The 2023 FIM Supersport World Championship kicked off last February at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia but, starting at Assen, the WorldSSP Challenge riders will compete in the European rounds of the season. Among them will be reigning WorldSSP300 Champion, Alvaro Diaz (Arco Yart Yamaha WorldSSP). Ahead of his debut in WorldSSP, Diaz spoke about his feelings heading into the new challenge and his goals for 2023.

Diaz is the fifth WorldSSP300 Champion in six seasons, and he claimed the title last year with record-breaking consistency, taking two wins and 11 podiums in 16 races. The Valencian rider admitted that he is “so focused on the new category” that he was forgotten “quite a few moments of 2022.” He said: “Last year was incredible, I have many memories. As we are very focused on the new bike and the new category, there are many things that I have been forgetting.”

In 2023, Diaz will go from a category where practically all the races are decided on the last lap to a totally different one and with more overtaking through corners. The Spanish rider did try a WorldSSP machine after his title-winning season concluded when he wildcard in the Spanish championship. He explains: “The change from WorldSSP300 to WorldSSP is very big, it has absolutely nothing to do with the other category. As for the line, the WorldSSP300 machine is all about cornering, while the WorldSSP bike is the other way around; you have to brake very hard, make the V-turn, lift the bike up and give it full throttle.”

Despite the great change in riding style, the WorldSSP rookie explains how important it is that his team, the Arco Yart Yamaha WorldSSP squad, accompany him in his new challenge. He was with the team in 2022 – without Yart, when the team was known as the Arco Motor University Team – and will remain with them in 2023. He added: “It is a team that has been supporting me for five years. We complement each other very well. We understand each other, we know each other, and we have decided that together we can achieve it again. My team also collaborates with Yart, who will give us support, and together we will prepare the bike as well as possible and I will give my best. I believe that we can achieve good things together.”

Several months have passed since the 2022 season ended and the Valencian rider has explained that, while he has not been able to train as much as he would have liked, he has been able to get to several Spanish circuits to train albeit not on his race bike. He said: “We have trained little compared to what I would have liked. I did the last race of the Spanish championship. As soon as we finished at Portimao, we went to Jerez, and there were good results. Then we have done several tests at Valencia, Jerez and Barcelona but it is not the same bike as the one I will compete with at Assen. It is more of a street motorcycle, not so prepared. We used the same suspension as in WorldSSP, and I felt very comfortable and set good times, so I look quite strong.”

A week ahead of his debut in WorldSSP, Diaz claims the first race will be a return to reality because he hasn’t competed for a long time but also that he can’t wait for his WorldSSP debut. He said: “In the first race, the objective is to understand each other well, to make everything clear and, above all, to finish in a good position; to show from the beginning that I am a fast rider. I think I can get a top ten with no problem.”

Diaz also outlined his goals for the entire 2023 campaign in his rookie WorldSSP season. He added: “The objective is to gradually learn, because it is a new motorcycle, a new category… We have clear objectives, such as try to be in the top five in the last races or in the middle of the season. But, in the beginning, you have to test the bike, the Championship and your rivals. You have to see what a 19-lap race is like because, until now, we id 13 in WorldSSP300 and one race has nothing to do with another, especially in terms of managing tyres. In the last few races, let’s see if a podium comes.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

At a recent test for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, team managers from factory teams in WorldSBK were on hand to preview the upcoming Pirelli Dutch Round at the TT Circuit Assen. Every factory team has cause for optimism heading into the Dutch Round as the season resumes, with high hopes and optimism up and down the grid at the first European round of 2023.

