WSBK – WSBK Guide: teams, drivers and challenges for the 2012 season – Aprilia: winning back the titles

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WSBK guide: teams, drivers and challenges for the 2012 season

WSBK - WSBK Guide: teams, drivers and challenges for the 2012 season - Aprilia: winning back the titles

The World Superbike Championship (WSBK) is playing its 25th season this year! Site will cover the events almost live every Sunday, but now invites you to discover the forces in the presence of the WSBK 2012. Practical Guide.

Aprilia: winning back the titles

Third in the constructors’ championship in 2011, Aprilia took advantage of Yamaha’s official withdrawal from the World Superbike to appear as the second largest customer in the category in 2012. The brand is entering its fourth consecutive season with the firm intention of retaking its world titles from Ducati….

Admittedly, the title sponsor of the official team – the airline Alitalia chaired by the CEO of the Piaggio group himself, Roberto Colaninno – is no longer on the fairings and the composition of the team has been significantly changed this winter. But Aprilia’s game has two main assets: the RSV4 and a duo of excellent drivers..

We no longer present Max Biaggi – OK, very quickly -, quadruple world champion in GP 250 (including three times on Aprilia RS) and first world champion of Italian origin in World Superbike on the RSV4. The Roman Emperor runs towards his 41 years (June 26) … and after a sixth world title !

But "regardless of the number of seasons contested (19 already at the highest level, Editor’s note) or the number of titles won", remarked Max during the official presentation of the team in Milan:" I am always motivated to the maximum at the start of a new season, and more than ever in 2012 after what happened last season"…

Would the "Corsaire" have badly lived the outrageous domination of Carlos Checa in 2011, as well as his lost duel against another transalpine MotoGP star, Marco Melandri? One thing is certain: the number one of the official Aprilia team has gone up like a clock! During the last event in 2011 in Portimao, Max’s helmet already featured an unequivocal special decoration: "Next target: 2012" !

"A combination of circumstances and a good dose of bad luck (broken foot due to a drainage grid at the Nurburgring, Editor’s note) prevented us from defending the title until the last round", regrets the 2010 champion."And despite this injury which cost me six races, I got third place overall". This incidentally earned him the consolation of finding his No. 3 fetish !

Fourth in the 2011 championship but tied on point with Max Biaggi (303), Eugene Laverty had a superb first season. Without the simultaneous arrival in the discipline of the experienced Marco Melandri, the n ° 58 from Yamaha would have easily won the honorary title of best rookie of the year..

Supposed – like Marco – to run a second season on the R1, Laverty had no trouble finding a good handlebar because his CV is becoming more and more attractive: after two unsuccessful GP 250 seasons in 2007 and 2008, " Youdjine "finished twice in a row runner-up in World Supersport (12 wins in 27 races!) Before moving on to WSBK last year.

In addition to being extremely quick and tenacious in racing, the soon to be 26-year-old rider also adapts very quickly to his new motorcycles. "This will be my second season in Superbike – my first on Noale’s 4-cylinder -, but I already had very good feelings during testing in Portimao last fall ", indicates the n ° 58, author of the best time !

"I still need to do a lot of laps to familiarize myself with my new Aprilia", concedes Biaggi’s new teammate,"and I don’t want to underestimate the difficulties you always encounter when changing teams, but I really want to amass as many podiums as possible and get some victories".

In his first year in the big leagues, Eugene Laverty has already climbed six podiums, including two on the top step. There is no doubt that these two counters will increase in 2012, but perhaps not from the first rounds ?

"In my opinion, the first two circuits of Phillip Island and Imola will be the most formidable of the year for Aprilia", reveals the pilot on his personal site."So if we can be strong there then we will be strong everywhere else".

Titled in World Supersport on an R6 extracted from formalin for a single season – it hadn’t driven since Crutchlow’s coronation! -, Chaz Davies has already started to tease his Northern Irish colleague: "luckily none of us are deep into rugby, otherwise I would win you over"," tweeted the Welshman, referring to the recent victory of the Wales XV over Ireland in the six-nation tournament…

To which Laverty replied that in terms of Superbike, the Irish should manage to kick the ass of the Welsh … And Davies agree in return: "Ireland will definitely be tough to beat in 2012! JR (Jonathan Rea on Honda, NDLR) looks in great shape" !

Like Noriyuki Haga last year, Chaz Davies will ride a private Aprilia prepared by his Supersport team, the Parkingo team. Originally, however, his team had to sign a Ducati for 2012: "the pen had not reached the contract sheet, but it was 90% done", remembers Chaz…

But following Infront’s announcement to ballast the Ducatis, "and the fact that Ducati would field a total of eight motorcycles, Giuliano (Rovelli, the team manager, Editor’s note) started to explore other options", he continues. And finally, the choice of the Italian boss fell on the Aprilia RSV4.

"Personally I would have been happy in both cases", assures the one who had to leave" his "n ° 7 to Carlos Checa and will ride this year with n ° 19. At the height of his 25 years, Chaz Davies has enough experience in motorcycle speed to put up with a Ducati like an Aprilia.

In ten years, Chaz has indeed ridden on many types of motorcycles: GP125 then 250 with Aprilia, AMA Formula Xtreme and AMA Supersport with Yamaha then Kawasaki, three posts in MotoGP on Ducati, AMA Pro Sportbike on Aprilia (RSV1000R ) and WSSP on Triumph then on Yamaha !

Thanks to his title obtained last year and his six victories in twelve races, he has as a bonus an excellent capital of confidence. The Aprilia No. 1 and No. 58 won’t be the only ones to watch out for. The n ° 19 will not be able to claim the title "pilot", but it could prove useful for the mark as regards the classification "manufacturer"….

Aprilia teams

  • # 3
    WSBK: 128 starts, 59 podiums including 16 wins, 4 poles

  • # 58
    WSBK: 26 starts, 6 podiums including 2 victories

Parkingo Racing Team

  • # 19
    Rookie 2012

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