Category: Superbikes

1. The Pata European Junior Cup gets underway at Motorland Aragon‏

   Posted on 8:29am Monday 13th Apr 2015

   This weekend the Pata European Junior Cup, powered by Honda Racing kicked off its opening round at Motorland Aragon in Spain.

   Javier Orellana took the win in a thrilling race from start to finish. Orellana placed second overall in last year’s championship and pushed hard to secure today’s win. In a close field of talented young riders Orellana battled with eventual second place finisher Paolo Grassia to the very end in a nail-biting eight-lap race.

   Grassia started the race from third on the grid and was one of the front-runners throughout the whole race. Emanuele Pusceddu completed the EJC podium in third place. During practice on Friday Pusceddu suffered a massive crash and although was declared fit to race was carrying an injury going into today, but was still able to be challenging for the win.

   Fourth place finisher Mika Perez had an impressive ride and led the pack for most of the race and looked to be taking the win. With three laps left the pack at the front closed and the Spaniard lost time and settled to fourth. Fifth place went to Hannes Soomer and the fastest Brit during the race was Stefan Hill who crossed the line in 14th place.

   Meanwhile in the FIM Europe Women’s European Championship Avalon Biddle took the win and finished overall in 13th position. Biddle was also the fastest female in qualifying in 17th. At the start of the race the New Zealand rider was caught up in a first corner crash and lost time but soon made her way up the pack to win the women’s race and overall placed 13th.

   Anastassia Kovalenko was the second fastest female and finished overall in 21st, and Laura Rodriguez finished one place behind in 22nd. Rodriguez had a brave race after crashing out in yesterdays qualifying and was still in some pain during the race. Viktoria Kis had a promising ride before crashing out on the fourth lap, where she was holding 18th position. Kis had qualified in 26th place.

   The next round of the Pata European Junior Cup, powered by Honda Racing takes place next weekend at Assen, the Netherlands 17-19 April.

   Javier Orellana – 1st

   It’s been a really good weekend here at Aragon for the first round of the year. We started free practice well and I qualified fifth. Every EJC race is crazy with seven strong riders leading the group. I knew coming into the last turn I was strong and I braked late and got the win.

   Paolo Grassia – 2nd

   The race was fantastic and I am very happy to finish second, but also a little disappointed as I lost the win by 0.028s. I would like to say thank you to my mechanic and father and I look forward to the race at Assen.

   Emanuele Pusceddu - 3rd

   I was really happy to finish on the podium today at Aragon. I had a big crash on Friday so I was feeling a little sore from that, but for sure I will be fit for Assen and looking to win.

   Avalon Biddle – 13th

   I’m pretty happy to come away with the victory in the women’s class, it’s my first race competing at this level so I really nervous coming into the weekend and thinking don’t crash, which is unusual for me but I wanted to score the points for the women’s championship and that’s what I did. I was hoping for a top-ten overall and finished 13th, there was a big crash at the start and I ran wide and lost a few positions so had to pass the rest of the girls and make my way back up. I’m looking forward to Assen and hopefully a top-ten.

   Gerry Bryce – Pata European Junior Cup director

   It was an absolutely fantastic race and to have had that many riders so close at the end was a real display of some great riders and talent. We’re really happy to have Javier at the top: the pass he made at the end of the straight to take the win was phenomenal. Throughout the whole weekend all the riders have behaved professionally and shown immense talent, we’re very proud of them all and look forward to next weekend at Assen.
   
   

2. APRILIA RACING - Aragon Races

   Posted on 5:45pm Sunday 12th Apr 2015

   LEON HASLAM FINISHES HIS WEEKEND AT MOTORLAND DE ARAGON ON THE PODIUM.

   FIFTH AND FOURTH PLACE FOR TEAM MATE JORDI TORRES IN HIS HOME ROUND.

   LORENZO SAVADORI SECOND IN HIS DÉBUT ON THE SUPERSTOCK RSV4 RF.

   Alcaniz (Spain), 12 April 2015 – The weekend at Motorland de Aragon ended with a podium and confirmation of the Rider and Manufacturer second place overall standings for Team Aprilia Racing - Red Devils.

   Leon Haslam, after winning Superpole yesterday, rode his RSV4 to a third place finish in Race 2 and just barely missed the podium in Race 1.

   For the morning race the English rider had to deal with the rather low “feared” temperatures that he had already faced yesterday morning and which damaged tyre performance, keeping him from staying in contact with the lead pack. In the afternoon, on hotter tarmac, Leon started from the pole position he earned yesterday and played it safe on the first laps, starting to push and engaging in a heated battle with Rea. The gap between the two changed constantly, which is the sign of a fierce battle in which Haslam yielded only at the end, bringing home an excellent third place finish on a track that has never been particularly kind to him.

