The class will enjoy the fifth round of their calendar and the youngsters are really gearing up for the second part of the season, especially as two title contenders – Emiliano Ercolani and Aldi Satya Mahendra – crashed out of Race 1 at Donington Park and gave hope to a new winner in the form of Marc Vich.

The R3 championship has never held a round In Imola before, and the varied track full of ups and downs is sure to give the fresh young talents plenty to think about. A legendary and classic circuit with a rich history and a passionate crowd, the two R3 races held on Saturday at the track will provide plenty of thrills as Ercolani hopes for another home win to add to the one he took in Misano, and the chasing pack aim to make their mark on the podium.

The 18-year-old Italian has a 27-point lead in the title fight, but Brazilian trio Kevin Fontainha, Gustavo Manso and Eduardo Burr are hot on his heels and ready to take the top step of the podium, and Mahendra has his sights set on another win after taking victory in Race 2 at Donington.

Plenty of other riders, such as Dorian Joulin, Shoma Yamane and Krittapat Keakum, find themselves firmly in the lead group every race weekend and they would love to add their names to the Imola history books too.

For all the info and updates stay tuned to the WorldSBK App and the Yamaha bLU cRU Official Instagram account.

Source: WorldSBK.com

The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team will line up with Roberto Tamburini and Eric Granado at the Autodromo Internazionale Dino e Enzo Ferrari di Imola this weekend after regular rider Hafizh Syahrin was declared unfit following a crash while testing at Suzuka. Tamburini rode in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship last year on Yamaha machinery and will return for his home round, the Prometeon Italian Round, as Syahrin recovers from his injuries.

The Malaysian rider crashed on the first of two days of testing for the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours which has left him with a displaced C6 spinous process fracture with no neurological symptoms. It means he will miss out on WorldSBK’s return to Imola which he was heading into on the back of a points-scoring outing at Donington Park. The 29-year-old has eight points to his name this season and currently sits 21^st in the standings with a best finish of 14^th on two occasions.

His replacement will be Italian rider Tamburini who competed in last year’s European rounds with the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team. The two-time STK1000 runner-up will ride the CBR1000RR-R machine at a circuit he knows like the back of his hand. He took victory there in the CIV Superbike championship in 2015 and has two more podiums at Imola in the class, while he also has three podiums from his time in STK1000.

Last season, Tamburini received a last-minute call-up to race in WorldSBK and finished 17^th in the Championship standings with 36 points. He secured a best result of 11^th on three occasions – Assen Race 2, Misano Race 1 and Most Race 2 – as he took part in the European rounds; missing out on trips to Argentina, Indonesia and Australia. He will return to WorldSBK action for Imola and will be looking to make his mark on the Championship once again.

Discussing his WorldSBK comeback, Tamburini said: “I’m very happy to have got the call from the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team to race at Imola, although of course I wish Hafizh all the best and a speedy recovery. I’m competing in the Endurance World Championship this year so I’m returning to World Superbike after one year with the goal of getting to know the team and quickly adapting to the bike. It would be nice to see progress over the weekend, so I hope to be able to improve with each session and have fun. It will be a challenge, because I will be riding the Honda for the first time, but I already know the Imola track and like it, which is good, so I will try to do my best without pressure. Thanks to Midori Moriwaki, HRC and the entire team for this opportunity.”

Watch every moment from Imola LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED for 50% off using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) is the most successful MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rider of all time. The 36-year-old has six titles, 118 wins and 251 podiums to his name so far with the Northern Irishman eager to add to these stats in 2023 and beyond. In a feature interview, Rea spoke about the thought of retirement, how 2023 has been challenging for him and his KRT squad and the next steps to return to winning ways.

REA RULES OUT RETIREMENT: “I’m so motivated; I want to win again!”

With silly season in full swing, the Ulsterman was the first to be committed to 2024 after he signed a contract that would see him through 2023 and next year with KRT. However, Rea revealed he has thought about retirement but remains motivated to win again with the team he’s had so much success with. Despite the thought crossing his mind, Rea spoke about riding in “the best shape I ever have” as he looks to climb back to the top step of the podium.

