds ahead of us to take the win bikes touching bar ends across the line. It was a close one with both riders taking turns in the lead throughout the entire race.
Race 2 was looking to be a dry race as the sighting lap, and even warm up lap had proven. As the lights came on to start the race, the rain started again and by lap 2, at least 4 riders had gone down and the race was red flagged and pronounced a wet race.
Once the race was re-started, Kruger took a commanding lead and by lap 6 looked to have full control of the race. The rain had stopped and the track was drying up fast. Within 1 lap, we realized we went for the wrong rear rain tyre. We went for a soft and should have gone with an intermediate. We shredded the tyre in less than a lap and not only lost the lead but barely hung on to 2nd place at the checkered flag.
Challenging Weather for the June Nationals in China
As usual, the Chinese fans proved to be full of excitement and support. “I am really glad my wife Holly could make it out for this race. I have a lot more fun racing out here when she alongside me” Kruger said.
The grandstands were full even as the torrential rain came down
We would like to thank our sponsors – Speed Up Asia, Titanic Kawasaki, Motul, Hindle, Epic, and Pirelli. A very special thanks to Pesh, Sammo, and Jimbo for making the weekend happen. We will be back for the final 2 rounds of the Pan Delta Championship September 14-16, 2012
DAN KRUGER TAKES LEAD IN PAN DELTA CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 2 MORE PODIUMS
DATE: JUNE 15-17, 2012 WEATHER: MOSTLY RAIN-HEAVY AT TIMES; 32c AND 88% HUMIDITY
LOCATION: ZHUHAI INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT-MAINLAND CHINA
A VERY CLOSE 2nd
Freshly healed up from a late April testing crash on his ZX10 Superbike, Dan Kruger enjoyed continued success in the Prestigious Pan Delta Superbike Championship in China.
After 3 days of solid testing, Kruger got down to a blistering 1:383 on race tyres having perfected the set-up of the completely rebuilt Kawasaki.
Great photo taken by Holly
Heavy showers were the talk of qualifying. So bad that we opted to sit out of Q1 and hope for better conditions in Q2. No such luck as the rain continued to fall and we had to go out and put a lap in. We ended up 4th overall which was fine by us.
Race 1 had teams scrambling with last minute tyre changes. In the end, it was a wet track but the rain was reduced to drizzle. The 28 rider grid saw riders on full wets, DOTs, as well as slicks. We had decided to run SC1’s front and rear and hope a dry line would form quickly into the race. Our prediction was right and we ended up battling with YES Yamaha’s Factory rider for the entire race with what will likely be the race of the season. Unfortunately, Yamaha’s Zhao crossed the finish line 0.032 seconds ahead of us to take the win bikes touching bar ends across the line. It was a close one with both riders taking turns in the lead throughout the entire race.
Race 2 was looking to be a dry race as the sighting lap, and even warm up lap had proven. As the lights came on to start the race, the rain started again and by lap 2, at least 4 riders had gone down and the race was red flagged and pronounced a wet race.
Once the race was re-started, Kruger took a commanding lead and by lap 6 looked to have full control of the race. The rain had stopped and the track was drying up fast. Within 1 lap, we realized we went for the wrong rear rain tyre. We went for a soft and should have gone with an intermediate. We shredded the tyre in less than a lap and not only lost the lead but barely hung on to 2nd place at the checkered flag.
Challenging Weather for the June Nationals in China
As usual, the Chinese fans proved to be full of excitement and support. “I am really glad my wife Holly could make it out for this race. I have a lot more fun racing out here when she alongside me” Kruger said.
The grandstands were full even as the torrential rain came down
We would like to thank our sponsors – Speed Up Asia, Titanic Kawasaki, Motul, Hindle, Epic, and Pirelli. A very special thanks to Pesh, Sammo, and Jimbo for making the weekend happen. We will be back for the final 2 rounds of the Pan Delta Championship September 14-16, 2012