CHECA Hoping for More of the Same
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ROUND ONE PHILLIP ISLAND SBK RACE BULLETIN 26.02.12 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 CHECA HOPING FOR SAN MARINO 7 JUNE 10 MORE OF THE SAME MOTORLAND ARAGON 8 SPAIN take on set-up,” said Checa. “I’m pretty happy. We’re JULY 1 Reigning World Superbike still up there with the times, though it seems difficult to improve beyond that point. We’ll look at the tyres BRNO champion Carlos Checa again of course, as tyre choice for this weekend’s CZECH REPUBLIC is hoping to make a bright races will be extremely important.” 9 JULY 22 start to his title defence at One man who will be hoping for better fortunes SILVERSTONE UNITED KINGDOM Phillip Island in Australia. in 2012 will be Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Rea. 10 AUGUST 5 The Honda rider had hoped to be among the title contenders in 2011, but his hopes were hit by a bike MOSCOW The traditional season-opener comes on the back of that the team struggled to consistently get the best RACEWAY two days of testing at the spectacular Victoria track, out of, and a two-month absence in the middle of the RUSSIA where Checa was right on the pace on his Althea season due to injury. 11 AUGUST 26 Ducati to raise hopes that the Spanish veteran can secure back-to-back titles. Amid those problems Rea managed to pick up two NÜRBUrgring GERMANY wins, at Assen and Imola, and finished the year 12 SEPTEMBER 9 After being the championship’s dominant figure in strongly with two podium finishes at Portimao. And he 2011, as he beat Aprilia rider Max Biaggi to the admits he is raring to get going again after the winter PORTIMÃO crown, Checa will have to cope with a handicap this break, which included a two-month testing ban. PORTUGAL season as his Ducati will be forced to run 6 kilograms 13 SEPTEMBER 23 heavier in 2012 in an effort to limit the performance Rea said: “It’s been a long winter, especially with the advantage enjoyed by the Bologna machine. new testing ban in December and January, and I can’t MAGNY-COURS wait to get back on the bike again. Of course, we’ve FRANCE 14 OCTOBER 7 But that did not stop Checa during testing, and he is still got a lot of development work to do with the new hopeful he can repeat his double victory of a year ago, bike, but it’s the weekend that really counts, and I’m although he acknowledges it is likely to be a closer really looking forward to the new season.” contest this season. Aprilia rider Eugene Laverty is set to race despite a “We started the season well here last year, so we’ve broken hand, while Leon Haslam also hopes to climb compared last year’s set-up to this year’s, considering aboard his BMW after he fractured a bone in his heel the extra 6kg, and we understand the direction to in a testing crash. 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 PHILLIP ISLAND NEWSDESK enerGYZone.Worldsbk.COM 26.02.12 HOPKINS IS HIT BY ALL-STAR CAST IS NEW HAND INJURY READY TO ROAR Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoglu returns to the Crescent Suzuki rider John Hopkins will miss With the 2012 FIM Superbike World Supersport World Championship for the the opening round of the Superbike World Championship ready to roar into action in start of the 2012 season at Phillip Island Championship after undergoing surgery on an Australia, an updated entry list issued by the looking to secure his third world title. injury to his right hand. The American rider suffered FIM shows there will be no fewer than 24 official Sofuoglu previously won the title in 2007 and 2010 for Ten Kate Honda, the injury in a testing crash at Phillip Island last full-time entries for the 25th anniversary edition but he makes his comeback with the week, just a month after having an operation to of the championship. It is an impressive total Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini team after a amputate part of a finger on the same hand. given the ongoing global financial crisis, with disappointing season in the Moto2 class officially-supported squads and privateer teams on the Grand Prix circuit. With last year’s Hopkins, who is returning to world level after a representing six major manufacturers. champion, Welshman Chaz Davies, having moved on, Sofuoglu is likely to face stiff season in the British Superbike Championship, will competition from a pair of Honda riders in be replaced by Australian favourite Josh Brookes. The