Speaking about retirement crossing his mind and then ruling it out, Rea stated: “I’ve thought about retiring. When you find it hard to be really competitive, I started to ask myself. I started to have those questions. It’s tough because people questioned what I’m doing here, ‘he’s done enough’ or ‘why does he keep turning up?’ but right now it’s at that point where I still really believe in the programme I’m in. Hopefully we can find the way. I’m so motivated to win. I want to win again. I feel like I have so much more left to give. I feel like I’m riding in the best shape I ever have. I’m really busting my ass every lap. Right now, it seems far because it’s hard to be competitive but if you really believe that it’s possible, why not work?

“I don’t have much else. I’ve got my wife and kids at home but, aside from racing motorbikes, I have nothing. It’s my life. It’s all I’ve known since I was a kid, and I haven’t allowed myself to think what comes after. Until that day comes where I don’t feel like I can be competitive, or maybe I’m not enjoying things in the same way, maybe I’ll think about walking away. When you’re not winning, you must take enjoyment from other areas and that’s tough. I’ve been through it. I’m starting to learn to set smaller targets. Don’t just become obsessed about winning. Find ways to keep motivated.”

2023 IN REVIEW: “very challenging… times have changed”

This season has been difficult for the multiple World Champion. He has taken only six podiums in six rounds – two of which came on home soil at Donington – while he is yet to win this year. His last victory came at Phillip Island in Race 1 last year but, in 2023, the wins have been taken primarily by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) although Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) has claimed two. Rea is in a fierce battle for third place, 12 points behind Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and 17 ahead of Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in fifth.

Reviewing the first half of 2023, Rea said: “When I look back over the season so far, it’s been very challenging. Times have changed from where we’ve been winning every weekend. The biggest thing we’re missing is development. Fundamentally, our bike’s been the same for many years and we’re a little bit of a victim of our own success. When you’re winning for many years, there’s not much reason to improve. I think Ducati came with their bike in 2019, it was the first shotgun effect that this is the new level. Other manufacturers have started coming with new bikes and making huge improvements. We’re making small changes but now we need a big step. WorldSBK’s at a very high level. We need to work hard to find that level again. We were there once. I’ve great people around me. Trust the process and weather the storm. Hopefully we can come out and challenge for wins.”

THE NEXT STEP: looking to end the year on a high

WorldSBK moves into the second half of the season this weekend with the Prometeon Italian Round, as the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola returns to the calendar for the first time since 2019. It’s a circuit Rea has enjoyed a lot of success at in the past; he was first or second in every race there since 2013 Race 2. KRT and Rea will be hoping Imola can kickstart a successful end to the year so they can start next year on a high.

On his feeling with the bike and looking to take the next step, Rea remarked: “I feel good with the bike. We’re starting to make some steps. Hopefully we can end the season in a better way than we started. My goal for the last part of 2023 is to be on the podium most weekends. When you get a podium, there’s that small reward that you’ve achieved something good. Finishing fourth can be good, you can be close, but there’s not that same sense of achievement. Now in WorldSBK and the Paddock Show, when you’re there you feel validated and good. My main target is to win a race. I want to win again so badly. There will be times this year where we can have a chance to fight. Every weekend isn’t an expectation right now because our competitors are so far, but to be on the podium and to win a race would be a nice way to say we succeeded in this part of 2023.”

Watch every moment LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED from Imola for HALF PRICE using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Six rounds down, six more to come: the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is seeing stories unfold. However, we caught up with Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) about how he’s relishing being in a new team for this year, and how his mentality has shifted from hating racing in 2021 and being ready to give it all up, to fighting for top five results and having more fun now, back to how it used to be when he went racing with his dad. The Texan completely opens up about his mentality and how past struggles have made him a stronger person now.

Gerloff’s stellar start in WorldSBK came crashing down in 2021 when he was caught up in early-race incidents, the most notable of which was with fellow Yamaha rider and title contender Toprak Razgatlioglu at Assen in Race 2. Razgatlioglu and Gerloff collided at Turn 1 on the first lap, leaving the eventual World Champion out of the race, although the team would later reflect on that as a turning point. For Gerloff however, results and mentality weren’t the same after.

