Category: Superbikes

1. Pata Honda delivers strong Superbike results in Spain‏

   Posted on 9:09am Monday 8th Sep 2014

   Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea took his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP to fourth and fifth place finishes in today’s two 10th-round World Superbike championship races at Jerez in Spain, retaining his third place in the series with just two rounds to go.

   The two races were won by Italian Marco Melandri, with French rider Sylvain Guintoli taking two second places and series leader Tom Sykes scoring a third in race two but seeing his championship lead reduced.

   Rea’s Pata Honda team-mate Leon Haslam finished seventh and eighth in the two 20-lap outings which were run in cooler, more overcast conditions than the earlier practice and qualifying sessions at the 4.423km Jerez circuit.

   Following the cancellation of the Moscow round, the World Superbike championship will reconvene in one month’s time for round 11 at the French circuit of Magny-Cours.

2. Marco Melandri wins both races in front of team mate Sylvain Guintoli

   Posted on 3:00pm Sunday 7th Sep 2014

   APRILIA DOMINATES AT JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA

   IN THE TENTH ROUND OF THE WORLD SBK CHAMPIONSHIP IT'S A DOUBLE ONE-TWO FOR THE ITALIAN BIKES ON THE SPANISH TRACK.

   Jerez de la Frontera, 7 September 2014 – Aprilia had no rivals at Jerez in the tenth round of the World SBK Championship. The RSV4s from Noale proved their superiority taking first and second place in both Race 1 and Race 2.

   It was Melandri who earned both wins with authority and employing a similar strategy. In both Race 1 and Race 2 Marco found himself behind in the initial phases, sixth in the first race and fifth in the second. In both cases he skilfully and steadfastly came back, demonstrating undisputed superiority and an optimum feeling with his RSV4. This takes Melandri to five wins this season.

   In both races Sylvain Guintoli took the lead early, trying to pull away from his rivals. Once overtaken by Melandri Guintoli confidently managed his position, finishing in second place twice to earn 13 championship points and close the gap behind championship leader, Sykes, whose advantage has now been reduced to just 31 points over Aprilia Racing's Frenchman.

   The double win at Jerez also has an impact on the Manufacturers Championship: with the 50 points earned in Spain, Aprilia makes up 23 on Kawasaki which now places them just one point from the top spot in the championship standings.

   Marco Melandri: “After the crash in Race 2 at Laguna Seca I was very disappointed because we could have taken a double win there. This weekend my team and I started off well straight away, changing very little on the bike and my RSV4 performed very well today. The second race was a bit more difficult because with the higher temperatures the track has less grip. I tried to be consistent even though I wasn't really fast at the beginning of the race, but I managed to maintain my pace steadily, making up places over my rivals. This was a great Sunday for me. Now I can relax for a few days before getting back on the track.”

   Sylvain Guintoli: “Our goal here was to make up points on Tom and that's what we did. Last year I didn't do too well here so I wasn't expecting to be able to battle for the win in both races. I gave it my all, working hard to solve the problems we had during practice and pushing to the limit today. The next round is at Magny Cours, a track that I like and where I know I can count on support from our French fans to keep fighting for the Championship. With 100 points left on the table anything can still happen.”

3. IRVING & REDLINE GO WILD AT SILVERSTONE

   Posted on 3:56pm Thursday 28th Aug 2014

   Moto3 Wildcard entry for 17-year old Joe at British Grand Prix

   British Motostar championship contender, Joe Irving, will make his first appearance at a MotoGP event when he lines up for the Moto3 race at Silverstone on August 31.

   The 17-year old from Holmfirth has been a consistent force in British Motostar - the national equivalent of Moto3 - on KTM RC 250 R machinery, taking three wins and nine podiums in 2013 and is currently battling for the championship lead after seven rounds of the 2014 season, with four wins and three other podiums.

   Trainee chef Irving will be aiming to impress the partisan crowd at the Northamptonshire circuit when he lines up on his familiar British championship machine, supplied and run by Loughborough-based KTM dealer, Redline Motorcycles.

   We grabbed a quick word with ‘Joe Toad’ ahead of his Grand Prix debut this weekend at Silverstone.

   How are you feeling?
   
   Joe Irving: I’m actually less nervous compared to a British Championship weekend. I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Well, that’s what I’ve been telling everyone else! But honestly, there are no consequences and only good things can happen from this experience.

   What you think the biggest challenge will be of riding at Grand Prix level?
   
   I’m going to have to increase my speed dramatically to keep up with riders here, compared to British championship. The team and me will have to take really big steps this weekend to keep up, but we’re up for that and as best prepared as we can be.

   Do you have a personal goal?
   
   To qualify! I want to improve on my best time from the British championship round from here last year. Another goal is to finish the race. That may sound daft, but a lot of wildcard riders have been known to crash out. To break the top 30 would be good as the pace is hot. I’m just going to ride my bike as fast as I can.

   Are there any particular riders you want to beat?
   
