WORLDSBK.COM - bis 20.06.2011

[WORLDSBK.COM]

Alstare Suzuki is going back to the future in 2011, as Michel Fabrizio rejoins the team that helped take him to the 2003 European Superstock Championship. Michel will be the spearhead of the official Suzuki entry next year, and is a proven race winner, having taken one win at Kyalami this year, and four career WSBK races in total. As you will have read in our previous testing report, Michel has already tested for the team, and declared himself satisfied with progress in his return to four-cylinder action.

"I am very happy with how the tests went at Magny-Cours last week," said Michel, "even though the weather was not so good on the first day. I am a bit surprised how easily I got used to the Suzuki Alstare bike after three years of riding a twin. A twin requires a completely different style to a four, so to jump onto a four and get comfortable so soon is a very good sign. Having known the team from before obviously helped and soon I felt as if I had never been away. My first impressions of the bike are that it feels strong and can be a title contender. Leon showed that this year, so I am looking forward to more tests and then racing it. This championship is very hard and competitive and you have to be on your game all the time. But, I know I have a good team behind me and I think we can have a very good season next year."

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With a couple of weeks to go before several World Superbike teams begin testing at Motorland Aragon, the Althea Racing Team is starting preparations for next season with a first taste of the Spanish track. Following the withdrawal of the factory squad, Althea Racing has become Ducati's de facto representation in the championship and the team run by Genesio Bevilacqua will be aiming to be one of the contenders for the 2011 title, with rider Carlos Checa.

The three-day Aragon test will be a first opportunity to face up to next year's rivals and the Italian entrepreneur and General Manager of the team is already relishing the challenge. "We will be going to Aragon with a package that is already competitive and together with Carlos we will be pushing forward in the development work we began in 2010," declared Bevilacqua. "Taking to the track as an ‘official' team doesn't worry us at all, because over the past season we showed on a number of occasions that we could compete with the top teams and third overall in the championship is clear evidence of that. It is obvious that we will have to work hard to keep up with our rivals, but we are ready and can't wait to begin this new adventure".

Carlos Checa will be testing on his ‘home' track and this may be extra stimulus for the Spaniard to do well on his first pre-2011 season test. A good result will also show once again that the rider from San Fruitos and the Italian Ducati team have reached a good level of feeling together. "It will be an extra stimulus for him to do well," continued Bevilacqua, "because all eyes will be on him. As always we will try and make available the best possible bike for him thanks also to direct support from Ducati".

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Honda Motor Europe has finalized a new three-year agreement to support Ten Kate Racing in the FIM Superbike World Championship. The two companies have enjoyed a fruitful collaboration lasting more than a decade and resulting in nine world championship titles - eight in World Supersport and one in World Superbike.

Honda Motor Europe has confirmed that Ten Kate Racing will continue to be its number one supported team in the World Superbike paddock and the new agreement is intended to give the team stability and continuity for its long-term development. The company considers that production-derived motorcycle racing is an excellent platform for rider development and the partnership between Honda and Ten Kate Racing has delivered excellent results on the track. It has also provided a successful commercial platform for organisations such as Japan Tobacco International through its Winston brand and, more recently, electronics manufacturer Hannspree.

Carlo Fiorani, sporting manager of Honda Motor Europe, said: "After ten years of collaboration in the World Superbike paddock, we are happy to say that the level of cooperation between ourselves and Ten Kate Racing is stronger than ever. We are therefore delighted to confirm that this partnership will continue into the future."

Ten Kate Racing principal, Gerrit ten Kate (photo), commented: "We are very happy to remain loyal to Honda. We have enjoyed a really good relationship for the past decade and enjoyed multiple world championships and race wins together. This new three-year agreement will enable us to continue with our technical development, our rider programme and to maintain a strong team structure. In the next few weeks we will finalize those three ingredients to prepare for the future."

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On the same day that Kawasaki put its new Superbikes under public scrutiny for the first time at Magny-Cours, there was another surprise from the Japanese manufacturer - four production versions of the all-new ZX-10R for the Lorenzini by Leoni and Pedercini Kawasaki teams to evaluate.

The machines, two for each team, were fitted with race mufflers but were otherwise almost completely standard, including suspension set-ups. Kawasaki is obviously taking the Superstock class extremely seriously in 2011, as Pedercini is hoping to field four bikes, and Lorenzini two.

