West battles to tenth – Sucipto battles through pain and celebrates safe race finish QMMF Racing Team rider Anthony West rode to a strong tenth place at the Dutch TT, fighting off his direct opponents Julian Simon and Randy Krummenacher to cross the line 16 seconds behind race winner Pol Espargaro. Starting from the second row of the grid, the 31-year-old Australian had expected an even better result, but ran into front end problems halfway through the race and wasn’t able to quite match the speed of the riders in front of him any more. But even though he was not entirely satisfied with the race result, West was still happy with the progress on the set-up of his Speed Up prototype and is confident of more good results to come in the next races. Team-mate Rafid Topan Sucipto, who had suffered multiple bruises in a practice crash on Friday morning, grit his teeth and rode through the pain barrier to complete the full race distance and to award himself and his team with a safe race finish. Anthony West – 10th place It wasn’t a good race for me because I feel embarrassed to go backwards from sixth! I felt good on the bike and my lap times were fast, but I didn’t get a good run and was sort of battling to pass a lot of the guys. I felt faster than them, but I struggled to try to overtake them. Mid-way through the race, I lost the good feeling for the bike and dropped off a bit. I kept going backwards and wasn’t able to continue with the strong lap times, which is a bit strange. I expected to be more consistent, but it didn’t work out that way because I lost feeling with the front. I had lost the front a few times on the first laps, which was really strange, so I didn’t trust it. As soon as you don’t trust the front that little bit, everything becomes harder. So I am not really happy with the race, I expected more out of it. But other than the tenth place, we can be satisfied with the weekend. Hopefully, we can improve from now on. The bike seems to be working reasonably well and we seem to be working in the right direction. We were better here than the races before, so I think we can be pretty strong from now on! Rafid Topan Sucipto – 28th place After my crash yesterday, I was in a lot of pain. I didn’t have a good night, I kept waking up because of my bruises and I also struggled in the race for this reason. It was a tough day, but I am glad that I was able to finish the race and to see the chequered flag. My plan for the next races is to change my attitude and to be relaxed and calm. I put myself under a lot of pressure again in the race today, which is not the key to success! More, from a press release issued by ItalTrans/AGP Racing: TT Assen Assen (The Netherlands) June 29th, 2013 Race Mixed feelings in the Italtrans garage. Julian Simon collected points for the second race in a row, and concluded the race close to a position inside the top ten, showing clear signs of progression. On the contrary, Takaaki Nakagami has lived the worst day since the GP of Japan 2011, when crashed and broke his scapula. Today, in a accident that occurred to him in the first half of the race, the Japanese rider broke his left collarbone. He will undergo a surgery tomorrow morning, Sunday, in Italy. Julian Simon (40’08”195 – 11th) “To be honest, our target was a better position, and I had the pace, I must say. Unfortunately, I lost quite a lot of time because of a rider that slowed me down. Then, I hadn’t time enough to get a better result. The bike was good, apart from a lack of acceleration out of the hairpin. We are improving, bit by bit. I believe we can say we leave Assen having done a step ahead”. Pierluigi Aldrovandi (Simon race engineer) “Our data confirms: the acceleration out of the hairpin was not what should have been. Julian did a good fight, and I agree with him – we are improving, this is the way, and we have to continue like this. Our target was a position inside the top ten, and we almost got it”. Luigi Pansera (Team Manager) “The fracture is not exposed and not totally displaced. We are getting organized for a surgery already tomorrow morning, in Brescia, Italy, were Takaaki will be transferred this night. In such a difficult day, Julian provided us with a smile, as he has been able of a good race, with a fighting attitude – which has always been one of his qualities”. More, from a press release issued by PTR Honda: PTR HONDA’S Sheridan Morais fought hard to take 10th place at the seventh round of the World Supersport Championship at Imola in Italy today. The South African tried hard all weekend. Sheridan said: “I had quite a good race but for the wrong positions. We had a really good battle but I want to have a race like that at the front. We’ve just had a hard weekend; we are trying some new things. The suspension and handling are excellent and we are faster through the turns than everyone. I am looking forward to the test tomorrow to improve our performance further.” Nacho Calero took 21st in the race, just a fraction of a second from a top 20 result. The Spaniard continues his learning curve in World Supersport and will take heart from another finish. David Linortner had been in 18th place and threatening the top 15 when he was forced to retire. Matt Davies, after a number of crashes, suffered a technical problem and was forced to retire early on. With the one bike rule if a rider crashes and there is undetected damage in the motorcycle, it increases the chance for failure in the race. Home racer Luca Marconi did not start due to injuries sustained in a crash yesterday and he is hoping to return to action in time for the next round of the Championship at Russia on 21st July. Before that Sheridan will join the official test at the Imola circuit