Despite missing the opening day of action at the Cremona Circuit, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) topped the times on Day 2 by just 0.059s ahead of fellow Yamaha rider Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha). The Australian was the first rider to break into the 1’28s barrier at the Italian venue as he showed his and the R1’s potential at a circuit set to make its MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race debut later this year.
Like Locatelli, Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and teammate Dominique Aegerter, the #87 sat out of Thursday’s action which was disrupted by heavy rain but made the most of Friday’s action. He completed 49 laps in the afternoon as he set the fastest lap of the test with a 1’28.860s while he also completed 61 laps in the morning to rack up more than 100 across the eight hours of testing on the final day.
The one-time podium finisher used Pirelli’s SCQ tyre to full advantage to set his lap time, although he had a run-off on the same compound shortly after. However, he was able to ride his bike back to the pits. He returned to the track later on although he didn’t improve his lap time, but it was good enough to secure top spot at a circuit he hadn’t been to before.
Discussing his test, Gardner said: “As we only had one day, I didn’t even know where the track went! I knew the first corner went left so I went out and started riding this morning. It felt okay but I definitely struggled a bit more this morning to get on the pace and the rhythm. I was struggling to set up the gearing because it’s new for everybody, but this afternoon we went back out with the gearing that works well. Straight away, I was fast and felt better. We found a lot of improvements on the bike and I’m happy with the day.”
Despite his strong performance, Gardner did have an eventful day. He had a run-off in the afternoon at Turn 2 which cost him valuable track time. He also revealed he made a save at Turn 7 in the morning after losing the front when the test wasn’t going as well as it did in the afternoon. The off-track excursion and the morning save didn’t seem to impact him as he set the best time of the test, and he was also the first rider to break into the 1’28s barrier.
Talking about his two big moments, Gardner said: “I saved one at Turn 7 this morning. I was pushing when things weren’t working too well, but I saved it on the elbow which was good. This afternoon, on the SCQ, I was doing a long run and just got the bike a bit unsettled on the braking marker into Turn 2 and ran off into the dirt. I just managed to stop it before the wall. I ended up in the grass and tried to re-join the track, but 30 metres in front of the grass, it turned into flat track mud, and I slipped on the mud. Unfortunately, I got dirty, and the bike got dirty!”
To commemorate their 10th year of partnership, Veterans Charity Ride and Indian Motorcycle are hosting a Memorial Day reunion to welcome returning VCR vets. The reunion takes place May 24-27 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Veterans Charity Ride was founded by veteran Army Paratrooper Dave Frey and is a veteran-led, non-profit organization that provides motorcycle therapy to combat wounded veterans. VCR’s goal is to support vets as they transition to civilian life by offering camaraderie, motorcycle adventures, and other initiatives.
“It’s incredible to be entering our 10th year of motorcycle therapy, and undoubtedly we could not have achieved so much without the loyal support from our friends at Indian Motorcycle,” said Dave Frey, founder of Veterans Charity Ride. “While we celebrate 10 years with a Memorial Day reunion alongside our brothers and sisters who have joined us throughout our program, we are equally excited to stay on the throttle and welcome new veterans into the program and help in their rehabilitation just as we have so many already.”
Throughout Memorial Day weekend, participating vets will enjoy adventure activities supported by the National Ability Center in Park City. Vets will also go on motorcycle therapy rides and participate in team-building exercises.
Another VCR event is scheduled for June 8-16 in Moab, Utah, in celebration of Veteran Motorcycle Therapy Month. During this event, VCR will host a group of new and returning veterans with therapy rides, adventure activities, and small-group therapy sessions. They will also participate in the Indian-sponsored Durango Rendezvous event in Durango, Colordo.
“Over the past decade, Veterans Charity Ride has improved the lives of countless veterans, many of whom wouldn’t leave their house after their release from active duty,” said Aaron Jax, vice president for Indian Motorcycle. “Through its therapy program, which utilizes the freedom of the open road, the roar of the engine, and the connection between veterans, VCR has been incredibly successful in helping these vets find life after service, and we are honored to play a role in supporting such a great cause.”
To learn more or to donate to Veterans Charity Ride, visit the VCR website.