Sheridan Morais has already agreed to run for Lorenzini and was blown away by the new machine, which was unveiled to the public at the Cologne Show in Germany at the same time. He stated, halfway through the second day, "It's really impressive, incredibly fast. Even as a stock bike, on standard suspension, with the road fairings still on it, it has still been really quick. Even after only a couple of sessions in the dry we are not far off the World Superstock times already."

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Some of the top teams in WSBK racing have now made their winter testing plans more concrete, and the next action gets underway for many of them before the end of this month. The Motorland Aragon Circuit, in Spain, is a new track on the 2011 WSBK calendar, and teams such as BMW Motorrad Motorsport, Aprilia Alitalia, Kawasaki Racing Team, Althea Ducati and Suzuki Alstare are scheduled to be there between 27 and 29 October.

Yamaha Sterilgarda is waiting until 11 November to give new boy Marco Melandri a run out at Valencia, after his MotoGP commitments have been discharged. Between 30 November and 1 and 2 December, Aprilia and Yamaha will run at Phillip Island, to try and guarantee good weather and consistent testing conditions in the European winter.

For the same reasons, the next planned track appointment after Aragon for the Kawasaki Racing Team will be at Sepang, in Malaysia. The extensive tests will take place over four days, and be split into two blocks - January 10 and 11 then 13 and 14 January.

BMW have two more European outings scheduled, at Jerez between 24 and 26 November and Portimao on 29 and 30 November.

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Parkalgar Honda's new signing Sam Lowes scored a podium result on his debut for the team as he gears up for the 2011 World Supersport championship. Lowes was competing in the end-of-season races in Northern Ireland at the Bishopscourt circuit.

Lowes led much of the opening race but a last lap mistake allowed circuit specialist Marshall Neill on another Honda to just take the honours. In the second race of the day Lowes was forced to retire, while up against Superbikes in the Sunflower race he finished an excellent eighth and was the first 600 home.

"What a start with the team," declared Lowes. "It is different in a lots of areas to what I am used to and in a very good way. I have got to know Phil Marron my crew chief and the Parkalgar Honda - there is so much potential here and I can't wait to get back out. This is a mega start and I am really happy with everything."

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Max Biaggi and Aprilia Racing have finally signed the contract that again links the 2010 WSBK Champion to the manufacturer that took him to victory in the 250cc class many years ago. Thanks to the agreement, which is for the next two years, in 2011 Biaggi and Aprilia can now defend both the Riders' and Manufacturers' titles they won this year.

2010 was a vintage season for the Biaggi-Aprilia pairing: ten wins, four doubles and four more podium finishes took the five-times world champion to the WSBK title (the first Italian to do so) and Aprilia to their first triumph in the Manufacturers' championship.

The confirmation of the partnership between Biaggi and Aprilia renews one of the most successful pairings in motorcycle racing: Max can boast five world titles in a record sixteen-year period stretching from his first 250 world title in 1994 and this year's WSBK crown. Aprilia has a track record of 45 world titles and, with 277 GP wins to its name, is the most successful brand in the history of the World Road Racing Championship.

"I'm obviously delighted to continue this successful WSBK adventure with Aprilia," said Max Biaggi. "After a tiring but exciting season, after many years of racing and many victories, it was natural and right to just stop and think, reflect on such an important future commitment. And in my assessment of the situation, as it was at the beginning of this adventure with Aprilia, what was decisive was to feel close to me a team and a company that are so talented and so focused towards their goals. Now we must prepare well for next season, we know that we cannot rest on our laurels, we will be the target of all our opponents. But now I am also certain that we will be well-motivated at the start of the first race, with a bike that I have helped to create and that I did not want to abandon without fighting tooth and nail right to the very end."

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Australian Jed Metcher, who made his European Superstock 600 Championship debut at Magny-Cours after taking part in this year's 2010 IDM Superbike series, has signed up to race full-time for the newly-formed MtM-RT Motorsports team next season.

20-year-old Metcher, who comes from Melbourne, made an excellent impression in France by taking his first race win in the class on his first attempt, albeit after a crash had eliminated the leaders towards the end.

MtM and IDM campaigners RT Motorsports team have now decided to pool their resources for next year, and with Metcher already under contract, the name of a second rider will be announced shortly.

