The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is ready for the fifth round of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship from the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” and the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round. After the bombshell announcement that Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) will part ways with Yamaha at the end of 2023 in search of a “big, new challenge” with BMW, star riders have had their say on the move.

THE TITANIC TRIO BUT DIFFERENT: Bautista and Rea on their main rival’s big move

Long-time rival Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was very positive about Toprak’s move to BMW, stating: “I think Toprak’s move is an exciting one for everybody; for the Championship and Toprak. You can see with the evolution of the bike and how many new bikes they’re bringing out in a short space of time that they’re a manufacturer that’s very dedicated to being competitive. Of course, Toprak’s an incredible talent and super-fast so maybe he’s the missing link to put BMW at the front. I’m sure it’s going to be a very exciting challenge for him.”

Reigning World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) commented that his nearest title rival ‘wasn’t crazy’ in his switch to a new manufacturer: “It’s difficult to say something from the outside but what I say from the outside, but I don’t think it’s a crazy idea to switch team. Toprak knows the Yamaha very well and he knows his potential very well. BMW are working to hard to be competitive and maybe they want to be more competitive, so the fact that they want to have Toprak is a good signal that they want to fight for victories. They get one of the best riders in the Championship. They’ll put a lot of effort to have a competitive bike; with this kind of rider, if something isn’t working, it’s for the bike and the team because without doubt, Toprak’s ready to fight for victories.”

MIXED EMOTIONS: current BMW riders on Toprak joining the family in 2024

Current ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team rider Scott Redding was less positive about the move, and seemingly left him a bit puzzled: “I don’t know, honestly. It was quite a surprise to me and everybody. I don’t know what he can bring. It’s quite a mystery to me especially when I look at the riding style he has, it’s quite interesting. Time will tell. Not too much I can really say.”

Having made the switch from Yamaha to BMW for 2023, Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) gave insight into how he thinks the move will go: “About what Toprak can bring to the project, it speaks volumes. We’re making progress with the bike and if Toprak sees it, then it’s pretty obvious we’re going in a good way. He’s ridden a couple of different bikes but he’s a solid rider and has so much talent. I’m curious to hear what we says about it, what he likes and doesn’t. For me, it wasn’t that big of a challenge it seems like. I was impressed with how the front end felt, which will be good for Toprak as he’s always on the front wheel! It’s going to be a rocket ship for him. The amount of power that the bike has compared to the Yamaha is pretty impressive. When you get on the straight and open the thing up… I think he’ll like that.”

Tom Sykes, Redding’s teammate until full-time rider Michael van der Mark is back from injury, was intrigued by the move and is ready for the fireworks: “It’s a very big signing! It’s a bit exciting! We know Toprak and he’s a World Champion. It will be very interesting. For myself inside BMW, for the first two seasons, I had my own expectation and belief about where the project will go. I think Toprak and Kenan have the same expectations and for this, I wish Toprak all the best of luck, he’s such a nice guy. BMW are always trying to improve, as is everyone else, so we’ll see where this project goes with them together.”

Watch the 2023 season continue to unfold in dramatic fashion with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

There are several key questions in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship right now in terms of the 2024 rider line-up and one of them involves who will join Andrea Locatelli at Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK following the news that Toprak Razgatligolu would join the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for 2024. Ahead of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, key figures from Yamaha discussed the manufacturer’s plans following Razgatlioglu’s departure.

DOSOLI’S THOUGHTS: hoping to promote from within…

Andrea Dosoli, Road Racing Manager at Yamaha Motor Europe, explained the next steps for Yamaha from the manufacturer’s side. Previously, Yamaha have tried to promote from within with such as when Locatelli went from winning the World Supersport title on a Yamaha in 2020 and straight into the factory Yamaha WorldSBK squad in 2021. Dosoli discussed the timeframe and outlined what he wants to see from the rider who takes Razgatlioglu’s seat in 2024.

Dosoli said: “I’m sure you can see the huge investment that Yamaha have made this year. Currently, we have six riders in WorldSBK with a Yamaha Motor Europe contract. We will keep monitoring how those guys will develop and, in the next couple of months, if we realise one of them will have the potential to fill the seat of Toprak, I hope it will be given to one of our riders. If this does not happen, it means our riders need more time to fight with ‘Loka’, in that case we will start to look outside for other riders.”

