2013 eni World Superbike Championship Season Set to go at Phillip Island This Weekend

All set for 2013 World Superbike Season Opener at Phillip Island

 

Phillip Island (Australia), Sunday 17 February 2013 - The countdown to the 26th edition of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship is almost over, as the upcoming Season Opener weekend will officially start the international motorsport year. The six manufacturers involved in the series (Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki) will once again aim to achieve the ultimate goal of victory.

 

As on a continuing basis since 2009, the production-based racing championship kicks off at the fascinating Phillip Island GP Circuit, one of the most spectacular and renowned track of the whole motorcycle world scene. The refreshed Australian venue has recently undergone a 3 million dollar resurface.

 

Many potential title contenders among the nineteen full time entries for the crown left unattended by Max Biaggi, including last season's runner up Tom Sykes who missed the final achievement last year for a mere half-point gap. The Kawasaki Racing Team rider - flanked once again by Frenchman Loris Baz - will try his best to bring back the 20 year long awaited title to the Akashi manufacturer.

 

BMW realignment effort brings Marco Melandri and BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team a double challenge, with the Italian division led by Andrea Buzzoni now in charge of race operations. The Ravenna-born rider sets his sights on what his and Brand's first title in the series would be, after marking his name in BMW history thanks to six individual race wins in 2012. Following a positive Superbike debut season, Chaz Davies was selected as the second rider of the team.

 

The resounding comeback of Alstare Team and its two-year partnership with Ducati goes hand in hand with 1199 Panigale R World Superbike debut. Borgo Panigale's brand-new bike will be brought on track by former champion Carlos Checa and team mate Ayrton Badovini. A third Ducati will be lined up on the grid by MR-Racing Team and returning Max Neukirchner.

 

Aprilia launches its two World Title defence campaign with a brand new rider duo, with confirmed Eugene Laverty joined by new signing Sylvain Guintoli. The manufacturer from Noale will have two private teams on its side: Althea Racing Team featuring Italian rising star Davide Giugliano and Andrea Petricca's Red Devils, with Michel Fabrizio as the team's sole rider.

 

Leon Haslam crossed path again with Honda to join fellow Brit Jonathan Rea. The golden wing brand and its WSBK outfit chose to keep the faith on Northern Ireland's star, the only one rider able to place the CBR1000RR on the top step of the podium over the last four seasons.

 

FIXI Crescent Suzuki Team takes on its second World Superbike season, following a tough debut year. Jules Cluzel, graduated from Supersport after an impressive rookie season in the series, will be alongside Leon Camier. 2013 is going to be the 16th consecutive year in the series for the Pedercini Team. Sweden's Alexander Lundh - already with the team in the last four rounds of 2012 - and Italy's Federico Sandi will tackle their first full WSBK campaign.

 

Two welcome comebacks, both onboard BMW S 1000 RR, end our World Superbike season preview: Vittorio Iannuzzo, new signing for Grillini DENTALMATIC SBK Team and Ivan Clementi, a five-season World Superbike veteran who joined forces with the debutant HTM Racing Team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Supersport

 

The FIM Supersport World Championship is now getting into its 15th edition and showing again the competitive level of these mid-sized production-based racing bikes, proved by the increasing interest of Manufacturers in this series - six this year (Honda, Kawasaki, MV Agusta, Suzuki, Triumph e Yamaha) - and the huge number of permanent riders on the starting grid (35 in 2013).

 

Turkish triple Supersport Champion Kenan Sofuoglu will race this year to defend the current title for the first time. The race bike #1 shows up after three years and it's the ZX-6R of MAHI Racing Team Kawasaki, a new project started less than one year ago, once the season had already started, to build up on 2013 with ambitious goals - the Team also hired 2002 World Supersport Champion Frenchman Fabien Foret.

 

Performance Technical Racing, better known as PTR, does not sit back and goes for an all-new five rider line-up with an average of 21 years of age. Sheridan Morais will be leading PTR's World Supersport assault after a positive rookie season in the series and a 6th final place.

 

Former PTR rider Sam Lowes moves to Russian Team Yakhnich Motorsport to join confirmed rider Vladimir Leonov. Pata Honda World Supersport Team's Lorenzo Zanetti and Michael van der Mark will both embark in their first WSS season, as the Italian stepped down from Superbike class and the Dutch rising star promoted after winning the European Superstock 600 title. 2011 runner-up David Salom and multiple race winner Luca Scassa make their comeback to the series after a year. Both of them will be part of Josef Kubicek's Intermoto PonyExpres Kawasaki Team.

The MV Agusta F3 is set to make World Supersport debut thanks to the partnership made by the Italian motorcycle maker with Giuliano Rovelli's ParkinGO Team. Roberto Rolfo and Christian Iddon are the ones chosen to race the 675 cc Italian bike. Suriano Racing switches back to team owner's beloved Suzuki and put the GSX-R 600 in the hands of Mathew Scholtz and Roberto Tamburini.

 

 

 

Donington Park & Assen Named Winners of 2012 eni SBK World Championship Season Organizer & Media Awards

Winners of the 2012 SBK Organiser and Media Awards

Rome (Italy), 31st October 2012 - Infront Motor Sports announces that the winner of the 2012 Superbike Organiser Award is the Donington Park circuit in the UK.

From a promotional, logistical and sporting point of view, the circuit guaranteed the required standards that helped the entire Superbike paddock work in the best possible way in 2012. This recognition rewards the work of a professional and motivated staff.

Paolo Flammini, CEO of Infront Motor Sports, declared: “I would like to express my warmest and sincerest congratulations to the Donington Park circuit management and all its staff, who did a great job in 2012 and who demonstrated that the circuit was the best overall of the 2012 eni FIM Superbike World Championship from an organisation point of view”.

