WSBK – Is it really going to heat up in Misano? – Second blades … first choice!

Posted on by admin

It will really heat up in Misano ?

WSBK - Is it really going to heat up in Misano? - Second blades ... first choice!

The Mondial SBK begins its second half of the season on the Adriatic coast on Sunday … A dream destination at the start of summer? Not depending on the weather … Site takes stock of the ranking … before showers upset everything ?

Second blades … of first choice !

Fourth in the championship with 133 points – half less than Haga – Jonathan Rea continues to improve and has been in the Top 5 for seven races now! But the young Englishman still intends to improve himself…

According to him, the next step in his apprenticeship – this is his first season in the World Superbike – concerns his place on the starting grid: "I did not go ahead from Australia and if you are not there, the first lap is very difficult", notes the Honda Ten Kate team rider.

Satisfied with the direction taken in the development of the Fireblade – it turned faster than Bayliss in private testing at Magny-Cours! -, Johnny intends to keep his fresh momentum: "we have just passed half of the season and it is important to regularly deliver good results".

Third in the race last year in the Supersport category, Jonathan Rea will be one to watch this weekend … and the seasons to come, like his compatriot Leon Haslam – Honda rider at Stiggy Motorsport – who occupies the 6th place in the general classification thanks to its 122 points !

Housed between these two promising rookies, Max Biaggi (5th with 126 points) is dying to go rub shoulders with the leading riders on the handlebars of his brand new Aprilia RSV4 … And it could not be long !

"I think I finally found a way to solve our biggest problem", assured the Roman Emperor after the American races:"the bike is unstable in the entrances and inside the curves", he specified, without however specifying the famous means of remedying it…

Unfortunately for him, the famous n ° 3 will only have private tests in July to focus on this one subject. This weekend in Misano – and the next in Donington Park! -, Massimiliano will therefore have to deal with development, racing … and the expectations of his unwavering fans. !

"At the moment, we can’t fight for the podium on a regular basis", admits the Aprilia rider,"but I am sure that once this problem is solved the situation will change drastically". This year for the title, it’s shabby … But who knows, in 2010, if Max will not finally win his fifth star ?

Seventh at nine small points behind Haslam, a third English rookie named Tom Sykes made a strong impression. Although eclipsed by his incredible teammate Ben Spies, Tom has had a serious first half of the season.

"I think this weekend will be a turning point for me to prepare for Donington Park (from next week, the English will be hot!, Editor’s note) and the rest of the season", says Sykes, whose results were better in Europe than on other continents..

"I’m very happy to leave the USA behind", notes number 66 of the official Yamaha team:"there is no denying the fact that we encountered some issues there, but I think we overcame them".

Very consistent, Tom Sykes scored points in each meeting – unlike Spies – and only slipped out of the Top 10 once, in Salt Lake City precisely. He has yet to be able to fight for the podium this year, but weather conditions could work in his favor…

Unlike Sykes, Ryuichi Kiyonari alternates excellent and fair results: the adopted Englishman – he was twice British Superbike champions in 2006 and 2007 – has accumulated 96 points this first half of the season and is in 8th place provisional.

"I was a little frustrated in America because the team had worked hard to get me a bike to put on the front line (which he did with the 3rd fastest time, Editor’s note) ", testifies the young Japanese driver, still 4th and 5th in the rounds of Salt Lake City.

But rider n ° 9, who rides at Ten Kate in the Honda Accessories colors, cannot be satisfied with this type of results: "I think we have made good progress in recent weeks and I want to continue this way in Misano by returning to the podium !"

Just three points behind Ryuichi, Carlos Checa failed to repeat his American feat of last year – the double! Second in the first round, he fell in the second and finds himself far behind his young teammate Jonathan Rea…

"The layout of the circuit where I fell cannot be found anywhere else", tries to reassure himself the famous n ° 7. Like Ryuichi, Carlos notes that last year his Honda had known problems of jolts on the small circuit of Misano. Will the men of Ronald Ten Kate manage to erase this inconvenience this year ?

Finally, Jakub Smrz and his Ducati Guandalini n ° 96 completed the Top 10 with their 82 points. The Czech and his Italian should again panic the clock in the qualifying phase … But will they manage to keep the pace of the best during the races, as they had done in Assen in particular? ?

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *