Hannspree Ten Kate Honda riders Jonathan Rea and Max Neukirchner are in Valencia in Spain for this weekend’s (9-11 April) third round 2010 Hannspree World Superbike championship meeting aiming for an improvement in recent results. In spite of demonstrating his undoubted pace in both qualifying and race conditions, Rea has a solitary podium to his name from the four races to date this season. The 23-year-old finished third last time out at Portimao in Portugal but that was followed by retirement from the second race whilst in a leading position. The Northern Ireland rider is philosophical about the relative lack of high-scoring finishes and has declared himself excited about continuing the work at Valencia’s 4km Ricardo Tormo circuit. He crashed out of race one there last season and finished 13th in the second outing; however, the meeting marked a turnaround in Rea’s season and was followed by a string of top five finishes for the then SBK rookie. Max Neukirchner’s form at Valencia has been impressive in recent seasons, although a likely victory was snatched from him on the final corner of race one in 2008, when another rider ran into the German, ruling him out of contention for the second race as well. Neukirchner was on the podium there last year, but his 2010 results have been frustrating for him and his team in the two rounds to date. His crew has been looking for a stable balance for his Honda CBR1000RR that will allow him to brake later into corners and, despite rain at a test in Portimao last week, Neukirchner feels that some progress was made. Jonathan Rea Valencia is a circuit that I’ve never really gone well at but we had a decent test there last December. It’s going to be really interesting to roll out the new electronics package that we tested after the races at Portimao last week I’m excited because they felt pretty good in the test and I’m intrigued to see how they go at Valencia. The start to the season has been OK, apart from that technical problem we had last time out. I’ve been getting steady points so far, but now we need to be at the front. Luck has to fall in our favour sometime, so hopefully it’ll be at Valencia. Max Neukirchner After the disappointing results at Portimao I actually felt OK and was looking forward to a full day’s test on the Monday, but the rain stopped the work we wanted to do. We found something but didn’t really have enough dry time to develop it any further. But it was in a completely different direction to what we had on the Sunday and I felt pretty comfortable with it and I was able to go faster on old tyres. We’ll try some more at Valencia and then we have a test at Assen after the races. I’ve had some long conversations with my team about how to find that basic balance for the bike. It has not been easy but I know how hard everyone is working to find it. I was on the podium last year at Valencia and I nearly won a race there in 2008, so I hope to be fighting at the front again this weekend. Ronald ten Kate team manager The extra day’s testing at Portimao gave us just enough time to figure out some completely new chassis settings with Max, which we hope will help him to get back to the front of the field. Jonathan will start the weekend in Valencia with one machine carrying the new electronics system because everything felt positive at Portimao. We still have to confirm some things on Friday so we’ll test both systems back to back. All in all we’re hoping for a weekend without any bad luck since Jonathan has clearly shown that he has the speed in him. Because of some misfortune so far, we haven’t been able to achieve the thing that we come here for, which is winning races. More, from another press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: After a thoroughly satisfactory result two weeks ago at Portimao in Portugal, the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda duo of Kenan Sofuoglu and Michele Pirro head for Valencia in Spain this weekend (9-11 April) for round three of the 2010 World Supersport championship. For Sofuoglu, champion with the team in 2007, Portimao was a return to winning ways and a visit to the top step of the podium for the first time since Imola last September his third and final win of 2009. Victory in Portimao extended the Turkish rider’s record number of World Supersport championship wins to 15, which includes victory at the 4km Valencia circuit in 2007. Sofuoglu will be looking to add to that after finishing third in last season’s race. For Pirro, third place at Portimao his first World Supersport podium was a just reward after threatening more established riders at the season opener at Phillip Island, Australia. Despite a front row starting position there, fate conspired against the 23-year-old Italian, who was forced out of the race from a leading position. Pirro will consequently be looking for more podium success this weekend, after scoring seventh place at Valencia last year. Kenan Sofuoglu I was so happy to win the race at Portimao, and it was good to give something back to my team who have worked so hard since last season to