AFTER THE SUMMER BREAK WORLD SUPERBIKE TAKES ON THE GERMAN NÜRBURGRING CIRCUIT. APRILIA RACING RIDERS, SYLVAIN GUINTOLI AND EUGENE LAVERTY, LYING FIRST AND THIRD RESPECTIVELY IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS, ARE READY FOR THE SEASON HOME STRETCH. APRILIA HAS DOMINATED THE MANUFACTURER STANDINGS SINCE THE FIRST ROUND. THE POINT SITUATION IS NOW 336 AGAINST KAWSAKI’S 303, 276 FOR BMW, HONDA WITH 189, SUZUKI AT 165 AND 128 FOR DUCATI. Noale, 28 August 2013 – The home stretch of the 2013 World Superbike Championship starts from the German Nürburgring circuit. After the summer break, the first of the remaining five rounds that will decide the rankings finds the Aprilia Racing riders taking to the track with their sights set high. The technical German track is well suited for the characteristics of the Aprilia RSV4 which made quite an impression last year, dominating both races, taking five of the six positions up for grabs on the podium and laying the groundwork to triumph in the 2012 world championship with the double title (Rider and Manufacturer). Sylvain Guintoli’s steadfastness, even able to limit the damage after injuring his right shoulder, has taken him to the top of the rider standings with a 13 point advantage over Tom Sykes. The French rider took advantage of the break to continue his recovery and his fitness conditions have vastly improved. In any case we will need to wait for the track to have the final word, which is the only way to verify Sylvain’s physical stamina. Sylvain Guintoli: “After 3 weeks off the bike and concentrating my energy on recovering as much as possible from the shoulder injury, I feel ready to take up the championship fight in the final 5 rounds. This is the final straight line to the end of the season and I am excited to see how much progress the shoulder has made. The answer will be Sunday”. His brilliant performance in Silverstone, where he took a double podium in difficult conditions, shook up the order for Eugene Laverty, now lying third in the rider championship standings. His potential for the final victory are on the rise and the young Northern Irish talent makes no secret of his goal for the five remaining rounds. With the excellent support from his bike and his team, Eugene is anxious to close the points gap on his rivals this weekend. This will be no easy task, but it is certainly within the capabilities of the rider from Toomebridge. Eugene Laverty: “I’ve enjoyed the summer break but I’m ready to get back to racing. We now have five rounds in eight weeks to finish the season and I feel that these are the most important two months of my career to date. My teammate Sylvain, Tom Sykes, and Marco Melandri will be tough to beat in the title race but I intend to give it my all. Nurburgring is a really strong circuit for the Aprilia and so I hope to gain points on my championship rivals this weekend”.