The United Kingdom hosts the fourth round of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship with plenty up for grabs at Donington…

Source: WorldSBK.com

Several British riders will be on track as they go in search of glory on home soil with WorldSBK descending on Donington

Source: WorldSBK.com

As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returns to Donington Park, so does the chance to raise money for the Two Wheels for Life charity. There will be several opportunities to donate throughout the Prosecco DOC UK Round including during the Paddock Show where some of the off-track entertainment will be to help raise money for the charity. The UK Round takes place from 30^th June-2^nd July and the aim will be to raise as much money as possible.

Two Wheels for Life helps to ensure health care reaches some of the most remote communities in Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria and The Gambia. It works with Riders for Health, a partner organisation, to help provide local-led and managed assistance by focusing on transport for health workers as well as helping healthcare services reach the most remote parts of each community, where motorcycles are the perfect tool.

There will be charity auctions during the UK Round and a concert to raise money for Two Wheels for Life. There’s an extended auction on Friday which begins at 17:50 Local Time (GMT+1), the first chance for fans to buy donated items such as helmets, boots, a VIP experience and lots more. The second auction takes place on Saturday at 18:30. Saturday’s events take place as part of an extended “SuperShow” and also features the charity concert.

The concert, where the winner will be decided by the fans, takes place from 18:00 on Saturday and features riders such as Iker Lecuona (Team HRC), the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, WorldSSP’s Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing), teammate Maximilian Kofler, Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki), the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team and GMT94 Yamaha’s Christophe Guyot. There’s also a finale planned which will feature some well-known paddock personalities – all will be revealed on Saturday evening!

You can find out more about Two Wheels for Life and the work done HERE.

Source: WorldSBK.com

As round six of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship races onto the horizon, who better to catch up with than one of Great Britain’s greatest sportsman and the second most successful WorldSBK rider of all-time, Carl Fogarty. After talking all things related to the second factory Ducati seat for 2024 in part one, ‘King Carl’ turns his attention to other topics, such as Toprak Razgatlioglu’s (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) move to BMW, the future of current BMW star Scott Redding and the potential mindset of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), and how Fogarty himself experienced something similar 25 years ago.

“HE’LL WIN RACES… SCOTT HASN’T SET THE WORLD ON FIRE” – BMW’s 2024

Talking about the BMW move for Razgatlioglu and what that means for current rider Scott Redding, Fogarty was excited about one of the biggest transfers in WorldSBK history: “It’s a bit of a shock in some ways. BMW are a big manufacturer and their bike is decent, and with the riders they have on the bike now, I’m not sure if the package is working or not. We’ll find out next year with Toprak! It’s really something to look forward to as he’s a great talent. We’ll see what he can do. BMW want to win races and Scott hasn’t set the world on fire on it; watch this space! I think he’ll make it work and do well, win races… he will have seen it at various points and maybe thought about it a bit.

“Redding was a top three guy on the Ducati, and he’s struggled at BMW, but we’ll find out when Toprak gets on it as he’s world-class. I’m not sure what Scott’s options are; I’d probably stay at BMW to try and make it work. A satellite Ducati could be an option for him. His results haven’t been great, and he seems to have a lot to say for himself, so we’ll see.”

“HE’S STILL MOTIVATED TO WIN” – are Rea’s struggles temporary?

Speaking about the tricky start to 2023 for Jonathan Rea, Fogarty spoke about how the #65 will be feeling: “He still has his heart in it and he’s still motivated to win. There are faster guys now with better packages, but it’s difficult for him. Maybe Kawasaki will improve their bike a little bit next year. Let’s see where’s he at next year in terms of his results.

“Kawasaki could do with a new bike as that one’s been out for a long time. It was so dominant and so much better than anyone else’s, similar to Alvaro and Ducati now, from 2013 onwards. It was an incredible Superbike. The others have caught up and it hasn’t changed enough; it’d be nice to see them bring a new model out.”

“I WAS LOSING MY MOTIVATION… I HAD STRONG WORDS SPOKEN TO ME” – the 1998 comeback

Talking about a situation similar to Rea’s this year, Fogarty cast his mind back to his third title season in 1998, where he was as low as sixth at one point before turning it all around: “In 1998, I was losing my motivation and blaming the bike and one thing and another. Results weren’t great and my heart wasn’t in it, and I think my head was halfway up my arse to be honest. I changed it around in the last few rounds, as everyone else was inconsistent. I had some strong words spoken to me by Davide Tardozzi at Laguna Seca and he said, “You can do this. If you don’t want to race, let us know and stop wasting our time. Go and retire and stay at home, but it’s down to you, so stop complaining about the bike”, and I thought ‘oof, that’s the first time anyone’s kind of said anything like that to me before’ and it fired me up for the last few rounds of the Championship.

