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Category: Superbikes

  1. Ducati Superbike 899 Panigale to make UK debut at Brands Hatch

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    899 Panigale to make first public appearance on UK soil - Carl Fogarty to lead demonstration lap on 899 Panigale

    The highly-anticipated Ducati 899 Panigale makes its UK debut this weekend at Brands Hatch at the final round of the British Superbike Championship, giving the UK racing public an early glimpse of the latest Ducati Superbike.

    The 899 will be on display outside the Ducati hospitality which will be located behind the Pit Straight Grandstand. There will also be a selection of the latest model range to view and Ducati clothing available to purchase in the retail area adjacent to the hospitality unit.

    As well as a static display of the 899 Panigale, there will also be a chance to see the bike on track as four-times World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty leads a demonstration lap of the Kent circuit on Sunday at midday. The 899 Panigale will be a familiar sight on UK tracks next year when it will line-up on the grid in the new Ducati TriOptons Cup as a support series for British Superbikes.

    This stunning 899 Panigale is intended to provide a new way to access the exclusive world of Ducati Superbikes and is described as a “Supermid” version of the award-winning 1199 Panigale. The 899 still provides the thrill of the flagship model but with the refined character of an everyday road bike.

    Its brand new Superquadro engine features a revised bore and stroke for a broad power delivery, producing 148hp (109kW) with a torque of 73lb-ft (10.1kgm). The super-smooth power unit continues to be a fully stressed member of the innovative Panigale monocoque construction, achieving both an outstanding power-to-weight ratio and ride-enhancing agility with a dry weight of 169kg (372.5lb). An 1199 silhouette underlines the family DNA, while the Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) and the fully integrated Riding Mode technologies of Ride-by-Wire, triple stage ABS, Ducati Traction Control (DTC) and Engine Brake Control (EBC) continue the benchmark ingenuity introduced with the new generation Superbike.

    The 899 Panigale will be available from November, priced a £12,495 in traditional Ducati red with black wheels or a stunning arctic white with red wheels.

    For further information on the 899 Panigale and the Ducati TriOptions Cup visit www.ducatiuk.com

  2. Pata Honda World Supersport Team announces 2014 line-up

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    The Pata Honda team has announced that its rider line-up for the 2014 World Supersport championship season will remain unchanged with Michael van der Mark and Lorenzo Zanetti aiming for the title once more.

    Both van der Mark and Zanetti were rookies to the series this season and currently hold fourth and fifth places respectively in the points table, with the final round scheduled for Jerez in Spain on 20 October.

    Van der Mark stepped up to World Supersport after his European Superstock 600 championship victory last season on board the Honda CBR600RR of the Ten Kate Junior team. His highlight of 2013, however, has arguably been winning the Suzuka 8-hour race alongside Takumi Takahashi and his Pata Honda World Superbike team-mate Leon Haslam.

    The 20-year-old Dutch rider from Rotterdam impressed at the first 2013 World Supersport round in Australia last February, taking a podium finish on his debut. Van der Mark has visited the podium at two further races so far this season.

    After contesting the World Superbike championship last year, Zanetti, from Brescia in Italy, has adapted well to Honda’s CBR600RR and has also tasted champagne on the rostrum this season at his home round of Monza.

    In spite of injuries sustained in a crash at Moscow, the 26-year-old has found an impressive level of consistency as the season has progressed and is targeting regular podium finishes as part of his 2014 title campaign.

    Michael van der Mark

    I am really happy to have my plans fixed with the prospect of another year with the Pata Honda World Supersport team. This season has been really great and I think for next year we really can fight for the championship. I’m very thankful to the team, to Honda and to the sponsors like Pata that we can be in this position. This has been my first year in the world championship and I have learned a lot, but I think we can make another big step next season. I feel really comfortable in this team and I know the bike really well now, so I think we can already start next season in a better position than the beginning of this one.

    Lorenzo Zanetti

    It’s fantastic for me to continue with this team and in the class because for the last four years I have changed bikes and teams. It’s really difficult to learn a new bike at the beginning of the season so, for me, 2014 will be starting in a good way with a bike and a team that I already know. I think over the last few races I have begun to show my potential and this winter will be important to make the next steps and prepare to fight with Michael for the championship from the start of next season.

    Ronald ten Kate – team-manager

    We’re very happy with next year’s line-up because we’ve been very satisfied with this year’s performances from Michael and Lorenzo. For both riders it has been a rookie season in World Supersport and both have done really well. At the end of this season there is still a fight for third position so we believe there is a lot more to come. They are great guys to work with – on the track and off it – and they have a really good working relationship, both between themselves and with the team, so it’s an almost a perfect combination.

    Carlo Fiorani – racing operations manager, Honda Motor Europe  

    The decision on our Supersport rider line-up was based on different reasons for each rider. For Michael, we think that it will be good for him to have another season in this championship before stepping up to a bigger class. With his brilliant result at the Suzuka 8-hour race this year he has shown his great potential on a bigger machine, but we would like to have him for another year in Supersport to improve his competition skills and racecraft at the top of a world championship. We think he will certainly be a protagonist in the title next year. Lorenzo learned his craft on smaller bikes and that experience has been very useful for Michael this year. He has also had a year to learn our machine after coming from Superbike last year and has really shown an improvement and demonstrated his potential in the last few races. We are very happy that he will continue that development next year and fight for the 2014 world championship.

    The final round of the 2013 World Supersport championship featuring Pata Honda riders Michael van der Mark and Lorenzo Zanetti will take place at Jerez in Spain over the weekend of 18-20 October.

