Always fond to look back on our illustrious history, a modern classic is what beckons in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship archives this time, as Jonathan Rea and Chaz Davies’ fierce rivalry sparked at MotorLand Aragon in Spain. Race 1 was a gloves-off affair between both, with Rea eager to make it four wins from the opening five races in his first year with Kawasaki, whilst Davies wanted to take the Panigale V-twin to its first victory, and his first win since 2013. On the final lap, the two traded places and a last-ditch attempt for Davies at Turn 15 saw him run wide, with Rea back through. Ducati power came good though and the Welshman got ahead of the #65 at Turn 16, only to run wide and leave the door open for Rea to come back through and take victory. It wasn’t a disaster of a day however, as Davies took a first win of 2015 in Race 2 and thus giving the Ducati Panigale V-twin a first victory too. Enjoy Race 1 in full at the top of this article, as well as many more throughout our archives.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Round three of the 2023 FIM Supersport World Championship is beckoning from the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands and it’s the first European round of the year, meaning the WorldSSP Challenge likewise returns. Tom-Booth Amos (Motozoo Racing by Puccetti) is one of the headlining names going into the 2023 season and he’ll have a teammate this year in Australian rookie Luke Power, who was fifth in the MotoAmerica Supersport class in 2022. We caught up with both riders to get a glimpse of what to expect in 2023.

After an injury-hit 2022 season which showed plenty of potential, Booth-Amos has his sights on European success in 2023 and hopes to hit the ground running at Assen, one of his favourite circuits: “I’m looking forward to Assen and getting back there as it’s one of my favourite circuits, especially with the new team as well. 

“I feel like we’ve made a good step in preseason compared to last year and obviously, I did the last three races of 2022 with them, I know how they work and they know how I work. There’re are a lot of new updates with the Kawasaki this year so that should also help. Obviously, the goal this year is to be WorldSSP Challenge Champion so we’ll be working on that and seeing how it goes.”

Teammate Luke Power is also excited to get going, making his debut and achieving a dream: “I’m happy to be starting a new adventure for myself in WorldSSP in the Motozoo Racing by Puccetti outfit. Obviously, I’m really excited and it’s been a dream of mine ever since I started riding at the age of 3, so it’s a massive opportunity and I’m very grateful to Motozoo for giving it to me. I’m really excited to be riding the Kawasaki ZX-6R in the World Championship. Kawasaki, along with the team, have done a really good job preparing the bike and the fly-by-wire system. It hasn’t been easy but we’ve made some massive steps in the technical department in the three tests we’ve already done. 

“I’m looking forward to learning and growing with the team, I’m not sure what goals they have for me other than improving; that’s every riders’ basic goal. In terms of a starting point to improve on, I don’t have one, Assen is going to be very new and very surreal for me so I think that if I can keep calm, level-headed and take it step-by-step… wherever I finish the weekend is where I’ll finish and I know that the team and I will be giving 110% throughout the weekend. Obviously, the team is all-new to me this year but the guys have a great deal of experience in the World Championship, so it’s a privilege to work with such professionals and they’ve done a great job helping me adapt to the World Championship riding style, riding the bike, learning the tracks and all the things that are different in the World Championship.”

Speaking about his teammate, Power said: “I’ve got a new teammate in Tom Booth-Amos and he’s a really good guy and he’s helped me out a bit in those three tests. I’m looking forward to spending time with him and the team for the rest of this year. We’ll see how we go, the team atmosphere is good and we’ll definitely be giving 110%. I’m super excited and it’s the beginning of a long dream of mine and it’s cool to see it come to life!”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Championship Standings