“I got my head together and proved everyone wrong and myself right, by showing I could still do it. I did lose my way in the summertime of 1998, but I turned it round and won the title by a couple of points at Sugo. For 1999, my mojo was back, I was in the same team with the same bike and I was buzzing. I got a double win at Kyalami in the opening round, I hadn’t had a double win for three years!”

LOWES TWINS TOGETHER IN 2024? “I’ve wanted to see that for years!”

After Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) confirmed that his twin brother, Moto2™ star Sam Lowes, was actively looking for a ride in WorldSBK, Fogarty reacted to the news with excitement, saying: “It’d be great! I’ve wanted to see that for years, the two boys together! I’d love to see Sam in WorldSBK and it’d be great to see both of them going head-to-head. I don’t know who’d come out on top! I’d probably go with Alex as he’s got more WorldSBK experience, but it wouldn’t surprise to see Sam ahead either!”

“TOPRAK WILL BE STRONG, SO WILL JONNY” – Donington Park predictions

Fogarty’s last win in the UK came at Donington Park in 1999, so it was only right that to conclude, we put the four-time World Champion under the spotlight for his thoughts ahead of the sixth round: “Donington Park isn’t a speed circuit, it’s a riders’ circuit. Toprak will be very strong and so will Jonny. For me, it’s my favourite circuit to ride in Great Britain but it was one year good and then one year bad! My favourite memory of the place was 1995, when I did the double-double – double at Donington Park and also Brands Hatch later in the year! After that, it was just single wins.”

Watch the 2023 UK Round in style with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

When Scott Redding arrived in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in 2020, it was with much fanfare. The Englishman was a big name and a big talent. On paper, Redding’s WorldSBK CV is impressive: he’s taken a dozen race wins and finished on the podium in one third of his starts. He finished his first two campaigns second and third in the standings but it’s the last 18 months that have led to the question marks hanging over his head. His switch to BMW last year brought with it three podium finishes mid-season but with Redding currently 15^th in the Championship standings, it’s clear that he’s not performed as expected. This weekend’s British round marks the halfway point of the season and it could also signify the beginning of the end for Redding.

The news that Toprak Razgatlioglu will join BMW next year obviously dominated the news wire in the build-up to the last round at Misano. Throughout the weekend, the only topic of conversation within the paddock was Toprak. Now, the rumour mill spreads to the second BMW seat and what the future holds for the current line-up. With Michael van der Mark out injured, although back riding his training bike at an Assen track day, it’s Redding that will be at the centre of attention. The 30-year-old loves Donington Park and claimed his first Grand Prix victory there. Wins in British Superbikes followed but last year’s edition was one of the best weekend’s he’s had on BMW machinery. A podium and three top fives were a great return when BMW brought a raft of upgrades to the undulating track.

Whether or not they’ll be able to unlock something this weekend remains to be seen but for Redding, the time to deliver is now. With options on his contract extension set to expire on July 15^th, this is the last full race weekend he’ll have to impress. Being the top BMW rider is the only target that he can have in mind. If he’s outperformed or struggling, then the German brass will rightly look elsewhere for 2023. On the other side of the pit box will be Donington specialist Tom Sykes. Nine wins and five pole positions show his strength at his home track and the 2013 World Champion will be out to prove his worth.

Scott versus Sykes isn’t the box office attraction to sell tickets but it’s the fight that could be worth paying attention to this weekend. Sykes has his second weekend back with the factory team and he’s out to impress and prove that the Puccetti debacle of the early rounds, when he could barely finish races, wasn’t a true reflection of where he’s at. Redding will know that failing to beat Sykes could be the final nail in his BMW coffin. Either way he’ll be looking at his options for 2024 and with Kawasaki looking increasingly likely to hold on to Alex Lowes, that could mean the only options remaining for him are the factory Honda and Yamaha squads. During a live interview at the Dutch TT van der Mark coyly said “my teammate will be fast next year…” he didn’t seem like a man concerned about his future. Has the decision already been made?

Redding wouldn’t be keen to ride for an independent team and his management will be keen to stress the successes that he’s had when armed with the right bike. Redding will want to be paid and if he’s not earning his crust at BMW, it’ll be interesting to see who he has discussions with at Donington Park. It was at the UK Round in 2021 that rumours of Redding leaving Ducati started to surface. It could be a similar story this week.

