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Malaysian Hafizh Syahrin to race WorldSBK in 2022

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WorldSBK 2022

MIE Racing Honda has announced a two-rider line-up for the 2022 Superbike World Championship season.

As well as confirming Argentinean Leandro “Tati” Mercado after their first season together, Team Principal Midori Moriwaki has welcomed Malaysian rider Hafizh Syahrin to the ranks of the MIE Racing Honda Team.

Midori Moriwaki – Team Principal

“We are extremely happy to confirm two strong riders like Leandro Mercado and Hafizh Syahrin, thus doubling up on our line-up for the 2022 World Superbike season. “Tati” has been great this season, always maintaining a positive and determined attitude, despite some challenging moments for the team, and making an important contribution to the solid progress we have made over the year. He is fast, determined, and experienced and, by extending our collaboration, we will bring continuity to our project. We have been following Hafizh’s career over the years, ever since he ran his first wildcard race in the Moto2 World Championship on a Moriwaki bike (Malaysia 2011) at just 16 years of age. He is one of many strong riders to have emerged from the vibrant and competitive racing scene on the Asian continent, where motorcycling is a much-loved and extremely popular sport. Hafizh is very talented and competitive and will be a very valuable addition to our team and the Superbike World Championship.”

27-year old Syahrin, who hails from Selangor district, is about to conclude his sixth season in the Moto2 World Championship and has also completed two seasons in the MotoGP class, in 2018 and 2019. Now set to debut in WorldSBK on a Fireblade, Syahrin will find a strong and experienced team-mate in Mercado, who will embark on his second season with Moriwaki’s squad.

Hafizh Syahrin

“I would like to thank the team, Midori Moriwaki especially, and Honda for the belief and trust they put in me. I am sure we will be able to work well together and hopefully produce good results. I will do my very best as always. This will be a new challenge for me, and I am enthusiastic about getting started! I would like to thank all the sponsors, my family, friends, and the fans as well for their continuous support – I know everyone is as excited as I am! Bring it on! Thank you everyone”.

Mercado has managed to bag 21-points across season 2021 and is currently ranked 21st in the WorldSBK Championship with one round still remaining.

Leandro Mercado

“I am very happy to continue with the MIE Racing Honda Team and with this project in the Superbike World Championship. I think we have done a good job this year and made consistent progress, but we still have more to do and more to give! We can, and must, get better results and for this reason it is important to be able to continue working on this project, which gives me so much motivation. I want to thank Midori Moriwaki for believing in me, the whole team for the great work they do, and the sponsors for their support. For my part, I will give 100% to continue our growth”.

Source: MCNews.com.au

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Ben Currie to join new look World Supersport ranks

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World Supersport 2022

After a few years without any permanent representation in the ranks of World Supersport Australia already has two riders signed up to take on the new look World Supersport Championship in 2022.

In the biggest shake-up in the history of the category, organisers will open the class up to 955 cc V-Twins and 765 triples in a quest to broaden the appeal of the category and open it up to more manufacturers. 

Oli Bayliss has already been announced as a rider for Barni Racing Ducati, and this week Motozoo Racing by Puccetti announced that Ben Currie will race one of their ZX-6R machines. 

Benjamin Currie is a rider with a double passport, German and Australian, born on May 17, 1995 in Würzburg – Germany. He has lived in the UK since he was 18, was national vice-champion in the Superstock 600, then moved up to the British Supersport 600 in 2017 finishing third. In the same class he finished second in 2018, while in 2019 he competed for Kawasaki Factory in the BSB. In 2021 he participated in the British Supersport 600, finishing second. 2022 will be the year of his debut in the Supersport 600 World Championship.

Ben Currie

“I have been working for a long time to take the opportunity to compete in the Supersport 600 World Championship. For me it is a dream come true and I am looking forward to getting on track for the first tests. I will have the opportunity to continue my work with Kawasaki and this is certainly very positive. In these seasons I have always achieved great results in Supersport 600 with the Kawasaki ZX6R and I am sure that thanks to the support of Motozoo Racing by Puccetti I will have the opportunity to reap a lot of satisfaction.”

Ben Currie
Ben Currie atop the British Supersport podium at Brands Hatch earlier this year – Image Dave Yeomans

Currie’s team-mate will be rising young Dutch star, Jeffrey Buis. Born in 2001, Buis was Supersport 300 World Champion in 2020, while he finished third in 2021 in the 300 class.

