ROUND TWO imola SBK RACE BULLETIN 01.04.12 energyzone.worldsbk.com

2012 AT A GLANCE

PHILLIP ISLAND AUSTRALIA 1 FEBRUARY 26

IMOLA ITALY 2 APRIL 1

ASSEN THE NETHERLANDS 3 APRIL 22

MONZA ITALY 4 MAY 6

DONINGTON EUROPE 5 MAY 13

MILLER MOTORSPORT UNITED STATES 6 MAY 28 MISANO SYKES BIDS TO BUILD SAN MARINO 7 JUNE 10 ON HIS FLYING START MOTORLAND ARAGON 8 SPAIN a fourth and a third before I got there, I would have JULY 1 Kawasaki Racing Team accepted it. The fact that we left there third in the championship was even better. BRNO rider Tom Sykes says CZECH REPUBLIC he will not be getting “But I will not get carried away, although I really 9 JULY 22 appreciate that feeling you get after a good weekend’s carried away as he looks results. For the rest of the season I aim to be SILVERSTONE UNITED KINGDOM to build on a strong start consistent, and consistently in the top five.” 10 AUGUST 5 to the Superbike World Having secured his first win in the series at the MOSCOW Championship season at Nurburgring last season, the Ninja ZX-10 racer feels a RACEWAY new-found maturity has made him a better rider. “This RUSSIA Imola this weekend. year I hope we can hit that consistency key all the 11 AUGUST 26 time,” he added. “I am getting more and more relaxed. The 26-year-old British rider started 2012 with pole I am getting older and wiser – I am not new to these NÜrburgring GERMANY position and a fourth and third place at the opening circuits any more. I had a bit of criticism after last year 12 SEPTEMBER 9 round in Australia, and defending champion Carlos and that put a bit of fire in my belly.” Checa has said he believes the Kawasaki rider will be PORTIMÃO a man to watch out for this year. Another man looking to build on a strong start to PORTUGAL the season is Racing Team’s . The 13 SEPTEMBER 23 Since those results, the KRT outfit have also enjoyed veteran Italian, the 2010 world champion, claimed a successful test at the Aragon circuit in Spain, where the win in race one at Phillip Island before producing MAGNY-COURS Sykes broke the lap record, and feel they are in strong a fantastic recovery ride from the back of the field to FRANCE 14 OCTOBER 7 shape as they head to Italy this weekend. finish second in race two, and he leads the standings heading into this weekend. And while Sykes was delighted to open the season in such strong fashion, he says no one in the team He said: “In race two I was fast and recovering is resting on their laurels. “We really worked on race positions every time, and I finished second. This was a runs in testing this winter, and many other things,” he crucial race for us as this shows our potential and how said. “Phillip Island has never been my strong point, good this Aprilia is, and we want to show this form in so if you had offered me a fastest lap in qualifying, and the next few races.”

INFRONT MOTOR SPORTS (IMS) Via di Tor Pagnotta 94, 001543 Rome, Italy T +39 06 509 661 F +39 06 509 66350 www.infrontsports.com TOP SPONSORS OFFICIAL SPONSORS IMOLA