Watch all of the 2023 Superbike season take-shape round-by-round with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Pirelli have uncovered their solutions for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship visit to Donington Park, with a focus on soft tyres at the rear. Pirelli have opted to mostly bring solutions from their standard range to the Prosecco DOC UK Round with only one development solution available to teams and riders throughout Round 6 as the 2023 campaign reaches the halfway point of the season.

There is an extra challenge for everyone after the Donington Park circuit was resurfaced, but Pirelli have experience of the new surface thanks to their involvement in the British Superbike championship which raced there in May. With plenty of feedback from BSB’s visit, the Italian manufacturer have decided to focus on softer compound tyres at the rear with the majority of solutions available coming from the standard range.

There are four choices for the rear available to the WorldSBK grid with the standard SC0 soft compound the hardest available, while there are two SCX super soft solutions available. The standard SCX is joined by the SCX-A, known as the B0800 SCX, to continue comparison work with the standard SCX. For the Tissot Superpole session, and the Tissot Superpole Race, riders will be able to use the SCQ.

At the front, there are just two slick tyre compounds to choose from. The SC1 medium tyre and the SC2 hard make up the selection. The SC1 is one of the most popular tyres selected throughout 2022 and 2023, while the SC2 compound made its debut as the A0843 specification at Assen last year before being brought into the standard range.

In WorldSSP, there are two compounds available at the front and rear. At the front, riders can choose from two SC1 compounds. The SC1 soft is a standard specification tyre while the SC1-A is a medium compound from WorldSBK as Pirelli continue to evaluate the potential for this compound to be used in WorldSSP. For the rear tyres, the standard SCX super soft and the SC0 soft tyres are available to pick.

Discussing the tyre selections, Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Motorcycle Racing Director, said: “The novelty this year at Donington is undoubtedly the new asphalt. The resurfacing seems to have made the surface more uniform and to have optimised drainage in case of rain, but at the same time the abrasiveness has also increased. Even if a new asphalt is always an important unknown factor for tyre manufacturers, in this case we are quite calm because the feedback from the riders of British Superbike – another Pirelli single-tyre championship, who raced here in May was very positive.

“In particular, the important increase in grip and the greater consistency of the surface were appreciated and the results were also seen in terms of lap times, given that many new lap records were set, in some cases even with notable improvements. On the other hand, the new asphalt seems to be more aggressive, and this could make the rear SC0 a key solution because it is more resistant than the SCX, and it has in fact been the most used by the BSB riders. In any case, I expect that, if the weather conditions are right, the WorldSBK riders will also be able to show very interesting times.”

Watch every moment from Donington Park using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship heads to Donington Park this weekend as the 2023 season bursts back into action. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) heads into the Prosecco DOC UK Round as the Championship leader and with history on the horizon but the British circuit is not one where Ducati have enjoyed too much success in recent years. Their last victory was in 2011 when Carlos Checa won Race 2, while their last pole position was in 2014.

The 38-year-old can match or break two incredible records at Donington. He is currently on a run of 10 consecutive wins and victory in Race 1 means he would equal the longest streak in WorldSBK history, held by himself and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) with 11, while a win in Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race would break the record. The Spaniard has also won 14 races this season and a hat-trick, his fourth consecutive one, would mean he equals the record for wins in a season (17) with half the season to go.

Despite being on the verge of adding his name to more Ducati history, Bautista will know Donington has been difficult for the Italian manufacturer in recent years. They haven’t stood on the top step of the podium since Checa in 2011 and haven’t claimed a pole position since 2014 when Davide Giugliano took pole. Although they haven’t had pole in nearly a decade at Donington, the Bologna-based manufacturer do hold the record for most poles at the circuit and the Spaniard was able to finish second in 2022 despite it not being the happiest hunting ground for Ducati; that result was his best at the historic venue in WorldSBK.

In 2022, Bautista was the highest-placed Ducati rider as he took second in Race 2 while teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi’s best finish was fourth. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) claimed top spot for Ducati’s Independent riders with fifth in Race 1 while Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) and Luca Bernardi, then racing for the Barni Spark Racing Team, were both outside the top ten throughout all three races.

Discussing his chances of victory at the classic British circuit, Bautista said: “Donington has always been our weak point in the Championship. The track has been resurfaced so we have to go there and understand the track conditions. The target is to try to get the same feeling I’ve had during the whole season because I feel really good on my Panigale V4 R. This is the target and I know if I can get the feeling with the track as well, we can be competitive. There’s no target. Every year is different, and we’ll go there just to do our best.”

What makes Donington such a tricky circuit for Ducati? The circuit had been bumpy in the past which can add an extra challenge to racing there but it recently underwent a massive resurfacing programme and how this impacts the bumpy nature of the circuit will be revealed this weekend. There also aren’t any long straights with the start/finish straight measuring 550 metres in length, although riders reach their top speeds down Starkey’s Straight, thanks to the high-speed exit leaving Coppice corner.

