Category: Superbikes

1. BOTH APRILIA RIDERS IN THE POINTS AT VALENCIA AND BAUTISTA IN THE TOP TEN AGAIN

   Posted on 5:00pm Sunday 13th Nov 2016

   GROWTH OF THE RS-GP MACHINES - TODAY IN RED TO CELEBRATE (RED) - CONFIRMED IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON

   ALBESIANO: “THE BIKE HAS GROWN. WE ARE CONSISTENTLY IN THE TOP TEN AND STILL IMPROVING"
   
   Alvaro Bautista (tenth) rode his Aprilia RS-GP to a top ten finish at the Valencia GP that close out the 2016 Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing season.
   Stefan Bradl (thirteenth) also finished in the points, bringing home a good team result worthy of the positive conclusion to a season that, especially in the second half, saw the RS-GP machines and the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders consistently battling for a spot in the top ten, the stated goal for Venetian V4's rookie season, sometimes doing even better with placements like the seventh place finishes achieved in Argentina (Bradl) and Japan (Bautista).

   Alvaro, in his last race with Aprilia Racing Team Gresini and penalized by his start from the eighteenth spot on the grid, came back little by little, confident with his pace and the overall good balance of the bike. After overtaking Miller, Redding and Petrucci, he fended off Barbera's final attempts and, with the six points earned, overtook Laverty in the overall championship standings, finishing the season with a nice twelfth place.
   Bradl (also in his last race with Aprilia), after a start that had relegated him to the back of the pack, skilfully came back, even overtaking Redding in the finale to finish thirteenth.

   The Aprilia RS-GP machines showed off an entirely red livery in the race, without any other sponsors or even the Aprilia logo, in order to celebrate (RED), the organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver that, with $360 million in assistance, has contributed to the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in African countries since 2006.
   
   
   ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
   "We finished a very important season for Aprilia. We brought our MotoGP bike to its début, taking it to the races straight away and developing it throughout the season. For the past few rounds our level has allowed us to stay consistently in the top ten, which was our goal. The bike has grown and the racing department with it. We are a strong and motivated team that still has potential for growth. In addition to everyone on the team, I particularly wish to thank our riders, who believed in our project and who have earned our respect. I wish Stefan and Alvaro all the best and now we will already begin thinking about next season, which will start in a few hours".
   
   FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
   "Analysing the season, the first goal was to get through all the races without any technical issues keeping us from finishing, which is not a given for such a fledgling project. We demonstrated our potential to our rivals, growing consistently. We have a long road ahead, but we are moving in the right direction. We are proud of the results achieved and my thanks go to everyone: to Aprilia who has always given 100%, as well as to the team at the track and the riders. After such strong emotions, it is already time to reset and restart, with an even stronger desire to show what we are capable of achieving".
   
   ALVARO BAUTISTA
   "In the second half of the season, we began to reap the fruits of a lot of hard work, much of which done last year as well. We went in the right direction for development. Aprilia did a great job and the materials worked the way we expected them to. We improved a lot and now I wish all the best to Aprilia and the team with whom I experienced two years of hard work, but great satisfaction in the progress the bike has made. I always gave it my all, but I must thank my engineers and my mechanics, because they did an exceptional job, always seeking to provide me with the best solution. The race today was good, if you consider that, starting from behind, we went from almost six seconds from the race leader in the first lap to finishing with a dignified gap, especially considering that this is one of the most difficult tracks for the RS-GP".
   
   STEFAN BRADL
   "It was a very exciting race, especially in the second half when I was able to push and overtake Redding, besides the fact that it is my last MotoGP race. Speaking of the race, unfortunately, after the warm up we had to replace the clutch and I was unable to make a good start, which did not make things simple. We decided to start with the soft front tyre, which we had not used in the afternoon sessions, and that meant that I had to adapt a bit, especially in the first laps. From the mid-race point on things improved, but the gap was already too big to strive for a better position. In any case, we finished in the points and, on a track that is difficult for us, that result was not a given. I wish to thank all the guys and Aprilia. This experience has helped me to grow as a rider, taking on a new challenge made up of testing and developing a new project. We can be satisfied with the work we have done and I wish them the best of luck for the future".

2. Haslam stays in British Superbikes with Bournemouth Kawasaki

   Posted on 11:00am Thursday 10th Nov 2016

   Leon Haslam has signed a deal directly with Kawasaki Motors UK to ride in the British Superbike series with Bournemouth Kawasaki for the 2017 season. 

