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WorldSSP Gallery & Recap: 2022 Season So Far

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PB
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The WorldSSP features some of the most exciting racing in the world, all of the future champions battling to impress their way into WorldSBK makes for an entertaining watch. With the Autodrom Most round just wrapped up, here is where we are up to in 2022…

Aegerter has smashed out nine out of 12 race wins for the 2022 WorldSSP and is on track to snatch the crown on-board his Ten Kate Racing Yamaha R6.
Aegerter has smashed out nine out of 12 race wins for the 2022 WorldSSP and is on track to snatch the crown on-board his Ten Kate Racing Yamaha R6.

Where to begin with 2022? How about at the top of the points table? Dominique Aegerter is one of the most experienced riders on the grid, he exited Moto2 at the end of 2020 and went electric with the MotoE World Cup and added World Supersport to his roster in 2021.

Aegerter has smashed out nine out of 12 race wins for the 2022 WorldSSP and is on track to snatch the crown on-board his Ten Kate Racing Yamaha R6. It was all going well for the Swiss rider until Race one at Autodrom Most where he came off. In a bizarre turn of events, Aegerter simulated a medical emergency in order to cause a red flag. He was later found fit to ride but was banned from racing in Race two of the weekend due to unsportsman-like behaviour. Truly strange…

WorldSBK officials said: “On Saturday afternoon, Aegerter was rescued on the track and checked by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at the Medical Centre and was declared unfit due to the presence of possible concussion symptoms. On Saturday evening, Aegerter went to the Hospital for further assessments and on Sunday morning he admitted the simulation of symptoms to the CMO, and after a deep re-check was declared able to ride.”

Thanks to Aegerter’s strange behaviour, his title rival, Lorenzo Baldassarri, managed to close the 64 point gap down to just 14, Baldassarri has hardly put a foot wrong this season. Apart from winning race one at Aragon, finishing third in Race two at Estoril and a DNF in Race one at Assen, Baldassarri has only just missed out on matching Aegerter’s pace. It’s clear he has the drive to win the 2022 season as without Aegerter in the picture, he stormed through to score both race wins last weekend. I’d be keeping an eye on him if Dominique’s strange tactic’s keep up.

Thanks to Aegerter's strange behaviour, his title rival, Baldassarri, managed to close the 64 point gap down to just 14.
Thanks to Aegerter’s strange behaviour, his title rival, Baldassarri, managed to close the 64 point gap down to just 14.

While the two Yamaha’s run away win the championship lead, third spot on the championship is really anyone’s for the taking. Nicolo Bulega current sits in third spot, 84 points behind Baldassarri and just four points ahead of Stefano Manzi.

How are the Aussies looking? Well, Oli Bayliss is the only full-time rider in the series for 2022 and he seems to be settling down into the Barni Racing team well. Despite breaking his ankle in the pre-season testing which would shaken up his confidence, Oli has been proving that he deserves to be there with plenty of point finishes and currently sits 17th in the standings with 32 points.

Two other Aussie’s have shown their face in WorldSSP this year too, Tom Edwards and Benjamin Currie. Tom Edwards has been blistering fast in the Supersport 600 ASBK category this year, this helped gain him a wildcard ride at the Estoril round where he put the borrowed R6 in the points!

Benjamin Currie had a spin on the Kawasaki ZX-6R where he picked up a point at Estoril too. We hope to see both him and Edwards out on WorldSSP for a full season next year. Check out all the best shots from 2022 so far below…

WorldSSP 2022 Season So Far Gallery

 

 

WorldSBK Reports: All The Action From Autodrom Most

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PB
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The whole weekend in the Czech Republic saw the championship leaders with their elbows out at every chance they got. The weekend ended with the final MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race of the Prosecco DOC Czech Round being another incredible affair at the Autodrom Most.

Tissot Superpole Qualifying
With spots of rain in the air after an overnight shower, riders were forced to exit onto the circuit straight away. With no SCQ tyres available and the SCX tyre only available for Superpole and the Sunday morning Superpole Race, the session gave extra challenges compared to others. Getting the most out of the 15-minute shootout, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) stormed to a 1’30.947 for a new lap record and a second consecutive pole position at Most.

Riders flocked to the circuit instantly and it was clear that everyone wanted to bank a time in case of rain, whilst the likes of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK), Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and his teammate Alex Lowes all waited a little longer, the latter two on their own with Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was at the head of the field on track and the first rider to set a lap time of a 1’32.608, whilst Razgatlioglu stormed to a 1’31.578, just outside his Free Practice lap record from FP2.

