Final European Outing For KRT Before Round One Begins

Courtesy of KRT – Kawasaki Racing Team

Kawasaki’s official FIM Superbike World Championship entry, KRT, will start its final two-day European winter test at Motorland Aragon on Wednesday 3^rd February, one week before the official team launch of the all-new Ninja ZX-10R in full race colours. After that public unveiling 2015 champion Jonathan Rea and 2013 champion Tom Sykes will head to Phillip Island in Australia for the first of the 14 scheduled rounds in the 2016 season.

Thanks to the previous tests the KRT duo have completed in Europe on the latest model Ninja ZX-10R this winter, both before and after the official test ban, the team is already at a high level of preparedness as they learn the ways of the all-new Ninja ZX-10R.
The two forthcoming test days at Motorland Aragon in northern Spain will be used to make the final evaluations and confirmations before the first travel crates full of parts and equipment head off to Australia.
Motorland has already hosted testing for the KRT squad this winter, so this outing will be useful after strong results were gained at the previous tests in Jerez last week.
Rea is looking to concentrate some of his available track time on race simulations in Aragon while Sykes is aiming to reconfirm some existing settings for the most part and try to find even more improvements for the first round – which takes place in less than one month’s time.
There will be one official pre-season test session for all riders at PI, on Monday 22 February and Tuesday 23 February, before the race weekend begins for real.
The Motorland Aragon circuit itself is a long, undulating and ultra-modern design with a long back straight to let the powerful new Ninja ZX-10R sing to its full volume as the riders click through the gears. As such, it is a very contrasting circuit to Jerez; meaning strong results from the forthcoming sessions will prove that the improvements the team have found in the new machine should transfer to many other kinds of venues.
Tom Sykes stated, “Our test at Jerez went very well and I am happy. Jerez was really straightforward. We made both big and small set-up changes there, so it was really productive. We learned a lot about the new 2016 bike on the final day and now I am looking forward to Motorland to have more time on the bike and reconfirm some settings. There are always areas where I want to improve, with the combination of both me and the bike.”
Jonathan Rea stated: “We have an extra two days on track now at Motorland before we go to Australia. We did not do any race simulations so far in 2016 so it would be nice to be equipped with that information before we go to Australia. We will continue to work and understand the bike a little bit more and be in good shape for the races. I have had a pretty hectic start to the year so I forced myself to have a few quiet days before this test, to be fully prepared for it.”

Guim Roda, Team Manager KRT, stated: “This will be the last winter test before we move to Phillip Island in Australia. There are still some things to test and riding on the track helps to make riders fit again after the long winter test ban. Johnny and Tom are both keen to run at PI and both of them feel strong. They will be able to give their best at the first round of the year. After this test all the bikes will be transported to PI but before that, in Barcelona on the 11th of February, we will show the new bike design in public for the first time and present the new KRT Ninja ZX-10R that Tom and Johnny will use to fight for the title in 2016.”

 

 

Rea wins important award in his homeland

Courtesy of KRT – Kawasaki Racing Team

Jonathan Rea hoisted the iconic Joey Dunlop Trophy aloft on Friday 29 January receiving a standing ovation after being named Irish Motorcyclist of the Year.

In association with Enkalon MCC – and part sponsored by Kawasaki Motors UK, the awards night took place in the Ramada Plaza Hotel, Belfast.

The leading Northern Irish newspaper, the Belfast Telegraph, had this to say.

Rea was winning the award for the third time after previous success in 2007 and 2008, but this time was special, coming on the back of winning the 2015 World Superbike Championship, only the fourth Irish rider to be crowned a World champion following Ralph Bryans, Joey Dunlop and Brian Reid.

Thrilled Kawasaki rider Rea said: “I am humbled to return to Northern Ireland as World champion and receive such a reception. It was always a goal of mine and it is even more of an honour to win this amazing trophy for the third time.

“Joey was always a hero of mine and to be voted Irish Motorcyclist of the Year by the general public is mega. I could not have achieved the championship without the support of many people throughout my career, most of all my family.”

It was 12 years ago that a 16-year-old Rea won the Red Bull Young Rider of the Year award and the standing ovation that he received was testament to his skill and popularity at having reached the pinnacle of his sport.

Rea was a double winner on the night, also picking up the Black Horse Short Circuit Rider of the Year award.

 

NiTEK Helmets Launch Huge US Race Sponsor Program

Courtesy of SpeedMob Inc.

NiTEK Helmets Launch Huge US Race Sponsor Program

January 27, 2016  [SpeedMob Hideout – Richmond, CA] NiTEK Helmets is proud to announce the largest helmet race support program in the US for 2016. NiTEK will sponsor 400 professional and amateur riders in Nitek P1 and Nitek Interceptor helmets for the 2016 racing season.