"It is a big relief to know that I can go home with a secure ride in Europe in these tough times. It's very important to prepare mentally and physically for a racing season and this security, thanks to Rob Vennegoor and Ludo van der Veeken means that I can start this preparation early in order to ensure that we have a successful season. My aim is to finish on the podium at every round and also to impress the likes of the World championship paddock by winning the championship in my first year. I believe with the combined efforts of MtM and RT Motorsports this is very achievable!"

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Kawasaki Racing Team rider Chris Vermeulen has again taken time out from his recovery to update his fans on his physical condition in a video message on his personal website. Vermeulen, who is still on crutches, has been out of action for much of the year following a bad crash in Australia, which was followed by further falls, and his subsequent decision to undergo knee surgery to get fit for the 2011 season left him without a ride from the Brno Round onwards.

"I've had a ten week check-up since my operation in Barcelona and they (the doctors) are really happy and surprised with how my knee looks," said the former Superbike and MotoGP race winner. "It was a major surgery. I got a new piece of meniscus on the lateral side of my knee where it was very badly damaged and I also got a new ligament. It was a very big job and a complete recovery is around nine to twelve months before my body can accept the new parts. But after ten weeks I have over 90 degrees bend in my knee and I'm working hard with my physio doing 20 minutes of work on the knee every hour that I am awake. In three or four weeks time I might be able to throw the crutches away."

The positive news should enable Vermeulen to return to the track for Kawasaki's first tests of 2011 in early January. With Tom Sykes and Katsuaki Fujiwara both doing sterling testing work on the new ZX-10R, the Aussie is itching to getting out on the new bike as soon as possible.

"With the rate of my recovery, I will definitely be able to ride the bike at the end of December or January, which fits in great with Kawasaki's testing. At the moment we plan to start our new year test early in January. The doctors say I won't do any more damage to my knee when I'm on the bike."

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After several seasons as a Yamaha benchmark squad, Lorenzini by Leoni this year made its debut in Supersport with Fabien Foret on a Kawasaki ZX-6R. The Italian team were able to set up a good partnership with the Akashi manufacturer and in the future this collaboration could be expanded. In an interview team owner Vanni Lorenzini (in photo, with Foret) spoke about the 2010 season as well as the year ahead.

"After a long period spent with Yamaha we opted for Kawasaki as technical partner and I must say that this collaboration has given us a lot of satisfaction. Fabien is a great rider and I am proud of the work we have done together. My immediate aim is to confirm him again for 2011 and we are all working hard to make sure this happens".

During recent tests at Magny-Cours and Mugello, Lorenzini let several different riders on his bikes to get an idea of the development situation and see who was available for 2011.

"In Supersport we did the tests with Vittorio Iannuzzo and Matteo Baiocco. They were both full of praise and of course this gives us great pleasure, we'll have to see if it will be possible to confirm one of the two. As for Superstock 1000, as well as being impressed by the basic potential of the new bike, which has advanced electronics, a powerful engine and better handling, I can also say that I'm pleased to have signed Sheridan Morais, one of the key riders on the market. In the tests we also tried out Santiago Barragan and Sylvain Barrier, who provided us with some useful information as they have ridden on various bikes throughout this season."

"It's a different story for Bryan Staring. He's a young Australian rider, who is currently in the lead of the national Superbike championship. He's got a good throttle hand and the right determination to succeed. I'm hoping to wrap everything up before the Aragon tests, where we should be present both with the Supersport and the Superstock machines".

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A historical number of 98 Federations out of 101 attended the FIM General Assembly on Tuesday 19 October at the occasion of the 125th FIM Congress held at the Venetian Hotel in Macau, China.

The members of the FIM General Assembly elected Mr Vito Ippolito (Venezuela) FIM President for a second term by 55 votes versus 41 votes cast for his opponent, Mr Jean-Pierre Mougin.

The FIM General Assembly also elected Nasser Khalifa Al Atya (Qatar), Jorge Viegas (Portugal) and David White (Australia) as FIM Vice-Presidents. David Francis (United Kingdom) and Stig Klemetz (Sweden) were elected as Internal Auditors. All the mandates are for 4 years.