Further times came in behind with Rea going second ahead of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), whilst Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was fourth. Bautista was down to ninth but soon went up to fourth, with Lowes and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) getting ahead of Mahias who was left in seventh with just under ten minutes to go. Having been a top five rider in FP2 on Friday, Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) was ninth ahead of Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) at the end of the first stint. Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) waited until the end of the first stint before getting a time registered, slotting him in third.

With the threat of rain abating for the time being, the second runs and the pole position attacks came in, with Rea one of the first riders to leave the pits. Out-laps completed, red sectors and personal best times were coming, although Rea had a big moment at Turn 13, and his advantage of two tenths of a second through the first half of the lap had been squandered. However, at the head of the field, by 0.011s, Alvaro Bautista had taken provisional pole, although Razgatlioglu was responding already on his own flying lap. Turk went top momentarily, but it was Rea who smashed in a lap time in, the first ever 1’30 lap time, with a 1’30.947.

WorldSBK Autodrom Most Front Row (Full Results Here)

1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’30.947s
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +0.330s
3 Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.559s

Race One
History was made in Race 1 at the Prosecco DOC Czech Round as Ducati claimed their 1000th MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship podium placement after Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) battled his way to victory at the Autodrom Most. The Championship leader started from the second row but was able to fight his way into the lead battle in a race held in mixed conditions.

Championship leader Bautista started from the second row but soon was able to take advantage of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) battling to close the gap. Bautista moved into second place on Lap 11 with a move into Turn 20 on the reigning Champion, before he followed that up with a move on Rea into Turn 1 at the start of Lap 12. He was able to clear his charging rivals to win by more than two seconds, going on to take his seventh win of 2022 and 23rd victory of his career, while it was also a historic milestone for Ducati as they claimed their 1000th podium placement.

The battle for the podium went on to the last lap between Razgatlioglu, Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Rea. Razgatlioglu made a hard move on Redding at Turn 13, with Redding running a little bit wide and allowing Rea to close in on the BMW rider. At Turn 15, Rea looked to make a move on Redding to move into the podium places but Redding was able to hold on, with Razgatlioglu and Redding completing the podium. Razgatlioglu now has 67 podiums in his WorldSBK career while Redding is on 39, with the British rider going level with Scott Russell at 25th in the all-time list.

Places fifth to seventh in Race 1 were taken up by Italian riders. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) claimed fifth place and finishes as the best Independent rider. In the early stages, Bassani had been running in fourth but was eventually passed by Redding and dropped back from the lead group. He also lost time to Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) in the closing stages but was able to finish a second clear of Locatelli, who in turn had a three second margin over Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in seventh. Rinaldi had started from third place but lost ground through the opening corners before coming home in seventh place.

On his first visit to the Autodrom Most, Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) continued his run of top-ten finishes that has lasted his entire WorldSBK career, with the Spanish rookie finishing in eighth place. It is the best points-scoring streak in WorldSBK since Michael van der Mark scored 19 consecutive points-scoring positions in 2016. He was just over half a second clear of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in ninth place with Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRY Yamaha WorldSBK Team) rounding out the top ten; Gerloff had started from the second row but dropped back at the start of the race. The top ten at the end of the race were separated by just 13.1 seconds, the smallest gap covering the top ten riders in a full-length race since Race 1 at Phillip Island in 2020; 11.922s covered the top ten.

Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) finished in 11th place, four seconds back from a top ten spot, while he was almost ten seconds clear of French compatriot Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in 12th place. Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) finished in 13th place, less than a second behind Mahias, with Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) in 14th and Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) completing the points-scoring places with 15th.

Home hero Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) finished in 16th place in Race 1 for his home round, his best result in his short WorldSBK career, with Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) in 17th place. Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) claimed 18th place ahead of Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW), whose future was made known shortly before Race 1, and Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) with the Frenchman rounding out the top 20. Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team), Peter Hickman (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Ryan Vickers (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) were the last classified runners in Race 1.

Wildcard and home rider Michal Prasek (Rohac & Fejta Motoracing) retired shortly after being lapped by the leaders, while Malaysian rider Hafizh Shyarin (MIE Racing Honda Team) suffered from technical issues in the closing stages of the race.

WorldSBK Autodrom Most Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +2.109s
3 Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +2.603s

Tissot Superpole Race
It was another battle that went right down to the final lap in the Tissot Superpole Race, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claiming victory at the Autodrom Most during the Prosecco DOC Czech Round after a last-lap battle with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Victory for Razgatlioglu gave Yamaha their 100th victory in WorldSBK.