tomorrow. Simon Buckmaster, PTR Honda Team Manager, said: “For 2013 PTR has a team of young and new riders that are all learning to one degree or another. Sheridan has already proved at previous rounds with an injury he has the pace to challenge for the podium. Today he had to fight hard to take 10th and we will be looking to see what we can improve together to get to the position we need to be. “Nacho finished just outside the top 20 after challenging for 17th with a lap to go. He had to slow down because he was feeling unwell – this is the second time this has happened and we need to work on full race fitness. He is a rookie to the class but I strongly feel he can do better and will be encouraging him to make the most of his ability and the bike he has got. “It was disappointing to see David retire again when he was riding well here. We will take that encouragement to Russia and I will be pushing him to get another points scoring finish. “Matt suffered a technical problem, most likely caused by the crashes he suffered over the weekend. We need to eliminate those accidents so he can get to a race and show us what he can achieve. “The whole PTR team wishes Luca Marconi a speedy recovery and we hope he will be back for Russia and fighting for the top 10 where he deserves to be.” Race result 1. Kenan Sofuoglu TUR Mahi India Kawasaki ZX-6R 14 laps 2. Sam Lowes GBR Yakhnich Yamaha YZF-R6 +3.957s 3. Vladimir Leonov RUS Yakhnich Yamaha YZF-R6 +4.409s 4. Lorenzo Zanetti ITA Pata Honda CBR600RR +6.435s 5. Michael van der Mark NED Pata Honda CBR600RR +9.967s 6. Luca Scassa ITA Intermoto PonyExpres Kawasaki ZX-6R +13.437s 10. Sheridan Morais RSA PTR Honda CBR600RR +29.137s 21. Nacho Calero Perez ESP PTR Honda CBR600RR +1m 01.334s Championship positions (after seven rounds) 1: Lowes 140 2: Sofuoglu 106 3: Foret 85 4: VD Mark 73 5: Zanetti 68 6: Scassa 63 12: MORAIS PTR HONDA 36 18: MARCONI PTR HONDA 17 27: LINORTNER, PTR HONDA 2. More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda Supersport Team: Pata Honda riders battle for Imola points Lorenzo Zanetti and Michael van der Mark finished in fourth and fifth places respectively in today’s seventh round World Supersport race at Imola in Italy. The shortened 14-lap race at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, which had to be restarted after an oil spillage caused the first part to be red-flagged, was won by Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoglu. Van der Mark had an eventful race, starting from 10th place on the grid the 20-year-old Dutch ace had fought his way up to fourth before he almost crashed on the oil spill. With a better grid position for part two, he was always in contention but front tyre problems restricted his progress. Zanetti, 26, also battled hard in both parts of today’s race and the Italian rider pleased his home fans and supporters by exorcising the disappointment of the previous round at Portimao, scoring 13 solid points for the championship in which he holds fifth place. Lorenzo Zanetti – 4th Part of me is happy that I was able to fight for a podium at my home race, but another part is angry because another rider rode straight across me in the first start and that affected my position on the grid after the red flag. OK, that’s racing, but I had to push a lot and use my head to stay calm and get into a good rhythm. I hoped that I might get into a podium position because Sofuoglu and Leonov used a softer tyre than me. It’s a good result though and it’s been a good weekend compared with Portimao. The championship is OK and the team will be happy with these results. If we can continue this way, the podium will surely come to us. Michael van der Mark – 5th The first start was OK and I was in a group that would be fighting for the podium. I felt that I could go faster than the others and I was waiting because my pace was better. Then we got an oil flag but it was on top of a hill so I could not see where the problem was. The others went through OK so I figured it wasn’t too bad but then I hit it and I lost the rear. I though “OK, this is going to hurt”, but I was able to save it. I have no idea how! In the restart I was riding in third place and had a good feeling but I pushed too hard on the front and lost two places. I couldn’t go any faster so I stayed safe for fifth. I’m happy for that, and the good points I got, but a little unhappy that I wasn’t able to fight for the podium in the restart. Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator Both guys had quite a good warm-up this morning and we found some setting improvements. Michael was lucky not to crash on the oil that caused the red flag, and then we had a shortened race. It looked like Michael was pushing for a podium but his front tyre started to drop a bit and he dropped to fifth, which was a good result. Lorenzo’s fourth was also a positive finish, and they stand fourth and fifth in the championship. We didn’t get them on the podium but, all in all, it was not a bad weekend. 