WORLDSBK.COM - bis 20.06.2011

[WORLDSBK.COM]

After completing its line-up with two top riders, Jakub Smrz and Sylvain Guintoli (photo), Liberty Racing is continuing to invest in the team to bring it to a competitive level next year.

Close collaboration with Ducati has enabled the team to purchase the four 1198 F10 Factory machines used by Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio in the 2010 season: development work will continue on the bikes thanks to the presence in the team garage of engineer Luca Ferraccioli of Ducati, under the supervision of Ernesto Marinelli.

The team, run by Natale Egi, will also have four more engineers, two chief mechanics, four mechanics and two tyre technicians with numerous years experience in the WSBK championship.

Sporting director will be Francesco Mastrandrea, while expert Lorenzo Gandini will be responsible for suspension development.

Liberty Racing has planned a private test programme at Spain's Guadix circuit on January 12 and 13, 2011, in addition to the SBK official tests at Portimao (January 26, 27 and 28) and Phillip Island (February 21 and 22). Talks are also underway with Motorland Aragon for another private test at the end of January.

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New Team Suzuki Alstare rider Michel Fabrizio used the three-day World Superbike test at the Motorland circuit at Aragon in Spain to get comfortable with his GSX-R1000 and start work with his new team. It was Fabrizio's second time on a four-cylinder bike after years of riding a twin, but the Italian soon got into the groove and left the circuit in a happy frame of mind.

Said Michel, "After our test in Magny-Cours in early October, it was good to get back on the bike and continue where we left off in France. Here we spent a lot of time working with the bike and trying to make me feel comfortable with it. After years of riding a twin-cylinder bike, there is a lot to adapt to, because the characteristics of a four-cylinder bike are very different to that of a twin. After these three days, I felt much more comfortable on the bike and I was able to steadily-build up my confidence. We haven't been chasing lap times or pushing too hard, but what we've done here is build up our understanding step by step. To be honest, I didn't expect to get on with the bike as quickly as I have - but that is a good sign. This track is quite technical and there are many ups and downs, but I like it a lot. It's a demanding track and although it's not that hard to learn, it is quite hard to shave off those last fractions of a second when you are chasing lap times."

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The Yamaha World Superbike Team in the Superbike World Championship will have a new team manager next year. After several years as team manager in World Supersport and since 2005 in World Superbike, Massimo Meregalli will move to a management position within Yamaha's factory MotoGP Team.

A capable replacement for the function of Yamaha World Superbike Team manager has been found in Andrea Dosoli. Andrea is Italian, 38 yrs old and has a wealth of experience in road racing having been chief mechanic, responsible for data acquisition and in recent years as a MotoGP team manager and Moto2 team manager/ co-owner. Andrea will start as of 10th November 2010 in his new role.

Yamaha Motor Europe would like to express its gratitude to Massimo Meregalli for doing a fantastic job in all the years as team manager and wish him all the best in his new function.

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2011 Kawasaki Racing Team rider Tom Sykes was joined by test rider Katsuaki Fujiwara at the recent Motorland Aragon tests, with each working on development and set-up on the all-new Ninja ZX-10R.

Sykes set a personal best lap on the final day, a 1'58.5, finding fertile areas in terms of machine set-up as he prepares for his second season as a factory Kawasaki rider.

Tom's fellow official Kawasaki riders Chris Vermeulen and Joan Lascorz, were interested spectators at the test, as each continues to recover from injury.

Sykes, now a seasoned WSBK rider, said, "We were pleased with the test and to be this close to the front at this stage was promising. Overall we had a good understanding of the complete package and we got through quite a few things. Finding a good base setting was the main objective, but at the end we also tried something a bit different on the bike, and again found quite a significant improvement. Overall, I am very pleased with the way things went."

Team Manager Paul Risbridger said, "We got through everything we wanted to try. Tom and Katsuaki each did good work, with Tom doing more set-up work in readiness for the season, and Katsuaki trying some new general development parts. The lap times were particularly good for Tom, and we recorded him setting a 1'58.5, which is very competitive. The track conditions were reasonably consistent for us and we were really encouraged by the results of this test."

