Motourage

2011 BSB Championship runner up and former MotoGP and AMA man John Hopkins plans to make another go at the World Superbike Championship after signing with Crescent Suzuki, as the UK-based team makes the move from the national to the world stage. Hopkins completes the two-man lineup with his new teammate, Leon Camier, who makes the move from the Alitalia Aprilia team. Camier will begin testing the Crescent Suzuki Powered by Yoshimura GSX-R1000 at Portimao, Portugal later this month, with Hopkins joining him in the tests in early 2012. The first race of next year’s calendar is scheduled for Sunday, February 26 at Phillip Island, Australia.

Hopkins is currently at his U.S. home in California, recovering from surgery to correct a finger injury he sustained at Brno while riding as a wild card for the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team. He had a successful first season with Crescent Suzuki in the British national series, narrowly missing out on the championship at the last race of the year to Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill. Hopkins contested the World Superbike Series in 2009 as a mid-season replacement for Robbie Rolfo at the ill-fated Stiggy Honda team, but injuries – and a horrific crash at the Nurburgring – coupled with Stiggy’s decision to pull out of the series, ended Hopkins WSBK hopes. He signed with John Ulrich’s team in AMA Superbike the following year but was again hampered by injuries. Earlier this season, he captured Superpole at the Silverstone WSBK weekend before finishing fifth in race 1 and seventh in race 2 as a wild card.

John Hopkins:
“I am really happy to be joining up with the Crescent guys again. We had a great year in British Superbike and I’m sure we can continue that in WSB. I wanted to get back into world championship racing and this is a natural progression from last year. The difference this time is that I will be going to tracks that I already know and have some reference from, so that should make some things a bit easier.

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Nürburgring race winner Tom Sykes has signed to ride for the official Kawasaki Racing Team in 2012, joining existing rider Joan Lascorz. Sykes, who has been an official Kawasaki rider for the past two seasons and a key figure in the development of the current Ninja ZX-10R racebike, has already won a world championship race for Kawasaki, at the German WSBK round in early September.

Tom Sykes

Lascorz and Sykes had their first test in preparation for the 2012 season at the Portimao Algarve Race Circuit in Portugal on Tuesday, October 18, only two days after the end of the 2011 campaign, and it was a test that turned out well for both riders.

The team’s European logistical base will be in Spain but with overall control coming direct from Japan, as the Superbike World Championship program is a full Kawasaki Heavy Industries project.

“I’m very happy to be continuing with Kawasaki and the Ninja ZX-10R in 2012,” said Sykes. “I believe the bike has good potential and we saw some of that come through in 2011 with a race win in Germany and superpole at Misano. These are the kind of results I am looking to achieve in the coming season on a regular basis and I really believe we can do this. I have a lot of confidence in Kawasaki and the team around me, so if we can improve a couple of points with the set-up of the bike on the track which I feel are restricting performance this would be a big step forward for us in the final results. I am looking forward to re-starting our test program again very soon.”

“We are very happy to run with Tom in 2012,” said Guim Roda, Team Manager. “Kawasaki always tries to keep the people it has in place and Tom has been making a good job in the last two years with Kawasaki. He has the potential to go fast, as he has shown in 2011, and now we have to repeat that for full race distance at each round. He is young and determined, which are good combinations for a fast rider. I’m sure working closer with Marcel, his new crew chief, and taking part in all the tests we have planned means he will take one step more and he will be able to fight for the podium places at every race. Let’s see what he can show us all next year.”

“It’s great that Tom’s with us again for 2012 in the World Superbike Championship,” added Steve Guttridge, Kawasaki Europe Race Planning Manager. “He’s worked hard within the project over the past two years and has always dug deep when it mattered to give us our first pole and race win with the new Ninja ZX-10R. [Paul Bird Motorsport] had good insight to hold onto him this year as part of the three-rider team, and now Tom has justifiably been rewarded with a full KHI factory rider contract for next year and being part our new WSB project. With a year under his belt on the new bike and a strong test plan being coordinated from Japan, I’m sure we will get to see Tom on the top step of that podium far more regularly in 2012.”