2013 World Supersport championship, round seven Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola Italy – 4.936km, 14 laps Race result: 1 Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Kawasaki 2 Sam Lowes (GBR) Yamaha 3 Vladimir Leonov (RUS) Yamaha 4 Lorenzo Zanetti (ITA) Pata Honda 5 Michael van der Mark (NED) Pata Honda 6 Luca Scassa (ITA) Kawasaki Championship points after seven of 14 rounds: 1 Lowes 140, 2 Sofuoglu 106, 3 Fabien Foret (FRA) Kawasaki 85, 4 van der Mark 73, 5 Zanetti 68, 6 Scassa 63. Next round: Moscow Raceway, Russia – 19-21 July More, from a press release issued by Gino Rea Racing: Mixed fortune for Gino Rea at second Moto2 wildcard appearance at Assen TT Gino Rea and his self-run team, the Gino Rea Race Team, were back in action at last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Assen where the 23 year old wildcard entrant qualified 1.1 seconds off pole position. It was a testament to the progress Gino is making with the FTR machine, given the short time in which the team have had to develop the bike. Despite Gino qualifying just over a second off pole man, Pol Espargaro, the times were so close around the infamous TT circuit that Rea was pushed back to 23th on the grid. The qualifying session was the only dry session that the team had to set the bike up. Such opportunities were lost in FP1 where Gino experienced problems with clutch slippage from the supplied engine and in FP2 and FP3 which were wet sessions. Despite the loss of valuable track time for Gino and the team, to be so close to the front was a great achievement. The race however did not further the progress made in the qualifying practice. A problem on the warm up lap almost ended Gino’s race before it had begun, as the Londoner questioned whether or not he should start the race. The bike was losing power, and although Gino finished the race, he was disappointed to bring it home in 25th. Gino adds: “It was a difficult weekend for us and it’s a shame that we had more engine issues during the race. Considering we lost all dry tracktime I was happy to be only 1.1 off pole position after qualifying. We still need to find a good base setting with the bike and also on the electronic side. It’s hard to do that over race weekends, especially when the weather is mixed. It is frustrating again to have a race with engine problems; I almost pulled over at the end of the warm up lap on the grid. The engine started to lose power during the warm up lap and I was worried that if it did it down the start straight I could get hit from behind. I actually got a good start and made up lots of places around turns 1, 2 & 3, but I got pushed out at turn 4 lost all positions onto the back straight. The best thing about the race was that the bike’s chassis setting actually got a bit better towards the end and I did my best lap on the final lap, which was just a second off the leaders. So considering our loss of power, I think we can be competitive when things go our way. We’ll be back at Sachsenring. I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone in my team and all of my personal sponsors.” Looking ahead, the Gino Rea Race Team have received official confirmation of their entry at the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring on the 14th July. With the gap considerably smaller this time until his next Moto2 appearance, Gino will be hoping to impress having qualified on the second row at the German circuit in the 2012 season. Beyond Sachsenring, Gino is seeking the support of sponsors to help him make the grid at Brno and Silverstone, circuits where the Londoner enjoyed a World Supersport Victory and podium finishes. Fans can help Gino by purchasing Gino Rea merchandise at www.GinoReaClub.com. Gino will be selling updated photographs and t-shirts soon. Interested sponsors are urged to contact Gino Rea Race Team at [email protected]. More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: Points for Redding in Belgium Supermoto Championship Spa Francorchamps, Belgium: On Saturday Scott Redding defended his lead in the Moto2 World Championship with a hard fought second place in Assen, while on Sunday he picked up his first points in the Belgian National Supermoto Championship. After a race long duel with Pol Espargaro in the Moto2 Dutch TT at Assen, Redding parked his Kalex Moto2 bike and immediately headed south to Belgium, to compete in the inaugural Supermoto de Spa Francorchamps event. The event, which was held in aid of a children’s cancer charity, pitched Redding against the regulars of the Belgian and Dutch Supermoto Championships, as well as other guest riders such as reigning Superstock Endurance World Champion, Grégory Fastré. Bright sunshine, perfect track conditions and a big crowd, many fortified with copious amounts of Belgium’s finest beer, greeted Redding as he headed out for the 20-minute qualifying session, to the accompaniment of someone’s ’80s mix tape blasting out over the circuit PA. “That was fun,” declared Redding, after the session. “It’s the first time I’ve ridden the Supermoto bike on a dirt section, which was interesting. Riding the dirt, and the big jump, was okay, but it was a bit sketchy coming off the dirt and back onto the tarmac. It was hard for me, as I ride with the knee down and need to take some lean angle but overall I was happy with the first session, which I finished in P9. Not bad when you see how fast some of these guys are!” After the session Redding joined a group photo with all the competing riders and was presented with a race shirt by Marc Fraikin, multiple Belgian and Dutch Supermoto Champion who also races with the number 45. It was Fraikin who took the win in the opening prestige class race, in which Redding collected three championship points and qualified for the second race aboard his Kawasaki KX450F. In the second outing, which was won by Jaimie van Sikkelerus, the Marc VDS rider improved again, picking up four more points and qualifying for the Superfinale. The physical demands of a full race programme at Assen and then a qualifying session and two races at Spa, meant that Redding opted out of contesting the Superfinale, which was won by Kevin Novelli Vieillevoye. “The racing was fun but also hard work, especially the dirt section. Riding the dirt on slicks and then hitting the asphalt sideways with dirt on the tyres was interesting, but mega fun! After racing in Assen yesterday