BMW Motorrad Motorsport under the floodlights in Doha – BMW S 1000 RR on the CEV podium twice at Portimão.

Spectacular 2014 WSBK season finale at Losail Circuit in Qatar – Privateer BMW Motorrad rider Ivan Silva claimes a double podium in the Spanish Superbike Championship.

Munich, 5th November 2014. The experts from BMW Motorrad Motorsport were in action under the floodlights in Doha, Qatar last weekend. They were on site to support their customer teams at the 2014 season finale of the FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK). Also in the Japanese Road Race Championship (MFJ), the 2014 season concluded this weekend, with privateer BMW Motorrad riders competing in Suzuka (JP). In the fiercely contested Spanish Superbike Championship (CEV), the penultimate round of the season was held in Portimão (PT). On this occasion, Ivan Silva (ES) claimed a double podium with his BMW S 1000 RR. In the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy rankings, the Spaniard made up three positions. (See full rankings at the bottom).

FIM Superbike World Championship in Doha.

With a spectacular final race weekend in Doha, Qatar, the FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK) concluded its 2014 season. For the first time ever, the series held a round under floodlights. The experts from BMW Motorrad Motorsport were on site at the Losail Circuit and supported the BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team and BMW Team Toth in preparing for the last two races of the year.

Sylvain Barrier (FR) of the BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team had a season finale with highs and lows. The first sessions went well for the Frenchman, and the performance of his BMW S 1000 RR made him confident for the Superpole qualifying and the races. But at the end of Superpole 1 on Saturday, Barrier unfortunately had a heavy highside and suffered a lot of bruises to his foot, back and ribs. These affected him on Sunday, but Barrier tried to overcome the pain in the races. In race one, he finished third in the EVO class (14th overall). In race two he soon took the lead of the EVO field, and was lying in a strong tenth overall, but after five laps he had to retire due to a technical problem. Imre Toth (HU / BMW Team Toth) finished the races in 18th and 17th respectively on his BMW S 1000 RR.

Spanish Superbike Championship at Portimão.

The renowned Spanish Superbike Championship (CEV) held its penultimate round of the 2014 season at Portimão (PT) last weekend. Privateer BMW Motorrad rider Ivan Silva (ES) claimed a double podium at the “Autodromo Internacional do Algarve”. In the first race he finished third on his Targobank Motorsport BMW S 1000 RR. In race two he took the chequered flag in second. With these results, he defended the overall lead in the CEV championship rankings, having a good chance of being crowned champion at the season finale on 16th November at Valencia (ES).

Daniel Rivas (ES / Easyrace Superbike Team) finished the Portimão races in sixth and fourth respectively on his BMW S 1000 RR, while Eeki Kuparinen (FI / Motomarket Racing) finished tenth in both races. In the current BMW Motorrad Race Trophy rankings, Silva improved from 14th to 11th, Rivas moved up into the top 15 and Kuparinen climbed from 23rd to 16th – and all three of them have the prospect of moving up further the order in two weeks’ time.

Japanese Road Race Championship at Suzuka.

Also in the Japanese Road Race Championship (MFJ), the 2014 season is now over. The final round was held at the iconic Suzuka Circuit (JP) last weekend. Three privateer BMW Motorrad riders lined up on the grid. Daisaku Sakai (JP) finished the race in 11th with his BMW S 1000 RR. Kohji Teramoto (JP) was 14th and Shinya Takeishi crossed the line in 24th.

2014 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Current Standings.