NiTEK Helmets will offer 100 free helmets to select riders, teams and track day organizations. Another 300 helmets will be offered through a manufacturer-subsidized rider purchase program allowing for a low cost of entry into a premium racing helmet. Both of these programs will be managed through SpeedMob Racing, the racing support program of their exclusive US distributor, SpeedMob Inc.

SpeedMob Racing is the official race support program for SpeedMob Inc.’s various racing brands and it offers rider and team support on the majority of its distributed products, such as Arrow Exhaust, Dion Device, BMC Air Filters, SBS Brake Pads and much more.

Tim Calhoun, President of SpeedMob, states: ”SpeedMob works hand-in-hand with racers, teams and most importantly our dealer network to provide a comprehensive program supporting both amateur and professional racers. SpeedMob Racing’s NiTEK helmet program is going to be hugely impactful in building the NiTEK name in the US to a level on par with that of NiTEK’s presence in the European Market. Our goal is to introduce top professional and club riders to our brand.”

The NiTEK P1 and Interceptor helmets were developed for the racetrack, designed in Italy and wind tunnel tested in Germany. These helmets have been tested and refined the last five years working with riders like Alex De Angelis, Danny Kent, Alex Marquez and Jordi Torres at the worlds highest levels of professional racing. SpeedMob’s 2016 rider support program went live earlier this week. More program specific information will be sent to racers and teams once an application has been received. Riders and teams may apply for 2016 support by sending race resumes to racing@speedmob.com or by filling out the online application. Due to the high amount of inquiries, please allow up to a week for the SpeedMob Race Department to respond. If you have any questions, please contact SpeedMob at (510) 232-4040.

About SpeedMob: SpeedMob offers premium power and protection products for the Powersports, Automotive and Bicycle Industries. For more information or to place an order, contact SpeedMob at (510) 232-4040, online at www.speedmob.com, or by email at marketing@speedmob.com.

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Seeley set for MCE British Superbike return with Royal Air Force BMW

Courtesy of MCE British Superbike Championship

Seeley set for MCE BSB return with Royal Air Force BMW MCE British Superbike Championship race-winner Alastair Seeley will return to the premier class for the 2016 season as the Carrickfergus contender joins the Royal Air Force BMW team after finishing runner-up in last year’s Superstock title battle. Seeley has lifted titles in both the Supersport and Superstock classes and returns revitalised to the Superbike grid, having previously secured his first race win in the championship and a place in the MCE BSB Showdown in 2010. The 36-year-old is ready to build on his BMW experience with his new team and is relishing the opportunity to replicate his previous achievements this year. Seeley said: “It is great to be back in the Superbike Championship, the elite class, again. I have been there before and know what it takes – I have had some seasons to regroup in Supersport and Superstock and I want to come back and pick up where I left off in 2012. I have obviously been keeping a close eye on BSB and it looks like it is not going to be easy with the level of riders on the grid and everyone is so close on times – but that is good for me and I am ready for the challenge. “I feel that my experience on the BMW in the Superstock class will help me this season and I am working with crew that I know already, which is a big bonus for me too. I want to start the season strongly, as when I was in the Showdown before you need to get yourself inside the top six and then to maintain it. We have a really good testing programme, so we should be able to start fighting from the opening round and moving forward from there. The team have proven they can be on the podium so I obviously want to try and make that happen again this year and be back in the Showdown again.” Team owner Lee Hardy commented: “I am very pleased to announce that Alastair Seeley will be competing for the Royal Air Force BMW team this season. For me Alastair has a large amount of unfinished business within the elite class and has a wealth of experience in BSB. Previously he has been a Showdown contender and also a race winner so the pedigree is there, we have an extensive testing schedule planned for most of March including many new parts to test. I am confident we can get the bike to how Alastair requires it and with confidence comes results; he could be a dark horse and one to watch. “It’s great news for the team to have the Royal Air Force on board again for the 2016 season. Briggs Equipment are continuing their support after such a successful season in 2015 – Andrew and Emma Martin have been instrumental in the success of the team and they are looking forward to the season ahead. Thank you to all the team’s sponsors and supporters and hopefully we can bring you success in 2016.” Air Commodore Chris Luck of the Royal Air Force said: “Royal Air Force Regular and Reserve are delighted to welcome a rider of Alastair Seeley’s calibre to the Royal Air Force BMW squad for 2016.  This year the RAF wants to highlight the teamwork and leadership qualities that are required to compete at the highest standard in the MCE British Superbike Championship – which are also required for the 50 plus roles we have available in the Royal Air Force. We hope this partnership will bring continued success throughout the season and look forward to the start of the championship.” Gary Clements, Strategic Development Director of Briggs Equipment concluded: “Briggs Equipment is delighted to be sponsoring Alastair Seeley and the Royal Air Force Team in the MCE British Superbike Championship and the NW200 this year. “As a leading national provider of specialist materials handling equipment, Briggs Equipment has a long standing partnership with the Ministry of Defence and we’re thrilled to extend our support to the team for another year.  In addition, given our existing business activities in Northern Ireland, we are delighted to have Alastair as part of the team. “This move presents a great opportunity for a rider of his experience. The new partnership will make for exciting racing and we wish Alastair every success for the season ahead.” For more information visit http://www.britishsuperbike.com

