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WSBK-Lausitzring

KUCIAR666

Registered User
The Althea BMW Racing Team returns from the summer break, ready to compete at the Lausitzring

Rome (Italy), Tuesday 13 September 2016

After a six week summer break, the Althea BMW Racing Team is fully prepared to head back to the racetracks and compete in Round 10 of the Superbike World Championship, taking place at the Eurospeedway Lausitzring in Germany this coming weekend.

The team is pleased to confirm that rider Markus Reiterberger, forced to sit out the US round after sustaining a compression fracture of the D12 vertebra during the second race at Misano, will be back in action this weekend along his SBK team-mate Jordi Torres, and STK1000 representative Raffaele De Rosa.

The Italian squad, with Torres and De Rosa, had a chance to test at the Lausitzring in late July, with positive results. Unfortunately, Reiterberger was unable to take part in those tests but he already benefits from having solid knowledge of what is a home track for him.

The Althea BMW team will be pushing to score as many points as possible during this final phase of the season, comprising four SBK rounds and three STK1000 races. In the SBK standings, Torres lies seventh (155 points), while Reiterberger positions 12th (68 points). In the STK1000 championship, De Rosa currently leads the way with 82 points and will be working hard to increase his small but significant 5-point lead this coming weekend.
Jordi Torres

?I can honestly say that I cannot wait to get back on track considering that, apart from the odd test, we haven?t ridden since mid-July! I?ve had chance to rest up but it?s also been important to keep up with my training so that I?m prepared for the final phase of the season. I?ve been riding enduro, motocross, pit bikes, more or less everything! It will be important to do well this weekend, Markus is back to race at his home track and it?s also the home round for BMW of course, so we?d like to score some good results. It was useful to test at Lausitzring recently, so that I arrive there now with at least some frame of reference. My goal remains the same: to give it my all, continue to learn and bring home as many points as possible in these last eight races of the 2016 season.?
Markus Reitenberger
?I must say that, despite the enforced break, I?m feeling really good. I?m really looking forward to Lausitz as it?s my home race of course, with many fans and my family, friends and sponsors all coming so it should be great. The last weeks have not been easy for me. It?s the most serious injury I?ve had so I?ve done a lot of physio and have worked with the doctors to be able to come back as soon as possible, after 2.5 months. I don?t feel exactly as I did before the crash but I feel good and think I can do two good races this weekend. First I have to get the feeling back with my BMW and then, step by step, improve over the course of the weekend. I?m a little bit nervous, and it won?t be easy after such a long break, but I?m really looking forward to it.?
Raffaele De Rosa
?Finally we?re getting back to work? It?s almost as if we?re starting over the beginning, like a new season even if there are only three races left to run. The summer break has been almost longer than the winter break and I cannot wait to start up again. In the last tests we completed in Germany we worked really well and this gives me confidence. We?re ready to recommence battle with Mercado and the others; it?s important to continue to work hard and to remain focused for these last three rounds?.


Track Information:

Country: Germany
Name: EuroSpeedway Lausitzring
Length: 4.255 km
Pole position: right
Turns: 7 left, 6 right

SBK RECORDS: Best lap ? Haga (Yamaha) 1′38.622 (2007). Superpole ? Bayliss (Ducati) 1?37.623 (2006).

Weekend schedule (CET):

Friday
9.15 ? 10.00 ? STK1000 Free Practice
10.15 ? 11.15 ? SBK Timed Practice 1
13.30 ? 14.30 ? SBK Timed Practice 2
16.00 ? 16.45 ? STK1000 Free Practice

Saturday
08.45 ? 9.00 ? SBK Free Practice
10.30 ? 10.45 ? Superpole 1
10.55 ? 11.10 ? Superpole 2
13.00 ? Race 1
14.15 ? 14.45 ? STK1000 Qualifying

Sunday
9.25 ? 9.40 ? SBK Warm-up
9.50 ? 10.05 ? STK1000 Warm-up
13.00 ? SBK Race 2
14.20 ? STK1000 Race
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
WorldSBK Season Resumes In Earnest For The Kawasaki Racing Team
Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes will recommence their challenge for the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship title on their Ninja ZX-10R machinery this coming weekend, at the Lausitzring in Germany. Track action will get underway on Friday 16th September, with WorldSBK races to be held on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th.

At the most recent round of the championship, which took place way back in early July in the United States of America, Rea and Sykes took a win apiece at Laguna Seca on the all-conquering 2016 version of the Ninja ZX-10R.

As the season gets underway again KRT?s official riders sit first and second in the championship standings - Rea on 368 points and Sykes on 322 - with four rounds and eight points scoring races remaining. The next nearest challenger after nine of the 13 championship rounds have been completed, is Chaz Davies, who is 62 points behind Tom.