Status: 5th November 2014

16. Eeki Kuparinen (FI/CEV/146,00), 17. Michel Amalric (FR/FSBK/144,00), 18. Alessandro Polita (IT/CIV/141,25), 19. Pedro Vallcaneras (ES/EWC/138,76), 20. Leon Bovee (NL/IDM/137,78), 21. Matthieu Lussiana (FR/BRSBK/137,00), 22. Hudson Kennaugh (ZA/BSB/129,00), 23. Gianluca Vizziello (IT/CIV/123,75), 24. Luca Conforti (IT/CIV/112,50), 25. Janine Davies (ZA/SAM/100,95), 26. Marc Neumann (DE/IDM/100,88), 27. Andy Rey (FR/FSBK/100,00), 28. Stefan Nebel (DE/IDM/97,50), 29. Michael Rutter (GB/IOMTT/BSB/96,83), 30. Lucas Teodoro (BR/BRSBK/96,50), 31. Florian Drouin (FR/FSBK/93,00), 32. Björn Stuppi (DE/EWC/92,75), 32. Hayato Takada (JP/EWC/MFJ/92,75), 34. Federico D‘Annunzio (IT/WSTK/92,00), 35. Uwe Gürck (DE/SWC/91,32), 36. Denni Schiavoni (IT/CIV/WSTK/83,75), 37. Fabrizio Perotti (IT/CIV/83,75), 38. Jason Pridmore (US/EWC/79,00), 39. Alessio Corradi (IT/CIV/78,75), 40. Mark Albrecht (DE/IDM/69,15), 41. Marco Muzio (IT/CIV/65,00), 42. Sylvain Barrier (FR/WSBK/EWC/62,50), 43. Thomas Hainthaler (DE/IDM/62,25), 44. Florian Brunet-Lugardon (FR/FSBK/62,00), 45. Daisaku Sakai (JP/MFJ/EWC/58,73), 46. Nicolas Pouhair (FR/FSBK/58,00), 47. Luciano Ribodino (AR/BRSBK/46,50), 48. James Westmoreland (GB/BSB/45,33), 49. Jean Foray (FR/FSBK/45,00), 50. Robert Muresan (RO/WSTK/42,00), 51. Marco Sousa (CA/CSBK/41,00), 52. Jörg Steinhausen (DE/SWC/40,80), 53. Kohji Teramoto (JP/MFJ/EWC/37,96), 54. Sergiy Grygorovych (UA/IDM/33,00), 55. Patric Muff (CH/BSB/27,83), 56. Lucas Barros (BR/BRSBK/27,00), 57. Rémi Boitel (FR/FSBK/21,00), 58. Camille Hedelin (FR/FSBK/18,00), 59. Tim Robinson (CA/CSBK/17,50), 60. Alessio Velini (IT/CIV/15,00), 61. Shinya Takeishi (JP/MFJ/EWC/11,73), 62. Imre Toth (HU/WSBK/10,00), 63. David Datzer (DE/IDM/6,00), 64. Peter Sebestyen (HU/WSBK/3,00), 65. Filip Altendorfer (DE/EWC/2,45), 65. Florian Bauer (DE/EWC/2,45), 65. Rico Löwe (DE/EWC/2,45), 68. Martjin Polinder (DK/IDM/0,00), 68. Didier Grams (DE/Macau Grand Prix/0,00)

More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:

Sylvain Guintoli is crowned eni FIM Superbike World Champion at Losail with the manufacturer title going to Aprilia; Pirelli successfully concludes the eleventh year as sole supplier for the Championship

After a head to head race down to the last turn, Guintoli eclipsed Sykes, who started the weekend as favorite with a 12 point advantage

Doha (Qatar) – The eni FIM World Superbike Championship came to a close yesterday on the Losail International Circuit, awarding the World Champion title to Sylvain Guintoli and the Manufacturer Championship title to Aprilia.

In Race 1, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) got off to a good start and took the lead immediately after starting from third on the grid, while Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) overtook Ducati rider Chaz Davies to move into fourth place. Behind Sykes, Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) and Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) were second and third. At the end of the first lap, Baz from Kawasaki moved into the lead, followed by Rea and his team mate, Sykes, who dropped into third position with the Aprilia Frenchman breathing down his neck. At the start of the fourth lap, Guintoli began his comeback: first he overtook Sykes, moving into third place, and then in the eighth lap he also overtook Jonathan Rea, taking second place behind Loris Baz. In the twelfth lap, Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) overtook Sykes, relegating him to fifth place. Toward the end of the same lap Guintoli, overtaking Baz on the finish stretch, took the lead and held on until the end.

In the 14th lap, Tom Sykes grit his teeth to reclaim fourth place, overtaking Marco Melandri, and at the beginning of the 15th lap at the end of the starting stretch he managed to take third place and the bottom step of the podium, overtaking Jonathan Rea. At the end of the first race the Kawasaki standard bearer was still able to boast a 3 point advantage over the Frenchman from the Noale-based manufacturer.

In Race 2, Tom Sykes once again started off very well and took the lead straight away. Behind him were Jonathan Rea, Davide Giugliano and Sylvain Guintoli. Soon after, Sykes lost a position to Rea. In the meantime, during the second lap, Guintoli overtook Davide Giugliano, moving into third place behind his championship title rival Sykes, whom he successfully overtook at the end of the starting stretch the following lap. During the fourth lap, Guintoli took the lead after a whirlwind move to overtake Jonathan Rea. At the end of the sixth lap, Tom Sykes managed to pass Rea, hurling himself forward to chase down the Aprilia Frenchman. Tom Sykes gave it all he had, but in the fourteenth lap he was forced to give up a spot to Jonathan Rea, watching helplessly as any hope of a comeback went up in smoke. Going on to win the race, Guintoli clinched his 2014 eni FIM Superbike World Champion crown and contributed to the Manufacturer Championship win for Aprilia, the Noale-based company.

