Motourage

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.”

Two official Kawasaki riders will be going for glory this weekend at Silverstone as Joan Lascorz and Tom Sykes set out to get into the leading mix in each race at the revamped British venue.

Silverstone is a home event for not only the Paul Bird Motorsports-operated team (based in Cumbria) but also Sykes, who is in his second year in the official outfit. Sykes, originally from Yorkshire but now living relatively close to Silverstone, is particularly keen to get back to top form at is home race. He has recently completed a short test at the hilly and narrow Cadwell Park circuit in England to try out some chassis settings in an effort to save some set-up time once he gets to Silverstone.

Joan Lascorz moved into the position of top-ranked Kawasaki runner at the previous round at Brno, stepping one place above Sykes to 13th overall in the process. The immediate aim for Lascorz is climbing his first ever World Superbike podium, but two strong finishes would help him eradicate memories of the crash at this track last year, which cost him the chance of going for the World Supersport  championship. His injuries held back many of his preparations for his assault on the WSBK class this year, but Joan is now settling into the Superbike role well, having already posted two top-five race finishes in what is a particularly tough season.

Team regular Chris Vermeulen will not be racing at Silverstone as a fall at Brno cut short his raceday in the Czech Republic, and he has been advised to sit this meeting out to be fully race fit for the next WSBK round at the Nürburgring on September 4.

The Pedercini Team is mounted on Kawasaki machines again in 2011 and they will field Roby Rolfo and Mark Aitchison at Silverstone, with Rolfo two places above his teammate, in 17th place overall.

At 5.9km in length the Silverstone circuit is not only one of the longest used in modern day racing, it is also one of the fastest, with best average lap speeds of 168kmph. The pits and paddock complex are now situated in the new Silverstone “Wing,” a fact that even British riders like Sykes may take some time to get used to after so many seasons using the former paddock buildings.

Joan Lascorz:
“I like this track and last year I expected to make a very good race in Supersport, if I hadn’t had my mishap. Let’s see this year how it goes with the Ninja ZX-10R. We are forming a greater understanding, race by race, of the reactions of the bike. From the Kawasaki side they always try to give me the bike I need and they are working hard after every race. From my side I am trying to adjust my riding style to make the best of the tyres and the bike and I am also working hard to keep my body fit. In particular, what we need to improve is how to open the gas correctly and also how to explain to my crew chief the important reactions of the bike. I am trying to understand what the really important aspects are to let me go faster and which are the ones I have to remove from my riding style. Our goal now is try to stay between tenth and fifth in the races as often as we can and, maybe even more importantly, to qualify well and make a good starts to learn from the most experienced riders.”

Tom Sykes:
“I am in highs spirits at the moment and looking forward to the Silverstone weekend. It is a massive circuit and really enjoyable. It has a fast average speed and it is very flowing in nature. I hope we can pick up the pace and have a result like we had in Misano and Aragon. I like to stop the bike, turn it and when I open the throttle I want to open it hard. I see no reason why we cannot go to Silverstone and pick up our game. The test we had at Cadwell last week was an eye-opener! I had just come from Brno and I think it must be four times the width of Cadwell, so it felt so fast to be running on a track so narrow. We tried a couple of things and got a bit of a direction on where I would like to improve the bike. It was good to get a couple of hours of track time to help us make the most of our practice time this weekend. Silverstone is only 30 minutes from my house now, so it is even closer to home. I want to put on a good show in Britain and having friends and family there is just another nice little added ingredient to race weekend. I want to have two strong results this weekend.”

The Paul Bird Kawasaki trio of Tom Sykes, Joan Lascorz and Chris Vermeulen join forces once again this weekend; this time at the new World Superbike venue of Motorland Aragon, in Lascorz’s home country of Spain.

The entire WSBK paddock is now involved in a trek across southern Europe directly after last Sunday’s Misano round, and for many this will be their first visit to Aragon. It is, however, the official Kawasaki squad’s test track, and all three riders have posted laps there, albeit some more than others.