make the CBR600RR a winning bike again. We weren’t able to do much work at the test at Portimao because of the rain but I am very comfortable on the bike and able to push hard. I was on the podium last year at Valencia, but it was a difficult race for us. This year I will try to reach the top step again. Michele Pirro My first World Supersport podium at Portimao was a dream for me. Since I joined this fantastic team at the end of last season, I have known that it is possible, but in Australia we had two races and two pieces of bad luck. Everything went OK in Portimao and now I want to aim for higher positions in every race and I hope to do that in Valencia this weekend. Ronald ten Kate team manager We were very happy with the results from Portimao and getting both riders on the podium shows how we have put a very difficult 2009 season behind us. We still have quite some ideas to even further improve the Honda CBR600RR machinery so we will continue the hard work at Valencia. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli are both looking forward to this weekend’s third round of the Superbike World Championship at Valencia in Spain; but for different reasons: Championship-leader Haslam is hoping to maintain his lead in the series and Guintoli is looking to recover from his disappointment in Portugal and get back to the form he displayed at the opening round in Phillip Island. The 4.005-kilometre circuit is very technical, compactly-designed; and is one of the best tracks for spectators in the Championship: For many years, Valencia’s series of second-and-third-gear corners have favoured twins, but Haslam did particularly-well there during testing in December and he is confident of doing well again in both races. Leon Haslam: “I really like the track and I think I showed that when we tested here in December. It’s a very technical track and it’s important to get a good set-up as early in the weekend as possible and then have a good qualifying. The twins have gone well here before, but I’m sure we can give them more than a run for their money this weekend. It’s going to be another hard -ought weekend but I’m confident that we’re going to be very competitive and will be going all out to make sure I finish the weekend still at the top of the Championship Standings.” Sylvain Guintoli: “Like Leon, I also like the track and, over the years, I’ve done well here; though this will be my first time racing it on a Superbike. It’s a technical circuit and a bit like a big go-kart track and you spend a lot of time trying to keep the front wheel down. After Portimao, I sat down and thought a lot about what happened during the weekend and tried to work out what had gone wrong and why. I realised that actually I was not that far off, but this Championship is so competitive that even if you are just a little bit off, you suffer a lot. It’s so important to do well in practice, do well in qualifying, be on the first two-rows of the grid; and then put everything together in the races. If you don’t, then it becomes a big battle just to get into any sort of contention. I think Valencia and the next race at Assen should be good for us and I’m looking forward to both tracks and getting back to the kind of form I showed in Australia.” 2009 Valencia results: Race 1: Haga (JPN-Ducati), 2 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati), 3 Neukirchner (GER-Suzuki Alstare), 5 Leon Haslam (GBR-Honda). Sylvain Guintoli – DNS. Race 2: 1 Haga, 2 Spies (USA-Yamaha), 3 Fabrizio, 5 Leon Haslam. Sylvain Guintoli – DNS. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Sykes And Andrews Team Up As Vermeulen Misses Valencia Race The Kawasaki Racing Team will feature the talents of team regular Tom Sykes and BSB rider Simon Andrews this coming weekend, as Chris Vermeulen recovers from keyhole surgery on his injured right knee. Sykes and Andrews have each tested at Valencia in the past week, in a two-day session that delivered valuable information to the team and to each rider. Sykes worked on race set-up and geometry revisions, while Andrews got to know the Superbike World Championship spec Kawasaki rather than his British Championship machine – not to mention learning the tricky and twisting 4.005km Valencia circuit. High winds and a far from ideal track surface were overcome by both riders in testing, leaving each with solid reasons for optimism approaching race weekend. Andrews set good times on day two, after taking the first day at a relatively steady pace as he settled into his new temporary role. Vermeulen had keyhole surgery to clean up the residue left in his knee on Friday 2 April, and although he misses the Valencia race he is working to be fit for the next round after that, Assen, on April 25. Immediate goals for both Tom and Simon at Valencia will be to get into the top 20 in qualifying to allow them to enter the three-part elimination-style Superpole contest on Saturday afternoon, and then ensure they get good grid spots for Sunday’s two 23-lap races. Tom has scored points in three of the four races held so far and is out to break into