“I WAS OVER IT… I COULDN’T EVEN FEEL LIKE I COULD LOOK IN THE MIRROR”

Talking about his mentality after everything that happened, Gerloff made no bones about the fact he wasn’t enjoying racing: “I was pretty miserable in 2021 after all the stuff that was going on. I hated racing, I hated going to the track and I hated everything about it. At the end of 2021, I wanted to quit racing; I was over it. After everything: all the terrible results and all the drama that I went through and felt, all the incidents, it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t understand why I was racing. I couldn’t even feel like l could look in the mirror. I didn’t know who I was as a rider anymore; I didn’t see myself as the person who everyone had painted me out to be. Because of circumstances that I put myself in, it was my fault and I’m not going to deny that. But I didn’t see myself as that person, even though I’d done it. I was over it.”

However, as 2022 kicked into life, the final year of his contract with Yamaha, an opportunity came up that would give the #31 a change of view for 2023: “In 2022, it was difficult too but once I got the opportunity from BMW, it breathed a little bit of life into me. It gave me some motivation and a new challenge and a new atmosphere, a new bike… it was something that I needed. Other than that, I just wanted to stop racing. To come with this team now and with BMW, to have the environment that I have, to be enjoying it as much as I am… it saved my career. I would have been done if things hadn’t changed. I’m grateful for them.”

“I FORGOT TO ENJOY IT… I WAS AT MY BREAKING POINT” – bouncing back in style

Reflecting on that part of his career now, Gerloff admitted that he’d had enough, and that he was so centred by it all: “It is a job at the end of the day and you forget to look at things from a 30,000-foot view. I was so ‘in’ everything that happened; I forgot to enjoy it. I just needed a change to go back and see how everything really is. I live to race, I don’t race to live; it’s my job and I need to do my best. And I was doing my best but I just couldn’t stand it; I hated it. I was just at my breaking point after everything that happened and I wasn’t getting results or having fun. A lot of things in life aren’t fun, but you have to do it. But it’s nice that things have changed; I am having a blast riding a motorcycle again and all I think about is riding and going faster. I’m engaged now and before, it was about trying to avoid it because of how it all went. I’m in a good place now.”

Now in a far more positive mindset and back to the familiar Garrett Gerloff that WorldSBK welcomed at a post-season Aragon test in 2019, the American spoke about being wanted again: “It’s helped a ton. BMW have had success in the past but it’s been a struggle lately. What makes the atmosphere so nice is that I’ve come in with a normal top ten, and the team are ecstatic. They’re pumped! That’s something I have never felt. Honestly, at the beginning, I was annoyed! I was like, ‘why are you guys happy? This sucks and we need to re-evaluate!’ but the nice part is that no matter what I do, they’re happy that I’ve given it my all. That’s such a nice feeling.

“I think with Yamaha, it was a race-winning bike and Toprak was doing amazing things on it, so when you have that guy who has all the incredible results and then you’re out there getting sixth, seventh, fifth, it’s OK but you have that comparison of why aren’t you doing as good, like ‘the bike can do it so what’s wrong with you’; it’s that type of mentality. So, to not have that exact comparison is good. It’s cool because I’ve been the best BMW a couple of times this year and it feels like a win sometimes. To be the best team with the BMW, I think that’s why the team get as excited as they do!”

“IT’S BEEN SUPER FUN! I FEEL LIKE I’M BACK RACING WITH MY DAD WHEN I WAS AMATEUR”

Now without the comparison or expectation, the 27-year-old gave an in-depth answer about whether it’s the same kind of feeling as when he first arrived in the paddock: “It’s the same for any rider and it’s the same in life; if you have low expectations then you can exceed them pretty easily. However, in 2020, that was not the case; the expectations were high in 2020 because the bike was a winning bike and even though I was rookie, I still had to do something otherwise they’d find someone else. Until that podium in Barcelona, it was looking like I was going to be the one without a ride for 2021. Barcelona changed by whole career path as it was looking like I was going to be moved aside and that Caricasulo was going to stay going forwards into 2021. When I started getting podiums, it was like ‘well if you’re not getting podiums then what are you doing?’.