DENNING SAYS: no news on Locatelli’s 2024 teammate

Paul Denning, Team Principal at Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK, was on hand to discuss Razgatlioglu’s departure from a team point of view. Although Denning was not drawn into conversations about who could be Locatelli’s teammate next season, he was full of praise for the Italian rider who is enjoying his best season in WorldSBK to date with five podiums in the first four rounds so far, exceeding his total in each of the last three campaigns.

Denning explained: “Right now, we’re focused on putting the best solutions together for next year but, more importantly, trying to become World Champions again with Toprak this year. It’s important to recognise that Andrea was absolutely our target to renew whether or not Toprak stayed with Yamaha. The improvements he’s made this year are significant. He still has margin to do more, to believe in himself more and the next step is for him to win a race and take it to the next level. We’re really happy with everything that he’s doing. It was always the target to keep him with us. I can tell you nothing about Locatelli’s teammate.”

LOCATELLI REACTS: ‘maybe a chance to have more focus on me’

Locatelli has been teammates with Razgatlioglu since he joined the Pata Yamaha squad in 2021 after his stunning WorldSSP title success, meaning 2024 will be his first time with a different teammate in the box. Ahead of his home round where he will be aiming to claim his first WorldSBK win and take his first podium at Misano, Locatelli discussed Razgatlioglu’s departure from Yamaha and gave his thoughts on the 2024 season, where he will remain with Yamaha after signing a new two-year contract.

He said: “It’s never easy to stay on Toprak’s side because he is a really fast rider and always trying to win the race. My target is try to complete the work and I think, maybe now, I have more chance to try and work on my side with Yamaha to try and improve a little bit more and get the focus only on me, try to push to have something that makes me a little bit faster. Just pushing on the gas, just enjoying and we will see what we can get.”

Follow all the action from WorldSBK in 2023 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” is always a dramatic setting for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and the 2023 season is no different, even on Thursday. What is more or less a ‘media day’, quotes and headlines were in abundance as the paddock reacts to one of the biggest transfers of all-time, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometon WorldSBK) set to leave Yamaha at the end of 2023 for a new challenge with BMW.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) “Very good memories with Yamaha… maybe in the future, we come back together. I needed a new challenge”

“It’s been a very long four seasons and also very good memories with Yamaha. It’s not easy to leave as I enjoyed working with this team. Sometimes, you need a new challenge and new motivation. I said if I stayed in WorldSBK, I needed a new challenge now. I’ve signed for a new team. I’m happy to stay in the WorldSBK paddock and now I go for a new challenge. It wasn’t easy. I was thinking about the MotoGP™ paddock and there weren’t many seats next year. The problem after four years is that it’s not easy to leave Yamaha. Maybe, in the future, we’ll come back together again. I’m feeling more motivation because I listen to some people say that ‘it’s not a winning bike, it’s not easy and no good results etc’. This is possibly a winning bike. This is a new dream for me and a big new challenge. It’s not easy. This is a big dream for Kenan and for me. Maybe next year and also 2025, we don’t know, we are fighting for the Championship. I hope we are winning it. This is the big dream.”

Paul Denning (Team principal, Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “The news was disappointing… the scary thing with Toprak is he still has margin to improve”

“I don’t want to talk about it. The news was disappointing because Yamaha and, of course, the team but mainly Yamaha, with the contract they offered Toprak, put in a huge effort to keep him. He wants to do something different for his future and that’s his choice. You can agree or disagree whether it’s the best choice for his career, that’s up to somebody else and I’m not going to say anything else. Maybe it’s harder because of the super close relationship with Toprak personally with all the members of the team, and all the success we’ve had together. He helped us to a World Championship but, equally, we’ve taken him to a World Championship. The scary thing with Toprak is he still has margin to improve in terms of some aspects of his work. I can tell you nothing about Andrea’s teammate next year.”

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “Toprak’s an incredible talent… maybe he’s the missing link to put BMW at the front”

“It’s always very hard to know how positive a test is when you’re testing solo. Jerez’s never been a great track for us. It was a good time to go there when we were guaranteed some hot conditions in the south of Spain and put together a package that we thought would improve our weak areas, which is when we’re in hot conditions we’re overloading the front tyre. The team came with some ideas and the positive thing is we left the test doing race simulations with the softer front and some good sensations. Of course, we have to take that to another track and also keep in our mind that we need to compare to our reference which is our competitors. Toprak’s an incredible talent and super-fast so maybe he’s the missing link to put BMW at the front. I’m sure it’s going to be a very exciting challenge for him.”

