The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is now in its second half of what is an intriguing season of action, but with each passing day, stories surface with regards to 2024’s grid. With rumours seemingly coming about every day about a whole host of teams and riders, one key player isn’t actually on the 2023 grid. Andrea Iannone is eyeing a return to racing and he has stated that he’ll soon know what his future will be. As always, check out our silly season article for a full run-down of what we know – and don’t know – so far, here!

THE TALKS: “We’ve spoken to all the teams who’ve shown interest, not just the ones you mention”

The big question is whether or not Andrea Iannone is close an agreement being reached, but it seems that nothing is clear, whilst there have been other teams than Team GoEleven and Barni Ducati that he’s been in contact with: “I don’t know if we’re close or far from an agreement, I just know that we’ll soon know what will become of my future as a rider. I think we’ve spoken to all the teams who’ve shown interest, not just the ones you mention.”

THE PROSPECT: “Come back to win? It must be our goal… it will be magical”

Having been in the paddock at both Misano and Imola, the atmosphere is something unique in World Championship racing, with the fans at the heart of it all, something ‘The Maniac’ enjoyed: “I missed the paddock a lot, not just the bikes, but the passion of the people, the fans, I missed everything a lot. I think the level of WorldSBK today is the highest ever. Come back to win? I don’t think it will be easy… but this must be our goal. If I ever succeed, it will be magical.”

THE OPPOSITION: “Alvaro is riding in an extraordinary way… I have little time and a lot of work ahead of me”

With the key teams Iannone could be partnering up with being Ducati, what does the 2016 Austrian MotoGP™ Grand Prix winner think of perhaps challenging reigning World Champion Alvaro Bautista? “Alvaro is riding in an extraordinary way,” began Iannone. “It would be nice to be able to find him on the track again; to duel with him is a path that must be built step-by-step. He is already at the top, I have little time and a lot of work ahead of me.”

THE OPTION: “We’re working on it, he’s a big talent and he deserves a place in this Championship” – Team GoEleven”

Denis Sacchetti, team manager for Team GoEleven Ducati, spoke about the possibility of welcoming Iannone to the line-up for 2024, with potentially knowing more about the team’s plans at the Most round: “We’re working on it, but we need to understand if it’s possible or not. Iannone for me is a talent, a big talent. He’s been out for four years but he’s a big talent and he deserves a place in this Championship. I spoke with him this weekend, but as a friend. There’s nothing decided; he have different options but anyway, I’ll be happy if he’s able to return to the Championship and ride and be competitive. Let’s see.”

THE OTHER GOELEVEN RUMOURS: “It’s important for us to have different options; I hope it’s possible to understand our future in the next two weeks, around Most”

Speaking about the team’s general approach to 2024, Sacchetti said: “It’s not easy to talk about the riders now; it’s time to speak and talk about contracts with the riders. This is our second year with Philipp and the relationship with him is very good. I think he’s fast, with big potential and he’s really close to the top five. But it’s not an easy gap to close because the level of the Championship is really, really high. The bikes, the riders, the teams, World Champions, so, it’s not easy for a young rider. We’re talking with him and other riders about next season. At the moment, it’s important for us to have different options to decide which is best for us for our future. Nothing is decided yet, I hope it’s possible to understand our future in the next two weeks before the break. Around the Most round.”

Attention then turned to whether or not Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) could return to the team, if he isn’t in the factory Ducati seat for 2024: “The first thing that matters is what happens from Ducati, as maybe he stays there. Michael is a big friend to us and a fast rider and I think he can stay every race inside the top three. He’s an interesting rider for every team in this Championship for everyone I think.”

Finally, Sacchetti spoke about the possibility of the team expanding, but budget means that nothing is decided just yet: “I think that every private team has the same dream to have two bikes; with that, we have a complete team. The main problem is the budget and it’s important to have all the budget you need to start with two bikes. We’re working on it, like other Ducati teams. This isn’t decided yet.”