“This is the first time in a team where I’ve felt no expectation; even in the USA, I was on one of the best bikes in one of the best teams for my whole career. ‘If you’re not doing well, then we’re going to have to take a serious look at you because you’re not the guy.’ We can see now that the bike has a lot of potential but not as consistently as we all want, so we’ve all got to do the best as we can. If I am with the best BMW rider or I can be the best BMW rider, that’s probably the best it can be at the moment. It’s been super fun! I feel like I’m back racing with my dad; it’s like whatever result I get, that’s awesome. That’s the vibe right now; it feels like I’ve gone back in time a little bit.”

“IT WAS NICE TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO BELIEVED IN ME” – Gerloff reunited with Les Pearson

One final topic remained; partnering back up with Les Pearson, his crew chief from 2020 and most of 2021. Gerloff stated how happy he is to be back with Pearson, who is a good friend as much as he is a crew chief: “It wasn’t something that I had a decision over in Yamaha; I didn’t have any say in it and it was a total shock when they ended up changing on me. Les, in my opinion, is one of the biggest reasons why I was able to do so well in the first year. I showed up in WorldSBK and in my first race, I was second-last. So it was like, ‘this could be a tough year’, but Les gave a mindset and atmosphere of belief, especially when he spoke to me. That meant a ton to me.

“It’s hard to find belief in yourself sometimes if things aren’t going well, so it was nice to have someone who believed in me. I knew in my heart I could do it but it kind of gets buried down. You have to take small steps and every result we got, whether it was taking two seconds closer to the win or finishing higher up, it was going the right way. He was one of the guys who brought the positivity to GRT and again to Bonovo, but now it’s everyone else too.”

Watch the second half of the 2023 season unfold in style with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The last time the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship was in action was at Misano at the start of June. The unpredictability of the Championship returns after a six-week hiatus with the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola hosting WorldSSP300’s breath-taking action. The Prometeon Italian Round promises to be another stunning weekend of action as the title fight gears up – it will be the halfway stage of the season for WorldSSP300 – while a wildcard returns to action and hopes to surprise again.

IERACI RETURNS: will he repeat his Misano feat at Imola?

At Misano, Bruno Ieraci (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) stunned everyone with his first two wins in the Championship as a wildcard. Ieraci is one of the most experienced riders in WorldSSP300 with 50 races under his belt but his two victories, his first two in WorldSSP300, came as a wildcard. He took a maximum 50-point haul from Misano and the 22-year-old will be hoping he can put the cat amongst the pigeons once again at Imola and drag himself up the standings. Ieraci has valuable experience of Imola from his time in the domestic series, including wins in the Pre Moto3 class in 2014.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT HEATS UP: looking to leave Imola on top

Ieraci will face stiff competition on home soil as riders fighting for the Championship look to leave Italy with a clear advantage over their rivals. Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) heads into his home round one point clear of Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki) in second at a circuit neither have raced at in WorldSSP300. Gennai, however, has raced there when competing in the Italian championship albeit between 2016 and 2018. Will his experience here help extend his lead? Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) will be looking to get his Championship charge back on track and the Dutchman was on the grid last time WorldSSP300 came to Imola in 2019; although the race was cancelled.

HOME HEROES: can other Italian riders give the fans something to cheer?

Aside from the four race winners in 2023, plenty of Italian riders will be searching for glory at Imola. Two-time race winner Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) has two podiums at Imola in CIV Supersport 300, while Alfonso Coppola, making a return to WorldSSP with the Sublime Racing by MS Racing squad, was victorious at the historic circuit last year in CIV. Mattia Martella (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) has also won there in CIV: could there be an inter-team fight for victory during the Italian Round? Gabriele Mastroluca (Arco Motor University Team), Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse), Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo – Pi Performances), Devis Bergamini (ProGP Racing) and Alessandro Zanca (Team#109 Kawasaki) will also go in search of strong results on home soil. Michael Agazzi (Sublime Racing by MS Racing) will make his WorldSSP300 debut at Imola as will Roberto Jason Sarchi (Gradaracorse) as the second wildcard.

THE FIGHT FOR THIRD: four nationalities looking for the top three

Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) currently heads the battle for third with 71 points and just six points separate four riders from four different countries. Chasing down German rider Geiger are Spain’s Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR), France’s Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) and Brazil’s Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team). How much will the order change in the battle for third, or will any of them be able to close the gap and make the title fight even more unpredictable?

