Category: Superbikes

1. 2014 Pata Honda Team presentation

   Posted on 7:28am Friday 17th Jan 2014

   It is with great pleasure that we invite you to join us for the presentation of the 2014 Pata Honda team at Motor Bike Expo to be held at the Verona Fiere in Italy on Saturday 25 January.

   Contesting the 2014 World Superbike and World Supersport championships, the Pata Honda team will compete with the same rider line-up as in 2013 with the clear aim of securing race victories in order to battle once more for two championship titles.

   Following a difficult 2013 season, in which they both sustained serious injuries, British riders Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam will climb aboard the new Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP that was launched in Milan last September.

   Meanwhile, Dutch flyer Michael van der Mark will once again team up with Italian ace Lorenzo Zanetti on Honda’s CBR600RR machine to build on the experience and podiums gained in their World Supersport rookie seasons in 2013 when they finished in fourth and fifth places respectively.

   The 2014 Pata Honda team will be presented at 15.00 hrs on Saturday 25 January and the presentation will be followed by opportunities to interview the riders, team management and Honda personnel.

   Please let us know if you can join us by replying to [email protected], and we look forward to welcoming you to the Verona Motorbike Expo and a new championship season with Pata Honda.

   With best wishes

   The Pata Honda Team

2. Pata Honda riders test new Fireblade SP

   Posted on 8:06am Saturday 21st Dec 2013

   Pata Honda’s World Superbike pairing of Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea ended their riding year this week with a play on Honda’s new-for-2014 Fireblade SP at the Losail circuit in Qatar.

   The lastest and sharpest version of the bike that Haslam and Rea race for the Pata Honda team in the World Superbike championship was being presented by Honda Motor Europe to motorcycle journalists from all over the world.

   Boasting front and rear adjustable Öhlins suspension and Brembo monoblock brakes, the new Fireblade SP also features a blueprinted engine and a single seat unit to offer owners even greater focus on trackday action.

   For Haslam and Rea the launch also offered an opportunity to re-acquaint themselves with the Losail circuit which returns to the World Superbike championship calendar in 2014 for the first time since 2009.

   “What a week!”, said Haslam after returning from Qatar. “It was the best fun ever to ride around Losail with all the journalists on the Fireblade SP. It’s an awesome machine and the circuit lets you have a lot of fun, so I ended up doing about 300 laps, I think!”

   Rea, who flew in from Australia, where he is spending the winter, also enjoyed himself, saying: “It was like ‘a-smile-a-mile’ and I had great fun with Leon, his dad Ron and my TT legend mate, John McGuinness. Sometimes I just think to myself: ‘I have the best job in the world!’”

3. British Superbike championship regular Martin Jessopp to make TT debut in 2014

   Posted on 8:57am Thursday 5th Dec 2013

   British Superbike Championship competitor Martin Jessopp has confirmed he will make his much-anticipated Mountain Course debut at the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy.

   The 28-year old will campaign a BMW S1000RR in the Dainese Superbike, Royal London 360º Superstock and Pokerstars Senior TT Races for his regular Riders Motorcycles team, owned and run by father Phil.

   With the exception of 2012 – when he contested the World Supersport Championship – Jessopp has been an ever present in the British Championship paddock since 2004 when he entered the British Superstock Championship on Ducati machinery. The Yeovil rider moved to the British Supersport Championship for the following three seasons enjoying his best season in 2007 when he finished 11th overall with a best result of fifth.

   A switch to Honda and a move to the premier British Superbike series followed and Jessopp took second and third in the 2008 and 2009 Privateer’s Cup before making the step up the BSB series proper. Back on Ducatis, and with Michael Rutter as team-mate, Jessopp impressed in 2010 with five top ten finishes from the first eight races including a maiden pole start at Thruxton before a broken leg at the fifth round halted his charge. However, he bounced back in style in 2011 to claim 11th overall with a best finish of fourth at Donington Park and 11 top ten finishes.

