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Category: Superbikes
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AS WE WAIT FOR THE THREE DAYS OF TESTS IN THAILAND, SCHEDULED FROM 16 THROUGH 18 FEBRUARY, IT'S TIME TO DRAW SUMS AFTER THE FIRST TESTS OF THE SEASON IN SEPANG
In the Aprilia camp, there were great expectations for the début of the new RS-GP machines in the 2018 version. It was even more of a change for Scott Redding, astride the Italian V4 for the first time.
After initial contact in November at Valencia and Jerez with the 2017 bike, the English rider had a chance to test the 2018 RS-GP in Malaysia. This is the perfect time to make a preliminary analysis of the beginning of this new adventure on the Italian team.
What do you think of the new Aprilia RS-GP?
"The test in Malaysia has been a sort of shakedown, we had the new bike and I haven't been riding the Aprilia since Jerez. At the beginning, when we simply put the 2017 setting on the 2018 bike, it didn't work for me. For Aleix it wasn't a big difference, but he has a lot more experience on this bike. We started to work on that, even experimenting, to make me feel comfortable on the bike. At the end of the three days I was happy, we found some solutions that we'll keep using and, most important, we found the direction to work on for the future. I've been faster every day, cutting the gap with the front guys and I feel there's still a lot of room for improvements".
You're young but you already have a great experience in MotoGP, is it helping you developing a new bike like the RS-GP?
"I have a good experience but not with a factory bike. I have a good ability to feel the bike and to explain the people developing the Aprilia RS-GP. It's the first time I've been given the tools to be able do that and that motivates me a lot, I feel really in my place. I have a unique riding style compared to many other riders, I'm bigger, heavier, and now that I can go a little bit in the right direction for me we'll see what we can do".
How has it been the first approach with the team?
"It's been good, I felt great from the first day. I have a good crew around me, very supportive and very straight down the line of what I need. In Sepang I think we found the right connection, the guys are starting to understand what I like on the bike and what I need to be fast. I feel all of the Aprilia guys believe in me and that's what I was looking for. I'm really happy to have this opportunity".
What is your goal for this season?
"To keep going forward, developing the Aprilia, working a lot in testing with the new bike. I want to put the Aprilia in the top-6, last year Aleix has shown that it is a result within our reach and I think the new bike has even more potential, there are still some new parts coming like the new engine. We still have some testing to do, after that my main priority will be to keep improving the bike race by race ad try to be as competitive as possible".
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Talented youngster Adam Mclean will have a full complement of machinery for the 2018 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy and the other international road races in 2018 having signed for quinnestheprinters.com by Team IMR.
The Ulsterman will campaign a BMW S1000RR in the RST Superbike and RL360º Quantum Superstock TT Races and a Yamaha YZF-R6 in the Monster Energy Supersport Races with the team having recently purchased the ex-Ian Hutchinson 600cc machine from Raceways Motorcycles.
McLean will also have the use of the machinery for the other International races and selected Irish National road races and will continue to have the support of Roy Hanna Motors for the Lightweight class while he will continue to be supported by Metzeler tyres for his 2018 campaign.
The 21-year old has been a standout performer in the last two seasons, impressing in all of his races, especially at the International events where he has made a more than favourable impression, particularly in 2017 where he took a brilliant fourth in the second Supersport race at the North West 200 and third in the Ulster Grand Prix Supertwins race.
He also took sixth in the opening Supertwins race at the North West 200 and tenth in the first Supersport 600cc race at the Ulster GP, improving his quickest lap around the Dundrod circuit to 125.535mph.
The Magherafelt rider also made his debut at the Isle of Man TT races in 2017, winning the coveted Newcomers Trophy after finishing 18th in the opening Monster Energy Supersport 600cc race where he lapped at an impressive 120.644mph, the fifth fastest lap ever recorded by a newcomer on a 600cc machine, and won a silver replica. He was on course for a brilliant top ten finish in the Bennetts Lightweight race after lapping at more than 115mph before being forced to retire on the third lap.
McLean was a consistent front runner at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough, taking regular podium finishes in the Supersport and Supertwins races and finished third, fourth and fifth overall in the Irish Road Racing Supertwins, Supersport 600cc and Moto3 Championships respectively.
Adam McLean:
“I’m really looking forward to working with quinnstheprinters.com by Team IMR in 2018 and am very grateful for the opportunity. I’ll be riding top class machinery with a superb infrastructure behind me which will hopefully enable me to be successful and build on my 2017 results so I can’t wait to get going!”
Peter Bradley, Managing Director of quinnstheprinters.com commented;
"quinnstheprinters.com are delighted to be the title sponsor of Team IMR and we are thrilled the team has secured the services of Adam McLean for the 2018 road racing season. As part of the Bradley Group which has operations in England and the Isle of Man as well as a base in Northern Ireland, the company places a huge emphasis on supporting young local talent and we believe that with the right backing, Adam has the capability to achieve considerable success and build on his highly impressive 2017 season. We look forward to getting him on the bike during our Spanish testing programme in February and wish him all the best for a safe and enjoyable 2018 season.”
