MotorLand Aragon launches European WorldSBK season
Great expectations for Round 3 of the campaign.
Following a dramatic encounter in the new destination of Thailand, the eni FIM Superbike World Championship returns to familiar soil this weekend with the Aragon Round. The MotorLand Aragon facility, a stone’s throw from the town of Alcaniz, made its debut on the calendar in 2011. However, for this year a different track configuration is to be used for the first time, as the riders will take the long double left-hander leading into the start/finish straight. On previous occasions, the tighter hairpin was used at the end of the back straight.
Of the quartet of events to be staged in Aragon thus far, race wins have been shared equally amongst as many riders, all winning two races apiece. Italians Max Biaggi and Marco Melandri each took a victory in 2011 and 2012, while in the more recent two seasons impressive doubles have gone the ways of British riders Chaz Davies and Tom Sykes.
Championship leader Jonathan Rea – having picked up three of the four 2015 race victories to date – heads with new machinery to Aragon, the same track where he had his first outing aboard the Ninja ZX-10 last November, in a two-day private test. Having collected a remarkable 95% of the maximum points available up to this point, the British rider surely has good reason to be confident as he heads out into the Spanish hills.
This could be a crucial weekend for 2013 WorldSBK title winner Tom Sykes. The Englishman may have picked up his first rostrum of the season in the opening Buriram race, although he lies some 45 points in arrears of his team-mate and has ground to make up. If history is anything to go by, he should head to Spain with confidence as last year Huddersfield rider Sykes successfully won both races from the Tissot-Superpole, in each of the Sunday encounters leading home French Kawasaki team partner Loris Baz.
If Rea’s start to the season has been spectacular, then Leon Haslam’s cannot be described as anything other than immensely strong. He may have beaten his compatriot only once, but Haslam remains very much in contention thanks to a trio of second places finishes which ensure he heads to Aragon only ten points behind Rea. Furthermore, he now hopes the Moto2 experience of team-mate Jordi Torres at the MotorLand Aragon circuit will only add to the challenge from the Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils riders this weekend. However, Haslam does admit that the next three rounds at Aragon, Assen and Imola will be key damage limitation exercises before heading to venues on which he expects to be at his strongest.
Spanish fans certainly have a lot to be excited about. Not only is Torres on the charge, but Althea Racing Ducati’s Nico Terol is a former Grand Prix winner in Aragon, while David Salom (Team Pedercini), Santiago Barragan (Grillini SBK Team) and Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) have all demonstrated their capabilities of strong showings.
In a further reinforcement to the Spanish Armada, Xavi Fores returns to the grid for the double-head of Aragon and Assen – race meetings separated by the space of just one week. Fores will take up the helm of the second Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team bike, becoming the latest substitute for the recovering Davide Giugliano after three-time World Champion Troy Bayliss elected to call time on his WorldSBK career after Thailand. Hailing from Valencia, Fores teams up with 2013 Aragon double winner Chaz Davies who himself is looking to bounce back from a weekend full of troubles last time out.
A rider with momentum is Alex Lowes. The Voltcom Crescent Suzuki man clinched his third World Superbike podium finish and the first of 2015 in Thailand’s second race and is now looking to move up from seventh place in the Riders’ Championship. Elsewhere, Pata Honda World Superbike Team are striving for top three results themselves, with World Champion Sylvain Guintoli continuing to carry the famed number one alongside Michael van der Mark ahead of the latter’s home race event at Assen next weekend.
2015 eni FIM Superbike World Championship (2 of 13 rounds completed)
1 – Jonathan Rea Kawasaki Racing Team – 95
2 – Leon Haslam Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils – 85
3 – Tom Sykes Kawasaki Racing Team – 50
4 – Sylvain Guintoli Pata Honda World Superbike – 41
5 – Jordi Torres Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils – 39
Wilairot carries World Supersport lead to Aragon
Thailand 2015 will never be forgotten by WorldSBK riders or fans alike, not least supporters of Ratthapark Wilairot who brought the house down when the CORE’’ Motorsport Thailand rider stunningly won for the first time in front of a rapturous home crowd at Buriram. He now has a new task to deal with: defending a World Championship lead for the first time.
Behind Wilairot, others have a point to prove. Jules Cluzel looked a certain winner of the Thai Round until his MV Agusta expired, cruelly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory just over two laps away from a second consecutive triumph. Indeed, team-mate Lorenzo Zanetti will also be looking to bounce back from his Thailand crash, with Round 2 having brought a non-score for the Italian marque after its impressive one-two finish of Australia.