Enjoy 2023’s stories LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED with the WorldSBK VideoPass, now at 50% off!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship races at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola for the first time since 2018, with the 2019 race cancelled due to inclement weather conditions, and one of the few on the grid who knew the track was Marc Garcia (China Racing Team). He raced and won at Imola in 2017, the year he was crowned World Champion. Six years after that victory, he returned to the category with the China Racing Team for the rounds in Italy and the Czech Republic, and in his first weekend he became the first rider to score points on the Kove 312RR on the world stage.

WEEKEND IN REVIEW: a new manufacturer scores in WorldSSP300

The weekend started with a sixth position in Free Practice 1, the best result in any session for the Chinese manufacturer. In FP2, he improved his time by just over three tenths, but finished ninth in the session, which left him 11^th in the combined classification. His best time on Friday was a 2’07.771s, less than a second behind pacesetter and Race 1 winner Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha).

Despite the fact he improved his Friday time by six thousandths in Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session, he could only take 19^th on the grid and started from the seventh row. His time was 1.310s down on polesitter Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing). Even starting so far back, in Race 1, he was able to climb back and fight in the second group for most laps; Geiger and Vannucci had broken away and fought for victory. He finished the race eighth, behind Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) and ahead of Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing), only 1.542s off the podium. On Sunday morning, he was eighth in Warm Up but he was unable to replicate the result in Race 2 where he finished 21^st.

Due to this result, the Spaniard was less satisfied than he should have been, clarifying that the bike has the potential to be higher. He said: “It could have gone better. The problem was the Superpole. In this category, you can be fast in all sectors, but when you get to the last one it becomes a funnel, and you cannot improve the lap. I was in the top ten all weekend, and in Superpole we could have easily been in the top five, but I couldn’t improve my lap and that hurt me all weekend. On Saturday, I was able to come back, but it is very difficult to start the race from so far back… We could have fought for the top five. On Sunday, it was the other around. Something happened with the bike and I couldn’t be fast.”

Garcia is, however, aware that this is common with a new manufacturer: “It is normal for these things to happen. We are the only team with this motorbike, and it is difficult to work like this. When the Championship started, there were 10 Yamahas, 10 Kawasakis and four KTMs. It’s very different to work with a single motorbike. You can’t compare data, and if there is a mistake, it’s just one motorbike. But the weekend was very positive, and I’m sure it’s going to be better at Most.”

TECHNICAL CONDITIONS OF THE 321RR: “Kove can get on the podium and win races!”

It was the first time Garcia had ridden the bike, although he was not the first Spaniard to ride the Kove, as Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing GR) achieved a double victory in Valencia in the ESBK Supersport 300 in May, when he raced alongside Junhao Zhan. After a weekend at Imola, Garcia explained the differences to the other bikes on the grid. Garcia also stated what he thinks the potential is: “It’s somewhere between the Kawasaki and the Yamaha. The chassis is similar to the Yamaha, but a little stiffer, although it looks more like the Kawasaki. Same aspects need to be improved, such as aerodynamics, but that requires time and mileage. Kove can win and get on the podium.”

ABOUT THE PROJECT: a possible future together

The China Racing Team has had three riders in four rounds. The first was Shengjunjie Zhou, who raced at Assen and Catalunya, while Junhao Zhan only participated at Misano, although he did not start the race as he was outside the 105% time in Superpole. For the Italian and Czech Rounds, the team has decided to field Garcia; an experienced rider with more than 50 starts under his belt, including seven victories, 14 podiums and the first WorldSSP300 Champion.

Discussing how he secured the seat for two rounds, Garcia said: “Jesus Rincon, the Team Manager, called me at the beginning of the year to do the entire season, but I had to reject him because he had something else quite advanced. He called me again because he needed a rider and, since I wasn’t racing this year, I didn’t even think about it. I already knew the team because I worked with them in 2019 with Kawasaki. They are an incredible group of people, the environment is healthy, there is a very good vibe and that helps a lot when it comes to working and making things work out as they should.”

Garcia also confessed that he’d like a long-term relationship with the team: “At first, it will just be Imola and Most, but I guess we’ll have to talk. Things are going well, and everyone is happy with me. I would like to finish the season here, and even continue next year with them. I can contribute experience and professionalism. Both the team and I want to win, but for that you need a good rider and a competitive bike, and to have a competitive bike you need an experienced rider. The level of competition is China is very different from what we have here, and so is the rhythm.”

