BMW Motorrad Race Trophy: Riders from Canada and Spain move to the fore – Barrier wins the EVO class in the WSBK.
Jordan Szoke (CSBK) and Ivan Silva Alberola (CEV) were both victorious in their championships and climbed into the top four of the Race Trophy standings – WSBK rider Sylvain Barrier returns to form in Portimão.
Munich, 8th July 2014. BMW Motorrad privateers were once again victorious on various continents last weekend. Jordan Szoke (CA) tasted success in the Canadian Superbike Championship (CSBK), while Ivan Silva Alberola (ES) and Daniel Rivas Fernandez (ES) finished one-two for BMW in the Superbike class of the Spanish Motorcycle Championship (CEV). In the World Superbike Championship, Sylvain Barrier (FR) returned to form after a long injury to claim an emphatic victory in the EVO class.
BMW Motorrad Race Trophy: Szoke and Silva Alberola on the up.
The battle at the top of the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy remains exciting this week. Cyril Brunet-Lugardon (FR) and Emilien Jaillet (FR) from the French Superbike Championship (FSBK) are level on points at the top of the standings. Both have 143.00 Race Trophy points to their name. In the case of a tie, the number of race wins is decisive: as Brunet-Lugardon has won once more than his compatriot Jaillet this season, he is classed as the leader. However, the chasing pack continue to take every opportunity to pick up points and, as the race calendars are completely different in the individual championships, major changes are afoot every week in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy standings.
One man who took full advantage of the opportunity to score Race Trophy points this weekend was Canada’s Jordan Szoke. He lined up at the second round of the Canadian Superbike Championship (CSBK) in St. Eustache (CA). As at the season-opener in Shannonville (CA), Szoke was unbeatable on his BMW S 1000 RR. He claimed both pole position and the win in St. Eustache. This not only saw Szoke extend his lead in the CSBK, but also significantly increased his points tally in the Race Trophy. He has now climbed to third overall with 129.00 points.
Level on points (129.00), but with one win fewer to his name, is the new fourth-placed man Ivan Silva Alberola (ES). He races in the Superbike class of the Spanish Motorcycle Championship (CEV). The fifth round of the season in this series was held in Albacete (ES), and BMW had plenty to cheer about. BMW Motorrad not only claimed its first win of the season in Sunday’s second race, but also achieved a one-two. Cheered on by his entire family, Silva Alberola came home first on the BMW S 1000 RR fielded by Targobank Motorsport to move into the overall lead in the CEV Riders’ Championship. Daniel Rivas Fernandez (ES / Easyrace Superbike) crossed the line second to complete the BMW one-two. Rivas Fernandes was fourth in race one, with Silva Alberola behind him in fifth place.
FIM World Superbike Championship in Portimão.
Portimão on the Algarve coast of Portugal was the venue for the eighth round of the 2014 World Superbike Championship (WSBK) at the weekend. Sylvain Barrier of the BMW Motorrad Italia SBK team emphatically announced his return to form. The Frenchman had been forced to take a three-month break from racing after a serious crash in his car, and only returned to action at the previous round in Misano (IT). In Portugal, there was no sign of his lengthy injury. On Saturday, Barrier first missed out on the decisive Superpole 2 on his BMW S 1000 RR, and eventually qualified tenth, making him the best-placed EVO rider. In the opening race on Sunday, which was held in dry conditions, Barrier missed out on victory in the EVO class by just a few thousandths of a second. He led the EVO class until shortly before the finish, when David Salom (ES) sneaked past in the final few metres. Barrier finished runner-up in the EVO class (tenth overall). It rained in the second race, but there was no catching the Frenchman this time: he crossed the finish line as the winner of the EVO class (eleventh overall).
Injury prevented Imre Toth (HU/BMW Team Toth) from competing in Portimão. His Superbike version of the RR was ridden by Gabor Rizmayer (HU). He came home 17th and 19th. Peter Sebestyen (HU), who lined up on an EVO version of the RR for BMW Team Toth, was unable to finish race one and did not start the second race.
