New Circuit And New Opportunities In Spain Tom Sykes, Joan Lascorz and Chris Vermeulen join forces once again this weekend, this time at the new WSBK venue of Motorland Aragon, in Joan’s home country of Spain The entire WSBK paddock is now involved in a trek across southern Europe directly after last Sunday’s Misano round, and for many this will be their first visit to Aragon. It is, however, the official Kawasaki squads’ test track, and all three riders have posted laps there, albeit some more than others. Sykes left Misano with a Superpole win and a season best of fourth in race one and his confidence has been boosted in general by an ever-improving real race set-up on the new-for-2011 Ninja ZX-10R. Holding 13th place in the championship standings, Tom is keen to post two good results and start moving up, starting at a very modern circuit in northern Spain that has a wow factor for riders and spectators alike. A home race for Lascorz may mean extra pressures but the laid-back rider from Barcelona has at least had the chance to lap Aragon in testing recently, albeit for a short time. He ranks the circuit as one of the most challenging on the calendar but he is nonetheless looking forward to his second WSBK race in seven days, particularly as it will be on home soil. Joan is just one place behind Tom in the current overall rankings. A successful return to action for Vermeulen at Misano saw him in the points in each race, and even score a satisfying tenth place in race two, putting him on the leader board in 20th position after some dreadful bad luck with injuries in the past months. Still not absolutely 100% recovered, Chris still showed at Misano that he is ready for the rest of the season as he gets to know his Ninja ZX-10R better with every lap. He has already had two days of testing under his belt at Aragon, which he rates very highly as a new venue on the championship trail. After the Spanish weekend, the Czech Republic circuit of Brno will welcome the WSBK circus, between July 8 and July 10. Tom Sykes: “We did quite well in our test at Aragon, so hopefully we can take our Misano momentum forward. I am looking forward to it and a couple of days should give my sore back a chance to rest, because I struggled with it a bit at Misano. That race gave us a lot of confidence and we were fast in hot conditions, which was particularly good. It will be good go racing again in just a few days time.” Joan Lascorz: “I made a short test at Argon but I really do not know how well we can go there this weekend, because we only did a few laps. Misano gave us some positives to work on, but we will have to see how things are in Aragon. At least I have ridden there and I know the lines; not so much but enough to know it is a difficult circuit. It is my home race, and I will have some family and friends there to cheer me on.” Chris Vermeulen: “I am looking forward to Aragon because we had a two-day test there a week or two ago. Conditions were not perfect because it was very windy and there was a lot of rubber on the track from cars. I have learned the circuit and I’m glad because it is quite a difficult track to learn. It’s really nice and I think it is going to make for exciting racing. I hope it does anyway. There is a lot of everything there, blind corners and a big long back straight with a very hard braking area. The Kawasaki seemed to work well in the test and I will be going out to improve on where we finished at Misano.” More, from another press release issued by Kawasaki: More Success The Aim At Motorland A win for Broc Parkes last weekend sees both he and his Spanish team-mate David Salom head to Aragon full of confidence for round six of a championship that Broc now leads by five points. The Provec Motocard.com team is based in Barcelona, not too far away from the team’s designated test track of Aragon, and both Broc and David have taken the opportunity to test at Motorland recently, with positive results. Benefits from that test were in evidence at Misano, where Broc had his first win in Kawasaki colours and Salom was a battling fourth. These results put Broc into the championship lead and placed David fifth overall, only a single point from fourth place. Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki riders Massimo Roccoli and Vittorio Iannuzzo are looking forward to Aragon with particular determination, after neither rider scored at their home round in Misano. Both are capable of strong results anywhere, however, and despite their recent bad luck Roccoli is tenth in the championship, Iannuzzo 14th. Broc Parkes: “It’s great to go to Aragon after winning at Misano, it was just what the team needed and I needed. The set-up we started with at Misano was what we finished our Aragon tests with recently. I am confident of having a good base setting for Aragon. It’s a nice track, really cool, like a roller coaster!” David Salom: “In Aragon we did a test and it went well, we did some good times and I think it is possible for us to have a good race there in Spain. I will certainly be going all out for a podium finish and I really want to have a positive weekend in the home country of my team and myself.” More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: The seventh round of the Superbike World Championship and the fourth round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup will take place over the weekend of June 17-18-19 at Motorland Aragón circuit. The Ciudad del Motor de Aragón is a 5.344 km race circuit located near Alcañiz, Spain. The circuit has been designed by well-known German architect Hermann Tilke and McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa is a technical and sporting consultant on the project. The facility has been designed to incorporate three main zones – a technology park, a sports area and a leisure and culture area. The sports area will include the racing circuit with multipe layouts, a karting track and various gravel circuits. On 19 May 2010, it was announced that the circuit will hold a round of the Superbike World Championship from 2011, with a three-year deal being agreed. The Aragon circuit will be a new experience for all of Team Pedercini’s Superstock and Superbike riders, with the exception of Rolfo who rode at the Spanish track last year with Moto2. Main circuit characteristics : Lenght : 5.344 km Curves : 17 Pole Position : right Race distance : 20 laps = 106.880 km Mark Aitchison: “I am very much looking forward to arriving at Aragon and getting started with practice on Friday. After what we hoped would be more promising results in Misano, my team and I can now focus our energy to making it happen in Spain. Aragon will be a new circuit for me and our team, so I am hoping we can find a good setting for the bike during the first practices and then work forward from this point as we have done in Misano. In this moment I am feeling confident on the bike, I am learning more and more every time I race the bike, so in Aragon I really want to fight for championship points”. Roberto Rolfo : “I rode at Motorland Aragon last year with Moto2. In practice I was riding very well but then in the race I had some technical problems. I really like the track as it’s fun to ride, with long corners and undulations, but it is also very safe. After two difficult races at Misano, I hope to take a good result at Aragon to boost my morale and that of the team. I will be trying my best that’s for sure and if we can adapt our Ninja to the tricky Spanish track I am sure we can do well”. More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: RIDING HIGH ON MISANO SUCCESS, CHECA AND THE ALTHEA TEAM TRAVEL ON TO RIDER’S HOME TRACK ARAGON Aragon (Spain), Wednesday 15th June 2011: Spaniard Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) is even more enthusiastic about the upcoming round at new SBK track Motorland Aragon this week; having scored the double win at Misano last weekend, he heads to Spain with a 72 point lead in the classification. The Althea Racing team’s home track of Misano proved to be another successful hunting ground and Carlos snatched a full quota of 50 points which helped boost his championship advantage over second-placed Biaggi and third-placed Melandri. The Althea Racing team, under the guidance of Genesio Bevilacqua, has won eight of the twelve races run so far this season and has finished on the podium in a further two. All eyes will be on Carlos, in the form of his life, as he races at his home track of Aragon this weekend. Although this will be the first race event to be hosted by Motorland, several riders have already tested at the track and during those tests Checa demonstrated his strength and determination, setting the fastest times on that particular day. The Spanish rider, who comes from Sant Fruitos de Bages, will understandably be looking for a win at Motorland this Sunday. Althea’s Superstock 1000 riders, Davide Giugliano and Lorenzo Baroni, will also be racing at Aragon. Davide, having won two of the three races held so far in 2011, leads the standings with a 17 point advantage. Carlos Checa “I really liked the track when we tested there last winter and we now travel there in the best possible circumstances. It is a left-handed track and as you know I prefer those, though I’m also getting to grips with right-handers too! I’m really enthusiastic and happy to race in my home country. It’s the first time that Superbikes come to Aragon and I would love to give the Spanish public two great races. Spanish interest in the SBK championship is on the rise and so I hope that this event can help promote the championship from a media point of view. I think the fans will really enjoy themselves this weekend. I thank everyone that has worked to make the Motorland Aragon event a reality.” Country: Spain Circuit: MotorLand Aragon Length: 5.345 km Pole Position: right Race distance: 20 laps = 