Category: Superbikes

1. Pata Honda returns at the Nürburgring

   Posted on 11:54am Thursday 29th Aug 2013

   After a four-week summer break, the Pata Honda team is heading to the Nürburgring in Germany for this weekend’s (30 Aug-1 Sept) tenth round of the 2013 World Superbike championship.

   Riders Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam are looking forward to riding their Honda CBR1000RR machines again at the famous 5.137km Nürburgring, which nestles 100km south of Cologne in Germany’s Eifel Mountains, adjacent to the iconic Nordschleife public-roads circuit.

   Jonathan Rea has enjoyed success with Honda at the Nürburgring in recent years, winning in 2009, his debut SBK season. He took another win and a second place the following season and rates it as one of his favourite circuits.

   Haslam, meanwhile, who became a father for the second time after the last SBK round, has taken one podium finish and been a consistent top six finisher at the German track, which has hosted World Superbike races since 2008 and features this season a slight modification after the tight first corner.

   Jonathan Rea

   I’m feeling good, with recharged batteries after the summer break, and I’m really excited at the prospect of riding my bike again this weekend. I really like going to the Nürburgring and it’s a nice circuit to come back to after a few weeks off. It’s both technical and fast-flowing, which I really enjoy. Hopefully, the guys back at the workshop have had some good downtime, too, because now it’s time to go back to work. I’m looking forward to free practice on Friday and hopefully we can carry on our recent form.

   Leon Haslam

   The break seems to have gone really fast, but then I’ve had my hands full a bit with the new baby! I’ve been having some more physiotherapy on my leg and I managed to get back riding a trials bike, which is fun. I’ve also been having a few sessions at my dad’s race school and the leg is definitely getting back to where I want it to be. So, I’m looking forward to getting back on the race bike at the Nürburgring, where I’ve always been able to battle at the front in previous races. The track seems to suit British riders especially, so I hope we can have a good weekend there.

   Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator

   It’s been a good break in the schedule and the whole team has had some time off, which we needed. We’ve carried on the evolution of the electronics system, specifically in throttle response, and we have also been preparing a lot of parts because we have four races in the next six weeks, with a flyway to Laguna Seca included. But we’ll focus on the Nürburgring now, where we know the CBR1000RR has gone pretty well in the past. Leon is getting back to strength and Jonathan is in a good run of form, so our hopes are high for the weekend.

   2013 World Superbike championship, round 10

   Nürburgring, Germany – weekend schedule (local times – GMT+2)

   Friday 30 August

   11.45-12.30 Free practice

   15.30-16.15 Qualifying 1

   Saturday 31 August

   09.45-10.30 Qualifying 2

   12.30-13.15 Free practice

   15.00-15.14 Superpole 1

   15.21-15.33 Superpole 2

   15.40-15.50 Superpole 3

   Sunday 1 September

   09.20-09.35 Warm-up

   12.00 Race 1 (20 laps 102.740km) 15.30 Race 2 (20 laps 102.740km)

2. Rapido Sport Racing suffer setbacks at Cadwell Park

   Posted on 11:53am Thursday 29th Aug 2013

   Rapido Sport left Cadwell Park ruing crashes in both the Superbike and Superstock classes while Ducati Manchester’s Robbie Brown has season’s best result.

   Matteo Baiocco suffered a crash in Superbike qualifying which left his 1199 Panigale languishing in 21st place on the grid for race one. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Italian who was racing at the Lincolnshire circuit for the first time. Baiocco had struggled in the last few races with his pace in the early part of races and was hoping to be further forward on the grid on this unfamiliar track. Despite his best efforts Baiocco only managed to finish in 18th position at the end of the first contest.

   In race two, starting from 18th on the grid, Baiocco again struggled off the line, pushing him back into 21st on lap one, however Baiocco improved as the race went on, fighting back to 15th and into the points.