HISTORY AT IMOLA: what happened on previous visits?

WorldSSP300 has gone to the stunning Italian circuit on three occasions although the Race in 2019 was cancelled due to torrential rain. There have been two different polesitters in three Tissot Superpole sessions – Mika Perez in 2017 and 2019 and Ana Carrasco in 2018. Neither are on the grid in 2023, so we are set for a brand-new rider on pole this time around. Carrasco also claimed victory in 2018 on her way to being crowned World Champion, while 2017 Champion Marc Garcia won at Imola the year he won the title. Could a race winner in 2023 continue this form of being crowned Champion the same season they won at Imola?

Watch every moment form Imola LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED for half price using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Pirelli will bring a mix of standard and development solutions to the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola for Round 7 of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. The development SCQ tyre returns to action during the Prometeon Italian Round as well as other development solutions for both the front and rear tyres as Pirelli continues to innovate and develop their products in WorldSBK.

DEVELOPMENT SCQ IS BACK: several rear solutions at Imola

After making its debut at Misano, the C0004 development SCQ-A compound returns to action at Imola to provide more consistency over the 10-lap Tissot Superpole Race when compared to the standard SCQ using a new structure and compound. It is the only SCQ tyre available during the Italian Round with four sets for each rider to use, although the extra soft tyre cannot be used in Race 1 or Race 2. There are three other rear tyres available too with two from the standard range, the SCX super soft and SC0 soft, while there’s a development SCX-A super soft too with the B0800 spec; it made its debut in 2022 and has been used prominently throughout 2023.

FRONT TYRE SOLUTIONS: two standard, one development

Pirelli’s first-ever SC0 soft front compound is back as the Italian company continues development work on it, aiming to make it a standard tyre in 2024. Two standard solutions are also available. The SC1 medium is joined by the SC2 hard to give teams and riders plenty of choice when it comes to the front tyre. The SC1 is one of the most widely used tyres throughout the 2023 campaign while the SC2 made its debut last year and offers better mechanical resistance and greater wear protection when compared to the medium compound.

FRONT TYRE EXPERIMENTS CONTINUE: WorldSBK front tyre available in WorldSSP

As has been the case in 2023, Pirelli are continuing to evaluate whether the SC1 medium tyre from WorldSBK can be used in WorldSSP in the future. It’s once again available to the WorldSSP field along with the SC1 soft tyre, which is standard for the Championship. At the rear, riders will be able to use either the SCX super soft or SC0 soft compound tyres; both from the standard range.

PIRELLI SAYS: explaining the tyre allocation

Discussing the tyres available at Imola, Pirelli’s Motorcycle Racing Director, Giorgio Barbier, said: “We are back on a track we know well, and which has already hosted WorldSBK 17 times, the last one in 2019. Compared to Donington, the conditions will be very different: we expect much higher temperatures and a less aggressive asphalt, and this is why the allocation for Imola includes the front SC0 and the new SCQ in specification C0004 that we saw in action at Misano. On the front, we will therefore have the complete range, from the softer SC0 to the harder SC2, and we will be able to continue the work begun in Barcelona, and then continued in Misano, of verifying the performance of the new soft front.

“As for the rear solutions, the comparison between the standard SCX and the development one in specification B0800 continues, while in qualifying and in the Superpole Race the new SCQ will be put to the test again above all to understand its potential over the 10-lap duration of the short race. The goal with this new SCQ, as stated at the time, is to have a solution which, while maintaining remarkable peak performance, can easily cover the distance of the Superpole Race.”

Watch every moment from Imola LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED for 50% off using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

As the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rumbles into the second half of the season, starting at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola; Imola for short. It’s the seventh round which means it is the seventh opportunity for YOU to win great prizes with the WorldSBK Predictor! All you have to do is predict the correct WorldSBK Superpole time and you’ll have a Tissot T-Race watch – SIGNED by the polesitter – coming your way!

HOW IT WORKS: easy, fun and with great prizes!

