Volume 5 of the WorldSBK essential races has landed so that you can enjoy more classic races from a variety of eras. So far, volume 1 showcased classics across the decades. Volume 2 gives you the opportunity to relive the 2002 ‘Showdown at Imola’ amongst others, whilst volume 3 serves up modern era classics from 2004 up to 2013. The most recent instalment, volume 4, emphasises the importance of victory with some of the closest, most emotional victories.

Now, volume 5 will complete 25 of the most iconic WorldSBK races. In this, it’s a focus on some of the fiercest battles between 2014 and 2018, starting with team orders and tactics from Race 1 at Magny-Cours, as Aprilia and Kawasaki battled for the title. In 2015, it was a last lap showdown on worn tyres between Jonathan Rea and Chaz Davies in Malaysia at Sepang in Race 1. 2016 sees Tom Sykes defeat teammate Rea in Race 2 at Buriram, whilst it was last lap drama between Davies and Rea at Misano in Race 1 for 2017. Finally, 2018 saw Dutchman Michael van der Mark make history as the first Dutch winner in WorldSBK at Donington Park, before going on to complete the double.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

During last week’s MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship test at Cremona, Italy, most of the teams in the WorldSBK paddock took the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the new surroundings of the Cremona track. Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), however, took the opportunity to test some new technology; namely, a new swingarm.

At the start of the 2023 season, Team HRC started out with a classic style, underslung racing swingarm. Then, during last season, the team introduced a more stock-style overslung swingarm. Interestingly, Vierge appeared to prefer the newer swingarm, whilst his teammate Lecuona preferred the more conventional, underslung swingarm.

That brings us to this Cremona test. HRC appear to have brought a newer swingarm which is unbraced, compared to the other, previous swingarms which are braced. Both riders have had slightly different reactions to this new swingarm. The swingarm tested was the same as the one used by Honda’s British Superbike team – who were also there with Tommy Bridewell and Andrew Irwin.

When asked about the new swingarm, Lecuona said: “Honestly, similar. We need to check the data. Now we need to learn what is positive, what is negative; what works and what does not.” Regardless, the #7 was positive about the test overall, as well as the general direction of Honda’s development: “Yes, yes 100%. During the tests here, we have had several more Japanese engineers. But this is the most productive test we’ve had, and we’ve learned a lot. We are happy with the job, and we need another two days at Misano. So, let’s see in if we can keep that positive and interesting form for us.”

Contrastingly, teammate Lecuona was extremely positive about the new developments from the Japanese manufacturer. Speaking about his experiences with the new swingarm, Vierge said: “One of the most positive tests with Honda…if we analyze it well, we can take a big step!” Speaking about the new swingarm, Vierge said: “Yes, I tried the new swingarm, but not enough time unfortunately! The feeling was really good, and we also tried many different things with some big changes.” You can watch the #97 rider’s full reaction to the Cremona test here!

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Friday saw the curtain brought down on the first MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at Cremona, Italy. Yamaha were among the big names missing from the opening day of testing, but they certainly made up for it by the end of the day on Friday. One rider who got valuable track time under his belt was ex-World Champion Jonathan Rea. Despite finishing P12 in the combined standings, Rea took a lot from the test, and saw it as a key opportunity to build further momentum for the remainder of the season.

Speaking about only having one day to test at Cremona, Rea said: “It’s nice to get back on the bike. It was important to test out this track before we race here in September. We tried to start finding the limits with the R1 and get more comfortable. Some of the settings worked a lot better compared to what I’ve been using from the start of the season.” Following on from this, Rea further elaborated on next steps, saying: “I think the next step is to get me even more comfortable on the bike, in order to get a little closer to that feeling of being on the limit. It’s frustrating, but it’s also positive because I know that there’s margin to improve.”

Ulster native Rea was also very transparent about his need to get more time onboard the Yamaha R1. Rea said: “Yeah, I need laps. It’s so positive that the other Yamahas are fast…but it’s not my bike. I love the bike, and I love riding the bike, but I still need to put my stamp on it. I want to use all the benefits of the Yamaha R1, but also use all of the benefits of my riding style, so we’re just trying to find that match right now. The team are working really well and are trying to push it along further.”

