Courtesy of Kawasaki Racing Team
New track – Same commitment and determination to win. Germany witnessed the Kawasaki Racing Team riders focussed on a strong points haul…
New track – Same commitment and determination to win. Germany witnessed the Kawasaki Racing Team riders focussed on a strong points haul. See how they responded to the pressures of performing at the Lausitzring.
Courtesy of Kawasaki Racing Team
WSBK, Silverstone, Great Britain, 30 July 2013
Tom Sykes and Loris Baz will compete for the Kawasaki Racing Team at Silverstone circuit in the ninth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship this weekend, with podium finishes in their sights
After a sombre end to the recent Moscow Raceway round and the cancellation of the second Russian SBK race as a mark of respect to the late Andrea Antonelli, Silverstone is the venue for the entire SBK paddock to reconvene at between 2 and 4 August. There will be one but two races for each Superstock class at this event, in addition to the usual two SBK races and single WSS event.
Silverstone is the second British round of the year for Yorkshireman Tom Sykes to compete at. His first home round at Donington in late May delivered him a virtually perfect race weekend, which was topped off by a double race win.
For Sykes two more race victories would be the perfect way to finish the first part of the season, before the long summer break which will run almost all the way to the end of August. Tom is currently second in the championship by only four points and with a win total of five races, more than any other rider in 2013.
Loris Baz had his first career SBK race win at Silverstone last year, riding his Kawasaki Racing Team machine to the top spot in a rain-affected first race and then taking second spot in race two to underline his true talent. Loris, now 20, has reached the podium again in 2013, taking third at Assen and aiming to be in a position to fight for another top three by qualifying well at Silverstone.
Federico Sandi (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) goes for more points in his rookie SBK season but he will have a new riding partner at Silverstone, as Alex Lundh (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) continues his recuperation from a wrist injury. Mark Aitchison, who used to ride for Team Pedercini in SBK, is scheduled to rejoin the squad for this SBK round.
Leandro Mercado and Lorenzo Savadori will ride as usual for the Kawasaki Pedercini Team in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup class, while Jeremy Guarnoni and Romain Lanusse lead the MRS Kawasaki charge in England.
Tom Sykes: “At the previous round we had an issue in the race but we had been fastest in most of the practice sessions and had great race pace. So in that respect I am happy. When you are pushing at the front of races sometimes mistakes or issues come along. Last year at Silverstone in normal conditions the Ninja ZX-10R was good but in the wet conditions of raceday we struggled a bit. I think many people understand that we have made a big step with the set-up since then. I am looking forward to racing again in front of my home crowd and hopefully we can have a similar kind of result as we did at Donington, but we will see. I am going to Silverstone relaxed and motivated and we can look to hopefully get ourselves back on track. There is a long summer break afterwards with three weeks off; then in September the calendar gets really busy again. So a good result at Silverstone would be ideal to enjoy the summer break all the more.”
Loris Baz: “I had a short holiday in Spain after Moscow and now I am ready for the Silverstone weekend. After everything that happened in Moscow it will be good to be back racing. I really like Silverstone and after I won a race there last year I had a really good weekend. We are at a moment in the season when I need a strong weekend. I think we can make a good weekend and we need it again. I am not sure why I like Silverstone but I always enjoyed it when I rode it in Superstock and in BSB. It is a really nice track and to go England is always cool because I know the British spectators and I have some good fans there so I am always happy to go to race in the UK.”
Courtesy of Kawasaki Racing Team
WSS, Silverstone, Great Britain, 30 July 2013
Kawasaki Mahi Racing Team India riders Kenan Sofuoglu and Fabien Foret head to the Silverstone round of the SBK championship with a clear purpose of closing in on the championship lead
After the tragic events that led to the passing of Andrea Antonelli at the previous round in Russia, and which eventually brought about the cancellation of the WSS race as a mark of respect to him, the championship now enters the ninth round – although only seven races have been completed so far. Including Silverstone there are now six rounds of the WSS series left to run in 2013.
Sofuoglu was the most recent race winner in the championship, at Imola in late June, while Foret is out to try and win his first race since the second round of the year, Motorland Aragon in Spain.
Due to rider injuries there are still some final decisions to be made in terms of some supported Kawasaki teams’ final line-ups in WSS. David Salom (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) has passed a fitness test in time to take his normal place in his team alongside Luca Scassa (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres). British rider Kevin Coghlan (Kawasaki DMC-Lorenzini) will take his regular spot in the WSS race line-up too.