Expanding on this, Bautista’s Crew Chief, Giulio Nava, said: “The biggest issue was the bumps all around the circuit and the layout a little bit. Alvaro was managing the bike quite well in 2019 and 2022 but we still struggled to make the bike turn as good as some others. You need to have some natural turning from the bike. At Donington, you have some corners where, if you can’t make the first one right, you struggle to keep the line correctly. This was the biggest issue.”

There have only been four different winners at Donington since 2012, with Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) racking up an impressive nine consecutively between 2013 and 2017 with Kawasaki, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) taking six between 2012 and 2021, including a 2019 hat-trick, Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) with a double for Yamaha in 2018 and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) who’s won five of the last six races there.

The lack of recent success at Donington hasn’t hampered Ducati Corse Technical Coordinator Marco Zambenedetti’s hopes heading into the UK Round as he explained why he believes the barren run at the iconic venue could come to an end this year. He also discussed who he expects to be strong as Bautista’s rivals look to take points out of his Championship lead as the season reaches the halfway point as well as how the new resurfacing could impact Ducati.

Zambenedetti said: “Of course, three wins is the target! It’s realistic. We go to Donington thinking about wins. This is our goal. I think we have everything to take three wins, but it will also be interesting to see the performance of other Ducati riders. I think we can improve also with Bassani and Rinaldi. After last year, we have found some references and a new base that gives us the possibility to perform very well from Friday. This is the most important part of the results we are achieving in 2023. We improved the bike but the feeling, the base setting and references we have from last year are the biggest part. It’s one of the strongest circuits for Toprak and Jonathan. We are curious to understand, and it’s one of the most important parts of the weekend, how the new asphalt has changed the track in terms of bumps. Last year, the only mistake, if we can say this, from Alvaro all year was on the bumps at Donington.”

Can Ducati end their Donington drought? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship prepares for a return to action at the historic Donington Park circuit, you can make sure you watch all the action in the United Kingdom by purchasing your tickets now! There will be plenty of fierce racing and incredible fights at the Prosecco DOC UK Round but also lots of activities and entertainment away from the racing for you to enjoy throughout the UK at Round 6 of the 2023 season. Don’t miss out on the UK Round and buy your tickets HERE.

WorldSBK and WorldSSP machinery will deliver the on-track action during the round, with a combined five races between the two World Championships across Saturday and Sunday, but there will also be plenty to enjoy off-track. The WorldSBK Paddock Show returns across all three days with entertainment guaranteed while there will also be a chance to raise money for charity with an auction and concert.

The Paddock Show across will give fans the chance to see their favourite riders up close with meet and greet sessions planned as well as interactive games with riders. There will also be a special “team managers” chat session on Sunday, while there will be two charity auctions to raise money for Two Wheels For Life as well as a charity concert on Saturday. Not only this, but the podium celebrations take place in the paddock – giving fans the chance to see their favourite riders celebrate or ride down Victory Lane; a unique part of the WorldSBK experience.

Don’t miss out on any of the action – buy your tickets on the official Donington Park website!

Source: WorldSBK.com

As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship begins its summer break at the start of August, some riders from the paddock will keep busy by travelling to Japan for the historic Suzuka 8 Hours. Both Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) and teammate Xavi Vierge will represent Honda at their home race with Lecuona looking to make it two wins in a row in Japan, while Vierge will debut at the iconic event.

Lecuona competed in the 2022 edition of the race on the CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADE SP and he will do so again this year as he goes in search of back-to-back Suzuka victories. The 23-year-old has had a busy campaign so far with five WorldSBK rounds under his belt as well as two MotoGP™ outings for the Repsol Honda Team and the Suzuka race adds yet another event to Lecuona’s calendar as he searches for more glory in Japan.

Victory in the eight-hour race in 2023 would mean Lecuona joins Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) as a current WorldSBK rider who won back-to-back races with Honda after he won the classic event in 2013 and 2014. The Dutchman also won two consecutive Suzuka 8 Hours in 2017 and 2018 with Yamaha, while Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took a hat-trick of wins in Japan between 2016 and 2018 including two alongside van der Mark.

Discussing his return to the Japanese circuit, Lecuona said: “I’m very happy to be able to fight in Suzuka 8 Hours as Team HRC again this year. I was able to win last year, but I understood that it was not an easy race. This year, my teammates will be Takumi Takahashi and Xavi Vierge, and I’m looking forward to running with them now. We will do our best with the team and staff and aim for the top of the podium.”