The WorldSBK Predictor works on a points-based system and the closer you are to the correct pole lap time, the more points you earn. An exact prediction, down to a thousandth of a second, will give you 100 points towards the global leaderboard, whilst the points players earn for a non-perfect prediction are scaled down. If you are within 0.250s of the exact time, you’ll get 60 points whilst there are 40 points up for grabs for being within 0.500s and 20 points for being within one second.

THE PRIZES: WorldSBK Pit Lounge passes and MORE!

There are some amazing prizes up for grabs, such as the aforementioned Tissot T-Race watch, signed by the polesitter, making this a true collectible item for any fan of WorldSBK. However, the points gained throughout the course of the season also mean that there are EVEN BIGGER PRIZES up for the taking at the end of the year, ranging from WorldSBK Pit Lounge passes to various models of Tissot Watches.

WorldSBK PIT LOUNGE PASSES: the ultimate key to a stunning weekend of hospitality

The WorldSBK Pit Lounge passes are one of the most exclusive prizes fans can win! Boasting a high level of service, the exclusive Hospitality Programme in WorldSBK makes your three days at the circuit the best. A perfect setting of style, luxury, elegance and exclusivity, whilst being in the heart of the action, make this is a key aspect to the Pure Motorsport weekend WorldSBK is proud to have.

You’ll also be able to enjoy the pit walk, being able to meet your favourite riders and get that must-have selfie, autograph or personal experience which makes the WorldSBK paddock so enjoyable. After that, take your reserved spot in the grandstand, and watch battle commence!

MORE PRIZES: watches on offer for second and third!

Second and third place will both win a Tissot watch; the T-Race Quartz Chronograph will be awarded to second place and, for 2023, this model has been given a new set of colours as it reflects the excitement of WorldSBK action. A watch will also be given to third place with a new-look T-Race watch from Tissot. The new design features a more elegant dial whilst still respecting the watch’s sporty roots.

THE RULES: when is the deadline for prediction?

Each round, the deadline for making your prediction will be the start of the Tissot Superpole session, with the game preventing predictions as soon as the session begins. To make sure you enter to predict your time, login to the Predictor on the website and input your prediction for the pole time.

Don’t forget, you can check previous pole times to give you an idea as well as following the Free Practice sessions that come before Tissot Superpole to give an idea of where the pace is at during the round. The WorldSBK Predictor is all about having fun! Whilst there are top prizes on offer, you can always challenge your friends, family or colleagues to see who can take bragging rights!

PLAY NOW: check out the WorldSBK Predictor and make your predictions throughout 2023!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The seventh round of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship comes from Imola for the Prometeon Italian Round and there’ll be a familiar name on the grid this weekend for the first time this season. Leon Haslam will be in action for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, as original substitute rider Tom Sykes recovers from his Donington Park Race 2 crash, whilst full-time rider Michael van der Mark needs more time to get back to full fitness after his Assen Race 2 crash.

‘Pocket Rocket’ Haslam is one of the most experienced riders in World Superbike, having raced for Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, BMW, Aprilia and Kawasaki during his time in the Championship, clinching podiums with all of those manufacturers. Haslam rode for BMW in 2011 and 2012 and whilst he wasn’t able to take victory, eight podiums – including a debut podium in Australia – saw him a constant front-runner. In 2023, he’s back in the BMW family, having achieved six podiums for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team in British Superbikes, including two podiums last weekend at Snetterton 300. He’s currently fifth in the championship.

Speaking ahead of the round, the #91 is hopeful of doing a solid job at a circuit which he knows well: “It’s a fantastic opportunity. Obviously, I have a lot of history with Imola. We took the Championship in 2010 down to the last round at Imola. It’s fantastic to ride again for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. We are riding the BMW M 1000 RR in the UK so I’m looking forward to working with Shaun Muir and all the guys from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. I have no real big expectations, I just want to try to enjoy and hopefully we can get some good information and some good results.”

BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers thanked Haslam for standing in, saying: “First of all, many thanks to Leon for being available at short notice to be with us at Imola. We know each other well from the past, where we celebrated success together, and this season he has returned to the BMW Motorrad family in BSB and is familiar with the new BMW M 1000 RR. He also has a lot of WorldSBK experience, and we are confident that he will quickly get back up to speed at Imola.