Currently second to Wilairot in the standings is three-time World Supersport Champion Kenan Sofuoglu, who in Thailand fought back to a late second place from his 20th career pole position. The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider won in Aragon last year (surprisingly this would prove to be his only win in a tough season) and he is now looking to become the third different winner in as many races at the start of the 2015 campaign.
PJ Jacobson was frustrated to have lost a position to Sofuoglu at the last corner in Thailand, despite the Kawasaki Intermoto Pontexpres rider having picked up his first rostrum of the year in third. He heads to Aragon fourth in the standings behind Wilairot, Sofuoglu and Cluzel, while Gino Rea completes the overall top five. The CIA Landlords Insurance Honda rider was on the podium at the Phillip Island season-opener, but lost ground at Round 2.
The Constructors’ Championship is also finely-poised, with Honda edging out MV Agusta by the slim margin of nine points. Last time out, thanks to the efforts of Wilairot, the Japanese manufacturer became the first in World Supersport history to hit a century of race wins.
2015 FIM Supersport World Championship (2 of 12 rounds completed)
1 – Ratthapark Wilairot CORE” Motorsport Thailand Honda – 36
2 – Kenan Sofuoglu Kawasaki Puccetti Racing – 30
3 – Jules Cluzel MV Agusta Reparto Corse – 25
4 – PJ Jacobsen Intermoto Ponyexpres Kawasaki – 22
5 – Lorenzo Zanetti MV Agusta Reparto Corse – 22
Talent-packed STK1000 field to battle for the 2015 title
The 2015 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup goes from strength to strength as 34 riders, 6 manufacturers, a number established STK stars and a brace of new fast riders looking to make a name for themselves join the grid for this year’s 8 round series that will also see a welcome return for the class at the UK round of WorldSBK at Donington Park.
After narrowly missing out on the 2014 crown, Italy’s Lorenzo Savadori will be hoping that a switch to the Nouva M2 Racing team alongside compatriot Kevin Calia will bring title glory in 2015, but the Italian faces stiff opposition from a 34 strong grid.
Team Pedercini are back in force, once again running the largest team on the grid (4 bikes) that includes former race winner and ex-MotoGP rider Bryan Staring. The Australian is joined by Romain Lanusse, Riccardo Cecchini and youngster Peter Sebestyen who enters the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup after a half season in WorldSBK last year.
Yamaha make a welcome return to the paddock with the all new R1. 2014 World Supersport front runners Florian Marino and Kev Coghlan could well trouble the established superstock riders after showing a strong pace in testing. Team Trasimeno will also receive factory support in 2015, with Jeremy Guarnoni returning the class alongside Remo Castellarin.
Team Suzuki Europe will field Wayne Tessels and Nigel Walraven, the Dutch pairing keen to excel in their debut season. Tessels was the 2014 STK600 runner-up.
Fabio Massei remains with the EAB Racing Team, the Italian who was in regular podium contention last year is joined by Tony Covena who moves to STK1000 from World Supersport. Althea Racing have chosen two Italian riders, Luca Salvadori and Raffaele de Rosa to represent them on their return to the class, while Czech rider Ondrej Jezek is likely to feature at the sharp end once again. Jezek joins Marc Moser in the Triple-M by Barni Ducati squad.
Other riders of note are Kevin Valk (MTM/HS Kawasaki) who won at Assen last year, Federico D’Annunzio (FDA Racing Team) and Christoffer Bergman from Sweden who switches from Kawasaki to the MG Competition Yamaha team for the 8 round series that starts in earnest at Aragon.
Record field for the 2015 edition of the STK600 Championship
The FIM Europe Superstock 600cc Championship has once again proved popular, with many of the sports emerging talents ready to tackle the eight rounds on the calendar. 38 permanent riders from 17 countries have been accepted for the series that begins with a double header in Aragon and ends in Magny-Cours in October.
With last year’s champion and championship runner-up moving on to World Supersport and STK1000 respectively, there are numerous potential candidates in the running for the 2015 crown.
Finland’s Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing), Gauthier Duwelz (MVR Racing), Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Stefano Casalotti (Team Rosso e Nero) together with the San Carlo Team Italia pairing of Andrea Tucci and Michael Ruben Rinaldi have all shown previously their ability to run at the front, and should feature strongly this year.