In addition the 2012 Superbike Media Award has been assigned to the Assen TT circuit in the Netherlands for its facilities and services that enabled media to carry out their activities in the best possible way and for the overall running of the press centre.

In 2013 the provisional date for the UK Round of the FIM Superbike World Championship at Donington Park is May 26, while the Dutch Round at Assen is scheduled for April 28.

For further information:

Julian Thomas
Press Office Associate Manager
Cell. +39 340 0993623
Email: julian.thomas@infrontsports.com

Nino Barra
Press Office & PR Italia
Cell. +39 339 4688138
Email: nino.barra@infrontsports.com

Valentina Conti
Sponsorship & Int’l PR Associate Manager
Cell. +39 388 3032059
Email: valentina.conti@infrontsports.com

In 2011 the FIM Superbike World Championship achieved the following:

- A worldwide TV audience of 462 million
- Live broadcasts on 95 television networks covering 173 countries
- 3,106 broadcast hours
- Approximately 1,000,000 race spectators
- 3,779,237 contacts on the official website www.worldsbk.com

Biaggi Takes Championship While Guintoli & Sykes Split Race Wins at Magny-Cours in '12 eni SBK World Championship Finale

Biaggi champion again after closest ever finish

Magny-Cours (France), Sunday 7 October 2012 – The closest ever finish in the history of the Superbike World Championship came today at Magny-Cours when Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) ended the second race in fifth place and in doing so he ended up the season 0.5 points ahead of Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team).

Biaggi had fallen in the first eni FIM Superbike World Championship race of the day, leaving open a path of opportunity for Sykes and race one second place finisher Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport). With Melandri crashing out in spectacular style in race two it was down to Sykes to make the running and he did it in style after putting in his fourth race win of the year. Biaggi, receiving pit signals from his crew, had worked his way far enough forward to take the overall win and score his second SBK championship, adding to his 2010 season win, again for Aprilia.

Biaggi now has two world titles, 21 race wins, 70 podiums and five pole positions to his credit, and four 250GP titles to boot.

Max Biaggi: “This is the fourth world championship out of six that I have won at the final race, I seem to like difficult challenges! The 2012 season went right down to the wire: we started well with a win at Phillip Island after totally renewing my team and we also had some difficult moments. We had to work hard to win the title, and maybe for this reason it’s even better. A big thanks to the Team, Aprilia and the Gruppo Piaggio, from President Colaninno to every factory worker, because my success is the result of the work of a great Italian company. Thanks also to my family, my fiancée and my two children, as well as Marino Laghi who is always present with me".

In the final championship rankings in 2012, Biaggi has 358 points, Sykes 357.5 and Melandri 328.5. Aprilia also won the Manufacturers’ Championship today, by 23.5 points from BMW.

Race 1

An amazing penultimate race, held in wet conditions, saw early contender Biaggi fall on lap two and his two remaining championship rivals, Melandri and Sykes score podiums for second and third respectively. Guintoli continued his amazing form in privateer guise with a clear win, by over six seconds from Melandri and by over 16 seconds from Sykes. This was Guintoli’s third win of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marco Melandri, Sylvan Guintoli and Tom Sykes celebrate their 2-1-3 finishes in race one today at Magny-Cours in the final event of the 2012 World Superbike Championship season.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

 

Sylvian Guintoli: “What a race, It’s been a great weekend for me, obviously with a wet race I knew I had a big chance, then got into my rhythm. When Marco came past it woke me up and I found some extra pace and then managed to pass Tom. I’m really happy to win in France after this crazy season with lots of ups and downs.”

Results: 1. Guintoli (Ducati) 23 Laps/101.453 km in 44'06.299 average 138.016 kph; 2. Melandri (BMW) 6.127; 3. Sykes (Kawasaki) 16.595; 4. Berger (Ducati) 21.857; 5. Haslam (BMW) 25.149; 6. Badovini (BMW) 32.778; 7. Laverty (Aprilia) 34.311; 8. Giugliano (Ducati) 47.269; 9. Corti (Kawasaki) 49.720; 10. Baz (Kawasaki) 50.192; etc.

Race 2

Sykes did all he could in winning race two, impressively by 1.354 seconds despite pressure from behind for the whole race distance on a largely dry track. Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) was second in the 23-lap race, with Guintoli third. Biaggi’s team-mate, Laverty was fourth in the race, but Melandri crashed out of contention. Maxime Berger made it a happy day for the French with fourth on his Red Devils Roma Ducati.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Max Biaggi wheelies the #3 Aprilia Racing Team RSV4 in route to winning the championship today at Magny-Cours with a 5th-place finish in race two.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

 

Tom Sykes: “It’s difficult to accept that half a point separates us in a full season, but that’s all credit to World Superbike and how close it is. Max did a great job, but for me and my season I’m very happy, everyone gave me a full package to do something with and this weekend I was very strong. Overall we had a pole position, circuit record, two podiums and I’d like to dedicate that to Joan Lascorz, I’ve had some help from him this weekend. To close 30 points on Biaggi was magical. Now we’re all signed and sealed for next year, hopefully we can deliver!”

Results: 1. Sykes (Kawasaki) 23 giri/101.453 km in 38'15.725 media 159.092 km/h; 2. Rea (Honda) 1.354; 3. Guintoli (Ducati) 2.393; 4. Laverty (Aprilia) 13.122; 5. Biaggi (Aprilia) 13.955; 6. Giugliano (Ducati) 18.229; 7. Checa (Ducati) 18.430; 8. Davies (Aprilia) 26.648; 9. Badovini (BMW) 33.809; 10. Camier (Suzuki) 37.217; etc.

