| Biker News - Regularly updated
Category: Superbikes
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AFTER THE GREAT DÉBUT IN QATAR APRILIA SEEKS CONFIRMATION AT TERMAS DE RIO HONDO The maiden race for the 2017 RS-GP was one to remember, but for Aprilia it is already time to focus on a new challenge. The second race of the 2017 MotoGP season that will be held on the Argentinian Termas de Río Hondo is a new test bench for the progress the Italian bike has demonstrated.
In Qatar, the new RS-GP proved its competitiveness in the race, managing traction and performance, allowing Aleix Espargaró to finish just behind the leaders, taking sixth place after an excellent comeback ride. Performance on the flying lap in qualifying is the situation where riders and mechanics are now seeking further improvement. In the first race, Aleix was the protagonist of impressive progress, but a good position on the starting grid would increase the chances of aiming for an important result.
Therefore, for both of the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders, the Argentinian race represents an important exam. If Aleix's goal is to continue the positive trend begun in Losail, Sam Lowes, a rookie in the category, is expecting a positive weekend after a less than easy début. ALEIX ESPARGARO' "After the good sensations in Qatar, I can't wait to ride in Argentina. It's a track that I really like and I'm always comfortable with my riding style there. I hope to be able to get an optimal set up in race conditions, but at the same time I would like to battle for a good position in QP too." SAM LOWES “I am happy to be getting back on the track straight away, especially in Argentina, a circuit that I like and where I was on the podium last year. Qatar was not the début we wanted. The particular conditions certainly did not make my first race an easy one. Next weekend I want to start the right way. As a team we need to take Aleix's good results as a point of reference and continue improving.” ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER “In the first race we received important confirmation on our pre-season development efforts. The RS-GP proved to be a well-balanced bike. It will be interesting to put it to the test on a circuit that is very different from Qatar. The characteristics of the Termas track seem to be a good fit both for the character of our bike and for Aleix's riding style. Sam, on the other hand, after "breaking the ice", needs to continue improving. The first day of practice will be a chance to figure out the track conditions. We will be continuing to work in view of the race but with particular attention on qualifying performance. We will try to improve in that situation, exploiting the new tyre as best we can to aim for a good position on the starting grid.” FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER “We are heading to Argentina with good intentions. We are on a positive trend both in technical terms and in terms of morale after the results in Qatar. Aprilia has done a great job. We have a technical package that has demonstrated a clear step forward. We are keeping our feet on the ground, but we are also well aware of our potential. We want to confirm the progress we saw in the first race on a different track now. On paper, the Termas track could suit our project better than Qatar, but as always, we will only be able to verify that once we get out on the track.”
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KMR Kawasaki will have a four man team for the Bennetts Lightweight TT race at the 2017 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy with Peter Hickman and Danny Webb joining Lee Johnston and Hudson Kennaugh in Ryan Farquhar’s team.
The quartet will all ride identically-prepared ER6 650cc Kawasaki’s in the four-lap race as triple TT winner Farquhar goes all out to claim victory in the race he won himself back in 2012.
Hickman will be making his debut in the race having withdrawn last year after being scheduled to ride the John Burrows BEE Cookstown Kawasaki and will be among the pre-race favourites as will team-mate Johnston. He previously rode for Farquhar’s team at the 2015 Isle of Man TT and, after lapping at close to 119mph, was lying in a podium position before retiring on the final lap.
Webb will be making his fourth successive appearance in the race - all of which have been for Farquhar’s team. His debut in 2014 saw him finish in a credible 14th place and he went quicker still in 2015, lapping in excess of 115mph on his way to claiming an excellent tenth place and his first silver replica.
South African Kennaugh competed in the Bennetts Lightweight TT race in 2015 where he was running on the edge of the top ten before a spill at Braddan Bridge in the closing stages ended his race.
With Johnston and Hickman expected to be challenging for the race win and Webb and Kennaugh strong candidates for top ten positions, it promises to be an exciting race for KMR Kawasaki and while Farquhar is naturally disappointed not to be riding himself, he’s excited about his team’s prospects.