The future of Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) is one of the hot topics in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship despite being just three rounds into his comeback season. The #29 has been impressive so far after fighting for podiums and leading races despite being away from competition for four years. It’s led to plenty of speculation about where he might end up in WorldSBK, with Team GoEleven’s Team Manager, Denis Sacchetti, commenting about his future at the Cremona test.
Iannone linked up with the Independent Ducati squad for 2024 after missing four years of competitive riding, but it’s looked like he hasn’t been away with his performances so far. He took a debut podium in Race 1 at Phillip Island with third and was second in the Tissot Superpole Race in Barcelona after being involved in a thrilling final-lap showdown with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
With his performances so far turning heads, his future has become a topic of discussion, and his team manager spoke on Friday at Cremona about the subject. Sacchetti talked about the option in his GoEleven Ducati contract for 2025 but also about how the Italian’s future doesn’t depend on the team given his performances on their Independent Panigale V4 R.
Discussing where Iannone could end up in 2025, Sacchetti said: “I think he’s a top rider. Andrea is a really talented rider and I think he deserves to stay in WorldSBK with an official package and deserves also to ride in MotoGP™. I think, at the moment, he has to decide what he wants for his career. There’s an option to stay in the team. It’s a one-year contract with an option for a second year. He has to decide whether to accept the option or not. It depends on what he wants to do. If he wants to stay with us, we’d be really happy, because I think we can fight for really good results even if we’re a private team; we’re a private team with good support from Ducati. I think we are competitive enough to fight for the podium at every race. I don’t know. His future doesn’t depend on us but on him and Ducati and maybe other manufacturers that have much more power than us!”
Iannone was asked on Thursday at Cremona about his future, and he said: “Every day, we have something new because every day something changes. It’s normal and not only for me. I want to focus on the Championship. After Misano, I’ll start to decide my future. First of all, it’s important to decide whether I remain in WorldSBK or not.”
Follow all the action from WorldSBK throughout 2024 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
Hugh Smith, Jr. (right) with Brandon Hamblin, owner of Twitchy’s Speed Shop in Chestertown, New York, who helped Smith build the 2006 Yamaha Road Star “Milwaukee Packout” bike, at the 2023 Americade Bring It Bike Show. (Photo by Matt Gustafson, @gustophotos)
As we gear up to head to Lake George, New York, for the 41st Americade rally (May 29-June 1), we are excited to host the second annual Bring It Bike Show alongside our sibling publication American Rider. Like the Americade rally itself, last year the inaugural show brought out all sorts of bikes. The one ridden by Hugh Smith Jr. definitely made an impression – so much so that we chose it the lead image for the online story we published featuring the winners of the 2023 Bring it Bike Show.
The “Milwaukee Packout” bike has Milwaukee Packout toolboxes as side cases, a custom passenger seat, and a Milwaukee battery-powered miter saw on the back. (Photo by Matt Gustafson, @gustophotos)
Dubbed “Milwaukee Packout,” it’s an eye-catching bike, a 2006 Yamaha Road Star outfitted with Milwaukee Packout toolboxes as side cases and a Milwaukee battery-powered miter saw on the back. However, it wasn’t just the bike that caught our attention; it was Smith’s story. He is a Marine Corps veteran who uses his motorcycle as a work vehicle to help build housing for female veterans with children.
Hugh Smith Jr. (near the back with cowboy hat) and his Milwaukee Packout bike with other 2023 Americade Bring It Bike Show winners at the Industry Meet & Mingle party. (Photo by Matt Gustafson, @gustophotos)
Last year’s Best of Show bike was selected by popular vote during Americade’s Industry Meet & Mingle party. Nearly 100 votes were tabulated, and Keith Youngblood’s 1969 Triumph TR6R hardtail bobber, which won the Best European category on Day 2 of the Bring It Bike Show, earned the grand prize. Smith’s bike came in second place, but his story pulled so many heartstrings at the party that Americade’s executive director, Christian Dutcher, graciously dug into his pocket to gift Smith with $200 for a special award.
Hugh Smith Jr. (center, with cowboy hat) was all smiles when he was presented with a special award at the 2023 Americade Industry Meet & Mingle party, where is Milwaukee Packout bike got the 2nd-highest number of Best of Show votes but won the most hearts and minds.(Photo by Matt Gustafson, @gustophotos)
After the 2023 show ended, we reached out to Smith to get to know a little more about the man and the mission.
