Hannspree Ten Kate Honda riders, Jonathan Rea and Max Neukirchner, will be hoping for better results than last weekend when they take to the Kyalami circuit near Johannesburg in South Africa this Sunday (16th May) for round six of the 2010 World Superbike championship. After promising much at Monza last weekend by running near the top of the timing sheets in all sessions, Rea endured a frustrating raceday. The 23-year-old crashed out of both races, thankfully without any serious injury. He is looking to get back to winning ways this weekend, at least to repeat his performance in race two of the 2009 Kyalami event, which marked his debut podium in World Superbike. However, despite retaining third place in the overall points standings after the Monza races, Rea’s main championship rivals, Leon Haslam and Max Biaggi, have opened a significant gap which the young Northern Irish rider is determined to overhaul over the rest of the season. Neukirchner, meanwhile, was unable to maintain the progress made at the previous Assen round, which has required a change in the German’s riding style, as well as the continual fine-tuning of his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade. Because of injury last year, Neukirchner has not raced at the tight and twisty 4.2km Kyalami circuit, which lies 22km north of Johannesburg. However, he tested there at the end of the 2008 World Superbike championship season and the 27-year-old is determined to find two further solid finishes in this weekend’s races. Jonathan Rea I was a little sore when I woke up on Monday morning, but everything’s fine and I’ll be 100% for the weekend. I’m trying to forget about Monza because I think we were in a really good position to make up some ground on our rivals with the speed we had and the momentum we were carrying from Assen. Instead, they’ve opened a bit of a gap because of a mistake from me in race one and someone else’s error in race two. But I know the bike is strong and it’s not like we won’t be in a position to fight for more wins this season. People like Colin Edwards and Ben Spies spring to mind and we’re not even halfway through yet there will be a lot of opportunities to bridge the gap over the coming races. We’ll try to start this weekend at Kyalami, which is a real riders circuit where you need to work hard to go fast. I got my first Superbike podium here last year, so I’ll be looking for at least two more this weekend. Max Neukirchner The results last weekend were quite disappointing after the progress we had made in the second race at Assen. But the bike definitely felt better in race two at Monza so we will try to build on that when we start work in South Africa on Friday. I wasn’t able to race there last year but I did tes t there at the end of the previous season. I like the track very much and Jonathan showed last year that the Honda can work quite well there. I’ll try as hard as possible with my team again this weekend to continue getting my riding style to match the changes we have made to the bike. Ronald ten Kate team-manager Last Sunday’s results at Monza were very hard to swallow, especially after the euphoria of the previous race at Assen. However, these ups and downs are often a big part of racing and what is important is that we come back strong again this weekend. Jonathan showed that he had good speed in all sessions at Monza and we will start on Friday in Kyalami to build on that. Unfortunately, Max was not able to consolidate in Italy the step forward he made in the previous round, so our focus will be on getting his momentum going again. More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: Kenan Sofuoglu is looking to return to winning ways this weekend (14-16 May) in round six of the 2010 World Supersport championship which takes place at Kyalami in South Africa. The Turkish ace has finished on the podium in all five of this season’s outings, including second place at Monza in Italy last weekend, which left him in second place in the overall standings. However, the 2007 champion knows that he faces a strong challenge for the title this year from Monza winner, Eugene Laverty, and series leader Joan Lasorz. After finishing fourth on his Honda CBR600RR in Monza, Sofuoglu’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Michele Pirro, will be hoping that Sunday’s race at the 4.2km Kyalami circuit near Johannesburg will see him climb the podium for the second time this season. Kenan Sofuoglu Monza was not such a bad result and 20 points of course are good for the championship. I t is very close again between me and my rivals so I need to start winning again. The bike was much better at Monza and the pole position was OK. But I got stuck behind Lascorz in the early laps which allowed Eugene to get away. We will try hard again this weekend in Kyalami, especially to get a better result than last year. The bike worked well in qualifying but we had really bad grip problems in the race. However, the CBR is completely different this year and working much better everywhere. This weekend my aim is another pole position, but this time to convert it into another win. Michele