the top ten this time around. Tom Sykes: “Straight after the Portimao race we had a two day test at Valencia where I did a lot of laps and tried a number of new things on the Ninja ZX-10R. We were happy enough with the test and have come away with further understanding of the bike and a good base setting for the race. We have continued to progress and I’m feeling very optimistic and positive about the weekend ahead. It’s unfortunate that we will be missing Chris once again for this race but the team and I will be giving our best so we can hopefully claw back some valuable points.” Simon Andrews: “I am excited by the chance of riding for the Kawasaki Racing Team in World Superbike this weekend. It was good of them to give me the chance to test before the race. It went well; we all worked hard and moved forwards. It was also good to have raced last weekend in BSB as I have already had a taste of competition. From a rider’s point of view it is good to work with the people they have in the KRT set-up.” Chris Vermeulen: “I had keyhole surgery on my right knee on Friday, by a renowned surgeon called Dr Claes, in Belgium. He cut out some damaged meniscus and tidied up some damaged ligaments and this should speed up the recovery time and help with gaining more movement in my right knee. Unfortunately I missed last week’s test in Valencia and will now miss the Valencia race also, but at this stage I am working hard on being fit for Assen. I will be wishing the team the best of luck for this weekend.” More, from another press release issued by Kawasaki: Home Run On The Way For Joan Joan Lascorz enters his home round this weekend with a high degree of confidence, as he and team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara could not be better prepared after a successful recent test at Valencia. Joan took his first ever win in World Supersport at Valencia, in 2008, but last year he had very bad luck and despite qualifying second he was 19th on raceday, after pitting to change a tyre. Four of Katsuaki’s 21-career podiums have come at Valencia, including a race win back in 2003. Last year Katsuaki qualified fourth on his Kawasaki then went on to finish the race in fifth place. Kats’ legendary fighting spirit means that he will not be happy unless he gets into the top three places this weekend. After two races, Lascorz is second overall, by only a single point, having taken two-runner-up spots. Katsuaki is tenth, with a best single result of sixth so far. In the Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki team set-up Fabien Foret is overall fourth so far, and will bring his considerable experience to bear this weekend once more. Lorenzini is a supported team that is clearly enjoying its new adventure with Kawasaki in WSS. Each Kawasaki rider faces two periods of free practice, plus one qualifying session on Friday and another on Saturday, before morning warm-up and then a 23-lap race on Sunday 11th April. Joan Lascorz: “We tested for two days in Valencia and concentrated on comparing our suspension and set-up for the race last year to what we are using this year. I was able to set consistent lap times. All is OK and we are ready for the race. It will not be easy this coming weekend but all things are possible because we have been in the leading group at each race so far. Overall, we have made good preparations so we now have to make the best of things when we go back for the race.” Katsuaki Fujiwara: “Our test was good and we made some strong lap times which was very pleasing for all of us. We did a lot of comparisons to try to find the best set-up, and we are working well as a group in the team. I like Valencia, it’s is a track I think we can go fast on and I got my second best result of 2009 there on my Ninja ZX-6R. I intent to give it everything this weekend as usual.” More, from a press release issued by Team Reitwagen BMW: ROLAND BACK TO JOIN ANDREW IN VALENCIA. Team Reitwagen BMW rider Roland Resch will rejoin his team mate Andrew Pitt for the third round of this year’s Superbike World Championship at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia this weekend. The young Austrian did forty laps of the demanding Portimao circuit last week and suffered no ill effects from the collarbone he broke in two places during practice at Phillip Island in March and is now looking forward to his first race for the team. Andrew Pitt #88: “I can’t say that there is an awful lot to Valencia for us riders really, but it is a great track for the spectators. It’s a track where you need a good set-up, do consistently good laps and conserve your tyres. Because it is tight and there are many second and third gear corners, it is important to qualify well and get a good grip position. If you don’t, then it becomes very hard to get good results. Valencia is a track where you work very hard and because there is hardly any place to rest, it is physically very demanding. At the end of raceday, you really know that you’ve done two tough races, but I feel fit and ready for the weekend. I’ve had podiums there before (in World Supersport) and