Having qualified sixth at the Nürburgring, Team Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes secured a brilliant debut win in a wet race two, which was finally red-flagged after 13 soaking laps. Today’s victory marked Kawasaki’s first World Superbike Championship race win since 2006, when Chris Walker took full points at Assen. This was also Tom’s first career WSBK race win, and his success in Germany puts him 11th overall in the championship, just one point from the top 10.

Tom had a dramatic day, running well in the early laps of a dry Race 1 before slipping back to 11th as he lost rear grip. His right ankle was still not feeling 100 percent after his Silverstone crash, but in a wet Race 2 he rode with composure and controlled aggression in ever-changing track conditions, capitalizing when race leader Noriyuki Haga fell from the lead. Sykes also repelled occasional pressure from second place finisher Sylvain Guintoli to win by four seconds.

Joan Lascorz had a strong Race 1, going seventh after starting from the fourth row as he pulled through the pack in impressive fashion. He did not have the same kind of feel in the rain as Sykes did in Race 2 and finished 11th. He is 13th in the championship, only three points behind Sykes.

Pedercini Team rider Mark Aitchison was 12th in Race 1 then a faller in Race 2 after running in high positions for much of the time. His teammate Roberto Rolfo secured points in each race; 13th in Race 1 then 14th in Race 2.

Tom Sykes: “To get a first World Superbike win under my belt is fantastic, also with the new Kawasaki. Everybody in the team knows every time I put my leg over the bike it is all or nothing; that is the way I ride, and fortunately today that commitment paid off in Race 2. I got a gap behind me in the worst conditions, but as the track had less water on it for a time, unfortunately our times seemed to tail off and I came under pressure from Sylvain. But as the standing water increased again we found our pace. In Race 1 everything went to plan at the start, but both the wrong tire choice and my physical condition did not help, so when it started raining I had a bit of a grin to myself. We changed the bike quite a lot from the last time in Misano when we got pole position, so obviously it was a little bit of a gamble in wet conditions. The guys gave me a great package today.”

Joan Lascorz: “Race 1 was not so bad, especially given our starting position. I made good pace to come forward. I chose the soft tire options in Race 1, and I was going to change the some things on the bike for the second race, but it proved to be wet anyway. In Race 2 it was difficult in the wet conditions, but I am happy for Tom and Kawasaki as this was the best result for the team.”

Team Alstare Suzuki rider Michel Fabrizio left the 10th round of the World Superbike Championship at the Nurburgring in Germany with no points after being struck on the arm on the opening lap of race one.

He made a good start to race one from the third row of the grid but was hit on the opening lap: At first, the impact didn’t bother him, and he was able to charge through the field and take fifth place by half-race distance. But then his arm began to swell and he was unable to control the throttle properly. As the pain increased, the Italian dropped down the order and finished just outside the points in 16th place. Carlos Checa (Ducati) won the race comfortably with Marco Melandri (Yamaha) second and Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia) in third.

After the race, Fabrizio went to the Clinica Mobile where he had his right arm X-rayed. Fortunately, nothing was broken, but the swelling indicated some damage to a tendon or muscle. He had some pain killers before going out on the grid for race two – which was delayed as the organizers waited to see if the rain would ease. When it did, all riders changed to wet tires and went out for their inspection laps. The rain got harder and soon there were rivulets of water running across the track and deep puddles throughout the 5.137-kilometer circuit.

Fabrizio and the rest of the field started the race cautiously, but it soon became clear that the conditions were worsening. He struggled for five laps before he and the Alstare Suzuki Team decided that it would be better to pull in than risk a crash and a possible injury.

The race was won by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) after it was red flagged with seven laps to go. Second was Sylvain Guintoli (Ducati) with his team mate Jakub Smrz third.