  3. TT & BSB Race Legends at Ace!

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    Thursday 17th October, 7pm

    On the eve of Round 12 (18th-20th Oct) BSB, the Brands Hatch "Triple Header" final round, Ace Cafe London hosts an evening with TT race legend John McGuinness, together with the Milwaukee Yamaha Team - James Ellison, Tommy Bridewell, William Dunlop, Conor Cummins, Ian Hutchinson and Josh Waters!

    If you want to get up close to proper fast riders, and get yourself a signed poster, this is your chance!

    Monster Energy Party & Signings, from 7pm, Thursday 17th October.

    www.monsterenergy.com/gb/en

    www.britishsuperbike.com

    www.milwaukeeyamaha.com

  4. Fernandez victory sets up thrilling EJC finale

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    Augusto Fernandez won today’s race in the penultimate round of the European Junior Cup powered by Honda Racing at Magny-Cours in France to set up a thrilling final round in two weeks.

    In a day of spectacular crashes that affected virtually all the main championship protagonists, the Spanish rider won by just 0.179s from Hungarian Peter Sebastyen, with another Spanish rider Javier Orrelan taking the final podium slot.

    The race was run in two parts, either side of today’s second World Superbike Championship race, with the first part red-flagged after five laps following a crash involving series leader Jake Lewis and local rider Guillaume Raymond, who was third in the points table going into today’s race.

    Second-placed Robin Anne had crashed earlier in the first part of today’s encounter and none of these three championship contenders was able to take part in the re-start – Raymond having sustained a fractured collarbone in the crash.

    “I am very happy for this result,” said Fernandez afterwards. “It’s my first victory and it was a great fight. The next race is in Jerez so I will do my best to win again in front of the local fans.”

    Four Honda CBR500R riders scored their first points of the championship today, and Brazilian rider Sabrina Pauita celebrated her 19th birthday with her first top ten finish of the season, taking sixth place at the flag.

    Today’s result leaves Lewis four points ahead of Anne, with today’s winner Fernandez moving up into third place, just a single point further back. However, the European Junior Cup series will head to Jerez in Spain in two weeks time with no fewer than nine riders holding at least a mathematical chance of winning the inaugural title and a possible ride in next year’s European Superstock 600 championship.

  5. Nutt seals championship title

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    Marty Nutt secured the Ducati TriOptions 848 Challenge title in the final race of the season at Silverstone, holding off the late season surge from series rookie Jonathan Railton.

    The Ducati TriOptions 848 Challenge reached its exciting conclusion this weekend at Silverstone, as two riders came into the event battling for outright championship glory. Boast Plumbing’s Jonathan Railton trailed Ducati Coventry’s Marty Nutt by just 12 points coming into the weekend, and with 50 points up for grabs it was all still to play for.

    Qualifying saw Railton way back in 13th place for the first race on Saturday afternoon, however a lightning start saw him jump up to fifth by the end of the first lap. He looked to have the pace to lead the pack, and was battling for the lead with Dennis Hobbs by half race distance while Nutt was embroiled in a battle back in fifth place. With things looking set to provide a scintillating final showdown, Railton suffered a gearbox issue on his blue and white Ducati 848evo and dropped from second to sixth across the line. A late resurgence from Nutt saw him take second place behind Hobbs, and with that result the ball was put firmly in the court of the #77 rider going into the final contest.

    In perfect conditions the 21-bike grid lined up for Sunday’s Silverstone season finale, with championship leader Nutt on pole from Mike Edwards and Dennis Hobbs. It was the experienced Edwards and fast starting Leon Morris that got away at the front early on, with Nutt and Railton battling for fourth and fifth further back. A superb final race for inaugural 848 Challenge champion Darren Fry saw him right in the hunt over the eight lap sprint, eventually crossing the line third. Morris held on to take the win from Edwards, while Nutt rode a calculated final race to fourth, breaking his run of fifteen podium finishes but ensuring the 2013 title was his.

    Marty Nutt said:
    There have been a couple of races this season where I’ve been careful, sat back and thought about the championship, and it’s really paid off for us. We’ve already got an 899 Panigale order and it looks awesome! I can’t wait to get riding it with the number one on the front. A lot of these guys have finished strongly this year which has given them the drive to come back for more next year, and I can’t wait to get back out there with them.

    Leon Morris said:
    My season has been up and down – we struggled at the start, but the pace of the series this year is phenomenal. When I won in 2011 and likewise Robbie Brown last year, we weren’t exactly hanging about, but this year the guys have been consistently a second and a half quicker than before! I’ve tried my hardest all year and we’ve only come out with two wins, but it’s definitely nice to round the season off with a win. The level of the series has grown and grown, and it’s really different to win races. It’s a brilliant series – the bikes are fantastic but more than that we’ve grown into a family. We’ve had a great year, there’s a lot of respect out there between the riders, I’d like to give a big congratulations to John Hackett and Marty Nutt and I hope to be back again next year.

    Jonathan Railton said:
    The first part of the season couldn’t have gone any better – my confidence was sky high and I was really enjoying riding the Ducati. Half way through the season at Brands I was leading the race and had the front end go. It was one of those crashes where you don’t know exactly what happened which always knocks your confidence, and it’s been difficult since them. We got back on form at Assen with some great racing and another win. That’s what is great about these one make championships – the racing is really close and the Ducati 848 has been a brilliant bike to ride. Well done to Marty and all the front runners who have made it such a great series this year – it’d be great to be associated with Ducati again next year. I’d also like to say a big thanks to the whole Boast Plumbing team who have been there and helped me through all the ups and downs.

    The Ducati 848 will return to British Superbikes in 2014 alongside the new 899 Panigale to form the Ducati TriOptions Cup.

    For final Championship results click here