Vito Ippolito, FIM President declared: "I am very pleased with this victory which is more a collective victory of the Federations and the people who have worked hard on the elaboration of the strategic plan and the new governance for the last four years. It is a collective work conducted with transparency and high motivation. We will continue to build altogether the FIM destiny."

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In a press release Team06 have announced that Davide Giugliano has been released from his contract with the team by mutual consent. The 06 team and the Italian took part in the 2010 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup with the support of the City of Rome, but next year they will be going their separate ways.

Team manager Luca Letteratis, said: "On behalf of Team06, the sponsors and Suzuki, I'd like to thank Davide Giugliano for the good results obtained throughout the season. Unfortunately for next year the team has not yet decided whether to confirm its participation in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup or switch to a higher category. Giugliano's aim is to win in this category. We all think that he has a chance of doing this therefore we have decided to release him from his contract so he can make the right choice without waiting for our decision. I hope Davide can win the Superstock 1000 title and continue in the growth of his career that will help in become one of the best riders in the world."

The 21 year from Rome finished fifth overall in this year's Superstock 1000, scoring two podiums at Valencia and Assen (photo).

"I'd like to thank Team06, all the staff and sponsors for the great season that has just finished at Magny-Cours," declared Giugliano. "When I opted for Team06 in February I did so with enthusiasm and conviction, then the year that followed and the atmosphere that was created were even better than expected. I am sure that the experience accumulated in Team06 has contributed to my growth both on a professional and personal level. I hope our paths will cross again in the future."

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Infront Motor Sports is pleased to confirm that there will be two official pre-season tests in preparation for what is shaping up to be an exciting 13-round Superbike World Championship campaign in 2011.

The first will take place at a favourite circuit for all, Portimao (photo), on the Algarve coast of Portugal. For WSBK and WSS classes only, the test days will start on Wednesday January 26th and continue on Thursday 27th and Friday 28th, 2011.

The final pre-season tests will, once more, come along at the venue for the first round of the year, Phillip Island in Victoria, Australia. This time around the tests at will take place even closer to race weekend, on Monday 21st February and Tuesday 22nd February.

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Leon Camier has now completed his off-bike recovery after breaking the scaphoid bone in his right wrist at the Nürburgring round, and is scheduled to take part in a three-day comeback test at the new WSBK venue of Aragon between 27 and 29 October.

"My wrist is pretty good now and I am all ready to go testing at Aragon next week," said Leon. "I have no more medical checks to do, and have been having a lot of physio on my wrist, trying to get more movement in it. But I need to get back on a bike to push it as far as I can; it is difficult to do any training to replicate that kind of use. The first test for us is not about trying any new things, and the bikes will be the same. It is about learning the new circuit, and seeing how my wrist is."

Leon had some fantastic podium results in his rookie WSBK year in 2010, but also suffered in other ways, the biggest blow being his late season wrist injury, which meant missing the final few races. He was still 12th overall, missing a top ten finish by only five points. He scored three podiums at circuits in year one. Camier gave his own verdict on how things were, and how he expects to fare in 2011.

"I had some good points and bad points this year," he stated. "I think the potential of the whole thing is more than we got out of it, and there are a few reasons why that happens. I am sort of medium with it. We could have done a lot better but we know what we can do to be better next year. As long as that happens then hopefully it should be pretty good."

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Once more the Supersport World Championship went to the final round of the year, and the rider who won the title, for the second time, was Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda).

Sofuoglu's first championship came in very different, much more dominant circumstances, in 2007, when he won the overall series with three rounds left to run. He also won eight races that year, an equal record in this class. This year, Kenan was pushed to the final race of the season by contender for the second year in succession, Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda), who missed out by 11-points.

In winning his second title, Kenan joined a true elite. Sebastien Charpentier (2005 and 2006) and Andrew Pitt (2001 and 2008) are the only other riders who have won two championships.

Kenan extended his record win total in 2010, his three victories pushing his stats to 17. He has an even more impressive career record of 39 podium places in this class, truly class leading as he has only started 56 races, making for an incredibly impressive rate of podium scoring. His feat of scoring a podium in every race in 2010 is a remarkable one, for rider and team, and this combination of reliability and speed was what it took in the end to beat a rider like Laverty, who won no fewer than eight races this year.