1. 
   ALVARO BAUTISTA
   
   112
   DUCATI
2. 
   TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU
   
   75
   YAMAHA
3. 
   ANDREA LOCATELLI
   
   70
   YAMAHA
4. 
   AXEL BASSANI
   
   51
   DUCATI
5. 
   MICHAEL RUBEN RINALDI
   
   47
   DUCATI
6. 
   JONATHAN REA
   
   44
   KAWASAKI

View full standings

1. 
   NICOLO BULEGA
   
   77
   DUCATI
2. 
   STEFANO MANZI
   
   59
   YAMAHA
3. 
   CAN ONCU
   
   54
   KAWASAKI
4. 
   FEDERICO CARICASULO
   
   51
   DUCATI
5. 
   NIKI TUULI
   
   46
   TRIUMPH
6. 
   MARCEL SCHROETTER
   
   46
   MV AGUSTA

View full standings

2023

1. 
   TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU
   
   43
   YAMAHA
2. 
   ALVARO BAUTISTA
   
   28
   DUCATI
3. 
   ANDREA LOCATELLI
   
   24
   YAMAHA
4. 
   MICHAEL RUBEN RINALDI
   
   22
   DUCATI
5. 
   JONATHAN REA
   
   20
   KAWASAKI

1. 
   NICOLO BULEGA
   
   18
   DUCATI
2. 
   CAN ONCU
   
   16
   KAWASAKI
3. 
   STEFANO MANZI
   
   12
   YAMAHA
4. 
   FEDERICO CARICASULO
   
   10
   DUCATI
5. 
   MARCEL SCHROETTER
   
   9
   MV AGUSTA

2023

1. 
   ALVARO BAUTISTA
   
   3
   DUCATI
2. 
   JONATHAN REA
   
   1
   KAWASAKI

1. 
   STEFANO MANZI
   
   2
   YAMAHA
2. 
   CAN ONCU
   
   1
   KAWASAKI
3. 
   NICOLO BULEGA
   
   1
   DUCATI

Source: WorldSBK.com

While teams from the FIM Supersport World Championship headed to Spain for two days of testing, Ten Kate Racing Yamaha opted to complete two days of action earlier this week at the TT Circuit Assen with riders Stefano Manzi and Jorge Navarro. The Dutch team are preparing for their home round, where they have enjoyed so much success, and used Monday 3^rd April and Tuesday 4^th April to complete two days of testing.

It has been a strong start to the season for Ten Kate Racing Yamaha despite not yet winning a race with Manzi currently second in the Championship standings behind Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team). Manzi has two podiums from the first four races to his name so far in 2023 as he looks to claim his first WorldSSP title, while Navarro’s season has been impacted by the serious injury, he sustained in Moto2™ at Phillip Island in 2022.

The team did venture to Donington Park in March to join a British Superbike test but the weather severely limited their running due to wet and cold conditions. In early April, the team headed to Assen for two days of testing which were described as “positive” to prepare Manzi and Navarro for the team’s home round in the best possible way as well as testing new items on their Yamaha YZF R6 machines.

Looking back on the test, Manzi said: “After a month we could finally get back on the bike and I’m really happy with how this test went. We tested a lot of important things during the last two days and I am happy with the things that we found. Now we wait for the race weekend in Assen in just over two weeks’ time, and we need to see if track conditions will be different. I want to thank the team for their efforts and I’m looking forward to return to racing soon.”

Navarro added: “I am very happy with the test because I think it has been very productive. Every time I went out, I tried something different, that helped us to gather a lot of information and find the things that I like. It was also helpful to make longer runs, which I can do now because my fitness has improved. I am still in the recovery process, but I already feel better than during the first two rounds. We still have some weeks to prepare for the race weekend in Assen, I am looking forward to continue our work and start racing again.”

Ten Kate Racing Yamaha were not the only team to test at the TT Circuit Assen, with MTM Kawasaki out on track as well. Riders Jeffrey Buis, the 2020 WorldSSP300 Champion, and rookie Loris Veneman were preparing for their first race of the 2023 campaign with the WorldSSP300 season starting in the Netherlands. 

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Preparations for Bradley Ray’s (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) maiden MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship campaign are continuing with the British rider taking part in several tests in the off-season. With the team not competing in the flyaway races in Australia and Indonesia, as well as Argentina at the end of the season, Ray has been preparing with several tests around Europe and his manager, Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne, gave his thoughts on the season coming.

Ray’s first test was at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve at the end of January and beginning of February before moving on to MotorLand Aragon in March. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was Ray’s third port of call as he took part in two more days of action on his Yamaha YZF R1. His test at Aragon was disrupted by a technical issue and a crash in Barcelona but he was still able to get to grips with his WorldSBK-spec R1.

He comes into his maiden WorldSBK campaign on the back of a successful season in his native Britain where he took the British Superbike title when racing with Yamaha machinery and on Pirelli tyres. However, both the bike and tyres were a different spec to those used in WorldSBK with the tests giving Ray his first opportunity to get used to the WorldSBK specifications.