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Having not ridden since picking up a painful and long-lasting wrist injury at the Nürburgring in September, Aprilia Alitalia rider Leon Camier finally made a welcome comeback at the recent Motorland Aragon tests. He set a more than decent lap time of 1'59".2, but the best news for Camier was that his return to the racetrack went off without incident.

"Finally riding again!" said a delighted Leon. "After my injury and too many days off the bike, this is just what I needed. The wrist is OK, and that's good news, even if it started to hurt a bit at the end of the session. I was also quite quick on this new track, which is fun but also quite demanding. Now all that's left is to pick up our work where we left off, continuing to improve each time we take to the track. I'm convinced that we won't have to wait long to see positive results."

In his rookie season, despite only competing in ten rounds in the season gone by, Leon was 12th overall, only five points from a top ten placing. He scored three podiums; one at Assen, one at Miller and one on home ground at Silverstone.

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New Yamaha World Superbike Team rider Eugene Laverty visited his new team's workshops at Gerno di Lesmo in Italy recently. Having completed his first test on the bike following the final round of the 2010 championship at Magny-Cours, and going fastest to boot, Laverty had the opportunity to see firsthand the mechanics in the workshops, which are based close to the Monza WSBK circuit.

There was also a chance for him to meet some of the team members not usually present at the race weekends, and get a deeper insight into the team's operations.

"It was nice to spend the day at the workshop and meet the guys who don't always come to the race track," said Eugene. "We also studied some data with Frankie, my crew chief, from the first test in Magny-Cours and looked at where we can improve. It gave me some good information to understand what I need to do differently and work on at the next test. It has all been really positive and a great opportunity to do it away from the racetrack, with no pressure. The workshops were really impressive and I got to see everything, you can tell it's very well organized. I'm really looking to getting on the 2011 racebike for the first time next week at Valencia and then Phillip Island at the end of the month, to get cracking again."

Laverty is twice-runner-up in the Supersport World Championship, by a narrow margin on each occasion.

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The 68th edition of EICMA, the International Bicycle and Motorcycle Exhibition at Milan, which closes on Sunday, has seen a major presence of riders and bikes tied to the world of Superbike and Supersport.

Pride of place in the event, which was inaugurated by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, went to WSBK champion Max Biaggi who launched a special edition of the bike with which he won this year's world title. The Aprilia RSV4R Factory APRC is equipped with a four-cylinder V65° engine, a new exhaust, Ride-by-Wire and a whole series of electronic gizmos to aid traction. The chassis is directly derived from the racing bike and is adjustable in three points.

Michel Fabrizio (photo) was there for his new team, Suzuki, the Italian showing the new Suzuki GSX-R 600 and 750 machines to the public. The two bikes have been completely redesigned with a new chassis frame and a series of lighter components. The 600 now weighs 187 kilos and has a declared power output of 125 bhp.

Spain's Carlos Checa, who finished third this year, was present at the Ducati stand, where the new 848 Evo and 1198 SP machines were on display.

And on to Kawasaki, where centre stage was taken by the new ZX-10R, which the Japanese manufacturer hopes will be up at the front in next year's WSBK championship. The importance of World Superbike is such that the new bike, which has a totally brand-new chassis and engine, received its world premiere at the Nurburgring during the German Round of the championship in September.

One of this year's key protagonists in World Supersport, Triumph, showed off a 675R machine, which can be used for racing. This version of the three-cylinder British bike has Ohlins suspension and Brembo brakes, as well as numerous lightened components.

2010 World Supersport Champion Kenan Sofuoglu could also be seen amongst the Milan Show stands, as well as Yamaha's Cal Crutchlow.

And still in the Supersport segment, considerable interest was aroused by the gorgeous MV Agusta F3, the new three-cylinder machine from the Varese manufacturer. The F3 on display was not quite the definitive version, but will only go on sale at the end of next year. As well as a new engine, it has a tubular stele frame, Marzocchi front forks, Sachs swingarm and Brembo brakes.

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Supersonic team manager Danilo Soncini has confirmed that the Italian squad, which made an impressive debut in its rookie WSBK season in 2010 thanks to Luca Scassa, aims to continue along the same line next year.

The Italian entrepreneur and keen racing enthusiast, who was speaking about his team's plans for 2011 in an event in Milan, on the sidelines to the EICMA show, revealed that the young Frenchman Maxime Berger was on the point of joining the team from Superstock 1000.