Michel Fabrizio – Race 1: 16th, Race 2: Retired.
“I am really not sure what happened in the first lap of race one. I was going though a left turn while keeping an eye on Sykes on my left when I suddenly felt an impact on my right arm, just above the wrist. I don’t know if it was another rider or something that had flown up from the track. All I know is that it was a fairly hard blow. I carried on racing and managed to pass quite a few riders and get up to fifth place. I was pretty happy at this stage because I had started from 12th on the grid, but soon I could feel the pain in my arm getting worse. I could feel it swelling up and, as the race wore on, that affected my throttle control. I just couldn’t force the throttle wide open when I needed to and it wasn’t long before riders began to pass me. I kept going as best I could, but it was frustrating seeing all the riders I had passed overtake me. The pain got worse and worse, but I kept going in case I could get any points. Unfortunately, I finished 16th, so not a good start to the day. I had some painkillers – pills, not injections – before the start of race two, but I knew that it was not going to be a good day for me, when the rain began to pour.

“Soon there were big puddles everywhere and there were rivulets in many parts of the track. Even on the straights we were aquaplaning and it was pretty dangerous just trying to get round without crashing. My arm was feeling very painful and I wasn’t in the points, so the team and I decided that there was no point continuing. I pulled into the pits, which was definitely the right decision. Watching the rest of the race from my pit box, I am a bit surprised that 13 laps were completed before the red flag came out, but I was happy to have survived without crashing.

“The weekend had started pretty well and Friday and Saturday had been good, apart from Superpole. My race-pace was good and I was happy with fifth after nine laps of race one. If it hadn’t have been for the blow to my arm, I’m sure that I would’ve finished the first race in the top five. But racing is unpredictable and today was just not my lucky day.”

Results:

Race 1: 1 Carlos Checa (ESP-Ducati), 2 Marco Melandri (ITA-Yamaha), 3 Noriyuki Haga (JPN-Aprilia), 4 Eugene Laverty (GBR-Yamaha), 6 Leon Haslam (GBR-BMW), 16 Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Alstare Suzuki),

Race 2: 1 Tom Sykes (GBR-Kawasaki), 2 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Ducati), 3 Jakub Smrz (CZE-Ducati), 4 Jonathan Rea (GBR-Honda), 5 Laverty, 6 Melandri. Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Alstare Suzuki) RETIRED

Championship Points: 1 Carlos Checa 376, 2 Marco Melandri 302, 3 Max Biaggi 281, 4 Laverty 232, 5 Haslam 176, 6 Camier 154, 7 Michel Fabrizio (Alstare Suzuki) 141

Carlos Checa and the Althea Racing Team experienced two very different World Superbike races today at the Nürburgring. Starting from pole position, Checa dominated a dry race one while extremely wet conditions in the second race prevented him from doing better than eighth.

The first Superbike race of the day got underway under very cloudy skies but on a fortunately dry track. Checa, starting from pole for the fifth time this season, made a strong start and was first at the first corner. He had to defend himself from Pata Aprilia’s Noruyuki Haga through the first laps, but lap by lap he was able to build an advantage over Melandri and Haga behind him.

Checa made the fastest lap of the race on lap four (1m55.971), taking his sixth Pirelli fast lap award. From mid-race onwards, his advantage increased and, despite the fact that he lost a little time in the final stages due to excessive tire wear, he still crossed the line comfortably in first position, 1.8 seconds ahead of Melandri in second.

Race 2 was delayed due to the onset of heavy rain just a few minutes prior to the off. Teams had 10 minutes in which to swap to rain tires and prepare for what would be an extremely wet race. Checa, not wanting to take any risks, was in eleventh position through the first corner. During the first half of the race he slowly increased his pace, but seeing several riders crash out ahead of him, he preferred not to push too hard. By the thirteenth lap he had moved up into eighth place, and at the conclusion of that same lap race direction took the decision to suspend the race. Checa thus closed race 2 in eighth position.