Max Biaggi hoists the 2012 eni SBK World Championship-winning trophy after taking the crown today in the closest-contested contest in the 25 years of the history of the series.  Biaggi also won his and Aprilia's second SBK Championship in the last three seasons.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Points: 1. Biaggi 358; 2. Sykes 357,5; 3. Melandri 328,5; 4. Checa 287,5; 5. Rea 278,5; 6. Laverty 263,5; 7. Guintoli 213,5; 8. Haslam 200; 9. Davies 164,5; 10. Giugliano 143; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 444,5; 2. BMW 421; 3. Ducati 416; 4. Kawasaki 397,5; 5. Honda 293,5; 6. Suzuki 136.5.

World Supersport

Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) took his fourth win of the year today at Magny-Cours as he made the best of a wet track and then a drying line around the 4.411km circuit. The French rider underlined his second place in the championship with Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda) third overall in the points after finishing second today. Third place at Magny-Cours eventually went to Dan Linfoot (MSD R-N Team India Kawasaki) after he was knocked off by an attempted pass from new champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Lorenzini). Linfoot restarted to finish fourth but Sofuoglu was penalised 25 seconds and thus Linfoot was eventually third and Sofuoglu fourth. In the final championship table, Sofuoglu has 231 points, Cluzel 210, Lowes 172 and Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step) 171. Honda won the manufacturers’ Championship by 14 points from Kawasaki.

Results: 1. Cluzel (Honda) 22 Laps/97.042 km in 42'20.985 average 137.487 kph; 2. Lowes (Honda) 1.591; 3. Linfoot (Kawasaki) 27.615; 4. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 27.854; 5. Foret (Kawasaki) 31.601; 6. Baldolini (Triumph) 46.745; 7. Scholtz (Honda) 50.820; 8. Antonelli (Yamaha) 50.934; 9. Talmacsi (Honda) 53.090; 10. Metcher (Yamaha) 55.664; etc.

 

Points: 1. Sofuoglu 231; 2. Cluzel 210; 3. Lowes 172; 4. Foret 171; 5. Parkes 135; 6. Morais 96; 7. Baldolini 96; 8. Quarmby 84; 9. Iannuzzo 60; 10. Antonelli 60; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Honda 287; 2. Kawasaki 273; 3. Triumph 125; 4. Yamaha 110; 5. Suzuki 6.

Superstock 1000

Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) survived a wet track and the pressure of racing for the championship at his home round to finish second at Magny-Cours and give himself an eventual clear championship win. His French countryman Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki) rode with confidence and pace in the wet to win the race, but main championship challenger Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Team Italia Ducati) fell very early and lost his chance to get back into the race. Another potential champion Bryan Staring (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) fell early and rode hard to try and get back into contention. He finished fifth in the race and eventually fourth in the championship. The final points read Barrier 153, La Marra 130, Guarnoni 123, Staring 122.

Results: 1. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 14 Laps/61.754 km in 28'12.230 average 131.374 kph; 2. Barrier (BMW) 9.862; 3. Savadori (Ducati) 20.703; 4. Lussiana (Kawasaki) 34.445; 5. Staring (Kawasaki) 37.916; 6. Bergman (Kawasaki) 39.886; 7. Jezek (Ducati) 43.775; 8. Millet (Kawasaki) 49.227; 9. Pagaud (Kawasaki) 49.678; 10. Reiterberger (BMW) 1'03.515; etc.

Points: 1. Barrier 153; 2. La Marra 130; 3. Guarnoni 123; 4. Staring 122; 5. Savadori 107; 6. Reiterberger 91; 7. Bergman 88; 8. Massei 71; 9. Coghlan 68; 10. Baroni 56; Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 193; 2. Ducati 181; 3. BMW 181; 4. Honda 71; 5. Aprilia 22.

KTM European Junior Cup

The final race of the year went to local rider Guillaume Raymond (Valliance Racing) but the championship win was still taken by Lukas Wimmer (MSC Schalchen), who crashed out and then remounted to finish third. Ilya Mikhalchik (Wind Racing) was second in the race, Gaston Garcia (KTM Espana) fourth. Wimmer took the title with 136 points to 111 for Garcia.

Results: 1. Raymond; 2. Mikhalchik; 3. Wimmer; 4. Garcia; 5. Demoulin; 6. Haquin; 7. Mettam; 8. Scarcella; etc.

Points: 1. Wimmer 136; 2. Garcia 111; 3. Orellana 81; 4. Vidal 73; 5. Wielebski 72; 6. Pasek 65; 7. Patterson 59; 8. Demoulin 59; etc.

 