Previewing Ray’s maiden campaign, six-time British champion Byrne said: “He’s taking a big step up into WorldSBK. It’s a tough Championship. That group from fourth to 15^th is like Moto2™, it’s so tight and so competitive. It’s not going to be easy; it’s going to be a baptism of fire. He’s not the British Superbike champion for no reason. He gelled with the Yamaha from the fast laps he got on it and hopefully he’ll gel with the WorldSBK spec one. Hopefully he’ll come here on a really good bike, the Yamaha, with a good team who had a good year last year; done their apprenticeship if you like. They’re as ready as we are to step up and try to put themselves on the map.”

Ray’s season will begin at the Dutch Round at the iconic TT Circuit Assen which is a circuit he knows well from his time in the British championship having raced there in 2018. He also has experience of several tracks on the WorldSBK calendar through his time in the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup, CEV Moto2™, CEV Moto3™ as well as British Superbike. Ray also has experience of WorldSBK from 2018 when he was a wildcard with Buildbase Suzuki at Donington Park where he scored points in both races.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Four riders from the FIM Supersport World Championship took part in the two-day test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya including Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) as he prepares for the resumption of racing at the Dutch Round. Bulega, who has two wins and three podiums to his name so far in 2023, was working towards having a good feeling on his Panigale V2 after a difficult 2022 Catalunya Round.

In the 2022 Catalunya Round, Bulega recorded a retirement in Race 1 and only 14^th place in Race 2 as he scored only two points across the entire weekend, denting his hopes of a top-three Championship finish. The test in 2023, which took place around a month before the 2023 Catalunya Round, gave Bulega and Ducati a chance to work on his feeling with the bike as he looks to consolidate his position at the top of the standings.

Bulega’s best lap during the test was a 1’44.638s which came on Day 2 of the test. On Day 1, he completed 62 laps and added another 62 to his name on Day 2 as he worked on his bike. His best lap time during the 2022 Catalunya Round came in the Tissot Superpole session when he recorded a 1’45.265s although track conditions would not be the same given the round took place in September and the test in March.

Looking back on his test, Bulega said: “I have a good feeling. I think we have a good package here for the round in Barcelona. I think we improved a lot from last year because last year I didn’t have a good feeling here. From Day 1, we started with a different setup and I liked it more. We didn’t have new parts, just trying something different on the setup. It worked well. It was good. We just want to stay focused and try to be fast every race. In the end, we will see how many points we will have.”

Bulega’s 2023 campaign started in perfect style as he took two wins from two at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia, putting him on top of the Championship standings. From there, he took fifth in Race 1 at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit before returning to the rostrum with third in Race 2. It means he sits 18 points clear of Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in the standings.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The vast majority of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field descended on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for two days of testing ahead of the Dutch Round in April, with some teams trying new components on their bike. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) was one of these as he tried some new parts on the rear of his Ducati Panigale V4 R machine as he looks to maintain his position, and improve it, when racing action resumes.

Bassani’s best lap time came on Day 2 when he posted a 1’42.434s on his third lap while he racked up 61 in total on Day 2. Bassani was a tenth slower on Day 1 but added 70 laps bringing his total for the two days to 131. Although he had the new parts on the first day, the team and Bassani opted to only try them on the second day. There was a particular focus on the Catalunya Round but there was some element of working for the 2023 campaign.

Bassani wanted to try and find some improvements on softer tyres as well as solving some problems with electronics he encountered when in Australia and Indonesia, before they switched to the new parts on Day 2. These parts were aimed at helping find stability to improve the feeling on corner entry. Pirelli did bring some new tyres to the test for teams to try but Bassani did not have these so did not test the front and rear tyres from Pirelli.

Reflecting on Day 2, Bassani said: “On Day 2, we continued like on Day 1. We used the SC0 tyre so we didn’t find a fast lap, but we are really good with the race pace. We tried new parts on the rear, and we are feeling good for Assen. I really like Assen, it’s a really good track and in the test, not always, but we are slow. In the race weekends, it’s another story.”

