Courtesy of KRT – Kawasaki Racing Team
For KRT riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes the prospect of heading to Imola for the fifth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship this coming weekend brings back memories of recent race success at the Italian parkland venue.
Sykes took his 2013 spec Ninja ZX-10R to a double win at Imola in the same year he won the championship outright while Rea has three Imola race victories in total. His Imola wins last season formed a double that meant he took over the championship lead for a period.
Rea is the convincing championship leader right now, having won six races out of eight starts on his Ninja ZX-10R and finishing second in the other two. His current total of 190 points is only ten from a perfect beginning to his Kawasaki career and his next closest challenger is some 50 points adrift already. Jonathan is tied as the second most successful winning rider in terms of WSB race victories at Imola, thanks to his three previous successes.
For Sykes, well versed in the ways of the previous spec of WSB Ninja ZX-10R, the recent change in the technical regulations has made the 2015 early season more challenging than in most recent years. Showing his typical grit and determination he has still scored two podiums already and bounced back from a crash at Motorland Aragon that was not of his own making.
Tom is fourth in the championship after four rounds. With nine rounds and 18 races still to go, including Imola, he has lots of opportunities to make up points on those ahead of him.
Right now Sykes has 22 career race wins in WSB and Rea took his total to 21 after his recent double win at Assen.
After the completely flat Assen circuit that the KRT riders experienced at the previous round, Imola provides an undulating layout, with chicanes added over the years since its first use as a permanent racetrack in the 1950s.
Imola begins a rhythmical run of four European-based meetings that will occur on alternate weekends – Imola May 10th, Donington May 24th, Portimao June 7th and Misano June 21st.
Jonathan Rea: “I am looking forward to Imola because it is a track I really enjoy; a really technical track. It requires a lot of thought to be put into the lap and there are many areas where you can make up time by using quite different techniques, especially in the Piratella and Aqua Minerali sections. I enjoy going to Italy in general and it is good to go somewhere where I went really well last year and in the past. It is the first time in Italy this year and I am just excited to go there. I have not been working with my crew chief Pere Riba for that long but we have a really good understanding of each other. We will be working through a few plans this weekend to make sure are strong for the next few races. It is going to be another tough weekend because Imola always provides some good racing.”
Tom Sykes: “I do not look at Imola any differently from any other circuit just because we have had some success there in the past, but for whatever reason we have had some good results there, even on the previous model of Ninja ZX-10R. I have two main limitations on the bike right now but when we cross those bridges I feel confident that I will be back to myself. And back to where we have been in the past three years, which is challenging and at the sharp end of the timing sheets. I am going to Imola like always, expecting to be fighting. I just want a package that lets me challenge the other guys at the end of the race. We have not had that yet but it is something we have had in the past and I do believe we are knocking on the door now, gradually getting that balance right for me now. I am hoping that this weekend, in front of a really fantastic and enthusiastic Italian crowd, we can hit the nail on the head. That is what I am gunning for.”
Guim Roda, Team Manager KRT: “We arrive at the fifth round in Imola with our two riders going through a strong period and the Ninja ZX-10R is on a very good level to fight for victory this weekend. Rea has demonstrated his style and motivation, and for sure his talent has adapted quite well to the ZX-10R under the new rules and inside a new team. The year will be hard, so we cannot allow any distractions because Ducati and Aprilia are working hard and Suzuki and Honda have still not said their last word. Tom didn’t start the season in a lucky way but from the Australian race, on a track we all know is not his best, he had a direction to go in to adapt to the new engine and bike strategy dictated by the 2015 rules. Even in Motorland, when he crashed trying to pass Leon Haslam, it was because a technical problem. We thought it was his first mistake in three and a half years in a race but no, it was a problem with a part of cooling system that made water go on the rear tyre. We really expect a big and very nice fight at Imola with Tom and Jonathan. We hope we can make our own show a small distance from all the other manufactures, so let’s see.”
Other top Kawasaki entries at Imola include David Salom (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) with the 2014 SBK Evo Champion currently 14th in the championship, one place and 10 points ahead of his fellow Spaniard Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki).
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