WSBK-Silverstone

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Ten Kate squad relishing Silverstone challenge

The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda World Superbike championship team is looking forward to round ten of the 2010 series this weekend (30 July-1 August), which takes place at the revised Silverstone circuit, just over 100km northwest of the UK?s capital, London.

Jonathan Rea is hoping to build on his sparkling performance last time out at Brno in the Czech Republic where he won the first race and finished second in race two. The Ulsterman, who recently moved to the Isle of Man, retains third place in the championship standings behind Max Biaggi and fellow Brit, Leon Haslam.

Immediately following his Brno success, Rea, 23, jetted directly to Japan to test with the FSS TSR Honda team in preparation for the prestigious but gruelling Suzuka 8 Hour race, which he contested with team-mate Kousuke Akiyoshi last weekend. Despite two stop-go penalties and a crash with a back-marker, which left them in 42nd place, the CBR1000RR-mounted duo staged a remarkable comeback to take the third podium slot.

Rea is looking forward to getting to grips with Silverstone?s new circuit layout in what will be his second ?home? race of the season after Assen in Holland. After racing in both British Supersport and Superbike championships earlier in his career, he has a strong following in the UK and is looking forward to an enthusiastic British crowd this weekend.

His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, is hoping to put the last races at Brno behind him after crashing out of both encounters on the opening lap. The German was understandably disappointed for himself and his team, as well as the hoards of his fans who had made the trek down to the Czech Republic from his home town of Chemnitz.

By his own admission, Neukirchner has not enjoyed the level of results that he had hoped for this season but the 27-year-old heads to Silverstone more determined than ever to fulfil his and his CBR1000RR Fireblade?s undoubted potential.

Jonathan Rea

The 8 Hour was a pretty gruelling race ? probably the most difficult thing I?ve ever done physically. I had an awesome time, though, and had a great team who really looked after me well and made the whole experience a lot of fun. Now it?s back to business at Silverstone, which looked like a pretty fun place to ride when I went up to watch the MotoGP race there. Some friends have ridden it, too, and given me a few pointers. But it?s a new challenge and fresh motivation for me, so I?m really looking forward to riding there. It?ll be a tough weekend and, just because it?s my home race, it won?t be any easier than any other. But I?m hoping I?ll get a lot of support and I?m really looking forward to racing in front of the brilliant British fans. We have to forget about earlier races and see how the bike is performing on Friday morning; then we?ll move forward in as positive a way as we can from there.

Max Neukirchner

Brno was a very tough weekend for me and the two crashes were very difficult to deal with after we had found something positive over the two days before. It was also very disappointing for all the friends who came down from Germany to see the race. I?ve tried to put it out of my mind and focus on the positives though and I?m looking forward to bringing these to Silverstone this weekend. I?ve had a good conversation with Ronald ten Kate and we both really want to finish the season in a good direction and hopefully on a high. Silverstone is a new circuit for everyone and therefore we all start a little bit more equal. I also hope that the weather is a little better than the last time I was there three years ago, when the second race was cancelled!

Ronald ten Kate ? team manager

This weekend should be even more interesting as Silverstone is a new circuit and a new experience for all the riders. I?m quite sure that Jonathan will recover well from his Suzuka experience where, despite some early problems, he and his team still managed to get on the podium. He will certainly want to perform well this weekend too, especially in front of his home crowd. For Max, we all hope he can build on the positives from Brno where he was denied a good result on race day by two unfortunate crashes.

 

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THE DUCATI XEROX TEAM CROSSES THE CHANNEL FOR ROUND 10 AT NEW-LOOK SILVERSTONE

Silverstone (UK), Tuesday 27th July: the Ducati Xerox Team heads to the UK or, more specifically, to Silverstone, the only ?new? track to feature on this year?s World Superbike calendar, after a two year absence. The upcoming tenth round is also the last event before the championship?s traditional month-long summer break; Round 11 is scheduled for 5th September at the N?rburgring in Germany.

The historic Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, UK, has undergone some major restructuring during recent months and the track layout is now very different to that on which the Superbikes last raced in 2007. The last time Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio visited the English circuit, they experienced some particularly bad weather that resulted in the cancellation of Race 2. Race 1 went ahead as planned but heavy rain conditioned the outcome and while Noriyuki finished on the podium behind Troy Bayliss (race winner on the Ducati), Michel unfortunately crashed out. Haga has raced at Silverstone on five previous occasions, and has achieved seven podium finishes over nine races, an impressive record. Michel is yet to celebrate a podium finish at this particular circuit but he, Noriyuki and the entire Ducati Xerox Team are looking forward to the challenge that the new look track will present.