Bassani has started the season strongly with two fourth-place finishes and two fifth-place finishes in six races. The Italian leads the Independent Championship standings with 51 points to his name, leading compatriot Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) by 15 points, while his strong start to his campaign leaves him fourth in the standings. He is 19 points behind Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) in the standings and four points clear of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

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Source: WorldSBK.com

With the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosting two days of testing for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, it was the perfect opportunity for teams and riders to test components as they look to make steps and refine their package. Team HRC were no different with riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge as they re-tested some components they had tested at MotorLand Aragon the week prior in order to confirm them.

The Japanese manufacturer brought a new chassis bracing and exhaust to the Aragon test and were happy with the upgrades following that test, with the team heading to Barcelona in order to confirm the items at a different circuit. Lecuona was the fastest rider at the test, taking second place on both days, but Vierge was also quick throughout. On Day 1, he posted a best time of 1’41.350s to take fifth place and completed 80 laps, with his best time coming on his 77^th lap. His time was similar on Day 2 as he set a 1’41.332s which he set on his 84^th lap after completing a total of 85.

Reflecting on the test, Vierge said: “It was really good. In terms of pace, I think we are one of the strongest ones. With the softer tyres, we are missing a fast lap and we need to work on it. We had many different to work on this so it’s good that we have a long break again before Assen to analyse and see what’s positive and what’s not. I’m really happy with our two days of testing. I think we did a really good job from Aragon and also here. We need analyse the data because we did many laps and many different things.”

Vierge also acknowledged where he and Honda could look to make steps forward which comes from their one-lap pace. The Japanese manufacturer were on pole position at this circuit in 2022 with Iker Lecuona but he dropped back in the races and was unable to convert that pole into a podium finish. However, for 2023, the team have been working on their race pace in order to be fast at the end of races which may have sacrificed some of their one-lap pace.

Discussing this, Vierge said: “The thing is that I didn’t really feel different when the tyre is used or new. For race distance, this is amazing, because the pace is always quite strong. For Superpole, to do a fast lap, I struggle a little but because I don’t have that extra that everyone else has. We check a lot the pace from the other riders and many of them, they are slower compared to us, but for one lap they are faster. We need to understand the direction. We always suffer in Superpole and we need to understand and to make a step forward if we want to fight for podium positions.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

While the gap between the Indonesian and Dutch Rounds has given teams in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship a chance to test, one rider who was missing from the Catalunya test was Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW). The French rider suffered fractures to his right leg and ankle following a crash with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in the Tissot Superpole Race and Baz has provided a further update on his recovery including the next steps which may allow him to potentially return to action for the Dutch Round.

Baz previously discussed the stages of his recovery he would have to tackle as he looked to be back on the bike as soon as possible, as well as the crash itself and admitting his target was to be back on the M 1000 RR at Assen. The 30-year-old has now provided a further update on his recovery, including his plans for the next few weeks in order to be in the best possible shape with his ankle and leg as soon as possible.

Giving an update on his ankle, Baz said: “My ankle is recovering in a good way. It’s improving every day. I’m happy. Last week, I was allowed to start putting some weight on the foot again and start with the physio. This week, I’ve been allowed to start cycling again. Everything is improving. I’m doing some physio and then I walk a lot at home on the foot. I have everything to improve as much as I can. I just need to get back the strength in the foot and the mobility. At the moment, the ankle is still a bit locked. I’m walking and trying to get the upper leg strong again to stabilise the knee because the knee is the most painful at the moment, and the most disturbing thing is the knee more than the ankle.

“There’s not many things to do with the knee. The ligament is broken but there’s no surgery to do, it just needs time to heal by itself. If you have some muscle, the knee will be more stable and less painful. Because I was not allowed to move for three weeks, I lost all the muscle in the leg, so the knee got worse. I’m now trying to get the muscle back in the leg. It’s not really easy. The ankle’s still painful and the knee is painful so, for sure, since Monday I’m allowed to cycle again, and I have some exercises to help. It’s in a good way. Everyone’s happy and pretty surprised how well it’s healing. The first time I went to the physio, he could not believe it was only two weeks after surgery! On Friday, it’ll be four weeks. It’s still a bit early but the target is to be at Assen. I have to put this goal in my mind and I’m doing everything I can for this.”