"Luca has moved to Supersport but Supersonic, on the other hand, will remain in the top Superbike category, where we will again run one rider" declared Soncini. "I can reveal that we're going to sign Maxime Berger, we just need to sort out a few details. I am very happy with this two-year agreement because the Frenchman is a sort of protégé of mine and our aim with him is to score our first podium in World Superbike".

Soncini also had some positive words to say about Ducati, with whom he opted to stay despite having pulled out as a factory team. "I'm convinced that the Ducati is still the bike to beat and Checa's form in the final part of the season after the weight changes are clear proof of that. I think that for us private teams, the fact that the Borgo Panigale manufacturer has decided to no longer take part with an internal team is a point in our favour: we will receive some of the material from the factory, and we'll try and make the best of it, something which could work well for us in view of 2012".

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Liberty Racing's team manager Natale Egi is a stalwart of the Superbike World Championship and in 2011 he has accepted a new challenge, still with Ducati, but this time with the newly-created Liberty Racing team, which will enter the championship with Czech rider Jakub Smrz (photo) and Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli.

"This will be another great adventure for me", declared Egi, a long-term collaborator with Marco Borciani's team. "We will be racing with the four bikes from the 2010 factory team and we will be trying to get to the top right away with two very skilful riders".

Guintoli, a Superbike rookie in 2010 after years of experience in MotoGP, was one of the revelations of the second half of last season, while the eternal promise Smrz should finally have all the right cards to demonstrate his potential and try and race constantly at the top of the championship.

"We have a lot of faith both in ‘Kuba' and in Sylvain and for this reason we will be coming to the first round after a major test schedule. Both of our riders will have an opportunity to do well and I am very happy to continue to work on the Ducatis. My heart lies with the red bikes from Borgo Panigale and I think that this year, with the factory team no longer there, we will have a great chance to race at the top".

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Infront Motor Sports wishes to announce that the winner of the annual World Superbike Organizer Award this year goes to the Automotodrom Brno.

The jury, made up of Infront Motor Sports top management and staff, voted the Czech Republic circuit to be the best in all aspects relating to the organization of the event from a promotional, logistical and sporting point of view, and consider it to be the best overall circuit of the 2010 championship.

Paolo Flammini, CEO of Infront Motor Sports, declared: "I would like to express my sincerest congratulations to the management and staff of the Automotodrom Brno, who have demonstrated that they full believe in and wish to invest in our championship. This recognition can be seen as just reward for all the work of a professional and motivated staff and honours Brno's great historical tradition of being one of the best circuits in the world."

The 2010 SBK Media Award has been assigned to the Miller Motorsports Park circuit in the USA, for the excellent quality of its facilities and services, which allowed domestic and international journalists and photographers to work in the best possible conditions and promote the championship through their work.

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As well as its full-on effort in WSBK racing BMW fielded a vast number of S 1000 RR machines in other championship classes in 2010. According to a BMW press release, 120 BMW S 1000 RRs were sent into action, many of them dominating their respective series. No less than 13 BMW riders were able to celebrate title honours, many of them with early championship victories. With still a few races to go in some national series, in this season so far 113 races have been won on a BMW S 1000 RR.

The first BMW title of the season was won, inside the WSBK paddock, by Ayrton Badovini from Italy. The rider, from Team BMW Motorrad Italia STK, won nine out of ten races in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, and was crowned champion on August 1st. Twelve riders followed his example in national championships and also celebrated title victories. To name a few: Gregory Fastre (Belgium), Javier Fores Querol (Spain), Jon Kirkham (British Superstock Championship), Steve Brogan (British Superbike EVO Championship), Sami Penna (Finland), Martin Choi (Greece), Maxim Averkin (Russia) and Erwan Nigon (France). Nigon's team-mate, Sébastien Gimbert, completed the success for BMW Motorrad in France by finishing as runner-up.

"Our heartiest congratulations to all BMW RR riders worldwide for their great successes", says Hendrik von Kuenheim, General Director BMW Motorrad. "We are very delighted for them, but also very proud of our contribution in providing them with a more than competitive bike. With the BMW S 1000 RR we have succeeded in building a brand new motorcycle, which is more than capable internationally, and has since become the leading motorbike in this sector. Now we are looking forward to an exciting 2011 season and are convinced these international and national successes will continue."

