- Offizieller Beitrag
HONDA RACING INFORMATION
FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
PREVIEW ROUND 06 JUNE 12 MISANO, SAN MARINO.
PREVIEWUPTURN ON THE CARDS FOR REA AND XAUS
Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea is eager to get to Misano for many reasons, not least that he won his first ever Superbike World Championship race at the circuit by the sea in 2009, while riding the predecessor of the Honda CBR1000RR that he campaigns this year. His fortunes took a downturn at the most recent round in the USA, but Jonathan is still only 15 points from the fourth place he had held since his race win at the Assen round, although championship leader Carlos Checa has now made something of a breakaway from all the riders ranged out behind him.
Now sixth in the standings, Rea knows that there is a lot of racing left in the 2011 season and also knows that his machine has the potential to win again after the most recent victory at Assen in April.
Ruben Xaus (Castrol Honda) was on course for his best weekend of the year at MMP until he struck two patches of bad luck and ended up scoring no points, but the 11-times race winner in this class had made a real breakthrough in finding a strong race set-up at that venue. Now he returns to one of his best circuits, scene of three of his career wins, Misano. He has taken victories in both clockwise and anti-clockwise versions of the twisty and compact circuit.
The challenge of Misano is one both Rea and Xaus know they can now meet with confidence, despite the record number of genuine contenders on the grid in 2011. After the Misano race weekend, the entire WSBK paddock will decamp and head straight to the next round at a new venue for this class, Motorland Aragon, in northern Spain.
WSBK Rider Comments
Jonathan Rea, Castrol Honda says: “I’m really looking forward to Misano and another type of circuit. I am also quite open minded about how the bike will perform there and hopefully we should be challenging for the podium. That is our aim there. Lot of our rivals have had a test at Misano, so that will make it a little more difficult. I am looking forward to at least some more consistent weather than we found in America, to maximise set-up time. I like the Misano circuit and it has good memories for me, because it is where I scooped my first superbike race win.”
Ruben Xaus, Castrol Honda says: “I am really on fire again to go to Misano and try to finish what I started on the last race weekend at Miller.
What I mean by that is to finish growing up with the team. When I was practicing at Miller we proved that we could do good lap times, even on a hard tyre, because we found a proper set-up for that. We found good rhythm in warm up and we were the fastest then, so we have shown a good progression. It didn’t work out in the races in America, but my pace was strong and I could do positive things with the bike. I like Misano and I feel at home there. I think at Misano we can be in there again, but the competition is very tough this year. I am flying to this race with a good feeling.”World Supersport Preview – ROUND 5
Misano The Next Challenge For Honda Riders As Championship Seasons Restarts
With no Supersport World Championship race running alongside the Superbikes at Miller Motorsports Park recently, round five for the 600cc class will be another opportunity for Robbin Harms (Harms Benjan Racing Honda) to shoot for a podium finish in 2011. He will find one less rival to deal with at Misano, as joint championship leader Luca Scassa (Yamaha) will not be allowed to ride this weekend, as he rode here earlier in the season during a race school session, and it is not his designated test circuit.
Privateer Harms was outgunned somewhat at the ultra-fast Monza last time out, but Misano should be a circuit that suits his machine very well, particularly as it will have some new developments that his team technical staff have been working on during the break. Robbin is currently fourth in the championship and intends to keep his top five status all the way to the final race at Portimao on October 16.
Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) has been a winner at Misano twice in this class, in 2002 and 2003. He currently sits sixth in the overall standings, having suffered a series of injuries early in the season, but now he feels he is in the best shape of the year as he approaches the San Marino round. A second and a third in the previous two races show Fabien is well on his way to competing for wins once again.
Despite only scoring in two races so far new WSS powerhouse Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) is seventh in the championship chase. The broken collarbone he suffered in race three of the season at Assen is now almost healed and the reigning British Supersport champion is ready to grit his teeth once again as he goes for his second podium of the year.
Foret’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate Florian Marino is already in the running for the unofficial rookie of the year prize, the teenager from France having shown flashes of podium pace if not quite the full package and good fortune to be able to join the top three elite so far. He is now 9th overall, only a point behind Lowes.