Kenan Sofuoglu: “I like the Silverstone track and I think it should be a positive round for us. I just hope for good weather in the UK because right now my bike is very strong and everything feels good with it. I just want to get to Silverstone and take the best result possible. I also hope we can improve our set-up again and keep going in a good direction.”
Fabien Foret: “I am looking forward to riding at the great track of Silverstone again this weekend. There is no more pressure than usual but I do need to be back to the top of the time sheets and fight for the win. This should be one of the good tracks for me. We can try to put some pressure on the championship leader and try to get closer to the lead in the championship. I will be out to hit a good target this weekend.”
Courtesy of Speedway Grand Prix
Swedish star Andreas Jonsson has withdrawn from the Italian FIM Speedway Grand Prix in Terenzano on Saturday after failing to recover from the broken shoulder blade he suffered in Copenhagen on June 29.
AJ has been sidelined since the Moldow Danish SGP after he went flying from his machine when he was unable to avoid fallen World Championship leader Emil Sayfutdinov in heat three.
The Stockholm-born rider failed to complete a lap when he took a practice run at Swedish track Hallstavik last week.
He was hopeful he could handle the bike well enough to return on Saturday, but a test run today proved he wasn’t ready for a comeback and his place will be taken by SGP second reserve Leon Madsen.
First reserve Ales Dryml also lines up in the meeting as he replaces injured world champion Chris Holder for the rest of the 2013 FIM Speedway Grand Prix series.
Holder suffered a fractured and dislocated right hip, broken pelvis, shattered right heel and a broken left shoulder in a crash whilst riding for his British Elite League club, Poole, at Coventry on July 5.
His injuries have ended the 25-year-old’s season, forced him to undergo three operations and left the Sydneysider temporarily recovering in a wheelchair for two to three months at his Poole home until he is fit enough to use crutches.
Dryml qualified as first reserve for this season’s SGP series by finishing fourth in the GP Challenge at Croatian track Gorican on September 29, 2012, while Madsen was fifth.
The Czech Republic national team captain covered for Holder’s fellow countryman Darcy Ward in Prague, Cardiff and Gorzow while the Queenslander was overcoming a broken shoulder blade earlier this year.
The Pardubice-born rider returns wearing the No.19 race jacket, while Madsen dons No.20.
Notes to Editors:
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Courtesy of KTM
| KTM’s multi Dakar winner Marc Coma of Spain continue to lead the Dos Sertoes Rally in Brazil on the KTM 450 Rally bike after Stage Four of this more than 4100 km loop through central Brazil.
Coma finished just under four minutes behind Paolo Goncalves of Portugal in the day’s 295 km stage, holding off rival Cyril Despres by just under a minute. He is now 2 minutes 24 ahead in a close battle for the top spot now between these three riders. KTM teammate Jakub Przygonskiof Poland is in fourth place but now trails the leader by 23 minutes 16. Ruben Faria of Portugal, the third member of the factory team crashed and was not able to finish the stage. A KTM team official confirmed that he was being transported to the bivouac and doctors said he had a wrist fracture. Stage four was the marathon stage where riders were not permitted any mechanical assistance, so it was important to be cautious on a ride that continues to be technically and physically challenging. Stage Four (Marathon stage): Porangatu to Natividade (487 km and a 295 km timed special) Overall Standings after Stage 4 (unofficial)
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Courtesy of FIM NEWS
Musashi RT Harc-Pro topped the podium of the 2013 Suzuka 8 Hours after a perfectly managed race. The Honda ridden by Takumi Takahashi, Leon Haslam and Michael Van Der Mark finished with a lead of 1’52 over the Yoshimura Suzuki (Takuya Tsuda, Nobuatsu Aoki and Josh Brookes) and the impressive Suzuki of Team Kagayama (Yukio Kagayama, Kevin Schwantz and Noriyuki Haga) that took the chequered flag just one lap behind the winner.
After a long four-way battle at the front of the field the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) finished just shy of the podium. Dominique Méliand’s team was visibly disappointed as Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Julien Da Costa were just a few seconds slower than the Suzuki of Team Kagayama. However, with this result, the SERT moves to the top of the FIM Endurance World Championship leader board. The Yamaha France GMT 94 Michelin Yamalube also performed well in Japan, coming in fifth. David Checa, Kenny Foray and Matthieu Lagrive finshed just two laps behind the Musashi RT Harc-Pro.
Honda Team Asia (Makoto Tamada, Azlan Kamaruzaman and Yuki Takahashi) finally came out on top in the duel for sixth place with the Honda of Toho Racing with Moriwaki (Tatsuya Yamaguchi, Shinichi Ito and Kazuma Watanabe).