At the latest round, held three weeks ago at Brno in the Czech Republic, both Noriyuki and Michel made a great start to the weekend, topping the timesheets in the early sessions. Superpole did not go as planned for either rider, but despite their grid positions, the Ducati Xerox men fought hard with Michel scoring a podium finish in the second race and Noriyuki making up many positions in both races to close in fifth and sixth.

Going into round ten of thirteen, Haga is still in fifth position in the overall standings while team-mate Fabrizio finds himself eighth. Ducati lies in third position in the manufacturers championship.

Noriyuki Haga (5th in championship, 172 points)

Noriyuki has scored some impressive results at the British track in the past.

?We haven?t been to Silverstone for a few years but we?ve heard that they?ve made some great track modifications and I?m looking forward to going back there. I?ve had some good results there in the past, quite a few podiums from what I remember and it was always a track that seemed to suit my riding style. We?ll have to wait and see just how much it?s changed but I?m looking forward to the event and hope we can do well.?

Haga?s Superbike form at Silverstone:
2007: Race 1 ? 2nd
2006: Race 1 ? 2nd, Race 2 ? 2nd
2005: Race 1 - DNF, Race 2 ? 3rd
2004: Race 1 ? winner, Race 2 ? 2nd
2002: Race 1 ? 2nd, Race 2 ? 10th

Michel Fabrizio (8th in championship, 147 points)

Michel looks forward to riding the new-look track.

?I?ve raced at Silverstone before of course but my results were nothing to write home about. With the changes to the track layout it will be interesting to see how everyone goes, I guess we?ll all be starting on a level playing field, and so I am confident that we can put together two great races. I hoped to do better at the recent Brno round and so will try my best to take as many points as possible this weekend to improve my position in the overall standings.?

Fabrizio?s Superbike form at Silverstone:
2007: Race 1 ? DNF
2006: Race 1 ? DNF, Race 2 ? 15th


CIRCUIT DATA:

Country: UK
Name: Silverstone
Circuit length: 5.902 km
Pole position: left
Corners left: 10
Corners right: 8
Race distance: 18 laps = 106.236 km

LAP RECORDS: Fastest lap ? Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1?26.299 (2006). Superpole ? Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1'24.558 (2007).

2007 RESULTS: Race 1 - 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox); 2. Haga (Yamaha); 3. Corser (Yamaha).

 

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Toseland and Crutchlow prepare for their 'home race' at the Silverstone WSB weekend

Yamaha Sterilgarda riders James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow are geared up and determined to give it their all this weekend for their home race in front of the British fans at Silverstone for round 10 of the World Superbike Championship. The Silverstone circuit, which has gone undergone major restructuring this year, was last visited by the World Superbike paddock in 2007. With the changes this year, the circuit will be new to all riders who will be riding on its 5.9km track for the first time on Friday.

"The home race is no different to any other race," said Cal Crutchlow. "I always want to do well and give it my best shot. Last year in World Supersport at Donington I did the same. I especially hope that we put on a good show for all the fans that turn out to see the seven Brits in action. We had some tyre issues at Brno; hopefully these won't be repeated this round and we can focus on being fastest all weekend and delivering two race wins."

"We had a decent second race coming from last to finish fourth at Brno which wasn't a bad result although fourth isn't where I want to be," commented James Toseland. "All the little problems we've had this year has meant the championship has gone away a little bit. I'm going to Silverstone with nothing to lose; the icing on the cake would be to win at home. The track looks really good; I did a PR event to launch it last week and had a look round. With seven British riders there's every chance the podium will be all British which would be great. It should be a great event for the UK."

Silverstone technically speaking according to Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow's Crew Chief
"Silverstone is a completely new track for us so we have to evaluate a new gearbox, chassis and electronic setup. The track has all kinds of character, a fast part and also a very tight infield. The challenge will be to find the best compromise in a very short timeframe. We will start the weekend with our base setup that we've developed bit by bit. We also have some new chassis setups to try; this will be introduced in the spare bike. So we hope to find the best gearbox and base setup on Friday and start fine tuning on Saturday."

