Category: Superbikes

1. NO REST FOR WORLD SUPERBIKE 2014

   Posted on 7:32am Friday 11th Jul 2014

   MARCO MELANDRI, SYLVAIN GUINTOLI AND THE APRILIA RACING TEAM WILL BE ON THE TRACK AGAIN THIS WEEKEND AT LAGUNA SECA.

   Laguna Seca, 10 July 2014 - With just enough time to catch their breath after the Portimão races, it's already time for the Aprilia Racing Team to take to the track again. In fact, before the summer break begins the World Superbike calendar has scheduled rounds two weekends in a row: leaving Portugal behind the teams go immediately to Laguna Seca, the factory derivative American round.

   The Californian circuit certainly needs no introduction. Historic and decidedly particular, it's most representative section is the "Corkscrew". But there are many exciting spots on this old school track that always provide for adrenaline filled races.

   Marco Melandri loves the Californian track and the special feeling in the air at Laguna Seca. On the American track he will have the opportunity to continue his trend of consistent improvement which has him more and more of a protagonist in recent rounds: "Laguna is one of my favourite tracks, plus I love the atmosphere that you can feel in the air there. It will be nice to have three days of good weather and to be able to demonstrate what I am really capable of. I have nothing left to lose, so I'll be on the attack from start to finish.”

   Last year it was red flags that decided the day's results. It was Sylvain Guintoli who paid the price after starting from pole position on his RSV4 and, twice in a row, was on his way to a win, riding alone at the front of the pack. After the second red flag the Frenchman was unable to find the right pace and he is eager to redeem himself this weekend: "Laguna is our last race before the summer break. Just like in Portugal, we need to attack and take risks so the championship fight stays open. At this moment, only this kind of attitude can help us. I am looking forward to it because last year I did the lap record in Superpole but then in the races I lost my focus feeling frustrated by the multiple red flags. I really think we can do a good job in California on Sunday”.

2. MELANDRI IS AT THE TOP IN FRIDAY'S COMBINED STANDINGS AT PORTIMÃO

   Posted on 7:37am Saturday 5th Jul 2014

   A TOUGHER DAY FOR GUINTOLI WHO IN ANY CASE HAS CLEAR IDEAS ON HOW TO PROCEED.

   Portimão, 4 July 2014 – Marco Melandri came out of the gates shining at Portimão, taking the top spot in the first morning session and pleased with the work accomplished in the afternoon. Sylvain Guintoli had a few difficulties, starting off well (second in FP1) but unable to find his groove in the afternoon. In any case, both riders have clear ideas on how to set up the two sessions tomorrow.
   
   Melandri, improving steadily in the last two rounds where he took two wins and then two podiums, stopped the clock with the best time in the first session, immediately feeling comfortable on the ups and downs of the Portuguese track. In the afternoon the Italian rider focused on a series of tests both in terms of tyres and settings for his number 33 RSV4, gathering useful information for tomorrow's sessions and Superpole. For the races Marco is expecting a tight group of competitive riders, a situation that promises two spectacular shows.
   
   Marco Melandri: “Overall this was a good day for us. In the afternoon the conditions were much different than in the morning with strong winds and very hot asphalt. Because of that we focused on testing tyres because with the new solutions available to us the choice is not necessarily a given. As far as our times go I was quite pleased with the performance in the first practice session so in the afternoon I decided to work more on race pace. I am seeing a lot of competitive riders and here at Portimão race times usually change quite a bit, so being well prepared is essential. Superpole is not my strong point, but tomorrow I'll have to try to take advantage of it as best as possible. Starting from the front row could definitely help in the hung for a good result”.
   
   Sylvain Guintoli, after an excellent performance in the morning, also set to work solving some grip problems due to the different track conditions in FP2. The changes made didn't provide the expected results, so tomorrow Sylvain and his team will continue working on the base settings to try and find the best configuration.
   