Jason Griffiths, Racing Manager, Metzeler UK said;
“It was a real pleasure to work with Adam this year in what was his breakthrough season. He obviously has great potential and at Metzeler we look forward to continuing our partnership with Adam and seeing him gain more experience at the International Road Races in 2018. When Metzeler started the Road Race programme in 2013 a young Dean Harrison joined us and we firmly believe Adam is capable of the same progression. Good luck to Adam and Team IMR with their new venture.”
Ian Moffitt, Team Principal of quinnstheprinters.com by Team IMR added;
“It’s fantastic to have signed Adam for the 2018 roads season. Given our initial focus on the British Championship and securing Chrissy Rouse and Jordan Gilbert for the Superstock 1000 BSB campaign, we feared we had missed out on signing a quality roads rider for 2018. However, having learnt that Adam was available and after a discussion with Peter Bradley, we were able to come to an agreement on running Adam at the International road races which is hugely exciting for the team.”


“Adam will have a full stable of bikes to compete in the Superbike, Superstock and Supersport clases at the NW200, TT and UGP with the use of our two 2017 BMW S1000RRs as well as Ian Hutchinson’s 2017 front-running Yamaha R6, which will all run on Metzeler tyres for whom we are very grateful for their support. Adam will also compete at some of the BSB and national road races throughout the season and we are extremely excited to be working with one of today’s most talented riders in road racing. We would not be able to do what we are doing without the support of all our partners but especially Peter and quinnstheprinters.com.”
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Horst Saiger and the Saiger Racing team will switch to Yamaha to compete in the 2018 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy and the other international Road Racing meetings, after Saiger reached an agreement with the Swiss Yamaha Importer ‘Hostettler.’
Saiger will ride Yamaha R6, R1 Superbike and R1 Superstock machinery prepared by Mandy Kainz from the Yamaha Austria Racing Team (‘YART’) with whom Saiger has a long racing history. 2018 will be an anniversary season as Hostettler will be celebrating 50 years of bringing Yamaha motorbikes to Switzerland.
Hostettler have a long and outstanding history not only in Switzerland but racing generally. Names to have represented the company include Rodney Gould who, in addition to the 1970 250cc World Championship, secured two runner up places in the Isle of Man TT Races in 1970 and 1972. Other names who have raced in the Hostettler colours include Michael Frutschi, Jacque Cornu, Roland Freymond, Bruno Kneubühler and sidecar competitors Rolf Biland / Kurt Waltisperger.
Saiger made his TT Mountain Course debut in 2013, finishing the second fastest newcomer behind Josh Brookes and he achieved his highest placed finish of tenth in the 2017 RL360 Quantum Superstock TT Race.
The team will launch the bikes at the Swiss Moto Zurich show (22nd - 25th February 2018).
Saiger will also be returning to his roots, having spent 10 years riding Yamaha machinery in the past.
"I rode as an instructor at the Yamaha Riding Academy of Hostettler and was able to get a first glimpse of the Yamaha YZF-R1 at the race track of Aragon. I was immediately convinced by the unique engine concept as well as the super sporty R1 in general – I fell heavily in love with this motorbike, when returning to home.”
He continued:
“I am now looking forward to my 2018 season, which will start with the NW200. Further confirmed dates are the Isle of Man TT, which is my main highlight, and Macau. Unfortunately the Terlicko Road Racing meeting clashes with the Endurance World Championship at Oschersleben and I wont be able to compete there. But I am still hoping to make my return to the Ulster GP and I am considering a detour to Frohburg as well.”
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2017 marked the most successful campaign for the Penz13 BMW Motorrad Motorsport team in real road racing. Manxman Dan Kneen earned the team’s first TT podium finish and Michael Rutter, Danny Webb and Alessandro Polita achieved multiple race wins and podiums in the IRRC.
After Kneen's contract expired and he moved to Tyco BMW, team principal Rico Penzkofer assessed their approach to the 2018 season. The team's main focus has always been the FIM Endurance World Championship, while Penzkofer's heart has always been with road racing.
Derek Sheils deputised as a stand-in rider for the ill Kneen at the Joey Dunlop Open event at Frohburg in Germany earlier this season and after his strong performance in the recent Macau Grand Prix, the Irishman was considered a perfect fit for the vacant seat in the Penz13 squad.
Sheils will be provided with the latest BMW machinery in Superstock and Superbike configurations for the 300 Corners of Gustav Havel event in Czech Republic, which the team uses as a test for the season’s main event, the Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy. Additionally, Sheils will join the experienced and proven winning formula at the Imatranajo in Finland, the Joey Dunlop Open in Frohburg, Germany and the prestigious Macau Grand Prix.