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ParkinGO, the airport parking facilities network and title sponsor of Team BE1 Racing, and Triumph have decided to donate their World Supersport motorcycle to Virgin Unite, the no-profit organization of Virgin Group headed by eclectic businessman Richard Branson.

The bike, which will be up for a charity auction on November 11th at Los Angeles during Rock the Kasbah event, is the Triumph Daytona 675 with which Chaz Davies finished 4th overall in the 2010 Supersport World Championship.

Rock the Kasbah, which celebrates its 4th anniversary this year, is a fund-raising event organized by Virgin Unite and Eve Branson Foundation for a series of aid actions for young American people in need and to finance females entrepreneurial projects in Morocco.

Giuliano Rovelli, CEO ParkinGO and BE1 Racing Team Owner: "I'm really glad to contribute to this action which strengthens relationships between our company and the world Virgin, helping people in need as well. I cooperate with Virgin Holidays Cruises, Virgin Active fitness villages are our partner for fitness and wellness services dedicated to our employees and customers, Virgin Radio is our official media partner in Supersport World Championship. Most of all, we and Virgin share the same strong values: love of new challenges, ability of innovating, care of human resources, will to start business in which fun is an essential part. In a word, being at Rock the Kasbah through a concrete contribution has been natural".

Tue Mantoni, CEO Triumph: "Triumph is very proud to donate this unique motorcycle to this charity auction. The Daytona 675 is a class-leading supersport motorcycle and this factory race version is unique and not possible to purchase. This represents a very rare opportunity for an enthusiast to lay his or her hands on a genuine factory bike and at the same time contribute to an extremely good cause. We hope that Chaz' bike goes to a good home and raises as much money as possible for Virgin Unite".

During the event the Triumph Daytona 675 will be shown in a brand-new livery, made by Dinamo ICQ. The company based in Turin has created a customized Virgin motorbike just for the event. Bids will start from € 50,000. Anyone interested in entering the auction to get the Daytona can bid online as well. More information at www.rockthekasbah.org, www.charitybuzz.com/rockthekasbah, www.virgineunite.com.

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Chris Vermeulen is on schedule to take part in his first test of the 2011 Kawasaki Racing Team Ninja ZX-10R at Sepang in January, but he still faces the prospect of a few more weeks on crutches before then.

Having suffered extensive knee damage in a crash at Phillip Island, and then having an operation to repair cartilage and ligament damage midseason, Vermeulen has not ridden since Brno in July, and he remains on crutches at present. He had hoped to be off them last week, but his specialist has advised him to wait a while longer, as it will help with his ultimate recovery.

Said Vermeulen, who headed to the sun in Australia last weekend to continue his path back to full fitness, "Everything is good, but I am still on crutches, which is driving me nuts! The real safe time for this kind of recovery is five months, so I have about a month left to run. The Doctors know what they are doing with it and I asked them if I would still be OK to ride the bike in January. He is confident with that. It will not be easy, but I will not do any damage by riding the bike in January. After my last bit of physio in Barcelona this week we will be going to the UK to visit the team's workshop, then we will go and see Toni's parents and then we head off to Australia."

Vermeulen was a more than interested visitor at the recent Aragon tests, watching Tom Sykes and Katsuaki Fujiwara put the new machine through its paces around the Spanish circuit. "The new bike looks good on track," said Chris, "Tom and Katsuaki have completely different riding styles but they were both going well on the bike, so that is good news all round."

Vermeulen will be part of a three rider official Kawasaki push in 2011, with Joan Lascorz joining Sykes and Vermeulen.

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Italian rider Luca Scassa is adamant that switching from Superbike to Supersport for the 2011 season is not necessarily a step backwards; on the contrary, the surprise of the season on a Supersonic Ducati is already brimming with confidence on his new ParkinGO BE1 Triumph 675 mount following early testing at Aragon.

"Unlike last year, now I am part of a factory team and this was my objective", declared Scassa. "There is a long-term project ahead and I aim to begin it in the best possible way. Next season I will have all the right cards to try and win the world title: the experience, the team and a quick bike".

Scassa immediately dialled into the British three-cylinder 675 in Spain, going quickest overall and lapping one tenth of a second faster than team-mate Chaz Davies, who has been on the bike for over one year.