 

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Carlos Checa (Ducati Althea Racing) immediately got into the groove at his ‘home' circuit of Motorland Aragon on the first morning of three days of testing, the Spanish rider lapping consistently under the two-minute mark and ending up with a blistering time of 1 minute 58.7 seconds. More than a second behind Checa was 2010 champion Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia), with a time of 2'00.1", while third was the rapidly-improving Kawasaki ZX-10R machine of Tom Sykes who stopped the clocks with a time of 2'00.4".

The next three on the timesheets were Troy Corser (BMW), Leon Haslam (BMW) and Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki). Lorenzo Baroni, who will race in next year's Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, also lapped well on the second Ducati Althea Superbike machine on his debut, while the other Superbike riders present at the test are Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia), Katsuaki Fuijwara (Kawasaki) and Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia Pata Racing).

Fabien Foret (Lorenzini Kawasaki), Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Motocard.com), Luca Scassa and Chaz Davies (Triumph ParkinGO) are present with their Supersport machines, with Sheridan Morais is the only Superstock rider on track for Lorenzini Kawasaki.

The three-day test is being held on a slightly longer track (5.345 kms) than the one used in MotoGP, with the final curve incorporating a hairpin and an ‘esse' bend instead of a long left-hand curve.

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Of all the riders involved in the Superbike World Championship, past or present, few can match Troy Corser for his win record of two championships. In 1996 Corser conquered the World for the first time on a Ducati, and in 2005 he did it all again, this time on a Suzuki.

Fogarty and Bayliss have more title wins, Polen, Merkel, Toseland and Edwards can match his championship tally of two, but in terms of races competed in, Corser can count on a whopping record of 354 race starts in total. Along the way he has taken 33 race wins, making him fourth in the all-time rankings in that count. He also has 130 podiums, 43 pole wins and 98 front row starts - all record tallies in each particular case.

But what most impresses about Corser is that he has been a competitive racer on every type of machinery imaginable. From his first forays on 750cc Yamahas in 1992 to his latest podium-grabbing exploits for BMW, Troy has ridden a vast array of machines. Yamaha fours, Ducati twins, Aprilia twins, Petronas triples, Suzuki fours, Yamaha fours again and now a BMW four, Corser has pretty much ridden them all.

And the longest journey in current WSBK racing continues again in 2011, as Troy will return to race for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team once again. His immediate goal is the first win for BMW in this division, having already scored two podiums in 2010, but who knows what else is on store from a rider that despite being 38 years old is still not the eldest in the class!

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Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) left Motorland Aragon in the best possible mood this evening after further improving his best time of the morning, on the first of three days of Superbike testing at the Spanish track.

The Spaniard, who now leaves for Estoril, ended the day with a time of 1 minute 58.3 seconds, a full second faster than second-placed Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare) and followed by Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia), who was one-tenth away.

All the other riders at the test remained above the two minute mark, starting with Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia Pata Racing), on his second outing on the Italian V4 machine with a time of 2'00.3". A fraction away from the Japanese rider were Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki).

Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Troy Corser (BMW) both set a time of 2'00.6", together with the impressive Italian youngster Lorenzo Baroni (Althea Racing Ducati), the real surprise of the test so far.

Leon Haslam, again running a 2010-spec BMW S 1000RR, concentrated on getting familiar with his new machine, and remained above the 2'01 mark.

Testing at Motorland Aragon continues tomorrow and Friday.

Unofficial day 1 times: 1. Checa (Ducati) 1'58.3; 2. Fabrizio (Suzuki) 1'59.3; 3. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1'59.4; 4. Haga (Aprilia) 2'00.3; 5. Camier (Aprilia), Sykes (Kawasaki) 2'00.4; 7. Corser (BMW), Fuijwara (Kawasaki), Baroni (Ducati) 2'00.6; 10. Haslam (BMW) 2'01.0.

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On his first outing as Ducati's de facto 'official' rider, Carlos Checa was over the moon with the outcome of Superbike testing at Aragon. Under the supervision of Ducati Corse technical director Ernesto Marinelli, the Althea Racing Ducati man was outstanding and ended up as the only rider to dip under the 1 minute 59 second mark. It's early days yet, but Checa has clearly let his rivals know that he is one of the candidates for the win next year, and that the 1198 can still be a contender for victory in 2011.

