Misano Adriatico, June 23th 2010 – The times recorded by Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne during the recent Misano tests, held during WDW 2010, prove that the unfortunate round at Miller Motorsports Park has been forgotten. The blow of Carlos’ two race retirements in America remains but the team immediately got back to work in preparation for Misano, which will hopefully bring more success than the last round. The fastest unofficial time set by the Spanish rider was impressive (1m36.3), especially if we bear in mind that it was recorded in unusual conditions and so, from this Friday, Carlos will strive to be fast with the new tyre that Pirelli will bring to the track. Last year, and on board a four-cylinder machine, Checa started from the second row and, in a wet Race 1 that forced the riders to swap bikes, he finished in 11th while in Race 2 he closed in fifth ahead of Byrne. The Spaniard is in a determined frame of mind, having stated more than once that he wants to put Miller behind him, and fast, by taking strong results at Misano. Miler brought a sixth and seventh place for Shane Byrne in a year in which he continues to grow, moving towards the front positions after having worked with his team to make some changes to his Ducati to better suit his riding style. It’s noteworthy that last year the Englishman stepped up to the podium in Race 1 at Misano, with Ducati, and that in last week’s tests he was lapping just a few tenths slower than Fabrizio and Checa. Genesio Bevilacqua, General Manager of Althea Racing, declared, “We come to Misano aware of our potential and with a strong desire to rebuild after the unlucky Miller round. Carlos and Shane will undoubtedly be able to get the best out of their Ducatis, having demonstrated in America that they can keep pace with the factory bikes. We trust, almost superstitiously, that our dose of bad luck has been used up in America.” CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1. Biaggi p. 257 – 2. Haslam p. 242 – 3. Rea p. 151 – 4. Checa p. 141 – 5. Haga p. 135 … 12. Byrne p. 81 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Following a successful test last week at the San Marino circuit where the Yamaha Sterilgarda riders recorded fast times and were the most competitive team pairing, both Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland are geared up and ready to take the fight to the competition this weekend. The eighth round of the World Superbike Championship at the Misano circuit in San Marino will start with an impressive street display; James Toseland along with other WSB riders will pilot his full race-spec YZF-R1 through the historic streets of San Marino for the assembled international media and race fans on Thursday morning. The Misano round is the first race back in Europe following races in South Africa and the USA. The circuit, on Italy’s touristic Adriatic coast was overhauled in 2007, including a change of direction to run clock-wise, and a succession of right-handers at the end of the main straight. Having tested here twice this year both riders are familiar with the layout and have set ups prepared to be immediately competitive. “I really enjoyed racing here last year even though it was a red flag race,” said Cal Crutchlow. “I know what it’s like to fight and win here on a Supersport bike so I’m looking forward to finding out what the battle is like on a Superbike! We’ve been working hard to get a really good set up for the track, so we have every reason to believe we’ll both be up there fighting at the front.” “I had a pole here in 2006 in Superbike,”said James Toseland, “and although there were circuit changes in 2007 I’ve tested twice here this year so I know the circuit well. That combined with all the hard work my crew chief Frankie and the Yamaha Team have been doing to get the best possible set up for the track gives me confidence that we’re on for a good result. We’ve proved we can be very fast here even on used race tyres so I can’t wait to get on the bike and kick off the weekend.” Misano technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland’s Crew Chief “We’ve worked hard on tyre life in the recent tests, doing a couple of race runs in different temperatures. We will be using a different link system for the Misano race to preserve the tyre life, we’re going to start on Friday with the setting we finished with at the test and the other bike has a slightly different swing arm which we’ll be testing as it’s a little more rigid and stronger. It’s quite a twisty track so it’s important the bike changes direction well but also accelerates between the corners well without compromising the tyres. Pirelli are bringing a new batch of tyres to use so hopefully all the work we did in the test will prove valuable with the new rubber! Following our results in the test, expectations are high.” Misano technically speaking according to Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow’s Crew Chief “Misano is a challenging circuit because it has more or less three different track surfaces. The grip level can change