   The team’s title sponsor and machine livery will be unveiled for the first time on the Kawasaki Motors UK stand (Hall 2 Stand 2B15) at Motorcycle Live at 10:30am on Saturday 19 November.

   The Derbyshire rider has developed a strong relationship with the Japanese manufacturer, having competed in the prestigious Suzuka 8-hour race, and more recently the Japanese Superbike and World Superbike Championship final rounds, representing the brand.

   Runner-up in the 2016 series on the Ninja ZX-10R, Haslam will be partnered by 24-year-old Luke Mossey who achieved a strong position in the 2016 Showdown and who is aiming to improve on his sixth place finish in the Championship this year.

   Ross Burridge, Kawasaki Motors UK Senior Racing Coordinator, said: “2016 was a great season of racing and although we were disappointed that Leon narrowly missed out on the title win, he gave 100% throughout the year. We’re delighted to be continuing to work with him for the 2017 season – to be working with a rider of this calibre is very exciting. We’re confident that the Bournemouth Kawasaki team will be a great platform for Leon to strive for the Championship win in 2017.”

   Leon Haslam said: “I’m so happy to have a second year with Kawasaki as I believe the ZX-10R will be the bike to beat – I’m super confident that we can win the BSB title. I have a really close relationship with Kawasaki as a manufacturer and it will be great to work with them again. I can’t wait to get everything going again.”

   As well as the unveiling of the brand new race bike and 2017 BSB team sponsors, visitors to the stand over the course of the show (19-27 November) will also have the first chance to see the brand new 2017 Kawasaki machinery for the first time in the UK. #GetEvenCloser to the new race-ready Ninja ZX-10RR, the best-selling Z1000SX with advanced electronics and feast your eyes the stunning Ninja H2 Carbon. Also on display will be the brand new additions to the Z family – the Z900 and Z650 – in all their naked glory.

3. Double World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea heads up a whole host of racing stars at Motorcycle Live

   Posted on 10:52am Thursday 10th Nov 2016

   Double World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea heads up a whole host of racing stars at Motorcycle Live

   Recently-crowned double World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea will be one of many racing stars to appear at the UK’s biggest bike show, Motorcycle Live, which opens at The NEC, Birmingham on 19 November.

   Rea will be joined at the show on opening day by racing legend Freddie Spencer, MotoGP rider Eugene Laverty, World Superbike's Josh Brookes, British Superbike star Leon Haslam and Isle of Man TT record-breaker Michael Dunlop.

   The stars will keep on coming throughout the week with appearances from the likes of MotoGP riders Scott Redding and Bradley Smith, World Superbike legends Carl Fogarty and Troy Corser, SBK’s Alex Lowes, the championship-winning MacKenzie family and racing commentators Toby Moody and Julian Ryder.

   The Isle of Man TT riders will be out in force on TT Day (Sunday 27 November), as well as every day of the week, with John McGuinness, Conor Cummins, Dean Harrison, Ian Hutchinson, Bruce Anstey, Michael Rutter and many more all appearing.

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

4. Manx Racing Legend Conor Cummins to Compete in 50th Annual Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 27th Oct 2016

   When the 28-man field lines up for the 2016 Macau Motorcyle Grand Prix this November, Manx road racer Conor Cummins will be representing the Honda Racing Team alongside John McGuinness. The race’s qualifying stage takes place on Friday, 18th November at Guia Circuit, and the race itself will be held the following day.

   Cummins joins Stuart Easton, Michael Rutter, Martin Jessopp, Ben Wylie, his teammate McGuinness, and the race’s defending champion Peter Hickman among the U.K.’s well-represented contingent of world-class road racers heading to Macau.

   The 30-year old favourite of his fellow Manx, along with motorcycle racing fans everywhere, Cummins’ legend is steeped in the history of his homeland’s most famous contest: the Isle of Man TT. A grueling 37-mile journey through the hilly Manx countryside’s Snaefell Mountain Course, which was once dubbed “37 miles of stone walls and telegraph poles” by former world champion racer Barry Sheene. The Isle of Man TT blends pure road racing with jaunts through local landmarks like Alpine Cottage to create one of the world’s most highly competitive, and highly anticipated, motorcycle races.     

   Conor’s father William “Billy” Cummins raced in the Tourist Trophy in his day, and Conor himself was born during TT week back in 1986. Both of the Cummins lads are still racing today, but for Connor, the road didn't always run so smoothly.