   Leon Haslam: “I'm really happy about this podium. I knew that it wouldn't be easy for us, both because of the low temperatures in Race 1 and because of the greater experience our rivals have on this track. In Race 2 we made a few small changes to the RSV4 but most of all the different conditions allowed us to be faster. I was disappointed not to have engaged in a close battle with Rea. I was faster than he was in a few spots of the track, but I lost ground in others. I'm confident as I look forward to the next rounds at Assen and Imola. They are two tracks that I like and our improvement this weekend is an excellent starting place. We know what our strong points are and race after race we are gathering fundamental data to improve. I'm sure that we'll be able to take advantage of this experience over the rest of the season.”

   Another solid race for Jordi Torres, who doesn't seem in the least to feel his status as a rookie on the world champion bike. On his home track the Spaniard continued working hard to adapt to a new category and to fully comprehend how his RSV4 RF works. The fifth place finish in Race 1, but especially the fourth place in Race 2, shows his great consistency and growing familiarity with the Italian Superbike.

   Jordi Torres: “These were two intense races. With the low temperatures we made a conservative choice in terms of tyres and in fact, in the second part of the race we had a good pace. The Race 2 conditions were much different. I used a few laps to adapt and that made me lose contact with the leaders. This is another difficulty of Superbike. Things can change a lot between the two races and it isn't always easy to adapt. In any case we did a good job this weekend. I earned some important points but above all I am continuing to gain experience, learning the secrets of this category. I've even changed my riding style a lot and I just need to take that final step, but I am leaving Aragon with good sensations.”

   SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP

   Lorenzo Savadori and Team Nuova M2 Racing also brought home an excellent result in the Aprilia RSV4 RF's début in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race.

   After leading the pack for the entire race the young Aprilia rider lost the top spot just a few metres from the wire. But with a second place at his début, and having shown an excellent level of competitiveness by taking pole position, he has definitely laid the foundation to be a top contender in the championship.

3. Tough day in the office for Pata Honda duo‏

   Posted on 5:00pm Sunday 12th Apr 2015

   The third-round of the World Superbike championship this weekend has been a challenging outing for Michael van der Mark and Sylvain Guintoli at Aragon, Spain.

   Over the weekend the team strived to improve and find the optimum setting for the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP around the 5.077km circuit.

   In the first of two 18-lap races, van der Mark was forced to retire due to a small technical problem on the tenth lap. The second race saw the SBK rookie make a gallant attack moving up from his starting grid position in 11th to sixth place, but on the last lap had to settle with eighth.

   Meanwhile van der Mark’s teammate Sylvain Guintoli finished race one within the top-ten taking ninth place after making his way forward from his qualifying position in 14th. During the second installment he had made his way up to tenth but crashed out of the running on the sixth lap after loosing the front.

   The team will now take and analyse all the data collected from each session this weekend in preparation for its home race at Assen, the Netherlands next weekend 17-19 April.

4. BMW Motorrad España partners with World GP Bike Legends‏

   Posted on 9:39am Saturday 11th Apr 2015

   For bikers the journey is in the destination. It’s about experiencing the here and now. But it’s more than that. It’s a way of life. It’s our attitude.

   World GP Bike Legends is pleased to announce BMW’s latest destination – Jerez Circuit. The 19-21 June 2015 will see the inaugural weekend festival aimed at reliving the Golden Era of grand prix motorcycle racing.

   BMW Motorrad España is partnering with the festival to offer visitors the opportunity to compare classic icons to the present day models. The full range of BMW motorcycles will be on display complemented by an extensive exhibition of motorsport machinery from decades passed. Successfully competing in World Championship series since 1924, BMW’s have won everything from Superbikes and Grands Prix to the Dakar Rally!

   Nick Wigley, CEO of Goose Live Events Worldwide, the event promoter, remarked “We are hugely excited to announce the involvement of BMW Motorrad España in the first ever World GP Bike Legends – it’s an iconic brand with over 90 years of motorcycle racing history. Visitors will no doubt enjoy the opportunity to get up close to both the classic and current BMW models on display.”

   BMW Motorrad has had an emphasis on sophisticated design and clever functionality throughout its history – be sure to read up on its development of pre-war supercharged boxer engines that went on to dominate sidecar grids. Today, reliable and powerful engines complemented by sublime suspension create a ride so enjoyable they inspire adventure and it’s now the focus message. MAKE LIFE A RIDE.

   World GP Bike Legends. 19-21 June 2015 Jerez Circuit, Spain.

   How will you get there?

   Visit www.worldgpbikelegends.com for all information on the Legendary riders, support grids, live music and festival entertainment.

5. A step in the right direction for Smith in Spain‏

   Posted on 8:38am Saturday 11th Apr 2015

   Pata Honda’s Kyle Smith set the sixth fastest overall time in today’s two free practice sessions for the third round of the 2015 World Supersport Championship at Aragon in Spain.

   The two sessions proved tricky for the team who struggled with finding the right set-up for the Honda CBR600RR, but after a modification made towards the end of the last session Smith improved his lap time by a second.

   The 23 year-old will return to the track tomorrow morning for Free Practice 3 before the afternoon qualifying session, where final grid positions for Sunday’s 16-lap race will be determined.