Category: Superbikes

1. European Junior Cup fires up for another season

   Posted on 3:37pm Wednesday 4th Nov 2015

   The European Junior Cup, powered by Honda, the entry-level series supporting the FIM World Superbike Championship, has announced that registration is now open for participation in 2016, its sixth season of competition.

   This year saw the successful introduction of the new Honda CBR650F as the official control motorcycle and, while the level of motorcycle performance increased, the EJC stayed true to its ethos of affordable racing on equal terms, with close-fought competition and thrilling finishes throughout the season.

   Spaniard Javier Orellana finally claimed the EJC title at his home round of Jerez and now looks forward to a promotion within the SBK championship.

   The 2016 European Junior Cup will race at eight European rounds of the FIM World Superbike Championship and is open to racers aged between 14 and 21. The FIM Europe 'European Women's Cup' for women racers aged between 14 and 24 takes place within and as an integral part of the championship.

   Those riders interested in registering for the 2016 European Junior Cup are invited to visit the European Junior Cup website to complete an online form.

   Gerry Bryce – series director

   We have had a fantastic 2015 season and we’re really pleased with the perform ance of both the riders and the new series motorcycle. The response to the Honda CBR650F has been fantastic and with the kind support of Honda, Dorna SBK, Pirelli and our other partners we look forward to building on this success to make 2016 the best year yet.

   Marco Chini – Honda WSBK operations manager

   Honda is delighted to support an exciting new EJC season in 2016. Over the last three years, the series has proven to be one of the most successful in the WSBK paddock, both commercially and in terms of talent scouting. The Honda CBR650F is a sports bike that’s incredibly easy to ride and is the perfect model to let our young riders learn the WSBK’s European tracks and gather the professional experience needed to compete at the next level in the World Supersport and World Superbike championships. I'm looking forward to meeting the next generation of EJC riders at the track and I really hope that we w ill see more women take up the challenge to line up on the grid next season!

2. World and British champions headline host of racers at Motorcycle Live‏

   Posted on 9:00am Sunday 25th Oct 2015

   Motorcycle Live is arguably the best place in the UK to meet some of the country’s – and in fact the world’s – leading racers away from the pressures of the paddock, all under one roof, and this year’s show will not disappoint. There will be a daily procession of stars from World and British Superbikes, MotoGP, TT and Speedway taking part in on-stage Q&As, photo opportunities and rider signings.

   The show will fire up on Saturday 28 November with a star-studded list of racers headed up by 2015 World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea and including 2015 British Superbike Champion Josh Brookes, 2015 World Speedway Champion Tai Woffinden, four-time British Superbike Champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne, MotoGP riders Scott Redding and Maverick Vinales and World Superbike ace Leon Haslam.

   From then on, the racing stars just keep on coming with appearances throughout the week from the likes of MotoGP rider Bradley Smith, 2015 Moto2 World Champion Johann Zarco, Moto2 star Sam Lowes, 2015 BSB Showdown contenders Dan Linfoot and James Ellison, SBK’s Sylvain Guintoli and Alex Lowes and former racer Troy Corser.

   The Isle of Man TT riders will also be out in force on both Classic TT Day (Sunday 29 November) and TT Day (Sunday 6 December), as well as every day of the week, with 23-time TT winner John McGuinness and 11-time TT winner Michael Dunlop being joined by Michael Rutter, Conor Cummins, Dean Harrison, Bruce Anstey, Ryan Farquhar, William Dunlop, Gary Johnson, Ian Hutchinson and many more.

   For a full list of riders, updated as and when more are confirmed, visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk/racers

   Motorcycle Live takes place at The NEC, Birmingham from 28 November to 6 December 2015. Advance tickets are on sale now, at just £17.50 per adult, £11 for Seniors and £7 for children aged 11-16* (kids ten and under accompanied by a paying adult go free). There is also a £20.50 advance ticket, which includes entry to the show and a choice of Oxford neck wear worth £15.

   To book, call 0844 581 2345 or visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk.

   *Advance ticket price, closing date for advanced tickets 5.00pm on 27 November 2015

   All information correct at time of release and subject to change.

3. MOTOGP QUALIFIERS AT PHILLIP ISLAND

   Posted on 10:01am Sunday 18th Oct 2015

   SIXTH AND SEVENTH ROW FOR BAUTISTA AND BRADL

   Alvaro Bautista finished the qualifying sessions at Phillip Island,, riding his Aprilia RS-GP to the eighth best time in Q1 (in 1’30,147), just a half second behind the leader) which earns him 18th overall place and therefore the sixth row on the starting grid for the Australian GP tomorrow. In this decisive session that determines the starting order the Spaniard once again proved to be, as he has been throughout the weekend, faster than Bradl, his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini team mate. Already in the last two free practice sessions, dedicated to finding the best possible race pace, Alvaro had shown progress compared to the Friday sessions. It was more of an uphill battle for Bradl who, although making improvements, struggled to stay close to his team mate and finished qualifiers with the eleventh best time (1’30,634) which places him on the 21st spot and the seventh row of the starting grid for tomorrow.
   
