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Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Tag Archives: WSBK
Davies rides Panigale V4 R amongst WSBK competition
New Ducati V4 R hits track for the first time alongside WSBK competitors
Reigning WSBK champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) has put in a strong opening day on track around MotorLand Aragon, ending the first day of winter testing fastest as unofficial times were recorded at the Spanish circuit. But it was Ducati stealing the headlines, with the debut of the V4 R.
Beginning 2019 with an all new ZX-10RR, Rea was able to use the opening day to work on different settings as he looks at which direction to take for what is set to be a competitive season, putting in 72 laps and the fastest unofficial time.
New team-mate Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) prepares for his debut with the Provec squad, and has been working on getting the first kilometres under his sliders. With 67 laps put in on his opening day, it has been about working on set-up of the championship winning machine.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) made his all-important first steps with the Panigale V4 R, taking to the track in the morning he began to understand his new beast. The Welshman completed 61 laps in total, with a personal best of 1:51.180. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will resume action tomorrow with Davies for another day of testing ahead of its first collective outing, with Alvaro Bautista alongside Davies, at Jerez (Spain) on November 26 and 27.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 1:51.180
“It was really exciting to take the Panigale V4 R out on track for the first time, it felt like Christmas, when you get a wonderful new toy to play with. Usually it takes me a bit of time to learn and understand a new bike, but honestly it felt the opposite today. I was really comfortable straight away, after the first out lap I felt like I wanted to push immediately, which is pretty cool. Overall, it was a really positive day, we’ve made a lot of steps forward and finished most of the work on the ergonomics. We have plenty of new things to evaluate and lots of data to process. The main goal today was to get progressively more comfortable with the bike and start tailoring it to our needs. Tomorrow, we’ll keep the same approach, working on the basics and refining little things before we start to push harder and understand the full potential of the bike a little bit better.”
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team had their duo of Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes out on track, as they spent day one of 2019 evaluating some key components in the chassis, working on suspension with Ohlins and working with some new electronics hardware. Lowes set the second unofficial fastest lap time, and with 76 laps recorded he wasn’t wasting the track time he was offered. Whilst van der Mark recorded 72 laps throughout day one.
It wasn’t only Davies who got the first test of the V4 R, as Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) was out on track with the powerful beast. Getting used to the sensational new bike, he spent his day working with the Aruba.it Ducati squad as well as his new BARNI team and put in 74 laps around MotorLand.
Unofficial times from MotorLand Aragon
- Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 1.49.668
- Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha) 1.51.157
- Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) 1.51.180
- Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) 1.51.479
- Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing) 1.51.656
- Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) 1.51.852
Image by GeeBee
Source: MCNews.com.au
HRC returns to WorldSBK grid in 2019 at Phillip Island
Ducati’s V4 R & BMW’s new S 1000 RR to feature in 2019
The 2019 WorldSBK season is shaping up to be one to remember with the year to kick off at Phillip Island’s season opener in Victoria, Australia, with a massive grid that will boast the return of the Honda Racing Corporation, as well as Ducati with the new V4 R, and BMW championing the new S 1000 RR.
World champion Jonathan Rea beware! That’s the message ahead of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship opener at Victoria’s Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit from February 22-24 following a massive week of grid-strengthening announcements for the production-based series.
Ducati and BMW unveiled their new V4 R and S 1000 RR four-cylinder machines at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan on November 5 and 6 respectively.
In Ducati’s case it’s the most powerful motorcycle to ever leave its factory, and the company – which has the most amount of WorldSBK titles with 14 – has already announced that current MotoGP rider Alvaro Bautista will join Chaz Davies in its line-up for 2019. Bautista finished a superb fourth in the recent MotoGP round at Phillip Island filling in for the injured Jorge Lorenzo, which will give the Spaniard added confidence when he returns to Australia.
BMW also announced in Milan that it will be collaborating with Shaun Muir Racing (which ran the Milwaukee Aprilia squad in 2018) for a major tilt at the 2019 WorldSBK title. The riders will be Rea’s erstwhile Kawasaki teammate and 2013 world champion Tom Sykes, as well as German Marcus Reiterberger who is returning to the championship after a two-year break.
BMW Motorrad Motorsport will be responsible for the development of engine, electronics, chassis and aerodynamics on the new S 1000 RR.