in a very short period. Also sand from the beach and salty clouds from the nights can change everything so it is always necessary to follow these conditions without losing the direction of the set up. The spring rates and bike balance all have to be in order for this but it is also necessary to keep the stability for the fast back section and the handling, so it’s a compromise for the first part. Cooling can also be an issue because it can be very hot with track temps up to 60° and higher; this affects brakes, engine setup and also again the grip level. We will start with two different bikes, the best from the test last week and probably the one from the test before. We will see how it works on Friday and see if we have made a step forward with the last test setup.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “After the good test we had last week we are heading to Misano feeling optimistic. I think that we can get a good result with both riders as they have both shown very competitive pace on the circuit. Misano is the second of the three Italian rounds this season so is an important one for our many Italian crew members and of course our Italian sponsors and suppliers.” More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: Kenan Sofuoglu is seeking to extend his six-point advantage at the top of the World Supersport rankings with another win at this weekend’s (25-27 June) eighth round at Misano in Italy. The Turkish ace won last time out at Miller Motorsports Park in the USA, his second victory of the season, and it is his 100% record of podium finishes that has put him at the top of the championship standings. For Michele Pirro, who hails from San Giovanni Rotondo 400km to the south, the Misano race represents his home round, and the 23-year-old is keen to put on a good show for his friends and family by adding to his first World Supersport podium which he secured at Portimao, Portugal in March. The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda duo tested their CBR600RRs at Assen in the Netherlands last week, focusing predominantly on electronics in their efforts to improve power delivery and traction control. Kenan Sofuoglu We tested a few things at Assen last week, especially electronics, and although the conditions were really not very good, I was able to go as quick as my qualifying time from April, which was very fast. The acceleration is strong but the traction control is not quite right, so we will test some more at Imola after the race at Misano. It is very important to try for another win this weekend to keep the momentum in the championship. Even if another podium is a good target, I will try with my team to win the race. The CBR is very strong at the moment suspension, balance, acceleration, braking only the traction control needs a bit more testing. But we’ll leave that until after Misano and concentrate everything on a good result there. Michele Pirro The test at Assen last week was not so bad and it was good to try out some new things with the suspension and some new electronics. The bike didn’t feel that different because it was already fast at Assen and it was very windy during the test. I think I will certainly feel the difference in Misano, where the conditions will be very different and there will be many other riders on the track. Misano is like my home circuit and I was very happy to get pole position last year. There will be many friends and family supporting me at the weekend and I will try to make it a special one for all of us. Of course, I always try 100% but I am especially looking forward to this race. It has been too long since I was on the podium in Portugal and, although I have been close recently, I hope that the changes to the bike at Misano will help me to fight with the guys at the front. Ronald ten Kate team manager We were definitely pushing all the right buttons during the test at Assen last week and the overall CBR package has certainly improved. I am quite sure, however, that there will be anot her intense battle between Kenan and his rivals, Eugene Laverty and Joan Lascorz. But my favourite outsider for the weekend is Michele, who rode so well at Misano last year. Hopefully we can help him back to the podium this weekend. More, from another press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: Jonathan Rea and Max Neukirchner head to the Italian circuit of Misano this weekend (25-27 June) for round eight the San Marino round of the 2010 World Superbike championship. Despite a four-week break from racing since round seven at Miller Motorsports Park in the USA, the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team has been hard at work with their efforts measured in a two-day test at Assen in the Netherlands last week. Rea, who currently sits in third place in this year’s championship, was quickly up to the race pace that took him to a double win at the Assen round. The 23-year-old from Northern Ireland is keen to add to his tally at Misano, the scene of his debut Superbike victory a year ago. Neukirchner, meanwhile, concentrated his efforts on dialling