In the FIM Supersport World Championship, Michael Vd Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team), already crowned World Champion at Jerez de la Frontera with two races still left to go, took his sixth victory of the season, also winning the award for Pirelli “BEST LAP WINNER: the fastest rider of the year in the Supersport class. Thai rider Ratthapark Wilairot (Core PTR Honda) and Frenchman Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) were behind him in the race, with Cluzel also taking second place in the championship.

Starting with the 2004 season and now in its eleventh year, the technical partnership between Pirelli and the eni FIM World Superbike Championship teams and riders can now boast being the longest ever control tire supplier in the history of international motorsports.

Pirelli was able to achieve this result thanks to the constant pursuit of innovation and development of its products. This work has been achieved alongside the riders in the factory derived championship which has no rivals: the Pirelli tires in the racing range have put in a total of more than 1 million race kilometers, often running at extreme temperatures.

Then, in 2013, staying true to Pirelli’s trademark philosophy, commitment and strategy to the FIM World Superbike Championship, which is to use standard tires that are available on the market instead of prototypes – in a first, Pirelli replaced the 16.5 inch DIABLO™ Superbike tires in favor of new 17” tires, a more commonly used size among bikers. The slogan “We sell what we race, we race what we sell” has by now become a trademark for the brand, that demonstrates just how the experience and technology acquired in the racing world are available to all bikers. This also explains the great effort applied into development of the race tires, which focuses on performance and long life rather than just a flying lap.

Thanks to the dedication of the World Superbike riders in testing the new 17 inch tires, Pirelli was able to use them from 2014 – the first tire manufacturer to do so – in the Endurance World Championship, as well as make them available to riders who race in national championships such as the British Superbike Championship, the Italian Speed Championship and the German IDM, just to name a few.

The new 17 inch DIABLO™ Superbike tire, from its début in 2013, immediately showed excellent performance and in 2014, with the new qualifying tire, contributed significantly to improving lap times, breaking many lap records on tracks where the championship has been held regularly in previous years.

Important work was done not only on Superbike and slick tires, but also on the DIABLO™ Supercorsa, a grooved tire which is used in the Supersport, Superstock 1000 and 600 categories, as well as in the European Junior Cup. In this case as well, Pirelli engineers worked tirelessly, especially in terms of compounds which are now more versatile and higher performance.

Comment from Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Moto Racing Director:

First of all I would like to congratulate Sylvain Guintoli and the Aprilia team for their success and for the job they did this year. Credit to Tom Sykes and Kawasaki as well, because they battled with their heads held high right down to the end, contributing to a show that held everyone’s attention on the Championship. I would also be remiss if I did not congratulate David Salom for his consistency throughout the year in the EVO class. There were many unknown factors for Pirelli on this circuit but in the end the final result was positive. As early as Saturday, Davide Giugliano improved the track record set by Ben Spies in 2009 by two tenths of a second, and then in the race, the riders lapped decidedly faster than 5 years ago, which demonstrates the progress we have made in recent years. The FIM World Superbike Championship has once again proven to be a championship which is fought right until the very end. Over the years, Pirelli has always provided an active contribution to make the competition exciting, communicating with all the players involved, in other words the International Motorcycling Federation, the Championship organizer, the teams, the riders and the manufacturers. In more than a decade of participation as Official Tire Supplier, the eni FIM World Superbike Championship has allowed us to develop products which are highly popular with the riders and bikers all over the world, which have also dominated from the beginning as undisputed market leaders. For Pirelli, 2014 has been, first and foremost, a year of great development, partly because of the introduction of the new EVO class. During the course of the year we doubled our efforts in terms of design, providing various tailor made solutions for the EVO category and the Superbike category with the goal of trying to level the playing field for the EVO Superbikes, giving faster riders in this class the chance to be competitive in the races and consequently the opportunity to make the Championship more balanced and more exciting. The information collected in 2014 relative to the EVO Superbike performance will be very important for us in view of the 2015 season when the grid for the premier class will be made up of EVO Superbikes only. This year was also the year where we confirmed our current role as Exclusive Supplier for the Championship until 2018. We have four seasons ahead of us and we will continue to put forth our best efforts for the success of this championship and for the satisfaction of teams and riders.”

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders:

In Superbike, as always, DIABLO™ Superbike slicks were used. The solution preferred by most of the riders on the front was the S1699 SC1 development solution, whereas almost all the remaining riders opted for the SC2 standard tire.

