Hannspree Ten Kate Honda riders, Jonathan Rea and Carlos Checa, head to Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, USA this weekend (29-31 May) for round seven of the 2009 World Superbike championship. It will be Rea’s first race in the US in this, his rookie Superbike season, but the 22-year-old from Northern Ireland is in a rich vein of form currently; two top five finishes in round five at Monza, Italy were followed by his first WSBK podium last time out at Kyalami, South Africa, where Rea finished fourth and third in the two races. Checa will be revisiting happy memories of the 4.9km Miller circuit, near the famous Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The Spaniard scored an impressive double win in last season’s two races, his first and, to date, only WSBK victories. Jonathan Rea championship position 5th It’s been nice having a few days at home since Kyalami, getting back into my routine which tends to get knocked out a bit when we’re on the road. I spent last weekend watching my brother Richard race at Mondello Park near Dublin, where he nearly won his first Irish Superbike race! I’m really looking forward to this trip, though there’s something about going to a new circuit that gets me really motivated There are no negative thoughts to take with me to Miller. In fact, after Carlos’s double win there last year, it’s only positive. I’ll do a couple of laps with the team and try to pick up some tips from local riders. We’ve being doing pretty well in the last five races and I think the whole crew deserved that podium at Kyalami but we’re here for more than that. I feel that it’s time to step up to the plate in the second half of the season and keep up the momentum we’ve found since Valencia. Carlos Checa championship position 10th Everything has been good since Kyalami. I came to California at the weekend and I have spent some days with Wayne Rainey, who I have known for a long time; it’s been good to relax with him again. We’ve had a few problems this season it started with a shoulder injury and there have been some small issues with the bike. However, we approach the halfway point of the season and we bring some positives from Kyalami to Miller. Of course, Miller was good last year but I prefer to look forward and the circuit should allow us to put the CBR near the front again. I like left-handed tracks and we have some good data from last year. The Ducatis will be strong and so will Ben Spies, but I think we should be in a good position, too, and we will be going for a good result. Ronald ten Kate team manager I think it’s fair to say that both Jonathan and Carlos are on the up again after a difficult start to the season. We’re looking to make another step forward at Miller where Carlos has some good memories of a double win here last year. But that was last year, and we’re going to be focusing all our efforts on the upcoming weekend to make it happen again. With all the development we’ve done over the past few weeks, I strongly believe we can get some good results at Miller. That ongoing development is teaching us new things race-by-race and we’ll be implementing those recent findings this weekend. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Alstare Brux: 2009 Superbike World Championship Preview: Round 7, Miller Motorsport Park, Salt Lake City, USA, 31st July. YUKIO AND FONSI READY TO DO BATTLE IN USA. Team Suzuki Alstare Brux riders Yukio Kagayama and Fonsi Nieto are looking forward to the seventh round of this year’s Superbike World Championship in USA and eager to battle for podiums at the Miller Motorsport Park. Both riders raced at the American circuit last year but, as this year’s K9 bike is all new and different to last year’s K8, both know a lot of work will have to be done during practice and qualifying. Fonsi will once again be standing in for regular Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Max Neukirchner, who is making good progress on his road to recovery. Yukio This has not been an easy season for me and my team and we have to keep on working at improving this year’s bike so that we can challenge for the podiums. I want podiums every time I race, so I am a bit frustrated at the moment, but my team is working hard and I am trying my best. Last year in MIller, my results were so-so and my goal this year is to do better and catch the podium. Miller is a big, safe track but, like all tracks, you have to have a good bike set-up if you want good results. We need a good race set-up and then do well in Superpole, so that we have a chance of making good races. Fonsi First, I want to wish Max a speedy recovery from his injuries. I am happy to help the team in the meantime and will do my best for them of course. Although the K9 is a very different bike to the K8 I rode last year, at least I know the team well and can rely on their hard work and help throughout the weekend. I didn’t like Kyalami at all, but Miller is a very different type of track and I am looking forward to racing there again. Although I have only ridden the K9 for one weekend, it does seem to require more work at finding a good set-up. But, unlike Kyalami, at least I know which way round the track goes and so I am hopeful of much better results. 