WorldSBK ready for Thai debut

The Chang International Circuit hosts the second round of the season

After the thrilling season opener at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia, the eni FIM Superbike World Championship returns to the track for the second outing of the year, taking place on March 20-22 at the brand-new Chang International Circuit in Thailand.

The track located near Buriram (which means City of Happiness), in the North Eastern part of the country, is the 48th to host a WorldSBK event in the history of the series. The Chang International Circuit is also the fifth new venue to debut on the World Superbike calendar in the past five years.

The track’s 4.554km layout is laid on completely flat terrain and features twelve corners, five left and seven right. Following a first fast section mainly made of two straights and two right-hand turns, the riders enter a mixed second part of the track, which connects back to the start/finish straight.

With just one round completed of the 2015 season, two riders sit atop the standings with one win and a second place apiece. Former teammates Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) had a successful start to their new adventures at Phillip Island as they immediately gelled with their new machines both in qualifying and in the race. The two riders rounded out the race-winning numbers for Aprilia and Kawasaki in the series which now stand at 50 and 60, respectively.

In the mix with both of them for most of the two Australian encounters, fellow Briton Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team) left Phillip Island with two encouraging podium finishes and the confidence to consistently challenge for the top step aboard his Panigale R. The Welshman will be joined once again by three-time WorldSBK Champion Troy Bayliss, who is eager to improve his performance after his surprise return to the series at his home round. The soon-to-be 46-year-old will again be the substitute rider for the injured Davide Giugliano.

Last year’s title contenders, the reigning Champion Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike) and runner-up Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) will be aiming to bounce back to the front after a difficult opening round which saw both riders playing catch-up both to the leading trio as well as to their respective teammates.

Still recovering from the neck injury suffered in a testing crash at Jerez at the end of January, Guintoli hopes to be fit enough to face the extreme heat and humidity the riders will encounter in Thailand. The Frenchman is looking forward to making the most out of the Honda package that proved to be very competitive in Australia in the hands of the reigning World Supersport Champion Michael van der Mark, who had an excellent Superbike debut at Phillip Island.

After the promising World Superbike debuts of Spanish rookies Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) and Nico Terol (Althea Racing Ducati), the duo will start from the same level of track-knowledge at Chang as the rest of the field, a factor that could well boost their chances for impressive results in Thailand.

Keen on putting a difficult opening round behind them, the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki pairing of Alex Lowes and Randy de Puniet will try to make the most of the opportunity given by the Thai Round, hoping to quickly find a competitive set-up for their GSX-R machines which suffered a multitude of technical issues at the Phillip Island races.

More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing:

Team Althea Racing is ready for the second round of the 2015 Superbike World Championship that will take place in Thailand for the first time, at the impressive “Chang International Circuit” in the province of Buriram.

Following on from two positive races in Phillip Island, Australia on 22 February, with two solid results for riders Nico Terol and Matteo Baiocco, the team will head to Asia in high spirits and intent on achieving more positive results.

It is a brand new track for the World Superbikes, meaning that all teams will have a lot of work to do right from Friday morning’s session in order to find the best set-up solutions and be ready for Sunday’s races. The entire Althea Racing Team will continue with the great work completed up until now, aware however that the weekend will consist of many unknowns. The physical and mental stress for the riders will be high due to the extreme heat that they will face and they will also have to deal with severe tyre wear caused by the unusually hot conditions.

Nico Terol: “I’m coming from an opening round in which I did a good job but there is definitely still room for improvement and I think that we can make steps forward in Thailand. The important thing is to continue to work hard with the Team as I’ve done until now. This is a new track and we have no references of any kind, so we’ll have to work hard during the practices in order to be as prepared as possible for the races.”

Matteo Baiocco: “I’m pleased to have made my 2015 debut with two good races and the continuous progress made throughout the Australian weekend motivates me ahead of Thailand. As it is a new track we don’t know what to expect but I definitely want to improve my performance. I’ve been training hard and can’t wait to get back on my Panigale.”