Meanwhile, HRC will return to WorldSBK competition in 2019 alongside Althea Racing and Japanese high-performance firm Moriwaki Engineering, with Leon Camier and Ryuichi Kiyonari the two riders. Camier has already been campaigning the Honda CBR1000RR SP2 in 2018, while Kiyonari will be returning to the series for the first time since 2009.
HRC was once a regular on the WorldSBK trail and won three titles with John Kocinski in 1997 and Colin Edwards in 2000 and 2002.
The gifted Rea, who is based in Australia during the summer with his Phillip Island-raised wife Tatia and their two sons, will certainly be keeping a keen eye on recent proceedings as he prepares to campaign alongside a new teammate in 2019: current British superbike champion Leon Haslam.
Other confirmed riders for next year include factory Yamaha pair Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes, while the GRT Yamaha satellite team will field recently crowned world supersport champion Sandro Cortese and Italian Marco Melandri.
Italian Michael Ruben Rinaldi will also ride a Panigale V4 R for this year’s leading independent team, Barni Racing.
WorldSBK observers will be able to get an early feel for the 2019 form guide when pre-season testing begins in Spain in November, ahead of more official outings in Europe next January.
The WorldSBK teams will make their way to Australia for a final hitout at Phillip Island before round one commences – and the debut of the new ‘triple treat’ format where an extra sprint race will be held on Sunday morning in between the two longer hitouts on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
Grab your season opener tickets for Phillip Island now
A three-day general admission is $120 if secured in advance, or $230 when you add camping to your purchase.
If you feel like splashing out, step up to a Bar SBK ticket at $265 (with camping $375) and enjoy undercover facilities at Doohan Corner, Siberia and Lukey Heights. World Superbikes is free for kids 15 and under, and so is your bike.
As an extra bonus at WorldSBK, all three-day ticket holders are gifted free paddock access. For all ticket and racing information, visit www.worldsbk.com.au or Ticketek.
Marco Melandri & Cortese on GRT Yamaha for WSBK 2019
GRT Yamaha Step Up to WorldSBK
with Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese in 2019
Yamaha has reached an agreement with Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese that will see the two riders campaign factory supported Yamaha YZF-R1 machines for the GRT Yamaha Team, who will step up to contest the FIM World Superbike Championship in 2019.
The move to the premier class for GRT Yamaha comes after two incredibly successful seasons in the FIM World Supersport Championship. In 2017 the team secured the world title with Lucas Mahias, who returned with the team in 2018 to finish as runner up to Cortese in the championship. GRT Yamaha also finished both seasons as the top team in the series, making a significant contribution to Yamaha’s domination of the class.
While GRT Yamaha will be new to the FIM World Superbike Championship in 2019, in Melandri and Cortese they have two riders with vast experience gained in both prototype and production racing. This experience will be critical as the team adapt to the demands of racing in the premier production class.
A former 250cc World Champion and MotoGP race winner, Melandri has claimed an impressive 72 podium finishes, including 22 race wins, since making his debut in the FIM World Superbike Championship aboard a Yamaha YZF-R1 back in 2011. The 36-year-old from Ravenna in Italy was second in the championship that year, his best result to date, but has finished inside the top five in every season he’s contested since. Since stepping away from MotoGP Melandri has ridden for every European manufacturer in WorldSBK, Aprilia, Ducati, BMW, and also was for a period of time the official test rider for MV Agusta’s WorldSBK campaign.
Although 2019 will be Cortese’s first season in the FIM World Superbike Championship he also brings a wealth of experience with him to the GRT Yamaha team. The 28-year-old German took five race wins and 10 podium finishes on his way to being crowned as the first ever Moto3 World Champion in 2012. Cortese is also the reigning World Supersport Champion, having secured the title in his debut season in the class aboard a Yamaha YZF-R6 with a podium finish in the final round in Qatar.
Sandro Cortese – GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team
“To win the WorldSSP championship and then step up to WorldSBK with the GRT Yamaha Team is like a dream come true for me. I’m super happy to be a part of this new project and, although it’s a big step, I am really looking forward to the challenge. I can’t wait to jump on the Yamaha YZF-R1 for the first time in Jerez later this month to start the familiarisation process. It will be like Christmas for me; I’ve never ridden such a big bike before and I am like a small kid who can’t wait to get his present! The bike will be more physically demanding to ride than the Yamaha YZF-R6 and, with three races every weekend instead of just one next year, I will definitely need to work on my fitness over the winter to ensure I’m ready.”