   Sylvain Guintoli: “Today was a tough day. It seems like the track lost a lot of grip compared to last year. We did well this morning and then in the afternoon we tested some different geometries to try and improve but the results were not what we had hoped for. So tomorrow we'll go back to our base setting and start over from there, going in a different direction and trying to improve on our times. I like the track and I'm confident that we'll be able to solve the problems we had today and ride two good races”.

3. Ducati wows the World Superbike crowds‏

   Posted on 10:10am Friday 27th Jun 2014

   • Pole and three top-ten finishes for the Ducati World Superbike Team

   • Two thrilling TriOptions Cup races colour the meeting in Ducati red

   • Ducati UK celebrates 20 years since Carl Fogarty's first WSB title

   With huge crowds packed into Donington Park for the UK’s sole round of the FIM World Superbike Championship Ducati topped the bill both on and off the track. Impressive performances from the ever-improving factory World Superbike team and two thundering support races from the Ducati TriOptions Cup gave fans of the Italian marque plenty to smile about this weekend.

   Tricky track conditions were the story of Saturday’s action, with the beautiful grid of 899 Panigale and 848 machines heading out for their qualifying session in the early morning. Spots of rain mid-way through the session brought the field in for some rapid tyre changes, and in the few minutes remaining it was reigning champion Marty Nutt that grabbed pole ahead of Sean Neary and guest rider for the weekend Luke Jones.

   A blinding start from championship leader Leon Morris, who had qualified down in eighth, saw him leap up to fight for the lead in the first half of the race with front row man Neary, who is enjoying a fantastic start to his Ducati Cup season. Morris had the measure of his opposition, however, putting in some impressive times to gap the field and take his second win of the year. Neary held on to secure his first Ducati TriOptions Cup podium, while David Ferns rode an amazing second half of the race aboard his 848 to come through in third.

   Morris’ pace from race one put him on pole for the second contest on Sunday afternoon, with fellow podium men Ferns and Neary completing the front row. Fully dry conditions suited guest rider Luke Jones, who is a front-runner in the highly competitive British Supersport Championship, and he grabbed the lead early on pulling a small gap to Morris. Despite a late charge from the #2 P&H/Carl Cox Motorsport bike, Jones was able to hold on to win across the line, but Morris takes maximum points and increases his impressive lead in the championship standings with what is effectively a third win of the year.

   Ducati UK congratulates P&H Motorcycles who won the dealer award in both of the TriOptions Cup races.

   Ducati TriOptions Cup leader Morris said:

   That definitely goes down as a good weekend in our book, I felt really good with the bike in wet or dry. I knew Luke (Jones) would be quick – perhaps we were naïve to think because he hadn’t ridden the bike before he wouldn’t be. In the back of mind was the knowledge that he wouldn’t score points and you need to be consistency is key with there not being that many rounds. My times were as good as they have been around here, but what is really good is that I dropped the regular boys that race in the championship. So although I didn’t get a double it is massively positive weekend for the P&H/Carl Cox Motorsport team.

   Guest rider Jones said:

   It’s a great championship, a great bike, and always produces tight racing. I loved the bike, I’ve never been on one before but it’s lovely and easy to ride. I could still have done with a little more time to get the bike dialled in, but there’s some fast boys out there and I’m happy to come away with a win. The guys in the championship are great, it’s a friendly atmosphere, everybody helps each other and hangs out and I have really enjoyed the weekend and am honoured that Ducati asked me to ride here.”

   As well as the on-track action, Donington Park also marked a special occasion for Ducati UK as it celebrates 20 years since the first World Superbike Championship victory for the legendary Carl Fogarty. Invited guests, media and dedicated fans packed out the hospitality unit for a special dinner on Saturday night compered by Eurosport presenter Matt Roberts and featuring interviews with both current WSB riders, team principal Ernesto Marinelli and of course, Foggy himself.

   Fans at the circuit were then treated to a special parade of Donington Park by Fogarty himself, who donned his red racing leathers to pilot a stunning 899 Panigale that bore his 1994 championship winning livery.