Sykes left Misano with a Superpole win and a season best of fourth in race one and his confidence has been boosted in general by an ever-improving real race set-up on the new-for-2011 Ninja ZX-10R. Holding 13th place in the championship standings, Tom is keen to post two good results and start moving up, starting at a very modern circuit in northern Spain that has a wow factor for riders and spectators alike.

A home race for Lascorz may mean extra pressures but the laid-back rider from Barcelona has at least had the chance to lap Aragon in testing recently, albeit for a short time. He ranks the circuit as one of the most challenging on the calendar but he is nonetheless looking forward to his second WSBK race in seven days, particularly as it will be on home soil. Joan is just one place behind Tom in the current overall rankings.

A successful return to action for Vermeulen at Misano saw him in the points in each race, and even score a satisfying tenth place in race two, putting him on the leader board in 20th position after some dreadful bad luck with injuries in the past months. Still not absolutely 100% recovered, Chris still showed at Misano that he is ready for the rest of the season as he gets to know his Ninja ZX-10R better with every lap. He has already had two days of testing under his belt at Aragon, which he rates very highly as a new venue on the championship trail.

After the Spanish weekend, the Czech Republic circuit of Brno will welcome the WSBK circus, between July 8 and July 10.

Tom Sykes:
“We did quite well in our test at Aragon, so hopefully we can take our Misano momentum forward. I am looking forward to it and a couple of days should give my sore back a chance to rest, because I struggled with it a bit at Misano. That race gave us a lot of confidence and we were fast in hot conditions, which was particularly good. It will be good go racing again in just a few days time.”

Joan Lascorz:
“I made a short test at Argon but I really do not know how well we can go there this weekend, because we only did a few laps. Misano gave us some positives to work on, but we will have to see how things are in Aragon. At least I have ridden there and I know the lines; not so much but enough to know it is a difficult circuit. It is my home race, and I will have some family and friends there to cheer me on.”

Chris Vermeulen:
“I am looking forward to Aragon because we had a two-day test there a week or two ago. Conditions were not perfect because it was very windy and there was a lot of rubber on the track from cars. I have learned the circuit and I’m glad because it is quite a difficult track to learn. It’s really nice and I think it is going to make for exciting racing. I hope it does anyway. There is a lot of everything there, blind corners and a big long back straight with a very hard braking area. The Kawasaki seemed to work well in the test and I will be going out to improve on where we finished at Misano.”

Tom Sykes

Tom Sykes and Joan Lascorz will be joined in the official Kawasaki Racing Team this weekend by Chris Vermeulen, as the regular KRT trio gets set to meet the challenge of Donington Park in England.

Sykes feels that Donington is an ideal circuit to make the next development steps at, as he and his former British Superbike team have an intimate knowledge of the circuit in a variety of weather and track conditions. That may well be an important part of race weekend, as this early in the English springtime weather conditions can be variable but almost certainly on the cool side compared to most other races through the season.

Chris Vermeulen undertook some track tests recently, in Spain on Monday and then yesterday at Cadwell Park in England, to determine whether or not he could ride at Donington. The intention now is that Chris will ride as much as he is able to this weekend, including race day if his knee injury allows. He will then take part in the full weekend of racing at the next round at Assen on April 17, and should be back to his competitive best at the Monza round, on 8 May.

In his debut WSBK season Joan Lascorz has had some highs and lows but his long recovery from injury to his arm continues and he expects to be even more competitive than he was at round one in Australia. He is a big fan of Donington, and like his fellow competitors he will find some changes to the circuit when he takes part in first practice on Friday. Increased runoff, a remodeled Foggy Esses and other detail changes will appear at a circuit that WSBK last visited in 2009.

The Kawasaki Racing Team effort in Europe is based at the premises of Paul Bird Motorsports (PBM) in Cumbria, England, meaning that most team members – including Sykes – arrive at Donington for the first of two home rounds in the 2011 season.