   However, it’s his road racing results that will have made the most impact on TT fans with excellent performances at both the Macau Grand Prix and North West 200. Having made his debut at Macau in 2007, he proved his talent in 2011 when he took second to Rutter, pushing his more experience teammate all the way, and he repeated the result in 2012 for another superb result.

   He made his North-West debut in 2006 and has had numerous top fifteen finishes although cancelled races have prevented him from finishing higher than the 11th he took in the 2008 Superbike race. Indeed, he qualified in second place for the 2011 Superbike Races before becoming the fastest ever man through the speed trap the following year at a phenomenal 208mph on his way to qualifying fifth.

   Speaking about the news that he will make his TT debut Martin said: “Having gained road racing experience at the North West 200 and the Macau Grand Prix, I now feel ready to make my TT debut. The TT is the pinnacle of road racing and I am very excited about the opportunity to finally race there. My plan is to work hard and learn the circuit without any pressure to get a result. Hopefully after a few years I’ll have learnt enough to push on and start to challenge towards the front as I have been able to do at the North West 200 and Macau Grand Prix.”

   Paul Phillips, TT & Motorsport Development Manager, Isle of Man Government added: “Martin is a rider we have been talking to for a number of years and we are delighted that he feels the time is right to come and take part in our event. He has proven quality on the roads and will add real quality to an already superb entry. It’s also fantastic to have another top quality team in the paddock with Riders Motorcycles who have had such a significant presence in the British Superbike paddock for so many years.”

4. Honda launches fresh assault on Endurance World Championship

   Posted on 8:16am Monday 2nd Dec 2013

   Honda has revealed that it will contest the 2014 FIM Endurance World Championship with an all-new rider line-up and the clear aim of securing the title victory. French endurance racing experts Julien Da Costa, Freddy Foray and Sebastien Gimbert will form a formidable three-man squad for the five-round series, competing aboard the 2014 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.

   The three riders have an impressive collective track record in EWC with no fewer than seven championship titles between them. Da Costa is a three-time EWC champion – most recently in 2013 – and has placed first at the Le Mans 24-hour three times and the Bol d'Or 24-hour twice. The 32-year-old was also French Superbike Champion in 2012.

   Foray (29) meanwhile secured back-to-back Endurance World Championships in 2010 and 2011 and is no stranger to the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, having competed in the 2013 German IDM series and the final two rounds of the 2013 British Superbike season aboard the machine. 

   Gimbert also has a history with Honda. He raced for official Honda teams from 1995-2001 and starting his endurance career with the manufacturer in 1999. The 36-year-old rider secured the EWC title in 2004 and has placed second overall in the championship in the last two years. He is also a double French Superbike Champion.

   Honda’s new direction in EWC supersedes the three-year Honda TT Legends project, which has seen road racing specialists compete in the Isle of Man TT, North West 200 and World Endurance events under the same banner with the unifying link of the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.

   The outfit secured some impressive results and in doing so successfully raised the profile of the Endurance World Championship and Honda’s involvement in the series. The 2014 team will continue to be run from the same UK base and will re-focus its strategy on challenging for the championship title. 

   Robert Watherston – Head of Motorsport, Honda Motor Europe

   We’re very pleased to reveal Honda’s 2014 plans for the Endurance World Championship and announce the new team with Julien, Freddy and Sebastien on board. Over the last three years we have developed a solid foundation and secured consistent results – it’s now time to up our game and sharpen our attack on the 2014 title. The level of competition in EWC is incredibly high and the new direction for the team ensures that we have all the right elements in place to increase our chances of success in the championship. With three proven endurance specialists in the line-up I’m confident that Honda can once again see its name on the Endurance World Championship trophy.

   Julien Da Costa

   I am very excited to be with Honda for 2014. It’s a new machine and a new team for me and I’m motivated like never before. I have never worked with Honda as a professional rider before, but I know we are aiming to win the world championship and I believe 100% that we can make that happen. I know Freddy really well, we are good friends and sometimes train together in the winter and we will definitely work well together. I’ve known Sebastien for a very long time but we’ve never been team-mates. He has been one of my best opponents over the years – we’ve battled on the track many times and fought for the French Superbike title together four times. I’m sure we will all do the job on track! I’m looking forward to getting to know the team and I’m ready to work hard to fight for the title.