Ducati come into the Dutch Round on the back of five wins out of six in 2023, all through Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) but his teammate, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, has shown strong pace this season. Bautista has three wins at Assen, all with Ducati in 2019 and 2022, while Rinaldi has a podium there. Discussing Ducati’s chances at Assen, Team Manager Serafino Foti, said: “The feeling for the round in Assen is good but at the same time peculiar. It’s the first European round and it’s a bit like the first race of the championship. It will be a very demanding round where our rivals will undoubtedly be extremely competitive, as they have always been in previous years. It will be a great battle and I expect a close fight, but we go in the knowledge that we can do well and that we have everything we need to fight for victory. We expect as we did in both Australia and Indonesia, to fight for the top positions with both riders. Alvaro is a guarantee and Michael, after changing his approach, has grown a lot in terms of speed. Our goal is to be extremely competitive with both Bautista and Rinaldi.”

The Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK team have had good results in the past at Assen with both Toprak Razgatlioglu scoring four podiums in six races with Yamaha and Andrea Locatelli taking two and never finishing outside the top five in WorldSBK at Assen; a record he also has in the 2023 season from Australia and Indonesia. Team Principal Paul Denning said: “We should be competitive. We were leading the race last year before the incident with Jonathan. Loka’s scored podiums every time we’ve been there. The Ducatis are going to be incredibly strong. It’s one of Alex’s favourite tracks on the Kawasaki and Jonathan’s obviously a legend around there. You need to be on top of your game to even sniff a podium. Our lads are second and third in the Championship and we’ve won a race and we’d like to win another one. There’s no reason we can’t do that at Assen if we get everything right from FP1 onwards. A win has to Locatelli’s target, the next step in his self-belief and I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t aim at that and try to achieve it.”

Team HRC head into the Dutch Round knowing it is the scene of their only podium in 2022, courtesy of Iker Lecuona, while teammate Xavi Vierge took his first WorldSBK podium last time out in Indonesia. Two strong tests for Honda followed after the Indonesian Round and Team Manager Leon Camier is hopeful heading into Assen. He said: “It’ll be interesting. Let’s see how we fare. I don’t think it’ll be too bad a track, especially for Iker. Having said that, they were both, last year, more or less matching each other. We need to be able to qualify a little bit better than we have been lately. It’s something we understood with the direction we went in maybe wasn’t helpful for Superpole but was better over race distance, especially for Iker. Let’s see. If we have a good Superpole, I think we can be optimistic for Assen. I think we can be quietly optimistic.”

Kawasaki have had a tough start to the season with two podiums, shared equally between Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and teammate Alex Lowes, but the former is the most successful rider ever at Assen with 17 wins to his name, more than any other rider at any other circuit. Could Assen mark a turning point in Kawasaki’s season? Team Principal Guim Roda said: “With the way the rules are done now and our base bike is from 2011 with some improvements over the years, we always need to maximise our best, take the maximum profit from all details and when all those details are not properly aligned, we suffer a bit more. We need to pay a lot of attention to not leave anything missing and do our best. I think it’s a circuit that both riders like a lot and both riders performed well in the past. We need to check how much others improved their performance. Honda looks like they’ve made a step here and at MotorLand, so we need to see what’s going on.”

It has also been a tough start to the season for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team but will have some optimism heading into the Dutch Round. It’s the scene of Scott Redding’s first top-five finish with BMW in 2022, while Michael van der Mark knows the circuit like the back of his hand and has seven podiums on home soil. Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director, previewed Assen and said: “We are looking forward to kick off the European season at Assen. The TT Circuit is always a very special place, not just due to the facts that we have the local hero Michael van der Mark and I am Dutch, too. The history, the atmosphere and the passionate fans are just amazing. We used the break since Indonesia to further improve our new BMW M 1000 RR. Our aim is to build on the progress we have seen in Mandalika and to close the gap to the front with all four riders, Michael, Scott Redding, Garrett Gerloff and Loris Baz, who prepares to race at Assen after he fractured his leg in Indonesia. Of course, we also have to wait and see what weather conditions Assen has to offer, but we need to be best prepared for dry and wet.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is back in action after a spring break next week, with one rider being the talk of the WorldSBK paddock as well as being spoken about in abundance in the MotoGP™ paddock. 2021 World Superbike Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) recently completed his second test aboard the Yamaha MotoGP™ YZR M1, this time with Lin Jarvis in attendance, and with room for a potential change in the factory team in MotoGP™, Jarvis faced questions surrounding the Turk’s test.