Can Garcia push Kove further up the order? Find out at Most using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) has become one of the key players in the silly season for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock. With the German manufacturer signing Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) for the factory team for 2024, speculation about who will be his teammate has been rife with both Michael van der Mark and Redding admitting their desire to stay with BMW.

With the incumbents expressing their wish to stay, BMW have a decision to make about Razgatlioglu’s partner. At the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola, Redding on Thursday teased that there would be an announcement on Sunday but there was silence about his future, while Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) has also stated his future depends on what Redding does for 2024, seemingly putting a shake up in the Independent BMW line-up on the table.

With no announcements coming about his future, British rider Redding provided an update via his Instagram Stories. He said: “I’ve had more DMs about what I’m doing next year than when I’ve had a good result from racing! I said at Imola the news will be coming out on Sunday. All I can tell you is that I will be staying in World Superbike. That’s all I can give you. I really appreciate that you guys want to know what I’m doing, but it still can’t be said what’s going on. I’ll be staying in the World Superbike paddock, so see you there again.”

Next up, Most: watch all the action from the Czech Republic for HALF PRICE using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team will have a new line-up on the FIM Supersport World Championship grid from the Acerbis Czech Round onwards, as Lorenzo Dalla Porta steps in for Andrea Mantovani. The team mutually agreed to part ways with the MotoE™ race winner after the Prometeon Italian Round, where Mantovani did not race due to injuries sustained at Donington, with 2019 Moto3™ Champion Lorenzo Dalla Porta stepping in.

The Italian joined Evan Bros. Yamaha for the 2023 season after making two wildcard appearances in WorldSBK in 2021, while he also raced in STK1000 between 2016 and 2018; finishing in the top ten of the standings in his rookie campaign. However, strong results this year have been hard to come by for a team that have been so used to fighting at the front in recent years. Mantovani’s best was 12^th in Race 2 at the TT Circuit Assen while he missed the UK and Italian Rounds through injury he sustained on Friday at Donington Park.

The squad have been used to fighting for titles in recent seasons. In 2019, the won the Championship with Randy Krummenacher while teammate Federico Caricasulo was second. A year later, Andrea Locatelli dominated the season to claim the World Championship while, in 2021 and 2022, the team finished runners-up to Dominique Aegerter with riders Steven Odendaal and Lorenzo Baldassarri.

In a post on Instagram, Mantovani said: “I announce with great regret that, by mutual agreement with the Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team, it has been decided to interrupt the collaboration. Thank you all for the work done together and I wish the team all the best for the rest of the season!”

From the Autodrom Most onwards, Lorenzo Dalla Porta will join the team as he steps across from a disrupted Moto2™ campaign. After making his Moto3™ debut in 2015, he claimed the World Championship title in 2019 before he moved up to Moto2™; scoring five points in his rookie campaign. He doubled that a year later as he remained with the Italtrans Racing Team outfit until the end of the 2022 season. This year, he has raced five times for the Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team and twice for the Forward Team, and now he will start a WorldSSP campaign more than halfway through the season.

Discussing his arrival to WorldSSP, 26-year-old Dalla Porta said: “I am really happy to have this opportunity with the Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team, certainly one of the best teams in the category. I want to give my best, to obtain the results that the team and I deserve. The project is good and ambitious, so we just have to start and work hard, to improve quickly and have fun. I thank the team for the opportunity, I am really motivated.”

Team Principal Fabio Evangelista said: “I am obviously very sorry that I was not able, together with my team, to bring Andrea Mantovani to the top positions. Together we decided that stopping was the best decision. I wish Andrea all the best for the continuation of his career. I am very happy to welcome Lorenzo to our team. The first mission is to help him adapt to the category and to the tyres, and then to start improving step by step, aiming for great results. The team is ready to work hard, as it has always done, to experience a second half of the season as protagonists.”

Watch every moment of WorldSSP action from Most using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Despite another tricky weekend for Honda, there was some solace when Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) returned the manufacturer to the top ten for the first time since the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship visited Italy at Misano. In what had been a difficult period where both Lecuona and teammate Xavi Vierge struggled to crack the top ten and show any kind of form, Valencia-born Lecuona rode to his first top ten in over a month.