There is no time to catch a breath for the WSBK teams and riders. Directly after the races at Portimão they headed to the United States. The iconic Laguna Seca Raceway in California will host the ninth round of the 2014 season this weekend.
FIM Superstock 1000 Cup in Portimão.
Portimão hosted the fifth race of the season in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup (WSTK). The best-placed BMW Motorrad privateer was Federico d’Annunzio (IT/FDA Racing Team) who finished seventh. Robert Muresan (RO/H-Moto Team) was twelfth. The riders from the Motxoracing team, Federico Sandi (IT) and Remo Castellarin (IT) came home 13th and 17th.
2014 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Current Standings.
Status: 8th July 2014
| Pos. | Name (Nat.) | Series | Points |
| 1 | Cyril Brunet-Lugardon (FR) | FSBK | 143,00 |
| 2 | Emilien Jaillet (FR) | FSBK | 143,00 |
| 3 | Jordan Szoke (CA) | CSBK | 129,00 |
| 4 | Ivan Silva Alberola (ES) | CEV | 129,00 |
| 5 | Laurent Aymonin (FR) | FSBK | 127,00 |
| 6 | Marco Nekvasil (AT) | IDM | 122,75 |
| 7 | Lucy Glöckner (DE) | IDM | 116,25 |
| 8 | Markus Reiterberger (DE) | IDM | 106,75 |
| 9 | Lance Isaacs (ZA) | SAM | 102,75 |
| 10 | Daniel Rivas Fernandez (ES) | CEV | 101,00 |
| 11 | Michel Amalric (FR) | FSBK | 100,00 |
| 12 | Alessandro Polita (IT) | CIV | 91,25 |
| 13 | Bastien Mackels (BE) | IDM, EWC | 91,00 |
| 14 | Luca Conforti (IT) | CIV | 82,50 |
| 15 | Andy Rey (FR) | FSBK | 82,00 |
16. Eeki Kuparinen (FI/CEV/80,00), 17. Federico D‘Annunzio (IT/WSTK/78,00), 18. Matthieu Lussiana (FR/BRSBK/69,50), 19. Leon Bovee (NL/IDM/67,50), 20. Dominik Vincon (DE/IDM/60,75), 21. Marc Neumann (DE/IDM/58,50), 22. Janine Davies (ZA/SAM/58,05), 23. Stefan Nebel (DE/IDM/54,75), 24. Uwe Gürck (DE/SWC/51,12), 25. Denni Schiavoni (IT/CIV/50,00), 26. Florian Drouin (FR/FSBK/48,00), 27. Jean Foray (FR/FSBK/45,00), 28. Björn Stuppi (DE/EWC/42,35), 29. Hayato Takada (JP/MFJ/42,35), 30. Florian Brunet-Lugardon (FR/FSBK/41,00), 31. Jörg Steinhausen (DE/SWC/40,80), 32. Thomas Hainthaler (DE/IDM/40,50), 33. Mark Albrecht (DE/IDM/36,75), 34. Daisaku Sakai (JP/MFJ/30,00), 35. Robert Muresan (RO/WSTK/30,00), 36. Kohji Teramoto (JP/MFJ/26,60). 37. Sergiy Grygorovych (UA/IDM/25,50), 38. Lucas Barros (BR/BRSBK/21,00), 39. Camille Hedelin (FR/FSBK/18,00), 40. Tim Robinson (CA/CSBK/17,50), 41. Luciano Ribodino (AR/BRSBK/16,50), 42. Alessio Velini (IT/CIV/15,00), 43. Lucas Teodoro (BR/BRSBK/9,00), 44. Imre Toth (HU/WSBK/6,50), 45. David Datzer (DE/IDM/6,00), 46. Rémi Boitel (FR/FSBK/6,00), 47. Shinya Takeishi (JP/MFJ/6,00), 48. Martjin Polinder (DK/IDM/3,00), 49. Peter Sebestyen (HU/WSBK/3,00), 50. Filip Altendorfer (DE/EWC/0,00), 50. Florian Bauer (DE/EWC/0,00), 50. Rico Löwe (DE/EWC/0,00), 50. Didier Grams (DE/Macau Grand Prix/0,00)
It is still possible to register for the 2014 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy on the websitewww.bmw-motorrad.de/motorsport. The deadline for registrations for the current season is not until 2nd November 2014, entry is free. Regardless of when the registrations are received, each participant will receive points for all the race events he/she has competed in since the start of the scoring period on 15th February 2014. So the ranking can also continuously change as new participants are added.