   Steve Moore, team principal, Rapido Sport Racing said: “At the moment the first third of the race is killing us and to be on the back row was always going to be difficult for a good result. We really struggled with set up and tried the set-up from last year but this just didn’t suit Matteo. Matteo liked the track but having never raced here before it was going to be tough for him. We can now put two of the most difficult tracks on the calendar, Oulton and Cadwell behind us and look forward to progressing at Donington.”

   In Superstock 1000 Tristan Palmer was looking forward to continue his good form and move up from third in the Championship. Palmer starting from fifth on the grid has his customarily good start quickly taking the lead from Jenkinson on the first lap. Palmer immediately tried to make a break for it, opening up a second gap on Jenkinson and Aquino.

   Aquino was proving to be the fastest man on track and quickly reeled in Palmer, passing him into Coppice on lap five. Palmer soon had Simon Andrews on his tail as Aquino opened a 2.5 second gap. On lap nine, Andrews made an aggressive move on Palmer coming out of Coppice into Charlies forcing him wide. With nowhere to go, Palmer crashed out practically ending any championship hopes. On lap 11 the race was red flagged and with two thirds race distance covered the race result declared. Simon Andrews was later excluded from the race after his part in Tristan Palmer’s crash.

   In contrast to Palmer’s woes, Robbie Brown on the Ducati Manchester 1199 Panigale finished a brilliant 12th position after starting the race back in 21st. For the first time in 2013 the Biddiluph-based rider really found his groove, and is hoping to press on to more strong results in the remaining rounds.

   Tristan Palmer, Rapid Sport Racing said: “I was just gutted after the race, I knew Tommy (Aquino) had gone, I just couldn’t live with him as his pace was really good, but I thought I could settle for second or third. Jenkinson was having a poor race and Hudson (Kennaugh) was out so I knew I could have got some good points. I will just put it behind me now and go to Donington and win.”

3. AFTER THE SUMMER BREAK WORLD SUPERBIKE TAKES ON THE GERMAN NÜRBURGRING CIRCUIT

   Posted on 10:42am Wednesday 28th Aug 2013

   APRILIA RACING RIDERS, SYLVAIN GUINTOLI AND EUGENE LAVERTY, LYING FIRST AND THIRD RESPECTIVELY IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS, ARE READY FOR THE SEASON HOME STRETCH.

   APRILIA HAS DOMINATED THE MANUFACTURER STANDINGS SINCE THE FIRST ROUND. THE POINT SITUATION IS NOW 336 AGAINST KAWSAKI'S 303, 276 FOR BMW, HONDA WITH 189, SUZUKI AT 165 AND 128 FOR DUCATI.

   Noale, 28 August 2013 - The home stretch of the 2013 World Superbike Championship starts from the German Nürburgring circuit. After the summer break, the first of the remaining five rounds that will decide the rankings finds the Aprilia Racing riders taking to the track with their sights set high. The technical German track is well suited for the characteristics of the Aprilia RSV4 which made quite an impression last year, dominating both races, taking five of the six positions up for grabs on the podium and laying the groundwork to triumph in the 2012 world championship with the double title (Rider and Manufacturer).

   Sylvain Guintoli's steadfastness, even able to limit the damage after injuring his right shoulder, has taken him to the top of the rider standings with a 13 point advantage over Tom Sykes. The French rider took advantage of the break to continue his recovery and his fitness conditions have vastly improved. In any case we will need to wait for the track to have the final word, which is the only way to verify Sylvain's physical stamina.

   Sylvain Guintoli: “After 3 weeks off the bike and concentrating my energy on recovering as much as possible from the shoulder injury, I feel ready to take up the championship fight in the final 5 rounds. This is the final straight line to the end of the season and I am excited to see how much progress the shoulder has made. The answer will be Sunday”.