“After his crash at Donington, Tom Sykes is on the road to recovery and was discharged from the hospital on Sunday after a week, and we all send him our best wishes. Michael van der Mark participated in a track day last week, however a return for Imola would still be too early, and we have jointly decided that he will sit out this weekend, and then we will reassess the situation.”

Watch the second half of the 2023 season unfold in style with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

It’s been four years since the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship visited Imola and quite a lot has changed since. Not the track though, with the layout remaining the same, although the riders, bikes and even tyres are all fairly different. That makes it quite difficult to predict what will happen or to even give any meaningful insight, but the information we have from past seasons does make for interesting reading. The pre-round stats for Imola’s highly-anticipated return have landed!

300 – The only riders who scored more than 300 points at Imola are Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) with 349 and Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) with 303.

100 – With three podiums at Donington Park, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) ended up at 99, 10 short of the 5^th all-time spot held by Carl Fogarty, and just one to hit the milestone of 100. He’s currently tied with Chaz Davies. Ahead of him, in the all-time standing: Jonathan Rea 251; Troy Corser 130; Noriyuki Haga 116; Tom Sykes 114; Carl Fogarty 109.

59 – In 2018’s Race 2, Rea equalled the legendary tally of all-time WorldSBK wins held by Carl Fogarty: 59. Since then, he has increased his tally to 118, the double of Fogarty, an all-time record.

50 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) is in a position to become the fourth rider in WorldSBK history with 50 wins; the others are Rea on 118, Carl Fogarty on 59 and Troy Bayliss at 52.

26 – 26 wins out of 33 at Imola came from the front row of the starting grid.

18 – Yamaha is on its best podium streak ever, 18.

17 – Ducati is the most successful manufacturer at their home track, with one more win than the sum of its rivals: 17 wins, with Kawasaki following at eight, Honda at seven and Aprilia at one.

14-12 – Ex-teammates Rea and Sykes are record holders for Imola rostrums: 14 for Rea, 12 for Sykes.

14/5 – The last 14 races held here were all won by British riders (Sykes, Rea, Davies): a remarkable record for just one country at Imola, started ten years ago with a double by Sykes. Also, on five occasions, the Imola podium was composed only by British riders.

13 – Rea finished his last 13 races at Imola in either first or second place.

13 – 13 years ago, Tom Sykes recorded his maiden career pole at Imola: 50 more followed, to make him the all-time leader for poles in WorldSBK history.

12 – So far, 12 different riders take pole out of 17 race weekends at Imola. The only riders with more than one pole that are on the current grid are Sykes with three and Rea with two.

5 – Rea is in position to become the first rider with five straight wins at Imola. At the moment, he shares his streak of four (2014-2015 and 2018-2019) with Chaz Davies (2016-2017).

1 – Six-time Champion Rea is the only rider with four consecutive wins at Imola across two different manufacturers: Honda (2014) and Kawasaki (2015).

0.021 seconds – This is the smallest margin for a win at Imola, coming from 2001 Race 2, between Regis Laconi –his maiden win and podium appearance – and Ruben Xaus. Xaus took revenge two years later, beating Laconi with the biggest win margin at Imola in WorldSBK: 12.038s in Race 2.

SHORTHAND NOTEBOOK

2019 race winners:

• Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki, Race 1 and Superpole Race)

Last three pole-sitters at Imola:

• 2019: Chaz Davies (Ducati) 1’45.180
• 2018: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) 1’45.797
• 2017: Chaz Davies (Ducati) 1’45.662

Manufacturer podium places accumulated from all races at Imola (and wins):

• Ducati: 43 (17)
• Kawasaki: 23 (8)
• Honda: 13 (7)
• Aprilia: 12 (1)
• Suzuki: 3
• Yamaha: 3
• BMW: 2

Key gaps from Imola 2019:

• Front row covered by: 0.901s
• 1 second in Superpole covered… the top three: 0.901s
• Closest race gap between 1^st and 2^nd: 2.141s (Rea 1^st, Davies 2^nd Superpole Race)
• Closest race podium: 6.864s (Rea 1^st, Davies 2^nd, Bautista 3^rd, Superpole Race)
• Closest Imola podium of all-time: 0.844s (Laconi 1^st, Xaus 2^nd, Okada 3^rd, Race 2, 2001)