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Double Supersport TT race winner Gary Johnson will run his own team at the 2017 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, having announced a return to Suzuki machinery for the 1000cc races at last week’s official press launch on the Isle of Man.
The Lincolnshire rider, who is still searching for a title sponsor, will run the all-new GSX-R Suzuki in the RST Superbike, Pokerstars Senior and RL360º Quantum Superstock races. He will continue to campaign Triumphs in the two Monster Energy Supersport races having purchased the East Coast Construction bikes used by Lee Johnston in 2016. Phil Reed’s team will continue in the sport as one of Johnson’s personal sponsors.
A front-runner now for a decade, Johnson took victory in the opening Monster Energy Supersport race in 2014 when riding for the Smiths Racing Triumph team which added to his win in the second 600cc encounter in 2011.
The 36-year old, who made his Mountain Course debut in 2007, has four more podiums to his name, the most recent of which came in the first Monster Energy Supersport race in 2015 when riding for Mar-Train Racing Yamaha and he also stood on the podium in the 2009 Senior TT, 2011 Superbike TT and the 2014 Superstock race.
Last year saw him enjoy another successful week on the Island, with fourth in the Bennetts Lightweight and fifth in the RL360 Quantum Superstock races the undoubted highlights. He also recorded three more top ten finishes in the RST Superbike and Monster Energy Supersport races and now has 30 silver and four bronze replicas in his collection.
Riding the Penz13.com BMW, 2016 also saw Johnson set a new personal best lap of the 37.73-mile course with a speed of 130.945mph in the Senior, which currently makes him the 12th fastest rider of all time around the Mountain Course.
Commenting on his plans, Johnson said:
“I’m feeling as strong as I’ve felt over the last few years and although it’s a massive undertaking to run my own team, I’m really focused on the job ahead and determined to make my mark this year. I’ve got a great bunch of lads supporting me and I’m looking forward to giving it a good go this year.”
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ALBESIANO: “ALEIX'S SPEED AND THE QUALITY OF OUR PROJECT ARE CONFIRMED. WE ARE CONTINUING TO GROW” The three days of tests on the Losail track have come to an end, the last tests before the Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing championship begins 26 March on the same track.
The new 2017 Aprilia RS-GP confirmed the growth trend seen in the first two tests at Sepang and Phillip Island. Aleix Espargarò got even closer to the leaders, particularly on the second day of testing when he finished in fifth place, just 66 hundredths from the leader. The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Spaniard had what it took today to do even better, but two crashes slowed him down, especially the first which came as Aleix was doing his bests lap, already improved in T1 and his best partial yet in T2. The second crash even forced him to change bikes, removing any chance of lowering his time. Aleix, who also tested the new fairing Aprilia brought in two runs, focused on his race pace, confirming the good feelings he has had since the 2017 bike's début even in this situation. This means that his best time is still 1’55.121, done on Saturday, which earns him twelfth place in the three-day standings.