Melandri and Cortese will get their first opportunity to test the Yamaha YZF-R1 they’ll campaign in GRT Yamaha colours in 2019 during a two-day test at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain, which gets underway on 26th November.
Filippo Conti – GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Manager
“I am really delighted to be stepping up to the WorldSBK championship with Yamaha, it’s like a dream come true. We started this project in WorldSSP and now we are moving up to WorldSBK, which is very important for the team but also for Yamaha’s production racing program. It’s a big step for us and we know we will be facing a steep learning curve in our debut season, but our two riders bring with them a wealth of experience. Riders don’t come more experienced than Marco, who has been a frontrunner in WorldSBK since he came to the championship in 2011. And while 2019 will be Sandro’s first season on a WorldSBK machine, he’s the reigning WorldSSP champion and a former Moto3 World Champion, so I expect him to adapt quickly to our Yamaha YZF-R1. We need to learn a lot in this new category, but our target is clear; we want to be as competitive in WorldSBK as we have been in WorldSSP. Maybe this isn’t possible in our debut season, but that’s the goal for the future.”
Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK
Enjoyed being in EICMA!
The #WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea and the #WorldSSP300 champion Ana Carrasco in the Kawasaki booth at #EICMA
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Bit of an unplanned trip to Barcelona this afternoon but thanks Dr Lapuente and Albert our…
Bit of an unplanned trip to Barcelona this afternoon but thanks Dr Lapuente and Albert our performance manger Kawasaki Racing Team for getting me seen to and treated so fast! #keeppushing
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
– Hey dad, can I try your bike? – Er, yeah!
– Hey dad, can I try your bike? – Er, yeah!
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
When your weekend wardrobe hasn’t got Alpinestars leathers on the list! #datenight
When your weekend wardrobe hasn’t got Alpinestars leathers on the list! #datenight
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Tarshy channeling her inner zen! Love her!
Tarshy channeling her inner zen! Love her!
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
WorldSSP300 to see new format in 2019
2019 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship
The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship is set for an overhaul in 2019, the exceedingly popular feeder class will be split into two groups next season, with a grid of 30 of the most competitive to make up the race grid on Sunday.
With the WorldSSP300 entry list increasing for 2019, participants will be separated into two groups of riders for both Free Practice and Qualifying. At the end of Qualifying, the top 30 on the combined timesheets will make up Sunday’s grid.
For all riders who qualify outside of the top 30, there will be one final opportunity to line up on the grid. Saturday afternoon will welcome a ‘last chance’ race, and the top six over the line will compete in Sunday’s main race.
These changes are aimed at providing close racing, with only the fastest and toughest riders battling their way through the entire weekend. The additional benefit is offering an even greater opportunity to young riders, who will get even more chance to gain experience out on track.
On top of the changes, 2019 will see WorldSSP300 fly out to Qatar to compete around the Losail International Circuit in the final round of the season. Adding the third category to the Qatar Round, WorldSSP300 will light up the end of the season.
Fabio Muner, FIM Sports Director
“We consider WorldSSP300 a very successful springboard to the WorldSBK series for our young athletes. The 2019 changes will provide even closer races than before, with only the fastest and toughest riders battling their way through the entire weekend. Offering an even greater opportunity to young riders, increasing the racing experiences and adding new international locations, there will be even more chance to gain experience out on track and will make for exciting viewing for the fans.”
Gregorio Lavilla, WorldSBK Sporting Director
“We have been delighted by the success of the WorldSSP300 series since the inaugural season back in 2017, and we are always looking for ways to offer greater experience for riders out on track. By bringing in this new format, we are giving young riders more track time, more opportunities to impress, and plenty more chances to entertain the fans. WorldSSP300 will be racing outside of the European Rounds in 2019, which we feel is a natural step in the expansion. Our long term goal is to see young talents grow, and to make this a true feeder class into WorldSSP and ultimately, WorldSBK.”
Source: MCNews.com.au