Manufacturer top speeds at Imola, 2019:

• Ducati: Chaz Davies – 286.6 km/h, FP3 and Superpole Race
• Kawasaki: Jonathan Rea – 284.4 km/h, Superpole Race
• BMW: Markus Reiterberger – 282.9 km/h, FP3
• Yamaha: Alex Lowes – 279.9 km/h, FP2
• Honda: Leon Camier – 274.9 km/h, FP2

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

Source: WorldSBK.com

There are very few tracks as famous as Imola; the historic Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari is named after the father and son of one of the world’s most famous car marques and on two and four wheels, it has hosted some of the most memorable races in history. After four years off the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship schedule, we’ll be back in action this week. The action on track will be interesting but it’s the off-track action that will be setting tongues wagging in the build-up. Most of it will be centred around the red bikes and what Ducati do for next year. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) is confirmed for 2024 and it looks increasingly likely that there will be another independent Ducati on the grid in the form of Sam Lowes on a Marc VDS machine, but what about the other seats?

PROGRESS FOR PETRUCCI: is he in the shop window?

Misano and Donington Park showed progress for Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and he was rewarded with his first WorldSBK podium last time out. The 32-year-old is a MotoGP™ race winner and factory rider, so his talent is beyond doubt. Whether he’s earnt the factory Aruba.it seat is a bigger question mark. Two rounds of progress will give encouragement to Ducati but will it be enough to warrant a change of rider?

RINALDI’S FUTURE: bad form at the worst possible moment

The rider in question for the factory seat is Michael Ruben Rinaldi. The 27-year-old has won four races for the Italian manufacturer and has had 17 podiums in the Superbike class but is that enough to hold on to his ride? On pure results it isn’t. But racing is about more than just the box scores. Rinaldi knows his place within the Ducati garage. That place is to be a rear gunner for Bautista and not cause any waves. He does this job better than anyone else Ducati can hire. This could be his saving grace.

On these pages I’ve defended Rinaldi in the past. The decision to drop Chaz Davies or Scott Redding was taken with the knowledge that Rinaldi would be a capable rider on the second seat. His job isn’t to win races and titles, it’s to ensure that Ducati win races and titles. Ducati has been able to meet their goals this year because Bautista has been sensational but what about moving forward?

POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS FOR RINALDI: Bassani or Bulega?

In the past, it was Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) that Rinaldi had to look over his shoulder towards. That rumour has gone cold in the paddock now and Bassani looks set to stay at Motocorsa. For Rinaldi, the disaster of Donington Park will be fresh in Ducati’s mind when we arrive at Imola. So too is Rinaldi’s mistake at Misano when chasing Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) for P2. Indonesia and Assen were disappointing weekends. They’re clocking up for Rinaldi at a time when Ducati is seeing Nicolo Bulega win regularly in the Supersport class. 

Bulega, like so many others, has turned a nondescript Grand Prix career where he was a Moto2™ points scorer into an opportunity at a factory seat in WorldSBK. His journey is on a par with Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and his WorldSSP career has shown enough progress to give Ducati hope that he’s the best option as a Bautista back-up.

There’s little doubt that Bulega will be on a Ducati Superbike next year, the only question is the team. His WorldSSP form will give him a chance to be the factory rider. Ducati has already put resources into him to give him the best chance possible. Four days testing with the factory has yielded impressive results where his times have been very competitive. WorldSBK is about more than single lap times but for Ducati having a young, hungry Italian on the bike is key. Rinaldi fitted that mould in the past but now they have a better option in Bulega.

A MANIAC PLOT-TWIST: one name who COULD change it all

After talking about a possible expansion of the team in the WorldSBK paddock at Donington Park, Marco Barnabo – team principal of the Barni Spark outfit – said that they could expand to a two-bike team for 2024, even if they’re still to define their project. The name being linked with the second seat is none other than Andrea Iannone. WIth the Italian’s four-year ban coming to an end, Barni could potentially field two ex-Ducati factory MotoGP™ race-winning riders next year. Iannone is keen to come to the paddock regardless, so just where he ends up could be one of the most intriguing.

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Source: WorldSBK.com