and then doing two races and a qualifying session here at Spa today, I’m looking forward to a lie in tomorrow, as well as some rest ahead of the next Moto2 race at the Sachsenring. It’s been a great day here at Spa; everyone I’ve met has been fantastic and, hopefully, we’ve raised a fair bit of money for the children’s charity as well.” “I’d like to say a big thank you to Joël Delsupexhe, the guys at AS Moto and the event organisers for the invitation and also for looking after me so well. Thanks also to Marc Fraikin for the shirt, it’s good to see there’s a fast rider behind the number 45 in Supermoto too! Finally I want to say get well soon to the Marc VDS Parts Coordinator, Patrick Kramer, who was going well in his race, until he had a bit of a moment on the jump and dislocated his shoulder,” concluded Redding. Redding will stay on in Belgium for training, before heading to the Sachsenring next week for round eight of the FIM Moto2 World Championship, the final round before the traditional summer break. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Double Delight for Yamaha with Team Podium at Imola Yakhnich Yamaha Motosport riders Sam Lowes and Vladimir Leonov produced a double podium in yesterday’s drama filled World Supersport race in Imola. Round seven of the World Supersport Championship kicked off on Saturday with Lowes scoring his fifth consecutive pole position of the season, the British rider again putting his Yamaha YZF-R6 at the front of the field with a lap record under his belt. This time he was to be joined on the front row by teammate Leonov, scoring a career best qualifying to take third on the grid for the race. Yesterday’s race was nearly a disaster for Championship leader Lowes, the R6 rider making an incredible come back following a red flag incident six laps in. At the time Lowes had been in second, chasing down rival Kenan Sofuoglu however the re-start would see him slip first to sixth and then even further to tenth following a brief off-track excursion. While Lowes was languishing down the field his teammate Leonov was near the front and hotly pursuing Sofuoglu. What came next was a stunning fight back as Lowes recovered from tenth to third over the fourteen laps and then, at the last minute, pass his teammate on the last corner of the race to secure second. Lowes and Leonov Celebrate The impressive effort limited Sofuoglu’s attack on Lowes’ Championship lead, the Yamaha rider remaining at the top of the standings with 140 whilst Sofuoglu follows on 106. Sam Lowes, 2nd “Early in the race I felt the clutch slipping and as I was trying to catch Fabien Foret I missed a turn and went wide onto the grass. I lost a few places and it was pretty tough to catch my rivals but I managed it and fought to get second position. I’m very happy; it was a great day for all the team and for Yamaha. Vladimir was also great!” Vladimir Leonov, 3rd “Before the race I was feeling comfortable as we had made the bike set up very competitive and the final morning practice had confirmed it. When the race re-started I saw Luca Scassa in front and realised I could catch him and leave him behind so I went for it. Thanks to my team and Yamaha for my bike, the tyres were also perfect and I had a really good pace. I had hoped to be in second position but unfortunately I made a small mistake in one corner.” 1. Kenan Sofuoglu TUR Mahi India Kawasaki ZX-6R 14 laps 2. Sam Lowes GBR Yakhnich Yamaha YZF-R6 +3.957s 3. Vladimir Leonov RUS Yakhnich Yamaha YZF-R6 +4.409s 4. Lorenzo Zanetti ITA Pata Honda CBR600RR +6.435s 5. Michael van der Mark NED Pata Honda CBR600RR +9.967s 6. Luca Scassa ITA Intermoto PonyExpres Kawasaki ZX-6R +13.437s 7. Andrea Antonelli ITA Go Eleven Kawasaki ZX-6R +14.112s 8. Florian Marino FRA Intermoto PonyExpres Kawasaki ZX-6R +28.194s 9. Alex Baldolini ITA Suriano Suzuki GSX-R600 +29.018s 10. Sherian Morais RSA PTR Honda CBR600RR +29.137s 11. Raffaele de Rosa ITA Lorini Honda CBR600RR +29.592s 12. Fabien Foret FRA Mahi India Kawasaki ZX-6R +29.763s 13. Jack Kennedy IRL RivaMoto Honda CBR600RR +29.957s 14. Roberto Rolfo ITA ParkinGO MV Agusta F3 +30.831s 15. Fabio Menghi ITA VFT Yamaha YZF-R6 +39.902s More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: SBK – Imola Seventh round of the World Superbike Championship at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola. Team Pedercini was on the grid of the two races with only Federico Sandi, beacuse Alex Lundh fell yesterday morning during qualifying. Sandi took off from with the sixteenth time in two races on a dry track and high temperatures. In race one, the pilot Pedercini was the author of a good start and he brought points. Thanks to a good rhythm Federico recovered some positions up to finish in thirteenth place. Even in race two the start of Sandi was good and he was at fourteenth place, a position that he kept until the end. Five points for him in this fifth round of Imola. The next round of the World Superbike Championship will be in Moscow on 19, 20 and 21 July. Federico Sandi: “It was a positive weekend, we have improved the performance of my bike. I finished in the points and this is a good result for a private pilot like me. In race two I had a small problem but I finished in fourteenth position. I hope to continue in this way in the coming races. Thanks to my team who did a great job as usual. ” Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola – Campionato Mondiale Superbike Race 1 : 1) Sykes (Kawasaki) – 2) Giugliano (Aprilia) – 3) Laverty (Aprilia) – 4) Melandri (BMW) – 5) Fabrizio (Aprilia) – 6) Davies (BMW) – 7) Camier (Suzuki) – 8) Badovini (Ducati) ….. 