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “It’s always special to race at Misano…”

“It’s always very special to race here at Misano; it’s a special race for Ducati with it being a home race and it’s always nice to share the weekend with the Ducatisti and the Tifosi. I’m very confident for the weekend ahead. Our target is to try and find the feeling we have with the bike from the first rounds of the season. I’m looking forward to it and I’m quite motivated. You want to do well in front of all of the Ducati fans for their home race, but you also feel their support. It’s difficult to say something from the outside but what I say from the outside, but I don’t think it’s a crazy idea to switch team. Toprak knows the Yamaha very well and he knows his potential very well.”

Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I don’t know what he can bring… it’s quite a mystery to me. I have until July 15^th to make my decision”

“I don’t know, honestly. It was quite a surprise to me and everybody. I don’t know what he can bring. It’s quite a mystery to me especially when I look at the riding style he has, it’s quite interesting. Time will tell. Not too much I can really say. I have until July 15th to make my decision to stay with BMW or not. Of course, we’re working as hard as we can at BMW to make the bike as best as possible. We just need to see now the dust is settling with all the attention from Toprak because it was a shock to everybody. We are looking around, but our priority is stay with BMW. It’s been a hard two years for me. We’re working hard but it’s just not quite where I want to be.”

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “Maybe now, I have more chance to work more on my side with Yamaha and have the focus only on me”

“I am super happy. Honestly, it is really interesting to continue with Yamaha for next year and also 2025. I’ll try to push hard in every race and try to get my first win in WorldSBK. To continue with Yamaha is a good approach to try and continue my progress this season and also from the beginning, when I try and work with Yamaha. It’s never easy to be at the side of Toprak as he’s a really fast rider and always tries to win the race and is fast in the weekend. Maybe now, I have more chance to work more on my side with Yamaha and have the focus only on me. I’m more relaxed now I have the contract. Misano before was a bit difficult for me but now, I have more experience and, in the test, we understood a lot, so I think it’ll be a good weekend and we have a lot of fans that come here and support us.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “We are talking about 2024 and results speak better than words”

“This is a special track for me and the team as it is our home race. I’m really happy; after the test, we’re looking forward to the circuit tomorrow. For sure, it will be a tough weekend as it will be really hot but then also, maybe it’ll be raining on Sunday. It’ll be tricky but also fun. My family will come, the fans will come, so it’s special. It’s one of my favourite tracks and where we’re strong. It’ll be difficult to beat Alvaro all year but I am focused to ride well and have a good feeling with the bike and ride in a good way. If doing that allows me to be at the front until the finish line, I will be really happy. Ducati and Bautista together are a really strong weapon and I need to make a step to be there. Misano is the perfect track. We are talking about 2024 and results speak better than words. A positive weekend will help to be in a good seat for 2024.”

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing): “Italy is always special… I hope for a podium”

“I’m really happy to be here at Misano for my home round. I feel really good and I want to have a good weekend and try, I hope, to have the first podium of the season! This year, it’s really difficult because the level is really high. The guys are really fast. It’s really special. Italy is always special and a good place, and also, I’m happy because the family is here with me. I hope for a podium but it’s difficult. We are really near to the podium but every time we are near, but something happens. I hope this weekend will go in a good way. I don’t know about my future. It’s difficult. For the moment, it’s all stopped. We will see. After this weekend, I’d like to know more about my future but only my manager knows the answer.”

Watch the 2023 season continue to unfold in dramatic fashion with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock gets set for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, several riders swapped their race bikes for bicycles to take in the surroundings of Misano ahead of track action in Italy. Riders from all three classes took part in the event ahead of the round, with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) from WorldSBK and the WorldSSP top two, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) and Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) joined by WorldSSP300’s Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse). Check out the best photos from the event in the gallery at the top of this article.

Watch more incredible action from Misano using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Luca Vitali will make his MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship debut in 2023 as he replaces Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” this weekend. The 31-year-old Italian has a wealth of experience in a variety of classes and will also aim to utilise it at a circuit he knows well, with Misano being a stone’s throw from where’s from, Rimini. Konig is missing the round due to an ankle injury sustained in Barcelona at the start of May, after a Race 1 highside on Lap 2 at Turn 4.