Lecuona will be joined by his WorldSBK teammate for this year’s race as the 26-year-old makes his debut in the endurance battle. The 26-year-old will aim to repeat his teammate’s debut success and claim a win in his first Suzuka 8 Hours race. Vierge recently ventured out to Suzuka as part of Honda’s testing programme ahead of the race as he prepares for his debut in the classic endurance race.

Vierge said: “This time, I will participate in Suzuka 8 Hours for the first time from Team HRC. I am very happy to be able to participate as a rider on the same stage where many riders have made history so far. Iker Lekuona is also a teammate in WorldSBK, and Takumi Takahashi is a great rider with a lot of past race experience. I believe that if the three riders work together, we can win the race.”

Lecuona and Vierge will race alongside Takumi Takahashi who now races in the Japanese Superbike championship after a year in the British Superbike championship. Prior to a switch to domestic championships, Takahashi competed in WorldSBK in 2020, as well as part-time campaigns in 2017 and 2019, recording a best finish of tenth in Race 2 at Portimao in 2017. However, he has enjoyed tremendous success at the Suzuka 8 Hours and a victory in 2023 would put him on five wins overall.

Watch more incredible WorldSBK action throughout 2023 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu’s (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) move to BMW for 2024 caused shockwaves through the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock when it was announced at the end of May. Now, in a feature interview conducted at Misano, the 2021 Champion has spoken about his move to the German manufacturer for next season, his goals with BMW and how he wants to leave Yamaha by being crowned World Champion for the second time.

THE NEXT BIG DREAM: a ‘special’ mission at BMW…

BMW have claimed 13 wins during their time in WorldSBK, the most recent of which came in 2021 when Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) took victory in a mixed conditions Tissot Superpole Race at Portimao. This remains the only win for the M1000RR machine, introduced that year, but Razgatlioglu has his sights set higher than just wins with the Shaun Muir Racing-run team.

Revealing his goals for his time at BMW, the Turk said: “Everybody believes this is a bike that can’t win. I’m just thinking about showing everyone that the BMW is a winning bike. Ducati have the best bike in the paddock. If I go there and I win the Championship, it’s not special for me and this is why I’m going to BMW. Yamaha weren’t Champions for 12 years and we became Champions again. I will go to BMW which hasn’t been World Champions. My big dream is for me and BMW to be World Champions. This is a big goal.”

“THE TEAM IS UNBELIVABLE”: Razgatlioglu’s Yamaha memories

The 26-year-old initially joined his current team for the 2020 season, and he will have spent four seasons with the Japanese brand. He has claimed 31 wins to date on the YZF-R1 as well as 81 podiums, and he took the 2021 title in sensational fashion after a season-long fight against Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). However, the Yamaha-Razgatlioglu partnership will conclude at the end of 2023 as he switches to BMW.

Expressing his gratitude to the team and manufacturer, he said: “I’ve been with Yamaha for four years and it’s not easy for me to change because I know everybody here. This team is unbelievable. I enjoyed my four years here and it’s not easy to change, but sometimes you need to. I’m not really happy because this is my last season with Yamaha, but I have very good memories. When I joined Yamaha in 2020, the team and Yamaha believed in me. In 2021, we were the World Champions. I’ll never forget this. We were fighting with Jonny. Everybody tried their best inside the box. For me, 2021 has the best memories with Yamaha because we were World Champions.”

LEAVING ON A HIGH: can he depart with a second title?

The Alanya-born rider’s 2021 title was the second Yamaha have won in WorldSBK and their first since 2009 when American star Ben Spies was crowned Champion. Razgatlioglu was unable to defend his Championship in 2022 as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) beat him after a sensational year-long fight, but the 33-time race winner is aiming to leave Yamaha with a present: he wants to claim the 2023 World Championship as a gift before departing for pastures new. Ahead of the UK Round, Razgatlioglu sits second in the standings and trails Bautista by 86 points.

Razgatlioglu said: “This year I am fighting in every race and trying more than 100%. In my last season with Yamaha, I’m trying to be World Champion again. If we are World Champions again this year, it will be a gift for Yamaha when I leave. It’s not been an easy start because Alvaro is very strong. He is unbelievably fast. This year we’ve won just one race, in Indonesia, but I need to win in Race 1 and Race 2. I will keep fighting. I will always try 100%. The season isn’t over, and we have many races left. I am thinking about the UK and Donington Park because this is my favourite track. I hope at Donington we win three races. If we start really strong and win the races, maybe we are putting pressure on Alvaro.”

Can Razgatlioglu fight back against Bautista? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com