However, Imola was yet another challenging weekend for the Japanese manufacturer, perhaps not a surprise. Team HRC only returned in 2020 and this was the first trip for them to the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. For the riders, it was also their first venture out into one of the most technically-challenging and undulating circuits on the calendar, where past experience really can make a difference. After no points in Race 1 (due to retirement) or the Superpole Race (due to finishing outside the points in 13^th), it was relief for Lecuona to deliver a 10^th on Sunday afternoon.

Speaking about the result, whilst it being far from ideal, it’s something to build from moving forward for the #7: “In the end I’m happy with how we’ve ended the weekend, because after struggling a lot in the beginning and qualifying a way back on the grid, step-by-step we’ve been able to turn the weekend around. For this, I want to say a big thank you to my team because they always had faith in me, just as I had faith that we’d be able to make a step forward with the bike. Already in today’s Superpole Race, I felt better lap after lap and realised I had quicker pace and could at least make up some positions.

In Race 2, the first laps were tough; it was not easy to overtake the riders ahead but once I was able to do that and move close to the group of riders fighting for tenth place, I managed to pass them too. On the last lap Remy tried to pass me back, but I was feeling very strong and could defend my position. Starting so far back meant it was impossible to do more but I’m happy to have finished in the top ten. I’m happy to finally have one week to rest after seven consecutive weekends of racing and testing. So, I’ll exploit these few days as a little ‘holiday’.”

A breath-taking season is well underway, watch it all unfold in style with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The story of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship at the Prometeon Italian Round was the weekend-long duel between Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) and Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) in the sweltering conditions. The duo split the wins at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola as they both surged up the Championship standings, with Geiger leading the way after five rounds.

The #91 Yamaha was the quickest rider on Friday, but he was beaten to pole position by Geiger in the Tissot Superpole session by four tenths as the German took KTM’s first pole since the late Victor Steeman at Most in 2021. In Race 1, the pair quickly broke away from the chasing pack and had more than two seconds in hand over third placed Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) at the end of Lap 1. From there, the pair fought it out for victory although passing was limited; the duo opting to keep pulling out a gap. Vannucci was able to lead every lap despite Geiger’s late-race efforts to overtake him, giving him his third win in WorldSSP300.

Discussing his Race 1 win, the Italian said: “It’s a fantastic win. The race was difficult due to the hot conditions. The asphalt was so hot. The bike was sliding in the corners, but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the race. I had a big fight with Dirk Geiger. In the last corner, I went in sliding. I said ‘f**k, he could pass me!’. I crossed the line in first place so I’m very happy about this.”

Race 2 was a similar story as the pair broke away, although this time they were joined by Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team). He dropped off Vannucci and Geiger in the closing stages, allowing them to fight hard for victory. The three-time race winner had crossed the line first and thought he’d done the double, but a post-race investigation found he’d exceeded track limits at Turn 13 on the final lap. This demoted him to P2 with Geiger winning; KTM’s first win since the same weekend Steeman claimed pole.

Looking back on Race 2, the #60 KTM rider said: “On Sunday morning we found something in the Warm Up by trying out something on the gearbox and changing it. It worked wonderfully. The second race was an incredible challenge because of the temperatures. It wasn’t easy to stay focused in this heat. It was another great race at the end. In the last few laps, I gave everything to prevent Vannucci from taking his second win at his home race. The FIM Stewards changed the result. The trophy and the cap for second place had been stowed away; they will only be exchanged at Most.”

Watch more incredible WorldSSP300 action from Most using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is into the second half of the year and there’s plenty of speculation about what 2024 might bring. With it being the point of the season where “silly season” is at its highest – or craziest – the rumours surrounding next year are affecting all teams. However, there are exciting developments at Motocorsa Racing. For a full look at what 2024 IS already looking like and COULD evolve to be, check out our silly season run-down so far, here!

Lorenzo Mauri’s team currently field the effervescent Axel Bassani, with the Italian having his best season yet with 179 points, two podiums and P5 in the standings thus far. Bassani is also the second Ducati and top Independent rider and the team are just one point behind the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK team in the battle for best Independent outfit with fifth overall, ahead of the likes of Team HRC and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. Battling for victory at Imola before ultimately finishing second behind Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), Bassani is in a riding the crest of a wave, but what does that mean for Motocorsa Racing?