James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda) has been able to fill the gap between Monza and Misano with some track time at two British circuits and he approaches the Misano round with real confidence, despite suffering some bad luck during the Donington and Monza races.
Bad luck and incident have also stalked the talented Gino Rea (Step Racing Team Honda) in recent contests, but he is hoping to be fit enough to ride at full pace at Misano and get back into the top ten championship places. He cracked his left elbow after a crash at the Ascari chicane at Monza. Rea, no relation to Castrol Honda Superbike rider Jonathan, has already tasted podium champagne in 2011, at his home circuit of Donington, but that remains his only points score in the first four rounds.
Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda) is in 14th place overall and he is followed in the rankings by Alexander Lundh (Cresto Guide Racing Team Honda) in 15th and Ondrej Jezek (SMS Racing Honda) 16th.
Balazs Nemeth (Team Hungary Toth Honda) has been a points scorer every time out for his team and he is 18th, one place up on Vladimir Ivanov (Step Racing Team Honda) and two places and five points ahead of his more experienced team-mate, Imre Toth (Team Hungary Toth Honda). Bastien Chesaux (MACH - Moto Academy Swiss Honda) is 21st after four races, Pawel Szkopek (Bogdanka PTR Honda) is 23rd.
WSS Rider Comments
Robbin Harms says: “It has been a long break for me because we did not get the chance to test the bike on track. We have been improving some technical stuff on the test bench and we hope it can give us some good results on the circuit.
What we wanted was more midrange and that will be important at Misano. On the computer it looks good, we just need to test it in real life. I am looking forward to Misano compared to Monza! I think the layout will be better for us. For the rest of the year, if the changes to the bike prove to be better, our goal is to stay in the top five. When we have our bright days, I think it is possible. If we keep things stable, it is possible.”Fabien Foret says: “We have been on the podium in the past two races so my target is that again in Misano, but to be on the best place on the podium. My fitness is now much better and my injuries are almost gone. I am looking forward to riding my bike in better shape and being sharper, so I think we will be able to go for the win.
There will be one less main rival competing at this race, which is bad for him, but obviously it makes things easier to get. We will see how the weather is, but in any case I will be doing my best and trying to win. This season has been tough and I hope all our efforts can be rewarded with a win.”Sam Lowes says: “My left shoulder is better, definitely getting better, and I have been out in Misano for the past few days to do some training.
Not riding, as it is not our test track, but just doing fitness training. When the calendar came out I was gutted that we were not going to America, but it has worked out mega for me, because I feel I can be back to as fast as I was before my injury, pushing at the front. That is what we need to be doing because from now on we need to get some strong finishes and start to move up there if we are going to have a chance at the end of the year. I think we can do that now and I am looking forward to getting going after this break. If we get strong results in the next four races, it can all change around.”Florian Marino says: “Misano is OK for me, I rode there one time last year in the Superstock class.
It was OK and for sure I want to improve this year in the races. I hope to get into position to be with the leaders of the race. I am happy with the way things are going. I have missed some experience when it has come to the races and two or three things about the settings on the bike, but now I am concentrating only what happens on raceday at Misano.”James Ellison says: “I am feeling really good and looking forward to this weekend. I have not been there before, racing in the current direction at least. Sam Lowes has said he will help me around for the first half a lap! I have been playing Misano on the Playstation game to learn where the corners go, and it usually helps a little bit. I just want to get on with it. I have been out on my bike since Monza, one session at Mallory in England then a track day at Donington. I’m in good spirits, and it has been good to get out on the bike again. I hate not riding regularly so it has been good to get out after the last round at Monza.”
Gino Rea says: “The left elbow I injured at Monza is OK, not too bad, and I have been having physio to help it along. I didn’t want to have a cast on it just to keep moving and let it heal naturally.
It is still store but I’m getting strength back into it. We should have made some changes to the bike for Misano, which should be better than the previous version. We just need some clear track time and set-up time. I really want to have smoother weekend than at Monza and get a good set-up from the first day.”