WSBK – The WSBK in the USA this weekend and in Russia next year! – The WSBK 2011 in the United States

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The WSBK in the USA this weekend and in Russia next year !

WSBK - The WSBK in the USA this weekend and in Russia next year! - The WSBK 2011 in the United States

This weekend – watch out, shopping on Monday! – takes place at Miller Motorsport Park (United States) the fifth round of the World Superbike championship. And next year, the WSBK riders should also race in Russia… Explanations.

The WSBK 2011 in the United States

This weekend, all World Superbike riders (or almost, read box below) will be on the track to try to pocket the 50 points at stake in Miller … Remember: Superpole Sunday evening at 11 p.m. French time , then first SBK round Monday at 8 p.m. and the second at 11:30 p.m. !

Vermeulen out, Toseland in

Chris and James are rather hard to follow this year (read)… After yet another failed comeback, the former decided not to participate in the Miller test. Injured in the shoulder – in addition to the knee! – in Assen, Vermeulen prefers to concentrate on his recovery and participate in private Kawasaki tests in Aragon in early June. " This means that I could possibly hopefully get back in shape for Misano.", translates n ° 7.

For his part, James Toseland will be present in the United States: "after trying to return to competition at Monza (he has not ridden in the race since Australia, Editor’s note), he should be able to participate in the two races scheduled on the American circuit", considers his team BMW Italia.

Double winner last year – a little thanks to the double abandonment of Checa (read again) – Max Biaggi is one of the favorites. Especially since the Roman Emperor has still not won a victory this season (read), and he must imperatively close the gap of 28 points that separates him from the same Spaniard…

"I have good memories of Miller", confirms the Italian:"last year’s double victory propelled us to the top of the standings and it was arguably the most significant step towards the titleMiller’s 2011 edition should also prove decisive for Biaggi after his odd at Monza.

Provided his Ducati holds up in the long American straight – that of Monza had ended up tiring the twin at the very end of the second round – the leader of the provisional Carlos Checa will also be there to play for the win.

The # 7 and his 1098R have revenge to take in Utah: "We have to finish what we failed to do last year", reports the two-time winner of the first event in Miller, while driving the CBR1000RR of the Ten Kate team.

"Miller is a track that suits me really very well, maybe this is the track that is best for my riding style.", warns El Torro! In addition to the reliability of his bike, the question of the endurance of Pirelli is raised by Checa:"we will see which tires are offered and we will work on the best combination, but I am confident".

Second in the championship, Marco Melandri will once again have to quickly learn the layout this weekend. But given its almost immediate adaptation to the demanding circuit of Monza, we do not worry about the "rookie" Yamaha !

"I have heard a lot of very positive comments (about the circuit, Editor’s note), so I can’t wait to get there and see it for myself"Says # 33."Having said that, I know this is one of Checa’s favorite tracks! I hope to close the gap between us in the championship, but it won’t be easy for Miller. I’m pretty sure he will be very competitive there, and he will perform well in Salt Lake City.", foresees the Hedgehog – careful, this hedgehog! – of Ravenna…

His teammate Eugene Laverty is already familiar with Miller’s circuit having competed there in the 2010 Supersport round – which was not repeated this year – and should therefore quickly be in the grip of his official Yamaha No. 58. !

"This is probably one of the tracks I have been on the best in the past", remarks the Northern Irishman,"so this should be the perfect place to continue what I started in the last rounds". Understand" go up in the rankings ": he is currently 5th and has 60 points less than Checa !

Second last year in the first round on his Suzuki Alstare, Haslam had fallen in the second round to Miller and handed over the reins of the championship to his great rival, Max Biaggi. This year, the n ° 91 arrives in the United States with an outsider status: he is "only" sixth in the provisional classification and is 61 points behind Checa….

"Salt Lake City is always a great race. It’s fantastic to ride in the United States, especially during Memorial Weekend because the atmosphere is wonderful. The circuit itself is quite different and offers a good mix with a bit of everything", describes the English.

Falling at the very start of the second round at Monza – right toe broken – Leon does not despair of being at the forefront on Monday night: "it’s a circuit you have to fight on and it’s really hard to drive there. I’m looking forward to going there and I’m quite excited to drive the BMW S1000RR there !"

Other drivers will also be closely followed: Jakub Smrz (Ducati Effenbert Liberty) in qualifying, in particular, his teammate Sylvain Guintoli in the race, Leaon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia), Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare), Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia Pata) and the two young escaped from the Superstock 1000, Ayrton Badonvini and Maxime Berger (read).

Finally, two drivers put all the odds on their side to perform well in this fifth round of the season: Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus, members of the Honda Ten Kate team, who trained on Sunday and Monday on the American track. !

"We chose Miller as our test track this year because we really suffered last year with the settings of the bike.", explains Johnny, who went to the mat with Haslam during the last race at Monza, luckily without injury..

"I really enjoy riding here in America, but the bumpy nature of the circuit makes it very difficult to optimize the bike’s settings.", analyzed the n ° 4 at the end of his private practice. Unfortunately, the weather was not very good with them and a good part of the laps (110 for Jonathan, 112 for Ruben) were carried out on a wet track or dirty.

Despite everything, the Englishman said he was satisfied with the brand new swingarm fitted to his Fireblade, while the Spaniard praised the progress of the new braking system and the softer chassis … the n ° 4 and 111 dominate their little comrades Monday night? Slight deferred response Tuesday morning on Site: "stay tuned" !

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