Americade Bring It Bike Show Hero: ‘Who are you, wearing my eagle, globe, and anchor?’
Hugh Smith Sr. was a U.S. diplomat, and as a result, the younger Smith grew up at embassies around the world surrounded by Marine security guards. Before his days as a diplomat, Smith’s father was an MVP soccer player at New York University, which was impressive for a young Black immigrant in the 1960s. Smith said as part of the “Jr. thing,” he was always trying to live up to his father’s accomplishments. For him, it was training to be an all-star wrestler, a goal he worked toward while moving around.
Have tools, will travel. (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt)
“It was something I could train for and do independently,” he said. “I spent most of my time around the Marine security guards, lifting weights.”
He said that as a teenager stationed in Italy, he and the Marines would run the Spanish Steps, a steep, 95-foot slope comprising 138 steps.
Smith saw his goal accomplished a few years later at Wesleyan University, becoming the school’s first all-American wrestler in about a dozen years. However, with this mission realized, college “didn’t make sense.”
“I love to read. I love to travel. I love to learn from people in the environment. If we’re going to build a house, let’s go build a house. Let’s not read a book about it,” he said, adding that when it came to getting a degree, there was “nothing on paper that I could say, ‘Yes, that’s me.’”
What’s in your saddlebag? (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt)
After this realization, he decided he wanted to learn more about living off the grid and took an interest in wilderness education, which led him to Outward Bound. It was here that he discovered how much he enjoyed working with kids, especially the at-risk population.
“I saw the hope and excitement as their eyes lit up, especially the truant youths, when someone finally listed or they were able to open up,” he said.
In 1999, Smith enlisted in the Marine Corps, joining the Infantry. It was here that he got his first taste of motorcycles when a guy in his unit taught him to ride a Suzuki Katana. While out riding one day and pushing the limits, he experienced a speed wobble, but instead of feeling scared, it exhilarated Smith.
Smith on the Hudson River at the first Fleet Week after 9/11. Standing next to him is Jeanpierre Boucher, the first wrestler Smith coached before going into the service. Boucher ended up going into the service as well, and he started Grunt Works Design with Smith. (Photo courtesy Hugh Smith Jr.)
“It shook me,” he said. “It was the first time I felt exposed and vulnerable, and I remember thinking, ‘I better pay attention. I’ve got to be in control.’ I fell in love with it. And then the freedom to be able to just take off and be open like that was amazing.”
Smith served six years and two deployments in the Marines; however, once again he wasn’t getting the experience he had hoped for.
Sticker on the front of Hugh Smith, Jr.’s Milwaukee Packout bike. (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt)
“I loved my time in the Corps,” he said. “I never thought I would leave. I tried to qualify and do as much as I could, but unfortunately, my contract kept me with my unit. I was trapped. As much as I had been promoted, I felt stifled.”
Smith decided to leave the Corps when his contract was finished. He ended up in upstate New York, but he felt lost. He fell back on construction, primarily framing, and went through a rough patch, alternating between drinking heavily and trying unsuccessfully to quit.
At one point, he made the decision to move out of upstate New York, selling his van and buying a Honda Shadow 1100 Sabre.
The Honda Shadow 1100 Sabre customized by Brandon Hamblin, owner of Twitchy’s Speed Shop in Chestertown, New York, who won the Old School category on Day 3 of the 2023 Bring It Bike Show. (Photo courtesy Hugh Smith Jr.)
Smith was out and about in town when he saw a group of people wearing the Marine Corps insignia.
“I tapped one of them on the shoulder and said, ‘Who are you, wearing my eagle, globe, and anchor?’” he said, adding that because he hadn’t grown up in the U.S. and was still relatively new to the motorcycling world, he didn’t know about motorcycle clubs.
Turns out he had met the Lake George chapter of the Leathernecks Motorcycle Club, whose members are active and veteran Marines, a group that Smith said literally saved his life.
Smith riding “Milwaukee Packout” to Sturgis in 2021 with a Leatherneck club member. (Photo courtesy Hugh Smith Jr.)
“They were a group of really good people who took the time to get to know me,” he said. “They took care of me. No one else could put up with me.”