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Cooper joins Jackson at Buildbase BMW for 2016 MCE BSB

Courtesy of MCE British Superbike Championship

Nottingham’s Richard Cooper will complete the Buildbase BMW line-up in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship for the forthcoming season, as the former Superstock 1000 title-winner rejoins the team alongside Lee Jackson. The 32-year-old celebrated title success in the Superstock class in 2011 and has since been a podium finisher in both the Supersport and Superbike classes, ending last year’s MCE BSB season in eighth place and fighting for the Riders’ Cup before injury curtailed his campaign. The team will also return to the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship to fight for the title with Taylor Mackenzie. Cooper said: “It’s great to be staying on with the Buildbase BMW team. I’m looking forward to completing a full season with them as I only joined half way through last year. We made great progress in the time we had together in 2015 and I’m confident we can take this into the upcoming season. As soon as I came back to the team I felt at home immediately so sticking with them for 2016 seemed natural.” Team Manager Steve Hicken commented: “I’m really pleased to have secured Coops to continue with the team next year. He showed a lot of promise in 2016, he’s shown he’s capable of podiums if not more so we’ll be looking to get behind him and taking it to the next level this year. “We’ll also be back in the National Superstock series with Taylor Mackenzie, something I’m really pleased about. I think he’ll be really suited to the BMW and he’s certainly talented enough to run at the front and challenge for the title.” For more information visit http://www.britishsuperbike.com

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Kawasaki WSS Duo’s Hard Work In Testing Pays Off

Courtesy of KRT – Kawasaki Racing Team

Four-time WSS champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and his new team-mate Randy Krummenacher took the next step forward in the development of their 2016 Ninja ZX-6R Supersport World Championship machines during a two day test at Jerez in Spain, held between 26 and 27 January.

After the team got back on track after the long off-season break both riders once again posted strong times at the Jerez circuit, the scene of their previous track test in late November of 2015.
Sofuoglu set a 1’43.091 best today, almost matching his previous testing high at this Spanish circuit. First season WSS rider Krummenacher continued his fast transition to a whole new category of racing as he recorded a best of 1’43.582. He was, more importantly, regularly into the 1’43 second bracket.
With an all-new set of rules for the WSS class in 2016, including limits on electronic rider aids, much work was done in this area during the tests. Improvements were made near the end to allow both riders to set what were the two best WSS lap times.
Kenan Sofuoglu stated: “It was quite a difficult test for me because in the past two months I was incredibly busy because I won the championship last year and that left me a bit tired. The weather was also not very good in Turkey to train. In these two days we have tried a couple of things on the bike and we found out that the set-up we had in November was very good, so we went back to that specification. We did almost exactly the same lap time today as we did in November. If I had a couple more soft tyres I could probably have gone about half a second faster. In the end, the package is quite good and we now go to Australia for the final test and then the first round.”

Randy Krummenacher stated: “We tried many things with the suspension here and sometimes we lost the way a bit – but sometimes that is normal in testing. I think we have a lot of information from this test and we will be able to make another step in Australia. What was good is that I was more constant in the 1’43s whereas last time we tested here I did two 1’43s. Now it feels normal to ride with this kind of lap time. This is very positive. We just need to keep on working and I can’t wait to get to Australia because I really love the track there.”

 

2016 SpeedMob Race Support Programs Goes Live

Courtesy of SpeedMob Inc.

2016 SpeedMob Race Support Program is Live

January 27, 2016  [SpeedMob Hideout – Richmond, CA] SpeedMob Racing is the official race support program for SpeedMob Inc.’s various racing brands and it offers rider and team support on the majority of its distributed products.

These brands include Arrow Exhaust, STM Clutches, BMC Air Filters, Dion Device Brake Lever Guards, CORE Brake Lines, SBS Brakes, Ariete Grips, NiTEK Helmets, SpeedAngle Data Loggers, GPR Stabilizers and much more.

Tim Calhoun, President of SpeedMob Inc., states: ”SpeedMob works hand-in-hand with racers, teams and most importantly our dealer network to provide a comprehensive program supporting both amateur and professional racers throughout the United States and Canada. We’re excited to grow our program tremendously this year and will have a very big national announcement coming next in conjunction with one of our most popular premium brands.”