After taking possession of the latest 2016 specification Ninja ZX-10R last winter 2015 world champion Rea has scored eight race victories in the current season and 2013 world champion Sykes has taken five. Rea has recorded 37 WorldSBK race victories in his career to date, Sykes 31.

As the Lausitzring was last used as a WorldSBK venue way back in 2007 neither Jonathan nor Tom have raced at the multi-use German venue in a full world championship class. Both have, however, benefited from riding near standard specification Ninja ZX-10Rs in a short test session organised during the summer break, just to get a feel for the circuit layout. Sykes has, in fact, raced and won at the Lausitzring circuit in the past, when competing in a one-make championship during the early years of his career.

The 4.255km long Lausitzring circuit sits within a banked oval and forms part of an overall motorsport and motor industry facility that has hosted many forms of racing and testing since its launch in 2000. With vast spectator grandstands opposite a wide pitlane, designed for NASCAR-style car race meetings, it is a unique venue on the calendar. A return to the Lausitzring also maintains an important German round in the WorldSBK series as a whole.

Recharged and refreshed after the long break in the season the entire WorldSBK circus will now meet up on alternate weekends until the season finale at Losail, in Qatar on 30th October.

Jonathan Rea, stated: ?I rode at the Lausitzring recently on my own road bike Ninja ZX-10R. It was good to get some track time at a new track to me. Our rivals had tested there so it was important. It has been such a long summer break. For a few weeks at the start I enjoyed just being at home and after that I knuckled down to be in ideal condition for the last few races. I really put some effort in at the gym, riding motocross and my bicycle. The last four rounds are an important time and they come along in quick succession. It is important to be razor sharp to give myself the best possible chance through to the end of the year. My focus now is to increase the championship lead. Personally, I am looking at the last four races as one block because it is going to go by so fast.?

Tom Sykes, stated: ?I lapped the Lausitzring on a Ninja ZX-10R roadbike in a session that Kawasaki organised recently, during the summer break. I think I won a Lausitzring race that was part of a one-make roadbike series, which was some years ago now. After the long break I am happy to get back into racing and go back to Germany again. I have some good memories of the Lausitzring. The track itself is good as I like the layout but I think there are some areas where the width of the track is quite narrow. I have had a good summer but I am really looking forward to getting back onto the Ninja ZX-10R and really trying to capitalise on the pace we had before the break.?
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
WorldSBK Season restarts for Lowes and Guintoli in Germany


Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team will be back to full strength and its original line-up as the 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship restarts at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Germany later this week. Sylvain Guintoli returns to action alongside Alex Lowes at the 4,265m circuit, after the championship took a two-month-long break from racing over the summer.

While WorldSBK has not witnessed wheels turned in anger since Laguna Seca, Lowes has been far from resting. Competing, and winning the Suzuka 8Hours with the Yamaha Factory Racing Team in late-July, he then went on to re-join his victorious endurance teammate Pol Espargaro in the Monster Energy Tech3 Team, substituting for injured countryman Bradley Smith in two consecutive MotoGP races at Silverstone and Misano. Lausitzring will herald his third race in as many weeks but the British rider, who turns 26 on Wednesday, remains as determined as ever to get back to the day job, utilising the experience and skills honed aboard the multiple machines to deliver on the WorldSBK-spec YZF-R1.

Germany will provide Guintoli with his first race weekend since the qualifying accident at Imola forced him out of competition. Having spent the past four months concentrating on his rehabilitation and fitness, the Frenchman has been back on track aboard his road and race YZF-R1's as he prepares for his return. His most recent outings have seen the 34-year-old reacquaint himself with the Pata Yamaha team at two private tests, allowing the opportunity to both learn the Lausitz layout and test his fitness against his familiar Magny-Cours circuit. Guintoli is confident that he can return to the sharp end for the final four events in the 2016 calendar, starting with the Brandenburg track this weekend.

The Lausitzring EuroSpeedway is located in eastern Germany, close to the Czech and Polish borders, lying approximately 65kms north of Dresden and 135kms south of Berlin. The anticlockwise layout houses 13 corners, 7 left and 6 right-handers and while the overall landscape is flat, the twisty circuit provides a unique experience for the riders. WorldSBK last visited the circuit in 2007, with Noriyuka Haga taking a race win, a further podium and setting the lap record of 1'38.622 on his Yamaha YZF-R1. Lights out for 2016's two 21-lap races is scheduled for 13:00 local time on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September.

Alex Lowes
Championship: 11th / 94 points


"Lausitz is a new track for me and most people in WorldSBK but I'm looking forward to this weekend and getting back on the YZF-R1. I think it's going to be a difficult race for everyone, as it's a technical track with some tricky sections but we had a good test there last month. My goal for the final four rounds is to up our game a bit and finish the season well so I'm looking forward to getting started."