   There’s a big group of riders that I’ve ridden against before. Jules Danilo beat me at Silverstone by 0.05 seconds when he did a wildcard in the British championship last season, so I need to get revenge on him. I’ve also raced against Ana Carrasco and Scott Darou before in Spain.

   Do you like the Silverstone circuit?

   It’s my favourite circuit we come to in the British championship. I just really like how wide and big the track is; it’s a proper Grand Prix circuit compared to the ‘normal’ tight and twisty British tracks.

   Do you have any home advantage?
   
   There are a few riders making their debut rides at Silverstone and, not including this weekend, I’ve ridden here three years on the trot so I’m reasonably comfortable here.

   Have you made any changes to the Redline KTM RC 250 R?
   
   We can run the twin exhausts from the KTM GP Race Kit as there are no noise restrictions here. They’re so loud - 10db over the British championship limit! I really like them, you can hear the bike a lot better.

   The biggest changes are a few different stickers on the bike from new sponsors that have come onboard, such as Halifax Glass.

   We are running the same specification Dunlop tyres as we do in the British championship, so there’s nothing new for me to get used to. Well, apart from the pace!

   What have you been doing in the run up to the event?
   
   Racing a lot! We were only just at Cadwell Park this past Bank Holiday weekend, but our race was rained off. But there have been a lot of British championship races in the past six weeks. I’ve been training on the push bike a lot in between working as a chef at my parent’s pub and the only weekend the team had off we did some display runs on the bike at the Brackley Festival of Motorcycling.

   I also held a fundraiser to help cover the big cost of doing this wildcard and the support we had from people and companies donating prizes was amazing. People really stepped up and the auction was a big success, so I can’t thank everyone enough for making my Grand Prix dream happen.

4. Morris and Nutt share the spoils at Cadwell Park

   Posted on 9:33am Wednesday 27th Aug 2014

   Leon Morris takes a win and a third as he increases championship lead

   • Marty Nutt takes race two win
   • Dek Crutchlow father of Cal Crutchlow guest rides in Ducati TriOptions Cup
   • Jakub Smrz breaks wrist in free practice of British Superbikes

   A packed Bank Holiday crowd were treated to two thrilling races over the weekend with Leon Morris and Marty Nutt taking a win each.

   Leon Morris, Carl Cox Motorsport/ P&H Motorcycles increased his lead in the Ducati TriOptions Cup title fight with a win and a third place at Cadwell Park. Marty Nutt the Ducati Coventry rider took the win in Race 2 while Dennis Hobbs had to settle for two second places over the weekend.  

   In race one Morris lined up on the front row behind team mate Dennis Hobbs on pole with 2013 Champion Marty Nutt third on the grid.  It was however Morris that led Hobbs and Nutt into the first corner and would hold this lead for the majority of the race, with Hobbs close behind and Nutt watching the battle unfold in third. Despite all three riders maintaining the same positions this was not a procession as Morris and Hobbs swapped places over the closing third of the race. Unfortunately Hobbs was unable to make any overtakes stick and he had to settle for second place behind Morris with Nutt coming home in a close third.

   Morris went into race two with a 26 point lead and with only two more rounds was keen to consolidate his championship lead. Having set the fastest lap in race 1, Morris started from pole with the race being designated a wet race as the forecast rain made conditions and visibility tricky for the Ducati TriOptions riders.

   It was Morris who again led into the first corner followed by championship rivals Hobbs and Nutt. Immediately the front three pulled out a four second lead over fourth placed Guiver with Nutt putting a fastest lap on lap 3. Hobbs was hounding Morris but Morris in turn responded with a fastest lap, the three were showing an impressive pace considering the wet track and had soon increased the gap between third and fourth by over seven seconds.

    

   Dennis Hobbs’ persistence paid off on lap six passing Morris through Coppice and immediately pulling away. Now Morris had Nutt to contend with as the Irishman put in yet another fastest lap and soon Nutt was to move into second place and close in on the P&H Motorcycles 899 Panigale of Dennis Hobbs. Meanwhile Morris was falling back on the leading two and could only watch as Nutt took Hobbs at Hall Bends on lap 8. Hobbs did his best to take the lead back but with backmarkers coming into play had to settle for his second 2nd place of the weekend.

   Sean Neary (Mymate.co.uk) had a disappointing race one after crashing out on the first lap at Mansfield but recovered in race two with an 8th position. Rob Guiver (Hyside Motorcycles) put behind him a DNF at Oulton with a fourth and a seventh place, while the rider of the weekend was Fast Bikes journalist Al Fagan who continued his good form with two sixth places.

   Not all the attention was on the championship leaders as one of the stories of the weekend was the return to racing at the age of 68 of Dek Crutchlow, father of Ducati MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow. Dek rode the Ducati UK 899 Panigale guest bike to a 20th place in race one and 21st in race two.