The Monster Energy Yamaha YART finished eighth but made its mark at this 36th edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours when Katsuyuki Nakasuga shot his team into pole position by beating his own 2012 lap record in 2’06.817. The Monster Energy Yamaha YART held its own in the leading pack until a minor leak in the engine seal forced it into the pits for repairs. Given the fast pace of the leaders, it returned to the track mid-race in eleventh place.
In tenth behind Honda Kumamoto Racing, Team R2CL (Suzuki) with Gwen Giabbani, Dylan Buisson and Masahiro Shinjo made a remarkable entry into the Top 10 after qualifying in 21st place, finishing a few seconds ahead of the Kawasaki of Bolliger Team Switzerland ridden by Horst Saiger, Roman Stamm and Daniel Sutter.
Among the other permanent teams competing in Japan, the Honda TT Legends showed its mettle in the last part of the race. After tumbling down the field with a gear box problem, John McGuinness, Michael Rutter and Simon Andrews finished 22nd. The British factory team came in ahead of the French Flembbo Leader Team. The Kawasaki ridden by Janek Prosenik, Xavier Demarey and Osamu Nishijima finished 27th. For its maiden Suzuka 8 Hours, Motobox Kremer by Shell Advance with Martin Scherrer, Timo Paavilainen and Florian Bauer finished 31st.
The start of the race was particularly eventful. The first of the top teams to drop out was the FCC TSR Honda. Having taken the lead, Ryuichi Kiyonari crashed almost three hours into the race. BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent also dropped out after two crashes for Erwan Nigon and Jason Pridmore. Erwan Nigon was in the vanguard at the start of the race battling it out in on equal terms with Takuya Tsuda (Yoshimura Suzuki), Katsuyuki Nakasuga (Monster Energy Yamaha YART) and Takumi Takahashi (Musashi RT Harc-Pro).
At the end of the race, a shower added a touch of suspense but had no impact on the race leaders. The next leg of the FIM Endurance World Championship will be the 8 Hours of Oschersleben in Germany on 17 August.
What they said…
Michael Van Der Mark, rider, Musashi RT Harc-Pro
“Winning the Suzuka 8 Hours is an indescribable feeling. It’s one of the finest races in the world. It was my first experience at Suzuka and I learned very fast. When I saw Kiyonari crash, we upped the pressure to bring home a win. It’s fabulous to see all these guys on the podium.”
Leon Haslam, rider, Musashi RT Harc-Pro
“The hardest thing was to watch Takumi hold on to our first position in the rain over the last half hour of the race.”
Josh Brookes, rider, Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team
“I’d like to thank Yoshimura for giving me the possibility to ride at Suzuka. There was a lot of pressure during this race, especially after my crash which may have cost us the victory. I did everything I could to make up for this mistake without going into the pits.”
Nobuatsu Aoki, rider, Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team
“Josh shouldn’t feel bad for his mistake. The whole team was put under pressure by my mistake after my stop and go.”
Yukio Kagayama, rider and team manager, Suzuki Kagayama
“ Kevin Schwantz has been my hero since I was a kid. It’s amazing to ride with him here in Suzuka.”
Kevin Schwantz, rider, Suzuki Kagayama
“It’s been an honour to ride again here with these talented guys. I was lucky to be with an excellent team. The Suzuki was perfect and our Dunlops helped us to stay the distance. I did my best to be fast without making a mistake. By riding with this helmet (Rainey Replica), I wanted to show my respect for Wayne by wearing his helmet at this 8 Hours race.”
Photos Good-Shoot
Courtesy of FIM NEWS
After 198 laps and over 1,000kms of racing, the Honda TT Legends today completed the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance World Championship race in 22nd place.
The race began at 11.30am local time in 36°C heat, with Suzuka novice Michael Rutter taking part in the running start from 29th on the grid. He brought the bike back safely having battled to 16th place, passing the baton to team-mate and fellow Suzuka newcomer Simon Andrews.
Around halfway through his stint, Andrews made an unscheduled pit stop with clutch issues. The ever-efficient Honda TT Legends crew performed a clutch change within 14 minutes, returning the CBR1000RR Fireblade to the race with John McGuinness on board.
For the next five hours, the team fought its way back up the timesheet with consistent laps from all three riders. Despite a rear puncture just before the halfway stage, the team lay in 25th place by the end of the penultimate stint. With just half an hour to go, it began to rain and McGuinness was forced to pit and switch to wets. He rejoined and completed the race safely, crossing the line in 22nd place.