13) Sandi (Kawasaki) Race 2 : 1) Sykes (Kawasaki) – 2) Rea (Honda) – 3) Guintoli (Aprilia) – 4) Melandri (BMW) – 5) Davies (BMW) – 6) Baz (Kawasaki) – 7) Camier (Suzuki) – 8) Fabrizio (Aprilia) …….. 14) Sandi (Kawasaki) More, from another press release issued by Team Pedercini: Imola, Superstock 1000 Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola held the fifth round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. Second row for Savadori, Mercado third, fourth and sixth for Andreozzi and Grotzkyj Giorgi. Dittadi unfortunately could not take off due to the dislocation caused by a fall during qualifying round. At the start Savadori was very fast and was in fourth position. Mercado followed him in sixth, while Andreozzi was on twelfth place. Grotzkyj Giorgi started well to recover positions. Savadori and Mercado lost the first group with three riders, while Andreozzi went in eighth place and Grotzkyj Giorgi finished in points. Savadori at the end was in fourth position, followed by Mercado in fifth. Eighth place for Andreozzi, while Grotzkyj Giorgi concluded his comeback in twelfth position. In the drivers standings, Mercado is in the fifth position with 60 points, followed by Savadori, he is sixth with 46. The next two rounds of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup will take place at Silverstone on August 4. Leandro Mercado: “After a complicated qualifying the race was not too bad. I tried to stay with the leaders.” Lorenzo Savadori: “I made the maximum possible. I was the first of Kawasaki riders on a track that is not very favorable for our bike. Today was hot and I suffered a lot. This is a good result. ” Alessandro Andreozzi: “My start was good, but I have to be more aggressive in the early laps, because then I lost positions and after it’s hard to recover. The bike was good and at the end I suffered. This result is not so good and I will try to do better at Silverstone. ” Simone Giorgi Grotzkyj: “It ‘was a good race and I’m satisfied. The goal was to get into the top fifteen and then the twelfth place is positive.” Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola – Race : 1) Barrier (BMW) – 2) Canepa (Ducati) – 3) Jezek (Ducati) – 4) Savadori (Kawasaki) – 5) Mercado (Kawasaki) ..… 8) Andreozzi (Kawasaki) ….. 12) Grotzkyj Giorgi More, from a press release issued by Honda: FIM SUPERBIKE / SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 07 SUNDAY JUNE 30 IMOLA, ITALY RACE REPORT Weather: Dry, sunny, humid Temperature: Ambient 25/28 degrees C / Track 46/54 degrees C Attendance: 48,020 all weekend REA RECOVERS WITH A STRONG SECOND PLACE AT IMOLA Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) rode the highs and lows at the seventh round of the FIM Superbike World Championship at Imola, with a fall and subsequent DNF in race one, and a great second place in race two. Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) managed to not only finish both SBK races for the first time in several rounds but also take two top ten results after each 21-lap outing, despite the continuing negative effects of his long term left leg injury. Rea, who had qualified well in second place in Superpole and was riding at a circuit he has gone well at in the past, made the most of his front row grid position in race one but ran on during lap one and dropped back to tenth place. He battled hard to get back up to fourth place but fell on lap 19, losing the front when trying to get into a good overtaking line, to eventually end his race in the pit lane. His race two performance was almost faultless but he had no answer for double race winner and Superpole winner Tom Sykes (Kawasaki)) who is also the new championship leader. This was his third podium finish of 2013. Haslam qualified 11th and improved to tenth in race one, but it was his combative race two fight, despite a serious lack of mobility and pain from his left leg, that impressed most and netted him a valuable ninth place. In the championship Rea sits seventh with 125 points, while Haslam put his first points on the board since round two at Aragon and is 15th, with 42 points. The next round will take place at Moscow Raceway, in Russia, on Sunday 21 July. ZANETTI TAKES BEST HONDA WSS FINISH AT IMOLA WITH FOURTH Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) was only one place from a podium finish at his home round of Imola during the seventh round of the FIM World Supersport Championship. Michael van Der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) placed fifth today and maintains his position as the top Honda rider in the championship, fourth overall and one spot ahead of Zanetti. Lorenzo had been the top Honda qualifier, fifth, with Michael tenth. Kenan Sofuoglu was the race winner for Kawasaki, with both van Der Mark and Zanetti involved in battles behind. The race was eventually run over 14 laps after a red flag halted the first attempt after an oil spill that caught some riders out, and almost claimed van Der Mark. The scheduled 19-laps became 14 after a long delay to clear up the track. Sheridan Morais (PTR Honda) overcame a crash in the first running to finish tenth, having been ninth in qualifying. It was a challenging day for many other Honda riders, but Raffaele De Rosa (Team Lorini Honda) finished just one place behind Morais, in 11th. Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda) fell in practice and made his pre-existing right knee injury worse but he continued to the end and finished 13th, scoring three more points for his rookie season total to date. Balazs Nemeth (Complus SMS racing Honda) just missed a championship point in 16th, while his former team-mate and fellow Hungarian Imre Toth (Racing Team Toth Honda) placed 17th. Alex Schacht (Racing Team Toth Honda) was 20th, the next best Honda rider. Luca Marconi (PTR Honda) broke his right arm in two places but will try to get back in time to race at the next round in Moscow. Young Aussie rider Matt Davies (Honda PTR) was a non-starter as his bike was damaged in the first attempted race start. HONDA RIDER COMMENTS: Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) Race result: DNF / 2nd Championship position: 7th “I have really mixed emotions today. We had really good pace all weekend, but not enough for Tom [Sykes] today, who seemed like he had something in reserve, especially when it got hot this afternoon. I pulled a big ‘holey’ in race one and thought, “I’m gone here”, but I had a big vibration the whole race on the brake disc, so I couldn’t push the front like I wanted. I made a mistake on the first lap, but made a lot of ground up and then unfortunately crashed when I was pushing for the podium with a couple of laps to go. In race two I just rode my ass off and made zero mistakes. In the first five laps I couldn’t go with the two guys ahead, so they gapped me and by half distance, Tom had eked out a lead tenth by tenth. I need to work with my crew to make the bike better with a full fuel load and fresh tyres, but it’s clear that we’ve addressed some of the problems we’ve had when the tyres drop. We can leave Imola with our heads held high because we’ve addressed some of the issues we had earlier in the season and we look forward now to Moscow.” Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) Race result: 10th / 9th Championship position: 15th “The pace is way off but one step at a time. I think it is a combination of the race distance taking its toll on the rest of my body and the leg is still super-sore so I cannot push through the pegs. My full pace is still not there so I am overworking my body trying to put the bike where I want it. I tire out quite fast and I know where I am losing time but the bike is working very well. I think it is 99% me because I cannot put weight through the pegs. But, psychologically, to complete both races here has been very important for me.” Michael van Der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) Race result: 5th Championship position: 4th “The first start was OK and I was in a group that would be fighting for the podium. I felt that I could go faster than the others and I was waiting because my pace was better. Then we got an oil flag but it was on top of a hill so I could not see where the problem was. The others went through OK so I figured it wasn’t too bad but then I hit it and I lost the rear. I though “OK, this is going to hurt”, but I was able to save it. I have no idea how! In the restart I was riding in third place and had a good feeling but I pushed too hard on the front and lost two places. I couldn’t go any faster so I stayed safe for fifth. I’m happy for that, and the good points I got, but a little unhappy that I wasn’t able to fight for the podium in the restart. Fifth at the end is not that bad.” Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) Race result: 4th Championship position: 5th “Part of me is happy that I was able to fight for a podium at my home race, but another part is angry because another rider rode straight across me in the first start and that affected my position on the grid after the red flag. OK, that’s racing, but I had to push a lot and use my head to stay calm and get into a good rhythm. I hoped that I might get into a podium position because Sofuoglu and Leonov used a softer tyre than me. A podium in Italy would be another kind of flower! Fourth is a good result though and it’s been a good weekend compared with Portimao. The championship is OK and the team will be happy with these results. If we can continue this way, the podium will surely come to us. The team has the potential for us to arrive.” Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda) Race result: 13th Championship position: 8th “I suppose not all of them can go as planned and I had a big crash in qualifying yesterday and that meant I hit my bad knee again, so it is full of fluid, really swollen and sore and not a lot of power in it. I also had some issues on the brakes today that we did not have in warm-up, so that must have been left over from the crash yesterday. I cannot blame the team as they went through everything on the bike and made sure everything was OK then we just had this brake problem from nowhere. I suppose I am happy to get points out of it.” Sheridan Morais (PTR Honda) Race result: 10th Championship position: 12th “I had a crash yesterday and again now in the race when the oil spill happened. I got back to the grid for the restarted race but you know what, I am actually happy in the way I raced, because there was a lot of passing and bashing going on but just in the wrong position. To be fighting for tenth is not my usual place I think but it was really hard today. We are struggling with horsepower so to be racing directly against other guys makes that tough. Every time I did good work in the turns I get passed in the straights. It is making life hard but we are all working hard to improve it.” Alex Schacht (Racing Team Toth) Race result: 20th Championship position: NA “The race was actually quite good. I had a good fight with Imre and Calero. I made a mistake on the last lap which stopped me from attacking my team-mate on the run to the flag but I will try again in Russia. It’s been a great job by the team this weekend as we were missing a couple of mechanics so a big thanks to them.” Matt Davies (Honda PTR) Race result: DNS Championship position: NA “I was not able to make the restart because my bike broke down in the first place. We have just had a big string of bad luck recently so hopefully we