Over a quarter of this year’s entrants come from the Pata European Junior Cup, so expect the likes of Jake Lewis (MVR Racing), Ilya Mikhalchik (Team Go Eleven), Augusto Fernandez (PATA Honda Junior Team), Richard Bodis (R2 MotorSport Team) and Kevin Manfredi (FLORAMO Monaco Racing Team) to be somewhere near the front.
For the first time ever in the history of the STK600 championship Uruguay is represented, Maximiliano Gerardo lines up for Racedays Honda while Team Go Eleven Kawasaki field fast female competitor Ricarda Neubauer from Germany.
Pata European Junior Cup contenders ready to race
The Pata European Junior Cup, powered by Honda will once again feature at all European events of this year’s WorldSBK series, providing the sports future champions with an opportunity to shine in front of potential team managers and enthusiastic, knowledgeable fans alike.
With the all new Honda CBR650F the machine of choice for 2015, and the introduction of the ‘women’s’ cup, the EJC continues to go from strength to strength with 30 full time riders from 16 countries represented.
Javier Orellana who came so close to winning last year’s crown is back again, the Spaniard keen to win the title that eluded him in 2014. Orellana is one of several former front-runners to keep an eye on in 2015 with Josh Harland (GBR), Hannes Soomer (EST), Illan Fernandez (ESP) and Mika Perez (ESP) all ready to step up and fight for title glory.
For the first time ever some of the fastest young ladies from across the globe will be recognised with the all new ‘Women’s European Cup’ highlighting the ever increasing number of female competitors that are keen to show their male rivals that girls can be fast too. Viktoria Kis is one such competitor, the Hungarian already coming out on top in the Qatar Road Racing series where she recently won the Supersport 600cc title.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
KRT Riders More Than Ready For First 2015 WSB Round In Europe
For championship points leader Jonathan Rea (KRT) and third placed Tom Sykes (KRT) their imminent arrival at a revised Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain offers each the chance to score more valuable points after the season opening rounds in Australia and Thailand.
Rea’s induction to the KRT squad has been nothing less than sensational, with ‘JR’ only five points from perfection in the first four races, making the most of his Ninja ZX-10R in race situations under new and more stringent technical rules.
Sykes scored his first podium in the new WSB era last time out in race one in Thailand as he makes the transition to the new technical landscape, after experiencing so much success in the previous three years, including his championship win with KRT in 2013.
So far Rea has scored three race wins and a second place. In doing so he has taken a ten-point championship lead as he approaches the first European round, to be held between 10 and 12 April at a Motorland circuit Kawasaki has enjoyed great recent success at.
Sykes scored a double win in Aragon last season – from pole position to boot – while his then team-mate Loris Baz took two second places. Last year Rea scored a podium finish at Motorland, while riding for another manufacturer, but this year hopes to be able to take his first race win at the impressive Spanish circuit, located near the town of Alcaniz. Rea currently has 18 career WSB race wins, with Sykes on a total of 22.
This year, in addition to new technical rules that should limit top speeds somewhat on the extensive back straight at Motorland, the circuit has been modified from its previous WSB format, by losing the sharp hairpin extension that once led to a tight final chicane.
The Superbike riders will now use the same circuit layout as the MotoGP class has been running for some years, making the track to be used next Sunday 5.077km long. The 2015 WSB layout therefore now features 17 corners and has a much faster final left-hand curve for the riders to catapult to the finishing line from.
Jonathan Rea: “I left Thailand with such a good feeling and I have been speaking with my guys already about the plan for this weekend. We need to start at zero again, not get carried away, and it is going to be super-tough. We are back in Europe where everybody has a lot of data, so it should be much, much more competitive. We just have to see where we stack up on Friday and Saturday and work methodically to make sure we have a package to compete at the front. The final corner at Motorland has been changed from the one we used in 2014. I enjoyed the previous one but I also like faster corners and the new layout makes the lap more exciting, simply because it is faster. I enjoy either layout and I am just excited to get back on the bike again.”
