REA OUT TO REPEAT NÜRBURGRING WIN AS WSS DUO FACE-OFF AGAIN

2010-09-01 13:00
Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider Jonathan Rea enjoyed a winning feeling at the iconic Nürburgring circuit last year, taking Superbike race two for his Honda team. This year more of the same would be more than welcome, to add to Jonathan’s current win tally of three.

As the series re-convenes after a substantial break from real race action, Rea is third in the standings, 39 points ahead of fourth place rider Carlos Checa (Ducati). Rea is the only rider with a mathematical chance of overhauling championship leader Max Biaggi (Aprilia) and Leon Haslam (Suzuki) in second, but with three rounds and six races still to go Rea’s immediate goal is to take race wins and extending his lead over Checa.

For Rea’s team-mate Max Neukirchner this race has special significance, being his home round as well as a chance to show that a recent win in the IDM Superbike Championship race at Assen can be translated to a season best in WSBK. Max has tasted champagne at the Nürburgring before, taking two podiums in 2008, but he missed last year’s round due to injury.

Both Rea and Neukirchner have tested at Assen in readiness for this weekend’s race, shortly before heading to the Nürburgring.

The modern day Nürburgring, sitting alongside the legendary Nordschleife circuit, is a tough but fair test of man and machine, with some heavy braking points, frequent dips and shallow climbs, plus some fast changes of direction.

In the Supersport World Championship division, Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) are now involved in a straight fight for the crown. Last time out Laverty won at Silverstone, his sixth victory of the year, but Sofuoglu is still the overall championship leader some 17 points ahead and with three wins to his credit.

The ECHO CRS Honda Superbike team and previous rider Broc Parkes parted ways shortly before the season re-commenced, and the team has chosen Italian rider Fabrizio Lai to replace him in Germany. Lai (31) raced for the team in World Supersport for a period last season.

Fifth overall in the WSS rankings is rookie Gino Rea (Intermoto Czech Honda) after taking a career-first podium at Silverstone in his native UK. He is still involved in a close fight for a top five finish, with the two following riders within three points, and a host of other tough competitors lining up behind.

Michele Pirro from the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team will return to competitive action at this race, having missed the Silverstone weekend after a heavy fall at Brno. The Italian rider is out to add to his podium haul of a single third place, taken at the Portimao round.

Parkalgar Honda rider Miguel Praia has recently taken his two career best finishes in succession, and in doing so has pushed himself up to 11th in the rankings, only a point from Pirro and a top ten placing.

Massimo Roccoli from the Intermoto Czech Honda team is currently a very unlucky 13th, having suffered two no scores so far and some unexpected dramas in some of the races that he has completed.

After the German round has been completed, the final two rounds of the year will be run back-to-back; Imola on 26 September and Magny-Cours on October 3.


WSBK Rider Comments

Jonathan Rea, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR: “It’s been good to have some time off, but I can’t wait to get back on the bike. Our test at Assen couldn’t come at a better time because it gave us a chance to shake off some cobwebs before Nürburgring and to try a whole load of new stuff for the bike. The development has continued during the break and the team is continuing to make a big effort right through to the end of the season. It’s good to get my head back up to 280-290kph is preparation for Nürburgring, which I’m really looking forward to. I like riding there and managed to get a win last year.”

Max Neukirchner, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR: “I like the Nürburgring and took two podiums there in 2008, so I feel I can have a good weekend in front of my home fans. Since the last race I took part in the IDM round at Assen and won the first race, then took a podium in a very confused second race, which was stopped two times. The IDM win means I have much more motivation and the team knows that as well. The WSBK machine is a little bit different, but I intend to come back to the world championship in strong condition. Our chassis setting is not so bad, and I was much happier at Silverstone, but my feeling is we need to find something on the engine settings. It is a little too aggressive on the throttle at the top.”

Fabrizio Lai, ECHO CRS Honda CBR1000RR: “I am very happy to have this real opportunity to race for the team and it will be a new experience. I am sure I will do my best. It is my first WSB race but I want to make it a good one for myself and ECHO CRS Honda.”


WSS Rider Comments

Kenan Sofuoglu, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR: “It has been a long break, but I am feeling rested and fit; now we are ready for the last three important races of this season. My team has been working hard during the holiday and we will work together for another win this weekend. Although it has been a consistent season, we have to keep pushing for wins because the pressure will be there right until the final race. Nürburgring is not my favourite circuit and it was not good for me last year. I qualified OK but I crashed out of second place when the rain fell and I had to retire a few laps later. Obviously I want a better result that that this weekend, and the target is to win again.”

Eugene Laverty, Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR: “Winning at Silverstone took a lot of pressure off me and I am pretty relaxed now. The boys have been working on the bike and they have found a little bit more power, which is always welcome. I had a few laps out on my bike in the UK recently, at Cadwell, just to get some track time in again. The summer break has been so long.”

Michele Pirro, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR: “My body feels much better now after the crash at Brno and my wrist feels OK. But it’s good that we have this test at Assen because it will give me a chance to ride the bike for the first time since Brno. There will be no pressure, just me and the bike. I’ve been working hard on physiotherapy in the last few weeks, so we’ll see how the pain is on the bike. Nürburgring is a circuit that I like very much. I like the many fast corners there, but the first one is a little bit difficult in the first laps of the race because it is so slow.”

Gino Rea, Intermoto Czech Honda CBR600RR: “I am looking forward to getting back on the bike all together. A month off is a bit too long for me. I like the Nürburgring as a track, so I am looking forward to this weekend. I am not sure we will have any new development of the bike but we need to work on the existing electronics and suspension and get those things right, then we can see what happens in the race.”

Miguel Praia, Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR: “I like it in Germany. It is a difficult track, a challenge in places, but it was fine for us last year. After Silverstone I had a period of rest to shake off some niggling injuries but I went back to hard training two weeks ago and I am ready to race. In the last two races I have had the best results I have ever had, so all the work the team has been doing is paying off.”

Massimo Roccoli, Intermoto Czech Honda CBR600RR: “I want to find a good set-up and then turn that into a good result this weekend, and not have any problems that have affected is quite often this year. We have been unlucky but we are all working to change that, starting in Germany.”

Source: Honda Pro Image

Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story