"The indications from Aragon were very positive and the fact that I shaped up well to Chaz, who in my opinion is a very strong rider, is encouraging for the future. I've got a fantastic team, and together with Alberto ‘Moro' Colombo (Ed. former Ducati Superbike chief mechanic), who has never worked in Supersport before, we are discovering together all the potential of this bike. As for its performance, the Supersport engine has more or less half the displacement of my Superbike and you can feel this a lot out on the track. Add to that the fact that I'm not exactly a jockey in size ...".

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Jonathan Rea is working towards a track return as soon as possible as he recovers from the effects of his Imola crash and subsequent operation on his left wrist. Rea injured his left shoulder, split one of his wrist ligaments and his left scaphoid, and was forced into fourth place in the overall championship ranking as a result.

Speaking from his home, Rea said, "I have one more week to go before I get my cast off, and the ligament should be repaired again. Six weeks is an average time for ligament repair, and then it will be rehab on my wrist again. I have lost a lot of muscle definition on my left forearm I and I have my cast changed twice as it got smaller. I separated the AC joint in my shoulder but it is not serious enough to warrant an operation. So I have been left alone to let it settle for a while. The main thing is that I sleep on my left side, so I wake up sometimes in a lot of pain. Because there is a cast on my wrist I cannot do press ups and so on, and the only way forward is to build muscle around it."

He is hopeful of a return to track action relatively soon, nonetheless. "I get my cast off on Monday and my surgeon thinks it is not out of the question that I can be testing in three weeks, maybe at Portimao, so that is provisionally pencilled in," said Jonathan. "I won't know until I get my cast off and see how my wrist is, and do some work with it. It is frustrating because I know we do not really need to go testing as the bike is in a good way and before the crash I was riding at the top of my game. But it is frustrating seeing everyone else out there and they are going to make a big step, so we need to improve our bike as well. "

Rea is a six time race winner in his two-year full-time WSBK career, each win coming for his current Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team.

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The SBK World Championship has found a new star in Marco Melandri, who today at Valencia is completing his first laps on board the Yamaha YZF-R1 he will race in next year's championship. In excellent weather conditions and 17° temperatures, Melandri lapped both on the ex-Crutchlow machine and with the 2011 version, which amongst other things will have a different weight distribution.

"I immediately found a good feeling with the bike, which is very powerful but also easy to handle, it gives me the impression of being an easy bike to ‘interpret', even though it's still too early to give a definitive opinion. I'm here just to get an early contact with it".

"In MotoGP there is no chance of being a protagonist if you don't have the right bike or you're not in the right team, in Superbike things are different. There it's the rider that makes all the difference and that's exactly what I'm looking for after a few disappointing seasons", the 28 year-old from Ravenna had declared before making his testing debut with the R1 that won the title in 2009 with Ben Spies.

The team's other new rider, Irishman Eugene Laverty, is also taking part in the one-day Yamaha test.

Melandri covered a total of 74 laps, setting a best time of 1'33.9 on soft tyres and 1'34.28 on race rubber, while Laverty's best was 1'34.9. The lap record at Valencia belongs to Noriyuki Haga (Ducati, 2009) in 1'34.618.

Yamaha will next test again at the end of November at Phillip Island (Australia) together with Aprilia and world champion Max Biaggi.

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The Ten Kate Honda team has today confirmed that Ruben Xaus is to join its current rider Jonathan Rea as part of its assault on the 2011 World Superbike championship. Xaus is one of the most experienced riders in the World Superbike paddock and the opening round of the 2011 season, scheduled for Phillip Island in Australia, will mark the Spaniard's 200th race start in the production-based series.

The 32-year-old Xaus has 11 World Superbike race wins to his name, the most recent on a privateer Ducati in 2008. He has visited the podium no fewer than 35 times in his 199 starts and was championship runner-up in 2003. He brings with him valuable experience to the Ten Kate Honda team and a desire to prove that he still has what it takes to be a race winner. Now living in Andorra, Xaus is originally from Barcelona in Spain. A qualified mechanic, he speaks five languages and is married to Mariona, with whom he has two daughters.