Sylvain Guintoli
Championship: 14th / 58 points


"Obviously I have been out of competition for a few months now so I'm really looking forward to getting back into the mix and getting stuck in. You can't replace racing - there is nothing that gets anywhere near the feeling it gives you to compete and to race so I am very much looking forward to this weekend. Hopefully I can rebuild my speed quickly, find the feeling with the YZF-R1 and enjoy the end of the season. I think everyone agrees that Lausitz is not the most exciting track and is very bumpy but we have to do the best we can there to get a strong result."
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Summer is over! Hayden and van der Mark speak ahead of on-track return


The tenth round of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship, scheduled for September 16-18 at the Lausitzring, will mark the return to action for the Honda WorldSBK duo of Nicky Hayden and Michael van der Mark, who are eagerly awaiting to resume their WorldSBK season on a track where they recently had a two-day private test. But how did their summer go? What are they expecting from the last four rounds? Here is what they had to say about it.


Despite to the big WorldSBK break, it has been a pretty busy summer for you. How much are you looking forward to resume the season now?

Nicky Hayden ?It has certainly been a big break. This is something I wasn?t used to. In the end it went faster than on paper, with the Suzuka test, the 8 Hour race and the Lausitrzing test. Now I?m looking forward to getting back into it because there are still eight individual races to go and we will be racing every two weekends.?

Michael van der Mark ?To be honest, we still had a long summer break after Suzuka. Luckily enough we were able to do a two-day test at Lausitzing, which for us has been really important. Now, of course, I cannot wait get back on track.?



When not on track, where did you mostly spent the break? Were you able to relax?

NH ?For me it was mostly about being at home with no real exotic trips. I tried to stick to the program and follow along with training. I spent some time in my own bed and with friends and family, which is always nice.?

MVDM ?In the sun! My girlfriend and I have been a couple of days to Spain before the private test at the Lausitzing and, immediately after that, we went to Ibiza and stayed there for 11 days.?



Did you train hard during the break?

NH ?Fortunately, at home in Kentucky we have a good group of guys who live around here, mostly racers, who I can get out and train with, have fun with while trying to push each other.?

MVDM ?I slowed down a little bit during the break. Not that I did nothing, just not on an everyday basis. Since I came home I resumed my usual daily training programme.?



What?s the funniest, weirdest or unusual thing that happened to you during the break?

NH ?Some of you might not know, but there was a chance I could get back in the saddle on a MotoGP at Silverstone. Jack Miller?s team (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) wasn?t sure he was able to ride, so they asked me to come along. It wasn?t decided until Thursday, after he had his last scans. It would have been like jumping straight into the fire pit after not having ridden the bike for the whole year, but I thought ?why not?. I would have been locked in front of the TV anyway, so I might as well have done the real thing. Honda Motor Europe was totally behind it and of course the Ten Kate guys gave me their blessing, but luckily for Jack it turned out he was okay: he?s a buddy of mine and I?m a big supporter of his, so I was happy for him.?

MVDM ?Without a doubt, the funniest thing was to see all the crazy people in Ibiza!?



How does it feel to enter the upcoming round with already some work done, set-up and gearing and good knowledge of the track?

NH ?I look forward to the next race! We got to ride at Lausitzring a few weeks ago not only to test a couple of items, but also to reacquaint myself with the WorldSBK-spec Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP after racing at Suzuka. It was good also to reunite with the team, learn the track and get ready for the last part of the season.?

MVDM ?It was really important for us, because given the new weekend schedule there is less time available for setting up the bike. Our Fireblade is not well set up for the Lausitrzing track and the weather during the test was good, so we could put in a lot of laps and gather a considerable amount of data.?



Of the four rounds ahead, which is the one that you?re looking forward to the most?

NH ?I?m looking forward to them all! Haven?t been to Magny-Cours yet, but I know Jerez and Qatar like the back of my hand. After the first nine rounds things have sort of got to the point where everything flows the right way with the team, the championship and the bike; there are still, though, some things I want to learn and try in order to be at my very best.?

MVDM ?I?m looking forward to Qatar. It?s always a special round or me. It?s the season finale and we race at night under floodlights, something we don?t get to experience anywhere else.?



Does this last leg feel like a sort of mini season on its own?

NH ?I don?t know about that, really. In some ways I was thinking, had it been like Nascar or BSB ? where there is a sort of playoff at the end of the season ? with the situation we?re in now things would have been quite exciting for us! It wouldn?t have been any easier but just something exciting. But I?m looking forward to it nevertheless!?

MVDM ?Well this year has gone really quick, but I think these last four races are crucial to achieve fourth place in the championship standings. If we think about it this way then yes, this is going to be a sort of mini season with 4th place as the final goal.?
 
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