Silverstone technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland's Crew Chief
"Silverstone could be one of the most exiting races of the year with James eager to carry on from Brno where he battled through from last to fourth in extreme track temperatures. We had good race pace in Brno but our problem area was both race starts. We have some new parts and strategies to improve this and we will be testing before the race weekend. The factory MotoGP team have provided us with some valuable information so we can get a head start on a good gearing, as this is a new track for all teams. The track looks a little bumpy in places, but with plenty of overtaking opportunities. During the weekend we will work hard on the set-up to suit the new Pirelli tyres which will be used for the first time at Silverstone."

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "It's the only 'new' track we visit on the 2010 World Superbike calendar so we don't have any data at all to prepare ourselves. With the exception of the information from the GP team everything has to be discovered by us on Friday in the first session. We are going to Cal and James's home country so we are really motivated because it's like a home race for us. We are looking forward to Sunday and believe we can give a good performance for the British fans."

 

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Back in Britain for WSBK action

After a break of three weeks, the Superbike World Championship returns to Great Britain and Silverstone Circuit from 30 July to 1 August for the tenth of this year?s 13-round series. With MotoGP and Formula 1 having already visited the heavily revised circuit in 2010, one thing that?s apparent is that there are plenty of good overtaking opportunities and high-speed, flowing corners well suited to motorcycle racing.

Consequently, the WSBK riders will be relishing the challenges of this track that will effectively be new to everyone ? and none more so than Troy Corser, who had to sit out the last round at Brno due to injury, so can?t wait to get stuck into the weekend?s race action at Silverstone.

?After my crash in Brno, I have worked a lot on my fitness. I'm really looking forward to riding the new circuit and racing again in the UK, which is like a second home race for me as I spend a lot of time there and am expecting a lot of friends and family over the weekend,? said Troy.

?I have already had the opportunity to look at the new track layout and it looks really good. There are some bumps in the track, especially where new asphalt was laid so the team and I will need to find a good set-up to cater for those issues. I expect that the S 1000 RR will suit the track?s characteristics ? we have been working hard on suspension set-up, and the bumps seem to present no great problem. There is no doubt that power is going to be important ? because there are many long straights ? but there are also some long sweeping turns, where the tyres are loaded on one side for a long time, therefore throttle connection and power delivery will play a big role.?

For BMW Motorrad Motorsport team-mate Ruben Xaus, the last round at Brno was almost perfect, with his best ever qualifying position and finish on the BMW in race one, before pushing too hard in race two and crashing out while defending what could have been his first podium finish on the S 1000 RR. Knowing that he really missed out on a golden opportunity in Brno, Xaus is more determined than ever to be running at the front at Silverstone.

"Brno was a positive weekend for me. Although I fell in the second race, the team and I can be extremely proud of our performance,? said Ruben. ?We proved that we are competitive and that we can run with the top riders. I just hope we can maintain this rhythm for Silverstone. I have some good memories from the old layout as I managed to make the podium several times, so I am really looking forward to getting back there. I have only seen the new track layout from the bits of racing I have seen on TV but it looks great. It?s a really fast and following circuit which normally suits my style so I am looking forward to trying it. Some parts of the new track seem quite bumpy from what I have seen, but if that is the case it will be the same for everyone. We just need to focus on finding a good set-up that works well with the track and then hopefully I can run at the front like in Brno.?

Director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Berthold Hauser knows that with so many British riders running in this year?s WSBK championship, the competition will be even hotter than usual at Silverstone, especially with the passionate home supporters and the addition of the usual British wildcards.

?We are all really looking forward to Silverstone. Racing history was written at Silverstone, and it?s not called the ?Home of British Motor Racing? for nothing,? said Hauser. ?Last year we raced at Donington so it will be interesting to go to a new track and see how we perform. It?s great to see both Troy and now Ruben riding to their full potential on a bike that is always improving. There have been some extensive alterations to the circuit in recent months, with whole new sections of track being added. This will make for an interesting weekend as not many riders have even seen, let alone ridden the new layout.?

 

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Rea brings good form to Silverstone

Jonathan Rea finished second fastest in today?s opening qualifying session for Sunday?s two tenth round World Superbike championship races at Silverstone in the UK. The 23-year-old had topped the earlier free practice session but had to cede provisional pole position to fellow Brit, Cal Crutchlow.

After taking a win and a second place last time out at Brno in the Czech Republic, Rea?s good form continued into last weekend?s prestigious Suzuka 8 Hour race, where he finished on the podium, and the Northern Irishman relished Silverstone?s new 5.902km layout in today?s two sessions.

His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, also liked the new circuit, although, like many other riders, its bumps caused him some issues. The German rider finished 18th fastest today, after crashing unhurt at turn one towards the end of the qualifying session.