"It's difficult for me describe how happy I am that I will ride with the Ten Kate Honda team next season" declared Xaus. "For many years I have admired the passion and dedication that they bring to World Superbikes and I believe that they capture the essence of the championship. They run a successful Honda dealership in Holland and with the support of Honda Europe they manage a team that has some of the most skilled tuners and engineers. They have shown with all their world titles that they have the right blend of skill and desire. I know that I am capable of more SBK wins and I will bring all my racing experience, gained on many different types of machine, to help achieve more success with the Ten Kate Honda team. I would like to thank Gerrit, Ronald and all the guys Honda for the faith that they have shown in me and in my potential. I still have a lot of things I want to do in World Superbikes and I believe this team will allow me to achieve what we all aim for. It will begin with my first test with my new team at the end of this month and I cannot wait to start work."

"We are delighted that Ruben Xaus will partner Jonathan Rea in the Ten Kate Honda team for 2011", added Ronald ten Kate. "Ruben will bring to the team a very high level of experience in World Superbikes - experience that he has translated into many podiums and 11 race victories. We have raced against him for many years now, and we have seen how competitive he can be. We believe that we can harness Ruben's experience and unleash the potential that he so clearly has for many more good performances. We are looking forward to working with him and to welcoming him to the Ten Kate family which, once you are in, you can never really leave! We have a busy winter schedule ahead of us during which we will develop further the Honda CBR1000RR with Jonathan and Ruben so that we are ready to go in Australia next year. We aim to show then that we have the potent machinery, a powerful commitment to success and the right rider combination that will achieve the results which we all desire so strongly."

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The Supersonic Team run by Danilo Soncini, will again take part in next year's World Superbike Championship with a Ducati 1198, but this time with young Frenchman Maxime Berger. Berger was born in Dijon, 1989 on June 27th, and after winning the continental title in 2007 in Superstock 600, he competed for three years in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. Maxime has always achieved good results concluding in the first three positions of the drivers' standings. The Supersonic Team has confirmed its strategy of focussing on young riders and is now ready to possibly improve on last year's good results with Luca Scassa, with more experience and valuable assistance from sponsors and Ducati.

Danilo Soncini - Team Manager: "I am very happy to have signed a two year contract with Maxime Berger and my team. After working with Luca Scassa last season, once again I preferred to focus on a young rider with great prospects. A decision, perhaps that goes against the grain in World Superbike, which usually prefers experienced riders. I know Maxime very well because I have followed him for a long time and I have seen the continuous improvements. I am sure that we have chosen a young rider with great potential, a choice shared with the engineers from my team. Ducati will be with us next year in giving support, and we are excited to continue the collaboration that includes the supply of improved materials and support during the races. The choice of Berger is of course also welcomed by the Bologna manufacturer, who consider Maxime Berger to be a young rider with great future prospects. We are planning to do some tests later this year to be able to debut in the best possible way at the first round of the championship in Australia in late February."

Maxime Berger: "Today is an important day for me and my career. I'm really happy to join the Supersonic Team and start my adventure in World Superbike. Since the beginning of my career, Superbike was for me the premier class and the main goal. I will give the best I can and I'm flattered by the attention from Danilo Soncini, he has always shown interest, and believes in me. This is a great stimulus for me. The contract binds me to the Supersonic Team for two years and it is a very important aspect for me that will allow me to work without too much pressure to be able to adapt to the team and to this demanding category. I want to keep my number 21 also for SBK. It is a number that is certainly a challenging one and I intend to ask permission from Troy Bayliss before using it! It will be a further incentive to do well".

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James Ellison will become the third rider in the PTR (Simon Buckmaster's Performance Technical Racing outfit) operated Parkalgar Honda team that has finished runner up in the Supersport World Championship for the last two years, recording 12 victories out of 25 starts. Rules mean that teams can only field two riders maximum, so Ellison will ride for the newly created PTR Parkalgar Honda squad alongside the existing Parkalgar Honda team of Sam Lowes and Miguel Praia.

Ellison will be a single rider within the team but PTR is investigating funding and rider options for a team mate to join him. A double European Superstock Champion, World Endurance Champion, MotoGP racer, British Superbike runner-up and multiple race winner, Ellison at 30 brings a wealth of experience and ability to the team.