2008 results Race 1: 1 Checa (E-Honda), 2 Corser (Aus-Yamaha), 3 Fabrizio (I-Ducati), 4 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki), 5 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare), 8 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare) Race 2: 1 Checa, 2 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki), 3 Fabrizio, 5 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare), 8 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare), More, from a press release issued by Miller Motorsports Park: Local Rider Prepares to Chase His Dream in Supersport World Championship at Miller Motorsports Park TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH (May 26, 2009) “” When the Supersport World Championship lines up on the grid at Miller Motorsports Park this Sunday, May 31, for its first appearance in North America since 1999, a local rider from Salt Lake City is planning to be among the world’s best 600cc motorcycle racers. The support series to the HANNspree Superbike World Championship customarily invites selected local racers to participate in its events wherever it appears around the world. At Miller Motorsports Park, one of those riders will be Oleg Pianykh. Pianykh, a 23-year-old Russian immigrant from Moscow, is one of the lucky few whose application was accepted for the race. Now he’s hustling to raise the funds to be able to race. His case is not dissimilar to that of the dog who caught the car. He has lived in Salt Lake City since 1996, when his family moved here to provide a better home for his brother, who is afflicted with cerebral palsy. Oleg was always a self-admitted “speed junkie,” but never rode motorcycles until he bought his first street bike, a 1999 Honda F4, at age 18. “I instantly fell in love with riding motorcycles,” he says. “I started riding up the canyons in the Salt Lake Valley on a daily basis, but the high speeds got me in trouble, both with hitting the ground as well as the law.” Oleg quickly realized that he would need to take it off the street and onto the track if he was to really appreciate the capabilities of sport bikes. One day he entered a raffle to win a free track day, and happened to win. His first lap on a racetrack changed his life. “I was stoked,” he says, “and addicted.” He quickly made his way into amateur racing and has been pursuing his dream ever since. He is a regular competitor and class champion in Miller Motorsports Park’s Plaza Cycle Masters of the Mountains series, and makes an occasional appearance in semi-pro WERA Motorcycle Roadracing events. A recent graduate of the University of Utah with a degree in engineering, he works designing prosthetic components, but races on a shoestring budget. “My program is self-funded,” he says. “I try to race as much as possible, but it’s hard on a very limited budget. My primary sponsors for the World Supersport race are Apex Trackdays, Fastline Race Tire and Beehive Bailbonds. But, with the cost of the weekend being around $7,000, we still need to come up with some money.” A wise man once said that nothing worthwhile ever comes easy, and Oleg Pianykh is living testament to that. If he can raise the funds necessary to compete, he will realize a goal that most young motorcycle racers only dream of: racing in a World Championship event among the best riders and teams on the planet. The HANNspree Superbike World Championship Utah USA Round gets underway Friday, May 29. Support series will include the Supersport World Championship and the Larry H. Miller Superbike Challenge. Friday will include practice sessions, with additional practice and qualifying on Saturday as well as a race for the Larry H. Miller Superbike Challenge GTU class. Races for the Superbike World Championship, Supersport World Championship and the Larry H. Miller Superbike Challenge GTO class are scheduled for Sunday. Tickets for the World Superbike weekend are priced as follows: General Admission tickets are $27 Friday, $37 Saturday and $47 Sunday, or $77 for the weekend. Grandstand tickets are $42 Friday, $52 Saturday and $62 Sunday, or $122 for the weekend. Paddock Passes are $10 per day, or $25 for the weekend. For ticket information, visit www.MMPTix.com. For information regarding Miller Motorsports Park, call 435-277-RACE (7223) or visit the track’s website at www.MillerMotorsportsPark.com.