World Superbike News

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda Completes Successful Assen Test
16 June 2010 - Hannspree Ten Kate Honda

The four-man Hannspree Ten Kate Honda World Superbike and World Supersport championship squad completed a two-day test at Assen in Holland yesterday ahead of next week’s eighth round races at Misano in Italy.

It was the first track outing for the Ten Kate riders since competing at round seven of the 2010 championships at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City in the USA at the end of May.

Jonathan Rea was almost fully recovered from the severe tyre burns he sustained in a qualifying crash at Miller and found himself quickly back up to race pace at the Assen circuit where he enjoyed his first World Superbike pole position and a maiden double race win in April.

For Max Neukirchner, the Assen test provided a pressure-free environment in which to try to eliminate the chatter problems that have plagued him in recent weeks.

The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda World Supersport riders, Kenan Sofuoglu and Michele Pirro, used the Assen test to try new a new electronics package on their CBR600RR machines.

Jonathan Rea
My neck is like brand new now, after I did a stint in a hyperbaric chamber at home. The shoulder is taking a little longer to clear up but I’m sure it’ll be fine for next week in Italy. It didn’t affect my riding at Assen where we tried a lot of things to eliminate the chatter that we had in America. At least we now know what doesn’t work! I was able quite easily and quickly to lap at the same pace I had in the two race wins at Assen – in fact, I did so many laps at that pace, it ended up feeling quite slow! I’m looking forward to going to Misano now and starting with a few of the problems that we had last year already solved.

Max Neukirchner
I did 91 laps on the first day and 90 on the second, so I feel like I know Assen quite well now! We definitely found something to get the suspension working a little bit differently and I tried the swingarm that Jonathan uses. However, we went back to my normal swingarm and found a better way forward with that. At the end of the test, I was going faster that my times in race two at Assen in April and we were able to get rid of some of the chatter. It’s not quite there yet but we definitely went in the right direction by putting a little more weight at the rear. I hope we can start the weekend at Misano in a better position when we will do a bit more work on the front forks.

Ronald ten Kate - team manager
We’ve had a very worthwhile two days at Assen where it was good to get the wheels rolling in Europe again after the last two flyaway rounds. We experienced some problems at Miller so we needed some track time to test a few things on the bikes. It’s been hard work for the riders and the crew but we’ve been able to try a few things on Jonathan’s side and we’ve definitely made a step forward with Max. We’re looking forward to Misano now, which is the first track of this season where we have some Ohlins data. On the Supersport side, we did a lot of work on the electronics, particularly in the areas of power delivery and traction control. We matched the race pace from Assen but it was incredibly windy on the second day. We’ll head to Misano next week to try and keep Kenan in his winning ways and to get Michele back on the podium at his home race.

Yamaha Riders Fastest at Misano Test Ahead of Next Week’s San Marino Races
16 June 2010 - Yamaha Racing

The Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team completed a two-day test this afternoon at the San Marino circuit ahead of next week’s eighth round of the World Championship in Misano. At the close of the test riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland were the fastest riders on the board. The team spent the two days testing some different linkages on the bikes along with various electronic settings and also a new radiator design to aid cooling.

The first day started well with both riders posting competitive times, James Toseland in particular ending the morning session second fastest with a 1”36.7 and team mate Cal Crutchlow not far behind in fourth with a 1”36.8. The afternoon saw rainfall which disrupted the test and made the track conditions slower this morning. The day gave very hot temperatures for most of the session, but cooled towards the end allowing the riders to post their fastest times.

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team
(1st, 1”36.2 90 laps)
“It’s been a pretty good test for us, the weather’s been difficult, either really hot or wet which has been challenging. Still, we managed to get down to the fastest time here and I did that on a used tyre which should stand us in good stead for next week’s races. I’m looking forward to getting stuck into it again.”

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team
(2nd, 1”36.3, 90 laps)
“We tried a lot with the electronics, all in all it’s been a good test for Yamaha. I’m putting a lot of time into the bike to try and find some extra time in the second half of the race and be more consistent. Everyone is doing a great job but we’re busy trying to catch up with the Aprilia.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“I am satisfied as the riders made their best times with used tyres. If the race was tomorrow we are ready. I’m looking forward to the race weekend, it has been a very productive test and we are optimistic that we can build on this and produce some good results.”

Ducati Xerox Riders Noriyuki Haga, Michel Fabrizio and Troy Bayliss Conclude Testing at Misano
14 June 2010 - Ducati Xerox

Testing concluded this evening for the Ducati Xerox team and riders Noriyuki Haga, Michel Fabrizio and Troy Bayliss. The three-day test session took place on Thursday, Sunday and today, with the first two days of testing coinciding with the first and last day of World Ducati Week, allowing the huge crowds of Ducatisti to witness an official testing session first hand.