Despite the efforts of the riders and crew throughout what was a difficult and eventful race for all teams, the Honda TT Legends leave the iconic Japanese circuit without scoring championship points. The next outing for the team will be the Oschersleben 8 Hour in August.
Neil Tuxworth
We’re all disappointed as a team to be honest. This is not the result we wanted to come away with from Suzuka. We had a few issues throughout the race that held us back and to leave without points is frustrating. We’ll go back and analyse what went wrong so we can head to Oschersleben with the clear aim of improving our performance.
John McGuinness
I’m really disappointed for everybody because so much time, so much effort, so much hard work goes into these races. We had a good fuel strategy and we were looking good for seven stops but we had a few issues – the clutch and the flat tyre – that meant we gave minutes away that it was impossible to get back. We went from 50-odd to 22nd so we clawed our way back but I feel like we deserve more as a team. The clutches on these Hondas are bullet-proof so I don’t know what happened. On the plus side, this is my third Suzuka 8 Hour but it’s the first time I’ve done the final stint and that was pretty special. The atmosphere here really is fantastic and the Japanese fans are great.
Michael Rutter
I’ve wanted to do the Suzuka 8 Hour for so long that I can’t believe I’ve done it really. It’s a real shame we had the issues but we pulled back to a half decent result having lost about eight laps after the clutch problem. I’m glad I’ve done it, it’s a real achievement so thanks to the team for making that happen.
Simon Andrews
We had a few issues but the team overcame them well. That’s endurance racing. You need to be able to finish and we did finish, we just had a few mishaps along the way. To come from 53rd to the 22nd is pretty good. It was hard work in the heat in the daytime, particularly the second stint, but the final one in the evening was a lot easier. I’m pretty happy, its been a great trip and a great experience. I love riding this track and it’s a tick off my bucket list.
Courtesy of FIM NEWS
BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent were forced to retire from today’s Suzuka 8 Hour, the second round of the 2013 Endurance World Championship, after two crashes in the first half of the race.
With Damian Cudlin forced to withdraw after sustaining a fractured left tibia in a free practice crash, Erwan Nigon and Jason Pridmore put in impressive performances in qualifying to secure fifth place on the grid for today’s eight-hour race.
Nigon lost places at the start, but pushed hard in the opening laps to work his way back up through the field and run comfortably in the top five. The Frenchman maintained his pace after the first pit stop, but then crashed after losing the front in a slow turn and was forced back to the pit box for repairs.
The mechanics got the bike repaired and back out on track with little delay, only to receive a stop and go penalty that lost the team even more valuable time. Pridmore then took over and was able to match the lap times of the leading European riders, before he too lost the front in one of Suzuka’s slower turns and crashed.
The American, who was drafted in at the last minute as a replacement for the injured Sylvain Barrier, managed to get the bike restarted and back to the pit box, where the bike was inspected and deemed too damaged to continue safely.
It’s been a tough week for BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent at Suzuka, with an even tougher ending, but the riders and team are determined to make amends with a strong result in the 8 Hours of Oschersleben, which takes place in just three weeks time.
Erwan Nigon
“I didn’t get the best of starts, but I pushed as hard as I could, got past Haga and then Kiyonari and was able to match the pace of the leaders. I was losing out a little on acceleration out of the turns, but was able to use the top speed advantage we have with the BMW S1000RR to close again on the straights. The bike felt planted in the faster corners, but the feeling from the front wasn’t so good in the slower turns, which is where both Jason and me crashed. It’s disappointing not to finish the race after such a good qualifying performance, but we knew it was going to be tough once we were down to just two riders. The heat and humidity make riding here at Suzuka extremely demanding and, for me, it’s too much for only two riders. On the positive side, we’ve made some big steps with the bike. This bike is really fast now and we saw the benefit of that in both qualifying and the early part of the race.”
Michael Bartholemy
“Today we’ve had a disappointing end to a very tough week, but I can’t fault the team, as they’ve done a good job in very difficult circumstances. After qualifying an impressive fifth yesterday, Erwan and Jason were confident going into warm up, only to be hampered by engine problems on both bikes. Not the ideal way to start race day. From the start Erwan was straight into the top five and looked set to remain there until he closed the front and crashed. The additional stop and go penalty lost us even more time, but the team pushed on and Jason did a good job matching the pace of the regular EWC riders, until he also lost the front and went down. The bike was deemed too badly damaged to continue. It’s our second retirement in as many races, which makes the next race at Oschersleben a critical one for us. We need to go there and finish on the podium, as we did last season.”
ASC - Action Sports Connection 