Ellison said: "I am very excited to be racing for PTR Parkalgar Honda in the World Supersport Championship, it is a proven race winning team that will give me the bike and opportunity to show what I am capable of. These sort of chances don't come along everyday and after riding the PTR Parkalgar Honda bike a couple of times I know how fast it really is and that I should be able to compete for wins and the Championship. That is my aim, and the team's so we share the same ambition. I am looking forward to working with Sam and Miguel, with my experience I hope to be able to help them both realise their full potential. I am determined to show the world what James Ellison is capable of and this is the best opportunity I could wish for, I can't wait for the season to start."

Ellison has already raced for the PTR Parkalgar Honda team at the Sunflower races in Ireland and enjoyed a wet but productive test at Mallory Park. In both cases he impressed with his ability to adapt to the bike, feedback and work ethic.

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As well as the presence of SBK rookies Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty, last week's one-day appearance at Valencia also saw the new Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager Andrea Dosoli in charge of the team for the first time at what was a productive and positive test all round.

The test gave Marco Melandri the chance to run Pirelli tyres for the first time and he was fast on them at the first time of asking, posting a 1'33.9, while Laverty got down to a time of 1'34.9 on race rubber. The latest R1 runs a reduced weight and an altered weight balance to improve traction and the latest spec machine also ran 2011 Öhlins front forks. The bike adheres to the 2011 FIM regulations for the championship, featuring standard fuel injectors, fuel pump and fuel regulators.

Dosoli, the replacement for outgoing Massimo Meregalli as the new Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager, said, "It feels nice to be involved in such a professional environment, the team is working really well. I believe there is a good base here to achieve great results and have a good feeling with both the riders. I was a little worried about Marco's first experience on a heavier bike with different tyres but I'm really happy that he had a good feeling and adapted quickly to the new tyres and bike, the lap time for him was not so bad either. Eugene has a lot of potential and is very motivated; he was working on different settings between the 2010 and 2011 bikes and was providing very clear feedback for the team to work with. We will go away now and use this information to prepare for the test in Australia in three weeks time."

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Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit is celebrating a new contract with Infront Motor Sports with the return of the FIM Superbike World Championship to the Leicestershire circuit in a three-year deal for the European Round of the Championship in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

The circuit will host the 2011 SBK European Round on March 25/26/27, 2011.

Donington Park hosted the very first round of the FIM Superbike World Championship on April 3, 1988 promoted by the circuit's founder Tom Wheatcroft, when the two races were won by Davide Tardozzi (Bimota) and Marco Lucchinelli (Ducati), and it last ran on June 28, 2009 when Ben Spies (Yamaha) won both rounds.

Kevin Wheatcroft, chairman of the re-instated Donington Park Racing Limited, is delighted to re-establish Donington Park as a world motorcycle venue. "It was always my father's dream and since his death at the end of last year, I always wanted to provide a world class event in his memory."

Paolo Flammini, CEO of Infront Motor Sports, official promoter of the FIM Superbike World Championship, commented: "We are extremely pleased to bring SBK back to Donington Park for the European Round of the Championship. The Leicestershire circuit is where the Championship began its history 23 years ago and has hosted many successful rounds of our series over the years. Thanks to the presence of many competitive British riders both in the Superbike and Supersport classes, we are sure that the 2011 event will attract many fans and will be a huge success".

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Factory BMW Motorrad riders, Troy Corser and Leon Haslam spent the afternoon yesterday in the wind tunnel of the aerodynamic department of BMW Group in Munich. The main intention was to aerodynamically optimise the riding positions of Troy and Leon on their BMW S 1000 RRs. With simulated speeds up to 240 km/h, they tried several different positions and body angles in order to find the ones that minimise the drag as much as possible.

The team also worked on optimising the aerodynamic efficiency of the wind shield of the 2011 BMW S 1000 RR. The data collected will now be analysed in detail. Based on these results, the bike will be prepared for the next winter test that takes place at the end of November in Jerez.

"The riding position is a main factor for the aerodynamic efficiency of the overall package of rider and bike", says Rainer Bäumel, Technical Director Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport. "The positions of the head and the upper body, of elbows, knees and feet can have an enormous influence on the drag, and subsequently on lap times. Of course, there is not one position that is the optimum for all riders, because it all depends on so many different individual factors, beginning with height and stature. The intensive work in the wind tunnel enabled Troy and Leon to find out what riding position is the best for them personally."