"We adapted quite well to the track," declared Checa, who had the advantage of an extra day's testing there on Tuesday. "The circuit is really nice although I don't particularly like the short uphill bit before the pits. We worked well with our new engineer Marco, who will also come with me to MotoGP to help establish our rapport. We were given a few different things to try by Ohlins, all of which were good, but I didn't have time to chose the one I want to work with. With the new electronics package the bike has an excellent base for next season".

Checa is now on his way to Estoril this weekend but his morale is high after the Aragon test. "I'm feeling optimistic because a few changes in the team have put us in a better position than this year. For this a big thanks to Genesio Bevilacqua and Ducati. I'm sorry I had to leave early because we could have finished the work load but I'm also happy to have an opportunity to do the last two MotoGP races, and I'd like to thank Genesio for allowing me to do this".

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Kawasaki has confirmed the line-up of its factory-supported teams in both WSBK and WSS classes for the 2011 racing season. Tom Sykes will ride alongside Chris Vermeulen and Joan Lascorz essentially forming a three-man WSBK effort for KRT. The team, being run by the Paul Bird Motorsports squad once more, will be using the all-new Ninja ZX-10R.

Broc Parkes and David Salom will be running in World Supersport for the Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com team, competing on the well-proven Ninja ZX-6R.

Sykes, like Vermeulen, has been retained for the 2011 Superbike World Championship season, as part of a determined attack on the title with the new Ninja ZX-10R. He is already taking part in an extensive winter test programme, including the current track outings at Aragon in Spain. Vermeulen will start his second season with the factory Kawasaki after he finishes his rehabilitation from reconstructive surgery on his right knee. Promoted from the Supersport division, rising star Lascorz is preparing himself for his latest challenge, in the Superbike class, after several successful seasons for the Spanish rider in WSS racing.

In Supersport Parkes, already confirmed as a 2011 rider for the Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com team, will be joined by Spanish rider Salom. David has much experience in this class and is thrilled to be in a factory squad with the strong recent track record enjoyed by Kawasaki.

Ichiro Yoda, KME Racing Manager: "We believe that three riders giving information inside the PBM team will speed up the process of developing the all-new Ninja ZX-10R, and help tune up the new bike's potential very quickly! Then, obviously, we hope to be highly competitive from the very beginning of next season. For WSS, we are very happy to work with Broc Parkes, who was ex-WSB rider for us, and along with David Salom there is a big racing passion and high motivation to succeed next year. We feel confidence with them and the Provec team management to achieve our target of winning that championship."

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Team BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike has now stepped up to join the 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship, and this team will field the current Superstock 1000 FIM Cup Champion, Ayrton Badovini, and double World WSBK champion, James Toseland.

The team, the current champions in Superstock with Badovini, will have technical support from the BMW Motorrad Motorsport factory team, which is providing engines and electronics for the BMW S 1000 RR. Andrea Buzzoni, the Director of BMW Motorrad Italia and the Manager of the new Superbike project (in the photo with Badovini) will lead the team. Serafino Foti will serve as Sporting Director and Gerardo Acocella will be the Technical Director. Exciting prospect Lorenzo Zanetti (ITA) will run for the team in the Superstock 1000 class.

Hendrik von Kuenheim, General Director BMW Motorrad stated, "From next season, our BMW Motorrad Motorsport factory team will be joined in the FIM Superbike World Championship by a factory-supported BMW line-up in the shape of the BMW Motorrad Italia SBK team. The team has experience in motor racing, and in this championship specifically. Last year in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, BMW Motorrad Italia demonstrated their ability to achieve success with the BMW S1000RR, and in impressive fashion. Although the challenge in the Superbike World Championship is that much tougher, I'm convinced that BMW Motorrad will benefit from this new addition to the field. After all, competition is the lifeblood of business. We would like to wish the team every success."

"After winning the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, we are continuing with a renewed challenge in the sporting arena," added Buzzoni. "We planned this ambitious project with enthusiasm and determination and we are happy to find the same enthusiasm in BMW AG's top management. Our Italian squad will receive technical support from Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport. The collaboration between the two teams will allow a profitable exchange of experience, know-how, solutions and ideas for development, all with the common objective of constantly improving performance. We are delighted to be able to assure Ayrton, who has given us such satisfaction in our racing competition debut, of a well-deserved promotion. Ayrton will be riding alongside two-time world champion James Toseland, who has shown great motivation and enthusiasm for the project."