The Yamaha rider offered a further fascinating insight into the technical aspects of riding his new Yamaha R1. The #65 rider outlined that: “It’s hard to explain. It’s as if you have to ride the bike hard, but then you almost have to massage the bike around the track. But you can see from Remy and Locatelli that the bike has so much potential.”

Lastly, the ex-World Champion had a special message of thanks for the hundreds of fans who commuted to Cremona for testing. The Yamaha man said: “Yeah, it’s really nice. Even in difficult moments, especially in this day and age of social media, it’s the fans who give me the energy to keep pushing. Thanks to everyone and hopefully we see a great turnout here in a few months’ time.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Friday brought the curtain down on two days of testing for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at Cremona, Italy. One rider who featured heavily on Friday was Nicolo Bulega, with the Factory Ducati rider putting together a time of 1’29.223s during the afternoon of Friday’s session. Whilst this was ultimately enough to secure sixth place in the combined standings, Bulega was far from buoyant.

When asked how he felt testing went, the #11 rider said: “I feel not so bad, but also not so good. I didn’t have my 100% feeling. I was missing something in the front. We have to work on it to try and improve this part of the bike. I want to stay focused on the next test, and then I hope to have a better bike/setup for the next time we test here in Cremona.” Interestingly, Bulega attended a track day at Cremona the week before on a stock bike. When asked if there was much difference between the stock bike and the Superbike, the Italian said: “Yes, because this bike is a bit faster. With this bike, the circuit seems a bit smaller. We have to adapt, because this is maybe the smallest circuit that I ride on with this bike.”

Switching gears, Bulega discussed the upcoming Misano test. Following Assen, where he struggled (and coincidentally, it was the first track with no prior testing), Nicolo was more positive about the prospect of being able to test at Misano, saying: “Next week, we have a very important test. It will also be my home race. We are very lucky to have this test before the race…I will do my job as always, to try to improve the feeling of the bike and to have fun.”

Lastly, Bulega discussed having fans present during the Cremona testing, especially the positive impact that they had over the course of testing at Cremona. The #11 rider said: “Today was like a Sunday race with a lot of people. It’s always nice to have fans. In Italy, we have a lot of support, so it’s nice!”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Friday saw the conclusion of Cremona, Italy hosting two days of testing for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. Yamaha were noticeable absentees from the first day of testing, but they certainly left an impression by the end. Among the most noteworthy performances was that of Italian Andrea Locatelli, who finished second only to GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team rider Remy Gardner.

Friday morning saw the 27-year-old finish sixth in the standings, putting out a time of 1’30.528s. However, the afternoon session saw Locatelli lift off, improving his time by over 1.5s to 1’28.919s, a result which saw him leapfrog the field and finish second in Friday’s combined standings.

Discussing what proved to be a successful day of testing, the #55 rider said: “I have a really good feeling! I enjoy quite a lot the first sector and the last sector…I think here in Cremona they make amazing work. It’s not a big track, so it will not be easy to overtake during the race, but let’s see.”

The Bergamo native was also asked if the track suited the natural strengths of the R1, given both his and Gardner’s impressive outings at Cremona. Discussing this, Locatelli said: “Yeah, we try to make an improvement every time. It was something positive and interesting to learn the track. I think we did well…this is the most important thing.” The Yamaha rider also discussed the upcoming Misano round, revealing his dreams and ambitions of succeeding at that track. The #55 said: “When we are there, we will try to make another step, to understand the bike and the track. It is also my dream to do well at Misano…we’ll arrive competitive and strong!”

Speaking about the presence of so many fans across both days of testing, Locatelli was more than impressed. He remarked that: “We see the people are really passionate on the bike. I think that what the track and city are doing…creating the possibility that people can come, take a picture with us and see the track…is something very positive.”

Make sure to catch all of the upcoming action at Misano, as well as the entire 2024 season with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com