BMW Motorrad Motorsport website:
www.bmw-motorrad.com/motorsport
More, from a press release issued by Waznie Racing:
Szoke Continues to Lead the Canadian Superbike Championship
Jordan Szoke became the first racer in history to claim four National Superbike victories at Autodrome StEustache over the weekend. Since the re introduction of the venue in 2011 Szoke has claimed three out of the four victories that have been up for grabs.
“The bike is working better than ever this year,” said Szoke after his 45th career Canadian Superbike race win. “The changes we have made in the off-season have made a big difference and I feel like I’m braking better than I ever have.”
Szoke started from pole position on Sunday after asserting the fastest lap around the 1.92 km (1.2 mile) circuit during the Magneti Marelli SuperPole with a time of 45.195 seconds. Szoke was within 0.183 of the lap record set in 2011.
“There was a strong wind blowing across the back-straight and I had some head shake and had to get out of it a bit,” says Szoke. “But I think a record lap was there. For me, it’s very positive with the bike and the new Dunlop spec tires.”
Szoke was beaten off the line, but quickly got ahead to set the race’s fastest lap of 45.771 sec during lap three. He then took the lead on lap five of the 22 lap race to stay the victory, completing the race in 16 minutes, 49.798 seconds.
“The plan was to get a good start and grab the hole shot but that obviously didn’t work,” Szoke said. “I didn’t want everyone to get away. Once I took the lead I tried to slow the pace down, into the 46s, and then I was going to put my head down at the end.”
This is Szoke’s second win if the season, and second pole position. He leads the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship with 112 maximum points and a 22 point lead.
The next round of the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship takes place July 25-27 at Atlantic Motorsports Park in Shubenacadie Nova Scotia, Canada.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Round 8 Portimao: EVO And Superstock Race
A full raceday at Portimao saw the Kawasaki SBK Evo riders take on the eighth round of the season and gain many positive results. Kawasaki’s competitors in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, during round five, also showed their very best potential to dominate the podium places.
SBK Evo Kawasaki Riders
In the Evo Championship a largely dry race one at Portimao allowed David Salom to wait until he was ready before making a late push to take the win. In a wet race two he was not as confident in the more slippery conditions but he ran out ahead of his closest championship challenger, and increased his championship advantage to 28 points.
Behind Salom in race one, Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki) was a high points scorer in 12th place. Riccardo Russo (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) placed 14th in the race and his fellow Pedercini rider, Alessandro Andreozzi, was 15th and the last points scorer.
Race two proved to be a profitable one for many Kawasaki Evo riders, with race one non-finisher Sheridan Morais (Iron Brain Kawasaki SBK Team) 12th, and followed him by Guarnoni, Bryan Staring (Iron Brain Kawasaki SBK Team) and Russo in the final points scoring positions down to 15th.
Next up for the Kawasaki Evo riders is the eagerly-awaited Laguna Seca round, which takes place on Sunday 13th July.
Superstock 1000 FIM Cup
After an impressive win in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup class Lorenzo Savadori (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) scooped up enough points at Portimao to take the championship lead with only two more rounds to go in the season. He is now four points ahead of Leandro Mercado.
In the 14-lap race in Portugal, held in wet but drying conditions, Matthieu Lussiana (Kawasaki Team Garnier by Aspi) was second and Kawasaki riders made it a clean sweep of the podium places when David McFadden (MRS Kawasaki) scored third on a great day for the Ninja ZX-10R riders.
With no race for the Superstock riders at Laguna Seca next weekend the penultimate round will be held at Jerez, in Spain, on September 7th.