With the test itself, Razgatlioglu set 116 laps across two days and set a lap time of 1’38.860, just seven tenths away from official Yamaha MotoGP™ test rider Cal Crutchlow and less than two seconds away from the top time, set by KTM’s Dani Pedrosa. In 2022, Razgatlioglu tested at MotorLand Aragon but the test was hit by rain and therefore didn’t give us a true indication of Toprak’s pace and potential on new tyres and a completely different motorcycle. Ahead of the recent Jerez test, Jarvis described Razgatlioglu as “extraordinarily talented” and stated his ‘curiosity’ about Toprak’s potential in MotoGP™.

“HE’S EXPRESSED AN INTEREST… A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER”

Talking about the future of the Turkish star, Jarvis confirmed that Toprak’s has shown an interest in a potential switch to MotoGP™: “Toprak is in WorldSBK right now but he’s expressed an interest; any rider eventually has an interest to see how they’d do in MotoGP™. I think it was for him to start to understand better the need of MotoGP™, and for us to see his speed. We can’t say much from two days of testing, it’s just very different; I think the conclusion he’d probably give you and from our side as well is that it’s very different riding an R1 on Pirellis to a MotoGP™ M1 on Michelins, and you need more time to adapt. It was interesting, a good test and a good opportunity to spend time together. From our side, I was there, Maio Meregalli was there, we had a dedicated test team for Cal and for Toprak. We had a 2023-spec YZR M1 for him, so it was a good two days.”

Speaking about Razgatlioglu’s test at Jerez from trackside at the Circuit of the Americas, Jarvis explained the purpose: “We did a test last year for him at Aragon for him but unfortunately, that test didn’t work out. He didn’t get as much track time as he wanted or that we would’ve liked as it started raining, so I think he got about 20 laps or something, which isn’t enough to enjoy or to get to know things.”

“A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO CHECK HOW HIS POTENTIAL IS FOR MotoGP™ IN THE FUTURE”

Going into the exact reasons, Jarvis continued: “We found this great opportunity as there’s a bit of a gap at the moment in the Superbike season; the next race is at Assen in a week or so, so we found this window of opportunity as we had to be there with Cal anyway for the private test. It wasn’t a Yamaha-exclusive test, it was a MotoGP™ private test with KTM, Aprilia, Honda and Yamaha there. It was very quiet without media, which was very welcome for us and it was a great opportunity to spend a relaxed time. Weather conditions were perfect on both days, the first a bit hotter than the second but we had sunshine. 

“Toprak spent time with Cal, who was explaining the bike to him. The most important thing for Toprak on this test was to get to know and to understand what type of a machinery a MotoGP™ bike is, what its demands are, his feelings about it. It was a good opportunity to check how his potential is for MotoGP™ in the future.”

“If I were to sum it up, it wasn’t easy for him to really get the feeling on the bike; if you watch Toprak riding a Superbike, he’s able to do miracles on the bike and he has an incredibly good feeling from the front end of the bike in particular. We’ve seen that from his stoppies and his incredible corner entry! That was not so easy to find on the M1, as the bike is much more rigid than the Superbike, which is logical as that’s based on a production bike. I think for him to get the speed on a MotoGP™ bike, he’d need to adapt his riding style quite significantly. That’s my takeaway from these couple of days.”