Tom Sykes: “I am very much looking forward to Motorland in its new layout as the last corner is more exciting than the previous one – but it will be the same for everybody. I got on the podium in Thailand but we are still finding the best way to give a better bike set-up for me. We have a plan and we now need to see if we can make it work. I have had some success recently at Motorland but honestly I look at every circuit as a chance to try and achieve something. In Aragon I am looking forward to it more from the point of view that we have some reference from there and we will see how this bike compares to last year’s. We have some ideas to try and help me and hopefully we can put them into practice in a good way.”
David Salom (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) will have a home round to look forward to in Motorland Aragon after experiencing contrasting fortunes at the beginning of his season. Injured and unable to race in Australia, the 2014 WSBK Evo Champion for KRT scored strongly on two occasions in Thailand and now sits 12th overall.
More, from a press release issued by Team Hero EBR:
Round Three Preview – Motorland Aragon, Spain 10-12th April 2015
EUROPE BECKONS FOR TEAM HERO EBR
Motorland Aragon in Spain provides the venue for the third round of the 2015 FIM Superbike World Championship with Team Hero EBR riders Larry Pegram and Niccolò Canepa looking to get firmly on the score sheet in each race as the series makes its first visit of the year to a circuit in Europe.
The first two rounds, in Australia and Thailand, proved challenging at times but America’s Pegram scored early points in his first full WSB season. Italian rider Canepa, having been strong in winter testing on the EBR 1190 RX, has already demonstrated he has real pace.
Each Hero EBR rider has vastly different experiences of the 5.077km Motorland track located in the north of Spain, with Canepa almost a veteran of the hillside circuit, and in more than one class of racing. Pegram will set his very first laps of Motorland during first practice on Friday 10th April.
For 2015 the FIM Superbike class will utilise the same circuit design as that used in previous seasons by the MotoGP riders, meaning the removal of the previous tight hairpin and final chicane and the adoption of a long radius double left hand curve. The result is a circuit length 267 metres shorter than the previous WSB version, which means new WSB lap records will be set this weekend no matter what the conditions.
The largely American Hero EBR team is based in Bergamo in Italy during the regular season and the technical staff have been able to continue the ceaseless task of development and preparation since they returned from the two long haul races that comprised the start of the 2015 season.
Larry Pegram
“I am happy to be racing in Europe as it should be much easier for the team than the fly-away races we have had so far. For me, personally, this is a track I have never been to I will need to get up to speed quickly. I will also happy to see how Nick will do on a familiar track. Overall we have learned a lot from the first two races and we have had time to put that to good use for the rest of the season.”
Niccolò Canepa
“I have been working hard at the gym and I am training like normal so I am OK on the physical side. I cannot wait to ride at Aragon now. The bike will be fine for Motorland. I think Aragon is better track than Thailand for us so we can do a bit better there. Then we will go to Assen, which is a track I love. In fact, the next three races – Aragon, Assen and Imola – will be very important for the team, for me, for everybody. We now race with a different final corner at Motorland but I already know this layout from when I tested MotoGP and Moto2 bikes there in the past. I like the faster final corner we have now so that is better for me for sure.”
More, from a press release issued by Voltcom Crescent Suzuki:
European season opener approaches for Voltcom Crescent Suzuki
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki heads to Aragon in Spain this week as Alex Lowes and Randy de Puniet prepare for their first 2015 World Superbike race on European soil.
Looking to capitalise on his podium-securing pace, shown consistently throughout the last round in Thailand two weeks ago, Lowes is eager to continue the progression on his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R. With a year’s worth of knowledge and two races at the Motorland circuit under his belt, the British racer is determined to improve on the positions from his rookie appearance and reaffirm his challenge on the Championship frontrunners.
De Puniet’s season starts afresh at the Teruel track, having overcome the injury sustained during testing at Phillip Island in February. A regular at the circuit throughout his long-standing career – the Frenchman last raced here in 2013 and completed testing duties midway through 2014 – this week will see his first visit to Aragon aboard the Suzuki GSX-R1000 and he has his sights set on regaining his confidence on European shores.
Motorland Aragon’s 5,078m circuit is located approximately 250kms from Barcelona and 100kms from the region’s capitol of Zaragoza, in the heart of the historic street-racing area of Alcaniz. The circuit itself provides a combination of four Herman Tilke designed track layouts, while the overall complex merges technology, sport and culture within its vast facility. The FIM designated layout runs anti-clockwise and presents the World Championship with seventeen corners and countless undulations as it twists its way across the Spanish hills, providing an exciting challenge for the Superbike racers as they showcase the best machines the production class has to offer.