   
   ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)
   “The team worked above all on improving grip, trying different geometries and chassis setups. Bautista was feeling more comfortable although we still need to work on his race pace. With Stefan, on the other hand, we had a bit more trouble from the start, more than expected I'd say. But even with him there are still a few things to test in order to try to improve for the race.”
   
   FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)
   “Bautista did well today, performing well in qualifying. If we are able to get off the line well when the lights go out tomorrow he has the potential to stay with the group of riders in front of him. Alvaro still has a bit of difficulty, especially in the last sector of the track, so tomorrow morning in the warm up we'll focus mainly on trying to be more effective in the last two turns. Stefan has been struggling from the beginning of the weekend, so we'll try to help him for the race, also comparing his data with Alvaro's and testing some more adjustments in warm up.”
   
   ALVARO BAUTISTA
   “I'd say that these were good qualifiers which we finished just a half a second from the time that would have gotten us into Q2 - not bad. If anything there is still some room for improvement on race pace that I would like to make. Today in FP3 and FP4 we lapped well with worn tyres. Up to twenty laps I'm able to maintain a fairly consistent pace and then there is a bit of drop. I can feel spinning so I struggle a bit. Tomorrow we'll use the warm up specifically to work on improving pace. Then in the race it will be important to start well and push hard in the first laps to stay with the group ahead of us.”
   
   STEFAN BRADL
   “Up to now the weekend has been more difficult than we expected. Today we made some more changes on the bike, looking for more feeling with the rear tyre, but without actually making much progress. All we can do now is keep analysing the data more in depth to find a solution that allows me to be more competitive in the race tomorrow.”

4. a announces 2016 World Superbike riders

   Posted on 12:00pm Saturday 10th Oct 2015

   Honda has today confirmed the team that will spearhead its campaign in the 2016 World Superbike championship on the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP. Current rider Michael van der Mark will be joined in the team by former MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden.

   Hayden has been riding in MotoGP since 2003 when he joined the Repsol Honda team and the 34-year-old American has since gone on to start more than 200 Grands Prix, scoring 28 podiums and taking three wins. He won the MotoGP title with Honda in 2006.

   His strong flat-track racing pedigree, which began at the age of three, eventually led him into road-racing and the young Hayden turned professional on his 16th birthday, halfway through the 1997 season. He won the AMA Supersport series with Honda two years later before turning to AMA Superbike in 2000. He became the youngest ever AMA Superbike champion, taking Honda’s VTR1000SP (RC51) to victory in 2002 at the age of 21.

   Hayden is relishing a return to his superbike roots in 2016 and to continuing his racing career with Honda in the production-based World Superbike championship. Ultimate success in the series would make him the first rider to win both MotoGP and WSBK titles.

   He will team up for 2016 with Michael van der Mark, one of the most exciting and talented young riders in the series. The 22-year-old Dutch flyer has followed Honda’s rider development programme in winning both the 2012 European Superstock 600 series and last year’s World Supersport championship on Honda’s CBR600RR.

   Van der Mark won back-to-back Suzuka 8 Hours races in Japan in 2013 and 2014 and has scored three podiums to date in his rookie World Superbike season on the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP with the final round coming up in Qatar on 18 October.

   The team will begin testing for the 2016 World Superbike championship season in November with two scheduled tests in Spain which will be Hayden’s first opportunity to familiarise himself with his new Honda CBR Fireblade.

   Nicky Hayden

   Well, my next stop is Superbike with Honda! I’m very excited, obviously, to stick with Honda; it’s where I’ve had the most success in my career. World Superbikes is a championship that I followed closely as a kid when a lot of American riders were fighting at the front. It just seems like the right time and the right team to go with. I know I’ve got a lot to learn and it’s going to be a big challenge, but also I’m very motivated to start and learn what I can. I’d like to say thanks to everyone who has supported me through my MotoGP career. We had a good run but now it’s time to move on and try something different.
   
   Michael van der Mark

   I’m really looking forward to 2016 already! This season we have made a lot of progress with the CBR and I think that taking my experience on the bike from every track will be a very good base to start from. We’ve really improved the bike even more over the last couple of rounds and that has put us close to the front, which is what we’ve been aiming for throughout the year. The next target of course is a victory but I think that in my second season on the CBR I can be confident that we can make some more podiums and fight for wins. I’m happy to hear that Nicky will be my team-mate next year and I think we’ll be able to learn a lot from each other during the season.