At the conclusion of this, the tenth round of the championship, Checa continues to lead the rider’s classification with 376 points. He holds a 74-point advantage over Melandri in second position. Ducati continues to lead the constructor’s championship with 400 points to Yamaha’s 351.

Carlos Checa:
“Today’s first race was very special for me, and signifies my first ever SBK win at the Nürburgring. I would like to dedicate this result to Claudio Castiglioni, he was an extremely important figure in the motorcyling world and it is also in part thanks to him that we are here racing these bikes today. The race 1 result was very important in terms of the championship. I knew that it was important to increase the gap between me and Noriyuki in the first half of the race and this small advantage proved useful in the final stages when I began to suffer from a lack of grip. Race 2 on the other hand was one of the hardest races I’ve ever run. We were obliged to try to finish it of course but I was really suffering due to the sheer quantity of water and track conditions, and couldn’t even see as far as the next corner! I’m sorry for those who took risks and I’m also sorry that Biaggi was not racing with us today. I hope he gets better and that we’ll see him back at Imola. But for us it was a very positive day and I’m very happy with the outcome.”

Genesio Bevilacqua, General Manager, Althea Racing:
“A very positive weekend for us; we have certainly worked very well and are satisfied with the points gained, despite the fact that race 2 didn’t go as it would have done in the dry. Carlos used all of his experience to complete one of the most difficult races of his career and once again demonstrated his great professionalism. From here on in, we’ll simply try not to make mistakes. We’re all very pleased.”

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Yamaha's Eugene Laverty

Yamaha World Superbike riders Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty are heading back on track this coming weekend after a long five-week summer break. The weekend’s racing action will take place at the Nurburgring Circuit situated among the Eifel Mountains in the West of Germany, marking round 10 of the 2011 World Superbike Championship. After the lengthy rest from racing, both Yamaha World Superbike riders are eager to get on board their YZF-R1s and take up where they left off, with the success of the last round in Silverstone where Melandri and Laverty both claimed double podiums and gained valuable championship points.

With just four rounds remaining to fight for the championship title, both riders will be looking to impress and continue to battle for the championship lead. Melandri sets out for the Nurburgring for the first time in his career but he has proved in previous rounds that new tracks are not an issue for him. The Italian will take on the German circuit with the intention of pushing up to second place in the standings ahead of fellow Italian, Max Biaggi. Teammate Laverty aims to capitalize on progress made at his home track in Silverstone and fight for another extraordinary double podium. The challenging 5.137 km German track has brought him success in the past, just last year he delivered an impressive race win in the WSS category.

The Nurburgring, also known as the “Green Hell,” is considered to be one of the most demanding purpose-built racing tracks in the world. There are many changes in elevation, six left turns, 11 right turns and few opportunities to overtake.

Marco Melandri, Yamaha World Superbike Team:
“The Nurburgring is another new track for me this year, but I’m looking forward to experiencing it. I’m glad to be getting going again after the summer holidays and I’m determined to do my best and keep fighting until the end of the championship. I like the look of the track from what I’ve seen on TV. It’s quite technical and I’m sure it will be a lot of fun. The weather forecast doesn’t look so good for Sunday but it changes from day to day so I’m hoping between now and then it’ll improve a little. We’ll soon see.”

Eugene Laverty, Yamaha World Superbike Team:
“I’ve been off the bike for a long time now and I can’t wait to get riding my R1 again. Nurburgring is a track I quite like and I’ve good memories there following my win in Supersport last year. I’ve just come from a double podium in Silverstone and that’s what I’m aiming for again at the Nurburgring. It’s not out of the question to complete the season in the top three and that’s what I’d like and what I’ll be aiming for, even though it won’t be easy to reach my team-mate.”

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Today’s Motourage video of the day features a first race, first lap first turn crash involving Makoto Tamada, Broc Parkes, Vittorio Iannuzzo and American rider John Hopkins. Hopkins, while on the asphalt, was run over by Ryuichi Kiyonari. Tamada was also hit by Kiyonari’s bike, and he and Hopkins were taken to the hospital where they were treated and released.