The following is from Honda…Unlike many of his Superbike World Championship peers Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider Jonathan Rea has been busy since the last race at Brno, competing in the Suzuka 8-Hours race and posting a podium result on raceday.Rea was a race winner last time out in World Superbike at Brno, overcoming some recent set-up issues with a great race one victory, his third of the year. It moved him to third place in the standings, with his home British round awaiting him on Sunday 1 August.The Silverstone circuit, in Northamptonshire, has been heavily modified since it last featured on the WSBK calendar in 2007. It has recaptured some of its original spirit as a fast and flowing track, and also features an extensive infield section that brings the lap length up to 5.902 kilometres. MotoGP machines have already raced on the new layout and they proved the theory that the track will be one of the fastest on the WSBK calendar.Two Honda riders are in a three-way fight for the Supersport World Championship title, championship leader Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and former leader Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda). The first DNF of the season for Laverty and a brilliant win for Sofuoglu at the previous round (despite carrying a deep laceration to his left elbow) put Kenan on 183 points. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki) ended Brno with 168 points and Laverty has an unchanged 161 points.Back in the Superbike World Championship, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider Max Neukirchner is keen to use Silverstone as the venue to turn his season around, after a double DNF at Brno left him 18th in the overall championship fight.The ECHO CRS Honda team, and its Australian rider Broc Parkes have made some recent progress, with two points scoring finishes at Brno last time out placing Broc inside the top 20.WSS competitor Gino Rea (Intermoto Czech Honda) had a career best fourth place finish at Brno in early July, his rookie season highpoint proving his talents and determination to succeed. He is keen to get back into action after a quiet time since his last race, and sees Silverstone as a good opportunity to go for his first podium finish. Gino is seventh in the points standings.Michele Pirro has been forced to miss the Silverstone round for his Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team after suffering facial bruising and a dislocated wrist at the Brno race. South African rider, Ronan Quarmby, will replace him.Parkalgar Honda rider Miguel Praia posted a career best seventh at Brno last time out, a result he now hopes to improve on at his crew’s home circuit in England. Like his team-mate Laverty, he has tested at Silverstone recently.Massimo Roccoli from the Intermoto Czech Honda team is another rider hoping to turn his season around at this race, after suffering some bad luck at key times this year. In 13th place overall, one place behind Praia, Roccoli is only 11 points from a top ten spot, with four points scoring rounds to go, including Silverstone.The long summer break in August starts as the action at Silverstone ebbs away, with the 11th round of 13 taking place at the Nürburgring, Germany, between September 3 and September 5.WSBK Rider CommentsJonathan Rea, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR:
“The 8 Hour was a pretty gruelling race, probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever done physically. I had an awesome time, though, and had a great team who really looked after me well and made the whole experience a lot of fun. Now it’s back to business at Silverstone, which looked like a pretty fun place to ride when I went up to watch the MotoGP race there. Some friends have ridden it, too, and given me a few pointers. But it’s a new challenge and fresh motivation for me, so I’m really looking forward to riding there. It’ll be a tough weekend and, just because it’s my home race, it won’t be any easier than any other. We have to forget about earlier races and see how the bike is performing on Friday morning; then we’ll move forward in as positive a way as we can from there.”Max Neukirchner, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR: “Brno was a very tough weekend for me and the two crashes were very difficult to deal with after we had found something positive over the weekend. I’ve tried to put it out of my mind and focus on the positives though and I’m looking forward to bringing these to Silverstone this weekend. Silverstone is a new circuit for everyone and therefore we all start a little bit more equal. I also hope that the weather is a little better than the last time I was there three years ago, when the second race was cancelled!”