Vitali has plenty of experience from within the WorldSBK paddock, last making an appearance in 2018 and the final season of the FIM European Superstock 1000 class, finish all races inside the top ten, with the exception of Portimao when he didn’t finish. A best result in the class is fourth, coming that year at Donington Park. He also has previous experience in Superstock 600 action, where he achieved a best result of fourth too, coming on two occasions, the last of which came at Magny-Cours in 2015, the final race for the class. Alongside his experience in the WorldSBK paddock, he also has 125cc Grand Prix experience with 17 starts.

However, his recent exploits have been onboard Superbike machinery in the CIV Italian Superbike class, with 18 podiums dating back to 2018, whilst last year gave him a first victory. In 2023, he has one podium to his name, coming at Misano in P2. Ahead of his WorldSBK debut at Misano, Vitali has seven podiums at the Italian venue across BMW and Honda machinery, but this weekend he’ll be aboard ZX-10RR Kawasaki machinery.

Posting on Facebook, it was a late call-up for Vitali: “This weekend, I’m going to take on a World Superbike race for the first time. I was planning on coming to see the round like every year, but the Orelac Racing MOVISIO team called me last night, which definitely changed my weekend plans! It’s going to be hard never tried this bike, let alone a WorldSBK bike, but lets see what we can get. Luckily, at least I know the track well. I’m very curious right now.”

Posting on Instagram, Oliver Konig shared his disappointment and not being able to ride, but stated that the health of his ankle has to come first: Unfortunately, the health of my ankle does not allow me to participate in the next WorldSBK event. So, for the safety of mine and the other riders, we have decided to skip this weekend and hopefully, we will be fully prepared for the next race. Good luck to the team at Misano. I apologise to all my supporters and partners.”

Watch the 2023 Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round in style with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock gets set for the 2023 Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the iconic Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, all eyes will be on Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) following the announcement that he would switch to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for 2024. Ahead of Round 5 of 2023, Kenan Sofuoglu, Razgatlioglu’s manager and five-time World Champion, discussed Razgatlioglu’s move to BMW for next season as well as how he hopes he can end his Yamaha career on a high note this season.

LONG TERM GOALS: “He has a two-year contract and, I believe, we will win the Championship…”

When Razgatlioglu lines up on the 2024 grid with BMW, the German manufacturer will become the third different manufacturer Razgatlioglu has raced for in WorldSBK alongside Kawasaki and Yamaha. He has claimed wins and podiums with both Kawasaki and Yamaha so far, as well as the 2021 title with the latter, but Sofuoglu believes that Razgatlioglu will be able to add more wins, podiums and titles to his collection when he joins BMW next season. The five-time WorldSSP Champion also likened the move to when Razgatlioglu left Kawasaki and joined Yamaha for 2020 where he won in Australia, in Race 1, to take his first Yamaha victory in his first race.

Explaining the long-term goals, Sofuoglu said: “Toprak had an offer in 2020 to leave a winning package, when Jonny was winning everything. Kawasaki wanted him and he was very good on Kawasaki. Later, we moved to Yamaha and we won the Championship with Yamaha. The Yamaha movement made Toprak much more famous. If Toprak was the third Kawasaki and won Championships with Kawasaki, I think Toprak wouldn’t have been as famous as today. It’s very different to have Kawasaki fighting with Kawasaki or Kawasaki fighting with Yamaha as we did with the last contract. Now, we want to do this with BMW. Maybe not many people believe in us. We believe very much, me and Toprak. We believe 100% we are going to win the Championship with BMW. Time will show us, but this is what we believe.

“BMW are a very big brand and they are very excited to give us what we need. Toprak has enough talent to cover missing points. He has a two-year contract and, I believe, we will win the Championship. I can’t say which year, but we come to BMW to make BMW and ourselves Champions. They are fully ready for what Toprak needs to make it, even in the future. If Toprak asks, BMW are ready to deliver to Toprak what he needs to make the bike a Championship winning bike. This partnership came together to be Champions. We came together to make BMW World Champions. This is our main goal.”

JOINING BMW: “It’s one of the hardest challenges… Toprak wants to try it”

Razgatlioglu will leave his Yamaha YZF-R1 behind at the end of the year, in which he has won 33 races and taken a total of 93 podiums. He claimed the 2021 title after an incredible season-long fight with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) which culminated in a showdown in Indonesia. Sofuoglu discussed why Razgatlioglu opted to leave Yamaha for BMW next season, with the M1000RR proving to be less competitive in 2023 compared to the Yamaha although the team did score podiums last year with the old model.

