KAWASAKI DUO LOOKING FOR PORTUGUESE SWANSONG The final round of the Hannspree World Superbike Championship takes place this forthcoming weekend with the Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team looking to end the season on a high note in Portimao. The impressive new circuit on the Portuguese Algarve was introduced into the calendar last year and riders Broc Parkes and Makoto Tamada have good experience of the track, especially 27-year-old Australian Parkes who finished in a strong fifth place in the World Supersport race last season. Following a difficult last couple of rounds aboard the www.supercasino.com, Vent-Axia, Kick Energy and Henleys-backed Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team Ninja ZX-10Rs, both Parkes and 32-year-old Japanese rider Tamada will be hoping for better fortunes. Machine problems have hindered Parkes whereas Tamada has suffered with injury but despite neither rider remaining with the team for 2010, both are confident of a good showing to round off a successful development season for Paul Bird’s team. Meanwhile, an announcement regarding the team’s line up and plans for 2010 is scheduled to be announced on Wednesday. Broc Parkes: “I’m going into this weekend under mixed emotions as it’s been a tough year filled with many ups and downs. I can honestly say looking back that I’ve enjoyed the challenge of the ZX-10R and really appreciated working with the Paul Bird Motorsport and Kawasaki Racing teams. The team and I have worked really hard so it would be nice to do well this weekend and end the season on a high. I’m obviously very disappointed that I will not be continuing into 2010 with Kawasaki but that is the way racing goes. I wish the team all the best for the future and want to thank them for the opportunity in 2009. Portimao should provide a good race for all and I enjoyed racing there last year so I’ve got nothing to lose but to do well.” Makoto Tamada: “To say that I’m looking forward to this weekend is an understatement as having missed the last two races from injury I am really eager to do well and to finish the season and my time on the ZX-10R on a positive note. I’ve had such bad luck this year with some many accidents which weren’t my fault but my team have always worked hard and continued to push and be positive. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with the Paul Bird Motorsport team and seeing how much the machine and the team have progressed. I feel that there are many positives to come and wish the team the very best of luck for the future.” More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Hannspree Ten Kate Honda riders Kenan Sofuoglu and Andrew Pitt head to Portimao in Portugal this weekend (23-25 October) for the final round of the 2009 World Supersport championship. The Honda CBR600RR-mounted pair knows that the rider’s title, won by Andrew Pitt a year ago, will not be coming back to the team. However, Honda leads in the World Supersport manufacturer standings by just one point, and Sofuoglu and Pitt will be going all-out to secure Honda’s seventh straight title. Portimao was a brand new circuit when the championship visited for the first time last season. The race was won in spectacular style by Kenan Sofuoglu, with newly-crowned champion Pitt taking the second step on the podium. The 4.59km circuit was carved out of the hills just north of Portugal’s Algarve coast and quickly became a riders’ favourite with its variations in elevation and a blend of fast and slower corners. Kenan Sofuoglu championship position 3rd Since Magny-Cours, I have had a good rest back home with some light training, and now everything is perfect for the final race of the year. I know my main rivals have tested at Portimao recently, but I don’t feel I need any more preparation. I know the circuit and I like it very much, especially after winning there last season. I also know my bike, which has improved so much in the last few races. We will look for more improvement this weekend and I know exactly what I need to do to help Honda win the title and for me to keep third in the championship. Andrew Pitt championship position 7th It’s been a difficult season, for sure, but things have finally begun to work with the bike over the last few races. Portimao is a really nice track so it’ll be good to get the CBR600RR working there, too. It hasn’t gone our way at a lot of tracks this year but I’m glad that the championship won’t be decided until this weekend. It means I can go into Sunday’s race knowing that I’m still world champion and that I’ve still got the number one plate on the bike, which a few people may have forgotten. The whole team will be working as hard as ever to get a good result and hopefully bring home the manufacturer’s title for Honda. Ronald ten Kate team manager It has been a tough year, and it’s been hard to let the title go since we have held it since 2002. However, we have definitely found a way forward in recent weeks and the CBR600RR has definitely improved so we are hoping to continue that progress into the final round and finish the year on a high. We had a good 1-2 finish in Supersport last year, when Kenan swapped back from the Superbike and took a good win, with Andrew coming in second having already secured the world title. We’d like a similar finish this year to guarantee another manufacturers’ title for Honda. More, from another press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Jonathan Rea and Carlos Checa will contest the final round of the 2009 World Superbike championship for their Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team this weekend (23-25 October) at Portimao in Portugal. In his debut World Superbike season, Jonathan Rea has impressed many observers with his committed riding style and his role in the development of the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade. The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland is the youngest rider in the series and is currently the top British and top Honda rider. Rea will be aiming to secure the 14 points he needs to regain fourth place in the championship table to underline his strong rookie year, in which he has already secured two wins and a further four podium finishes. For Carlos Checa, who celebrated his birthday last week, the Portimao event will mark the Spaniard’s final appearance for the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team, having joined the squad in 2008 after an impressive GP career. The 37-year-old took two wins last year on his way to championship fourth place and has enjoyed a further four podium visits this season. The 4.59km Autodromo Internacional Algarve circuit in Portugal nestling in the hills just to the north of Portimao, 70km west of Faro is a favourite of most championship riders, offering a blend of fast sweepers and tight hairpins with a number of changes in elevation which give it a real roller-coaster feel. Jonathan Rea championship position 5th Last year, Portimao was my first race on a Ten Kate Honda Superbike and I really had a lot of fun. Although the track has quite a difficult layout, I really enjoy riding it and I’m looking forward to going back there. The bike is completely different to the one I rode last year and at the pre-season test, so we’ll be working from a much better starting point. Although it’s the final round, there’s still a chance for me to improve my overall position in the championship so we’ll be working really hard for that. Without a championship to challenge for, the last few races have really been about concentrating on building our speed and carrying that through into winter testing. I’m aiming for a fun end to the season and will be going for two more good finishes to end the year on a high. Carlos Checa championship position 7th I had a good birthday last week when I did some trials riding with Toni Bou Montesa Honda’s world champion which was amazing! Last year’s races at Portimao were quite eventful but good for me, with a podium in the first race. It was looking good also for race two but I got caught in another rider’s crash and had to go off the track. Portimao is one of the best circuits on the calendar really good fun and very special so I hope to finish the season with some good results, as a farewell gift for the team. I’d like to thank them for a very enjoyable two years and for the opportunity to join the World Superbike championship. It’s a shame we were not able to fight for the title this season as we hoped, but I will try to make sure we finish with a good race. Ronald ten Kate team manager There’s no doubt that this season has proved itself to be a very tough one, and we are a long way down on the expectations that we had before the season started. However, in the middle of the year, we started to turn things around and we have found an improvement in results. The bike is still developing race-by-race, so I think we can be satisfied with the season as a whole, but particularly the second half. Portimao gave us some good results last year and this will be the first circuit where Jonathan has raced a Superbike before. We’ll also be working hard to get some good results for Carlos on his last outing on our machinery. He has been a joy to work with over these last two years and we hope to finish our collaboration on a high note.