Official Tyre Supplier   "With the Magny-Cours round Pirelli closes out an important season, the ninth in a row as sole supplier of all the World Superbike Championship classes. But today was above all a day for the participants to celebrate, that is, the riders and the teams. Pirelli congratulates first and foremost Max Biaggi and the Aprilia Racing team who have achieved a splendid double win in a 3 year period in confirmation of the excellent work done by the entire team in the Championship these past few years. It would be impossible, however, not to mention Biaggi’s two fiercest rivals, Tom Sykes on his Kawasaki and Marco Melandri on his BMW, who contributed to making this year an exciting championship down to the last race. This was a Superbike Championship which was marked by an extremely battle between riders from various teams throughout the season. In fact, riders from five different motorcycle manufacturers placed in the top five, demonstrating the excellent work Pirelli has done in developing solutions which work well on different brand bikes. Our compliments also go once again to Kenan Sofuoglu and the Kawasaki Lorenzini team for their win in World Supersport, as well as to Sylvain Barrier and Michael VD Mark for their respective victories in Superstock1000 FIM Cup and Superstock600 UEM European Championship. Also, this year (as in 2011), Pirelli decided to provide incentive for our rising stars in European motorcycling who participate in the national Superstock 600 championships: this is why the Pirelli Superstock 600 Series was established last year, a Pirelli initiative which once again provided the most talented riders from the various European STK600 Championships with the opportunity to take part as wild cards in the last European Superstock 600 Championship race held here in France. The 3 riders who placed the highest in the race standings were Italian Franco Morbidelli who races in CIV, Brit Lee Jackson who races in British Superbike and Austrian Marco Nekvasil from IDM. These riders were awarded a memorial tag and also received a monetary price as an incentive for their growth and careers. In closing, we are very satisfied with the work done this year in the factory derivative Championship and we are ready to take on the next season where we will be faced with a new challenge: the new 17 inch tyres which will replace the 16.5” format which have been used until now in the World Superbike Championship.” - Giorgio Barbier, Racing Director Pirelli Moto    PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARDS:   SBK Race 1 – Sylvain Guintoli (PATA Racing Team), 1'53.143 (Lap 17) SBK Race 2 – Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing), 1'39.237 (Lap 5)   Total BEST LAP (SBK): Checa C. (Althea Racing): 8, Biaggi M. (Aprilia Racing Team): 5; Melandri M. (BMW Motorrad Motorsport): 4; Sykes T. (Kawasaki Racing Team): 3; Guintoli S. (PATA Racing Team): 2; Baz L. (Kawasaki Racing Team): 1; Ayrton Badovini (BMW Mottorad Italia Goldbet): 1; Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport): 1; Laverty E. (Aprilia Racing Team): 1; Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) : 1   Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) with 8 best lap awards is the 2012 Pirelli Best Lap Winner for Superbike class: FASTEST RIDER OF THE YEAR   WSS – Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda), 1'47.416 (Lap 6)    Total BEST LAP (WSS): Cluzel J. (PTR Honda): 3; Lowes S. (Bogdanka PTR Honda): 3; Foret F. (Kawasaki Intermoto Step): 2; Parkes B. (Ten Kate Racing Products): 2; Lanzi L. (Prorace): 1; Morais S. (Kawasaki Lorenzini): 1; Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Lorenzini) : 1   Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) with 3 best lap awards and the highest position in the overall standings is the 2012 Pirelli Best Lap Winner for Supersport class: FASTEST RIDER OF THE YEAR   STK1000 – Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet), 1’59.525 (Lap 7) STK600 – Riccardo Russo (Team Italia FMI), 1'44.417 (Lap 6)

For further information:

Julian Thomas
Press Office Associate Manager
Cell. +39 340 0993623
Email: julian.thomas@infrontsports.com

Nino Barra
Press Office & PR Italia
Cell. +39 339 4688138
Email: nino.barra@infrontsports.com

Valentina Conti
Sponsorship & Int’l PR Associate Manager
Cell. +39 388 3032059
Email: valentina.conti@infrontsports.com

In 2011 the FIM Superbike World Championship achieved the following:

- A worldwide TV audience of 462 million
- Live broadcasts on 95 television networks covering 173 countries
- 3,106 broadcast hours
- Approximately 1,000,000 race spectators
- 3,779,237 contacts on the official website

www.worldsbk.com

 

 

Sykes Takes Kawasaki to 9th Superpole of the 2012 Season at the Final Round of the eni SBK World Championship at Magny-Cours

Ninja warrior Sykes makes it nine poles in 2012

Magny-Cours (France), Saturday 6 October 2012 – Tissot-Superpole was won for the ninth time in 2012 by Kawasaki Racing Team rider Tom Sykes, after a he set a new track best of 1 minute 36.950 seconds in Superpole 3 at Magny-Cours. Sykes now has nine Tissot-Superpole successes to his credit this year, and 11 in his relatively short SBK career. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) posted second quickest time, over half a second away from Sykes, while Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) held off the attentions of Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), who will line up on the front row in fourth place. Championship leader Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) is only tenth on the grid after failing to get out of Superpole 2. This puts him on the third row of the grid for Sunday’s races.

Tom Sykes: “It’s nice for me to start in pole position, I’m not a big fan of this place, but the ZX-10R is working very nice and I’m able to do what is needed with the bike. We’ve been consistent, our dry race setting is very good and when we put in the Pirelli qualifying tyres the Kawasaki seems to accept these very well. It makes my life easier and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Tom Sykes took his 9th Superspole of the season today on the #66 Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R at the season-finale round at Magny-Cours.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Carlos Checa: “I have great memories from last year when I won here, and arriving here for our last race this year, it’s a great satisfaction to bring the Ducati 1198 to the front row in its last race. Hopefully tomorrow we can have some great races and finish as best as we can.”

Eugene Laverty: “I went for a second lap in qualifying, took a bit of a breather then went for it again, but I’ve been struggling all weekend in the last sector and I lost the front and the rear came around as well. It was all action I didn’t really need, that but what’s important is the front row after a tough weekend.”

PATA Ducati rider Sylvain Guintoli was a popular top five rider in Superpole at his home round, while Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) put himself into the top six. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) pushed to seventh despite a badly injured right index finger. Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Racing Aprilia) completed the top eight after making a great improvement on his early qualifying places. Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) finished up ninth on the grid one place ahead of Max Biaggi.

 

 

Carlos Checa, Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty celebrate during Tissot-Superpole festivities at the season-finale round in France today.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

 

Tissot-Superpole Times: 1. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'36.950 average 163.792 kph; 2. Checa (Ducati) 1'37.422; 3. Laverty (Aprilia) 1'37.516; 4. Melandri (BMW) 1'37.658; 5. Guintoli (Ducati) 1'37.901; 6. Rea (Honda) 1'38.252; 7. Haslam (BMW) 1'38.280; 8. Davies (Aprilia) 1'38.425; 9. Camier (Suzuki) 1'38.072; 10. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1'38.095; 11. Fabrizio (BMW) 1'38.318; 12. Corti (Kawasaki) 1'38.516; 13. Baz (Kawasaki) 1'38.548; 14. Berger (Ducati) 1'38.727; 15. Giugliano (Ducati) 1'38.807; 16. Zanetti (Ducati) 1'39.354; etc.