NEWSDESK energyzone.worldsbk.com 01.04.12

HOPKINS IS BACK ‘THE KID’ STEPS UP AFTER FALSE START FOR EFFENBERT Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini rider Kenan Crescent Fixi rider John Hopkins is set Team Effenbert Liberty Racing have expanded their Sofuoglu will ride at Imola this weekend to make his return to the Superbike World Superbike World Championship team to four riders with a screw in his left knee after suffering Championship at Imola this weekend after for the rest of the season. The original three-man a dislocation in a testing crash. recovering from the broken hand that kept him out squad of , Jakub Smrz and Maxime The Turkish rider, who tops the Supersport World Championship standings after of the opening round in Australia. Berger has been expanded to include Brett winning the opening round in Australia, fell McCormick, who had been set to represent the at the Acque Minerale corner at the Italian The American, who also had part of a finger team in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup this year. track, and also suffered bruising to his neck amputated over the winter, suffered the injury on and shoulder. the opening day of a three-day practice session The Canadian will now compete on a fourth Sofuoglu attempted to ride on, but was in too much discomfort and had the screw ahead of round one at Phillip Island. Effenbert-branded Ducati Superbike from Imola inserted under local anaesthetic. onwards. Nicknamed ‘The Kid’, McCormick will be Team manager Vanni Lorenzini said: “After But he revealed on his official Twitter page that he riding the Ducati 1198, running race number 68, fearing possible complications, it was is now ready to return. He posted: “Just finished for the first time. confirmed that our rider can take part in the my final hand check-up with my surgeon! Hand is Imola round without any problems. “The operation would have allowed him cleared, bone has fully healed and it’s time to do McCormick said: “The Effenbert Liberty Racing to start racing again immediately, but we some riding.” Team is giving me a great opportunity. My dream preferred to let him rest some more.” has always been to race in SBK and now that I Team manager Jack Valentine revealed Hopkins have this opportunity, I will give it everything.” Team had hyperbaric chamber treatment ahead of owner Mario Bertuccio added: “The incentive surgery on the hand, and said: “The good news is to promote McCormick is consistent with our that he will be fit for Imola.” philosophy of helping to bring on young talents.”

BRAZILIAN PAIR IN BIG FIELD CHASES SUPERSTOCK 1000 EUROPEAN TITLE There is a healthy entry for the 2012 Superstock There are no fewer than 27 regular riders 1000 FIM Cup, which starts at Imola. The entered for the UEM European Superstock 600 category, designed for machines close to street Championship, which runs for 10 rounds from specification, is reserved for riders born between Imola to the finale in France in October. January 1, 1986 and March 29, 1996, and will feature 23 permanent riders from 13 countries. Riders will compete on machinery from , Kawasaki, Triumph and Yamaha, and hail from Italy is the best represented with six riders, no fewer than 15 different countries – Australia, followed by France with five and, in an exciting Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, development, two riders hail from Brazil, in Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, the shape of Philippe Braga Thiriet and Heber Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and the Pedrosa. Each will be riding Kawasakis for Team United Kingdom. Brazil by ASPI. After Italy, France and Brazil and BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet Superstock their multiple riders, there are competitors from Italy leads the way with five riders on the grid, team manager Serafino Foti says the Poland, Australia, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, closely followed by Switzerland, the Netherlands, squad head to the opening round of the Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and the UK. Australia and France, those four countries fielding Superstock 1000 FIM Cup at Imola this weekend full of confidence after a good three riders apiece. test at the Italian track. There will be five regular manufacturers Riders Sylvain Barrier and Lorenzo Baroni represented – BMW, Ducati, Kawasaki, Honda There will be 13 Yamaha riders on the grid, seven put their BMW S1000 RR machines and Aprilia. Ducati riders will run a mixture of the Kawasaki competitors, five Honda riders and two through their paces with both riders feeling existing 1098R and the all-new 1199 Panigale. Triumph runners. they had made progress. Foti said: “It was a positive three days. We managed to make some more progress from the tests in Spain, and we found a good balanced set-up for the bike. “Both riders went well and worked calmly HASLAM SOLDIERS ON through the programme. All this makes us WITH BROKEN TIBIA optimistic about the opening round.”

Leon Haslam returned to the track for the two-day testing session at MotorLand Aragon. The British rider is recovering well from the fractured tibia he sustained in testing at Phillip Island. The fracture was fixed with two screws only a day before the first race weekend EAB Ten Kate Junior Team rider Michael started, and Leon took part in the first two races of the van der Mark will start as one of the season, scoring an amazing fifth place in race two. favourites when the Superstock 600 European Championship kicks off in Imola. Having sat out the Superbike season As the healing process is going well, he was able opener at Phillip Island, the junior class to jump on his S1000 RR for testing at Motorland spring into action with the Dutchman Aragon and clocked the second quickest time overall having his eye on the title. in the test, with a 1 minute 58.2 second lap. Van der Mark scored four wins on his way to third in the championship last term, and his main competition is expected to “It was good to get back on the bike,” said Haslam. come from the likes of team-mate Bastien “My leg is getting better day by day. It is still a little Chesaux and last year’s European Junior sore, and I can’t walk on the leg yet, but it is a lot Cup winner Matt Davies on the Team better than it was in Australia and it should be nearly Goeleven Kawasaki. 100 per cent OK for Imola.” IMOLA