   In 2009 the younger Cummins sibling found himself on top of the racing world. He claimed the crown of Fastest Man on Earth that year, winning the Dundrod 150 Superbike race during Ulster Grand Prix Bike week by posting a final lap speed of 133.284 mph aboard his McAdoo Kawasaki, while also securing his first Isle of Man TT podium finish as runner up in the Senior TT. But on the second lap of very same race one year later, he fell victim to a horrific crash that went viral around the world. He broke five vertebrae, his left arm was completely shattered, and to top off the laundry list of injuries, Cummins suffered dislocation and ligament damage in his knee. The crash was featured in the 2011 documentary Closer to the Edge, which chronicled the 2010 Isle of Man TT through the eyes of Cummins, McGuinness, and fellow U.K. racers Guy Martin and Ian Hutchinson.

   Cummins isn’t shy in talking about the impact that the crash played on his career, and his life. Befitting his family’s long road racing lineage, he returned to the sport just one year later to begin a comeback from what many believed would be career-ending injuries. He finished third in the Lightweight TT in 2013, but from there the hunt for podium finishes has been fruitless. Nonetheless, in light of a recent change from Preston-based sponsor Jackson Racing to the Padgetts team out of Batley, ahead of this year’s Isle of Man TT, Cummins will be looking to ensure a Manx presence on the podium in Macau.

   Along with Cummins, the U.K. will be represented well by a stellar cast of former Macau Grand Prix champions.

   Peter Hickman of Burton-upon-Trent conquered the Guia Circuit, a 6.2km street course, last year.

   Michael Rutter of Wordsley is an eight-time champion renowned as the “Two Wheel King of Macau”, and he’s searching for a ninth checkered flag after winning the race in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003 2004, 2005, 2011, and 2012.

   Stuart Easton of Hawick, Scotland was the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix champion in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2014.

   Ian Hutchinson of Bingley was the winner in 2013, and Isle of Man TT legend John McGuinness – Cummins’ Honda Racing teammate – took top honors in Macau in 2001.

   With such a stacked field for this year’s Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, an appearance of the podium would be a surprise for Cummins, especially considering his three-year drought.

   He wasn’t expected to race again though, so to see Cummins’ name among the 28-racer field in November represents a win in its own right. And this is motorcycle road racing after all, so a superb run coupled with a little luck could very well see Cummins enjoy the kind of improbable finish that makes this sport so special.

    

    

    

   article supplied

5. Mika Perez, the year of a great champion

   Posted on 11:00am Thursday 20th Oct 2016

   Mika Perez is the winner of the 2016 Wil Sport European Junior Cup, powered by Honda. With a fourth place finish in today’s second race of the double-header season finale at Jerez, the recently turned 17-year-old from Altea, a town located on the south eastern coast of Spain near Alicante, sealed the ultimate prize of what is the last-ever edition of the series. 

   After racing minibikes in the Valencian Championship in 2007 at the age of eight, Perez quickly rose through the ranks and by 2012 he had already won the national ‘Cuna de Campeones’ MiniGP140 title. In 2013, he made a one-off appearance in the European Junior Cup as a wildcard lined up by Honda Spain. The following year, Perez impressed many by finishing sixth in his first full EJC season, which was followed by a difficult second campaign in the championship.

   In 2016, Perez has been a master of consistency as he claimed one win, three second places and one third in the first six races. After a first missed title point in Magny-Cours a fortnight ago, when he was fourth at the chequered flag, Mika entered the Jerez double-header with a 25-point advantage over Paolo Grassia.

   The Italian got the better of him in race one to take another five points away from his lead, but in race two Perez smartly managed the championship situation to cross the line fourth a result that rewarded him with the final victory.

   Perez can now enjoy his well deserved EJC Championship success before embarking on the next step of his motorcycle-racing career.

   Name: Mika Perez
   2016 Racing number: 8
   Birthdate: 05/10/1999
   Birthplace: Altea (Spain)

   2016 Wil Sport European Junior Cup, powered by Honda – 1^st – 1 win, 1 pole position, 4 seconds, 2 thirds
   2015 Pata European Junior Cup, powered by Honda – 18^th
   2014 Pata European Junior Cup, powered by Honda – 6^th – 1 podium
   2013 Pata European Junior Cup, powered by Honda – 1 race