World Supersport

Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Racing Products Honda) posted the pole position time at Magny-Cours today, making this the third race he will start off the front of the grid this year. The Aussie rider is a big fan of Magny-Cours and he is closely followed in the pre-race rankings by a rider with an even closer connection to the track, Frenchman Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step). Another local man, Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) could not improve his best time today and thus dropped to third on the grid, with the new class champion, Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Lorenzini) fourth. The second row is headed by a British rider, Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda), while Gabor Talmacsi (PRORACE Honda) is sixth and Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Lorenzini) seventh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broc Parkes on the #23 Ten Kate Racing Products Honda CBR600RR set fast time today in World Supersport for tomorrow's finale round at Magny-Cours.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

 

Results: 1. Parkes (Honda) 1'41.545 average 156.380 kph; 2. Foret (Kawasaki) 1'41.742; 3. Cluzel (Honda) 1'41.886; 4. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 1'41.937; 5. Lowes (Honda) 1'41.943; 6. Talmacsi (Honda) 1'42.108; 7. Morais (Kawasaki) 1'42.265; 8. Iannuzzo (Triumph) 1'42.440; 9. Roccoli (Yamaha) 1'42.454; 10. Baldolini (Triumph) 1'42.499; etc.

 

Superstock 1000

 

Championship points leader Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) set a new track best of 1 minute 41.079 seconds on his way to pole for the final race of the year in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup race. Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Team Italia Ducati) went second quickest, with the top four riders in the points rankings all on the front row for Sunday’s championship decider. Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki) starts from third spot on the grid, Bryan Staring (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) is fourth, just over half a second from pole man Barrier. Any one of three riders can win the title, Barrier, La Marra and Staring.

Results: 1. Barrier (BMW) 1'41.079 average 157.101 kph; 2. La Marra (Ducati) 1'41.316; 3. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 1'41.481; 4. Staring (Kawasaki) 1'41.643; 5. Gildenhuys (BMW) 1'41.849; 6. Savadori (Ducati) 1'41.866; 7. Reiterberger (BMW) 1'41.994; 8. Bergman (Kawasaki) 1'42.076; 9. Mercado (Kawasaki) 1'42.097; 10. Massei (Honda) 1'42.337; etc.

Superstock 600

The UEM Superstock 600 European Championship title went to Michael van der Mark (EAB Junior Team Honda) after he won an incredibly close final race of the year against his only rival Riccardo Russo (Team Italia FMI Yamaha). The pair made contact many times as they jostled for position in the early stages and only on the final couple of laps in the 12 lap race did van der Mark make his advantage stick, winning by 1.226 seconds. The final points score was van der Mark 219, Russo 207. Local rider Mathieu Marchal (Coutelle Racing Team Yamaha) came out on top in a three-rider fight for the final podium place. Third overall in the championship is Belgian rider Gauthier Duwelz (MTM Yamaha) who was ninth today.

 

Results: 1. Vd Mark (Honda) 12 Laps/52.932 km in 21'07.849 average 150.298 kph; 2. Russo (Yamaha) 1.226; 3. Marchal (Yamaha) 3.617; 4. Cecchini (Honda) 4.080; 5. Morbidelli (Yamaha) 4.399; 6. Schacht (Honda) 4.511; 7. Chesaux (Honda) 5.398; 8. Suchet (Honda) 5.516; 9. Duwelz (Yamaha) 7.236; 10. Vitali (Yamaha) 8.310; etc.

Final points: 1. Vd Mark 219; 2. Russo 207; 3. Duwelz 98; 4. Schacht 75; 5. Nestorovic 74; 6. Morbidelli 74; 7. Vitali 72; 8. Gamarino 61; 9. Calero Perez 59; 10. Chesaux 59; etc.

KTM European Junior Cup

Lukas Wimmer (MSC Schalchen) posted a clear win in the first KTM European Junior Cup race of the weekend at Magny-Cours. Second, after an epic fight by an eventual five riders, went to Gaston Garcia (KTM Espana) after a tough last lap fight with Guillaume Raymond (Vaillance Racing). Fourth was Polish rider Artur Wielebski (Bogdanka Junior Team Poland) and fifth his team-mate Adrian Pasek. Wimmer is now 22 points clear with one race remaining tomorrow. 

Results: 1. Wimmer (KTM) 8 Laps/35.288 km in 15'23.962 average 137.491 kph; 2. Garcia (KTM) 2.370; 3. Raymond (KTM) 2.547; 4. Wielebski (KTM) 2.896; 5. Pasek (KTM) 2.995; 6. Harland (KTM) 6.584; 7. Vidal (KTM) 13.715; 8. Odegard (KTM) 14.844; etc.
 

Points (after 7 of 8 rounds): 1. Wimmer 120; 2. Garcia 98; 3. Orellana 75; 4. Vidal 73; 5. Wielebski 72; 6. Pasek 65; 7. Patterson 57; 8. Demoulin 48; 9. Odegard 48; 10. Kyee 47; etc.

 

For further information:

Julian Thomas
Press Office Associate Manager
Cell. +39 340 0993623
Email: julian.thomas@infrontsports.com

Nino Barra
Press Office & PR Italia
Cell. +39 339 4688138
Email: nino.barra@infrontsports.com

Valentina Conti
Sponsorship & Int’l PR Associate Manager
Cell. +39 388 3032059
Email: valentina.conti@infrontsports.com

In 2011 the FIM Superbike World Championship achieved the following:

- A worldwide TV audience of 462 million
- Live broadcasts on 95 television networks covering 173 countries
- 3,106 broadcast hours
- Approximately 1,000,000 race spectators
- 3,779,237 contacts on the official website

   www.worldsbk.com

 

 

Magny-Cours Day 1 Qualifying Sees Tom Sykes Atop the Charts in 2012 eni SBK World Championship Season-Finale Round 14

Season finale starts best of all for Sykes

Magny-Cours (France), Friday 5 October 2012 – After first qualifying of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship season finale one of the potential champions, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), leads the field, with a lap time of 1 minute 38.200 seconds. He was 0.448 seconds ahead of the next best qualifier at this early stage of proceedings.