106.880 km LAP RECORDS: new track More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Munich/Stephanskirchen, 14th June 2011. The Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport enters uncharted waters this coming race weekend. From 17th to 19th June the FIM Superbike World Championship will visit Motorland Aragón (ESP) for the first time. The ultra-modern facility is located near Alcañiz in the region of Aragón in north-eastern Spain. This is the venue for the seventh round of the 2011 season, just one week after round six in Misano (ITA). The Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport and works riders, Leon Haslam (GBR) and Troy Corser (AUS), tested in Motorland Aragón during the winter. This gave them the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the circuit and collect important data in preparation for the race. For Leon and Troy, the coming days are all about getting back to 100 percent fitness and recovering from the injuries received last weekend in Misano. Leon’s injuries included a broken toe, while Troy suffered a bruised hip and a cracked rib. In this season’s Riders’ Championship, Leon is in fifth place on 106 points, while Troy is currently fifteenth on 49 points. Over the course of the first six race weekends of the season, the pair has already scored 155 points for the Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, BMW lies fourth with 138 points. Only the best result from each race counts towards this championship. Leon Haslam: “Aragón is quite interesting for us. A few of the teams selected it as their test circuit. We tested there once in the winter and did not do too badly. I feel that we have made some progress now with the BMW S 1000 RR, so I am actually looking forward to returning to a circuit where I have done some testing. And on top of that it is a new circuit for everyone, so it is quite exciting to see how it will all pan out. The circuit is quite technical. In a lot of corners the radius hangs on to you, it is always an issue with grip over there, and on top of that you have some high-speed straights leading into very, very tight corners. It has a mixture of everything and a lot of different elevations. I think it will make for good racing.” Troy Corser: “The Motorland Aragón circuit reminds me a little bit of Portimão, with lots of blind crests and corners, long off-camber corners and up and down sections. It was good that we tested there to learn the circuit. It is a quite technical track to get the bike to work at. I am looking forward to going there. Unfortunately my last race day in Misano was short, due to my injuries. But now I have nearly one week to rest and recover. And with that, I am confident that all will be okay in Aragón.” Bernhard Gobmeier, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “We tested at Aragón in the winter, just after Leon joined the team, and we had a very positive outcome, although the low temperatures meant we did not get any really conclusive information about the interplay between tyres and chassis. Obviously the BMW S 1000 RR has been developed and evolved considerably since then, and definitely for the better, so we are looking forward to going there. It is a track that seems to favour the characteristics of our machine. The Superbike World Championship has never raced there before so everyone is going in on the same level. With that anything is possible. The track itself is very abrasive with high grip levels, so tyre management and conservation will be the key to a good race in Spain. Fortunately neither of our riders suffered really bad injuries in Misano. However, the bruises and fractures are obviously painful that much is clear. Our two boys are currently in extremely good physical and mental condition, so we assume that they will be fully fit again in time for the weekend. All in all, we are hoping everything runs more smoothly again in Aragón.” Background: This season the FIM Superbike World Championship travels to Motorland Aragón for the first time. The circuit is located near Alcañiz in Aragón, an autonomous community in north-eastern Spain. Alcañiz has about 16,000 residents and is located approximately 99 kilometres from the capital of Aragón, Zaragoza. Motorland Aragón is regarded as one of the most modern motor racing facilities in the world. It was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, in cooperation with the British architectural office of Foster and Partners, and was opened in September 2009. Formula One driver Pedro de la Rosa was involved in the planning of the layout in an advisory role. As well as the racetrack itself, the complex also boasts a karting circuit, a technology centre and a leisure centre. The circuit has two different lengths: one version is 5.077 kilometres long, and the other 5.345 kilometres. The races in the FIM Superbike World Championship are held on the longer variant. The track is between twelve and