WorldSSP stars head to Barcelona for two days of testing
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosts a two-day off-season Supported Test for WorldSSP machines ahead of the upcoming campaign
With the start of the FIM Supersport World Championship edging closer, with the season set to open at MotorLand Aragon in May, both WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 machines will be on track at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for a Dorna-Supported Test on Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th March as preparations ramp up for the upcoming season with eight hours of track time available across two days.
Track action across each day has been divided up into two-hour blocks with WorldSSP riders sharing their two days with their WorldSSP300 counterparts. On Monday and Tuesday, WorldSSP machines will take to the track between 11:00am and 1:00pm Local Time (GMT +2) and also between 4:00pm and 6:00pm.
22 riders from WorldSSP will take to the track, featuring a revised Turn 10 layout, with 2019 Champion Randy Krummenacher (EAB Racing) returning to the Championship while WorldSBK race winner Michel Fabrizio (Motozoo Puccetti Racing) also makes his WorldSSP comeback after 16 years away from the Championship. Fabrizio is joined by rookie and WorldSSP Challenge competitor Shogo Kawasaki. Moto2™ stalwart Dominique Aegerter will be at the test for his new WorldSSP team, Ten Kate Racing Yamaha, with teammate Galang Hendra Pratama.
Reigning Teams’ champions Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team will field one rider in 2021 with Steven Odendaal switching to the outfit that has won the last two riders’ championships with Krummenacher and Locatelli. GMT94 Yamaha have a line-up of Jules Cluzel and Federico Caricasaulo for the new season with both on track in Barcelona, while another front-running team, Kallio Racing, will have both Estonian Hannes Soomer and Vertti Takala on track at the test.
Three more teams will field two riders each in the upcoming season with Raffaele de Rosa and Leonardo Taccini linking up with Orelac Racing VerdNatura and will be at the test on Monday and Tuesday, alongside VFT Racing duo Federico Fuligni and Davide Pizzoli. Another rider making a comeback, Pawel Szkopek (MS Racing) will be the oldest rider on the grid in 2021 and will be on track in Barcelona alongside teammate Marc Alcoba.
Niki Tulli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) returns to the Championship with MV Agusta as the manufacturer’s sole representative. Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) will be back for a second season after a strong rookie campaign after moving up from WorldSSP300, while he is faced with an additional challenge in 2021 as he switches from Kawasaki to Yamaha machinery although stays with the same team.
Five more riders will be on track during the Barcelona test and four will compete for WorldSSP Challenge honours in 2021. Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) is signed for the full season while Maria Herrera (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing), Luca Bernardi (CM Racing), Luigi Montella (Chiodo Moto Racing) and Stephane Frossard (Moto Team Jura Vitesse) will all test at Barcelona over the course of two days as they prepare for their WorldSSP Challenge campaign.
WorldSSP300 field to have two days of testing at Barcelona-Catalunya
The majority of riders competing in WorldSSP300 in 2021 will hit the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for two days of testing on Monday and Tuesday
The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship paddock heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for two days of testing ahead of the 2021 campaign getting underway with 37 riders taking to the track across the allotted days. The Supported Test will take place across Monday and Tuesday with the WorldSSP300 riders sharing their two days of action with riders from WorldSSP, with each day split into sections.
WorldSSP300 machines will take to the track from 9:00am Local Time (GMT+2) until 11:00am and again from 2:00pm until 4:00pm on both days, giving them a total of eight hours of track time across both days of action as riders from up and down the grid look to get as ready as possible ahead of what is sure to be a hard-fought 2021 campaign.
Reigning Champion Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) will be joined by two of his three teammates as Adrian Huertas and Koen Meuffels join the action, while 2020 race winner Yuta Okaya will not be present. Buis is not the only Champion from WorldSSP300 on track as 2018 title winner Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) joins the action as her recovery from injury continues. Yamaha MS Racing will be represented by four riders across two teams as brothers Ton and Meikon Kawakami test for AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing while Unai Orradre, who last year became the youngest ever race winner in WorldSSP300, and Miguel Santiago Duarte are with Yamaha MS Racing.
Turkish race winner Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha) returns to WorldSSP300 after a season of fighting at the front, alongside new teammate Marco Gaggi. Both will be at the Barcelona test, while the all-new Viñales Racing Team, featuring Dean Berta Viñales and Kevin Sabatucci will take to the track ahead of their first WorldSSP300 campaign.
Gabriele Mastroluca and Devis Bergamin will take to the track for ProGP Racing while Samuel di Sora and Sylvain Markarian will contest for Leader Team Flembbo, including an outing at the test. Further down the paddock and Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki will have their three riders on track as Tom Booth-Amos, Dorren Loureiro and Harry Khouri taking part in the test.
Accolade Smrz Racing’s all-Spanish line-up will get to test at Barcelona as Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez and Victor Rodriguez Nuñez take to the circuit. Petr Svoboda (WRP Wepol Racing) will get a chance to test his machine for WorldSSP300 competition while Antonio Frappola (Chiodo Moto Racing) will be the sole for Chiodo Moto Racing from WorldSSP300.
Alejandro Carrion, Alejandro Diez and Alessandro Zanca will all race for Kawasaki GP Project in 2021 while Machado CAME SBK will have Vicente Perez Selfa, Ruben Bijman and Bruno Ieraci out on track. SMW Racing are another team with three riders taking part in the test with Indy Offer, Joel Romero and Iñigo Iglesias. Also out on track will be Mirko Gennai (BR Corse), Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM SSP300), Oliver König (Movisio by MIE), James McManus (Team# 109 Kawasaki) and Johan Gimbert (TPR Team Pedercini Racing).