 

The English rider heads the outgoing champion Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati), with another of this year’s potential champions, Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) third quickest. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati) was the second fastest Ducati rider in the official session this afternoon, fourth overall.

This morning’s quickest man, Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) was fifth after first qualifying. Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) was one place up on seventh place rider – and clear championship leader – Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing). Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) completes the top eight riders on day one, in a field of 21.

Sylvain Guintoli (PATA Racing Team Ducati) was ninth and therefore the top local rider at Magny-Cours, his French compatriots Maxime Berger (Red Evils Roma Ducati) and Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) fourteenth and fifteenth respectively. Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) went tenth in first qualifying, after a strong showing in the morning free session.

Tom Sykes on the #66 Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R led first day qualifying today at the final round of the World Superbike season at Magny-Cours.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Results: 1. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'38.200 average 161.707 kph; 2. Checa (Ducati) 1'38.648; 3. Melandri (BMW) 1'38.742; 4. Giugliano (Ducati) 1'38.962; 5. Rea (Honda) 1'39.014; 6. Fabrizio (BMW) 1'39.139; 7. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1'39.144; 8. Haslam (BMW) 1'39.149; 9. Guintoli (Ducati) 1'39.186; 10. Camier (Suzuki) 1'39.285; 11. Laverty (Aprilia) 1'39.382; 12. Badovini (BMW) 1'39.530; 13. Zanetti (Ducati) 1'39.709; 14. Berger (Ducati) 1'39.842; 15. Baz (Kawasaki) 1'39.945; 16. Davies (Aprilia) 1'40.084; etc.

 World Supersport

Frenchman Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) slotted into the top spot on the overnight grid after the first qualifying session at his home round. He was followed by another Honda, the Ten Kate Racing Products machine of Broc Parkes, while the first Kawasaki in the early skirmishes belonged to another local favourite, Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step) in third place. Sam Lowes (Bogdanka Honda PTR) slotted in fourth in the rankings as he hopes to finish his season on a high note. The new champion, Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Lorenzini) had a steady start in fifth place after the first qualifying session, while experienced runner Massimo Roccoli (Team Pata by Martini Yamaha) was a top six rider today.

 

 

Jules Cluzel on the #16 PTR Honda CBR600RR was fast qualifier today in day one activities in the World Supersport class at Magny-Cours.  Photo courtesy of the eni SBK World Championship.

Results: 1. Cluzel (Honda) 1'41.886 average 155.857 kph; 2. Parkes (Honda) 1'42.292; 3. Foret (Kawasaki) 1'42.318; 4. Lowes (Honda) 1'42.570; 5. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 1'42.613; 6. Roccoli (Yamaha) 1'42.840; 7. Morais (Kawasaki) 1'42.925; 8. Scholtz (Honda) 1'43.136; 9. Quarmby (Honda) 1'43.148; 10. Metcher (Yamaha) 1'43.361; etc.

Superstock 1000

Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) heads the pack in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup class after the first qualifying session, only a fraction ahead of another Frenchman, Kawasaki rider Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki). Markus Reiterberger (Team Alpha Racing BMW) pushed his way to third in the rankings, with new force Greg Gildenhuys (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) fourth. Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Team Italia), one of the main championship challengers, was fifth.

Results: 1. Barrier (BMW) 1'41.633 average 156.245 kph; 2. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 1'41.674; 3. Reiterberger (BMW) 1'42.709; 4. Gildenhuys (BMW) 1'42.716; 5. La Marra (Ducati) 1'42.873; 6. Lussiana (Kawasaki) 1'42.876; 7. Savadori (Ducati) 1'43.024; 8. Mercado (Kawasaki) 1'43.089; 9. Staring (Kawasaki) 1'43.116; 10. Bergman (Kawasaki) 1'43.186; etc.

Superstock 600

A new track best lap of 1 minute 44.489 seconds for Italian rider Riccardo Russo (Team Italia FMI Yamaha) gave him the lead in the first qualifying session at Magny-Cours, with his championship rival Michael van der Mark (EAB Ten Kate Junior Team Honda) second. Van der Mark’s team-mate Bastien Chesaux was third fastest with the ever-improving Adrian Nestorovic (Team MTM Racing Yamaha) fourth. The second MTM Yamaha rider, Gauthier Duwelz placed fifth on the provisional grid while Garnier Racing Yamaha’s Stephane Egea was a strong sixth.

Results: 1. Russo (Yamaha) 1'44.489 average 151.974 kph; 2. Vd Mark (Honda) 1'44.726; 3. Chesaux (Honda) 1'45.635; 4. Nestorovic (Yamaha) 1'45.828; 5. Duwelz (Yamaha) 1'45.838; 6. Egea (Yamaha) 1'45.849; 7. Ponsson (Kawasaki) 1'46.003; 8. Calero Perez (Yamaha) 1'46.044; 9. Marchal (Yamaha) 1'46.143; 10. Gamarino (Kawasaki) 1'46.164; etc.

KTM European Junior Cup

Lukas Wimmer (MSC Schalchen) headed up the grid after qualifying in the KTM European Junior Cup, over three quarters of a second ahead of his closest challenger Joshua Harland (Redline KTM Motorcycles). Javier Orellana (Europ Foods) was third and Adrian Pasek (Bogdanka Junior Team Poland) fourth. His team-mate Artur Wielebski and Spanish rider Gaston Garcia (KTM Espana) completed the top six.