More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:
British riders Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea win on the hilly Portimão track with Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike standard SC0 tires and wet DIABLO™ Rain tires
On the dry asphalt the Englishman with Kawasaki Racing Team took Superpole on Saturday and won Race 1; in Race 2 the pouring rain gave the Pata Honda World Superbike Team rider an advantage and in Supersport, Dutchman Michael Vd Mark took his fourth win of the season
Portimão (Portugal), 7 July 2014 – Wet weather partially characterized the eni FIM World Superbike races at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve this weekend. In fact, although the weather in southern Portugal was sunny on Saturday, after a dry Race 1 today the Superbike Race 2 was held in the rain. This obviously did not compromise normal race operations and the show for the crowd who came out to the circuit, but it definitely made the tire choice more difficult and more varied.
The most popular ones for the rear in Race 1 were the DIABLO™ Superbike standard SC0 for the Superbike riders and the new soft solution dedicated exclusively to the EVO riders, whereas the S1699 proved to be the most popular solution on the front. Then the rain in Race 2 left no choice for the riders but to use wet DIABLO™ Rain tires.
In Race 1 it was a battle between riders from the Kawasaki Racing Team and the Aprilia Racing Team. Tom Sykes, starting from pole position, initially lost the lead but then took it back in the fourth lap without relinquishing it again to win with a 2.5 second advantage over Aprilia’s Frenchman, Sylvain Guintoli, who came back from the sixth position on the grid to finish second. Their respective team mates crossed the line behind them with Loris Baz on the third step of the podium and Marco Melandri having to settle for fourth place.
Race 2 was declared a wet race and reduced to 18 laps instead of the originally scheduled 20. All the riders on the grid mounted DIABLO™ Rain wet tires. All the riders on the front rows got off to a good start but the decisive lap that marked the definitive trend of the race was the 13th when Aprilia riders Marco Melandri and Sylvain Guintoli, holding strong in second and third place respectively behind Jonathan Rea, were taken out of the race after colliding with one another. At that point the British rider from Pata Honda World Superbike Team had a clear path to success and he crossed the finish line ahead of the rest in the rain. Behind him the Ducati Superbike Team riders Davide Giugliano and Chaz Davies finished in second and third place respectively.
In the FIM World Supersport Championship race, interrupted in the 12th lap due to rain, victory went to Dutchman Michael Vd Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team), his fourth of the season, who also won the Best Lap astride his Honda CBR600RR, holding onto the overall standings lead with 160 points, widening the gap ahead of the closest contenders, Jules Cluzel and Florian Marino. The red flag that stopped the race also decided a second place for Irishman Jack Kennedy (CIA Insurance Honda) and third place for the Turk from MAHI Racing Team India, Kenan Sofuoglu on his Kawasaki.
After the Superbike Race 2 it was Superstock 1000’s turn, but the clouds hovering over the track were kind to that race and it was held in almost dry conditions. The winner was Lorenzo Savadori (Team Pedercini) with his second consecutive victory of the year and new championship leader, followed by Matthieu Lussiana (Team Garnier by ASPI) and David McFadden (MRS Kawasaki) in third place.
In the FIM Superstock 600 European Championship held on Saturday it was Marco Faccani (San Carlo Team Italia) taking yet another win, the fourth out of five races held, on his Kawasaki ZX-6R to lead the overall standings with 106 points. Crossing the finish line behind him was Dutchman Wayne Tessels astride his Suzuki GSX-R600 for Waynes Racing Team, moving into second place for the overall championship standings. The bottom step of the podium was occupied by Federico Caricasulo (Evan Bros. Racing Team) on his Honda CBR600RR.
Last but not least, in the European Junior Cup Spaniard Augusto Fernandez took his fourth win of the season for team WIL Sport, now leading the championship with 129 points, second place for Angelo Licciardi (S.E.F.A.B Racing) and third place for Javier Orellana (Europe Food SL) who in any case holds onto his second place position in the overall standings.