Americade Bring It Bike Show Hero: ‘Something with the riding’
Even with these new associations, it wasn’t an overnight transition for Smith. He continued to struggle for several years until finally, around four years ago, he built “Milwaukee Packout” with the help of Brandon Hamblin, owner of Twitchy’s Speed Shop, and decided to put it to good use. Even during the bad times, he had always tried to give back, through coaching, charity work, and donating – “some of the only times I would be sober” – but in January 2021, he quit drinking and decided to turn his life around.
Work to ride, ride to work. (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt)
“So many better veterans than I am have quit or given up – or committed suicide or are still out there drinking and lost because they didn’t have a Marine who was willing to put up with them,” he said. “The VA couldn’t put up with me, not friends, my folks, family. Nobody could, but there was something there with the Leathernecks. Especially something with the riding; we were together but still off on our own.”
Safety first. (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt)
Disappointed in seeing larger charitable drives like Toys for Tots distributing donations to other areas, Smith and other Leathernecks started grassroots efforts to keep the donations and the support for veterans in their own community. What started as simply giving food, toys, and other donations to local veteran families expanded when Smith learned about the Foreverly House, which was going to be built next to the Guardian House, the latter of which was already well-known for being the only VA-funded transitional housing for female veterans in New York and only 1 of 7 such residences in the country at the time.
Milwaukee Packout parked in front of the in-progress Foreverly House. (Photo courtesy Hugh Smith Jr.)
The Foreverly House would be unique in that it would be the first of its kind for veteran mothers and their dependents. Smith wanted to be a part of it.
“Literally 10 years earlier, I was a homeless vet at the VA in their 30-day in-patient program with a bed waiting for me, and now I was able to be the guy who owned a company that had five guys putting the roof on top of Foreverly House.”
Smith said he was able to get half of the materials donated, and he further donated 90% of the labor.
Not your typically passenger seat. (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt)
His next steps include continuing to grow his business, Grunt Works Design, which connects veterans – especially homeless veterans – with local businesses willing to offer training. There are a wide variety of possibilities, but recognizing the importance of the trades in developing self-sufficiency, this is largely where he is focusing for now.
“I want to bring together other veterans who the system has given up on. I want them to keep going and to give them a useful talent,” he said. “I want to bring them into building the houses – not a donation, but give me the tools, teach me how to do for myself, let me work with others who speak the way I do, and let me see the fruits of my labor at the end of the day.”
Given the design of “Milwaukee Packout,” Smith has reached out to the tool company and made contact with a local representative, a relationship he hopes to grow.
Hugh Smith, Jr. and his 2006 Yamaha Road Star “Milwaukee Packout” won the Best Japanese category on Day 3 of the 2023 Americade Bring It Bike Show. (Photo by Matt Gustafson, @gustophotos)
He has also gone back to school and is currently about halfway through the New York State Code Enforcement program, so he’ll have qualifications beyond carpentry and can help certify some of these building projects. He wants to see – and be a part of – more projects like the Foreverly House.
He said that while it’s the only one of its kind currently, “it can’t always be the only one of its kind.”
“You see one, do one, and teach one,” he said. “The Foreverly House is something that should be taught. It should be laid out as a blueprint and duplicated and not just championed as ‘Yes, we’ve done a wonderful thing.’”
2006 Yamaha Road Star “Milwaukee Packout” (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt)
These plans won’t be easy. Smith admits his story is still developing, and he was a little hesitant to tell that story when we reached out. He still struggles with self-confidence and says he often feels like a “second-class citizen.” He has had a hard time finding a place where he feels like he belongs, largely because he was told by so many during his recovery that he didn’t fit in. But he circled back to the support and camaraderie of the Leathernecks.
“Those gentlemen kept me around long enough until something clicked, and then something else clicked, and then something else. I don’t know if it’s all clicked yet, but I did give a little. And hopefully it will help.”
Smith wants to accomplish more, but we are already impressed with what he’s done and wish him the best of luck with the next chapter in his story.
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was the fastest rider on the opening day of testing at the Cremona Circuit, taking advantage of the best conditions of the day to post the best time on Thursday. With sunny skies greeting the field in the morning, it looked like an ideal day for testing but, during the lunch break, heavy rain fell which disrupted the afternoon’s proceedings.