lion’s share of grid places – seven – will be the form of experienced Australian Broc The operation to correct his latest injury setback taken by riders on Ducati machinery, but there will Parkes (pictured below) of Ten Kate and was the 29th Hopkins has had to endure during also be five BMW riders, four from Kawasaki, three talented Briton Sam Lowes (Bogdanka his career. each from Aprilia and Honda, plus two Suzukis. PTR), plus another Kawasaki, piloted by another former champion in Frenchman The nationalities of the riders are spread among Fabien Foret. “I was on a used tyre and probably on the last lap 10 countries, Italy once more the best represented before pulling in,” said Hopkins. “I was spat off and with eight – fully one third of the permanent field. unfortunately came down on my right hand – yeah, Next most numerous are the British with five, then the same one that is missing a bit of finger. The the Spanish with three and the French two. Lone X-rays show I have fractured a bone in the base of riders from America, Japan, Argentina, the Czech the hand, near what’s left of my fourth finger.” Republic, Ireland and Australia complete the 24. MAX OUT TO END MULTI-NATIONAL HIS ISLAND JINX SUPERSPORT GRID Max Biaggi will be hoping for a change of luck in A great entry of no fewer than 32 full-time riders, Australia. After 10 races at Phillip Island, the Italian spread across 23 teams, will compete in the is still looking for his first win. Last year, he finished FIM Supersport World Championship in 2012. second to Carlos Checa in both races and took The championship kicks off alongside the FIM both fastest laps, his best result at the Victoria Superbike World Championship series at Phillip circuit. Those two podiums bettered the third place Island, with only the Miller Motorsports Park round Biaggi scored in 2007, his first year in the series. in the USA not on the travel itinerary this year. Checa’s double victory last year – added to his Four manufacturers will be represented in World win in race two in 2010 – saw him become the Supersport, with 17 riders on Honda CBR600RR first non-Australian to win three consecutive races machines, seven hopefuls on Yamaha YZF-R6s, at Phillip Island. Before him, only Aussie favourites five competitors on Kawasaki ZX-6R bikes and a While the World Superbike and World Anthony Gobert (1995-1996) and Troy Corser lone Triumph Daytona 675 pilot battling it out for Supersport Championships will start (2005-2006) could claim three successive wins honours across the 13 rounds, with wildcards sure in Australia this weekend, racers in the here. Now Checa is out to set a new record – no to play a part at some key rounds. Superstock 1000 class have to wait to go racing as the first round of the series does rider has won four straight races at Phillip Island. not take place until the round at Imola in And he certainly has pedigree at the circuit, Many riders will have a home round to enjoy, with April. One man who will be keen to make finishing outside the top 10 only in 2009, when 14 nationalities on the grid, representing Australia, an impact on home soil when the opener he was 12th and 13th, and always in the top 10 Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, comes around will be Lorenzo Baroni. The in qualifying. His pole last year was his third at the Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, South 27-year-old has joined the BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet team after racing a Ducati in circuit after 2008 and 2010. Africa, Switzerland, Turkey and the USA. 2011. And sporting director Serafino Foti is excited by the Italian’s talent. He said: “Lorenzo is a young rider, but he already has experience in international racing – he may be young, but he shows potential for SYKES SETS PACE IN great progress.” PHILLIP ISLAND TEST Tom Sykes was the man of the moment in two days of Superbike testing at Phillip Island, with the Kawasaki man’s time of 1 minute 31.648 seconds the benchmark as the riders now gear up for the opening round of the Like the Superstock 1000 class, the 2012 FIM Superbike World Championship. 600s will also not be at Phillip Island this weekend as the series does not kick off Second place overall went to 2011 champion Carlos until the Imola race weekend at the start of April. But when those dates come around, Checa (Althea Racing Ducati), who ended up just promising Northern Ireland rider Glenn a whisker behind.