   Freddy Foray

   It is a real pleasure to be working with Honda for 2014 and I’m looking forward to getting started. Julien is a very good friend of mine and this will be the second time we have worked together as team-mates. I know him very well, I know his mentality and it will be great to work with him again. It will be my first time on the same team as Sebastien but I have known him and raced against him for many years. Together with the Honda crew and the Fireblade I think we have a very strong team. I’m very happy to be a part of it and can’t wait to begin.

   Sebastien Gimbert

   I am very happy to be with Honda for 2014. It’s a very professional team and the Fireblade is a fast bike. I rode for Honda for many years in my early racing days, started my endurance career with them in 1999 and won the Le Mans 24-hour on the SP1 in 2000, so it feels like a second family to me. My new team-mates are both very fast, the crew has good experience and I am very motivated to begin this new challenge. I’m already training hard and looking forward to getting on the Fireblade to do my first laps. With this new team, I know that we have a very strong chance to fight for the 2014 championship title.

5. Pata Honda concludes 2013 programme

   Posted on 7:57am Sunday 1st Dec 2013

   The Pata Honda team has completed its riding programme for 2013, concluding with a three-day test at Jerez in Spain which finished yesterday evening.

   World Superbike riders Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam went to Jerez on the back of a successful test at Aragon two weeks ago and concentrated on refining the power delivery of their CBR1000RR Fireblade machines.

   They were joined for the first two days at Jerez by Pata Honda’s World Supersport riders Michael van der Mark and Lorenzo Zanetti, who declared themselves satisfied with further developments made to their CBR600RRs.

   A World Superbike and World Supersport testing ban comes into effect on 1 December and will remain in place until 14 January 2014, following which the team will test again at Portimao in Portugal.

   Jonathan Rea - Pata Honda World Superbike

   After a positive test at Aragon, I really struggled here at Jerez. It’s hard to put a finger on our problems but I feel that the character of our engine is quite aggressive and that makes the lap difficult here! We have a few new strategies to implement at our next test in January, which should help. I completed over 200 laps here so now I’m really looking forward to the winter break. I hope to come back in January to make some more progress with the CBR. Happy holidays, folks!!

   Leon Haslam - Pata Honda World Superbike

   I’m actually quite glad that 2013 is over now and we can look forward to a fresh start in 2014. The last three days have been pretty hard but necessary, and while we haven’t progressed as much as we would have liked, we know what we need to do. I’m confident that when new parts arrive next year we can make the step that’s needed. I’m looking forward to a few weeks off now and getting back to full fitness so that I’m raring to go in January.

   Michael van der Mark - Pata Honda World Supersport

   We had a positive two days in Jerez and made some good improvements. In fact, we started them in Aragon and were able to continue to make progress here. We made a couple of really fast laps but also had a good race pace. For our next test we need to work on improving rear grip a little but before then I’ll be working on my fitness to be ready for the beginning of next season.

   Lorenzo Zanetti - Pata Honda World Supersport

   I’m very happy with our test in Jerez. We tried a lot of different settings and in the end I improved my qualifying time from the race here and I improved my rhythm for a good race simulation. For these reasons I’m really looking forward to a positive 2014!

   Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator
   
   We made some really good progress during our Aragon test recently but I have to say that we weren’t able to continue that here in Jerez. Something about the nature of the circuit – perhaps the fact that the bike is on the side of the tyre for so long – has created some issues with getting the power down. However, this is why we go testing: to test solutions to issues that we may have. Both our Superbike riders lapped in the 41s bracket and we’ve got plenty to work on during the testing ban. On the Supersport side of the garage, things went very well and the guys made a lot of progress with engine braking and suspension settings.