Broc Parkes, ECHO CRS Honda CBR1000RR
“It’s been quiet since Brno but I have been training and cycling to get ready for the next round. Hopefully we can get in the points again when we get to Silverstone. Our bike has been back on the dyno and the team reckons they have found some good things, and I hope we can get those improvements to work on the track. I enjoyed the old Silverstone layout and the new one looks even better. It seems like a bit of a horsepower circuit again but there are a few corners to allow you to make up time.”WSS Rider CommentsKenan Sofuoglu, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR: “Since the tough Brno weekend I have been relaxing at home to give my arm a chance to heal. It’s almost ready for Silverstone, where I really want to win again and continue the push over the last four races of the season. The circuit is not a favourite of mine and in the really bad conditions three years ago I crashed at the first corner. The circuit looked really nice when I watched the MotoGP race and it looks like it might suit the CBR600RR so I will try to get the maximum points that I can. We will see how it goes at the weekend, but I am really looking forward to it.”Eugene Laverty, Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR: “We had a really good Silverstone test despite it being part of a trackday and it was beneficial to learn the new track layout. Even the lap times were down where we wanted them to be. We have now started the Silverstone weekend a step ahead and it is a tricky enough new layout that does take a bit of learning. It’s quite fast, more third and fourth gear corners than second and third gear corners. It is pretty bumpy in some places but not the worst one on our calendar. I lost a lot of points in Brno but I am just looking ahead and I am capable of winning a lot of races. I am all out for the championship itself now. I have already been runner-up last year, so it’s just about going for the title itself in the final few races.”Ronan Quarmby, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR: “Since coming over from South Africa I have managed to spend a few days with the Ten Kate team in Holland, and spent a really nice weekend with Gerrit and Ronald and their family. They have made me feel really welcome – and looking round the workshop just blew my mind! I’ve been to Silverstone before, when I was racing in the UK, but our race was cancelled because of the weather. I’ve been watching the MotoGP race online and the new layout looks awesome. Now I can’t wait to get going and I think I can do well – I’m just not sure yet how well. We’ll know more after practice and qualifying.”Gino Rea, Intermoto Czech Honda CBR600RR: “Been a long time off the bike and I am glad to be able to get back onto the bike on home ground. It will be weird to ride in England again but I am really looking forward to it, the whole atmosphere of the weekend as well.”Miguel Praia, Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR: “We did a small test at Silverstone during a trackday last week so I think we may have a small advantage this time, if only on the first day at least. The team is based in the UK so I have one British bone in my body I suppose! Silverstone will be like a second home race for me, after Portimao back in March.”Massimo Roccoli, Intermoto Czech Honda CBR600RR: “Silverstone is a special track, and you got a special feeling when you rode there. I always seemed to get good results. The track is new this time but I love England and English tracks, so I hope to get a good result again.”The following is from Suzuki…The tenth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship is a ‘home’ race for both Team Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli. It is a home race for Leon because he is a Briton and lives in Derbyshire, but it is also a home race for Sylvain because the Frenchman has lived in UK for some time and is married to an English girl. Sylvain will be making the short trip from his home near Melton Mowbray, while Leon will have a slightly further journey.Both have raced in the British Superbike Championship and have been to Silverstone before, but this will be their first time on the “new” track. The historic Silverstone circuit has undergone major reconstruction this year and the new layout is very different to to that which was used when World Superbikes were last there in 2007.
Leon
I was at the launch of the new track at Silverstone earlier this year and it’s very different to what it was before. It seems to be a fast and flowing high-speed track and I’m sure the racing is going to be very close. I am looking forward to the weekend and although some might say that there is extra pressure on me to do well in front of my home fans, I do not see it that way. I want to do well at all tracks and although I’d obviously like to do well in Silverstone, my main concern will be to finish in front of Max in both races. The ideal situation would be for me to win both races and the other six Brits to finish ahead of Max!Sylvain
It’s always good to race at home and because I have been in England so long, I feel like it is my home, which in fact it is because I live here! I have raced at Silverstone before, but now the track is very different and all of us will have to learn the track before we can really charge. Normally, I am quite good at learning tracks, so hopefully things will go well for me in practice and qualifying, so that I can do a good Superpole and end up with a good grid position. If I do that, I have a very good good chance of giving my ‘home’ fans and friends something to shout about.The following is from Yamaha…Yamaha Sterilgarda riders James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow are geared up and determined to give it their all this weekend for their home race in front of the British fans at Silverstone for round 10 of the World Superbike Championship. The Silverstone circuit, which has gone undergone major restructuring this year, was last visited by the World Superbike paddock in 2007. With the changes this year, the circuit will be new to all riders who will be riding on its 5.9km track for the first time on Friday.”The home race is no different to any other race,” said Cal Crutchlow. “I always want to do well and give it my best shot. Last year in World Supersport at Donington I did the same. I especially hope that we put on a good show for all the fans that turn out to see the seven Brits in action. We had some tyre issues at Brno; hopefully these won’t be repeated this round and we can focus on being fastest all weekend and delivering two race wins.””We had a decent second race coming from last to finish fourth at Brno which wasn’t a bad result although fourth isn’t where I want to be,” commented James Toseland. “All the little problems we’ve had this year has meant the championship has gone away a little bit. I’m going to Silverstone with nothing to lose; the icing on the cake would be to win at home. The track looks really good; I did a PR event to launch it last week and had a look round. With seven British riders there’s every chance the podium will be all British which would be great. It should be a great event for the UK.”