can turn it round soon. I qualified a bit back but this is a learning year for me for sure. Looking at the times I did in free practice I am looking at finishing top 15 on those times.” RESULTS SUPERSPORT RACE : (Laps 14 = 69,104 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / GAP 1 / K. SOFUOGLU / TUR / MAHI Racing Team India / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 26’11.297 2 / S. LOWES / GBR / Yakhnich Motorsport / Yamaha YZF R6 / 3.957 3 / V. LEONOV / RUS / Yakhnich Motorsport / Yamaha YZF R6 / 4.409 4 / L. ZANETTI / ITA / Pata Honda World Supersport / Honda CBR600RR / 6.435 5 / M. VD MARK / NED / Pata Honda World Supersport / Honda CBR600RR / 9.967 6 / L. SCASSA / ITA / Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 13.437 7 / A. ANTONELLI / ITA / Team Goeleven / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 14.112 8 / F. MARINO / FRA / Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 28.194 9 / A. BALDOLINI / ITA / Suriano Racing Team / Suzuki GSX-R600 / 29.018 10 / S. MORAIS / RSA / PTR Honda / Honda CBR600RR / 29.137 11 / R. DE ROSA / ITA / Team Lorini / Honda CBR600RR / 29.592 12 / F. FORET / FRA / MAHI Racing Team India / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 29.763 13 / J. KENNEDY / IRL / Rivamoto / Honda CBR600RR / 29.957 14 / R. ROLFO / ITA / ParkinGo MV Agusta Corse / MV Agusta F3 675 / 30.831 15 / F. MENGHI / ITA / VFT Racing / Yamaha YZF R6 / 39.902 Fastest Lap: 11 Sam Lowes 1’51.607 159,216 Km/h Lap Record: 2012 B. Parkes 1’51.952 158,730 Km/h Best Lap: 2013 S. Lowes 1’50.404 160,950 Km/h CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE: 1 LOWES 140, 2 SOFUOGLU 106, 3 FORET 85, 4 VD MARK 73, 5 ZANETTI 68, 6 SCASSA 63, 7 ANTONELLI 55, 8 KENNEDY 47, 9 LEONOV 42, 10 ROLFO 40, 11 MARINO 39, 12 MORAIS 36, 13 RUSSO 28, 14 COGHLAN 22, 15 IVANOV 18. SUPERBIKE RACE1: (Laps 21 = 103,656 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / GAP 1 / T. SYKES / GBR / Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 37’52.860 2 / D. GIUGLIANO / ITA / Althea Racing / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 7.198 3 / E. LAVERTY / IRL / Aprilia Racing Team / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 9.484 4 / M. MELANDRI / ITA / BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 10.323 5 / M. FABRIZIO / ITA / Red Devils Roma / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 18.697 6 / C. DAVIES / GBR / BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 19.531 7 / L. CAMIER / GBR / Fixi Crescent Suzuki / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 22.412 8 / A. BADOVINI / ITA / Team Ducati Alstare / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 29.142 9 / L. BAZ / FRA / Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 36.828 10 / L. HASLAM / GBR / Pata Honda World Superbike / Honda CBR1000RR / 37.507 11 / C. CHECA / ESP / Team Ducati Alstare / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 39.239 12 / M. NEUKIRCHNER / GER / MR-Racing / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 43.334 13 / F. SANDI / ITA / Team Pedercini / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 1’12.069 14 / V. IANNUZZO / ITA / Grillini Dentalmatic SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 1’30.685 15 / N. HAGA / JPN / Grillini Dentalmatic SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 1’30.773 Fastest Lap: 13° Tom Sykes 1’47.274 165,647 Km/h Lap Record: 2012 T. Sykes 1’47.552 165,220 Km/h Best Lap: 2013 T. Sykes 1’45.981 167,670 Km/h RACE2: (Laps 21 = 103,656 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / GAP 1 / T. SYKES / GBR / Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 37’51.947 2 / J. REA / GBR / Pata Honda World Superbike / Honda CBR1000RR / 5.032 3 / S. GUINTOLI / FRA / Aprilia Racing Team / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 10.201 4 / M. MELANDRI / ITA / BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 13.12 5 / C. DAVIES / GBR / BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 13.63 6 / L. BAZ / FRA / Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 23.949 7 / L. CAMIER / GBR / Fixi Crescent Suzuki / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 25.42 8 / M. FABRIZIO / ITA / Red Devils Roma / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 36.511 9 / L. HASLAM / GBR / Pata Honda World Superbike / Honda CBR1000RR / 40.184 10 / A. BADOVINI / ITA / Team Ducati Alstare / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 41.1 11 / J. CLUZEL / FRA / Fixi Crescent Suzuki / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 47.888 12 / C. CHECA / ESP / Team Ducati Alstare / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 52.182 13 / M. NEUKIRCHNER / GER / MR-Racing / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 56.352 14 / F. SANDI / ITA / Team Pedercini / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 1’15.992 15 / N. HAGA / JPN / Grillini Dentalmatic SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 1’25.210 Fastest Lap: 3° Tom Sykes 1’47.507 165,288 Km/h Lap Record: 2013 T. Sykes 1’47.274 165,650 Km/h Best Lap: 2013 T. Sykes 1’45.981 167,670 Km/h CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE: 1 SYKES 235, 2 GUINTOLI 229, 3 LAVERTY 190, 4 MELANDRI 182, 5 DAVIES 154, 6 BAZ 136, 7 REA 125, 8 FABRIZIO 120, 9 GIUGLIANO 99, 10 CAMIER 80, 11 CLUZEL 77, 12 NEUKIRCHNER 60, 13 CHECA 59, 14 BADOVINI 59, 15 HASLAM 42. NEXT EVENT: ROUND08, JULY 21, MOSCOW, RUSSIA More, from a press release issued on behalf of Zero Motorcycles: ZERO MOTORCYCLES AND HOLLYWOOD ELECTRICS SET RECORDS AT 2013 PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMB — Zero FX Sets Fastest Production-Based Time Ever in Exhibition