“WE’RE WAITING FOR AXEL” – Bassani priority number one for Motocorsa Racing in 2024

“About 2024, we are waiting for Axel and his manager, Alberto’s decision to make a decision about us, too,” began team principal Lorenzo Mauri, who is in his fourth season in WorldSBK, the third with Bassani. “We have not given them a deadline to let us know. I have spoken with Alberto, his manager, telling him ‘if you get a deal with someone, let me know’.”

Axel Bassani’s manager is none other than Alberto Vergani, who also manages riders such Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and WorldSSP front-runner Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team). In the past, Vergani also managed riders such as 2011 WorldSBK Champion Carlos Checa, 2011’s runner-up Marco Melandri and recently in WorldSBK, Sandro Cortese. Vergani had previously stated that “no factory team” was interested in Bassani for 2024.

ABOUT MOTOCORSA RACING: a fine history in WorldSBK

Motocorsa Racing graduated to WorldSBK from the CIV Superbike championship in Italy during 2020, when Leandro Mercado returned to Ducati machinery and raced for the team. With a best result of P10 achieved twice in a season mired by injury, Bassani was promoted in 2021 and within three rounds, a top six finisher before a stunning podium in Barcelona after leading a race for the first time.

For 2022, Bassani remained and was a contender from the start, with consistency improving and podiums coming in the second half of the season, with the 23-year-old making it clear he wanted to replace Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) on the factory bike for this year. So, the #47 stayed another year with the team that gave him his big break and he’s been nothing short of sensational; battling for podiums, victories and finishing every single race (apart from Barcelona’s Superpole Race, when he was tenth) in the points, Bassani is once again looking for an opportunity on a factory bike, although it seems that Motocorsa is also a likely option.

LOOKING TO 2024: “Several riders are knocking on the door… MotoGP™ riders”

Continuing to discuss his team’s possibilities for 2024, Mauri stated a potential expansion and big names from MotoGP could be on the horizon: “Several riders are knocking on the door of our team. Probably, we’ll have two bikes but firstly, I want to understand what Axel is going to do. Most of these riders are riders from the Grand Prix paddock, so MotoGP™ riders, former MotoGP™, Moto2™ and Moto3™. It is a good reward for the work we have been doing for eight years.”

IS THE MANIAC COMING BACK? Perhaps, but Mauri rules out Iannone

One riders’ name keeps coming up and that is Andrea Iannone, but could he fit at Motocorsa? It would be against the ethos of Mauri’s outfit if so: “I don’t think Iannone has taken us into consideration. In the press, I read that probably he spoke with Barni, Ducati and GoEleven. I don’t know Andera Iannone; our policy is to have a younger rider with less experience. We’re doing things that don’t happen because we are lucky.”

Watch round highlights from our return to Imola here and enjoy 2023 with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The seventh round of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is banked and what a round it was. We knew Imola was going to be special but nobody could’ve predicted how it’d shake out come the close of the weekend. From the biggest mistake by the Championship leader, a long-awaited full race win and rev limits talking, this week’s hot headlines are more speziato than usual.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducat): “I was a bit stupid… maybe I got to Race 2 with too much confidence”

A first race crash of 2023 down to his own error, Championship leader Alvaro Bautista cited a possible touch of over-confidence as the reason why: “I touched the white line. I did many laps touching the white line but maybe not on the first lap. It was my mistake because I made a good start, and I defended the first corner very well. When I did the change of direction, I went more inside and maybe I trusted it a lot on the first lap. I crashed. It was my fault. I have to learn from that. No drama but I was a bit stupid because I think it was a bit of a combination of everything. I fought with Toprak in the Superpole Race so maybe I got to Race 2 with too much confidence. Sometimes, this isn’t good. Sunday has been a good lesson to show me that I can improve as a rider and I can improve my management of the situation.”

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing): “I tried… but Toprak is Toprak!”

