Okubo And Morais Team Up Again In WorldSSP
After the recent retirement of five-times WorldSSP champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) Hikari Okubo and Sheridan Morais will team up for the official WorldSSP team this coming weekend at Donington Park in the UK.
Although originally from Japan, Okubo has based himself in the UK for the past couple of racing seasons, which makes the Donington weekend another special one for him. His immediate goal is to improve on his career best finish of sixth in a WorldSSP race this weekend.
Morais has ridden in two races for the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team this year already, replacing the injured Sofuoglu at Motorland Aragon and Assen, until Kenan came back for one last weekend at Imola almost two weeks ago. Back on a Kawasaki again, the proven WorldSSP race winner will be all out to make the most of his latest opportunity. Donington will mark his 40th race start in this class.
Donington Park is a popular and almost unique parkland circuit, featuring two very different sections in its layout. The first is flowing, undulating and expansive, where momentum and fast direction changes are all. The second and final section features several hard braking points and low gear acceleration onto relatively short straights.
After the sixth round of the championship takes place at Donington, the seventh will be hosted at a returning old favourite, Brno. Raceday with be on the 13th of June.
Hikari Okubo, stated: “I got top ten finished in Imola round and
It was very important. It meant we could start again in this year.
The UK is my ‘second home’ round because I have stayed in UK for two years now. I like the Donington track. I can make more good races and I need get top a top five finish. I think it’s a not dream, because I think I have this level. I need to think well during the race and push hard.”
Sheridan Morais stated: “Donington is a good track for me so my hope is that I can make up for my ‘lost time’ at Imola, just by the sheer enjoyment that I will have there. If I am able to jump back to front-running pace after missing one round then I believe that we can fight at the sharp end this weekend.”
An excellent sixth place last time out has put Anthony West (EAB antwest Racing Kawasaki) in confident mood for the next challenge at Donington. He is the top ranked Kawasaki rider in the championship standings at present, in ninth place overall.
ESS Rider, Rob Hartog (Team Hartog Against Cancer) leads the ESS rankings, for riders who participate in the European rounds of the championship. In the overall championship, he is
Michael Canducci (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) and Javier Ezequiel Iturrioz (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) will team up for the second time this year when they go to Donington.
Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) will continue his challenge as a full time rider, while ESS runners Wayne Tessels (Chromeburner Wayne’s Racingteam MTM) and Peter Sebestyen (SSP Hungary Team) will also be out for points scores in the UK.