"At the same time we try to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the bike as much as possible within the strict technical regulations", Bäumel continues. "This is why we evaluated several different shapes and positions of the wind shield. We collected a lot of valuable data that will help us with the set up of the bike for the next tests."

Troy and Leon now continue their physical preparation for next season. From today on they are taking part in the BMW fitness camp, where they are joined by Team BMW Motorrad Italia SBK riders, James Toseland and Ayrton Badovini, and BMW offroad riders.

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French star Sylvain Guintoli secured an overall seventh place finish for his Alstare Suzuki team in 2010, in what was his rookie season in WSBK racing. The former 250GP, MotoGP and BSB rider settled into WSBK racing quickly and came close to scoring a number of podiums. He never quite got a top three but he was consistent enough to be sandwiched between the two official Ducati riders - Haga and Fabrizio - in the final rankings. Sylvain's main highlights were a fastest lap in Australia, and making two front row starts late in the season, in Germany and his native France.

He has now got a Ducati of his own to race in 2011, for the newly created Liberty Ducati team, which is based in the Czech Republic. His team-mate will be Jakub Smrz. Said Guintoli, "I have never raced a big vee-twin Ducati before, although I have raced with the vee-four in MotoGP. I am looking forward to my first ride on the bike and we should get some good testing done before the start of the season, just after the New Year. I am taking my data technician with me from the Alstare team, but otherwise it will be an all-new experience for me. I have known Jakub for a long time of course, and we used to race in 250s together many years ago. We get on very well and I am looking forward to working with him."

Guintoli will have a number of ‘home' rounds to compete in for 2011, with his real home round at Magny-Cours in France now added to by two rounds in his adopted home in the UK. He said, "Yes, I heard about Donington joining Silverstone and that means two short commutes for me on those weekends, particularly for Donington. I have mixed feelings about it after my big crash there in BSB in 2009 of course, but the circuit has a fantastic layout and I always enjoy riding there."

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One of the most interesting aspects of World Superbike, compared to other major motorsports series, is the format of having two races per day, providing not only twice the thrills for the fans but also twice the chances to win for the top riders.

In the history of World Superbike racing, there have been maybe not as many double wins as some people would imagine, but the record holders for maximum points on individual racedays are Carl Fogarty and Troy Bayliss, with 16 doubles each. To put these performances into perspective, no other rider has scored more than eight doubles throughout their career.

In the 2010 season there were four riders who took at least one double win, the most successful being Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) who secured four doubles. He started at Portugal then doubled up again at Monza, Miller Motorsports Park (photo) and Misano. By the stage of Misano he had named himself Mr Double...

Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) scored his 2010 double at Assen, Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) performed the feat at Silverstone and Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) took both wins at Imola.

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Following its recent switch from KTM to Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki, the Go Eleven Team team has announced today that it has signed an agreement with Italian Niccolò Canepa, a rider of unquestioned ability who has already won the title in this category in 2007 (photo). The 22-year-old Italian rider therefore returns to the championship that launched him towards a MotoGP career, a choice that to some may seem like a step down, but which Canepa has accepted willingly as an opportunity to kick-start his career in the wake of a disappointing 2010 season.

Canepa will race the latest spec Kawasaki ZX10R, a bike built with a new design concept, and with which he will be aiming to win the first title in this category for the Japanese manufacturer.

Niccolò Canepa: "The Go Eleven project has won me over, everyone is very enthusiastic about it and they all want to do well. I have decided to come back to Superstock, despite receiving offers to stay in Moto2 and despite the fact that the 2010 season was conditioned by the budget problems of the team I raced for. I think this is the right environment to revitalize my career and as soon as possible arrive in World Superbike, my ‘first love' and where I made my debut when I was Ducati test-rider. I believe that this team has the right structure and personnel to work well on the new Kawasaki, which until now I've only been able to admire at the EICMA show, but I hope to be able to test it soon".

Team manager Denis Sacchetti added: "I am delighted to be able to work with Canepa, whom I have raced against ever since we were in mini-bikes. I know his potential and I'm sure it's now our job to give him the right conditions to go well. Our aim must only be to compete for the top places in the championship".

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