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A first-look at the 2020 MotoE World Cup calendar has been released, with the provisional outline confirming two keys changes for next year.

In 2020 there are more rounds planned at more circuits, where MotoE will take on the TT Circuit Assen and the season finale now set for Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

The 2019 MotoE series, the inaugural season of the electric-powered category, was delayed after a devastating fire destroyed the entire fleet and equipment in March at a Jerez test.

Provisional 2020 MotoE World Cup calendar:
Rd1 – 3 May – Jerez, Spain
Rd2 – 17 May – Le Mans, France
Rd3 – 28 June – Assen, Netherlands
Rd4 – 16 August – Red Bull Ring, Austria
Rds 5-6 – 12-13 September – Misano, Italy

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Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) has confirmed the signing of Alvaro Bautista to its newly-formed official factory team that will contest the 2020 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK).

Bautista has scored 15 race wins in his rookie WorldSBK season this year with Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, however after just one campaign with the Italian manufacturer, the Spaniard is set to pilot what is understood to be a new-generation superbike from Honda in 2020, as HRC strengthens its intentions in the series.

“We are very happy to welcome Alvaro Bautista to our WSBK racing project for next year,” said HRC president Yoshishige Nomura.

“His arrival in the Honda racing family underlines our strong commitment to compete at full force in every motorsport category, fighting to achieve top sporting results and looking for the best technological innovations, in order to offer our fans and customers fun, joy and excellent products.

“Alvaro is a very fast, experienced rider who has already shown his strong racing attitude and competitiveness in his GP years and in his first season in the WorldSBK Championship. We are confident that he will make a significant contribution to the growth and development of our project in the exciting and challenging Superbike World Championship.”

Bautista stretched out a 60-point lead in the opening rounds this year before numerous mistakes and crashes demoted him to second, where he currently sits 91 points behind leader Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team).

Former MotoGP rider Scott Redding will fulfil Bautista’s spot alongside regular Chaz Davies, while the future of the Honda-supported Moriwaki Althea squad is unclear.

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Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro has undergone successful surgery on his left wrist after fracturing it in a nasty crash during FP4 on Saturday at the Aragon grand prix.

Espargaro was ultimately forced out of Sunday’s race, and underwent surgery to have a titanium plate installed on the multi-fragment fracture of the left distal radius.

He’s expected to undergo further medical evaluation this week as the Austrian manufacturer completes two days of testing at the Spanish venue on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We missed Pol and he was performing well this weekend up until the crash but he had successful surgery this morning and we wish him all the best,” said team manager Mike Leitner. “We have the test on Tuesday and Wednesday now and then we’ll look to Thailand.”

The Spaniard is hopeful of being on the line at the next stop of the MotoGP World Championship in Thailand, scheduled on 6 October.

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Jack Miller insists he kept his cool in the closing stages of Aragon’s 23-lap MotoGP encounter yesterday, where he made a thrilling last-lap pass on Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) for his third podium of the season.

The Pramac Racing ace started from P4 on the grid before quickly finding himself in second, however he was demoted back to fourth following passes from Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Vinales.

Keeping himself in the hunt, Miller remained calm in the final laps of the race as Vinales evidently struggled with his tyres – the Australian striking on the last time around the Spanish circuit to cross the line in P3.

“I just tried to keep my pace,” said Miller. “We did a lot of runs throughout the weekend, just working on that, and I sort of stuck to it. I switched map really early and tried to save the rear tyre, I didn’t want to get sucked into trying to chase Marc.

“I rode my own pace, Mav came past but I think he was trying to chase down Marc. Towards the end he just started struggling in the long corners – I kept my cool and was able to bring home a podium.”

Miller is ranked eighth in the MotoGP World Championship standings, and second in the Independent Team rider classification.

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Following an injury-riddled season, McAms Yamaha rider Jason O’Halloran returned to the podium in race one at Assen’s 10th round of the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB) in the Netherlands.

The Australian charged to third in the opening encounter after capitalising on a safety car intervention, marking his first appearance on the rostrum this year and his first with the factory Yamaha squad.

Admitting he struggled with grip in race two, O’Halloran could only manage a seventh place finish to round out the weekend.

“It’s been a really good day,” O’Halloran stated. “I’m really happy to have been up on the podium in race one. Everything worked for us in that race, I felt really comfortable and did my own thing and got our first trophy for the McAMS Yamaha team which I’m really pleased with as the guys have worked so hard this year.

“The second race was a little more difficult, I don’t know if we had an issue with the tyre or something as I struggled for grip from the early stages. Nonetheless it’s been a good day, so we’ll go to Donington and see what we can do.”

Compatriot Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) went 2-4 at Assen, while Ben Currie (JG Speedlift Kawasaki) recorded 15-17 race results. Current ASBK Supersport points leader Tom Toparis made a guest appearance in the Supersport class, however crashed out on the opening lap.

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Youthful Australian Billy van Eerde earned his maiden race victory in the 2019 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at the Aragon grand prix, backing up the win with a podium result in race two.

Qualifying 11th, the New South Welshman put on an excellent display of riding in the opening encounter, positioning himself at the front of the field before making an incredible last-corner pass for the win.

Van Eerde has come into strong form in the back half of the series, finishing third in the race two – the final race of the championship – to make it four podiums in the last five races.

“I was looking to be racing in the front group,” said van Eerde. “Then mid-race I was feeling good on the bike and realised that I could push a bit harder. I kept going and the bike was working a lot better than it did in practice.

“On the last lap I concentrated on putting myself in the right place down the back straight to pick up the slipstream and it worked.

“That was a great way to end the year, I’m very happy. Perhaps I went a bit early at the end [of race two], didn’t quite work it the same way as yesterday. The group was a lot bigger today, more finishers, but being on the podium is really good.”

Van Eerde wound up sixth in the championship standings despite record four DNFs in the first four races of the season.

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Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) has opened the 2019/2020 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) by securing victory in a weather-affected Bol d’Or 24 Hours in France.

The 83rd Bol d’Or will go down in the history books as a highly unusual race, as heavy rainfall forced the race to be interrupted from 6pm on Saturday to 6am on Sunday.

Three hours after the race had resumed on a quickly drying track, leader F.C.C. TSR Honda France, which included Australian Josh Hook, suffered an engine failure that shook the fight for the lead.

Loris Baz, in the saddle of the YART Yamaha bike and Webike SRC Kawasaki France’s Erwan Nigon, both hot on the Honda’s heels, were caught unaware by an oil spill. The riders’ minor crashes forced the two factory teams to withdraw, as their bikes had caught fire.

The exit of these factory teams opened the way for Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, who took the lead and managed to clinch victory over Wojcik Racing Team and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, who inherited third after ERC Endurance Team was found to have a non-compliant fuel tank capacity in a post-race inspection.

The next stop of EWC is scheduled for 14 December at Sepand International Circuit in Malaysia.

Detailed results