   Four-time World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty said:

   “From the very beginning of my WSB career I thought that with the right bike I’d be able to beat the top guys – and the Ducati turned out to be the right bike! In 1993 I was new – I’d been put on a factory Ducati and I crashed it a lot, but I still managed to win 11 races. Then in ’94 with the new 916, I really believed I’d win it right from the start. Ever since then, the two names – Carl Fogarty and Ducati – just go together and no matter what, they won’t ever be separated. I’d like to thank all the guys at Ducati UK for putting the evening together and for everyone who’s come out to celebrate with us.”

4. MELANDRI TAKES A DOUBLE PODIUM IN MISANO

   Posted on 9:02am Monday 23rd Jun 2014

   AND CONFIRMS THE COMPETITIVE EDGE THAT HE REACQUIRED WITH THE WINS AT SEPANG

   WITH TWO PLACINGS GUINTOLI DEFENDS HIS SECOND PLACE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

   Misano, 22 June 2014 – Finishing on the podium twice in Misano, Marco Melandri confirms the competitive edge that he reacquired with the double win at Sepang in Malaysia, while team mate Sylvain Guintoli managed to defend his second place in the championship standings.

   The 32 points earned in Emilia Romagna – thanks to two third place finishes – are the second major spoils for Marco Melandri in his first season astride the Aprilia RSV4 and allow him to continue his climb in the upper part of the world championship standings. At Misano Marco gained 12 points on Rea and reduced the gap behind fourth place to 20 points.

   In Race 1 Melandri got stuck in the pack through the first turns, then having to fight to regain positions from eights place, a job he carried out skilfully, finishing in third place for his first podium of the day. Race 2 was an exciting duel behind Sykes, battled out between Melandri and Baz to the excitement of the Italian crowd with Marco finishing the race in third place.

   Marco Melandri: “I'm pleased with the way I rode today. I had a good feeling with the bike. In Race 1 after a few mistakes at the start I was able to overtake the riders in front of me, but the Kawasakis were quite simply faster. I'm disappointed about Race 2 because I was able to make up some ground thanks to the work done in the garage. Unfortunately it is very difficult to overtake here and Baz rode very well and didn't make any mistakes. I think I could have given Sykes a run for it. I wouldn't have made it easy for him. It's a shame that we weren't able to fully verify the progress we made. After Sepang I was consistently fast here too. We are on the right track in terms of feeling so we just need to keep improving from here. Portimao, with its layout, will be able to give us a hand”.

   Sylvain Guintoli was one of the protagonists of the day, battling in the top spots but stopping at the foot of the podium twice, finishing fifth and fourth, placements that allowed him to fend off the attack by countryman Baz and hold onto second place in the championship standings.

   Sylvain Guintoli: “In terms of the championship at least I am holding onto second place in the standings. But I definitely was expecting more. We are not missing any pure speed, but we need to work on consistent performance as far as race pace goes. In Race 1 we made the wrong tyre choice, whereas in Race 2 with the right options and a few changes to the bike geometry we were able to significantly reduce the gap behind the leaders. While I was with Marco and Baz I made a few mistakes too many which kept me from battling for the podium in the end. It's a shame there is no Race 3... All joking aside, we need to keep working to be more consistent in the race”.

5. Second at Misano maintains van der Mark's championship challenge

   Posted on 4:07pm Sunday 22nd Jun 2014

   Pata Honda’s World Supersport championship leader Michael van der Mark finished second in today’s seventh-round race at Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’ in Italy, his sixth successive podium finish, which gives him a 28-point lead in the series as it enters the second half of the season.

   The 21-year-old Dutch rider got a good start from the front row of the grid but his race almost ended at the beginning of lap three when another rider ran wide at Misano’s first turn and re-joined the track, almost colliding with van der Mark. The Pata Honda rider took evasive action but lost a position before beginning a charge back to race leader and eventual winner Jules Cluzel.

   Van der Mark’s Pata Honda team-mate Lorenzo Zanetti was in the leading group for the early part of the race and held a lonely fifth place for 12 of the 19 laps around the 4.226km Misano circuit. The Italian ace, 26, dropped back to sixth at the flag to match his grid position but moves up to fourth place in the championship standings with five rounds to go.