Results: 1. Wimmer (KTM) 1'54.006 average 139.287 kph; 2. Harland (KTM) 1'54.785; 3. Orellana (KTM) 1'54.947; 4. Pasek (KTM) 1'55.320; 5. Wielebski (KTM) 1'55.657; 6. Garcia (KTM) 1'55.680; 7. Raymond (KTM) 1'56.107; 8. Patterson (KTM) 1'56.311; 9. Odegard (KTM) 1'56.521; 10. Mikhalchik (KTM) 1'56.743; etc.

For further information:

Julian Thomas
Press Office Associate Manager
Cell. +39 340 0993623
Email: julian.thomas@infrontsports.com

Nino Barra
Press Office & PR Italia
Cell. +39 339 4688138
Email: nino.barra@infrontsports.com

Valentina Conti
Sponsorship & Int’l PR Associate Manager
Cell. +39 388 3032059
Email: valentina.conti@infrontsports.com

In 2011 the FIM Superbike World Championship achieved the following:

 

- A worldwide TV audience of 462 million - Live broadcasts on 95 television networks covering 173 countries - 3,106 broadcast hours - Approximately 1,000,000 race spectators - 3,779,237 contacts on the official website www.worldsbk.com

 

2012 eni SBK World Championship Season Final Round Magny-Cours Preview

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

          

 

Superbike face-off at Magny-Cours for Biaggi, Sykes and Melandri

 