Tom Sykes: “I’m obviously looking forward to Donington, not just because it is my home round but it is a circuit I really enjoy. We still need to keep working on the development of the bike so going to Donington is probably a good thing. Both the team and myself know what we need to make the bike work well round this track, so that will help us in our development stage. I am more confident this year that we can put on a better show for the British fans. I am very lucky in that I have a good fan base and hopefully I can repay them with something good this weekend. Everybody on the grid is in the same boat and at this time of year it will be cold around Donington. The team and I also have good experience there in a variety of conditions so I am looking forward to it. It is a good track for us at this stage of the new Ninja ZX-10R’s race development.”

Chris Vermeulen: “I will ride to use this weekend but almost as a test at first. From my doctor’s point of view I am improving well, but I should just be increasing my riding step-by-step. I rode yesterday at Cadwell Park in England, did about 30 laps in total on the Ninja ZX-10R, and it felt really good. My speed was OK but I was not going to break any lap records. My knee started to swell up afterwards so we rested it up. We have decided to ride this weekend but to look at it as a test; not only for my knee but to get some information on the bike, to ride the new generation Pirellis and just get out there on track and see how it goes. If it goes well we will race, but at this stage races may be quite difficult.”

Joan Lascorz: “I like Donington and I have good memories of racing there last time when I finished second in the WSS race. It is quite a hard track in terms of the muscle power you have to use to move the bike around, particularly down Craner Curves, and there are also places where you have to use the brakes very hard from high speed. I have been working out a lot physically and my arm is improving every day. The bike is still quite new for me because it was only my third time on the new bike in Australia. So I am looking to Donington to improve settings and feelings on the bike. I have been working hard with my personal trainer and I’m more fit and strong than in Australia. I hope to make another step and be nearer the top riders for the second round. For sure Sykes will be a good reference on this track because is his home and he should go well.”

Gary Mason and Howie Mainwaring in the Superbike class will partner Stuart Easton and Danny Buchan in Superstock for MSS Colchester Kawasaki during the 2011 British Superbike season.

MSS Colchester's Gary Mason

Gary Mason had a disappointing 2010 British Superbike season with some bad luck and injuries, but, for 2011, he joins established front runner Stuart Easton who has tested the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R machine with the Paul Bird World Superbike squad and brings vital data as the MSS team starts its testing program.

“In my head it was always going to be a two-year project, but we didn’t know we were going to have such a poor year in terms of results, which may make people question the decision to carry on,” said MSS Colchester’s Gary Mason. “However, when everything clicked I was running good laps, especially in practice but often lost so much time in final qualifying. What I lacked was consistency and that meant I never got on a roll. But it’s easy to make excuses, this is a massive year for me, I have a mega new bike, great squad and a top teammate, so it’s down to me. I’m proud Nick is sticking by me and he knows I can do so much better. I can’t wait to get out on the new bike and start making it my own.”

In the keenly contested Superstock 1000 class, last year’s MSS Colchester rider Howie Mainwaring returns to unfinished business in the series. Having made a stellar start with two second places in the first rounds, Howie also impressed many with a podium at the one-off Superstock round held at the Silverstone MotoGP. Having held second place through much of the series, Howie eventually finished fourth in this competitive and closely matched series.

“I’m so glad to have a second chance with the Colchester lads,” said Mainwaring. “They helped me have such a mega year, and I should have finished higher up the final series board. So a great learning year but now with the new bike I’m looking to step it up and I also want that first win so much it hurts. I’ve been training and MXing loads, so I’m well prepared and I just want to get out there.”

Howie will be backed up by the team’s 2010 Superstock 600 rider, 17-year-old Danny Buchan who will step up to the 1000cc category and also experience the awesome new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R.