   Quotes:

   Leon Morris

   “Overall a good weekend with a win yesterday and a third today in really tricky conditions. The key for me is having dry conditions which are much more predictable whereas today was not. Today I felt really strong and felt like I could go with them and win the race.  I have increased my lead by a couple more points over the weekend and won the event overall so it’s been a blinding weekend.”

    

   Marty Nutt

   “Yes, very happy and believe it or not we have not changed anything on the bike since Oulton. Obviously we backed everything off for the wet race but the bike is good now so we can take it to any circuit. I am looking forward to Assen and Silverstone which are mega tracks for me, but I think Dennis and Leon are good round those tracks too so there will not be much advantage there.”

   The Ducati TriOptions Cup returns for the penultimate round at Assen on the 19/20/21 September.

   For the Millsport Ducati Racing team, the weekend came to a premature end when Czech rider, Jakub Smrz crashed out in the Superbikes free practice on Saturday. Smrz clipped a curb, causing him to high side and throwing the rider over the handlebars resulting in a broken left wrist. He was taken to the Hull Royal infirmary where the wrist was straightened and he will return to the Czech Republic for surgery. It seems unlikely that the rider will make Donington, but the team and rider have targeted Assen for his return.

   Jakub Smrz

   "I think I touched an exhaust or something on the curb and then it made the bike unstable and I highsided. I went to hospital where they put me under anaesthetic and they straightened the break. I think normally for this type of injury you would expect to be out for 5 to 6 weeks but I hope to be back in time for Assen. When I get home I will see my surgeon and see what he says.

   “I am very disappointed. We knew it would be difficult here but we have Donington and Assen coming up that I hope to be fit for. I will call my surgeon and we will make a plan.” 

5. KTM RC 390 CUP COMING TO THE UK

   Posted on 9:14am Thursday 7th Aug 2014

   NEW YOUTH SERIES BEING EVALUATED AT OULTON PARK BSB THIS WEEKEND
   
   • KTM looking to bring RC 390 Cup series to support British Superbikes in 2015
   • Cost effective youth series likely to be open to riders aged 12-17
   • Cup version of RC 390 fitted with track-focused KTM PowerParts
   • Static and dynamic display of RC 390 Cup at Oulton Park BSB

   KTM UK and MSVR are evaluating the possibilities of creating a UK ‘KTM RC 390 Cup’ to run at selected MCE British Superbike (BSB) rounds throughout 2015.

   With MSVR’s expertise and to encourage youth participation in affordable, production based racing
at the most visible level, KTM are fortunate to be in the position to deliver an exciting and colourful motorcycle to feature in a race series that will highlight young talent, alongside the world’s premier domestic series, the MCE British Superbike Championship.

   A similar series, powered by the imminent KTM RC 390 production bike, is currently being run very successfully by the German ADAC organization, with a grid of over 30 young riders battling out at selected rounds of the IDM championship and was also a support race for the recent German round of MotoGP at Sachsenring.

   The RC 390 is an exciting, light and practical sports bike with a 44hp, 375cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine housed in a steel trellis chassis and fitted with top-level components. The Cup version takes this already energetic machine and focuses it for track use solely, using a whole host of official KTM PowerParts that will also be publically available.

   The fully adjustable suspension package not only allows for individual set up for each race; it is also a valuable learning tool
for suspension setups. The bike has adjustable foot pegs and handlebar levers to create personalised ergonomics, making it ideal for young racers that are still growing.

   KTM UK will be present at the Oulton Park round of the British Superbike championship this weekend on August 9-10 with one of the ADAC KTM Junior Cup series bikes. Staff will be there to talk to riders and companies interested in getting involved with this potential one-make series in 2015.

   KTM UK Marketing Manager, Simon Belton, said:“KTM is a ‘Ready to Race’ company that is also committed to developing future talent, such as with the Red Bull Rookies MotoGP Cup. A UK version of the RC 390 Cup will allow MSVR to provide a very cost effective and competitive youth series along with offering KTM UK a very exciting platform to introduce the production version of the RC 390.

   “The intention for this UK series is to follow the rules and formula from the ADAC championship, with details such as age restrictions yet to be set, but likely to be open to riders aged 12-17 years old. Our presence at Oulton Park should hopefully give us the opportunity to talk to potential riders and partners for the series in order to make a full announcement very soon.”

   There will also be a dynamic display of the bike over the course of the weekend with Motostar championship contender, Joe Irving, taking the bike around Oulton’s swooping ribbon of tarmac. The bike is the only one in the country and Joe has already had the opportunity to ride it around Snetterton.

   Joe Irving, 17, said: “To be honest I wasn’t expecting the RC 390 Cup bike to be as good as it is. I could really ride it hard and the quality of the suspension and brakes is at a really good level. The choice of tyres will be a big factor for this series but I think it will make a great feeder class for series such as Motostar.”

   If you have an interest in participating in the
proposed RC 390 Cup series next year, please email [email protected], in the subject line put RC 390 Cup 2015 and include your name, address, post code, age, riding experience and preferred KTM dealer. We will then 
send you details when they have been confirmed.