Pirro I like Kyalami very much and qualified on the second row last year. The race was difficult and I could only finish ninth so I will hope to do much better this weekend with a better bike and my new team, which is working very hard for me. The race at Monza was a very important result after crashing in the two races before. Kenan and the other two guys at the top of the championship are riding very well and it is my ambition to compete with them. I will work hard with my crew to do this at Kyalami and continue the good work we did at Monza. Ronald ten Kate – team-manager Two solid results at Monza were a good reward for the whole Supersport team, which has been working so hard to improve the CBR600RR still further and turn it back into a winner this season. The top three are performing at an extremely high level and Kenan’s consistency is a strong factor, but we know that it is only wins that motivate him, so we expect him to work hard again for the top step of the podium this weekend. Michele also did a good job at Monza and we will try to get him up there again at Kyalami. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Alstare: LEON READY FOR THE BATTLE OF KYALAMI The sixth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship takes place at the Kyalami race circuit in South Africa and promises to be yet another close fought affair for Team Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli. The season so far is proving to be the most competitive since the series began in 1988 and every practice, qualifying and race has been closely contested. After taking fourth and second last weekend in Monza, Leon tops the series by three points and will be looking to extend that lead at the demanding 4.263 kilometre Kyalami circuit. The track is one of the most undulating circuits on the calendar and features many changes of elevation and bike set-up and a good grid position will be crucial. In Monza, last weekend, Leon hurt his left wrist when he had a big ‘moment’ in the first race. He was spectaculary highsided, but somehow managed to stay on the bike. In the process of keeping hold of his GSX-R1000 Suzuki, he tweaked an old scaphoid and ligament injury, but still manged to get on the podium in race two. Leon Kyalami is a physically demanding track and it is going to give my left wrist a good workout, but I don’t think it’s going to be too much of a problem. It was well strapped up in the afternoon and I didn’t feel much pain. Of course, it would’ve been good to have a bit more of a gap between Monza and Kyalami, but I shall just have to put up with it. That’s assuming of course that the volcanic ash situation doesn’t prevent us from getting there! It’s funny to think that we are all dependant on some stuff outside of our control, but hopefully we’ll all be able to get there and back! Max (Biaggi) went well in Monza, so I will have to do my best to make sure I beat him and maintain my series lead. In Kyalami last year, I qualified 10th, DNF’d in the first race and finished fourth in the second, so I will be aiming to do a lot better than that this weekend. Sylvain It’s going to be new territory for me riding the Suzuki in Kyalami and I will have to learn the track quickly and do well in qualifying. That’s something I have been struggling with recently, but I know that I have to improve my results on Friday and Saturday or else it’s very difficult to do well on raceday. At the moment, I have been finding a bit hard getting into a good rhythm in practice and qualifying and that’s preventing me from doing what I should be doing on raceday. Kyalami has many ups and downs and it’s a tough circuit at the best of times. I have to crack it early on and be in a good grid position and that’s what I will be trying my best to achieve. 2009 results Race 1: Haga (JPN-Ducati), 2 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati), 3 Spies (USA-Yamaha) Leon Haslam (GBR-Honda) DNF, Sylvain Guintoli DNS, Race 2: 1 Haga, 2 Fabrizio, 3 Rea (GBR-Honda), 4 Leon Haslam, Sylvain Guintoli DNS, More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: TWO DAYS AFTER MONZA, THE DUCATI XEROX TEAM TRAVELS TO KYALAMI FOR ROUND SIX Kyalami (South Africa) Tuesday 11th May: Just two days after returning to base from Monza’s fifth World Superbike round, the Ducati Xerox team repacks its bags and leaves for South Africa and the circuit of Kyalami. The Ducati 1198 of the factory Ducati Xerox team proved itself a winner on the Kyalami circuit last season, with the red machines dominating a weekend that culminated in two triumphant race wins for Noriyuki Haga, and two second place finishes for team-mate Michel Fabrizio (who also registered a new lap record in the first race), with both Ducati Xerox men crossing the line more than eight seconds clear of the closest competition in Race 2. With regard to the 2010 season, Noriyuki and Michel currently lie in sixth and eleventh position respectively in the general standings of what is turning out to be an extremely close championship, based on what we have seen during the first five rounds. Ducati is third in the manufacturers classification