Derek Sheils:
"I am grateful for the support of John Burrows so far, giving me the opportunity to sign for the Penz13 team for the TT. I enjoyed my stand-in race in Frohburg last September and felt that the BMW is the right bike to step up into the world’s top league of road racers. I quickly got the grip with the electronics that come along with the HP4 and I was surprised how well advanced their electronic suspension from Tractive Suspension actually is. I am obviously aiming high and hope to finish all the TT Races within the Top ten but also taking some race victories over in Europe.”
Rico Penzkofer:
"I didn’t know much about Derek until he joined us in Frohburg, but immediately saw that he would fit perfectly into the team and could be a good replacement for Dan Kneen. His recent Macau GP pace convinced me even more and I took the opportunity to sign him right after the race. In Frohburg was actually the first time he rode a BMW with all the electronics. Our suspension engineer Eric Lindemann as well as our mechanic crew pointed out that he provides very good feedback. I enjoyed working with him and therefore hope that he can help us to further establish our team in real road racing in 2018. I am sure there is a lot to come from Derek in the near future.”
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Announcing an all-new rider line-up for its 2018 Road Racing campaign, Honda Motor Europe is delighted to welcome Ian Hutchinson and Lee Johnston to the fold contesting the North West 200, Isle of Man TT and the Ulster GP aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 in the Superbike and Superstock 1000 classes.
Both Hutchinson and Johnston are no strangers to Honda machinery and in 2010 Hutchy claimed his historic five-TT wins with the Padgetts Honda team. Hugely successful on the roads the ‘Bingley Bullet’ is a 16-time TT winner with 27 TT podiums to his name and will be looking to further add to his tally, as well as claiming the maiden road-racing win for the Fireblade SP2.
Former National Superstock 600 Champion Johnston made his debut at the North West 200 in 2008 and it was 2012 when he first rode the famous TT Mountain Circuit. ‘The General’ has impressed during his time on the roads collecting three wins and six podiums at the NW200, as well as two podiums at the Isle of Man TT. Johnston also has strong links with the Louth-based squad, having worked closely with the Honda Endurance Racing team as its Le Mans 24-hour reserve rider.
With a long established history at the Isle of Man TT, Honda remains the most successful manufacturer at the event and the Fireblade still holds the accolade as the most successful 1000cc machine ever around the 37.73-mile circuit with 23 TT victories. Honda Racing’s all-new line-up for 2018 is eager to tackle the road circuits, starting with the North West 200 in May.
To keep up to date with all the latest news from the team follow @HondaRacingCBR
Ian Hutchinson
I’m really looking forward to getting started with Honda Racing; it’s a new challenge and a fresh start for me. I suppose I have quite a bit of history with Honda, ten years ago I rode with this official team and in 2009/2010 I rode with Padgetts Honda, where I scored five-TT wins in a week, so I know the Fireblade pretty well. I haven’t ridden the Fireblade SP2 yet and will have to wait until we go testing early next year, but I can’t wait to start making some progress. The Honda team has a lot of experience at the TT and its history speaks for itself with the wins and successes over the years, it’s also nice to see a lot of the team still here who I worked with in the past, so I’m confident that come the New Year we can get started and start aiming to where we want to be.
Lee Johnston
I am genuinely excited about being with Honda Racing next year, I’m probably the most excited I’ve been in years if I’m honest! I have had two tough years and it’s nice to have everything organised and in place early so I have nothing to worry about apart from riding motorbikes. So that for me is the biggest thing and what I wanted more than anything, as I have no outside distractions and I can just concentrate on doing my job. I’ve ridden the Fireblade SP2 already at Le Mans, when I was a reserve rider for the Honda Endurance Racing team, so I’ve got a bit of a head start in that respect. I enjoy riding the CBR, the tank fits me well and it isn’t as big as it looks! I just can’t wait now for testing to start in March and just get going with the new programme for the year.
Jonny Twelvetrees
Team Manager
I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to sign both Hutchy and Lee for our 2018 roads campaign. Hutchy’s record speaks for itself and especially so when he’s been on a Honda. Whilst always being aware of his determination and professionalism, this has been highlighted to me even more so when striking up the deal. I’m looking forward to seeing him on the SP2 at our opening test, he has plenty of past experience on the Fireblade, so I’m sure it won’t take him too long until he’s pushing on and able to feedback what he needs. Lee has always impressed me, he joined the Honda Endurance Racing team as a reserve rider for the Le Mans 24-hour and since then we had been watching from a roads perspective. He clearly has a talent on the roads and I am positive with the team we have, the Fireblade SP2 and the plans we have for the season that he can show his full potential. We’re really looking forward to working together and personally I can’t wait for us to be back on the roads.
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