The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team arrives at Brands Hatch, Great Britain for round ten of the 2008 World Superbike championship, which takes place this weekend, 1-3 August. The 3.7km circuit in the south east of England has played host to some of the most memorable World Superbike events of recent years, with raceday crowds often exceeding 100,000. Honda CBR1000RR riders, Carlos Checa and Ryuichi Kiyonari, will be seeking to build on their victory in last weekend’s prestigious Suzuki 8-hours race, which they won as a Ten Kate pairing in the Dream Honda team. For Kiyonari, Brands Hatch’s undulating curves will be familiar territory, which he visited many times during his reign as British Superbike champion. Checa, on the other hand, will be making his first visit to the historic circuit. Meanwhile, the team’s third superbike rider, Kenan Sofuoglu, will fondly remember his visit to Brands Hatch in 2007, when he sealed the World Supersport title. The Turkish rider will also be hoping to build on his two top ten finishes last time out at Brno in the Czech Republic. In the World Supersport championship, Australia’s Andrew Pitt will hope to extend his 32-point lead over fellow countryman and Honda CBR600RR rider, Josh Brookes. HANNspree Ten Kate team-mate, Jonathon Rea, however, may have something to say about that as the Irishman seeks to combine circuit knowledge with the euphoria of his first World Supersport championship win two weeks ago at Brno. Ronald ten Kate team manager: Brands Hatch is always the highlight of the season for us because of the nice track and, also, the enthusiastic crowd. We have good memories from last year, when Kenan won the Supersport title and James Toseland did the double in front of his fanatic home crowd. All our riders like the track with the exception of Carlos, who hasn’t ridden here before. But I’m sure the novice will get enough tips from his team-mates, especially former British Superbike riders, Kiyonari and Rea! Hopefully, we can keep going strong in World Supersport, where the title race is sharpening up nicely. And in Superbike, I hope Kenan can use his Brno results to maintain his improvement and that Checa and Kiyonari can keep up the momentum from Suzuka. Carlos Checa Honda CBR1000RR: It was a fantastic experience to win the Suzuka 8-hours race last weekend. For sure the race itself and the travelling has quite an impact on the body, and I can’t wait to be on my own Fireblade again for this weekend. Brands Hatch is apparently a very special circuit with a great racing atmosphere, so I’m really look forward to making my first laps there. Ryuichi Kiyonari Honda CBR1000RR: I’m very happy with our win at Suzuka. This season I had to make many test sessions in Japan to set up the new Honda Fireblade for the 8-hours race, but now it has all paid off. Now I have to switch my mind to World Superbike. Brands Hatch is a track I already know from my British Superbike years, so I will push hard for a good result. Kenan Sofuoglu Honda CBR1000RR: The Brno race was by far my best race of the season. For the first time I felt in control of the machine and I really enjoyed that feeling. Brands Hatch is a track I like and, on top of that, I won my Supersport World title last year here, so it brings back some very good memories. Riding at Brands on a superbike will for sure be different to riding it on a supersport, but I’m positive for this weekend. Andrew Pitt Honda CBR600RR: Brands Hatch is one of my favourite tracks and the atmosphere is always great as well. Our Ten Kate Hondas have improved step-by-step over the season and the total package feels really good at the moment. The Supersport races are very competitive right now and there are plenty of riders who want to be on the podium this weekend. One of them is sitting next to me in the pitbox! Jonathan Rea Honda CBR600RR: For sure I was disappointed to not finish the Suzuka 8-hours race. We were battling for a podium position when I lost the front. Anyway I hope to have my chance again in the future. Brands Hatch is a track I know well from my BSB years and it’s a track I really enjoy riding. After my first world championship victory in Brno, I want to add my second win as soon as possible. The fans, friends and family who come to watch this weekend will be motivating me even more. More, from a press release issued by Honda: TOP HONDA RIDERS APPROACH BRANDS BRIMMING WITH CONFIDENCE Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) and Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) will arrive in the UK for the tenth round of the 2008 World Superbike Championship this weekend ready to add more World Superbike success to the victory they earned at the Suzuka 8hr race last week. Having spent much of the season jetting back-and-forward to Japan for pre-Suzuka testing, Checa and Kiyonari are now back in WSB mode full-time, and the challenge of the awesome Brands Hatch circuit awaits them next. Although both riders are rookies to WSB this year, they could not have a greater contrast in their previous Brands Hatch experience. Whereas Checa has only seen Brands Hatch on TV, Kiyonari has had vast knowledge of the track from his time in BSB racing, where he won championships in 2006 and 2007. Currently Checa is the best placed Honda rider in the WSB series, fourth overall, with his points total aided by two race victories in America in June. Kiyonari has one podium to his credit so far, but after the Suzuka win, and finishing top six in both races at the previous Brno WSB round, he is surfing a wave of positive feelings. Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR Jr) made a major step along his WSB career path at the Brno round, overcoming poor qualifying performances with two great rides in race conditions. He went from 26th on the grid to tenth in each leg, but even more importantly felt like he was riding a Superbike the way it should be ridden for the very first time since moving up from the Supersport class. Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR) approaches Brands ready to rack up strong championship points at one of his favourite tracks. Currently 20th, four places behind Sofuoglu in the rankings, Rolfo is ready to take on the circuit and his competitors on a new machine set-up he discovered during the previous Brno round. The 2005 BSB champion Gregorio Lavilla (Vent-Axia VK Honda CBR1000RR) is still the top Honda privateer on the WSB grid and will be returning to the scene of many former glories this weekend. Lavilla is to be joined in his British-based Vent-Axia VK Honda team at Brands Hatch by a local favourite, and proven WSB race winner, Chris Walker. Walker has been riding a WSS machine in 2008 so far, but is one of the most experienced WSB stars still actively competing, with 138 race starts and 12 podiums in a WSB career that started way back in 1997. Karl Muggeridge (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR), 15th in the rankings, is still ironing out some new electronics on his private Honda but memories of taking his first career WSS race victory At Brands in the 2000 season, also on a Honda, will be in the back of his mind as he returns to the UK. Shuhei Aoyama (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) and his team-mate Jason Pridmore (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) will be out in action once again, with Aoyama out to get more points on the board. Checa said: “It was a fantastic experience to win the Suzuka 8hrs race last weekend. For sure the race itself and the travelling has quite an impact on the body, but I can’t wait to get on my Fireblade again for this weekend. Brands Hatch is apparently a very special circuit with a great racing atmosphere so I’m really looking forward to making my first laps there.” Kiyonari said: “I’m very happy with our win in the Suzuka 8hrs. This season I had to make many test sessions in Japan to set-up the new Honda Fireblade for the race but now it has all paid off. Now I have to switch my mind to World Superbike. Brands Hatch is a track I already know from my British Superbike years, so I will push hard for a good result.” Sofuoglu said: “The Brno race was by far my best race of the season. For the first time I felt in control of the machine and I really enjoyed that feeling. Brands Hatch is a track I like and on top of that I won my Supersport world title last year on this track, so it will bring back some very good memories. Riding Brands on a Superbike will be different to riding it on a Supersport bike, but I’m feeling positive about this weekend.” Rolfo said: “Brands Hatch is a technical and enjoyable circuit and I particularly like it. Last year I obtained a good sixth position in race one and this year I hope to repeat with another good performance or two. After the Brno races I’m more confident in my bike set-up and in Brands it will be very important to find a good setting quickly. I know my team has worked non-stop on the bike and I would like to obtain good results, for them and for all my sponsors.” Lavilla said: “The last thee years I have been racing in the UK, but It is not like I have been riding on the Brands Hatch full circuit more than anyone else in World Superbike. BSB goes to the full Brands once a year and so does WSB! The important thing for us at this meeting is that the team has experience at the track, which has not really been the case so far. I think the knowledge we all have of Brands will be a big help to us this weekend.” Aoyama said: “This is another new track for me and I have heard that the Brands Hatch circuit is a very interesting one, but quite difficult to learn. Our bike is improving all the time. I need to get better starts than I had in the last round at Brno to get into the top group, and then our final results will be