Baz will have to pass medical checks in order to race at the Dutch Round after being declared unfit at Mandalika following his injuries, but, before that, he outlined the process he will go through with his surgeon who he will meet with on the 14^th April. The meeting with the surgeon is to check everything is healing as expected with the ligaments in his ankle and knee following the surgery he had not long after the accident. 

He said: “At the moment, I’m keeping with the same process. I’m training, having physio and trying to make the swelling go down day by day. It’s still a bit swollen but it’s normal. It’ll be the same process until the Dutch Round. Next Friday, on the 14^th, I will see the surgeon again and have an x-ray and then that’s when we’re going to decide for Assen. At the moment, with how I’m feeling now, I’m pretty sure I’ll be at Assen, but we have to make the final decision with the surgeon on the 14^th It’s mainly the ankle. There’s nothing to worry about so much with the knee. The knee is just painful and disturbing but nothing bad can happen. The foot was a pretty bad surgery. All the ligaments were gone, and they had to put the ligaments in the bone again. We need to be sure. It’s 99% sure it’s healing well because I would not be walking if it was not healing. We need an x-ray and check-up up to be sure it’s okay to be racing at Assen.”

Baz has been posting pictures and videos of his recovery on social media in order to keep his supporters up to date with his recovery, but he has also been joking around on there. Not long after he started being able to walk around the house again after three weeks of not moving, Baz posted a video of him on Twitter with the caption “marathon tomorrow” as he remained in good spirits. 

Discussing the importance of remaining positive in difficult moments, Baz said: “We have to try in any way to keep good spirits. When I crashed, I was really in a lot of pain and really disappointed. Ten minutes later, I was joking with Eugene and laughing with him. It’s a bit how we are and our spirit. I’m not going to complain and cry for hours. It doesn’t help anything, and the best is to just have fun. I know the process really well and I think my body knows the process so that’s also why I think riders recover quicker than average people. It’s because our bodies know the process after a while and we just keep going through the same process of injuries and as soon as I was injured, I was led in the garage, taking off my leathers, and I was already thinking about the recovery and the surgeon. I’m lucky that I have a good group of surgeons and hospitals around me that follow me since I had my first big injury ten years ago. Eugene went from being in the helicopter in his last race to being in the ambulance in his second race as a coach and team manager! He knows the process in both ways now. We all know that and it’s cool to be able to joke with Eugene while we were in the ambulance going to the hospital; trying to make the bad moment a bit better.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

With most of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock descending on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for two days of testing, it was an ideal opportunity to try new components. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was one rider who had new items to try during the two-day test as he goes in search of a more comfortable rider position on his Panigale V4 R, with the Italian rider trying a new seat and fuel tank.

Petrucci ended Day 1 with a best time of 1’42.355s after completing 62 laps, with his best time coming on his 51^st lap. On the first day in Barcelona, Petrucci and the team didn’t test the new components as they went in search of a setup on the bike at a track where tyre wear is critical. On Day 2, his best time was a 1’42.224s with 29 laps to his name. Petrucci set his best lap time on his seventh lap of the day.

His second day was interrupted by two crashes with one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Both occurred at the left-hander of Turn 5, one of the slowest corners at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with Petrucci able to return to the track after both crashes. After the test, he reviewed his second day of action.

Petrucci said: “It was quite a short day because of two crashes; fortunately, really low speed at Turn 5 in the middle of the corner. We were testing something different and also a different seat, a lower one. Let’s say we are quite good on race pace but not on the flying lap when we put new tyres. I can’t use the potential of the new tyres so I’m not really fast on the timesheets. The feeling was more or less okay on both days but, for sure, we need to understand why I struggle a lot with the new tyre. I can’t wait to go to Assen. It’s one of my favourite circuits.”

On Day 2, Petrucci was able to try the new fuel tank and seat on his Panigale V4 R which is something he had discussed before. The idea would be to give him a more comfortable rider position to ensure he could get the best possible results as he looks to join the exclusive club of riders who have won in MotoGP™ and WorldSBK.

Discussing the new items, Petrucci said: “Not really, I expected it to be better and to feel more comfortable. It was not the problem. We struggled a lot throughout the test with the lack of grip we haven’t found anything to really improve the situation. The new seat, we still have to understand whether it’s better or not. For sure, I was expecting a little bit more.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com