behind Suzuki and Aprilia. Last weekend at Monza, the first of the season’s Italian Superbike events, the riders battled not only against the competition but also against the elements in what was a mixed weekend. At a track where Ducati was at more of a disadvantage compared to previous years in terms of top speed, aggravated by the extra weight and 50mm air-restrictors that limit the maximum power, both Haga and Fabrizio fought for as many points as possible, their best results being a sixth and seventh place finish respectively. Noriyuki Haga (6th in championship, 100 points) Returning to Kyalami after a six year absence, Haga scored a perfect double win here in 2009. “I’m happy to go back to South Africa, a track where I did well last year. We’ll see if any more security measures have been put into place after Regis’s terrible accident last year; I hope so as I really like the track but it was pretty dangerous there last time. I’d like to think we’ll be in a position to fight for the podium once more.” Haga’s Superbike form at Kyalami: 2009: Race 1 winner, Race 2 – winner 2002: Race 1 DNF, Race 2 6th 2000: Race 1 2nd , Race 2 winner 1999: Race 1 4th, Race 2 – DNF 1998: Race 1 7th, Race 2 3rd Michel Fabrizio (11th in championship, 62 points) Michel took great points home from Kyalami last year, and set a new lap record in the process. “As long as we don’t have any travel problems in getting there, the public should look forward to some great racing. The next two rounds, Kyalami and Salt Lake, went very well for me last season and so I’m confident I can be competitive there again. It will be good to ride at a track where we’re not as disadvantaged as we were at Monza this last weekend.” Fabrizio’s Superbike form at Kyalami: 2009: Race 1 2nd, Race 2 2nd CIRCUIT DATA: Country: South Africa Name: Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit Circuit length: 4.263 km Pole position: left Corners left: 11 Corners right: 6 Length of race: 25 laps = 106.575 km Lap records: Fastest lap Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1’38.548 (2009). Superpole Spies (Yamaha) 1’37.288 2009 results: Race 1 – 1. Haga (Ducati Xerox); 2. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox); 3. Spies (Yamaha). Race 2 1. Haga (Ducati Xerox); 2. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox); 3. Rea (Honda) More, from a press release issued by Honda: South African World Superbike at Kyalami Tuesday May 11 2010 World Superbike and World Supersport preview 4.246km circuit REA AIMS FOR MORE WINS AS LAVERTY AND SOFUOGLU CHASE THE WSS SERIES LEAD Jonathan Rea from the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team held onto third overall in the Superbike World Championship standings despite a double DNF at last weekend’s Monza round, and he now heads to Kyalami determined to challenge for wins once again. Rea took a fabulous double at Assen in late April and knows his CBR1000RR machine is capable of more success at Kyalami. He took his first ever WSBK podium in South Africa last year in his rookie season, and has found further improvements in his overall machine set-up since that time. Championship leader Leon Haslam (Suzuki) is now three points ahead of double Monza race winner Max Biaggi (Aprilia), with Haslam 71 points up on Rea, who ties on 110 points with Carlos Checa (Ducati). Eugene Laverty took his Parkalgar Honda to his third Supersport World Championship win of the 2010 season at Monza last weekend, adding to his Phillip Island and Assen victories. Having won in South Africa last year, he now has a high level of confidence as he goes out to score his third race victory in a row this coming weekend. In the Supersport table Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki) leads on 101 points, but after Kenan Sofuoglu scored a strong second behind Laverty at Monza, the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider moved to within four points of the lead. Laverty is now only ten points from Lascorz, in what is shaping up to be a close contest between the top three riders over the entire 2010 season. Honda is still in the lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship, heading up Kawasaki by 19 points and Triumph by 55. Monza race two provided a late confidence boost for Hannspree Ten Kate Superbike rider Max Neukirchner but the Kyalami circuit will be a new exam for him to pass this weekend. Max tested at the Kyalami circuit with another manufacturer a year before he joined Honda for the 2010 season, but he has yet to encounter the track close to Johannesburg in a full race situation, or on his CBR1000RR. For ECHO CRS Honda’s Broc Parkes Kyalami will be another chance to find an ideal set-up on his Superbike, having encountered chatter that slowed his progress at last weekend’s race. Parkes missed the first three races of the year through an injury picked up in training, but he is all out to continue scoring points for his privateer team from this weekend on. Squadra Corse Italia Garvie Image Honda entrant Vittorio Iannuzzo will not race at Kyalami as his team has opted not to run at this flyway race. Gino Rea has enjoyed his good early season form for the Intermoto Czech Honda team, having scored top ten finishes each time out in his rookie season. This consistency and pace has netted him 40 points and he is sixth overall, on the same current total as fifth placed rider Davide Salom (Triumph). Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider Michele Pirro has undergone a season of contrasts so far, taking his first ever podium in this class at Portimao but having two DNFs against his name in the first five rounds. His championship position was improved to eighth at Monza, after he finished the race fourth. He has raced at Kyalami before and he is determined to get back into the leading group in Sunday’s race. Pirro is the fourth Honda rider in the top eight championship places. Gino Rea’s team-mate Massimo Roccoli had a less than satisfying 11th place finish at his home round in Monza, but with recent experience of Kyalami he is determined to get further up the field in South Africa. Parkalgar Honda rider Miguel Praia has now made a full recovery from his hard crash in practice at Valencia and has scored two top ten finishes in a row. The Kyalami circuit is the same length as it was in 2009, but a new pitlane exit has made more run off available, and there is a new spectator area outside turns two and three. WSBK Rider Comments Jonathan Rea, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR: “I am really looking forward to racing in South Africa as last year I had my first podium there. Our bike is working really well and I can say I’m excited to be riding it again. I guess I was top of the world one minute after two wins at Assen then had two non-finishes last weekend. But we are still third in the championship, which is some consolation. I hurt my wrist and ankle a little bit in my Monza race two crash but I will be 100% for Kyalami. It is nice to go there knowing that the bike is working well and that we had the pace to be right there at Monza. The real motivating factor for me is that the bike is working so well. I love riding this bike and now I am just concentrating on the track in South Africa.” Max Neukirchner, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR: “Kyalami is very different from Monza. I only tested there at the beginning of 2009 and I have never raced there, so we will see how it is. The bike definitely felt better in race two in Italy so we will try to build on that when we start work in South Africa on Friday. I like the track very much and Jonathan showed last year that the Honda can work quite well there. I’ll try as hard as possible with my team again this weekend to continue getting my riding style to match the changes we have made to the bike.” Broc Parkes, ECHO CRS Honda CBR1000RR: “Monza was hard because we did not get the chance to develop our set-up the way we wanted. Hopefully in Kyalami we will make another step again but we will make most steps when we can go somewhere to test and see exactly what is and isn’t working. But I’m sure we can go to Kyalami and be better again anyway.” WSS Rider Comments Kenan Sofuoglu, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR: “We are going to be good again at Kyalami. I think my bike is working well everywhere and I am sure we will have a good result in South Africa. I really want to win a race again. Second at Monza was not such a bad result and 20 points are good for the championship, of course. It is very close again between me and my rivals so I need to start winning again. This weekend my aim is another pole position, but this time to convert it into another win.” Eugene Laverty, Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR: “It would be good to win in Kyalami because that would give me three race victories and a row and I have never had that in any championship. I like Kyalami because our bike worked well there in 2009. It is bumpy, but we should have a good area to start from in terms of set-up. It is a lot different to Monza. At Kyalami it should be possible to make a breakaway early on, so we will see what we can do.” Gino Rea, Intermoto Czech Honda CBR600RR: “I have never been to Kyalami before but some people have told me it should be my kind of track. I am looking forward to it and hopefully I should get my head round it quickly and try to find a good set-up from the beginning.” Michele Pirro, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR: “My feeling with the bike is better now and from the next race I want to be even better and have a less of a gap to the fastest riders. I qualified on the second row in 2009. I was ninth last year and I like the layout of Kyalami. There are many bumps but that is no problem, it is the same for the other riders.” Massimo Roccoli, Intermoto Czech Honda CBR600RR: “Kyalami is a good track, I like it, but in the past two or three races I have not had good qualifying sessions or races. I hope for better luck. I will be trying for a good solution with the team for the Kyalami race to make the best result I can.” Miguel Praia, Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR: “I was happy after my race in Monza and my full fitness is back, so I am all ready for South Africa. I want to start another championship from here. We were good in the race once we got going at Monza so we will try to start the weekend quickly this time around.