Jeffrey Buis

“I am really very happy to confirm already now my presence at the Supersport 600 World Championship in 2022. Continuing with Motozoo, the team with which I am competing in the last two races of the 2021 season, in Argentina and Indonesia, makes me happy. I got along well with them right from the debut, they are very professional and prepared. Already in my debut race we managed to reach the points zone. Having confirmed our collaboration also for 2022 will allow us to prepare ourselves in the best possible way for next season.“

The team, which will enjoy direct support from Kawasaki Motors Europe, will compete in its second full season in the World Championship in 2022.

Fabio Uccelli – Motozoo Racing by Puccetti Team Manager

“I am really happy to be able to announce our team’s participation in the Supersport 600 World Championship also in 2022. We have already defined the plans for next season, even before having finished. that of 2021. Next year we will enjoy the direct support of Kawasaki Motors Europe confirming that the work done this year, in our first world championship season, has been judged very positively by the European branch of the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer. It is the right reward for the professionalism shown this year and I am very proud of this. It was obviously a difficult season, we didn’t know the tracks and the bike. Having scored points in more races this season and winning race one in Navarra in the World Supersport Challenge with Hikari Okubo made us aware of our level and our potential. The support of Kawasaki Motor Europe – in addition to the technical support by the Puccetti organization – will allow us to grow even more. in 2022. We will have two excellent riders, Jeffrey Buis, already World Champion in the 300 class, with whom we are already gaining experience in the end of this season, and Benjamin Currie, protagonist in 2021 in the 600 class of the British Supersport, where he finished second. The ingredients to do well are all there, but now we aim to finish the current season well with Buis, with whom we will compete in the next and last race in Indonesia.”

Source: MCNews.com.au

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Counting down to Lombok final race of the year. Seeing loads of great pics and video from the new circuit there. Can’t wait to s…

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Counting down to Lombok final race of the year. Seeing loads of great pics and video from the new circuit there. Can’t wait to see all the Indonesian fans! 🇮🇩


Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook

News, WSBK

Oli Bayliss confirmed to ride World Supersport with Ducati

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Oli Bayliss heading to Europe

In a move we first intimated at during a wide ranging interview with Oli, Troy and Kim back in July, Ducati has now officially confirmed that Oli Bayliss will contest the new look World Supersport Championship in 2022.

Oli Bayliss broke through for his first Australian Superbike race and round win in Darwin back in June – Image Rb MotoLens

Oli recently turned 18 after breaking through for his maiden Superbike victory in the Australian Superbike Championship at Darwin earlier this year on the DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R.

A young Oli Bayliss on the podium with parents Troy and Kim at Portimao in 2008 – Image 2snap

Ducati recently released a 21st anniversary special edition V2 Panigale to commemorate the first of Troy’s three World Superbike Championship victories and it is on just such a machine that Oli will contest the new look World Supersport Championship with in 2022.

Ducati Panigale V2 Troy Bayliss 20th Anniversary Edition

Oli will be aiming to get another Superbike win under his belt before he departs our shores when he rides the DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R at the final round of the 2021 Australian Superbike Championship that will be staged over the first week in December at South Australia’s The Bend Motorsports Park. He will have his work cut out for him though as MotoGP star Jack Miller is rumoured to be racing the ASBK event along with his good mate and top FIM Endurance World Championship rider Josh Hook…

Oli Bayliss in action on the DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R at Hidden Valley earlier this year where he took his first Superbike victory – Image Half Light

The arrival in Europe of the youngest of the Bayliss clan will be eagerly watched, but Oli has his feet firmly on the ground, is very well liked amongst his peers here in Australia, and I am sure will prove just as popular as his dad was, and still is!

Oli will join Barni Racing’s new World Supersport effort as the long running Superbike team expands into the new look Supersport Championship. Oli’s team-mate will be 20-year-old Luca Bernardi.

Up until now the Supersport class has been bound by regulations to incorporate 600cc four-cylinder, 675cc three-cylinder and 750cc twin-cylinder machines.  As the market has so significantly changed in recent years and moved away from the motorcycles that did make up the category, 2022 will see the Supersport class open up to include 955 cc twins and 765 cc triples.

Source: MCNews.com.au