On the rear, two thirds of the riders on the grid chose the new development SC0 solution, the T0722, whereas the remainder chose the standard SC0.

In the Supersport class, which is raced with grooved DIABLO™ Supercorsa tires, on the front 21 riders opted for the standard SC1 and the remaining 2 riders chose the standard SC2 instead. On the rear, rider preference was equally divided between the standard SC1 (chosen by 11 riders) and the development SC1 S0624 (chosen by 12 riders).

Pirelli Best Lap Awards:

The “Pirelli Best Lap Award” is awarded by Pirelli every race to the rider who sets the fastest race lap for a total of three awards each weekend. The Superbike and Supersport rider who has earned the most “Pirelli Best Lap Award” titles at the end of the season have been elected “Best Lap Winner: fastest rider of the year” and awarded in the usual end of year ceremony. Sylvain Guintoli, having already won 6 Pirelli Best Lap Awards, and Michael VD Mark, with 3 and the best position in the Championship, are mathematically the “Best Lap Winner: fastest rider of the year” in 2014 for the Superbike and Supersport classes.

These are the riders who won the Pirelli Best Lap Awards in the last round of the season:

WSB Race 1 – Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team),1’58.096 (2nd lap)

WSB Race 2 – Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team),1’57.906 (8th lap)

WSP – Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse),2’01.999 (15th lap)

The overall standings with one round to go are as follows:

WSB: Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team): 6; Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team): 4; Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team): 3; Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team): 3; Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team): 3; Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team): 2; Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki): 2; Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team): 1

WSS: Michael Vd Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team): 3; Kenan Sofuoglu (San Carlo Puccetti Racing): 3; Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta RC-Yakhnich Motorsport): 2; Roberto Tamburini (San Carlo Puccetti Racing): 1; Kev Coghlan (DMC Panavto-Yamaha): 1; Patrick Jacobsen (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres): 1

The 2014 Pirelli statistics for the Jerez round:

• Total number of tires Pirelli brought: 3101

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 6 rear

• Number of tires available for each Superbike rider: 33 front and 34 rear

• Number of solutions for the Supersport class (dry, intermediate and wet): 4 front and 4 rear

• Number of tires available for each Supersport rider: 25 front and 25 rear

• Temperature in Race 1: air 27° C, asphalt 30° C

• Temperature in Race 2 (Wet): air 25° C, asphalt 28° C

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tires: 327.3 kms/h, in Race 2 by Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) at 4th and 7th lap

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tires in Supersport: 282.7 kms/h, Roberto Tamburini (San Carlo Puccetti Racing) at 3rd lap

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

Nakasuga Becomes First 5-time Pinnacle-class Champion by Winning his Third Consecutive All Japan JSB1000 Class Title

In the 46th MFJ Grand Prix, final round of the All Japan Road Race Championship series held at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture on November 2, Katsuyuki Nakasuga of the YAMAHA YSP Racing Team won the first race and took 2nd in the second race of the pinnacle JSB1000 class to claim his third consecutive championship title. With this, he becomes the first rider ever to win five titles in the JSB1000 class. At the same time, he becomes the third rider after Tadahiko Taira and Yoshihiko Fujiwara to win three consecutive titles in Japan’s pinnacle road racing class.

In this season that saw Nakasuga shooting for the coveted third consecutive championship in the pinnacle class, he emerged the winner in a fierce battle with rivals Kosuke Akiyoshi (Honda) and Takumi Takahashi (Honda) to take the opening round, the Suzuka 2 and 4 Race, and get the season off to a great start.

In the next round at Autopolis, he took a fall and suffered injuries before the qualifying, leaving him to start the race from 6th position. Although the victory in the next day’s race went to rival Takahashi, Nakasuga was able to beat out Kazuki Watanabe (Kawasaki) by a slight margin to claim 2nd place. Then, in round three at Twin Ring Motegi, he finished 2nd again to take him into the fourth round at SUGO holding 2nd place in the season standings. However, in bad weather there at SUGO he was only able to finish in 6th place, which left him to enter the second half of the season in 2nd place in the standings, 10 points behind the leader, Takahashi.

However, Nakasuga’s comeback was set to begin. In the next rounds at Autopolis and the Okayama International circuits, he scored consecutive wins that catapulted him to the top of the standings as the point leader going into the final round, the MFJ-GP at Suzuka. Here, Nakasuga ran to the win from pole position in the first race and finished 2nd in the second race to claim his third consecutive championship, while also becoming the first rider in history to win five championship titles in Japan’s pinnacle road racing class.