Sofuoglu explained: “There was an offer from BMW. They were the first interested team for Toprak. We tried to deal with Yamaha and when BMW’s interest arrived, I told all of them very clearly, ‘first, we will speak with Yamaha and if we don’t make an agreement with them, we can start speaking’. We couldn’t deal with Yamaha, but it was not just for the money story but mainly, in our mind, to make the change. I saw that Toprak was most interested in BMW. He knows, and we know, it’s one of the hardest challenges it can be. Toprak wants to try it. BMW’s never been WorldSBK Champion. They’ve had some good results but have never been the Champion. If you look at the results right now, we can’t say it’s going to be easy for us. I give my full support to Toprak. I believe he’s very talented and this is why I fully support him for his excitement with BMW. In the end, we found an agreement. I already see, this spring, very good excitement from Toprak. We saw it at the last test at Misano. We were very close to the deal at this test and Toprak was very excited to continue in WorldSBK with a new challenge. People were telling him it would be difficult, but he wanted to see what he could do with BMW. This is what we needed. This was the main reason we made this change in WorldSBK.”

A STRUGGLE BEFORE ADAPTING? “I don’t think it’ll take a long time for Toprak to understand the bike”

BMW have changed their rider line-up on several occasions in recent seasons, first bringing in Michael van der Mark from Yamaha, with the Dutchman taking BMW’s last victory in a mixed conditions Portimao Tissot Superpole Race in 2021 as well as Scott Redding who came in at the start of the 2022 season. In recent years, they have also fielded Eugene Laverty and Tom Sykes, the latter of whom is back on a temporary basis as van der Mark recovers from a fractured leg. Razgatlioglu will become the latest to adapt from their current machine to the M1000RR and Sofuoglu outlined the short-term goals for the 2021 Champion.

He said: “Yamaha haven’t allowed us to start early testing. In the WorldSBK paddock, normally every team allows riders after the final race, but Yamaha didn’t give us the green light to jump on the bike after the final race. Toprak is very hungry to jump on the BMW. I think the team will prepare a very good testing programme for Toprak. I don’t think it will take a long time for Toprak to understand the bike and start to have good results. Maybe this time next year, I guess, we will have the first podium. Winning, we have to see, but I can tell you Toprak will start with BMW with a podium opportunity. Maybe winning but we’ll have to see later. I’m sure about it.”

LEAVING YAMAHA ON A HIGH: “We want to win the Championship…”

Razgatlioglu took the 2021 title with Yamaha and fought with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) last year as he looked to retain it. However, the Spanish rider prevailed as he claimed his first WorldSBK crown and he currently holds a 69-point advantage over Razgatlioglu after four rounds. Sofuoglu discussed the Ducati-Bautista package as well as the aim of Razgatlioglu leaving Yamaha on a high with more victories and, potentially, the Championship.

Discussing this, Sofuoglu said: “We want to win the Championship, but we have to be realistic. Bautista is too strong. Personally, I never see it as Ducati are too good because Bautista is winning. I think, together, they are very good. Bautista is the one rider using the Ducati like he needs to. This package is together is too strong and it looks like it’ll be difficult to beat them. I am very confident that there are some races Toprak will be very strong and beat Bautista. This could be at Misano. This could be much more likely at Donington and Imola. There are a few races where Bautista will have a hard time. Generally, if you look at the whole season, Bautista can win the Championship, but I think there are a lot of races that we can win.”

Watch all the WorldSBK action throughout 2023 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship riders, the youngest stars in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock, will take on their third round of the season this weekend at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, a track that will prove a leveller as it is familiar to them all following a pre-season test there in April.

The field of 20 young hopefuls gathered for an induction day followed by a test day at the circuit in Emilia-Romagna in April when they first made contact with their 2023 Yamaha R3 machines, so this weekend will see a level playing field as every rider has already experienced the track first hand – although not in racing conditions.

For many of the riders, who range from 14 to 20 years old, it will offer a great opportunity to get up to speed quickly without having to worry about learning a brand-new layout, and this is sure to create even closer action, tighter times, and exciting battles throughout the weekend.

