WSBK – WSBK Guide: teams, drivers and challenges for the 2012 season – Kawasaki: the Ninjas uncovered

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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 - Kawasaki: the Ninjas uncovered

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

Kawasaki: the Ninjas uncovered

Subscribed to the very last places of the constructors’ classification in World Superbike for more than five years, Kawasaki is presented in 2012 as the best Japanese hope, the Yamaha Blues (2nd in 2011) having decided to abandon the category..

Conversely, the Greens preferred to end their unsuccessful MotoGP prototype program in 2009, in order to focus on the Superbike, the pinnacle of which was the launch of their brand new ZX-10R last season..

Extremely at ease in the rain at the helm of this unique 2011 novelty – in terms of Superbike – Tom Sykes signed a Superpole at Misano, as well as his first WSBK victory under the flood at the Nurburgring. In the dry, the duo still lacked speed to get on the podium and got two 4th places as the best result.

After a 2011 first round around the world and thanks to the reaffirmed commitment of the Akashi factory, the Ninja should – must! – be more competitive in 2012: "after a long winter break, it only took me about ten laps to beat my records in Almeria", warned the n ° 66 of the Kawasaki Racing Team at the end of January.

The English rider, who is entering the handlebars of a Kawa for the third year in a row, promises to be a serious customer potentially capable of regularly reaching the Top 5, or even the podium. On the condition, however, that Tom still channels his legendary ardor up a notch !

At almost 27 years old, Sykes remains a follower of the "on-off" and always sticks pretty bowls where some would perhaps have slightly gone the gas … The fans and spectators are in heaven, because seeing it turn is always very impressive, but the team leaders a little less…

Paul Bird’s team, in fact, is replaced this year by the Spanish team Provec who officiated until 2011 for the Greens in the World Supersport. The latter will take care to temper the ardor of the Briton who, by dint of excessively attacking for the podium, sometimes misses big points.

At the end of the 2011 season, Tom Sykes had only 141 points, synonymous with a 13th place overall. Chris Vermeulen never really recovered from his knee injury – he was not renewed in WSBK – the first Kawa rider was finally Joan Lascorz !

Much more discreet than Sykes, Lascorz had a very honorable first year in World Superbike, despite a shoulder that remained sore at the start of the season. Great leader of the Supersport championship – especially in 2009 and 2010 on Kawasaki -, the Spaniard took a back seat in 2011 but he still reached the Top 5 four times in 2011..

Regularly in the Top 10 in the race, the one nicknamed "Jumbo" finished 4 points from the same Top 10 in the general classification, and 15 points from 8th place occupied by Noriyuki Haga! In 2012, there is no doubt that Joan will aim for the outposts.

"The difference in the race between the best pilots and the others is that the first manage to make their tires last throughout the race.", Lascorz analysis. The calm style of n ° 17 – which does not use at all the same settings as his teammate in n ° 66! – will allow him to make his tires last while taking advantage of the Rising performance of recent ZX-10R? Mystery and Pirelli balls…

Already passed through the World Superbike box in 2009 on Kawasaki, David Salom returns in 2012 with this time the "title" of vice-champion of the Supersport world in his pocket. The Mallorcan has yet to achieve a victory at the international level and the counter will probably not unlock this season, but David is enjoying…

"I would like to thank the Pedercini family because they allow me to race in Superbike again", first points out n ° 44."I know that compared to 2009 the bike is now a lot more competitive and the team has a lot more experience, so I can’t wait to start !"

The 2006 Spanish Supersport champion will however have to be patient and be satisfied with every point collected: Roberto Rolfo himself never managed to reach the Top 10 on the private Ninja last year and only scored 42 points in 24 races (he did not run in Portimao).

It will be the same for Leandro Mercado, who replaces Mark Aitchison alias "last permanent" of the championship 2011 with 36 points scored in ten times. Unfortunately, Leandro is already starting with a handicap as he broke his right radius during training on his supermoto….

Sixteenth in the Superstock 1000 Cup with the same Pedercini team, "Tati" Mercado was happy to ride, from February, in the middle of Checa, Melandri, Biaggi and other champions: "since the start of my career, I have always considered World Superbike to be the ultimate category and my only goal", he declared – in great shape – at the end of January.

The 19-year-old driver will therefore have to wait a little longer before realizing his dream: "With the help of my doctors, I will start an intensive rehabilitation to make sure that I will be back in good shape for the second test in Imola".

His bike will still travel to the other side of the world where it will be driven by Bryan Staring, an Australian rider entered this year for the same Pedercini team in the Superstock 1000 Cup alongside the Frenchman Jeremy Guarnoni.

Kawasaki teams

  • # 17
    WSBK: 26 starts

  • # 66
    WSBK: 80 starts, 2 podiums including 1 victory, 2 poles
  • Leandro Mercado # 36
    Rookie 2012

  • # 44
    WSBK: 28 starts

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