Razgatlioglu got the jump into Turn 1 ahead of Rea and took the lead of the race and was able to open up a gap to the six-time Champion. Rea looked to make his move for the lead in the second half of the race, with Razgatlioglu able to respond immediately. On the final lap, Rea tried to make a move at Turn 1 but Razgatlioglu was able to get the cutback through Turns 2 and 3, before Rea tried again later on in the lap but ran into the gravel, allowing Razgatlioglu to claim victory while Rea finished in second place. They will be joined on the front row for Race 2 by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), after the Championship leader gained places from fifth on the grid.

The second row of the grid will be made up of Italian riders. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) will start Race 2 from fourth, after starting the Superpole Race from third, with Rinaldi pressuring his teammate all race. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) will line up from fifth ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) in sixth place. Bassani gained positions in the Superpole Race to secure a second row start for Race 2.

Spanish rookie Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) claimed seventh spot and therefore a third row start for Race 2 as he looks to continue his run of top-ten finishes, with Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in ninth and taking the final third row grid spot for Race 2. Redding and Gerloff were the highest-placed riders using Pirelli’s harder SC0 tyre, with both dropping back from their second row starting position in the Superpole Race.

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who has been suffering from an intestinal infection, crashed out of the race from inside the top nine on Lap 4 of 10 at Turn 10 after he lost the front of his bike. Ryan Vickers (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) crashed at the end of Lap 3 at Turn 21, putting the British rider out of the race. Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSBK) was given a double Long Lap Penalty for a jump start and finished in 20th place. Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) had a crash at Turn 17 in the closing stages of the race, with the Czech rider taken to the medical centre.

Tissot Superpole Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.327s
3 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.406s

Race Two
The final Superbike World Championship race of the Prosecco DOC Czech Round was another incredible affair at the Autodrom Most, with reigning Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claiming victory after a titanic battle with his title rivals. The battle raged on from the start until the final few laps of the race as Razgatlioglu claimed his fifth win in the last six races.

Razgatlioglu was able to get the jump into Turn 1 at the start of the race but was always under pressure from both Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). On Lap 7, Rea made a move at Turn 1 on Razgatlioglu to move into the lead of the race but Toprak at the same corner a lap later. On Lap 11, Bautista attempted to pass both Razgatlioglu and Rea into Turn 1, with Rea coming out ahead of Bautista in second and Razgatlioglu in third.

Two laps later and Bautista utilised his straight-line speed to pass Rea into Turn 1, while Razgatlioglu made his move on Rea on Lap 15 at Turn 1 for second place. Soon after, he was on the back of Bautista and, on Lap 16, made his move for the lead at Turn 20 for first place. From there, Razgatlioglu had to defend into Turn 1 on a couple of occasions but he was able to pull out a gap over Bautista and Rea to take his 24th win in WorldSBK and the sixth of the season. Bautista came home in second place to take his 16th podium of the season and the 43rd of his career; while it was also Spain’s 160th in WorldSBK. Rea now has 230 podiums to his name, which is exactly 100 more than Troy Corser who lies second in the all-time list.

Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) made it five top-six finishes in the last six races as he finished in fourth place after a thrilling battle with Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in the opening two-thirds of the race. Bassani made a stunning start to immediately fight for the podium places but dropped back to fourth place, before running wide on Lap 5 which allowed Redding through. Bassani was able to respond quite soon after that move but Redding re-passed him at Turn 1 on Lap 10 to demote the Italian into fifth; Bassani claimed three five place finishes at the Autodrom Most.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claimed sixth place after taking advantage of Garrett Gerloff’s (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) late technical issue, after the American had passed him earlier on in the race. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) claimed seven place, his best result since he finished fourth in the Tissot Superpole Race at Misano, while Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) finished eighth. That is the German’s best result since he took seventh place in the Superpole Race at Assen.

It was Lucas Mahias’ (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) best finish of the 2022 season with his second appearance in the top ten, while Sammarinese rider Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) rounded out the top ten. It is Bernardi’s first top ten result since he moved into WorldSBK at the start of the 2022 season.

Italian rider Roberto Tamburni (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) equalled his best result of the season with 11th place, ahead of Malaysia’s Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team). Syahrin claimed the best result of his WorldSBK career with 12th place and it was a double points-scoring race for the MIE Racing Honda Team with Leandro Mercado in 15th; Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Peter Hickman (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) separating the two MIE Honda teammates in 13th and 14th.