This marks the official launch of the SpeedMob Racing 2016 rider support program. More program specific information will be sent to racers and teams once an application has been received. Riders and teams may apply for 2016 support by sending race resumes to racing@speedmob.com or by filling out the online application. Due to the high amount of inquiries, please allow up to a week for the SpeedMob Race Department to respond. If you have any questions, please contact SpeedMob at (510) 232-4040.

About SpeedMob: SpeedMob offers premium power and protection products for the Powersports, Automotive and Bicycle Industries. For more information or to place an order, contact SpeedMob at (510) 232-4040, online at www.speedmob.com, or by email at marketing@speedmob.com.

 

Sykes And Rea Take Positive Strides On New Ninja ZX-10R

Courtesy of KRT – Kawasaki Racing Team

Tom Sykes (KRT) secured the fastest time of a two-day test at Jerez in Spain after a strong showing of overall pace. His team-mate Jonathan Rea took the seventh best time, as the reigning champion worked on optimising the base set-up of the new Ninja ZX-10R in readiness for the new WorldSBK season.

The track conditions at this test did not replicate the grippier ones the team found in their previous Jerez outing in November. Despite this relative lack of grip Sykes managed to be the only rider from the 27 present who got inside the 1’39 bracket with his 1’39.924, achieved after using a qualifying rear tyre.

Rea, who did not use a qualifying rear, still set a best lap time of 1’40.856. He continued to experiment to find his ideal base setting on the new Ninja ZX-10R, which he and Sykes both rode in the recent global launch of the new Kawasaki showroom model in Malaysia.

Sykes has settled into the on-track groove of the new Ninja ZX-10R WorldSBK machine comfortably from the first tests. At this Jerez test concentrated on reconfirming the choice of some items that were settled on before the winter break.

Rea did not make a long run at this test, preferring to make lots of laps on used tyres, as he and his crew evaluated different chassis settings and engine characteristics.

A damp track surface to start on day one and fog early on day two held back the overall lap count for all riders at Jerez but conditions improved to ensure a productive period of work in the sunny afternoon sessions. Sykes managed to put in 126 laps and Rea 122 across the two days.

The entire KRT squad will now move right across Spain to make their final European winter tests at the Motorland Aragon circuit, between 3 and 4 February. The first races of the year take place in over final weekend of February, under the new format of one race on Saturday and the second on Sunday.

Tom Sykes stated: “All smiles round here because basically we have changed a lot of settings, exploring more parameters with the new bike. We have a good opportunity to explore many things. All credit to Marcel and Danilo and all the mechanics because they are working overtime and I am just riding the bike. It is confirmation of what we have developed in previous years that we have done a good job because this new bike is the ‘baby’ from those years. It is working well for both riders and Kawasaki has done a great job. There are still areas where I want to improve both the bike and me but to come away from both winter tests in Jerez fastest is good, because it is not my strongest circuit. This adds to the excitement and motivation for the coming season on the new Ninja ZX-10R.”

Jonathan Rea stated: “It is clear that the new bike has been developed more for another riding style and it asks you to ride in a certain way. So we are still exploring exactly how to extract the best out of the bike and we have changed many things. It was clear that when we arrived here the track grip level was much worse than the last time, so it required a little bit of a different set-up. Our testing philosophy this winter – testing big items and not getting carried away with the set-up – has really made sense here. It was the same track, same part of the world but a different character this time. We had a new fork specification to try and a different engine character. We are just using the tools in the toolbox now and understanding more about the new Ninja ZX-10R. We have been working calmly and methodically and if the starting lights went out at Jerez tomorrow we would not be seventh.”

Marcel Duinker, Tom Sykes’ Crew Chief, stated: “Tom used a Q tyre for the fastest lap and it seems the track was not the same as it was in the November tests. We need to be fast and consistent in any condition and we did a lot of our job during the test in November. When we finished that we gave our package its shape so here it was a matter of trying out small test items and polishing our bike to prepare ourselves for the season opener. We are ready to go to Phillip Island now but we have another two days at Motorland Aragon, a different type of track, where we can confirm our pace and consistency.”

Pere Riba, Jonathan Rea’s Crew Chief, stated: “Winter time is to understand the bike and its reactions to changes and different situations. It gives the rider time to understand different things and time for us to follow our test plan. This is a new bike and there are still important points that we are looking to understand it more, to find out what the best base point is. This also relates to the track grip and these two days have been useful because the grip this time was not so good. That lets us understand how to make improvements in case we have these conditions in the real race. We have been working with tyres that have done over 20 laps just to comprehend where we are. We did not make a long run, a race simulation, but we did many laps. The important thing is to arrive in Phillip Island for round one with a good package in many different situations.”