   Marco Chini – WSBK Operations Manager, Honda

   We are of course delighted to announce that Nicky Hayden will be Michael’s team-mate on Honda’s CBR Fireblade machine in the 2016 World Superbike championship. The team has worked really hard this season, continuing the development of the bike together with Cosworth’s electronics and we are really happy that this endeavor has translated into strong performances from both riders, particularly in the last few races. These results have demonstrated the great potential that remains in the CBR and I’m happy that they may have influenced Nicky’s decision to join our programme. We are confident that the wide experience he has gained at the highest level of our sport can help the squad to continue the development, the momentum and the team-work that has been established this season and translate that into further positive results.

   Ronald ten Kate – team manager

   It’s well known that, at Ten Kate, we always have been and always will be Honda. There is only be one person in the world who could possibly be more Honda than us, and that’s Nicky Hayden! That’s why I’m absolutely delighted that he’ll be joining us for next season. He was AMA Superbike champion with Honda and we’re really looking forward to bringing him back to his superbike roots. By working together and using all our combined resources, I hope that in the future we can make him the first world champion in MotoGP and World Superbike. We are also looking forward to combining Nicky’s experience with young Michael, who has shown really good pace and huge potential on the CBR in his first season. I think you can safely say that I’m more than happy with the line-up we have for 2016!

5. Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati leave Oulton Park disappointed after a promising start

   Posted on 10:00am Monday 7th Sep 2015

   The Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati team were unable to lose the curse of bad luck that has beset the team this season. The Winchester based team were unable to capitalise on a promising practice and qualifying sessions as technical gremlins plagued the team throughout the three races.

   Hopkins had been quick throughout the weekend but the run of bad luck had continued in qualifying three and all three races of the weekend’s triple header.

   Qualifying had begun in a promising manner for ‘Hopper’ with a P3 in Q1 and 2nd in Q2. However a missed gear in the final qualifying session on a flying lap, led Hopkins to run on at cascades resulting in a slow speed spill thus only being able to complete the qualifying session.

   Race 1 - Hopkins starting from 10th position on the fourth row of the grid immediately made gains on lap 1 as he eased into 7th position. He was to the hold this position until lap 3 when a dust-up with Luke Mossey relegated him to 8th. ‘Hopper’ began to lose ground to those in front but seemed to regroup and close in on the tails of McConnell and Linfoot. However it soon became apparent that Hopkins had a problem as his times dropped and he fell further down the field. On Lap 13 the Californian rider brought his Panigale into the pit lane as he could no longer continue with the grip levels he had available. Hopkins did re-join the race briefly once the tyre had cooled to see if any grip had retuned but pulled into the garage shortly afterwards after the rear tyre continued to spin up.

   Race 2 - Again Hopkins started from the 4th row but after two laps had dropped back to 13th position, however on lap 3 a mistake led to him dropping further back to 21st. From there Hopkins had to dig deep to try and claw some places back for the Lloyds British Moto Rapido Panigale. By half distance the American rider had moved into 16th and then over the next couple of laps moved through the field to close in on the top 10 only for technical problems to strike again. A clutch problem gave Hopkins no option but to pull into the pits to end another eventful and ultimately disappointing race for the team.

   Race 3 - A decent lap in race 2 set up Hopkins for a row 2 start in the final race of the weekend. A good start meant Hopkins held his position and was immediately challenging Linfoot in front of him but mechanical gremlins struck again. Hopkins found it difficult to select a gear so was forced to bring the bike back to the garage to end a disheartening weekend that had seemed to promise so much.

   Steve Moore – Team Manager – Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati

   “It’s been a really disappointing weekend, we had the lap pace, and we had the lap times, the fastest the bike and John had ever been around here. There was not much we could do about race 1, but race 2 we had a clutch failure, for race 3 we changed everything, we wouldn’t have done anything different so we will have to investigate the reasons for what happened in race 3. So we just have to move on to Assen where we expect the bike and John to be strong. We have not had some of these technical problems before so hopefully we have now got them out of the way for the final leg of the season.”

   James Egan riding the MWR Motorsports Superstock 1000 Ducati never managed to get going during the weekend. Egan was 18th in first qualifying and was unable to improve on that position in second qualifying due to damp track conditions. A race start from the 7th row on the grid was always going to make things difficult for the South African and was not helped by a poor start to the race that left him languishing in 25th place. Egan failed to improve on his position in the race and returned to the garage after lap 7.

   Mark Webster – Team Manager Lloyds British MWR Ducati

   “Its been a disappointing end to a long weekend, unfortunately James didn’t feel confident in himself to push the bike as much as he needed to and therefore didn’t ride the bike to its full potential. We now look forward to the last races and hope to capitalise on a good result.”