SAM LOWES TOP, LECUONA THIRD: a good return to the bike for the #7
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) was fast out of the blocks on Day 1, utilising his recent track day experience at the circuit to post rapid times with the #21 the first to break into the 1’30s barrier. However, he finished the day 0.155s slower than Lowes after the Brit set a rapid 1’29.976s to claim top spot, while the #14 also racked up the most laps with 76 under his belt in just four hours. Rinaldi was one of two WorldSBK riders to test Cremona in the wet, completing 20 laps and posting a 1’39.413s for his fastest time in the afternoon, around nine seconds slower than his dry-weather pace. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) rounded out the top three as he looked to get back to full fitness, setting a 1’30.510s for P3 although he did just over half the laps his teammate completed.
THREE RIDERS, HALF A TENTH: little to separate Vierge, Redding and Rabat
It was a good day for Honda with Lecuona’s teammate, Xavi Vierge, in fourth. He was two tenths slower than Lecuona after setting a 1’30.751s and racked up 60 laps compared to Lecuona’s 36. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) was the lead BMW rider as he claimed fifth, just 0.030s back from the #97 directly ahead. Across his two bikes, the #45 completed 31 laps. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) rounded out the top sixth as he set a 1’30.801s and the #53 was also the first rider to venture out onto the wet track in the afternoon session, roughly an hour into it. In the wet afternoon running, Rabat racked up 45 laps – the most of anybody in the red-flagged session – with a best of 1’42.408s.
ROUNDING OUT THE FIELD: Gerloff, Mackenzie, Iannone and Norrodin
With the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team and Pata Prometeon Yamaha squads opting to test only on Friday, the WorldSBK field was down to 10 for Thursday’s action. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) claimed seventh with a 1’30.881s, exactly a tenth behind his teammate, with Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) in eighth and three tenths back from the American. The #29 was one of the last riders to head out on track this morning with just 32 laps completed, which included an off-track excursion at Turn 7 in the morning. The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda duo of Tarran Mackenzie and Adam Norrodin were ninth and tenth respectively.
HUERTAS LEADS WORLD SUPERSPORT: P1 for the #99
In WorldSSP, five riders took to the track. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) led the way with a 1’32.619s to take top spot, with Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in second. Huertas had a technical issue in the afternoon which briefly brought out the red flags, with the #99 the only WorldSSP rider to test in the wet. Oncu in second had new material to test on his ZX-6R machine and his fastest time was a 1’33.925s. Kaito Toba (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) was third with a 1’34.845s ahead of teammate Khairul Idham Bin Pawi in fourth. Ivan Goi – standing in at QJMOTOR Factory Race for Raffaele De Rosa – rounded out the WorldSSP field after setting a 1’37.422s.
The top six in WorldSBK from Day 1 at Cremona, click here for the morning results here and see the afternoon results here:
1. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) 1’29.976s, 76 laps
2. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) +0.155s, 67 laps
3. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +0.534s, 36 laps
4. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) +0.775s, 60 laps
5. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.805s, 31 laps
6. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +0.825s, 121 laps
Follow all the WorldSBK action throughout 2024 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship made its way to Cremona, Italy for a two-day test, there were several impressive performances on display. One of the most notable was that of Team Motocorsa Racing’s Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who showed his speed and potential by leading for the large majority of Day 1 of WorldSBK’s first test at the Italian circuit.
A beautiful, sunny morning in Cremona saw several riders take to the track for the first time since its renovation, with Rinaldi and rival Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) immediately the two fastest riders on the track. Rinaldi led for the majority of the morning session, increasingly improving his time before eventually pitting with an hour remaining of the session. He would ultimately be second only to Marc VDS Ducati’s Lowes.
Rinaldi would ultimately post a time of 1’30.131s. Speaking about the track and the test, Rinaldi said: “I really like the track. I was able to try the track last week so I could avoid some laps with the WorldSBK bike to understand the track, which allowed us to immediately have a good feeling with the bike. Today, there aren’t all the riders, so I expect tomorrow to see our real level at this track. It’s been a good start. It’s a really strange layout, it’s not usual. The setup surprised me because it was okay for this track. It was strange because I did my best lap time with the SC0 not the SCX. Maybe, tomorrow, we’ll fix that to be faster with the softer tyre. This afternoon, we had the opportunity to test in the wet and I was quite surprised that the grip offered us. Some laps in the wet helped us to have a good feeling maybe for Donington or Magny-Cours. It was a good start.”