Silverstone technically speaking according to Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow’s Crew Chief
“Silverstone is a completely new track for us so we have to evaluate a new gearbox, chassis and electronic setup. The track has all kinds of character, a fast part and also a very tight infield. The challenge will be to find the best compromise in a very short timeframe. We will start the weekend with our base setup that we’ve developed bit by bit. We also have some new chassis setups to try; this will be introduced in the spare bike. So we hope to find the best gearbox and base setup on Friday and start fine tuning on Saturday.”Silverstone technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland’s Crew Chief
“Silverstone could be one of the most exiting races of the year with James eager to carry on from Brno where he battled through from last to fourth in extreme track temperatures. We had good race pace in Brno but our problem area was both race starts. We have some new parts and strategies to improve this and we will be testing before the race weekend. The factory MotoGP team have provided us with some valuable information so we can get a head start on a good gearing, as this is a new track for all teams. The track looks a little bumpy in places, but with plenty of overtaking opportunities. During the weekend we will work hard on the set-up to suit the new Pirelli tyres which will be used for the first time at Silverstone.”Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager”It’s the only ‘new’ track we visit on the 2010 World Superbike calendar so we don’t have any data at all to prepare ourselves. With the exception of the information from the GP team everything has to be discovered by us on Friday in the first session. We are going to Cal and James’s home country so we are really motivated because it’s like a home race for us. We are looking forward to Sunday and believe we can give a good performance for the British fans.”The following is from Ducati…The Ducati Xerox Team heads to the UK or, more specifically, to Silverstone, the only “new” track to feature on this year’s World Superbike calendar, after a two year absence. The upcoming tenth round is also the last event before the championship’s traditional month-long summer break; Round 11 is scheduled for 5th September at the Nürburgring in Germany.The historic Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, UK, has undergone some major restructuring during recent months and the track layout is now very different to that on which the Superbikes last raced in 2007. The last time Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio visited the English circuit, they experienced some particularly bad weather that resulted in the cancellation of Race 2. Race 1 went ahead as planned but heavy rain conditioned the outcome and while Noriyuki finished on the podium behind Troy Bayliss (race winner on the Ducati), Michel unfortunately crashed out. Haga has raced at Silverstone on five previous occasions, and has achieved seven podium finishes over nine races, an impressive record. Michel is yet to celebrate a podium finish at this particular circuit but he, Noriyuki and the entire Ducati Xerox Team are looking forward to the challenge that the new look track will present.At the latest round, held three weeks ago at Brno in the Czech Republic, both Noriyuki and Michel made a great start to the weekend, topping the timesheets in the early sessions. Superpole did not go as planned for either rider, but despite their grid positions, the Ducati Xerox men fought hard with Michel scoring a podium finish in the second race and Noriyuki making up many positions in both races to close in fifth and sixth.Going into round ten of thirteen, Haga is still in fifth position in the overall standings while team-mate Fabrizio finds himself eighth. Ducati lies in third position in the manufacturers championship.
Noriyuki Haga (5th in championship, 172 points)
Noriyuki has scored some impressive results at the British track in the past. “We haven’t been to Silverstone for a few years but we’ve heard that they’ve made some great track modifications and I’m looking forward to going back there. I’ve had some good results there in the past, quite a few podiums from what I remember and it was always a track that seemed to suit my riding style. We’ll have to wait and see just how much it’s changed but I’m looking forward to the event and hope we can do well.”
Haga’s Superbike form at Silverstone:
2007: Race 1 – 2nd
2006: Race 1 – 2nd, Race 2 – 2nd
2005: Race 1 – DNF, Race 2 – 3rd
2004: Race 1 – winner, Race 2 – 2nd
2002: Race 1 – 2nd, Race 2 – 10thMichel Fabrizio (8th in championship, 147 points)
Michel looks forward to riding the new-look track. “I’ve raced at Silverstone before of course but my results were nothing to write home about. With the changes to the track layout it will be interesting to see how everyone goes, I guess we’ll all be starting on a level playing field, and so I am confident that we can put together two great races. I hoped to do better at the recent Brno round and so will try my best to take as many points as possible this weekend to improve my position in the overall standings.”Fabrizio’s Superbike form at Silverstone:
2007: Race 1 – DNF
2006: Race 1 – DNF, Race 2 – 15th