a pole position, so it has not been a bad track for me in the past. This weekend though will be very different but, if we can get a good set-up and maintain a good level of grip throughout the race,I think we can get into the points again.” Roland Resch #123: “After the Portimao race weekend, I tried the bike on the Monday afternoon. The conditions were far from perfect and although the track dried out in the afternoon, it was quite hard. Portimao has a lot of ups and downs and is a very physical circuit, so it was a very good workout for my shoulder, but I had no problems and felt pretty good at the end of the day. I’m looking forward to Valencia, even though it is another demanding track. There are many slowish corners and not many chances to rest, so my shoulder is going to get another good workout. My aim is to do well in practice and qualifying and get good results in both races.” 2009 results Race 1: Haga (JPN-Ducati), 2 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati), 3 Neukirchner (GER-Suzuki), Roland Resch DNF, Andrew Pitt DNS, Race 2: 1 Haga, 2 Spies (USA-Yamaha), 3 Fabrizio, 25 Roland Resch, Andrew Pitt DNS, More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: After an exciting second round in Portimao which saw both Yamaha Sterilgarda WSB riders make good progress on their bike set up and development, the team are now gearing up for round three in Valencia this weekend. Moving forward from a difficult first round in Australia, round two saw big improvements in the 2010 bike with both riders making good use of the increased power available. Crutchlow caught the attention of the paddock, impressing with a new Best Lap record in Superpole, knocking nearly half a second off last year’s time set by Ben Spies. The 25yr old British rider also took the first podium finish of the year for the team in the second race. Team-mate James Toseland made up for a less than perfect grid start position in both races, starting from 15th he pushed hard to break the top ten, delivering a 7th and then a 6th place finish. The Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia is known to both riders, and with Toseland getting back to full fitness as his hand recovers, the weekend has the potential to deliver great results for the team. “After my podium at Portimao I’m keen to get to Valencia,” said Cal Crutchlow. I think we can continue our good streak. I don’t know how the bike will be there as we used the 2009 bike in our winter test but I’m optimistic. Lots of the teams have tested there recently so we’ve got some work to do, but hopefully we’ll be up there and have a good result.” “We’ve made massive improvements from Australia to Portugal,” said James Toseland, “which obviously the podium from Cal proved. The second race in Portimao was particularly good for me, I had a really good race pace but couldn’t get to front which was disappointing as I started from too far back. The Valencia test went well in the winter and I’ve done a lot on the Spanish track compared to Portugal so I’m looking forward to getting out there and getting stuck in, being able to concentrate on the bike set up without having the added focus of learning the circuit.” Valencia technically speaking according to Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow’s Crew Chief “Valencia is one of the WSB circuits with the most stadium character, the track is flat and has some banked corners. The track conditions vary a lot so it is never certain what it will be. The infield is technical and physical for the riders, the last corner is particularly hard for the tyres over race distance so the track is more difficult than it appears. We made some adjustments to the bike in Portimao which Cal really liked, adding weight to the rear to improve the balance for him. We hope that we can find some new improvements again for the coming round.” Valencia technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland’s Crew Chief “We had a successful test over the winter. We have continued to work extremely hard since Portimao to continue improving the electronics on the bike. Valencia is a very challenging circuit, a good front fork setting is important, and a good handling bike, as a lot of corners link together. We will start on a very similar setting to race two in Portimao, with the biggest change coming from a new electronic strategy for corner exit. James will be one step closer to full fitness, and hopefully with another step of improvement from the bike, we can be challenging at the front!” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “Our test at Valencia over the winter went well. Following Portimao we will bring some more electronic updates for the bikes to the Spanish circuit in order to continue the progress we made from the first two rounds and be as competitive as possible. The electronics are our focus for development at the moment so these updates will include new maps for both James and Cal. Unfortunately the time is very short between these races but I am confident that we will get more improvements this weekend again.”