MSS Colchester Kawasaki Team Manager Nick Morgan:
“To have four riders we’ve worked with before is so important to me and the technicians. Gary’s better than the results showed last year and he wants this second opportunity. Stuart needs no introduction and he’s already had miles under his belt on the new Ninja World Superbike which will be valuable to us. Howie really impressed us last year and with some more consistency I think he can be a challenger whilst it’s mega to be able to keep Danny in the Team Green family. He can only get better and there’s no pressure in his first year, we just want him to learn and develop. As everyone knows outright model power is so important in Superstock and that’s definitely something that the new Ninja has buckets of, so this could be our year.”

British Superbike star Stuart Easton has signed with MSS Colchester Kawasaki stating he is looking forward to the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and being reunited with his old team.

Stuart Easton aboard an MSS Colchester Kawasaki at his home circuit of Knockhill in 2008

The former British Supersport champion and Superbike race winner, who last rode for the official Kawasaki UK squad in 2008, sees his return as great timing with his extra Superbike experience and the new, race-developed Ninja ZX-10R machine. Stuart also has a long-term racing relationship with Kawasaki World Superbike squad owner Paul Bird, whose support and inside knowledge of the new machine certainly helped make up his decision.

The 27 year old Scot said, “Ever since I spoke to Paul Bird about the new bike and the opportunity came up to run in the MSS squad I’ve been really excited. I know the team from last time around and they had massive potential which was shown in Simon Andrews rides in 2009. Since then I’ve learnt a lot also and have racked-up wins and podiums, so it feels like a good time to be re-uniting. The new bike looks awesome and I’ve been watching the test times from the WSB team, very impressive. I’ll be riding for Birdy in Macau, and testing the bike in Aragon in Spain next week, maybe if I’m really lucky I’ll get out on the 2010 bike too. The close relationship between the two squads and exchange of info can only help so all-in-all I’m well happy.”

Stuart finished an impressive third in the MCE British Superbike Championship in 2009 but started 2010 with a knee injury that plagued his year giving 10 DNFs and finishing a disappointing ninth. Despite the setbacks he still logged a win and five podiums.

MSS Colchester Kawasaki team boss Nick Morgan said, “We’ve been pursuing Stuart for a long time, he is a class act and definitely our first choice of rider. With his increased Superbike experience and wins under his belt now there is no denying he can cut it at the very front of the BSB pack. Like us, he’s excited by the new Ninja ZX-10R and we can’t wait to get testing with both Stuart and this awesome new bike.”

The MSS Colchester Kawasaki squad will also be campaigning at the Macau GP and look forward to announcing their full lineup soon.

Prior to the British Superbike season opener at Brands Hatch this weekend, Simon Andrews will be swapping his MSS Colchester Kawasaki Superbike for the WSB machine of the Paul Bird Kawasaki Racing Team during their two-day test at Valencia this week.

The twenty-five year old Evesham rider will step in for the injured Chris Vermeulen during the test. Andrews has a year of experience on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Superbike and knows the machine extremely well.

Simon Andrews will swap his MSS Colchester-liveried Kawasaki for a Paul Bird-branded model this week at Valencia

The test is extremely useful to the MSS team, giving more track time to Simon ahead of the British Superbike opener this Easter weekend at Brands Hatch. The test also shows the very close relationship between the two teams which was highlighted over the winter as MSS inherited the WSB squad’s Magneti Marelli advanced engine management system.

Andrews has impressed the Kawasaki racing family, having given the UK squad their best recent British Superbike Championship position of sixth last year and regularly mixing it with the top riders through the season. Andrews said, “This really is a great opportunity and I intend to give the team as much feedback as possible. It also gives me valuable track time prior to the season opener at Brands next weekend.”

MSS Colchester Kawasaki Team Owner, Nick Morgan, added, “We’re supportive of Simon helping with the testing at Valencia and we think it’s a win-win situation. Ultimately it helps Paul Bird to have another viewpoint on the bike, it gives Simon a great opportunity to showcase his skills and it will possibly give us more direction and a race focused rider.”

Simon has a very busy period ahead as he tests at Valencia, races at the Easter Friday-Monday meeting at Brands Hatch, before the second British round at Thruxton, all in a two week gap.

