Category: Superbikes

1. Honda bids farewell to a racing friend

   Posted on 4:33pm Wednesday 5th Nov 2014

   Last Sunday's thrilling end to the 2014 World Superbike championship season in Qatar also marked the conclusion of one of the longest and most successful racing partnerships that the series has ever seen.

   After six seasons with the official Honda World Superbike team, run from the Ten Kate Racing workshops in the Netherlands – plus a year in the World Supersport championship with the same outfit – Jonathan Rea will begin the 2015 season with a new challenge.

   Year one of the partnership between Rea and the Ten Kate Honda team yielded six World Supersport podiums and three race wins. When he stepped up to World Superbikes and the Honda Fireblade in 2009, Rea began a remarkable record that has seen him take at least one race victory every year.

   With the culmination of the 2014 season, that win tally stands at 15, with a total of 41 podium finishes. Rea currently sits 12th in the all-time World Superbike championship win list, with all those victories having been achieved with one team on Honda’s CBR1000RR Fireblade.

   Indeed, Rea’s entire road racing career to date has been on Honda machinery, beginning with the Red Bull Rookies programme and, in 2003 at the age of 16, competing in the British 125cc championship.

   After an injury-blighted season in British Supersport in 2004, Rea progressed to the British Superbike championship in which he finished as runner-up to Honda team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari in 2007, before stepping up to the World Supersport championship with the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team.

   Rea's Honda career has also taken him to the Suzuka 8Hours race in Japan, which, in 2012, he became the first British rider to win. Later that year, Rea also stood in for the injured Casey Stoner on the Repsol Honda RC213V at the Misano and Aragon MotoGP rounds.

   At a recent World Superbike championship round, representatives from title partner Pata, Honda Motor Europe and the Ten Kate Racing organisation took an opportunity to acknowledge Rea’s contribution with a specially-designed montage representing his Honda career. It seemed a fitting way to thank the 27-year-old for his services to Honda and to the team, and to wish him and his family the best for the future.    

2. APRILIA WSBK - Quote from Sylvain Guintoli

   Posted on 10:06am Tuesday 4th Nov 2014

   Sylvain Guintoli: "The feelings right now are truly incredible. Today was a great day, two fantastic races where I felt stronger than I have ever felt in my life. I was able to be fast without any trouble and lap times were just coming easily to me. Coming to Aprilia last year was a great opportunity for me and before my shoulder injury I was in the battle for the championship so it was a shame to lose so much ground because of my physical conditions.

   This year my fitness was perfect so I was able to be consistent and demonstrate our potential. I really began to believe after Magny-Cours, in fact I was certain: we were fast, I felt good and my team gave me great support. Today I showed that I am the fastest on the track. Winning the Title by 6 points is symbolic but it is extremely important for me after all the recent controversy.

   I want to thank a lot of people, starting with my family who gave me stability and had faith in me, as well as supporting me in these months of high pressure. I am grateful to Aprilia. They provided me with the best bike I have ever ridden and a team that has become like a second family to me".

    

3. Rea ends 2014 World Superbike season in style with Qatar podium‏

   Posted on 4:38pm Monday 3rd Nov 2014

   Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea finished as runner-up in this evening’s final World Superbike race of the season at Losail in Qatar, securing third place in the championship, as French rider Sylvain Guintoli took the title with a double race victory.

   Rea had finished in fourth place in the first 17-lap outing under floodlights at the 5.380km Losail International Circuit after a blistering start on his Pata Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP from seventh place on the grid.

   In race two, Rea got another great launch off the grid and led the race in the early stages before dropping back to third. However, knowing that he had to fight for every available point, Rea got back past outgoing champion Tom Sykes to finish three seconds behind Guintoli and take third place in the series by a single point from Marco Melandri.

   Rea’s Pata Honda team-mate Leon Haslam finished race one in 11th place after struggling with front end grip throughout the 17 laps, but the British ace had to fight even harder for tenth place in race two.

   After a good start from sixth place on the grid, the 31-year-old was forced off the track at the first corner by Frenchman Loris Baz and had to recover from last position. His hard-fought finish leaves Haslam seventh overall in the final points standings.

    

4. Regent Street roars to the sound of World GP Bike Legends

   Posted on 9:48am Sunday 2nd Nov 2014

   Bike racing heroes Freddie Spencer, Wayne Gardner, Christian Sarron and Didier de Radiguès present all-new event to hundreds of thousands at the Regent Street Motor Show

    

   The exciting new World GP Bike Legends event fired into life at the Regent Street Motor Show today (1 November) as a host of racing heroes and former world champions captivated the crowds with incredible live demonstrations.    

   To launch the all-new racing extravaganza, Freddie Spencer, Wayne Gardner, Christian Sarron and Didier de Radiguès all donned their racing leathers and climbed aboard some of the most iconic racing motorcycles ever to blast down a 40-metre section of London’s famous Regent Street, giving the public just a small taste of what’s in store at World GP Bike Legends 2015.    