In this afternoon’s session, which was inhibited by rain, the riders were faced with a wet surface. Despite posting a time of around 10 seconds slower than the morning session, Rinaldi was extremely positive. Rinaldi was one of two WorldSBK riders who ventured out into the wet, the other being Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). The #21 completed 20 laps in the wet, with a best time of 1’39.413s.
Speaking about his experience of testing in the wet, Rinaldi said: “I really liked it in the wet. Usually, I don’t feel so good in the wet! The bike doesn’t always give me good feelings, but I went out and immediately had a good feeling. The bike was functioning okay in the wet. Nothing to try in these conditions. Today’s enough, hopefully tomorrow we have a full day of dry running, so we’ll focus on that.”
Make sure to follow WorldSBK throughout the 2024 season using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
The Cremona Circuit hosted the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field for testing this week, with Thursday marking the first WorldSBK track action at the Italian circuit. One rider on track was Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) who made his return from injury, completing 36 laps on Day 1 in the morning before the rain fell as he finished in third place behind Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing).
Lecuona hasn’t been on a bike since a crash in FP3 at Assen which ruled him out of the remainder of the Dutch Round after he was diagnosed with knee pain and knee functional impairment with the injury also having an impact on his training. After getting half-a-day’s running under his belt, the Spaniard spoke about how he was feeling on the CBR01000RR-R as he finished ahead of teammate Xavi Vierge in the morning, with neither going out in the rain.
Providing an update on his injury, Lecuona said: “I feel quite good. I still don’t feel 100% ready on the knee. I have some hard things inside the knee, and I’ve already checked it with the doctor, and I’ll check it again after Misano. It’s not dangerous but it’s not very comfortable. Overall, I feel quite good. It’s been a lot of time without the bike, even at home I couldn’t ride; I focused on the physical performance. I didn’t have the chance to be on the bike. I’m quite happy about the feeling on the bike.”
Lecuona and HRC opted to only complete the morning session after rain fell during the lunch break, with Lecuona completing 36 laps and Vierge 60. Lecuona’s best time was a 1’30.131s as he lapped around half-a-second slower than pacesetter Lowes, with Vierge another two tenths back from the one-time podium finisher. Despite limited running due to rain, Honda had a good day with strong pace as they look to recover from a disappointing start to 2024.
Reviewing the test, Lecuona added: “It’s not whether I like the track or not. I like the back straight because you can rest. On the main straight it’s impossible. It was fun but very physical. I learnt a lot. We worked a little bit on the bike, trying just the Assen setup. We didn’t want to change properly. I started to feel comfortable on the bike and we started to understand a few things that we changed on the bike so that’s very positive for us.”
Follow all the action from WorldSBK in 2024 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
The Cremona Circuit in Italy is preparing for its first MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship round later this year and, to prepare, is hosting a two-day test for around half of the WorldSBK field as well as a few riders from WorldSSP. You can read a preview of the test HERE as well as follow live timing right HERE as teams, riders and manufacturers get their first taste of the recently renovated venue. All times stated are in Local Time (UTC+2).
09:26 – More riders are taking to the track, with Xavi Vierge (Team HRC), Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing) and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) testing now.
09:15 – Some information to bring you from our journalist on the ground – neither Pata Prometeon Yamaha with Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli, nor GYTR GRT Yanaha WorldSBK Team with Remy Gardner and Dominique Aegeter, will test today. They’ll be on track on Friday.
09:07 – The first rider out on track is Kawasaki Puccetti Racing’s Tito Rabat on his ZX-10RR.
09:00 – The green flags wave to signal the start of the session.
The next MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship round takes place in June, but teams and riders are taking advantage of a break in the race action to head to the Cremona Circuit for a two-day test ahead of the track’s scheduled debut on the calendar later this season. All five manufacturers are represented at the test which takes place on Thursday and Friday this week, with 15 riders from WorldSBK and a handful from WorldSSP joining the test.
DUCATI WELL REPRESENTED: Bautista, Bulega, Independents and a test team
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati outfit will have three riders at the track, with Alvaro Bautista and teammate Bulega present. The Aruba.it Ducati squad will also have a test team there to maximise their efforts at Cremona. Elsewhere, Team Motocorsa Racing – the organisers of the test – will have Michael Ruben Rinaldi as he looks to bounce back from what he’s described as the toughest season for him in WorldSBK. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) will also test following strong starts to their respective rookie campaigns. Ducati will also have Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) from WorldSSP at the test.