Powersports Class – Z — SANTA CRUZ, Calif., (July 2, 2013) – Zero Motorcycles and Hollywood Electrics, leaders in all-electric motorcycles, made history on June 30, 2013, at the 91st running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC). In a historic weekend of racing that saw an electric motorcycle set the fastest overall time in the motorcycle division, Zero Motorcycles and Hollywood Electrics made history of their own with six production-based Zero Motorcycles that all competed and finished with impressive times. Jeff Clark, riding a 2013 Zero FX, was the fastest of the production-based group with a 12:00 flat run up the mountain, setting a new record for production-based electric motorcycles and putting him inside the top half of all motorcycles entered in this year’s event. Clark was closely followed by BE-EV.com sponsored rider Jeremiah Johnson, riding a 2013 Zero S and finishing in 12:05. Rounding out the podium with a time of 12:24 in the special Exhibition Powersports Class – Z was Motorcycle.com editor and test rider Troy Siahaan, competing on a 2013 Zero FX. All three finishing times were faster than the previous electric motorcycle record time set by Chip Yates in 2011. “This week exceeded all expectations,” said Harlan Flagg of Hollywood Electrics. “We came prepared and ready to race, but were blown away by how smoothly it went all week. Even after several crashes during practices days, one that sent a bike flying off a 15 foot embankment, the motorcycles only suffered superficial damage, a testament to how well designed these machines are by the engineering team at Zero Motorcycles. We came to prove just how much fun and how competitive electric motorcycles can be, especially production-based motorcycles, and I believe we proved a point.” Flagg concluded by stating, “A big thanks goes out to all the riders, sponsors and support crews for making this happen. It was truly a historic weekend for electrics and for Zero Motorcycles.” This year marks the first ever Electric Motorcycle Division in PPIHC’s 91 year history. In addition to the top three finishing Zero riders, team members Ted Rich (12:53), Nathan Barker (13:14) and Brandon Miller (13:16) set impressive times as well. Hollywood Electrics organized and managed the efforts with motorcycles and technical support from Zero Motorcycles, represented onsite by Media Relations Coordinator, TJ Aguirre. Hollywood Electrics entered several different model Zero Motorcycles in the event, including a number of stock and modified motorcycles. Hollywood Electrics has been an authorized Zero Motorcycles dealer for four years and is Zero’s number one dealership in sales. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb began in 1916 and is the second oldest motor sports race in America. The PPIHC is a long-standing tradition in the Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Regions. The race takes place on a 12.42 mile course beginning at 9,390 feet with 156 turns and ending at the 14,110 foot summit of Pikes Peak. One of the main obstacles of the race is the increasingly thin air that slows reflexes, diminishes muscle strength and reduces the power of internal combustion engines by 30 percent as competitors advance up the peak. The electric motorcycle division has an advantage with the all-electric motorcycles because they do not experience power loss with increased elevation and thinner air. “This is a landmark moment for electric motorcycles and the electric movement in general,” said Scot Harden, Vice President of Global Marketing for Zero Motorcycles. “Our hats are off to Lightning Motorcycle and Carlin Dunne for setting the fastest two-wheeled time up the mountain. I am equally proud of the job Team Zero and Hollywood Electrics did at the event. A big thank you is in order for the Pikes Peak organizers for having the vision to include an all-electrics production motorcycle class at this year’s event. This was a great demonstration of the reliability and performance already available to the public at large. We are sure the electric motorcycle field will only continue to grow in the coming years.” Zero Motorcycles has been working with Hollywood Electrics since they opened their doors in August 2009 as Zero’s first Southern California dealership. This year, for the second year in a row, Hollywood Electrics was named “Top Dealer” by Zero Motorcycles. Hollywood Electrics has worked with Zero Motorcycles and consumers to push the idea that the electric revolution is here to stay. They have been designing and creating custom Zero Motorcycles to provide customers with unique and individualized motorcycles that still offer the exceptional benefits of owning an all-electric motorcycle. In addition to Hollywood Electrics, Zero Motorcycles dealer network has grown to over 50 dealers in the United States and Canada alone, as well as a very robust and growing dealer base in Europe. For more information on Zero Motorcycles visit www.zeromotorcycles.com. About Zero Motorcycles Zero Motorcycles is committed to transforming the motorcycling experience by bringing to market highly innovative electric motorcycles that offer exceptional value and performance. Zero is powered by innovation, driven by passion, guided by integrity and measured by results. Through extensive research, insight and experience, Zero combines the art and science of motorcycle development to create and manufacture products that excite consumers and inspire brand loyalty. Zero is determined to be the preeminent global electric motorcycle company. Follow Zero Motorcycles on Twitter @ZeroMC, become a fan of Zero Motorcycles on Facebook and check out what Zero is doing on YouTube at www.youtube.com/zeromotorcycles.