   The main event will take place at the beautiful Jerez Circuit in Spain on 19-21 June 2015 and will feature flat-out racing in three classes – 125cc, 250cc and 500cc – with bikes dating from 1980 to 2000.    

   Dubbed ‘The Race of Legends’, the event will feature what’s likely to be the biggest reunion of motorcycling heroes from the period, with many rider announcements expected over the coming months to join the four star names already confirmed. What’s more, following event organiser Goose Communications’ policy of creating access-all-areas extravaganzas like the Silverstone Classic, fans will get an unprecedented opportunity to meet with some of the biggest names in bike racing history and see the iconic racing machines both racing flat-out on track and up-close in the pits.

    Tickets for World GP Bike Legends went on sale today, and earlybird prices start at an incredible £55 for a full weekend pass which includes access to the paddock, grandstand seating and an official event programme. Tickets can only be purchased through at www.worldgpbikelegends.com    

   The launch took centre stage at the world-renowned Regent Street Motor show – an event that attracts hundreds of thousands of motoring enthusiasts to the heart of London. Among the incredible displays of cars past and present, the raucous and unmistakable sound of 500cc grand prix bikes rattled windows and stole the show, as Gardner, Spencer, Sarron and de Radiguès rekindled their racing fires with several jaw-dropping sprints throughout the day.   “What an incredible way to launch World GP Bike Legends!” exclaimed Nick Wigley, CEO of event organiser Goose Communications. “Seeing the look on people’s faces as those amazing bikes roared down the middle of Regent Street summed up why this event is going to be so brilliant – we’re bringing to life a truly golden era of racing that so many of the fans look back on as the most exciting and competitive period ever. With a setting as spectacular Jerez, it really will be an unmissable weekend for any fan of grand prix motorcycle racing.”   Speaking at the launch, triple world champion Freddie Spencer said: “It’s an incredible honour to be riding some of my old bikes here on Regent Street in the middle of London – it’s all a bit surreal, to be honest. For the fans to see, hear and smell these 500cc bikes firing up and accelerating right here on Regent Street is pretty cool. It was a great preview to what is going to be a fabulous event in Spain next year”

   Wayne Gardner added: "It's the first time I've attended Regent Street Motor Show and it's a surprisingly big event and looks successful event. The launch of the World GP Bike Legends has gone off extremely well attracting a huge crowd, particularly when the two-stroke bikes start and the smell and noise fills the air. The idea has been very well recieved today and everyone's really looking forward to Jerez in 2015. It's very exciting"

5. HEATED FINALE FOR THE 2014 WORLD SUPERBIKE SEASON

   Posted on 2:28pm Wednesday 29th Oct 2014

   APRILIA READY TO DEFEND ITS LEADERSHIP IN THE MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIP, SYLVIAN GIUNTOLI IN THE HUNT FOR THE RIDER TITLE.

    

   BOTH TITLES STILL UP FOR GRABS IN THE FINAL ROUND AT LOSAIL IN QATAR.

    

   Qatar, 29 October 2014 - The Superbike season which is coming to an end could be the inspiration for an excellent screenplay: great entertainment, continuous upsets and a wide open grand finale which is the stuff of a great action film.

   The key players will most certainly include Aprilia and Sylvain Guintoli, respectively the Manufacturer Championship leader and the second place contender in the rider competition. At Losail, a track that is back on the calendar after a four year absence, the races will be held at night with the aid of a sophisticated artificial lighting system. Another "theatrical stroke" worthy of the best Hollywood director.

    

   While Aprilia is leading the Brand World Championship with a 23 point advantage, spoils that must be defended in Qatar, a 12 point gap stands between Sylvain and his first Rider World Championship. The Aprilia Frenchman has made a sensational comeback to close a 44 point gap since the Laguna Seca round. Guintoli has a good record on the Losail track and for his assault he will be able to count on an RSV4 which has demonstrated brilliant performance in the last four rounds, taking as many "one-two" wins with two riders consistently on the top two steps of the podium.

   Sylvain Guintoli: “Last visit to Qatar I won the race ("8h of Doha") and the Team I raced for was World Champion (Endurance), back in 2010. I love the track and it will suit the RSV4 like a glove. I am very excited about this weekend and very focused on our target. I have worked very hard for this and since Laguna we have closed the gap from 44 to 12 points. Sykes is defending well but we are now very close”.   

   Marco Melandri, who has shown great progress, has great expectations for the Losail race. Coming off of 4 wins in the last six races, the rider from Ravenna is now lying third in the rider standings with a wide margin from the nearest contender. Marco also has an excellent change of finishing the season with honours.

   Marco Melandri: “I'm very happy to race at night in Qatar. I really like both this place and this track and I'm sure that my RSV4 will adapt very well. I really want to continue my position streak and help Aprilia take the Manufacturer World Championship”.