MSS Colchester Kawasaki have used the winter break to show their British Superbike intentions with the addition of the latest spec WSBK Magneti Marelli electronics package.

Team owner Nick Morgan visited the Kawasaki World Superbike outfit of Paul Bird Motorsport to collect the valuable electronics systems, which the squad believes will help them bridge the gap to the best funded, factory-backed teams. The system has been extensively developed by PBM’s engineers Phil Borley and Stuart Bland, which gives the MSS Colchester a development short-cut with the new equipment. The Magneti Marelli Marvel system [Download product description pdf here] handles all on-board electronics to tackle both data collection and system management, with a myriad of data logging and fine tuning options available.

MSS Colchester team owner Nick Morgan (center) with 2010 riders Gary Mason and Simon Andrews

Electronics have become a big factor in modern racebike development and it has become apparent that big horsepower is not always enough if it cannot be controlled adequately, especially on tight, technical circuits such as some of those seen in the British Superbike Championship. The MSS Colchester squad now intend to utilize their new tools as well as special swing arms and chassis upgrades with extensive dyno and track development over the winter.

The official Kawasaki UK British Superbike entry recently announced their 2010 rider line-up of Simon Andrews and Gary Mason, both of which are excited to be using the new system.

Nick Morgan , MSS Colchester Kawasaki Team Owner:
“From a technical point of view we’re so excited to be using the latest spec World Superbike electronics and as motivation we know we now have the best kit available, so there’s no excuses! I can’t thank Birdy and his team enough for giving us such amazing hardware, especially as they have put in huge development time over the course of the year. The kit is straight off Broc Parkes machine which he used so effectively at Brands Hatch, so we know it works well there and that’s where we race!”

The Hannspree World Superbike Championship moves into the final stages when round twelve of the fourteen round series heads for the legendary Imola circuit in Italy this forthcoming weekend (September 25 – 27).

Paul Bird Motorsport's Broc Parkes

After a disappointing weekend in Germany last time out which saw both Paul Bird Motorsport riders, Broc Parkes and Makoto Tamada, involved in an opening corner accident, which ruled the Japanese rider out of the meeting with concussion and left Australian Parkes to race his spare machine, both are hoping for a strong showing at Imola.

Makoto Tamada

27-year-old Parkes has a good record at the Italian track and is confident of success whereas 32-year-old Tamada is looking to salvage something from a disastrous, injury-ridden season aboard the www.supercasino.com, Vent-Axia, Kick Energy and Henleys-backed Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team Ninja ZX-10Rs.

Meanwhile, team boss Paul Bird will be hoping he can bring some silverware of his own to the team in the final two rounds of the World Rally Championship.

For the Salou-based Rally de Espagne on October 2/4th and Rally GB which starts in Cardiff some three weeks later, the Cumbrian has been drafted into the official Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team alongside Argentine driver Federico Villagra whereby he will drive a works Ford Focus WRC as one of the ten ‘A’ seeded drivers.

Broc Parkes:  “I’m looking forward to the Imola race as I have had podiums in WSS there before and also a couple of top tens in WSB. I really enjoy the circuit and it has a great atmosphere. Nurburgring was a tough weekend after I was taken out in the first race and I was lucky not to break any bones, but I had skin taken off my bottom which made it uncomfortable to ride but I’m feeling good now and ready to race. For Imola, we have some more things to try on the bike so I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes. Each race we seem to be making progress and I would really like to be back in the top ten in Imola.”

Makoto Tamada:  “The test went well earlier in the season at Imola and I am pretty confident about the circuit. We were still relatively behind the leaders in terms of lap times at the test, but the bike feeling has improved significantly since then and I was confident on the race set-up at Nurburgring but unfortunately the crash in race one took me out of both races. I have no significant injury and my broken finger from Brno is healed so I am 100% fit for Imola. If the bike works well as it did in Brno and Nurburgring, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R should finish in an easy top ten. I guess it depends on me if we can finish in the top five, or even on the podium.”