STATSFILE energyzone.worldsbk.com 01.04.12

CIRCUIT GUIDE: IMOLA LAST TIME PHILLIP ISLAND RACE ONE 1 M Biaggi Aprilia Racing 34’13.963 piratella TOSA 2 M Melandri BMW Motorrad @7.104 3 S Guintoli Effenbert Liberty @7.378 4 T Sykes Kawasaki Racing @12.189 villeneuve 5 J Smrz Effenbert Liberty @16.424 6 M Fabrizio BMW Motorrad @20.200 ACQUE 7 J Rea Honda @20.223 VARIANTE alta MINERALI 8 H Aoyama Honda @24.108 9 D Giugliano Althea Racing @28.072 10 B Staring Team Pedercini @34.232 RIVAZZA 11 L Zanetti PATA Racing @34.450 12 L Haslam BMW Motorrad @35.648

TAMBURELLO 13 M Berger Effenbert Liberty @36.392 VARIANTE BASSA 14 D Salom Team Pedercini @41.500 15 J Lascorz Kawasaki Racing @42.086 16 J Brookes Crescent Fixi Suzuki @42.605 17 L Camier Crescent Fixi Suzuki @43.366 18 M Aitchison Grillini Progea @45.225 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS 19 D Johnson Rossair AEP @1’08.782 20 N Canepa Red Devils Roma @1’10.440 WORLD SUPERBIKE Ret E Laverty Aprilia Racing @3 laps 1 Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia 45 Ret A Badovini BMW Motorrad @8 laps 2 Marco Melandri ITA BMW 30 Ret C Checa Althea Racing @17 laps 3 Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki 29 Ret R De Rosa Pro Ride Honda 4 ESP Ducati 25 5 GBR Honda 22 RACE TWO 6= Sylvain Guintoli FRA Ducati 16 1 C Checa Althea Racing 34’26.728 6= Jakub Smrz CZE Ducati 16 2 M Biaggi Aprilia Racing @5.707 8= GBR BMW 15 3 T Sykes Kawasaki Racing @12.521 8= Hiroshi Aoyama JAP Honda 15 4 J Rea Honda @12.655 10 Maxime Berger FRA Ducati 12 5 L Haslam BMW Motorrad @18.179 11 = Michel Fabrizio ITA BMW 10 6 M Melandri BMW Motorrad @18.831 11 = Davide Giugliano ITA Ducati 10 7 M Berger Effenbert Liberty @18.939 13 IRE Aprilia 8 8 E Laverty Aprilia Racing @19.478 14 Lorenzo Zanetti ITA Ducati 7 9 H Aoyama Honda @19.554 15 = Niccolo Canepa ITA Ducati 6 10 N Canepa Red Devils Roma @26.289 15 = Bryan Staring AUS Kawasaki 6 11 J Smrz Effenbert Liberty @26.479 17 GBR Suzuki 4 12 L Camier Crescent Fixi Suzuki @29.145 18 David Salom ESP Kawasaki 2 13 D Giugliano Althea Racing @36.482 19 = Josh Brookes AUS Suzuki 1 14 L Zanetti PATA Racing @38.113 19 = Joan Lascorz ESP Kawasaki 1 15 J Brookes Crescent Fixi Suzuki @43.234 16 B Staring Team Pedercini @43.526 WORLD SUPERSPORT 17 R De Rosa Pro Ride Honda @53.929 1 Kenan Sofuoglu TUR Kawasaki 25 Ret A Badovini BMW Motorrad @11 laps 2 Fabien Foret FRA Kawasaki 20 Ret J Lascorz Kawasaki Racing @12 laps 3 AUS Honda 16 Ret S Guintoli Effenbert Liberty @13 laps 4 Jules Cluzel FRA Honda 13 Ret D Salom Team Pedercini @14 laps 5 Sam Lowes GBR Honda 11 Ret M Fabrizio BMW Motorrad @18 laps 6 Sheridan Morais RSA Kawasaki 10 Ret D Johnson Rossair AEP @18 laps 7 Ronan Quarmby RSA Honda 9 Ret M Aitchison Grillini Progea @21 laps