Comment from Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Moto Racing Director:
“In this round the solutions we brought worked well once again. Our only disappointment is that we were not able to see the new rear solution designed exclusively for the Superbike category in action. In fact, the riders preferred the standard SC0 solution in Race 1 which we already know quite well, rather than risking a new solution, whereas in Race 2 they were forced to mount wet tires. In any case we are satisfied because we will be able to offer this solution to the riders for the Laguna Seca round as well where we hope to get more feedback. On the other hand the new solution dedicated to the EVO riders was popular straight away, the T0532, which had only been tested at Imola in May but had never been brought to the races until now. The S1185 SC1 development solution also performed quite well, providing riders like Melandri, who used it in Race 1, performance similar to the riders who chose the standard soft solution. As concerns the front tire choices we received confirmation for the nth time on the S1699 SC1 development solution which will quite probably be the new standard SC1 for 2015. In Race 2 all the riders obviously used wet DIABLO™ Rain tires which performed very well, allowing the riders to maintain a sustained race pace and to make some incredible passes. I would like to compliment all the key players of the weekend. It was too bad about the Aprilia riders in race 2 who were riding a very good race.”
The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders:
In the Superbike class for Race 1 the S1699 development solution in a medium-soft compound was confirmed as the most popular option among the riders who chose it almost unanimously.
A solution introduced by Pirelli for the first time at the Aragòn round and which was then brought to Assen, Imola, Donington and Misano which has always been quite popular with the teams and riders.
On the rear the choice of the EVO riders fell to the new solution dedicated to them, the T0532, whereas the Superbike riders almost all preferred the standard SC0 over the T0384 development tire, making a more conservative choice and using a product with which they were already very familiar. Some of the riders, including Marco Melandri, opted for a harder solution, the S1185 SC1 development solution.
In Race 2 all of the riders obviously opted for the wet DIABLO™ Rain tires because of the rain.
In Supersport the most widely used option on the front was the S1485 development solution which was used for the first time at Misano and which was chosen by 18 of the 25 riders on the grid here, confirming its status as an excellent alternative to the already good standard SC1.
For the rear the S0624 SC1 development tire, already seen in action at Aragón, Assen, Imola and Donington, earned the preference of 2/3 of the riders on the grid, while 5 riders went with the new T813 soft compound solution and only 2 chose the new T814.
Pirelli Best Lap Awards:
The “Pirelli Best Lap Awards” are awarded by Pirelli to the riders who set the fastest race lap in Superbike and Supersport. This prestigious recognition is presented by a Pirelli representative during the Paddock Show in a press conference which follows the podium at the end of the races, for a total of three awards each weekend.
The Superbike and Supersport riders who have earned the most “Pirelli Best Lap Award” titles at the end of the season will be elected “Best Lap Winner: fastest rider of the year” and awarded during the end of year ceremony. At the moment Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) leads the Superbike standings with 4 Best Lap Awards. In Supersport Michael Vd Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) is the leader with 3 Best Lap Awards.
These are the riders who won the Pirelli Best Lap Awards at Portimão:
WSB Gara 1 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’43.167(4th lap)
WSB Gara 2 – Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team),1’54.118 (18th lap)
WSS – Michael Vd Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team), 1’45.777 (5th lap)
The overall standings after eight rounds are as follows:
WSB: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team): 4; Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team): 3; Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team): 2; Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team): 2; Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team): 2; Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki): 2; Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team): 1
WSS: Michael Vd Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team): 3; Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta RC-Yakhnich Motorsport): 1; Roberto Tamburini (San Carlo Puccetti Racing): 1; Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India): 1; Kev Coghlan (DMC Panavto-Yamaha): 1; Patrick Jacobsen (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres): 1
The 2014 Pirelli statistics for the Portimão round:
• Total number of tires Pirelli brought: 4362
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 7 rear
• Number of tires available for each Superbike rider: 32 front and 34 rear
• Number of solutions for the Supersport class (dry, intermediate and wet): 5 front and 5 rear
• Number of tires available for each Supersport rider: 27 front and 27 rear
• Temperature in Race 1: air 21° C, asphalt 29° C
• Temperature in Race 2 (Wet): air 21° C, asphalt 27° C
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tires: 306.8 kms/h, in Race 1 by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) at 10th lap
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tires in Supersport: 279.8 kms/h, Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) at 3rd lap.
