- Offizieller Beitrag
HONDA RACING INFORMATION
ZitatAlles anzeigenFIM SUPERBIKE / SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 09 SUNDAY JULY 22 BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC PREVIEW
HONDA SUPERBIKE RIDERS READY FOR LATEST CHALLENGE AT BRNO
2012 FIM Superbike World Championship competitors Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) and Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda World Superbike Team) now face the challenge of the undulating Brno circuit in the Czech Republic for what will be the ninth round of the year.
The circuit is far from an unknown quantity for the Honda pairing, and after a successful test for both riders on their CBR1000RR machines immediately in Spain after the Motorland Aragon race last time out, they are ready to push for points once more at the modern classic circuit near the old closed road track which used to host Czech GPs.
Rea's two race wins in 2012 have taken his career total to 10 while his mid-season push has now placed him third in the rankings, 65.5 points behind championship leader Max Biaggi (Aprilia), but only 17.5 points behind Marco Melandri (BMW). Rea has won on a Honda Superbike before at Brno, taking race one in 2010, from a third place starting slot on the grid.
Aoyama has yet to race a Superbike at Brno, but as part of a successful GP career he took a podium on a 250cc machine at Brno.
Aoyama is heading back to Europe after conducting tests for the famous Suzuka 8-Hour race back in his native Japan after his outings at Aragon.After Brno, Silverstone in the UK hosts the tenth round of the SBK championship, on August 5.
LOWES AND CLUZEL AIMING TO MOVE ON AGAIN
The eighth round of the 2012 FIM Supersport World Championship will take place at Brno this weekend as the championship fight begins to harden into what is appearing to be a four-way fight for supremacy.
Two Honda riders are in that leading four, Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR
Honda) in overall second and Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) in third.Points leader Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) looked like he was making a break prior to the revised final result of the previous round at Motorland Aragon, but he is now only 16 points ahead of Lowes, who won his second race of the year in Spain. Lowes is in turn 17 points ahead of Cluzel, who took victory at the Monza race earlier in the year. Pole positions have been fought out between Lowes and Cluzel with regularity this year, with Lowes taking four and Cluzel two.
The only other rider to score a pole in 2012 is Honda man Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Racing Products) at his home round of Phillip Island. That was also the venue for his only podium score so far, but Parkes is still overall fifth in the rankings, with designs on more top three finishes before season end.
Ronan Quarmby (PTR Honda) is another podium man for Honda in 2012, sitting in eighth place overall as the circus heads to Brno. The South African rider is keen to get back to posting another top three result after his early success at Imola.
Roberto Tamburini (Team Lorini Honda) has nearly been inside the top three on two occasions this year, but he is still inside the top ten in points. His team-mate Raffaele De Rosa (Team Lorini Honda) has not been present for the full season so far, but is still currently ranked 17th overall.
Massimo Roccoli (Kuja Racing Honda) is a substitute rider for Roberto Anastasia at this round, although Roccoli has been riding Yamaha machinery until this point, to put himself 15th in the points. Imre Toth (Racing Team Toth Honda) occupies 16th place in the rankings, but is confident that he and his team can get back into the top ten finishing places they targeted at the beginning of the year.
Balazs Nemeth (Racing Team Toth Honda) completes the current top 20 positions in the championship, with Valentin Debise (SMS Honda) 24th.
The PRORACE Honda team has tasted victory in 2012 already, with one-off rider Lorenzo Lanzi, at an almost waterlogged Assen back in April, but once more they return to the track with new regular rider, Gabor Talmacsi. Mathew Scholtz (Bogdanka PTR Honda) and Martin Jessopp (Riders PTR Honda) join Pawel Szkopek (Bogdanka Honda PTR) as more regular Honda riders keen to put in season best finishes at Brno.
Brno has been generally kind to Honda riders over the years, with the two most recent race winners each taking victories on CBR600RR machinery.
HONDA RIDER COMMENTS
Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team):
"I love the circuit at Brno and I had my first ever world championship race win there, on a Honda in 2008 in World Supersport.
It seems to be a track that I bond with pretty good. Although I missed the round there last year my pace there in 2010 was pretty OK.
Our bike is kind of progressing and I am really excited, even if Aragon was a tough round for us. We struggled there a little bit because we did not have any previous data. But for Brno we have a lot of previous information from there. We tested at Aragon after the race and we tried a lot of electronics bits and pieces, so it was a bit of a data gathering exercise for us. I love Brno and I am looking forward to going there."Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda World Superbike Team):
"I have raced this circuit before so I know the layout. In the summertime in Brno it can be very hot, so it can be tough. I know the track and I got a positive feeling at the last test, and I want to keep this positive feeling for the Brno race weekend. I want to start with a good feeling and a good lap time on Friday, and stay in the Superpole positions, as it is important to do that to get a good grid position."Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda):
"We won the race at Aragon, but I know we need to continue working hard. Brno is a track that I like and I know I can do a good job there so I'm looking forward to the weekend and the rest of the season. Brno is a fast and flowing circuit with a lot of elevation changes and character. It's an enjoyable track to ride and produces some good racing. That's why so many fans and riders like it. It's a home race for Bogdanka with a lot of Polish fans in the stands so I'll try to do my best to put on a great performance. We need to get as many points as we can this weekend and keep closing on Kenan in the standings."Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda):
"My main target for Brno is to finish the race. I'd like to challenge for the podium, but my first aim is to finish as I made a mistake at the last round and now need to score good points for the Championship. At Aragon I was very surprised by the crash and it was a combination of many things - temperature, hard tyre on the front, heavy fuel load, windy and too much lean angle. I lost the front and don't want to do that again. I will do my best, my target is to finish the race."Ronan Quarmby (PTR Honda):
"I really enjoyed the last race at Aragon and feel that we made big steps with the set-up of my PTR Honda to suit my riding style. I am super-confident that we can get a good result at Brno; I can't wait to get racing again. I'm eighth in the Championship now and want to improve that as well."Imre Toth (Racing Team Toth Honda):
"I have a big expectation for Brno because it is my home race. We have a lot of fans that come to see us. Also, we like the track and we scored some points there last year. Our bike should work well there. It is very important to get the right suspension settings for Brno, as it can be a little bit difficult for that there. But the work we have put in during previous times should help us to take a better final result."Mathew Scholtz (Bogdanka PTR Honda):
"I know Brno and actually have a race win under my belt there so I'm feeling confident ahead of the weekend. We've been unlucky in the last few races so I'm looking to put everything together this weekend and score some solid points at Bogdanka's home round."Martin Jessopp (Riders PTR Honda):
"My shoulder is as good as it will be until I have an operation at the end of the year - it is back to how it was before I broke my collarbone, so no issues. My back is still sore, but will be no problem on the bike. My foot is a lot better as well, and while I am not a long distance running it will be fine riding a bike. I rode at Brno nine years ago and loved it from what I can remember. I aim to get into the points this weekend. I will start strong and try to qualify better. I want to use qualifying to get as far up the grid as possible to give me a chance into the first corner."Pawel Szkopek (Bogdanka Honda PTR)
"I'm feeling good and confident ahead of Brno. Having raced at Aragon after returning from injury, I now know that I can ride well, so I'm looking forward to getting back on my bike again. Brno is a home race both for myself and Bogdanka, so I'll do my best to give the Polish fans a good reason to celebrate. It's a fast and fun track, but it's also very demanding, so it will be a busy weekend, but I can't wait to get it started and go for a decent result on Sunday."