out handling issues that have affected him in recent rounds. The German, who was also able to match his Assen race pace despite very windy conditions, has his own good form at the 4.226km Misano circuit, winning there in 2008. Jonathan Rea I got to Misano a little earlier than normal to soak up some sun, but the weather has been that bad I might as well have stayed at home. It’s improving though, and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in again at the weekend. It’s certainly going to be tough as our main rivals have tested here and have four days on us, but it’s a circuit I like very much and I’ve had some success here, including my first Superbike win last year. The guys have been working hard on our weaknesses back at the workshop and we had a reasonably good test at Assen over two days last week. We needed it though, and we won’t really know how much better the bike is until I start riding it around Misano on Friday. I’ll dig deep again and try to get the best results that I can a repeat of last year wouldn’t be too bad. Max Neukirchner We got through a lot of work at the Assen test last week and we found a way forward. It’s not the complete answer to all the problems we’ve been having but I am looking forward to seeing how the CBR works at Misano this weekend. We know the bike was already working well at Assen but, by putting some more weight on the rear of the bike, I’m hoping we can go better than in recent races. We’ll do some more work on the front forks on Friday to try to get the weight transfer and overall balance feeling better. I like the Misano circuit very much and had a win there in the first race in 2008 and I will try my hardest to get some good results this weekend. Ronald ten Kate team manager We’re very much looking forward to going back to Misano, where we had our breakthrough last year, using Ohlins suspension for the first time, and where Jonathan score d his first Superbike win. We will probably begin the weekend playing a bit of catch up because a number of other teams have tested at the circuit recently, but I’m quite sure that we can aim to put some good results in for both riders. More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsports Kawasaki: SYKES AND VERMEULEN HOPE FOR ANOTHER ITALIAN JOB The 2010 Hannspree World Superbike Championship returns after a short break when round eight of the thirteen round series heads for the Misano Adriatica circuit on the Italian Riviera this forthcoming weekend. Returning to Italy for the second time out of three visits this year is the Kawasaki Racing Team who is hoping for a repeat of the performance last time they were in the country. Then, back at Monza three rounds ago, Huddersfield rider Tom Sykes scored his best performances in both qualifying and racing aboard the Paul Bird Motorsport Team’s factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R whilst Aussie Chris Vermeulen also got his campaign back on track following injury. Sykes posted eighth during qualifying and backed that up with a superb ninth in the opening race but better was to come when he rocketed to fifth place in race two to score his best finish of the season to date for the Penrith-based team. For his part, former MotoGP race winner Vermeulen, despite still struggling with the knee injury sustained in the first race, battled at Monza and recorded his best results of the season also at the time. However since then, it’s been hard going for both Sykes and Vermeulen with minimal points during the last two rounds at Kyalami and Miller so both riders are hoping that a return to Europe will help elevate themselves from their respective 15th and 19th places in the series standings. Tom Sykes: “Coming away from the Miller race wasn’t so good for us as the results were not what we were expecting but we are continuing to make progress with the ZX-10R machine and learning all the time. I’m happy with the team and the way we work together as we know that when we find a good direction, we make the most of it. I’m looking forward to Misano, it’s a really nice track and I enjoy racing here. I will start fresh after the recent break and will look forward to seeing what we can achieve. I have high expectations of myself and the team so it’s just about finding the combination to make the package strong and seeing what we can get out of the bike. Hopefully we can make another step forward.” Chris Vermeulen: “I’ve had some decent results at the Misano circuit over the years with a mix of podiums in WSB, WSS and MotoGP but never the top step. Unfortunately I don’t think this year we’ll have the package to reach the top step of the podium but I do hope that I will be able to make a significant leap up as the four-week break has done me good. My injured knee is coming along and I’ve been working hard on my training and physio treatments in Australia since Miller so I’m looking forward to seeing what Misano brings us. The Misano event is always a favourite amongst fans with the sunshine and Italian passion for racing so I hope we can put on a good show and improve on our current form.”