The Championship’s third round also heralds the deadline for the ECU development programme under the 2015 rule changes, with all systems used in competition for the Spanish outing being employed for the remainder of the season. Voltcom Crescent Suzuki will use Aragon to introduce the GSX-R’s switch from MoTeC to Magneti Marelli electronics for 2015.
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s opening timed-for-qualifying practice commences at 11:15hrs local time (10:15BST) on Friday 10th April with the second outing on track at 15:00hrs (14:00BST). Saturday’s Superpole qualifying will take place at 15:00hrs local time (14:00BST) with Sunday’s races returning to the European schedule of 10:30hrs (09:30BST) and 13:10hrs (12:10BST).
Alex Lowes:
“I’m looking forward to Aragon and we’ll continue to work hard step-by-step. We plan to have the new Magneti Marelli electronics so that may throw up some problems as we work through any new setup issues, but we have to approach it with a calm, clear mind and get the most from the weekend that we can. I can’t wait to ride my Suzuki again so I know I’m going to keep having fun, enjoy it and do the best I can come race day!”
Randy de Puniet:
“We have two important races coming up back-to-back, but I think they can be two good races for us. I know the Aragon track well from my MotoGP™ career, and I really enjoy the circuit. This year the SBK Championship is using the final corner layout as used in GP so for me this is good as I have experience of this layout and I don’t need to learn anything. Unfortunately I am not at 100%, as I had wished to be, after falling ill with a fever in Thailand which is still affecting me, but I am hoping to feel better ready for the race weekend. We have not had much luck so far this year, so I am hoping to start my season again, we have two days testing at Calafat which will be good training for me just a week before the event, so I’m confident and will give my best for the weekend’s two races.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda:
Pata Honda riders confident as WSBK returns to Europe
After the opening two rounds in Australia and Thailand, round three of the 2015 World Superbike championship sees Pata Honda riders Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark return to Europe for this weekend’s third-round encounter at Motorland Aragon near Alcaniz in Spain.
The 5.077km Hermann Tilke-designed Aragon circuit features a revised, shorter layout for WSBK’s return, eliminating the tight hairpin at the end of the long back straight and instead utilising the faster left-hander used in MotoGP to bring the riders back on to the start-finish straight.
Following the season’s opening two rounds, Guintoli currently sits in fourth place in the championship standings but the 32-year-old reigning world champion from France knows there is still work to do with his team to be fighting for podium places this weekend.
Guintoli’s Pata Honda team-mate, meanwhile – Dutch rider Michael van der Mark, 22 – is enjoying his rookie year in the series after winning last season’s World Supersport championship.
2015 World Superbike championship, round three
Motorland Aragon – Alcaniz, Spain
Event schedule (local times GMT +2):
Friday 10 April
11.45-12.30 – Free practice 1
15.00-15.45 – Free practice 2
Saturday 11 April
09.45-10.30 – Free practice 3
12.30-13.00 – Free practice 4
15.00-15.15 – Superpole 1
15.25-15.40 – Superpole 2
Sunday 12 April
08.40-08.55 – Warm-up
10.30 – Race 1 (18 Laps km. 91.386)
13.10 – Race 2 (18 Laps km. 91.386)
Sylvain Guintoli
Aragon is about playing catch-up really, because it’s clear that we haven’t been fulfilling our potential in the first races of the season. My physical condition is still improving and I’m feeling better than I was in Thailand, so that’s all going in the right direction, but we need to improve our overall performance so that we can fight at the front. We’re all working hard to realize the potential of the package, especially in the areas of engine brake and power delivery. Testing conditions were not very good when we were at Aragon in January but the weather should be better this weekend. I’m looking forward to getting back there on the CBR, though; it’s a good track and I’m happy they’ve taken out the hairpin at the end of the lap, which kind of broke the flow.
Michael van der Mark
I really like the track at Aragon because it has a great mix of fast-flowing corners and tighter, technical sections. I think it will improve with the faster left at the end of the straight instead of the hairpin. I certainly enjoyed riding it when we tested in January but the weather was really cold so we couldn’t achieve very much. I’m quite happy with my performances over my first few races in World Superbikes. Thailand was great but the first round in Australia was really good and I’m hoping for the same feeling this weekend in Aragon. We knew that my rookie season would be about learning new things and that it would have some ups and downs, but so far I think we are more or less in the place that we expected to be.