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

Two tests took place in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship after the Indonesian Round at Mandalika, with teams and riders heading to MotorLand Aragon for two days of testing followed by two more at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Aragon test feature a handful of riders, but the majority of the paddock descended on Barcelona to continue their testing programme ahead of the Dutch Round starting the European portion of the 2023 campaign. With both tests in the books, now is a chance to look at what we learnt from the two tests.

BAUTISTA’S BALISTIC PACE: on lap record pace from the off…

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fast straight away in the Barcelona test as he got close to the all-time lap record. On Day 1, his best time was a 1’40.500s to lap just a tenth away from Tom Sykes’ lap record time set in Superpole for the 2021 Catalunya Round when racing for BMW. On Day 2, he bettered that with a 1’40.459s to be within half-a-tenth of Sykes’ lap record. A crash at Turn 11 on Day 2 did not dent Bautista’s progress in terms of lap time with the reigning Champion only completing half-a-day’s running on Day 2. Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi was also quick, taking third on Day 1 and fourth on Day 2. His best time of the test was a 1’40.818s which is faster than he had gone previously in any session during the Catalunya Rounds between 2020 and 2022; previously, his fastest time was a 1’41.275s recorded in the 2021 Superpole session.

HAVE HONDA MADE A STEP? Matching Bautista’s pace in Catalunya

Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) stunned in the 2021 Catalunya Round when he took his maiden pole position in WorldSBK, but he was unable to convert this into a podium or win. For 2023, Honda have brought upgrades – first seen at the Aragon test – such as new chassis bracing and an exhaust plus work on electronics. They were testing these items again at the Catalunya test to confirm they worked, and the outright lap time suggests they did. Lecuona finished second on Day 2 with a best time of 1’40.521s despite a Turn 14 crash in the morning which ended his day. This time was just a tenth away from the all-time lap record and it was two tenths faster than his pole time from last year. Honda’s pace was backed up on Day 1 with Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) in fifth place after setting a 1’41.350s. There’s optimism coming from the Honda camp heading to the venue where Lecuona scored his first WorldSBK podium with the upgrades focusing on race pace and potentially sacrificing some one-lap pace, although at the Catalunya test the one-lap pace was still strong.

KAWASAKI’S GEOMETRY SETTINGS FOCUS: Rea and Lowes complete one day each

Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK opted to test only on one of the two days with Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes both taking part on Day 2. With “not many new items” to test during, a lot of focus for Rea and Lowes was on the geometry settings of their bike. The one-lap pace was decent for Kawasaki, with both Rea and Lowes in the top five on Day 2, but some of their long-run pace was on display too. Lowes’ longest stint was nine laps but all but a few of his lap time were in the 1’41s or 1’42s bracket. Rea’s longest stint was shorter than Lowes’ but, again, the majority of his laps were in the 1’41s or 1’42s bracket as Kawasaki looked for improvements on their ZX-10RR.

UPGRADES FOR BMW: looking to make progress

BMW brought plenty of upgrades to the Barcelona test as they look to make a step forward. Three different swingarms, including a carbon one, were on show at the factory ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team duo for Scott Redding and Michael van der Mark. Both Redding and van der Mark were testing the items that the German manufacturer brought and their lap times, including with Independent rider Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), were good enough to be consistently in the top ten. Could the upgrades bring more success for BMW as Assen approaches?

LOCATELLI’S UPGRADES NOW WITH RAZGATLIOGLU: electronic changes for the 2021 Champion

As with every manufacturer, there were changes to the Yamaha too. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) got his hands on some electronic changes, which he was raving about on Day 1, which had been used by teammate Andrea Locatelli previously. There was also work on the swingarm to improve rear grip as well as focusing on a good setup for Razgatlioglu, while Locatelli continued to work on electronics as he looked to be faster towards the end of his long runs. Razgatlioglu did a series of short runs on Day 2 but Locatelli completed a 14-lap run on the second day, with his lap times ranging from 1’42.511s on his first lap to 1’46.317s at the end. 

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The vast majority of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field headed to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last week for two crucial days of in-season testing ahead of the European rounds starting later this month. One of the riders on track was Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) as he prepares for his first WorldSBK campaign, where he will compete in the European round in 2023.