Katsuyuki Nakasuga

“In order to win my third consecutive title, I thought that a strong start from the first round would be very important, and when I was able to win the opening race, the Suzuka 2 and 4, I thought I had gotten a good flow going. But, Takumi Takahashi was also improving, and he took consecutive wins in the second round at Autopolis and the third round at Twin Ring Motegi. I knew I had to do something to get the flow going my way again, but the bad weather in the next round at SUGO threw my pace off. To tell the truth, I thought I had lost my rhythm at that point. Still, the entire team was working together so hard this season and I was able to come back and ride a wave that brought me three consecutive wins, in the series’ second race at Autopolis, at Okayama International, and then in the first race at the MFJ-GP at Suzuka. In the last race, there was a change in the track conditions, and the tension was reaching a peak in me, but I was determined to do anything to win the title. Thanks to the support of the fans, my team and everyone else who supported me, with all kinds of support I was able to win my third consecutive title and the fifth of my career. I want to thank everyone for cheering me on throughout this year.”

Tadahiko Taira

Champion of All Japan GP500 class from 1983 to 1985

“This was a flawless, well-earned third consecutive title. Congratulations! And, I’m so proud to see that Nakasuga has won three consecutive titles as a Yamaha rider. Because of the fall he took in the pre-season test that left him not in his best condition, the early stages of the series must have been difficult for him. Still, from mid-season through to the final round, he performed so well that I could watch his racing with assurance. His strength as a rider really shone throughout the season. Of all the riders in the All Japan championships, Nakasuga truly stands above the rest in terms of both his strategy and riding technique. I believe this is because of the dramatic growth he has managed to achieve through the experience of working as the development rider for the premier YZR-M1 race machine and actually participating in MotoGP races. Also, we can’t forget the contribution of his dedicated team in the areas of machine development and set-up, etc. In this sense, it has truly been a victory by the entire team. I really hope Nakasuga will go on now to take up the challenge of winning a fourth consecutive title and continue to grow as a model for younger riders to aspire to.”

Yoshihiko Fujiwara

Champion of All Japan GP500 class from 1987 to 1989

“When Nakasuga made his first attempt to get a third consecutive championship title in 2010, a crash when he was pushing hard caused him to and lose his chance for the title. But, even then I believed that he was a rider who would someday get that record. I feel like now that time has finally come. I know from my own experience that winning three consecutive titles is an extremely difficult thing to accomplish. It is not enough just to be fast. You need the mental strength and toughness to keep up your motivation to win and to overcome the pressure. I believe that Nakasuga has accomplished this feat because he is a rider with the kind of speed and strength it takes. I want to give my heartfelt congratulations. I also want to see Nakasuga go on to new heights. Because, with his experience as development rider for the YZR-M1, the MotoGP machine, he has the potential to become an even faster and stronger rider. I hope he won’t be satisfied with three consecutive titles but go on to a fourth and then a fifth; I look forward to a number of new records from him.”

Takaaki Kimura

Executive Vice President and Chief General Manager of Technology Center of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

“I want to say congratulations to Katsuyuki Nakasuga for winning the championship. Amid the pressure of competing for his third consecutive title, I’m sure that the season was not an easy one for him. But like last year, he never gave up and continued to race with strength of will and determination until he succeeded in this great achievement he had set his sights on. I believe that seeing Nakasuga’s serious dedication has brought real Kando to many fans. Having now achieved the great feat of winning three consecutive titles in the pinnacle class of Japanese road racing like the great riders Tadahiko Taira and Yoshihiko Fujiwara before him, I feel that we have just seen another rider join the ranks of the few who will be recognized as legends. Now we look forward to seeing Nakasuga go on to be the first rider ever to win four consecutive titles in the pinnacle class, and we also look forward to his achievements as a MotoGP machine development rider. Finally, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the fans who have given their warm support throughout the season. Thank you all.”

More, from a press release issued by Team EDS:

Team EDS capped another successful year in the CMRA by capturing the Formula 2 Endurance win at Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas on November 1. Saturday’s win enabled the team to capture its third consecutive CMRA Formula 2 Endurance title. Team members Scott Eichhorn, Mike Sweeney, DJ Ricks, Shane Zelm and David Branyon rode the Suzuki SV to the team’s third straight championship.

The CMRA title marked the second season title in as many weeks as Team EDS captured the season title in the Lightweight class of the WERA/US National Endurance Series with a strong performance at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama the previous week.

DJ captured the Formula 40 Expert title with a thrilling come-from-behind win in the sprint races on November 2 at Texas World Speedway. Team owner/rider Scott Eichhorn captured the 2010 Formula 40 Novice title.