The “Chang International Circuit” located in the Buriram province is the most recent creation from the world’s best-known circuit designer, German Herman Tilke. The track is 4554 metres long and its 12 corners are designed to ensure maximum speed. Buriram (meaning “city of happiness”) is located in the north-east of the country, 400 km (5 hours by car) from Bangkok and the track, south of the city, can host roughly 50,000 spectators. Temperatures are expected to be very high, varying between 40 and 29°C, but by racing in this period, the Superbikes avoid the rainy season which runs from May to October.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Next stop Thailand, and a brand new track, for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team

Arezzo/Borgo Panigale (Italy), Monday 16 March 2015 – The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team is on its way to Thailand for the second round of the 2015 Superbike World Championship, scheduled to take place this weekend at the brand new Chang International Circuit in the Buriram province. Chaz Davies will again be flanked by three-times World Champion Troy Bayliss, substituting once more for injured Davide Giugliano.

The opening round of the 2015 Superbike World Championship concluded three weeks ago at the Australian circuit of Phillip Island. Factory rider Chaz Davies quickly made his presence felt, underlining both his talent and the potential of his Panigale R by scoring two third place finishes and the best lap of race 2, and crossing the line within half a second of the winner in each of the day’s races. Davies thus lies in third position in the championship standings after round 1.

Davies’ teammate Davide Giugliano is continuing to focus on his recovery after suffering fractures of the L1 and L2 vertebrae after an accident in testing at Phillip Island on 16 February. Concentrating on his rehabilitation programme, Giugliano should be ready to return to the ranks for the fifth round of the championship at Imola in May.

The Italian squad, having substituted Davide with three-times World Champion Troy Bayliss at the opening round in Australia, will entrust the Panigale R to the 45-year old Australian once again this weekend in Thailand. Bayliss, despite very little time on track with the new Panigale R, closed race 1 at Phillip Island inside the points zone and is enthusiastic about riding the Ducati again in Thailand, where he hopes to build on the experience he gained in Australia.

The Chang International Circuit officially opened in October 2014. This weekend therefore marks World Superbikes first visit to Thailand, an important market for motorcycle manufacturers, and a country in which Ducati has its own factory, situated in the Rayong province.

Comments ahead of the event:

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7)

“I had the chance to visit the Chang International Circuit while visiting Ducati Thailand in January this year. It looks like an amazing facility and a great track and I’m always keen to race at new circuits. After the results achieved in Australia, I’m feeling even more motivated and am looking forward to getting back to work this weekend and seeing what we can do.”

Troy Bayliss (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #21)

“Firstly I’d like to thank the team for giving me another chance to ride the Panigale R. I’m excited to get back on track, and at what is a brand new circuit for everyone, so we’ll all start on a level playing field. I’ve been training hard in recent weeks and am feeling well prepared for the challenge. I can’t wait to get started.”

Circuit Information:

Country: Thailand

Name: Chang International Circuit

Length: 4.554 km

Turns: 12

Race distance: 20 laps / 91.080km

LAP RECORDS: NEW CIRCUIT

2014 RESULTS: NEW CIRCUIT

Rider Information:

Chaz Davies

Bike: Ducati Panigale R

Race number: 7

Age: 28 (Born 10/02/1987 in Knighton, Wales)

Number of SBK races: 76

Number of wins: 4

Number of podiums: 16

Troy Bayliss

Bike: Ducati Panigale R

Race number: 21

Age: 45 (Born 30/03/1969 in Taree, Australia)

Number of SBK races: 154

Number of wins: 52

Number of podiums: 94

Weekend schedule (CET +6):

Friday

10.30 – 11.45 – SBK Timed Practice 1

15.30 – 16.15 – SBK Timed Practice 2

Saturday

09.45 – 10.30 – SBK Timed Practice 3

12.30 – 13.00 – SBK Free Practice

15.00 – 15.15 – Superpole 1

15.25 – 15.40 – Superpole 2

Sunday

10.30 – 10.45 – SBK Warm-up

13.00 – SBK Race 1

16.30 – SBK Race 2