“ONE OF THE PRIME CANDIDATES IF HE WANTS TO MAKE A MOVE”

“At this moment, to have a satellite team for 2024 is very difficult; that’s the reality. We’d like to have four bikes back on the grid at the earliest opportunity but I think it’ll be difficult for 2024 for various reasons. So, for sure we’ll have the factory team there and we have Franky on a contract until the end of 2023, so the ideal scenario for us is that Franky continues to show the speed that he displayed in the last Grand Prix and Portimao, and if he can continue to perform very, very well, that’s better for us right now as we need two fast riders on the bike and it will automatically guarantee him a continuity in the future. Our number one choice would be to continue with Franky; if it’s not Franky, then we’ll be obliged to look at another candidate rider and that’s why we were interested to look at Toprak because in our Yamaha Road Racing world, he’s one of the prime candidates if he wants to make a move. Otherwise, we’d look in the MotoGP™ paddock but I hope that for us and for him, Franky is able to continue this newly-found speed and confidence.”

Talking about a time frame for the decision, Jarvis stated: “Obviously, to be frank, all of these type of considerations really it’s the end of the first half of the season, then we need to know, he needs to know, everyone needs to know for their planning for next year. There’s no specific deadline set in stone.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

With the Pirelli Dutch Round just around the corner, teams and riders from the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship will be gearing up for the start of their 2023 campaign and there is plenty of intrigue up and down the paddock about the upcoming campaign. A Champion returns to the gird to go in search for a second title, a new manufacturer joins the grid and teams expand while a new outfit joins the grid.

RETURN OF THE CHAMPION: Buis back in WorldSSP300

Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) took the 2020 title in stunning fashion with four wins and eight podiums from 14 races and he remained in WorldSSP300 in 2021 as he looked to retain his title. He finished third in 2021, behind teammate Adrian Huertas and Tom Booth-Amos who both now compete in WorldSSP. Back for what will be his fourth campaign in WorldSSP300 with MTM Kawasaki, and with a season of WorldSSP experience under his belt, will Buis become the first two-time Champion in WorldSSP300?

A NEW MANUFACTURER JOINS: Kove look to take on Yamaha, Kawasaki and KTM

The 2023 season will feature a new manufacturer on the grid as Chinese manufacturer Kove aim for glory with their 321RR machine. They have one bike on the grid with Shengjunjie Zhou representing the China Racing Team. Four manufacturers will be on the 2023 grid as they all go in search of glory and Kove will also become the fifth manufacturer to compete in WorldSSP300. Honda were represented on the grid for two full seasons between 2017 and 2018, while Kove will take on reigning Champions Yamaha this season as well as Kawasaki and KTM. Zhou will also make history as the first Chinese rider to compete in WorldSSP300.

REIGNING CHAMPIONS EXPAND: can Arco Motor University Team make it two from two?

In 2022, the Arco Motor University Team took Alvaro Diaz to the title after a season of record-breaking consistency with a one-bike effort in the full season. This season the team have not only expanded into WorldSSP, with Diaz, but also expanded their WorldSSP300 effort to a two-rider team. Dutch rider Ruben Bijman and Italian rider Gabriele Mastroluca join the reigning Champions as they look to replicate Diaz’s success from 2022. Another team who have expanded to two bikes is the AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha squad with Matteo Vannucci, a race winner last year with the team, joined by Raffaele Tragni. A new team also joins the grid for 2023 as Deza – Box 77 Racing Team make the step up from the Spanish championship with Jose Manuel Osuna Saez.

KTM GO TO TWO BIKES: looking to return to the top step

After having one full-time entry for the past couple of seasons, KTM’s effort in the Championship is doubled for 2023 with the Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing squad. Lennox Lehmann, who stunned in 2022 with some incredible comebacks, is joined by Dirk Geiger for his second full campaign in the Championship. Last season, German rider Geiger was on Kawasaki machinery, but he has now switched to the KTM RC 390 R as the Austrian manufacturer aims high in the Championship where they have three wins.

 ROOKIES AIMING TO IMPRESS: can they shine in 2023?