Neukirchner had just put in a new rear Pirelli fo r a faster lap but the crash ended his session. His Honda CRB1000RR righted itself, however, and went head on into a track-side barrier, causing extensive damage.

Jonathan Rea ? P2 2?06.006s

I really enjoyed riding the circuit today ? it?s like it fills me full of happy pills because it?s all new and fresh! The bike is working OK straight away and I got up to a good rhythm pretty much from the off and qualifying was good. We?ve still got some more work to do tomorrow but I?m looking forward to making improvements. The bumps are bumps and they?re same for everybody and we spent this afternoon working more on the gearing and trying to get the right compromise for that. But it?s always fun when you come to a new circuit ? the layout?s really nice, but it?s just that the bumps and the surface isn?t great.

Max Neukirchner ? ; P18 2?07.325s

I think I like the circuit but there are a lot of bumps so it?s not easy to get the right chassis set-up so I think you must live with a not perfect setting. Of course the crash was bad for me ? I put in a new rear but the front was already 17 laps old. The bike carried on for maybe 200 metres more and hit the wall, so the front end looks not so good. I?m sorry for my guys who have a lot more work to do now.

Ronald ten Kate ? team manager

I think that, for all the World Superbike riders, today was more about learning the track rather than setting up a bike for it. From tomorrow we can really start to make some changes to the bike to improve it. Johnny was quick from the box today and his Suzuka 8 Hour experience definitely didn?t slow him down at all. Max was on a decent pace as well and just when we put the new tyre in for him to set a fast lap time he had a sm all crash with big damage, which was a pity. But we?ll be back for more tomorrow.

 

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Rea doubles up on Silverstone podium

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider, Jonathan Rea, finished second in both today?s tenth round World Superbike championship races at Silverstone in the UK.

The two 18-lap encounters around the revised 5.902km Silverstone circuit were won by British rider Cal Crutchlow, with Leon Haslam and Leon Camier each taking a third place to make two all-British podiums.

Starting from second place on the grid, Rea, 23, grabbed the holeshot in both outings, leading the first for the opening eleven laps as he and Crutchlow built a commanding lead over third placed Haslam.

Race two was almost a carbon copy, with Rea leading until lap 15, when Crutchlow again hit the front and made a break for the flag. The results strengthened Rea?s hold on third place in the championship.

After two difficult qualifying sessions, Rea?s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, made a radical change to the rear of his CBR1000RR for morning warm-up and ran with the setting for the races.

In the first, he was able to climb from his grid position of 18th to 11th at the flag. The German looked set to repeat the performance and break into the top ten in race two, before a mechanical problem forced his retirement.

Jonathan Rea ? 2nd and 2nd

In race one Cal had a little bit more pace than me, where I was missing maybe a couple of tenths a lap. The bike was working very well, but we got let down by the tyre a little bit, I think, because it definitely felt a lot different to the one I used in warm-up this morning. I thought I might have the pace in race two, but well-done to Cal ? he did a great job and rode absolutely superbly. My team gave me a great bike this weekend that allowed me to at least fight for the wins here. I?m really happy and really enjoyed riding at Silverstone this weekend and we?ve had a couple of good results t o take into the summer break.

Max Neukirchner ? 11th and DNF

For me, the first race was one of the best this season. OK, it wasn?t the best result but it felt great having a bike that I could fight for positions with. I had a lot of fun and I was able to pass a lot of other guys ? it was a very good race for me and felt a little bit like a win! We basically went back to the setting that I used in race two at Assen and it allowed me to brake later and accelerate more early. The start of race two was like the first and I made some good lap times behind Haga, but then the engine broke after seven laps. Without that I felt like maybe a top ten was possible so I can take some positives into the summer break and the next round which is in Germany.

Ronald ten Kate ? team manager

The last two race weekends have brought us some very good results, after the issues we experienced before. The team seems to have bounced back really well. Of course, you always aim for a win on Sunday, but two seconds are good enough results which put us closer to second place in the championship and further away from the guys behind us. We have another test planned before we head off Nurburgring which will hopefully bring us the last couple of tenths that we seemed to be missing here today. Max has definitely has his upward strength from Brno and he took that into his race one result. In race two, a mechanical problem stopped him storming through the field again, but, all in all, we are positive.