Noriyuki and Michel were on track on their factory 1198 bikes while Troy Bayliss, testing for the second time this season, rode the development machine, aided by Ducati’s Superbike development team under the guidance of Ernesto Marinelli who, as well as undertaking the role of Team Manager, acted as Bayliss’ race engineer once more on occasion of the tests. Also present for the tests were other Ducati privateer teams including World Superbike outfits Althea Racing with riders Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne, the DFX Corse riders Lorenzo Lanzi and Regis Laconi, as well as the Supersonic Racing Team with Italian rider Luca Scassa.

The three Ducati Xerox riders completed five hours of testing on Thursday, registering some very fast lap times, maintaining a good rhythm despite the very hot conditions (which didn’t drop below 30°C air and 40°C track temperature). By the end of this first day, Michel had recorded the fastest unofficial time of the Ducati Xerox riders, stopping the clock at 1m36.2. During Sunday afternoon’s session temperatures were slightly lower but a light rain shower interrupted the short session. Both Noriyuki and Michel made some consistently fast laps and were satisfied with the progress made (while Bayliss elected not to ride).

Today’s test was private, with the WDW event having closed yesterday, and all three riders were on track all day, alongside private teams Althea Racing, DFX Corse and Supersonic. Pirelli provided some new tyres for Noriyuki, Michel and Troy to test but tyre test aside, most of the work involved preparation for the Misano SBK round, in which Noriyuki and Michel will participate at the end of this month. The team was satisfied with the times set, Bayliss 1m35.6, Fabrizio 1m36.0 and Haga 1m36.4, and return to the factory in Borgo-Panigale in a positive state of mind.

Noriyuki Haga
“It’s definitely been a useful test session, even though it was very hot! I enjoyed WDW, my first as a Ducati factory rider, but today we got the real work done, and I’m feeling more confident about the next Misano race. We tested the new tyre and we made various modifications to my bike through the day. All in all I think we can say it was a very positive test. Now we go home for a few days and then we are back here for the race!”

Michel Fabrizio
“It was great to do some testing during WDW as the fans were able to see what goes on. Today was the only full day on track and we got a lot done in preparation for the race here in two weeks. It’s been extremely hot but conditions will undoubtedly be similar for the race so it was definitely useful. I’m happy with the times; my best was a 1m36.2 which is fairly good in this heat, and I would say that we leave here in a positive state of mind, ready for the race in two weeks time.”

Troy Bayliss
“The testing’s gone really well and with more time on track today the times improved quite a bit this morning. I’m happy with how it all went and hope my feedback can help Nori and Michel, but I’m also tired because we’ve had a lot to do during this edition of WDW, both on and off track! As I said during Saturday’s WDW press conference, I have made up my mind and I won’t be coming back to the racing but I will undertake one more Superbike test later this year, just before the Imola SBK round, as agreed with Ducati at the start of the season.”

Ernesto Marinelli
“It’s definitely been an intense weekend, but also one of the best I’ve had. The whole team and the riders have worked hard, and the passion of the Ducatisti here never dwindled for a second, despite the sweltering heat that we had here every day. In the last few months we have had some difficult and frustrating times but the support and affection that every fan has shown this weekend has definitely given us a unique motivation. A huge thank-you to all the Ducatisti! The test was very positive and we are confident ahead of the race.”

Laverty Tries Out New Silverstone
11 June 2010 - Parkalgar Honda

World Supersport Championship contender Eugene Laverty tested at the new Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire yesterday, ahead of the 10th round of the series visiting on 1st August.

With slight rain early in the day the track dried out after lunch and he was able to get through some good set-up work.

“The new Silverstone is a very good track, I like it,” said Eugene. “The weather was tricky this morning but as I learnt the track and it dried out I started to enjoy it. The last two sessions were great as it dried and many of the other riders in the group had gone home so it was clear for us to do our thing.

“The new Arena section is great, sweeping from one side of the circuit to the other, that’ll be a great place to watch for spectators. It’s a long lap but we have managed to find a gearing that will be close and I know my way around now, it’s been a good day.”

Parkalgar Honda Team Manager Simon Buckmaster said: “Thanks to Focused Events for an excellent track day that will stand us in good stead when we return here to race. Unfortunately Miguel Praia was not able to join us today but we are considering a second test before the race so he can learn the track – it is a very impressive circuit and anything we can do to assist performance of our riders we will do.”

Parkalgar Honda is in action again at Misano in Italy on Sunday June 27th for the eighth round of the World Supersport Championship.