Sam Lowes, on the other hand, continued his progress with a time of 1’56.167. Also slowed by two crashes today, he finished the tests having done better than the day before. Yet another encouraging sign along the English rider's path to his MotoGP début. ALEIX ESPARGARO' “Even if today was not the best of the three days, I am still happy with our work. At the beginning I started with a good feeling, managing to be fast even on used tyres. Maybe it was partially because of these good sensations that I pushed a bit too hard with the soft tyre, crashing while I was doing a good lap. The bike was repaired quickly, but a second crash forced me to use the other RS-GP with a less advanced engine and electronics that were not perfectly dialled in. For this reason I was unable to improve in the second part of the session, but I see the glass as half full. We have improved our pace and our level is definitely better than our standings on the time sheets show.” SAM LOWES “It may seem strange, but just at the end of this last day, when I crashed, we found the right setup for the 2017 RS-GP to increase my confidence. We had some particular tests. We have a lot of things to try and sometimes that keeps us from focusing on pure performance. This is all part of my growth. Right now my sensations in the saddle are more important than lap times and I learned a lot even from the less positive situations. I am optimistic about the race. The work we did on the front of the bike gave me the confidence I was lacking and now the points zone, which is the goal I've set for the first race, appears to be well without our reach. We'll set up our first weekend based on what we found today - a nice starting base.” ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER “We are finishing the tests well aware that we have a bike with very good chassis architecture, with excellent capacity going into corners, turning and grip when leaned over. We need to improve the traction when the bike is almost upright and engine performance that has improved but which, on tracks like this one, counts for a lot. We confirmed the progress our project is making here. Today Aleix was held up by two crashes but he had the potential to lap in the mid to high 54 range and to keep up with the leaders. He was fast on a track that is certainly not our favourite and he was efficient in terms of race pace, since he showed that he can lap easily at mid to high 55. Sam also did very well, despite the fact that he fell a couple of times too. He improved consistently over the three days, showing that he has the potential to do well. Now we have two weeks to finalize our work and turn up at the first race with goals that are within reach for us, well aware that we have room to improve throughout the season.” FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER "I am very satisfied with these tests. We showed that we have good potential. There is definitely still work to be done, but we are not far off. From the end of 2016 to now, we have taken tangible steps forward and that is a sign that the development over the winter break was important. We also need to consider the way our competitors have improved, compared to whom we were still able to reduce the gap and this is very significant. At a crucial moment for our project, everyone put forth their best effort, from Aprilia to the team. Now we are anxiously awaiting the first race where we will definitely be ready."
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Carl Cox Motorsport has announced their progression to the very highest level of Road Racing in partnership with 13-time TT-winner Michael Dunlop
Bringing together the adrenalin fuelled worlds of music and motorsport, the partnership looks to bring the exploits of Dunlop to an even wider audience, as Carl Cox presents the enigmatic Ulsterman to his vast fanbase.
At just twenty-seven years old, Dunlop has already made TT history, being the first rider to lap the 33¾ mile circuit in under 17 minutes (with a 133.962mph average speed lap) and with 13 wins is placed fifth in the all-time standings.
In 2017 Dunlop will be campaigning machinery in the RST Superbike, Monster Energy Supersport, RL360 Quantum Superstock and PokerStars Senior TT races at the Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy as well as the North West 200, Ulster GP and other selected events. He will be running his own MD Racing team in the more production spec Superstock and Supersport classes with high visibility Carl Cox Motorsport branding.
Internationally renowned DJ Carl Cox has been a long-time admirer of the TT and the impressive performances of Dunlop. In fact Cox has for many years arranged his schedule around Mona’s Isle and the White Isle, playing end of TT Week sets in Douglas, Isle of Man, before his traditional Ibiza residency.
Cox has been supporting motorsport teams in events as diverse as the Ducati Tri-Options Cup in British Superbikes (winning the class twice), classic and sidecar racing in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere whilst promoting new young talent in New Zealand’s 250cc Hyosung Cup.
The partnership was forged as Dunlop visited the traditional Cemetery Circuit races in New Zealand on Boxing Day, spending time with the Carl Cox Motorsport crew and trying out their sidecar for size.
Michael Dunlop explained; "Carl is a household name and it’s great to have such a big character supporting the team this year. Carl Cox Motorsport have a presence across many different types of racing, so it will be great to see them so involved on the Roads. It is an exciting opportunity to link up with Carl who I know shares our enthusiasm for racing, and hopefully we can bring him and the team even more success.” Carl Cox commented, “We’re excited to be part of Michael Dunlop's upcoming season, and of course the 2017 IOM TT! Michael has been very supportive of us working together and I'm looking forward to some great, fast racing, forging a good team relationship and sharing all the memorable moments along the way. I can't wait to be there!” Gavin Sokolich, Brand Manager Carl Cox Motorsport added: “This will be our first year involved with a two-wheeled campaign at the IOM, and over the last two years we have been actively looking into which rider we could support. We've been fortunate enough to get to know Michael over the last year and we feel the two brands would easily work together. We're absolutely thrilled to be associated with such a talented rider and crew for this year's races.”
Follow Michael and the team at www.carlcoxmotorsport.com and www.facebook.com/carlcoxmotorsport/
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