Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) took the 4936 m Imola track by storm to lead the timesheets in today’s official WSBK test. The Ulsterman put in a competitive 1’46.625 lap-time at his last attempt, on new tyres, before the end of the afternoon’s session, to snatch first position from Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia). The manufacturers’ representative teams took a chance to test new rear compounds developed by Pirelli and especially designed to work best under high temperatures. Factory Aprilia duo of Sylvain Guintoli and Eugene Laverty, following the mixed emotions of last weekend, focussed mainly on the set-up for their RSV4, with the Irish rider able to find a breakthrough in terms of bike balance that made him more than happy about today’s outcome. Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) kept working on chassis settings and new components, along with upgrades in electronics, to improve the stability of the BMW S 1000 RR under braking in order to carry more speed in corner entry. Different tasks for Leon Camier and Jules Cluzel: the 2009 BSB Champion tried some changes in riding position and electronic settings in order to get a better drive out of slow turns, while the young Frenchman worked on the chassis to find a better overall feeling with his FIXI Crescent Suzuki GSX-R. Carlos Checa and Ayrton Badovini completed 56 and 47 laps each in the first day of a busy week for Team Ducati Alstare, as Francis Batta’s squad will be back on track at Misano World Circuit for a further two-day test, scheduled for July 3-4. STK1000 rider Lorenzo Savadori (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) jumped on WSBK team mate Alexander Lundh’s ZX-10R as the Swedish rider is currently injured following the crash in Qualifying 2 last Saturday. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Dorna testing – Imola. 1st July 2013. Imola, 1st July 2013. In preparation for the second half of the 2013 season, the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team took part in today’s official Dorna test at Imola (ITA) with factory riders Marco Melandri (ITA) and Chaz Davies (GBR). The test comprised two sessions of two hours each. With both riders, the team tried different new components for the chassis and suspension settings for the BMW S 1000 RRs. In addition, Marco and Chaz worked on the bike’s geometry and they tested an electronic update. In the afternoon, both of them also tried several new development tyres in SC0 compounds brought in by Pirelli. The weather conditions were good, with sunny skies, air temperatures up to 31 degrees Celsius and track temperatures up to 56 degrees Celsius. In total, the two BMW factory riders did 91 laps or 449,176 kilometres of testing today on their RRs. The next round of the FIM Superbike World Championship will be held on the “Moscow Raceway” near Volokolamsk (RUS) from 19th to 21st July. Marco Melandri: Bike: BMW S 1000 RR Best overall lap time: 1:47.583 min “We were mainly trying to improve the feeling when braking for changes of direction to find more stability from the bike and to be able to carry more speed into the corner. With some of the solutions we tested we achieved positive and interesting results. Some other ideas did not work out as expected but I think that Imola is a very specific track that is particularly difficult for us. So this can be a different story at the next racetrack we go to. We tested some new components for the front part of the bike and compared them with the parts we already use. Now we have to analyse the data and make our choices for the next race. There we are looking forward to get back to the podium.” Chaz Davies: Bike: BMW S 1000 RR Best overall lap time: 1:47.969 min “The test was not too bad. We tried a few different chassis solutions and we found something which worked a little bit better for us. Especially when playing with the balance of the bike we found something that really helped us. So this shows a direction to head in. Overall it was a usual day of testing, trying different settings, components and also tyres. We will now analyse the data and go through what we have learnt today and use this as a base for preparing for the next rounds.” Andrea Dosoli (Technical Director BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team): “It was a good test today. We had analysed the data from both of yesterday’s races here in Imola comparing our performance with our competitors. We took the opportunity of the official Dorna test not only to work on new components developed by our R&D department but we also worked on different set-up solutions. The indications we got from this test were interesting and positive, and some of them will be introduced for the next race in Moscow. A Monday test after a round is an ideal opportunity because you start with the best possible set-up after three days of working and luckily the track conditions were exactly the same as on Sunday. So it was a very useful test and we are confident that what we understood today will be helpful for the second half of the season.” More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: New Pirelli soft-compound tyres protagonists in the official tests of the eni FIM World Superbike Championship The Superbike and Supersport riders were out on the track today at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola to test a number of rear solutions made with the SC0 compound and designed to cope with races in particularly high temperatures on severe asphalts Imola (Italy), 1 July 2013 – The official tests involving all the Superbike teams, except for the Kawasaki Racing Team which decided not to take part, and many of the teams of the Supersport class, were carried out today at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari International Racetrack