There are several rookies competing in 2023 as they look to make a name for themselves on the world stage. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki), son of WorldSSP podium finisher Barry, joins Buis for his maiden season after competing in the Northern Talent Cup in 2022. Mattia Martella had a one-off appearance last season but joins full-time for 2023 with Prodina Kawasaki Racing WorldSSP300, as does Devis Bergamini (ProGP Racing) and Julio Garcia (Team Flembbo – PI Performances). Zhou will make his debut this season, along with Juan Pablo Uriostegui (Team#109 Kawasaki) and Clement Rouge (Sublime Racing by MS Racing), as well as the aforementioned Tragni and Osuna Saez.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2023 FIM Supersport World Championship looked very promising for Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) in the early stages, with strong pace shown in the Official Test and during the Australian Round. However, a crash in the opening stages of Race 1 meant Huertas missed Race 2 as well as the Indonesian Round with Huertas using the break between the Indonesian and Dutch Rounds to focus on his recovery.

In Australia, Huertas recorded eighth in the Tissot Superpole session and was fighting for the podium places in Race 1 which was held in mixed conditions. However, his race would come to an end on Lap 4, when he crashed and was hit by Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) with Montella unable to avoid him. After the crash, Huertas thanked Montella for helping him despite the Italian having a collarbone injury from the crash.

The first diagnosis was that it was not necessary to undergo surgery, but that he would be out of action for approximately three months. This meant he would definitely miss the Indonesian Round while the Dutch and Catalunya Rounds were in doubt. Six weeks after the accident, Huertas provided an update on his recover and his plans to return to the track as he looks to build on a superb rookie campaign in 2021.

“It has been a very hard month and a half,” explained Huertas. “Because, when you suffer a fall like this, you have a lot of pain and you suffer a lot, but I want to return as soon as possible. Watching the Indonesian Round from home was hard. We have done everything to be able to recover, everything is progressing quite well, and we are meeting the deadlines, and even advancing them.”

On a mental level, this type of injury can be complicated for riders given they may not be able to ride a motorbike, let alone train, for a relatively long period. Huertas clarified that “you recover mentally when you get back on a motorcycle”. He also added that he has already returned to riding on the track and that he will undergo a new review shortly. He said: “This week, I was able to get back on a motorcycle, so now I really want to go back. I still don’t know exactly when I’ll be able to do it, it depends on a check-up with the doctor on Monday, 17^th April. I wish I could get to Assen; it would be complicated because it doesn’t fit within the established deadlines, but we’re going to try.”

Despite the initial diagnosis suggesting he would be out of action for three months, the Madrid-born rider explains that he has been able to shorten the deadlines and is hopeful of being able to return for the Dutch Round. Huertas said: “I have my checkup on Monday. Next week, we will know if I can run at both Assen and Montmelo. For Montmelo, there are many possibilities, but Assen is pending. Both are outside the deadlines they told us, but I was in a rehabilitation centre in Jaen, suffering a lot. The truth is that I have done very well, the deadlines have been getting shorter, so there is still a little hope of being able to come back at the next race.

“I was in Montmelo last weekend, Saturday and Sunday, and it went well. In the beginning, it was very difficult for me because it is a complicated area. On the bike, we are always in a racing position and the lower back suffers but, little by little, it loosened up and I adapted to the conditions. The truth is that it was positive. But a training session is not a race and now I depend on these days before Assen to see with the doctors if something can be done to get there. We will know more next week, but the goal is to get there.”

Beyond his immediate goal of returning to WorldSSP action at the TT Circuit Assen or the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Kawasaki rider was clear about his goals for the 2023 campaign. Huertas wants to become a race winner sooner rather than later and, having seen Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) win on the same bike this season, will be hoping he meets that goal. He said: “In Australia, we started very well, but when you come back from injury you never know how others have been working and how strong they are going to be compared t you. When you’re forced into bed for almost a month, you don’t work the same as the others, but I trust my team, my talent and the bike that Kawasaki have given me this year. I believe I can achieve it. The goal is to start winning race as soon as possible and, why not, in Argentina, fight for the title or the top three.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is well underway and we’re heading back to Europe for round three at the TT Circuit Assen in less than ten days. However, on this exact day 25 years ago, Noriyuki Haga would go on to make a major name for himself in just the second round of his rookie season. After a race win at Phillip Island saw him leave Australia as joint Championship leader, nobody expected the whirlwind of a dramatic Donington Park weekend.