Rome (Italy), 1 October 2012 – Three riders and three different manufacturers will be facing off on Sunday in the final showdown at Magny-Cours for the 2012 eni FIM Superbike World Championship titles. Not for the first time will the French circuit play host to the championship’s grand finale, which this time sees two Italians, Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) and Marco Melandri (BMW Motorad Motorsport) and a British rider, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), currently second in the standings, mathematically still in with a chance of winning.   The last round in Portugal, which produced a number of surprises and upsets, saw Max Biaggi gain ground on his rivals and the 41-year-old from Rome now has 347 points, against 316.5 for Sykes and 308.5 for Melandri. The 30 year-old from Ravenna was involved in a crash that eliminated him from race 1 and he cracked a couple of ribs in the process, but since then he has embarked on an intensive recovery programme in order not to miss out on the final encounter.   The current standings show that Biaggi can easily win the sixth world title in his career, his second in Superbike, with just two sixth places. Even if Sykes takes a double win (50 points), Biaggi just needs 20 to take the title. Judging from his previous form there, the title is within easy reach: he has raced eight times at Magny-Cours and has always finished in the top 6, with four podiums to his name and a win in 2010 when he got the better of Cal Crutchlow in a ferocious duel after he had already clinched the title.   Tom Sykes on the other hand has never finished higher than eighth, with three crashes to his name. The Kawasaki has improved massively throughout the season however and Sykes has taken three of his four race victories in 2012. Marco Melandri only raced at Magny-Cours last season, twice finishing runner-up after two terrific recoveries.   In twenty-five editions of the Superbike World Championship this will be the 15th time the title is assigned at the final round. Magny-Cours has been decisive on three occasions: in 1991 Texan Doug Polen took his first title with three rounds remaining, while in both 2004 and 2007 the championship went right down to the wire, with Britain’s James Toseland getting the nod on both occasions – the first when he beat home favourite Règis Laconi, the second against Noriyuki Haga.   The Manufacturers’ battle is also at stake: Aprilia lead the way with 422.5 points, against BMW on 394 and reigning champions Ducati on 375. As well as Max Biaggi the Italian manufacturer can count on excellent support from Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) and Chaz Davies (ParkinGo MTC Racing Aprilia), two youngsters who have already celebrated their first win on the RSV4 in the last two rounds this year, respectively at Portimao and Nurburgring. If they manage to win this title, for Aprilia it would mean a 50th title conquered in Superbike, Grand Prix Road Racing and Off-Road.   At the final round of the 25th edition of the FIM Superbike World Championship, numerous other riders will be aiming to finish off the season with a podium place or a result that may modify the outcome of the title. These will undoubtedly include the outgoing champion Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) who began testing with Ducati’s new 1199, which will be fielded in 2013, after the Portimao round. Team-mate Davide Giugliano, at 22 years of age one of the revelations of this year, also took part in the testing.   All eyes will also be on Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) following his double experience in MotoGP with Honda HRC. The 25-year-old from Northern Ireland has never really had much luck at Magny-Cours but one year ago he did manage to score the Tissot-Superpole.   Expectations are high for the FIXI Crescent Suzuki team following some great recent performances. The Japanese manufacturer has never won on this track, but it does have six second places to its name, so maybe Leon Camier, who went well at Portimao, will manage to buck this trend.   The final round will define the remaining top positions with Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Racing Ducati) currently holding onto the eighth place he has conquered with two wins and some other great races, while another Frenchman Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) is also looking to finish his debut season, with one win and three podiums to his name, on a high note: the 19-year-old is currently 12th overall and will be racing in front of his home fans. Two last-minute changes see the Effenbert Liberty team declare themselves absent from the final round completely, while one of the team’s former riders Maxime Berger lines up for Red Devils Roma in place of the injured Niccolò Canepa.   Points (after 13 of 14 rounds): 1. Biaggi 347; 2. Sykes 316,5; 3. Melandri 308.5; 4. Checa 278.5; 5. Rea 255.5; 6. Laverty 241.5; 7. Haslam 189; 8. Guintoli 172.5; 9. Davies 156.5; 10. Fabrizio 133.5; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 422.5; 2. BMW 394; 3. Ducati 375; 4. Kawasaki 356.5; 5. Honda 270.5; 6. Suzuki 130.5.   World Supersport   Magny-Cours will see celebrations all the way for Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Lorenzini), who took the title at the previous round in Portugal, the 27-year-old from Turkey clinching a third crown after the ones he won in 2007 and 2010. It was great satisfaction also for the team run by Vanni Lorenzini, who won his first world title despite the repercussions of the earthquake in Emilia that seriously damaged the Mantova base of the Italian outfit, which was forced to work for some time in its trucks.   Sofuoglu’s toughest rival throughout the season has been Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda), the 23-year-old Frenchman who came from GP racing and who in his debut Supersport season has already scored three wins. On his home track he will have a chance of increasing his success rate and consolidate second place in the championship. The battle is also on for third, with another Frenchman, Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step) now ahead of his British rival Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda).   Points (after 12 of 13 rounds): 1. Sofuoglu 218; 2. Cluzel 185; 3. Foret 160; 4. Lowes 152; 5. Parkes 135; 6. Morais 94; 7. Baldolini 86; 8. Quarmby 84; 9. Iannuzzo 60; 10. Leonov 52; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Honda 262; 2. Kawasaki 257; 3. Triumph 115; 4. Yamaha 102; 5. Suzuki 6.   Superstock 1000   Magny-Cours will be the decider for the entry-level categories which are reserved for tomorrow’s champions. In the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Frenchman Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) grabbed the lead back from Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Team Italia Ducati) but they are separated by just three points. There is still a small mathematical chance for Australian Bryan Staring (Kawasaki Pedercini) who has to hope for a win with the other two riders picking up DNFs. In the previous nine rounds Barrier has won four times, Staring three and La Marra once. The under-26 Cup is also a technical challenge between BMW, Ducati and Kawasaki. Barrier will have the advantage of racing in front of his home crowd, but La Marra and Staring still have their last remaining cards to play.   Points (after 9 of 10 rounds): 1. Barrier 133; 2. La Marra 130; 3. Staring 111; 4. Guarnoni 98; 5. Savadori 91; 6. Reiterberger 85; 7. Bergman 78; 8. Massei 71; 9. Coghlan 68; 10. Baroni 56; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 168; 2. Ducati 165; 3. BMW 161; 4. Honda 71; 5. Aprilia 17.   Superstock 600   The final round of the UEM European Superstock 600 Championship for under-22 year-olds sees a clash of two talents who have dominated proceedings since the start of the season: Dutchman Michael van der Mark (EAB Ten Kate Junior Team Honda) and Italian Riccardo Russo (Team Italia FMI Yamaha), both 19 years of age. Van der Mark has won five rounds, and the other four have gone to Russo who now has seven points to make up on his rival. The situation is slightly in favour of the Dutchman who can even afford to finish second if Russo proves to be unbeatable. On the other hand, the Italian has to beat van der Mark and hope that someone finishes in between. The last round will be held on Saturday evening at 6pm.   Points (after 9 of 10 rounds): 1. Vd Mark 194; 2. Russo 187; 3. Duwelz 91; 4. Nestorovic 74; 5. Vitali 66; 6. Schacht 65; 7. Morbidelli 63; 8. Calero Perez 59; 9. Gamarino 58; 10. Chesaux 50; etc.   KTM European Junior Cup   The KTM European Junior Cup gets its grand finale as well, with the entry-level category organized by Racedays for under-19 year-olds coming to an exciting conclusion. The battle will be on identical KTM Duke 690 machines supplied directly by the Austrian manufacturer. Magny-Cours will have two rounds, one of which on Saturday will make up for the cancelled race at Monza in May. With 50 points still up for grabs, eight riders are still in with a chance of winning the title. The standings are led by Austrian Lukas Wimmer (95 points), who is being chased by Spain’s Gaston Garcia, Javier Orellana and Christian Vidal. They are followed by Poland’s Artur Wielebski, Jamie Patterson from Northern Ireland, another Pole Adrian Pasek and France’s Jean-Francois Demoulin.   Points (after 6 rounds of 8): 1. Wimmer 95; 2. Garcia 78; 3. Orellana 75; 4. Vidal 64; 5. Wielebski 59; 6. Patterson 57; 7. Pasek 54; 8. Demoulin 48; etc.   Alfa Romeo launches the Mito-SBK at the Paris Motor Show   A special Superbike version of the Alfa Romeo Mito – the Mito SBK – has received its official unveiling at the Paris Motor Show – which is currently being held in the French capital from 27 September to 14 October. This is the first time in the history of World Superbike that a company of such global importance and notoriety has chosen to activate such a close association with the product.   On display at the Paris Show are a Superbike Limited Edition 170 hp, a special 85hp Superbike 1.9 Turbo Twin Air, the “Safety Car” version used in the 2011 Superbike World Championship and a version with Sporting Pack. The Alfa Romeo stand also contains an Aprilia RSV4 Factory machine which Max Biaggi is racing in the championship, as well as highlights videos of the races and Alfa Romeo’s involvement.     This season is the sixth successive year of official collaboration between Alfa Romeo and the FIM Superbike World Championship: the Italian brand has in fact been Top Sponsor and Official Safety Car for the production-based series since 2007, sharing the same values of sport, technology and safety.   For further information:   Julian Thomas Press Office Associate Manager Cell. +39 340 0993623 Email: julian.thomas@infrontsports.com   Nino Barra Press Office & PR Italia Cell. +39 339 4688138 Email: nino.barra@infrontsports.com   Valentina Conti Sponsorship & Int’l PR Associate Manager Cell. +39 388 3032059 Email: valentina.conti@infrontsports.com   In 2011 the FIM Superbike World Championship achieved the following: - A worldwide TV audience of 462 million - Live broadcasts on 95 television networks covering 173 countries - 3,106 broadcast hours - Approximately 1,000,000 race spectators - 3,779,237 contacts on the official website www.worldsbk.com