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: High End Finish Is The Aim For Tom The 4.246km circuit of Kyalami is the venue for the sixth round of the Superbike World Championship, as both Tom Sykes and Chris Vermeulen go for strong points scores yet again. Sykes was on superb form in qualifying and in the two Monza races themselves a few days ago, and he intends to keep the momentum up as he attacks the hills and bumps of the intense Kyalami circuit. Monza was a personal best in Kawasaki colours for Tom, with his top five in race two taking him to 14th in the championship, after five rounds. Located just outside Johannesburg in South Africa, Kyalami is a known quantity for the English rider, who rode there last year and left with two top ten finishes. Chris Vermeulen last raced at Kyalami in his Supersport days, and is therefore on an early mission to reacquaint himself with the spectator-friendly circuit. Chris is continuing his recuperation from a serious injury to his right knee suffered in Australia in February, riding through the pain barrier in his wish to get back to competitiveness at the earliest opportunity. The high altitude Kyalami venue in the Gauteng region of South Africa is a real test for both man and machine, with the physical nature of the track not helped by its short main straight and the thin air dropping horsepower compared to most circuits. The layout offers few, if any opportunities for the riders to rest between the many corners and changes of elevation. Tom Sykes: “I’m really looking forward to this weekend in Kyalami as it’s coming straight off the back of a good weekend in Monza. That gave the team and myself a big boost in time for the busy part of the race calendar. We have been making steady progress over the past few races and we were over the moon to have come away with a top five and top ten finishes at the last round. The Kawasaki appeared to do fairly well here last year with Sheridan Morais and Broc Parkes so I’m looking forward to jumping on the bike again and facing the challenge of this old-school circuit. The key now is to continue our consistency and maintain the level of results from the previous few races.” Chris Vermeulen: “After my return at Assen I was determined to make up some ground but unfortunately my knee is still not 100% and I found it more difficult in Monza than I would have liked. I’m continuing to work hard on rehabilitation and physiotherapy and I am certain that the more I ride, the more movement I will get back in the knee. I have high expectations of myself but I have to be patient and work away at getting back to the platform where I think we are at. I have raced in Kyalami before in World Supersport but I can honestly say that I don’t have much of a memory of being there! I will more or less treat this as a new track and hope that I can bounce back to consistent point scoring finishes.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Intense Weekend Ahead For Supersport Riders Round six of a busy World Supersport race season takes place at Kyalami in South Africa only a few days after the culmination of round five at Monza, Italy. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com) finished third at Monza, his fifth podium score in a row. Remarkably third place (only just over three seconds from a win) was Joan’s lowest individual race score yet. Previously he had taken three second places and one win; the latter at Valencia in his native Spain in round three. Now on a total of 101 points, Joan leads Kenan Sofuoglu by four points, and Eugene Laverty by ten. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki Motocard.com) has enjoyed some high and low points so far as he competes at the top level once more on his Ninja ZX-6R. Kats had his best result of the 2010 season so far at Monza, going fifth in the race and up ninth place in the overall rankings. So close is the midfield battle that he is only seven points from a stand-alone fifth place, meaning there is much to play for in Kyalami for him as well as his team-mate. Kyalami was the scene of Kawasaki’s first ever Supersport World Championship win, in 1999 for Iain MacPherson. Andrew Pitt also scored a second Kyalami victory for Kawasaki in the 2002 season. Joan Lascorz: “We have been very good at getting on the podium this year and that is why we are on top of the championship table. Last year Kyalami was difficult for me, and Laverty was very fast then. I finished fourth but I think we will be better this year. We have taken one race win so far, but I enter every weekend with the same goal – to win each race. We will have the same aim in South Africa again.” Katsuaki Fujiwara: “I know the Kyalami track and I hope we can have a competitive race there. I want to score more good points like we did in Monza. The Kyalami surface is bumpy so we will have to work on the chassis settings to absorb the bumps and still keep up a good race pace.”