fifteen metres wide and the longest straight is 1.726 kilometres long. Motorland Aragón also boasts two paddocks, as the circuit can be divided into two separate circuits, each of which is almost three kilometres long. A motor cycle grand prix was held there for the first time in 2010, and the track was added to the FIM Superbike World Championship calendar from this year. The circuit is used all year round for testing purposes by a diverse range of automobile and motorcycle series. The circuit’s features pose some real challenges for the teams and riders, with blind crests, descending corners, and up and down sections. There are also a lot of flowing sections, the key to which is finding the right line on which to enter the following curve whilst still exiting the present one. A number of slower sections complete the mix. The combination of corners seven and eight is based on the infamous “Corkscrew” at Laguna Seca (USA). The final corner is also interesting: here, the drivers must accelerate early in order to take momentum into the uphill start-finish straight, at the end of which awaits a 90-degree left-hander one of many overtaking opportunities. More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Motorland Aragon welcomes WSBK and leader Checa Alcaniz (Spain), Tuesday June 14, 2011 The men and machines, together with the trucks and hospitality units, of the FIM Superbike World Championship have hardly had enough time to cool down since Sunday’s San Marino Round before heading away for the Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain. After racing in Spain at Jerez, Jarama, Albacete and Valencia, the world championship now makes its debut at the brand-new, purpose-built 5.345 km Motorland Aragon facility near the town of Alcaniz. The production-based series’ arrival in Spain could not have come at a better time, as a Spanish rider, Carlos Checa, is currently in the lead of the championship standings. Thanks to a run of two double wins at Miller and Misano, the Althea Racing Ducati man is on the crest of a wave and has a 72 points lead over his closest rival, Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia). The reigning world champion crashed last Saturday during free practice at Misano, but rode with a swollen left foot nevertheless, scoring two second places that enable him not to lose contact with Checa. In last October’s tests at Aragon, Checa set the quickest time in 1’58″3 but Biaggi was just four-tenths of a second behind. One man looking for a good result is undoubtedly Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team), a podium finisher with a third place in race 1, but who crashed out in the second allowing Biaggi to overhaul him in the points. For Yamaha in general the last two rounds have not lived up to the expectations generated at Monza and the Italian-based team will be aiming to get back amongst the positions that count. Expectations are also high for BMW and Kawasaki in the wake of their Misano performances. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) stood out in the first encounter of the day but his only consolation was a fifth place in race 2. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) had the satisfaction of starting from pole position and was in contention for a number of laps, just finishing off the podium. The British rider, like Haslam, should be able to make use of the testing time spent at Aragon. Michel Fabrizio (Alstare Suzuki) also tested last October, setting positive times, and despite riding with a suspected broken scaphoid bone after his race 1 crash, the Roman scored a notable sixth place in the second Misano encounter. Another man who went down at Misano, Jonathan Rea, will have to sit on the sidelines for the Spanish Round however due to fractures to his right arm and left collarbone he picked up in the warm-up. Another illustrious absence in Spain will be James Toseland who in agreement with the team, has decided to miss Aragon and then return at Brno. As at Misano, he will be replaced by Italian Lorenzo Lanzi. But the BMW Motorrad Italia team will undoubtedly be galvanized by the splendid form of Ayrton Badovini, who came very close to the podium at Misano, just being edged out by Noriyuki Haga (PATA Aprilia), the Japanese star back on the podium for the first time since last year. Two other crowd-pleasing Spaniards to keep an eye on this weekend will be multiple SBK race-winner Ruben Xaus (Castrol Honda), and the talented youngster Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team), who is still getting to grips with his first rookie season in World Superbike. Points (after 6 of 13 rounds): 1. Checa 245; 2. Biaggi 173; 3. Melandri 150; 4. Laverty 123; 5. Haslam 106; 6. Camier 101; 7. Fabrizio 95; 8. Rea 94; 9. Smrz 83; 10. Guintoli 72; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 252; 2. Aprilia 212; 3. Yamaha 190; 4. BMW 138; 5. Honda 111; 6. Suzuki 99; 7. Kawasaki 89.