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Following the departure of Carlos Checa (Ducati Althea Racing), who set quickest time yesterday, today it was the turn of Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) to head the field At Motorland Aragon. The reigning world champion set a fastest time of 1 minute 58.7 seconds, four tenths off the pace of his Spanish rival.

Four riders were tied for second place, with a time of 1'59.2: Michel Fabrizio, looking more and more positive with the Suzuki Alstare, Troy Corser, who tested two different spec BMWs, Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia Pata Racing), who had a minor crash, and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki), the real surprise of these tests.

Leon Camier lapped in 1'59.3 on the second Aprilia, while Leon Haslam continued acclimatization work with his new BMW machine and almost got under the 2 minute mark. Fuijwara was eighth quickest on the second Kawasaki.

Tomorrow sees the third and final day of testing at Aragon.

Day 2 times (unofficial): 1. Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) 1'58"7; 2. Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare) 1'59"2; 2. Corser (BMW) 1'59"2; Haga (Aprilia Pata Racing) 1'59"2; Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'59"2; 6. Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) 1'59"3; 7. Haslam (BMW) 2'00"0; 8. Fuijwara (Kawasaki) 2'00"2

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At the Motorland Aragon circuit several top World Supersport teams have also been testing this week, including Kawasaki Motocard.com and Lorenzini Kawasaki, as well as Triumph ParkinGO.

The quickest time in the two days of testing so far has been recorded by Luca Scassa, making his debut on the three-cylinder British machine, the Italian lapping in a time of 2 minutes 02.85 seconds, a tenth quicker than Chaz Davies with the other Triumph (2'02.96). Fabien Foret was third quickest with the ZX-6R of the Lorenzini team in 2'03.4.

The Spanish Kawasaki team tested on Wednesday with Broc Parkes (2'04.6) and Thursday with David Salom (2'04.8), the two riders signed for the 2011 season.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Having just been confirmed as a BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike rider for 2011, alongside Ayrton Badovini, former champion James Toseland is excited to be on the brink of another new adventure in a class he has conquered on two previous occasions.

Speaking exclusively to www.worldsbk.com, Toseland said, "It was an inconsistent year in 2010, so in the current climate I am thankful to BMW for seeing some potential there to put me in such a good team. I am going to go into next season injury free and with everything fully mended, and with a winter plan of training and physio completed. I intend to give it my best shot."

Next up for Toseland is a visit to BMW's base in Germany, before on- bike testing starts in earnest. "I am going to Germany for about a week to go to their training camp. Whatever it takes to get ready for next year. It is not easy getting a job in racing nowadays, so I am intent on making sure it all works out well."

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Three days of Superbike testing at Motorland Aragon, where a round of next year's championship will be held for the first time, have concluded in Spain. At the end of the test the overall top rider was 2010 champion Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia), who clocked an impressive time of 1 minute 58.0 seconds, three tenths quicker than the benchmark set by Althea Racing's Carlos Checa on day 1.

Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) made more progress today, the British rider recording a 1'58.6 second lap as the 2011-spec ZX-10R gets closer and closer to the top runners. A good testing job was also done by BMW Motorrad and Leon Haslam was finally able to get under the two minute mark with a time of 1'59 dead, three-tenths ahead of team-mate Troy Corser.

Michel Fabrizio continued to acclimatize with his new Suzuki Alstare GSX-R1000, and despite suffering from flu he was able to set the same sub-two minute time of 1'59.2 as Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia).

No improvement on yesterday was recorded by Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia Pata Racing), while Katsuaki Fuijwara (Kawasaki Racing Team) continued to carry out sterling testing work for the team, under the watchful eyes of Chris Vermeulen, in the pit garage but still on crutches.

The quickest of the three Supersport riders out on the track today was again Luca Scassa (Triumph ParkinGO) in 2'00.9, ahead of Chaz Davies (Triumph ParkinGO) and Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Motocard.com).

Unofficial times: 1. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1'58.0; 2. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'58.6; 3. Haslam (BMW) 1'59.0; 4. Fabrizio (Suzuki) 1'59.2; 5. Camier (Aprilia) 1'59.2; 6. Corser (BMW) 1'59.3; 7. Haga (Aprilia) 1'59.6; 8. Fuijwara (Kawasaki) 2'00.2

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