More, from a press release issued by Racedays Honda:
Racedays Honda team takes stock positives away from Portugal
– Kyle Smith just misses Portimao podium
– Josh Day fights to solid fifth place
– Manfredi crashes out of STK600
– Stunning debut for Chrissy Rouse
It was a weekend of mixed fortunes for the Racedays Honda team at the Autodromo Internacional Algarve in Portimao for round five of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup and the European Superstock 600 championship (4-6 July).
In the Superstock 1000 class, Kyle Smith from the UK was a consistent top six runner on his Honda CBR1000RR SP machine in all practice sessions, eventually qualifying in third place for Sunday’s 14-lap race, just 0.1s from pole position.
His Racedays Honda team-mate, American Josh Day, was in the mix, too, starting from the head of row three of the grid at the 4.592km Portimao circuit in seventh place.
Smith was confident in the drizzling conditions that determined a wet race and got a perfect start, leading the opening laps before being forced to reduce his pace to conserve his rear tyre as the circuit began to dry. The 22-year-old from Yorkshire eventually crossed the line in fourth place as Day, 24, not usually a fan of wet conditions, fought his own way through to fifth position at the flag.
Saturday evening’s Superstock 600 race saw Kevin Manfredi line up in positive mood, despite starting from 10th place on the grid. The Italian had been impressive in free practice but traffic during qualifying restricted him to a fourth-row start. Unfortunately, he crashed out at the first corner, but luckily walked away with a sore back and ribs.
His new team-mate, British rider Chrissy Rouse enjoyed an impressive debut on Honda’s CBR600RR, finishing just outside the top ten, despite not having raced since the end of the 2013 season. New Zealander Jake Lewis was 16th at the flag after getting forced off the track in the turn one crash involving Manfredi.
Jeremy McWilliams – team manager
Kevin showed so much promise in Superstock 600 but sadly it didn’t come to anything in the race after he crashed at turn one. His tyre probably cooled a little too much because they were all sitting on the grid with the wind blowing hard. It was a huge crash, but luckily there’s nothing broken so he’ll be back for Jerez. It was a great debut from Chrissy – he got a great start and managed to gain an advantage in that first corner crash, but he held on to it all the way through. It was a great result for his first ride on a Honda and considering he hasn’t ridden all year. Jake was unfortunately a victim of the first-lap crash and was forced off the track and was unable to close the gap to a points finish. Kyle and Josh have been super-strong on the Fireblade all weekend and Kyle has attacked the place at every opportunity. Even when it wasn’t a perfect set-up he was still blindingly fast. We made some changes for warm-up which worked. But with no wet-weather practice we had to make a guess at the setting for the race. There was some info from Assen but we’ve changed the bike drastically since then. Kyle is disappointed that he missed the podium but I think he and Josh and the team did a great job. We’re all very positive after this weekend and looking forward to taking this solid progress to Jerez.
Kyle Smith – STK1000, 4th
It was a good race and I like the wet but we had some traction and corner entry problems as the track dried off. Some of the other riders have sophisticated electronics to help with this but my team did a great job with the CBR this weekend. We went softer for the wet but that might have been a bit too soft for when the track dried. If it had stayed wet, I think we might have been able to fight for the win, but I don’t know how easy it would’ve been. I had to drop the pace off a little when it dried which was a bit frustrating because I could smell the champagne! That’s how it goes sometimes and the next track is Jerez which is my favourite!
Josh Day – STK1000, 5th
I actually had a decent race, even though was a bit nervous beforehand. I don’t have that much rain-riding experience, but I felt a bit of confidence after the Assen race where I was able to bring it home with some decent points in wet conditions. The CBR was working pretty well from the start but I got held up a little in the early laps. When I got past those guys I got into my own rhythm and was able to close a little on the guys in front but I ran out of laps. We struggled a bit with rear grip and front-end chatter when the track dried so I’m happy with the result in those conditions. I just wish we didn’t have to wait two months until Jerez!