The weekend itself was already a hot talking point before the racing, after the British weather decided to interfere; in the middle of April, snow settled in at Donington Park and a freezing cold weekend meant that the Superpole which was scheduled was cancelled, with the grid going off of the Free Practice classification. This left some interesting features throughout the grid, with Akira Yanagawa for Kawasaki on the front row whilst Gregorio Lavilla took a career-first front row aboard his Independent Ducati. Wildcard Niall Mackenzie took P7 on the iconic Cadbury’s Boost Yamaha livery, whilst double Champion and home-hero Carl Fogarty was left in 14^th. Haga would start from ninth.

Coming from the third row, Haga was second by the end of the opening lap of Race 1 – another Yamaha rider would burst through the field from way down on the grid 23 years later, Toprak Razgatlioglu from 13^th in 2021! Back to 1998 and Haga hit the front on Lap 6, passing polesitter Troy Corser. He was challenged by Corser and the two swapped places, eventually with Haga making a race winning pass on Lap 21 of 25.

For Race 2, it was a carbon copy of the first in terms of the start as Haga rocketing through from ninth on the grid once again to hit second by the end of Lap 1. Once again, the Japanese star was leading by Lap 6. However, a red flag for an oil spill from wildcard Chris Walker’s Kawasaki meant that he had pole position for the restart and he’d go on to win the race on aggregate. Haga had done the unthinkable; beaten the opposition at a circuit where they were supposed to have the upper hand on an aging Yamaha.

He went to round three at Monza with a 21-point lead, but a big crash in practice meant he was injured, although he still raced to two top ten results, and held the lead of the Championship by five points going to Albacete. He’d eventually finish sixth overall, 93.5 points behind Champion Carl Fogarty, winning two more races at Laguna Seca and then Sugo. In what was a crazy year of WorldSBK, Haga actually finished as the rider with the joint-highest number of wins in 1998, five, along with runner-up Aaron Slight and fourth-placed Frankie Chili.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is already two rounds in and with the TT Circuit Assen and the Pirelli Dutch Round up next, it signifies the first European round of the season and thus new names joining the grid in World Supersport. This year, there are a pack of fast riders in the FIM WorldSSP Challenge, from WorldSSP300 race winners and title contenders to fast rookies looking to emulate previous generations. With a reigning Champion graduating too, is this the most competitive field yet?

THE ESTABLISHED NAMES: Alvaro Diaz headlines, Booth-Amos and Yuta Okaya alongside

One of the favourites for the WorldSSP300 title in 2022 right from the start, Alvaro Diaz (Arco YART Yamaha WorldSSP) clinched the title at Portimao last year and with two wins and nine podiums, he was a deserving Champion. Now, it’s time for a new challenge as he graduates to WorldSSP and does so with the same team – the Arco Motor University Team, although in 2023, the Arco YART Yamaha WorldSSP team. The team of university students had more than a degree of excellence in WorldSSP300, but the WorldSSP Challenge will be an entirely different lecture hall.

Tom Booth-Amos (MOTOZOO ME AIR RACING TEAM) was in WorldSSP action last year but an injury-hit season after a big crash at Assen left a ‘what could’ve been’ feeling for the 27-year-old British rider. Having adapted to the Motozoo team last year and achieved a top ten result at Phillip Island, he’ll hope for more of the same at Assen, a circuit he goes well at and likes. You can read more about him and teammate Luke Power here, as we caught up with them separately ahead of the season, where Booth-Amos declares that he aims for the WorldSSP Challenge title.