A valiant effort from home-hero Axel Bassani, who led for most of Race 2, but was denied: “I tried! I had a good feeling, so I tried to manage the race, do my pace but Toprak is Toprak! I tried to beat him but we’ll see next time. The bike of Toprak was a little bit better, it was my first time at the front, so it’s not easy to manage the race. Toprak did his job, his 100%, he put some distance between us but it’s normal, it’s racing. I tried to stay in front of Jonny and it’s OK to be P2 here at Imola. It’s a really difficult track for me but I am happy to arrive to as first Ducati. I think we did our job today! It’s not easy when you have Jonny behind but now, I feel good with him there because we’ve battled a lot in the past. The same for Toprak; I enjoy battling with them.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “Finally! I’m surprised Alvaro crashed… the Championship isn’t finished”

Winning a feature race for the first time in 2023, the monkey is now off Toprak Razgatlioglu’s back: “This year, finally! I’ve waited for this moment for many weekends! I am surprised Alvaro crashed at Turn 3, it was a strange crash. He touched the white line because after two laps, I did the same and the feeling was that I lost the front and rear, but I didn’t crash. I am happy as I’ve waited every weekend for this, I tried to ride alone after Alvaro crashed but Axel was very strong. I kept the rear tyre, started to follow him and then passed him in the last three laps. I didn’t take any risks because for me, it was a very important race.”

However, his Superpole Race win was more memorable in his words, whilst he’s not giving up on title #2 just yet: “I had a better win in the Superpole Race because Alvaro is very strong and had very good pace. I caught him and passed him at Turn 9, where he wasn’t as strong. He rode the last lap very well and into the last chicane, I felt him very close and coming out of Turn 19, there’s a big screen and I saw him very close! I tried hard braking into the final chicane and didn’t stop easy! I took the win; it’s very special because after 0.5s gap, I closed to up to him and passed him. 70 points is a lot but the Championship is not finished; I’m focused race by race like 2021, just trying to win.”

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “I don’t understand my team or Kawasaki’s direction…”

Speaking about Kawasaki’s rev limit increase that they’re not using and a potential engine upgrade later in the year, Jonathan Rea was slightly confused by his team’s strategy regarding the situation: “I have no idea, technically, you’ll have to speak with my team. 500rpm helps as you can be more aggressive with the final gearing, be much shorter with the acceleration as you have more over-rev. I guess with the camshaft, this will be a better spec so maybe we’ll generate more power but I don’t know. I’m surmising now, so speak with the team. I don’t understand my team or Kawasaki’s direction with this is though, because obviously, we need to get concession points first before we can get this final piece, but the idea is to be on the podium and trying to fight for race wins which doesn’t get the concession points needed; we need to be competitive. I hope we don’t get it because I hope that means we’re doing a good job and don’t need them. It’s a strange one.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “Alvaro is doing a great job… we, as Ducati, are paying the price”

Three top five results for a consistent Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who also touched on the rev limits topic: “I think that Alvaro is doing a great job and he deserves what we’re achieving. We, as Ducati, are paying that price by getting the revs reduced. We’ll keep working and see if we can fight for the podium in the next race.”

Brad Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team): “We’re able to fight with the top guys!”

One of the stand-out riders of the round was Brad Ray, with the British rookie taking a stunning P6 in Race 2: “I think it’s been coming from round to round. We’ve been getting stronger. On paper, it hasn’t looked great. There’s always been little things that have been happening that have hindered the progress throughout the weekend. We seem to have come to a really strong track for me and it’s first time here. This weekend, we worked in a bit of a different way with the team. I understood a bit more about how I need to ride the bike and what I need from the bike. We’ve made a very good step and the Superpole helped a lot to be able to be in that top ten group. I’m super happy for the team and myself to prove that the pace is there and that we’re able to fight with the top guys. It’s all come together this weekend and when it does, then we’re able to be competitive.”