Chrissy Rouse – STK600, 11th
It was a great debut in the Superstock 600 category for me – especially scoring some decent points. I feel like I have learned a lot this weekend and I’d like to give the team a really big thanks for giving me a great package with the Honda CBR. I’m really looking forward to the next race in Jerez.
Jake Lewis – STK600, 16th
It was a bit of an unfortunate start to the race for me because I got caught up in the turn one incident and was forced off the track. That made it really hard, but I had good race pace and my times were pretty much the same as the guys in the top ten, so that’s a positive to take away from the weekend.
Kevin Manfredi – STK600, DNF
It’s a very disappointing way to go into the summer break, but at least I have some time to recover from the injuries – I think I have badly bruised a rib and my coccyx. I’m not sure what happened but I went a long way in the air before I came down. I was really happy with the bike for the race but this is racing. Now I must wait until Jerez in September before I can ride again.
European Superstock 600 championship, round five – Portimao, Portugal
Result,12 laps:
1 M Faccani (ITA) Kawasaki
2 W Tessels (NED) Suzuki
3 F Caricasulo (ITA) Honda
4 I Mikhalchik (UKR) Kawasaki
5 R Bodis (HUN) Honda
6 A Tucci (ITA) Kawasaki
11 C Rouse (GBR) Racedays Honda
16 J Lewis (NZL) Racedays Honda
DNF Kevin Manfredi (ITA) Agro-On WIL Racedays Honda
Championship points after five of seven rounds:
1 Faccani 106, 2 Tessels 72, 3 Tuuli 58, 4 Tucci 55, 5 Caricasulo 46, 7 Mikhalchik 40, 8 Manfredi 35
Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, round five – Portimao, Portugal
Result, 14 laps:
1 L Salvadori (ITA) Kawasaki
2 M Lussiana (FRA) Kawasaki
3 D McFadden (RSA) Kawasaki
4 Kyle Smith (GBR) Agro-On WIL Racedays Honda
5 Josh Day (USA) Agro-On WIL Racedays Honda
Championship points after five of rounds:
1 Savadori 81, 2 Mercado 79, 3 Lussiana 59, 4 Jezek 58, 10 Smith 35, 11 Day 32
Next round: 5-7 September, Jerez, Spain
More, from a press release issued by Tuned Racing:
July 6, 2014
Willow Springs International Raceway
Big Willow
Rosamond, CA
Tuned Racing riders took 6 wins during the July round of Moto West Grand Prix at the Big Willow course. Conditions were hot, but the notorious winds were in check for the weekend. Bryce Prince continued his dominance at MWGP with commanding wins in Formula 1, Open Superbike, and 600 Superbike. Bryce now has the lead for the Overall Championship for 2014. With a fastest lap of 1:22.353 in Formula 1, Bryce now holds the fastest lap of the year at MWGP. “I am really looking forward to the next 2 AMA weekends at WSBK Laguna Seca and Mid-Ohio” stated Bryce.
Jason Aguilar finished 2nd behind his teammate in Formula 1, and added wins in Open Superstock and 600 Superstock. Jason ran a personal best laptime of 1:23.939 while chasing after Bryce. “Pretty disappointed I couldn’t beat my teammate Bryce Prince, but I know what I have to do next time to run with him. My bike ran great all weekend and the team had a great showing winning every race we entered”, Jason added. Mike Pond also returned to action, adding a win in 750 Superbike.
Tuned Racing moves on to Laguna Seca this weekend for the FIM Superbike World Championship, GEICO Motorcycle US Round, where all 3 teammates are riding in AMA Daytona Sportbike. Jason Aguilar was invited by AMA Pro Racing to move up to the Daytona Sportbike class for this event. The following weekend is the AMA Buckeye SuperBike Weekend at Mid-Ohio.