better.” The World Superbike Championship starts on its summer break after Brands Hatch, with the next round taking place on Sunday 7 September, at Donington Park. World Supersport Championship Pitt Ready For Another Push At Brands Hatch Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) had to give best to his own team-mate Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) at the most recent WSS round in Brno, but in the championship fight Pitt is the clear leader. The Australian rider, World Champion in this class in 2001, has a 32-point margin of advantage over third place rider in the Brno race, Josh Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) with Brands Hatch the first of five remaining WSS rounds. The all-Honda podium at Brno changed the complexion of the championship fight entirely as Yamaha’s Broc Parkes was only fourth in that race, which allowed Brookes to overtake him for overall second in the championship standings. The aforementioned Jonathan Rea, who had a luckless ride in the Suzuka 8hr for Honda, is nonetheless buoyed by his superb WSS Brno win, in what was only his eight World Supersport race. He, like any other long-time BSB rider, has intimate knowledge of Brands Hatch’s secrets, a factor he is hoping to exploit to the full in order to bridge the nine-point gap to second place in the championship standings. Rea is currently fifth, on 92 points. One time championship leader Joan Lascorz is now sixth in the rankings, only one point ahead of Craig Jones (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR). Neither of these riders scored points in Brno, and another top Honda rider who was unable to see the chequered flag two weeks ago is Robbin Harms (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) who was looking set for a podium finish at one stage. Gianluca Nannelli (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR600RR) is out to push himself into the top ten soon, while one-time WSB rookie, and now WSS rookie. Russell Holland (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR600RR) continues his stand-in duties for the injured Tommy Hill, having taken a confidence-building seventh place at the Brno race. Pitt said: “Brands Hatch is one of my favourite tracks and the atmosphere is always great as well. Our Ten Kate Hondas have improved step by step over the season and the total package feels good at the moment. The Supersport races are very competitive and there are plenty of riders who want to be on the podium this weekend. One of them is sitting next to me in the pit box!” Brookes said: “I’m very happy to be second in the championship with five rounds remaining. Hopefully this will give me enough time to close in on Andrew who is leading with 32 points. The points I managed to collect in the last round were great, but I wasn’t completely satisfied with my race performance. Scoring as many points as possible in every round is the most important thing for us and that’s what I want to carry on doing. Brands Hatch will be fun. I like the track and I’m ready to score as many points as I can.” Rea said: “Obviously I’m disappointed to have not finished the Suzuka 8hr race. We were battling for a podium position, which was my ambition going into the race, when I lost the front. Anyway I hope to have my chance again in the future. Brands Hatch is a track I know well from my BSB years and it’s a track I really enjoy riding. After my first World Championship victory in Brno I want to add my second win as soon as possible. The fans, friend and family who will come to watch this weekend will be motivating me even more.” Jones said: “It was a tough day at Brno not to score when we looked fully competitive but we’ll take the positives from it. That means we’ll just have to wait until Brands Hatch for the next chance and we all know it will be all the sweeter when we do top the podium because of experiences like Brno.” Harms said: “Brands Hatch is a track I really like, not only because of the spectacular layout and the enthusiastic crowd, but also because it suits my riding style. Last year I finished the race in fourth place, so hopefully this weekend I’ll manage to reach the podium.” Nannelli said: “After the Brno race the feeling with my bike is better and I’m now more confident for the remaining races of the season. I like Brands Hatch even though it’s a difficult circuit with some hills and technical curves. Our main goal is to be very fast from the first practice day and I will try to do my best as always.” Holland said: “I have never been in Brands Hatch before and I’m eager to get to know this new circuit. After the Brno races I have definitely adapted my riding style to the Supersport class and I’m sure I’ll need less time to find the right setting of my Honda. I want to reach the best possible result for both me and my team.” The Supersport series has its next round at Donington Park, on September 7th.