Last time out in Barcelona the crowds bore witness to some thrilling racing when Italy’s Emiliano Ercolani and Brazil’s Gustavo Manso took a win each in the two R3 races held on Saturday at the Catalan track, but their path to the top step of the podium wasn’t easy thanks to countless overtakes and unpredictable position changes from start to finish. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Indonesia) and Dorian Joulin (France) completed the top three in race one, while Ercolani and Kevin Fontainha (Brazil) stepped up in race two. Thanks to his consistent start to the season, Ercolani now leads the standings by 20 points over Manso, and he’s sure to be aiming for glory again at his home race, but it’s all still to play for as each rider becomes more competitive and comfortable in the series with each passing race.

You can follow all the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship action from Misano via the WorldSBK app, and on the Yamaha bLU cRU Official and Yamaha Racing social media channels.

Source: WorldSBK.com

There will be a new name on the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid during the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the iconic Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. With Eric Granado still deemed unable to race by his doctors, the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team have drafted in Japanese rider Ryo Mizuno to complete their line-up in Italy with Mizuno making his WorldSBK debut and he is set to race alongside Hafizh Syahrin, subject to the Malaysian rider passing medical checks after he was declared unfit in Barcelona.

In 2022, Mizuno competed in the British Superbike championship with Honda and finished 23^rd in the standings with a best result of 11^th in the second race at Brands Hatch. The 24-year-old competed in the Asia Talent Cup in 2014 where he finished sixth in the standings with a podium to his name at the Sentul International Circuit in Indonesia and he finished behind riders such as Moto3™ race winners Kaito Toba and Ayumu Sasaki. Mizuno also has experience in the MotoGP™ paddock, making one-off races in Moto3™ in 2015 and Moto2™ in 2017. This season, Mizuno is competing in the Japanese Superbike championship and currently sits fourth in the standings after three rounds.

Mizuno will become the first Japanese rider since Kohta Nozane to race in WorldSBK as he makes his debut in the World Championship on the CBR1000RR-R machine usually raced by Eric Granado. Granado remains unfit after suffering a concussion in a crash in Barcelona, so Mizuno will line-up alongside Syahrin – although the Malaysian rider was also declared unfit after a crash also in Barcelona and will need to pass medical checks at Misano. It meant neither rider tested at Misano in the Dorna Supported test a few weeks ago with Tarran Mackenzie the sole MIE Honda rider at the test.

Explaining why he won’t race at Misano, Granado said: “I’ve been slowly regaining my strength in the weeks since my crash and feel good actually, physically and mentally. As a rider I would like to race, and feel ready, but the doctors have said I can’t compete at Misano. The brain swelling I suffered was quite serious and I had to spend a week in hospital, after which the doctors would only let me walk, no other kind of training. It seems that there’s still some slight swelling now and so it would be unwise to race. The important thing is that I feel good in myself, so I’ll focus on gradually getting back into my training in order to be ready for the Donington round.”

Watch Mizuno’s WorldSBK debut unfold in style using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock heads to the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for the 2023 Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round and it marks a special occasion for tyre supplier Pirelli: they will mark their first home round of the season with celebrations to mark the 20^th anniversary as the Official Tyre Supplier of WorldSBK with a host of activities planned to mark the anniversary, while, on-track, there will be a new SCQ tyre that debuts during the Emilia-Romagna Round.

20^TH ANNIVERSARY: a milestone reached for WorldSBK and Pirelli

Pirelli and WorldSBK have been working in partnership for 20 seasons with Pirelli becoming the Official Tyre Supplier for the 2004 season and the partnership has been ongoing ever since. The agreement was recently extended up to and including the 2026 campaign to take the collaboration even further and, to mark the historic milestone, Pirelli will celebrate at Misano as the first visit to Italy in the 2023 season. During their time in WorldSBK so far, Pirelli have racked up 537 wins in 719 races which includes races before the 2004 campaign.

ON-TRACK TYRES: a new SCQ debuts in WorldSBK

With WorldSBK, WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 on track at Misano, Pirelli have revealed their tyre solutions for the Emilia-Romagna Round. In WorldSBK, the headline is the introduction of a new SCQ tyre, named the SCQ-A, and it features a new structure and compound when compared to the standard SCQ. The aim is to add consistency over a 10-lap distance for the Tissot Superpole Race. Other rear tyres available are the standard super soft SCX, the super soft SCX-A B0800 specification and the standard soft SC0 tyre. The recently introduced development front SC0 soft compound, continuing its development ahead of a planned introduction as a standard solution next season, is back for Misano, joined by the standard SC1 medium and standard SC2 hard compounds. In the event of rain, riders will be able to choose standard intermediate and rain tyres at both the front and rear.