Ray’s testing programme got underway in January but he did not take to the track in Australia or Indonesia, with this Yamaha Motoxracing team competing in the European rounds in 2023 as they did in 2022. He completed a two-day test at MotorLand Aragon, where he had a technical issue which limited his running on Day 1, before completing lots of laps on Day 2. From there, he headed to Barcelona for two more days of testing.

In Barcelona, on the first day, Ray completed 69 laps and posted a best time of 1’43.006s, around 2.5s slower than pacesetter Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) with the reigning Champion lapping close to the all-time lap record. His day was disrupted on Day 2 after he had a crash on his second lap in the morning, but he was able to complete 30 laps when he returned to the track with a best time of 1’43.320s.

Reviewing his Barcelona test, Ray said: “It’s nice to get the two days testing done. Obviously, Aragon didn’t go to plan. It was very positive here. We had a full day on Day 1, I think we did 70 laps, so it was nice to finally find my feet and work in a direction we needed to. Unfortunately, I had a little bit of a crash on Day 2 in the morning on the second lap. I back shifted but the bike didn’t backshift when I needed it to and just ran into the gravel and crashed. I was back out in the afternoon and we were just working through what we needed to. It would’ve been nice to maybe improve on the lap time. I think a lot of the times were done in the morning and I saw a few people put Superpole laps in. I’m not stressed about the overall lap time, I’m confident with the actual race pace and the pace we’ve got on used tyres.”

Ray has raced in WorldSBK before when he made a one-off appearance in 2018 but 2023 will mark his first campaign in the Championship. He heads into it on the back of winning the British Superbike title in 2022 on the Yamaha YZF R1 machine, the same as he’ll use in WorldSBK, although there are different rulesets. After the WorldSBK test, Ray explained how he is adapting to WorldSBK machinery with these differences.

He said: “We’re slowly making progress now. It’s funny because they’re both R1s but this is completely different from what I had in BSB. On the electronics side, I can definitely do with more laps and to learn a lot more on that. The chassis is now starting to become more comfortable. It’s just going to take time. We’ve not had many days testing, the other teams have been testing and two rounds under their belt. I don’t think we’re far away and we’re working in the right direction and I’m looking forward to starting at Assen.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

To celebrate the 35^th anniversary of the first ever MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race at Donington Park, held on April 3^rd, 1988, we are delving into the archives to bring you some classic races from the past 35 years of action. From intense battles, fierce fights and incredible title deciders, there have been a lot of memorable moments in WorldSBK’s history and the 35^th anniversary of the first race is the perfect opportunity to take a look back at some of these.

Volume 1 of the classic races box sets spans from 1996 to 2019, with visits to Hockenheim, Sepang, Magny-Cours, Imola and Phillip Island. History was made, riders took their country’s first win in WorldSBK and there was even drama at the front of the field between two old rivals. There is no shortage of drama and you won’t want to miss any of these incredible races.

Volume 2 once again goes on a trip that spans the decades starting from 2000 and ending up in 2018, with the first venue of WorldSBK featuring a couple of times. Wildcards feature heavily at Donington in 2000 as two British riders went head-to-head for victory, there’s a title showdown from Imola in 2002 between Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss, while there’s also a last-lap showdown at Phillip Island.

Volume 3 contains five more incredible races between 2004 and 2013 as riders went in search of glory. This time, the TT Circuit Assen features heavily with the iconic ‘cathedral of speed’ producing several memorable moments. Last-lap fights are the order of the day in the third volume, at Assen in 2007 and Jerez in 2013, while there are also plenty of clashes between titans to enjoy.

First wins and final wins come up in volume 4 with plenty of emotion on display in the five classic races. Pierfrancesco Chilli’s last win in a memorable race where he gambled on tyre set-up to storm through the field features, as does Chris Walker’s first and only win in WorldSBK. The history Monza venue features twice with some incredible fights while there’s a wet Sepang race that features the late Nicky Hayden’s only win in WorldSBK.

The fifth and final volume in the series features races from more recent times, spanning 2014 to 2018, but nonetheless are still classic races. There’s a title showdown between Aprilia and Kawasaki, a fierce fight between rivals, teammates going head-to-head for victory, a last-lap battle between Jonathan Rea and Chaz Davies as well as Michael van der Mark making history in 2018.

Watch more incredible action from years gone by and enjoy the 2023 WorldSBK campaign in style using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Photo credit: Gold & Goose

Source: WorldSBK.com