in Imola, which yesterday hosted the seventh appointment of the eni FIM World Superbike Championship. In particular, before the start of the season, each motorcycle manufacturer proposes to the Championship promoter and to Pirelli a Superbike and a Supersport team designated for tyre development and which, during the official tests, are also given the possibility to test a number of solutions never used in races. In Superbike the “development teams” chosen by the manufacturers are Fixi Crescent Suzuki, Team Ducati Alstare, BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK, Aprilia Racing Team, Pata Honda World Superbike and Kawasaki Racing Team; and in Supersport they are Honda PTR, ParkinGo MV Agusta Corse, Yakhnich Motorsport and MAHI Racing Team India. During the tests, the last ones scheduled for the current season, all the Superbike teams had the standard medium-hard SC2 (R982) available for the front, already used in the first seven rounds and excellent for high outside temperatures because it guarantees solidity to the tread band. For the rear both the standard SC0, the soft solution which debuted at Monza in the version with reinforced central band and which was seen in successful action also at Donington, Portimão and yesterday at Imola, and the standard medium-compound SC1 (R828). Besides these tyres the development team riders also had the standard SC1 (R426) available for the front, and for the rear five new Diablo Superbike tyres which for hardness are in the area of the SC0, having a soft compound, and differ in their structures, profiles and internal materials. These tyres were designed with a view to use in 2014 and in particular to cope with particularly high temperatures. Some of these solutions could turn out to be particularly effective on circuits such as Intercity Istanbul Park in Turkey or Phillip Island in Australia which historically have been especially tough for tyres owing to their layout and the high temperatures experienced. In Supersport all the riders had the Diablo Supercorsa in standard SC1 compound (P1177) available for the front, and the R303, that is the standard SC1 in medium compound, for the rear. Besides these solutions, the development teams were able to use the S753 on the front, a development solution taken only to Portimão which for compound hardness is halfway between the SC1 and the SC2, offering more stability and rigidity than the SC1 but also more grip than the SC2 and the new S0014, a development solution in SC1 medium compound designed as an alternative to the standard SC1 which makes use of a different manufacturing process. For the rear, instead, four solutions in a new SC0 compound were made available to the development team riders, again with the aim of testing tyres that could turn out to be useful in the short and long term in situations of extreme heat. “For us the tests are a very important and fundamental moment for the development of our products” said Pirelli Motorcycle Racing Manager Giorgio Barbier “It’s clear that the little time we have available for the tests doesn’t help us but I’m still happy about the work done today and I thank the teams and the riders who agreed to test all the solutions we brought providing us with precious feedback. On the basis of the data collected today we’ll be able to make important assessments and decide what tyres have given positive results, on which it is worth continuing to work and possibly use already in the current season.” More, from a press release issued by Team SBK Ducati Alstare: Team SBK Ducati Alstare concludes official testing at Imola Imola (Italy), Monday 1 July 2013: Having concluded the seventh round of the World Superbike championship at the Imola circuit just yesterday, Team SBK Ducati Alstare returned to the same track today for official testing organized by Dorna. All of the Superbike teams, with the exception of Kawasaki, were out on track today and both Carlos Checa and Ayrton Badovini made the most of this opportunity to work on their 1199 Panigale machines together with their technicians. With four hours of track time dedicated to the Superbike category, the two Ducati Alstare men and their teams were able to test a new software update that includes a new anti-wheelie system, before focusing especially on the tyre programme, with Pirelli having provided two new profiles and three different compounds especially for this test. Despite the very hot conditions, with a track temperature of roughly 48°C in the morning that rose by another several degrees during the afternoon’s session, the team worked hard throughout the day with Ayrton completing 47 laps and Carlos 56. Both riders were pleased with the work programme that they were able to complete, confirming the performance of the new rear tyres even in today’s extreme conditions. Carlos Checa: “Today was a useful day, I liked the new anti-wheelie system and we’ve tried the various tyre solutions and while with some I didn’t feel much difference, perhaps to the very hot conditions, I found that others had better durability. We also worked a little on set-up and towards the end, on the used tyre, we identified a solution that I liked and that allowed me to improve slightly, so I’m satisfied about that. A bit tired too of course, so now I’m going to rest and prepare for the next test sessions in Misano later this week.” Ayrton Badovini: “I admit that I’m tired after the race weekend and also have a cold. Anyway today’s test went well, we tried a few different things, some new tyres, without pushing too hard in these difficult conditions and I think we’re coming away with some positive ideas. We have a good base from which to start in Misano and I’m pleased about that.” The team will be back on track later this week, on Wednesday and Thursday, for private test sessions at the Misano World Circuit.