   His brilliant performance in Silverstone, where he took a double podium in difficult conditions, shook up the order for Eugene Laverty, now lying third in the rider championship standings. His potential for the final victory are on the rise and the young Northern Irish talent makes no secret of his goal for the five remaining rounds. With the excellent support from his bike and his team, Eugene is anxious to close the points gap on his rivals this weekend. This will be no easy task, but it is certainly within the capabilities of the rider from Toomebridge.

   Eugene Laverty: “I've enjoyed the summer break but I'm ready to get back to racing. We now have five rounds in eight weeks to finish the season and I feel that these are the most important two months of my career to date. My teammate Sylvain, Tom Sykes, and Marco Melandri will be tough to beat in the title race but I intend to give it my all. Nurburgring is a really strong circuit for the Aprilia and so I hope to gain points on my championship rivals this weekend”.

4. Pata Honda riders prepare to welcome next generation

   Posted on 10:06am Friday 2nd Aug 2013

   With both Pata Honda World Superbike riders' wives expecting babies in the very near future - Olivia Haslam is due any day now and Tatia Rea next month - the team took the opportunity at the Silverstone WSBK round to present to the prospective parents two baby-grows, or baby-suits, that replicate Leon Haslam's and Jonathan Rea's racing leathers.

   The suits carry all the sponsor logos that adorn their 'full-size' Dainese and Alpinestars leathers and even each rider's butt patch, so that, whether the babies are boys or girls, they can start to emulate their illustrious fathers from an early age.

   The suits were presented at the end of a media Q&A session in the Paddock Show at Silverstone today, ahead of this weekend’s ninth round World Superbike Championship event at the UK circuit.

5. SECOND ENGLISH ROUND FOR THE 2013 WORLD SUPERBIKE SEASON

   Posted on 10:05am Thursday 1st Aug 2013

   ...WITH SYLVAIN GUINTOLI LEADING THE RIDER STANDINGS AFTER THE MOSCOW RACE.

   EUGENE LAVERTY INTENDS TO DO WELL ON A TRACK WHERE HE HAS ALWAYS PUT IN A STAR PERFORMANCE.

   APRILIA LEADS THE MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 300 POINTS IN FRONT OF KAWASAKI (267), BMW (262), HONDA (151), SUZUKI (129) AND DUCATI (112).

   Noale, 31 July 2013 - World Superbike 2013 will be in the United Kingdom for the second time this season on the occasion of the Silverstone round. After the difficult weekend in Moscow, devastated by the tragic accident which befell Andrea Antonelli, the riders will tread on the English asphalt, historic for having hosted the first Formula 1 World Championship race in 1950. The Midlands circuit is also known for its flowing layout, as well as for the extremely variable weather conditions.

   The only race that was held at Moscow Raceway had Sylvain Guintoli, riding with a shoulder injury from a training accident a few days earlier, taking a stoic sixth place finish which, aided by Tom Sykes' DNF, placed him once again at the top of the Championship standings. In any case the 4 point advantage is no basis for strategy or calculations in a championship where 50 points are up for grabs every weekend. The French rider has continued working to get his injured shoulder fit and from a physical point of view he will be in significantly better conditions for the races, although not yet 100%.

   Sylvain Guintoli: "One of us is gone in Moscow, raising many thoughts and feelings. Racing bikes is our job but also our passion and has a big part in our hearts and lives. Silverstone is going to be an emotional race, all our thoughts to his family. R.I.P Andrea Antonelli".

   For Eugene Laverty top priority is rubbing out the difficult Russian weekend, where he crashed on the damp track just a few metres before making a pit stop to put on his wet tyre. There was no point looking for a culprit for this crash, given the critical grip conditions at Moscow Raceway. In any case, the lad from Toomebridge is in good spirits, especially since he is taking on a track where he knows he can do well and aim for top points.

   Eugene Laverty: "I really enjoy Silverstone, it's a long lap and the fast flowing nature of the circuit makes it one of my favourites. Weather played havoc with the previous round in Moscow and so it would be nice if we could have two dry races on Sunday".