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “Sometimes, it’s difficult to speak with them to explain what I want to do”

Speaking of his weekend, Andrea Locatelli wasn’t happy with a mistake on tyre choice: “We need to understand why I can’t always stay with the front guys. Race 2 was more difficult. Sometimes, it’s difficult to speak with them to explain what I want to do. The real story from Race 1 was the soft on the front and the 800 rear. It was wrong on the front and good on the rear. On Sunday, we went the opposite: SC1 on the front, SCX on the rear. The rear feeling wasn’t good. Every time, especially with tyres, we maybe choose the wrong one. Maybe I was a little bit unlucky. We lost something and we need to know why, especially for the future. When we have the opportunity to be in front and pushing, we are so close. I want to understand with my crew chief and team what we lost, especially in Race 2, and prepare for Most. I’d like to be more competitive and try to win a race.”

Watch round highlights from our return to Imola here and enjoy 2023 with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Astounding; impressive, sensational, sublime. All of those words are applicable when talking about Brad Ray’s (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) performance during Sunday’s Race 2 at Imola. The 26-year-old from Kent in England scored a fantastic P6, delivering the best of his rookie year, a first top ten of his WorldSBK career and his team’s best result since they graduated to the WorldSBK class last year.

Racing at Imola for the first time, Ray seemed to enjoy his debut at the Italian track, with the Yamaha rider frequently challenging the top ten throughout Free Practice. However, a second row start in sixth was the highlight of Saturday, again the best he or the team have managed in Superpole, ahead of the likes of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team). Race 1 didn’t go so well as he dropped back early on, with “a few little issues” seeing him come home in 15^th. An early mistake in the Superpole Race saw him drop down to the back of the field before recovering up to P16, meaning he started Race 2 from 10^th on the grid.

Getting a flying start, Ray was already up to eighth on Lap 1 where he’d stay until Lap 12, passing both Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) for sixth. Holding it until the chequered flag, it was a career-best finish as well as the best result for Sandro Carusi’s Yamaha Motoxracing outfit in World Superbike. Ray was the second Independent and second British rider to take the chequered flag, as he grows in stature throughout a first year of WorldSBK action.

Talking about his weekend, the 2022 British Superbike champion was elated with a first top six of the year: “Unbelievable! Firstly, it’s my first time here at Imola, but it didn’t take me too long to get used to the track, which was nice. I’ve been really strong this weekend but honestly, racing has been the difficult part for me this year, I haven’t been qualifying very well so the races have been difficult to make steps forward. I probably out-qualified my pace yesterday, that’s why I dropped back in the race and we had a few little issues in Race 1 that hindered me going forwards. In the Superpole Race on Sunday morning, we had a problem with the gear shifter, so it was nice to put that to bed!

“I got a really good start in Race 2 this afternoon, and I knew I had to dig in on the first laps to make the time up, to stay in the front group. I did the best I could on the opening laps and set my rhythm, doing the best I could do. It was all about ticking the laps off!”

With it being Ray’s first time at Imola, previous experience at similar-style tracks back home in his native United Kingdom certainly helped: “It’s not an easy track to come to; it’s more of a UK-style track with a lot of ups and downs and blind corners that need a lot of commitment. I’ve grown up on the UK style tracks so I gelled with it straight away. The temperature has been difficult this weekend. I had ‘+0.3s’ on the board on the final laps of Race 2 so I just had to hit my markers and apexes; I knew I wasn’t very strong in the first sector but I knew that for the rest of the lap, I was quite strong. I just had to get through there and I knew I’d hold them off until the line. honestly, I’m super happy for myself, the team and for Yamaha. It shows that when everything comes together, we can do a good job.”

Talking about the importance of Superpole, it offered a true indication of what Ray was capable of: “The most important thing for me is being able to qualify very well; we’ve shown in the past races, we’ve qualified around 18^th and it has been difficult to make that step up to the top 12 or top ten. This weekend, it was important to qualify in P6 and then I started Race 2 from tenth, so in the group where I needed to be. By digging in on the opening lap, I learnt a hell of a lot and throughout the weekend on a whole. I’m hoping we can carry on with this momentum moving forwards.”

Team principal Sandro Carusi was also elated with his team cracked the top ten for the first time in 2023 and with an all-time best result of P6: “We’ve completed what we thought might be the most difficult weekend of all in the best possible way. Sixth place today repays all the work put in during recent rounds. Bradley is proving to be a real professional and I think our team is also showing significant growth.”

Watch round highlights from our return to Imola here and enjoy 2023 with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com