FOUR YAMAHA BIKES: GRT Yamaha joins Pata Prometeon Yamaha
Factory teams will be at the test although not all of them. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and teammate Andrea Locatelli will be there for Yamaha as they prepare for the Italian Round at Cremona, and Yamaha will have four bikes there. The Pata Prometeon Yamaha riders will be joined by Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), fresh from his maiden podium at Assen, and teammate Dominique Aegerter.
A BUSY TEST FOR HONDA: Lecuona back from injury alongside Vierge
After a difficult start to 2024, Honda will be hoping the Cremona test will give them a boost ahead of the Emilia-Romagna Round. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) will make his return from injury, after missing the Dutch Round through injury, as he looks to kickstart what’s been a challenging season for the #7. Teammate Xavi Vierge will also be there, alongside PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda duo Tarran Mackenzie and Adam Norrodin. There will also be two British Superbike Honda riders there, with Tommy Bridewell and Andrew Irwin present, as well as the two WorldSSP MIE Honda riders of Kaito Toba and Khairul Idham Bin Pawi.
TWO BIKES FOR BMW, ONE FOR KAWASAKI: Redding, Gerloff for BMW, Rabat for Kawasaki
BMW will only have two bikes on track, with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team duo of Toprak Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark not testing. Instead, the German manufacturer’s data collection will come from Bonovo Action BMW, who have their rider line-up of Scott Redding and Garrett Gerloff. Elsewhere, Kawasaki will be represented by Independent outfit Kawasaki Puccetti Racing and Tito Rabat, with the Spaniard set to test some new configurations and work on setup. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), fresh from his British Supersport win, will test material on the chassis on his ZX-6R machine. Raffaele De Rosa (QJMOTOR Factory Racing) will also be there on his QJMOTOR SRK 800 RR as the Chinese manufacturer gathers data following their WorldSSP debut this season.
It’s what a motorcycle racer has known all of their life; from the first steps onto a track with pocket bikes to voyages into World Championships, falling down to rising high, clinching wins, titles, fans and emotions. To end it all and finish the dream is a complicated subject. In a career that has gone on for more than two decades, bringing three World Championships, 75 World Championship race wins and over 130 podiums, it’s the question Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) faces. To pack it all in despite still being a race winner and current Championship leader, or to extend his current contract with Ducati into 2025, where he’ll start the season aged 40. Few race beyond, even fewer succeed with titles but with racing being a hobby and a way of life, the reigning double WorldSBK Champion needs no motivation… he just needs to decide whether to roll the dice on more time or not.
Reflecting on the duration of his World Championship career, Bautista reminisced: “I think in that time, I can’t believe that I kept racing for more than 20 years and winning in my last years. When I started in 2003 as a World Championship rider, it was a dream come true. I watched the races in TV with my father as a child. In that moment, I didn’t think ‘I want to be a rider and race many years’, I’d just started racing. From that moment, the dream of my life was complete. After that, I won the title in 2006 and then I went to 250cc and MotoGP™, racing against the best riders in the world. I came to WorldSBK, a new Championship but I won two titles. It’s still like the first day of school; I have the same motivations, ambitions, I work on myself to be a better rider every time. I’m not tired of racing. It’s strange because it’s been many years in a high level of competition but I still feel young.”
CHANGING MOTIVATIONS: “I feel like I’m racing because I’m enjoying; I want to race, it’s like a hobby”
Talking about motivation, how different factors have changed over the years and how he “doesn’t have” it right now, the reigning double World Champion said: “The motivations are different after every year. In every moment, especially in MotoGP™ when I didn’t have the best bike, I tried to achieve the maximum. If I can’t win a race because of the bike, team or whatever, it was about trying to achieve the best result and do the best for me. Before, I was more focused on myself but now, it’s a different story. I don’t know if it’s because I have family, my age or because I have more experience but I see things in a different way.
“I feel less pressure than in MotoGP™; I feel like I am racing because I’m enjoying and I want to race. It’s like a hobby, not like my work. When you do things like it’s a hobby, it’s because you want to. When you want to, you don’t need motivation because you’re doing it as you want to do it and you like doing it. Right now, I don’t feel like I have a motivation because I’m enjoying it, so I like it and do it. I don’t need motivation. It’s really, really nice to share the races with family, friends, my daughters, so it’s a different situation. With experience and age, I see things in a different way.”