OTHER NEWS FROM PIRELLI: WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 solutions

In WorldSSP, the testing of the WorldSBK-size SC1-A front medium tyre continues, and this will be available to the field in Italy as well as the standard soft SC1 tyre at the front of the bike. At the rear, the riders will be able to choose from the SC0 soft and the SCX super soft tyre, both standard solutions, to use throughout the weekend. As ever, the front and rear both feature intermediate and rain tyres in case it rains. There are changes in WorldSSP300 who, starting from Misano, will have development SC1 front solutions and development SC2 solutions.

PIRELLI SAYS: explaining the choices

Discussing the tyre solutions for Misano, Pirelli’s Motorcycle Racing Director Giorgio Barbier said: “In the first rounds of the season, both in WorldSBK and WorldSSP, we concentrated our development activity on the front range, with the introduction of the soft SC0 for the riders of the premier class and with the comparison between the standard and the larger sizes in Supersport. This work will also continue at Misano but now it’s time to focus on the rears as well, in particular on the SCQ solution. The current standard extra soft guarantees a very good peak performance and therefore it perfectly fulfils its role as a qualifier tyre. The goal we have set ourselves is to allow it to be used also in the Superpole Race, which in some cases already happens. With the new development solution, we want to guarantee this tyre a greater performance consistency and therefore a higher mileage so as to make it a key choice for the 10 laps of the short race on all circuits. In WorldSSP300 we have decided to introduce a new development set that uses some innovative materials.”

Watch all the action from the Emilia-Romagna Round using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship heads to Italy and the iconic Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, two Italian riders will be hoping to avoid a repeat of their Barcelona coming together and claim a stunning win on home soil. The rivalry between Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has ignited in 2023 after bubbling away last season and their home round at Misano could prove to be the next chapter in their rivalry as both go in search of podiums and wins on home soil.

THE SEASON SO FAR: clashes in Indonesia and Catalunya

Their first coming together was at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit when Rinaldi went into Turn 1 on Lap 1 too hot and clipped Bassani’s bike in Race 1. Rinaldi retired from the race and Bassani was able to continue but it was the start of their rivalry in 2023. As the WorldSBK paddock moved to Barcelona, the pair would come together again. In Race 1, the pair were fighting for the podium positions in the restarted race with Rinaldi going past Bassani at Turn 3. Bassani tried to respond into Turns 10 and 11 but the pair made contact with Rinaldi going into the gravel and out of the race; Bassani was given a Long Lap Penalty for his role in the incident and it led to Rinaldi declaring “he lost more than I did” after the incident.

CONTRASTING FORTUNES IN 2023: consistency key for Bassani while Rinaldi has headline results

Bassani currently sits fifth in the Championship standings, two places and 19 points clear of rival Rinaldi and their 2023 season so far has had contrasting moments. While Rinaldi has taken three podiums in 12 races and is now only one shy of his tally from last year, Bassani is yet to stand on the rostrum this season but Rinaldi’s two retirements and poor Dutch Round, where he claimed only seven points, and Bassani’s consistency with only one non top-ten finish this season giving him the advantage over Rinaldi. However, we’ve seen in the past that Bassani is not afraid to mix it up at the front of the field and he will be aiming for a first podium of the season on home soil.

MISANO HISTORY: it suggests they’ll be close on track…

Both riders have had positive results at Misano, but the headline results go in Rinaldi’s favour. He has five podiums a Misano including two wins in 2021 while Bassani is yet to take to the rostrum this year. However, in six races at Misano, Bassani is yet to finish outside the top seven with a best result of fourth in Race 1 last year; when Rinaldi was directly ahead. With both riders frequently in the top ten at Misano, and throughout 2023, history and current form suggests the pair will be fighting with each other again on home soil.

THE RIVALRY CONTINUES: will there be drama on home soil?

As the WorldSBK paddock heads to Misano, eyes will be on Bassani and Rinaldi to see whether their rival intensifies on home soil. Both have shown incredibly fast pace throughout 2023 to be fighting in the top ten and in the podium positions. With the Ducatisti cheering both on as they look to ride the Panigale V4 R to success on home soil. Will either, or both of them, be able to take a historic victory or will they come together again?

Watch Bassani vs Rinaldi unfold at Misano in style using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com