2010 World Superbike championship ? round 10
Silverstone, United Kingdom (5.902km ? 18 laps) ? results
Race one:
1. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 37?47.851s
2. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +1.621s
3. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki +11.433s
4. Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati +15.874s
5. Ma x Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia +17.085s
6. Leon Camier (GBR) Aprilia +15.532s
11. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +30.972s
Race two:
1. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 37?48.348s
2. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +2.070s
3. Leon Camier (GBR) Aprilia +8.834s
4. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki +13.232s
5. James Toseland (GBR) Yamaha +13.258s
6. Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia +13.568s
DNF Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda

Championship points after 10 of 13 rounds: 1 Biaggi 373, 2 Haslam 313, 3 Rea 243, 4 Carlos Checa (ESP) 204, 5 Crutchlow 188, 6 Toseland 179, 7 Haga 177, 8 Camier 164, 9 Fabrizio 160, 10 Troy Corser (AUS) BMW 155

Next round: Nurburgring, Germany ? 3-5 September

 

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Mixed fortunes at Silverstone for BMW Motorrad!

Having seen BMW Motorrad Italia?s Ayrton Badovini win his seventh consecutive race on the S 1000 RR and claim the 2010 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup earlier today, there were high hopes for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport factory riders at Silverstone this afternoon. However, a top ten finish in the first World Superbike race was the highlight of a difficult weekend for Troy Corser, as an early crash in race two put a premature end to his hopes of success at the UK circuit. Team-mate Ruben Xaus finished race one just outside the points but fought back to finish 11th in race two.

Having both qualified on the second row of the grid, the two riders were hoping for a good showing on their BMW S 1000 RR machines, but it was not to be. There was early drama for Ruben before the first race had even begun, when he stalled his machine on the grid just prior to the start of the warm-up lap. However, he made it to the start and looked comfortable in the early stages before slipping backwards due to issues with grip.

Troy Corser was running as high as fourth place in race one and was involved in a good battle with championship leader Max Biaggi, before an incident on lap eight caused him to lose several places. He eventually finished the race in tenth place, so was determined to go even better in race two.

Initially, this certainly looked like being the case, as Corser made a good start to the second race and overtook Jakub Smrz and Leon Haslam on the very first lap, before pressuring Max Biaggi and passing him onto the start-finish straight going onto lap two. However, in doing so the veteran Australian overloaded the front tyre over the bumpy surface and crashed out of contention.

This left Ruben Xaus as the sole BMW rider in the race and despite not making the best of starts, he fought his way back from 17th place up to 11th, just 26 seconds behind double race winner Cal Crutchlow.

Troy Corser: ?We are disappointed with the weekend to be honest. We came here with high expectations but we really struggled with grip. We tried a lot of things to improve grip levels but nothing seemed to work. The only time I felt happy with the bike was in race two but sadly I crashed early on. Race one I just couldn?t get the power down, I felt the front pushing into most corners and I nearly crashed on numerous occasions. I think we have a good idea of what caused the problems this weekend, so we just need to go away, work hard and get focused for the races in Germany.

Ruben Xaus ?To be honest the first race was a disaster. We had good grip on corner entry but after that I just had no feeling ? the bike was just spinning everywhere. We have tried our best all weekend to come up with a setting which works at this circuit but in the races it simply didn?t happen for us. I tried as hard as I could but I still finished 17th. I could have pulled in because the grip levels were so bad, but I am a fighter and I wanted to stay out there and try my best. For race two we made some big changes to the set-up and it was better. Unfortunately I lost a lot of positions in the early laps but I was happy with my overall race pace. We have learnt a lot from race two so I think this will help us in future races.

Berthold Hauser ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport ? Motorsport Director: ?This is a weekend to forget for us. We expected a lot coming here as we thought the track would suit our bike, but we had some grip issues all weekend. In the second race the team made some changes to Troy?s bike and it was a real improvement. Unfortunately it only lasted for one lap as Troy lost the front on the bumps at turn one. But I am not disappointed by the crash because it showed me that Troy was pushing as hard as he could, which is the main thing. We just need to go away from here, work on a few things and be ready to come out fighting at the Nurburgring.?

Race one results
1 Crutchlow (GBR ? Yamaha), 2 Rea (GBR ? Honda), 3 Haslam (GBR ? Suzuki), 10 Troy Corser (AUS ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 17 Ruben Xaus (ESP ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport)

Race two results
1 Crutchlow (GBR ? Yamaha), 2 Rea (GBR ? Honda), 3. Camier (GBR ? Aprilia), 11 Ruben Xaus (ESP ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport), DNF Troy Corser (AUS ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport)

Points: 1. Biaggi 373, 2. Haslam 313, 3. Rea 243, 10. Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 155, 14. Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 69