Another name graduating from WorldSSP300 is Yuta Okaya (Prodina Kawasaki Racing WorldSSP), with the Japanese star hoping to make a name for himself in WorldSSP too. With two wins in WorldSSP300 – both coming in a final lap, final corner pass at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 2020 and 2022 – and plenty of podiums, he’ll hope that he can push the Prodina team into the points on a regular basis as well as challenge for the top ten.

COMPLETE ROOKIES AND FAMILIAR NAMES: new stars emerge, regulars return

There are some major names coming into the WorldSSP Challenge this season, with one in particular bringing a famous racing name back to the world stage. Maiki Abe (VFT Racing Yamaha), the son of the late great Norick Abe, will be present on the grid and fly the Japanese flag in WorldSSP. He was 16^th in the Asian Supersport series in 2022 and will hope to adapt to the WorldSSP Challenge quickly. Alongside him, there’s also Luke Power and the Australian has already enjoyed plenty of testing ahead of the season. He’s achieving a life-long dream of racing at the world level and hoping that he can make a name for himself from the start.

Elsewhere on the WorldSSP Challenge grid, Federico Fuligni (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) is present aboard Ducati machinery, as is Maximilian Kofler (D34G Racing), who is alongside one of his best friends in the paddock Oli Bayliss – Bayliss competing full-time in WorldSSP. The final rider to keep an eye on will be Tom Edwards (YART – Yamaha WorldSSP Team), with the Australian back for a full WorldSSP Challenge season and hoping for more points.

WHAT IS THE WorldSSP Challenge?

Now in its third year under the WorldSSP Challenge banner, it effectively replaced the European Supersport Cup from previous years. However, the ethos remained the same: logistics and travels costs are kept low for the European rounds of the season but teams and riders still enjoy competition in the class, as well as benefitting from global audiences – trackside and through TV. A separate fight to WorldSSP, riders still score World Championship points and start on the WorldSSP grid. In 2021, the title winner was Yamaha’s Kevin Manfredi, whilst 2022’s winner was Bahattin Sofuoglu for MV Agusta. A third different winner is guaranteed, but will it be a third different manufacturer too?

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Source: WorldSBK.com

2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) has spoken about his two-day test aboard MotoGP™ machinery at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto in Spain. The reigning WorldSBK runner-up, who has one win to his name in 2023 already, was given the opportunity to jump aboard the Yamaha YZR M1 as part of a two-day private test in Andalusia, alongside Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow, as well as other test riders such as KTM’s Dani Pedrosa, Ducati’s Michele Pirro, Honda’s Stefan Bradl and Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori.

Although times were private and unofficial, it was reported that Razgatlioglu was less than two seconds adrift of Pedrosa’s top time, with 1.7s being the difference according to Motorsport.com’s Spanish edition. It was also reported that he was under eight tenths adrift of Crutchlow and completed 63 laps. The test was held in almost perfect weather conditions, in stark contrast to a rain-hit MotoGP™ test debut in May last year, which was at MotorLand Aragon. Another difference in comparison to the test last year was the presence of Yamaha Managing Director Lin Jarvis, who hailed Razgatlioglu as “extraordinary talented” in the run up to the test. 

Speaking about the experience of the MotoGP™ bike and getting a clearer run of things, Razgatlioglu enjoyed a “very positive” test: “I’ve had two really good days. My focus was on completing as many laps as possible to get a better understanding of the bike, rather than pushing for a fast lap time, but it was very enjoyable anyway!”

All of the WorldSBK grid are up for contract renewal for 2024, with the exception of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who signed a deal last year for 2023 and next year. In 2022, Yamaha Managing Director Lin Jarvis confirmed there was “no spot” for Razgatlioglu looking to 2023 in MotoGP™, although for 2024, only Fabio Quartararo has signed, with Franco Morbidelli yet to confirm his future. Morbidelli graduated to the factory team half-way through 2021 and is currently in the final season of his contract in the team.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

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