REA AND HASLAM HEAD TO IMOLA READY TO MAKE A STRONG SHOWING

2013-06-26 09:40
The seventh round of the FIM Superbike World Championship takes place
at the undulating and challenging Imola circuit between 28 and 30
June, with current top Honda rider Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World
Superbike Team) aiming for his first win of the current season.

After posting a third place in race two at the previous round in
Portugal in early June, Rea is out to maintain his upward progress on
his CBR1000RR and add to his career podium haul of 31, ideally by
repeating the win he scored at Imola on a Honda in 2011. He is
currently seventh in the championship, looking to make up a 14-point
gap to the rider ahead of him.

Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) continues to recover
from his double left leg break, suffered at Assen in April, and like
his team-mate Rea is also keen to record his best result of the year
at Imola this coming weekend.

Haslam also has a good record at Imola in recent times, having scored
two podium finishes last year when competing for another team and
manufacturer. He is a fan of the layout of the Imola circuit, which
features almost every kind of corner and chicane along its 4.936km
length. Haslam, now 15th overall after missing chances to score
points due to his injury, sees the Imola weekend as a real
opportunity to start posting strong results.

The original fast and flowing nature of the Imola layout, which in
recent years been punctuated with chicanes, features some of the most
evocative corners in world motorcycling, such as Acque Minerali,
Rivazza and Piratella. Heavily modified over the years, its long and
narrow paddock area is bounded by a river at one side and hemmed in
by the track itself on the other, adding to its unique atmosphere and design.

When the Imola race weekend completes there will be an official
Pirelli tyre test on 1 July, and after that the Superbike and
Supersport teams head east for the eighth round of the season at
Moscow Raceway on July 21.

IMOLA A KEY ROUND FOR MANY TOP HONDA SUPERSPORT RIDERS

Top-ranked CBR600RR riders Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World
Supersport Team) and Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport
Team) have every reason to be confident entering the seventh round of
the 2013 FIM Supersport World Championship at Imola this coming weekend.

The rookie riders in this class have each had podium highpoints to
celebrate so far, although in van Der Mark's case two fourth place
finishes, after epic recoveries to get in final contact with the
leading group at Assen and Portimao, were arguably even better
individual performances. Michael, champion in the Superstock 600
European Cup class before moving up to WSS this year, is fourth
overall at present as he goes for his first win in this category of racing.

Zanetti, making the transition from the Superbike class to WSS this
year, has already impressed with his determination to learn the
secrets of riding a 600 and he will be hoping that home ground brings
him the same kind of result that saw him finish third at Monza in
May, shortly after putting in his first front row qualifying
performance. Last year, when riding a big V-twin in the SBK class,
Lorenzo was eighth at Imola, after spending much of the race in fifth
place, proving he has no lack of intimate and effective track knowledge.

In a good year for emerging talents in the WSS class Jack Kennedy
(Rivamoto Honda) has exceeded some of his and his team's expectations
already. Despite a non-finish at Monza he is eighth in the rankings
and has put in two equal best sixth places in the most recent races,
at Donington and Portimao.

Sheridan Morais (PTR Honda) had his best rides of the season so far
at the previous round as he continues his recovery from a right
shoulder injury at an ever-accelerating pace. Currently sitting in
11th place Morais is now looking for his first Honda podium in the WSS class.

Luca Marconi (PTR Honda) faces a home race at Imola as he tries to
get back to the level that saw him a top ten runner in some of the
early rounds of the season. Another Italian rider for Honda, Raffaele
De Rosa (Team Lorini Honda), is looking to home ground to keep up his
points scoring form, with a ninth place finish last time out his best
ride of the year so far. British rider Tommy Bridewell will join De
Rosa in the Lorini team at Imola.

Gabor Talmacsi (PRORACE Honda) will not be riding at the Imola round
as he suffered a leg injury at the previous event in Portugal and his
place will be taken by Valentin Debise for the Italian race.

David Linortner (Team Honda PTR) will be hunting more points this
weekend, while Imre Toth (Racing Team Toth Honda) and his team-mate
Alex Schacht, Eduard Blokhin (Rivamoto Honda), Nacho Calero Perez
(Honda PTR) and Matt Davies (Team Honda PTR) are all looking for
their first points of 2013.


HONDA RIDER COMMENTS:

Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team)
"We've had a few frustrating rounds lately, with little problems
affecting our results. The bike is competitive though, so hopefully
the guys have had some time back at the workshop, analysing the data
with my comments, to make some progress. I'm looking forward to
seeing that progress this weekend at a circuit that I really enjoy.
Imola has a bit of everything and we get really close to the fans in
some places, which really adds to the special atmosphere. I've had a
good break to recharge the batteries and reflect on the first half of
the season. Hopefully, we can maintain our podium form and develop
the package so we can start to really challenge for race wins."

Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team)
"It's been a long and really repetitive road trying to get my leg
back in the kind of shape that I can ride with it, but we've
definitely made some more progress since Portugal. I had one of the
screws removed last week and that's reduced the pain when I'm on the
bike. I did a race school at Donington soon afterwards and it
definitely felt a lot better. I'm confident that I'll be able to race
at Imola, which I'm really looking forward to. It's given me mixed
results over the years - my engine blew in 2010 when I was chasing
the championship, but I got a double podium there last year. I love
the place, so I'm really looking forward to riding there."

Michael van Der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team)
"I am ready and cannot wait to go to Italy again. My previous foot
injury is almost completely gone and I only have pain when it sits in
some positions. In Superstock 600 last year I was third and I can say
that Imola is a track I really like, so I look forward to riding it
again. It is really old school and in some parts it is a little tight
but there is always something special about it."

Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team)
"Another Italian round and for me this fantastic. Every time you race
at home it is like that. I had a good ride at Imola in the Superbike
class last year so I have good memories of that to take into this
year. The 600 feels natural now, but although we did not finish with
a good result the last time out we know my potential is more than
that, for sure. In other races, Monza or Donington I finished in good
positions and my feeling on the bike is all OK as we head to Imola."

Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda)
"Imola is another new track for me to learn this year and as usual I
have been using my computer game a lot to learn which way it goes.
Everybody tells me how much like a British track the layout is but
also that it is very atmospheric and historic kind of racetrack. The
only issue for me is my right knee, which I hit really hard on a
kerbstone in the previous round. It is still bruised and swollen but
it will be OK for the practice and the race."

Sheridan Morais (PTR Honda)
"At the last round in Portugal we qualified on the front row and
finished fifth. The aim for Imola is to improve on that race result
and get on the podium. I think as a package we are getting faster and
stronger at every race and everyone can see that. I know I can win
races on this bike and Imola is my next opportunity to prove that."

Source: Honda Pro Image

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