Tuned Racing thanks all its sponsors for their support:
Tuned Industries, Graves Motorsports, Dunlop Tires, Solarmax Technology, Galfer Brakes, Worxxx Performance and Machine, Drive Systems USA, Torco Advanced Lubricants, OFD Racing, Motoyard.com, Let’s Ride Trackdays, Zero Gravity Racing Corporation, Dynojet, VNM Sportgear, EFSigns.com, SBKPaint.com, Optimal Racing Bodywork, SpeedAngle, Shorai Batteries, ACT Leathers, NEXX-USA, and Onyx Oil Service.
Jason Aguilar also thanks his personal sponsors: RS Taichi, Moto Liberty, AXO, Vortex Racing, Impact Safe-T Armor, Spider Grips, HT Moto, GPR Stabilizers, Troy Lee Designs, and Chicken Hawk Racing.
More, from a press release issued by Honda East of Toledo:
HONDA EAST YOSHIMURA SUZUKI WIN THREE WERA RACES AND SETS FASTEST LAP AT PIRC
July 8, 2014 – Maumee, OH – Honda East Yoshimura Suzuki rider Eddie Kraft won three of four races in Sunday’s WERA event at Pittsburgh International Raceway Complex, located in Wampum, PA – held during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
After crashing out in Saturday’s Heavyweight Solo race, the Witchkraft Racing crew worked through the night putting back together one of the two Suzuki GSX-R750’s – and rebounded big on Sunday to win the 750 Superstock, 750 Superbike and 1000 Superstock races, while missing out on a fourth win in Formula 1 by just seven-tenths of a second. In the process, Kraft set the overall fastest lap of the weekend, running on Pirelli’s Supersport-spec DOT tires in all four races.
“We were leading early on in Saturday’s race and I kind of threw it away,” Eddie states. “It happened in a fairly quick 3rd gear section of the track. I was leaned over, on the throttle and starting to setup to brake, but the bike got unsettled and I inadvertently stabbed the brake and immediately locked up the front wheel. In my years of racing at PIRC, I’ve never crashed there and I’m still not completely sure how I pulled it off, to be honest. Thankfully the great gear I was wearing saved my butt.”
Kraft continues, “The team worked their tails off to get the bike back together for Sunday, as well as getting help from several other people at the track, willing to lend a hand. I can’t thank them enough; as it really motivated me to go out on Sunday and make sure their efforts weren’t wasted. Both Honda East Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750’s were running great and while we came up a little short in winning all four races, I’m proud of how we bounced back after significant adversity on Saturday.”
The team’s next official event will be the WERA National Event at Mid-Ohio, taking place on July 14-15.
About Honda East: As a family owned and operated Ohio motorcycle dealer, Honda East’s philosophy is to treat each customer like a family member, every visit. Our award-winning sales staff will strive to meet and exceed your expectations, whether you are purchasing a new vehicle, calling with a question, picking up a part, or just looking in our shop. Located in Northwest Ohio, Honda East is the #1 ranked dealership in both Ohio and Michigan; offering a full line of sport bikes, cruisers, dirt bikes, ATVs, scooters, watercraft and snowmobiles not only by Honda, but Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Aprilia, Indian, Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo, Can-Am, Kymco, Bombardier, Polaris and Artic Cat. Honda East prides themselves on the best out the door deal, period. No games, no hassles.
About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.
Witchkraft Racing would also like to thank their 2014 sponsors: Pirelli Tires, MCJ Motorsports, GoPro, Riders Discount, Dynojet, Motul, Millennium Technologies, NGK, Chicken Hawk, Moto Liberty, RS Taichi, Shoei Helmets, Samco, WWB, Ballistic Performance and Motion Pro. Also Ohlins USA, Pit Bull, Sharkskinz, PopShadow Decals, MC Designs, Spider Grips, Hammer Nutrition, Performance Cycleworx and Andrew Swenson Designs.
For more information on Honda East, visit hondaeast.com. For information on Yoshimura, visit yoshimura-rd.com. And for news on the race team, please visit witchkraftracing.com.