DIFFERENT TO OTHERS: “I want to be competitive so I need to work more”
After a dominant start to 2023 and winning in big battles at the end, does new motivation come from beating new opposition? “Winning is always nice! To battle is always nice too. I started last year by winning many races and also the whole year, it wasn’t like I had everything under control but more or less like ‘if I do this, this and this, I can win the race’, as I knew the rivals really well. However, this year is different. The riders are different, the level is different, I started with the physical problem and this year, I don’t know why but I feel more motivation and more eagerness to work harder to be better. I feel the level is higher so if I want to be competitive now, I have to work harder – but it’s not a ‘motivation’, it’s because I want to be competitive so I need to work more. It’s not like other riders where if they win and if they face difficulties, think that ‘I’ve done many years so I’ll stay at home, I don’t need to keep working and trying to improve my ways’; for me it’s different. That’s what happening this year with all the changes; it has given me more confidence in my work to try and reach the best performance.”
INJURY AND AGE: “In Spain, we say ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’”
“Maybe when you’re younger, you recover sooner but it’s true that for me, I’d never had an injury like this in the past,” said the 39-year-old, who suffered a preseason testing crash and thus was injured throughout testing and Round 1. “Fortunately, the injuries I had before were like broken bones or something like that where it is easy to recover. It’s a new kind of injury for me but in Spain, we say ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’, so after this injury, I felt better because I had to work in another area of my body or in a different way. This injury made me feel like I’m improving myself and I discovered a new area where I can improve to be better. In the end, I took the positive thing of the injury.”
FAMILY MAN: “Family is very important… but at the moment, my feeling is that they enjoy my world”
“In the end, family is very important; especially now, as my daughters are bigger and they understand more about my life, work and travels. But at the moment, my feeling is that they enjoy my world a lot. It’s always a big pleasure for me to keep racing and enjoying the time with them. However, it’s not only the family. I’ve been many years at a high level of competition, the age and there start to be more factors outside of the family that can effect my future. There’s new rivals too but fortunately, I have good support from my family and friends and that’s important to keep me focused on racing.”
AS IT STANDS, CONTINUE OR STOP? “I keep racing because I enjoy it and because I’m doing my best, but right now…”
Championship leader despite having less wins than arch-rival Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Bautista is surprised to be there, confirming the feeling hasn’t quite been recovered fully: “If you’d told me at the beginning of the season, before the first race and after the winter where my feeling with my bike and myself was not the best, that I’d be leading the Championship after Round 3, I’d not be able to believe it. It’s been a good surprise to lead the Championship after a strange weekend in Australia and the tricky conditions at Assen, where I struggled before in the cold and wet. Right now, I want to have a good feeling with the bike; it’s not the same feeling as last year so before thinking about the future, I want to recover the feeling and the feeling of being 100% at my best. Right now, I feel like we are 85% or 90%. I keep racing because I enjoy it and because I’m doing my best but right now, I don’t think we’re in our best so first of all, I want to recover this feeling. Then, I’ll think about the future.”
“After the Cremona and Misano tests, I hope to work on the bike and change the things I wanted to in the races but for example, at Assen, we couldn’t try anything. I’ll try to make tests that I wanted to do and between them, I hope to get the feeling back and arrive for the Misano races at my best. Then, I’ll see how my performance is comparing against the race.”
HERE TO STAY? “I don’t have the feeling to say ‘I’ll stop’…
Talking about whether it’s difficult to contemplate ending what he’s known his whole life, Bautista was clear in not having that feeling… yet: “I don’t know as at the moment, I don’t have the feeling to say ‘I stop’. I’m just focused on recovering the feeling and enjoying it. I don’t feel pressure or that it’s my work, just relaxed and that it’s my hobby. I want to enjoy my hobby. The moment I wake up in the morning and don’t think, ‘I want to be a better rider’, I will stop. At the moment, I want to be better to enjoy the bike.”
EVERY SECOND LIVE: watch all the action from 2024 and beyond with the WorldSBK VideoPass!
Bringing you the Best Motorcycle News from Around the Web!
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