Czech rider Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) bounced back from a Superpole Race crash to finish in 16th place in front of his home fans, equalling his best result in WorldSBK, with Ryan Vickers (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) in 17th and Gerloff in 18th after his late technical issue.

Ahead of Race 2, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) were both declared unfit through illness and injury respectively. Wildcard Michal Prasel (Rohac & Fejta Motoracing) did not start the race. At the start of Lap 4, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) crashed out trying to pass Rea for third place at Turn 1. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) retired from the race following a Lap 5 crash at Turn 20. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) had a technical issue with two laps to go with the Spanish rookie retiring from the race, ending his streak of top-ten finishes at 17 races.

WorldSBK Autodrom Most Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.756s
3 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.833s

Championship Standing After Autodrom Most Round (Full Standings Here)

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 298
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 267
3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 260

Aussies Racing Abroad: July 2022 Update

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PB
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Oli Bayliss' debut effort in the World Supersport class couldn't have gotten off to a worse start when he broke his right ankle in preseason testing.
Up next for Bayliss was the season ending race at Phillip Island, where he was desperate to put on a show for the home fans in attendance to close his year on a high.

With many Aussies racing abroad in a range of disciplines both on-track and off-road, our monthly column focuses on how they’re faring battling it out with the best in their chosen classes against the best riders in the world. Edward Sratmann has our July update…

Oli has been showing promise in the WorldSSP class as he gets comfortable on his Barni Spark Racing Ducati.
Oli has been showing promise in the WorldSSP class as he gets comfortable on his Barni Spark Racing Ducati.

Oli Bayliss – World Supersport
Despite a tough start to his weekend at Donington Park that meant he started from 20th on the grid, Oli Bayliss admirably worked through the field in race one to claim a solid 11th. Wanting to better his result for race two, unfortunately it wasn’t to be for the Barni Racing star, with the pressure in his front tyre dropping steadily as the race wore on, forcing him to settle for 13th.

“The Barni Racing Team and I had a fair weekend all in all. In race two we struggled with an issue with the front tyre dropping pressure throughout the race, and that kept me from pushing, especially from the front half,” Bayliss recalled. “It was a big learning weekend but we can take a lot of positives from here to Autodrom Most in two weeks’ time.”

In his World Supersport season debut, Australia’s Oli Bayliss on the Barni Ducati Panigale V2 took a 21st in WorldSSP’s Saturday race, and improved for a 19th place in the Sunday’s race two.
Currently sitting 16th in the championship and gaining vital experience with every passing race, the talented Bayliss will now quickly shift his attention to round six in the Czech Republic.

Currently sitting 16th in the championship and gaining vital experience with every passing race, the talented Bayliss will now shift his attention to round six in the Czech Republic.

Jason O’Halloran – British Superbike
Jason O’Halloran impressively moved to the top of the British Superbike standings after another wonderful weekend of action. Going 1-2-2 at Brands Hatch, the “O Show” stamped his authority early by winning the qualification race .Riding exceptionally and consistently to take home two second place finishes on Sunday, this rounded out an outstanding weekend for the Yamaha maestro.

Heading into Caldwell Park, the "O Show" holds a crucial 24 point lead over Ray, as his immaculate recent form has propelled him into a commanding position. Photo: BSB Championship.
Jason O’Halloran impressively moved to the top of the British Superbike standings after another wonderful weekend.

The second race was particularly exciting, as O’Halloran went head-to-head with McAMS Yamaha teammate Tarran Mackenzie in a race-long battle. In the end, though, following some entertaining back and forth, Mackenzie edged O’Halloran at the line to secure victory by a measly 0.0037 seconds.

“A really good weekend for us, I was really happy to win yesterday,” he explained. “I’ve finished no worse than second in nine races now and won five of them. We needed to make a step forward at Brands from last year and I think we’ve done that.”

Harrison Voight will be back in Australia racing a Supersport 600 machine at The Bend for the ASBK Finale...
Competing in the Red Bull Rookies and the Moto3 Junior World Championship, just like Roulstone, Harrison Voight has achieved some exceptional results this month.

Harrison Voight – Moto3 Junior World Championship
Continuing his fine progress in 2022, Harrison Voight keeps producing the goods in the Moto3 Junior World Championship. Beginning the month with an impressive sixth in race one and ninth in race two at Jerez, the youngster battled hard in this fiercely competitive class to earn two deserved top 10s.

Although he couldn’t replicate these results at the Algarve due to him being taken out on the last lap, the fact he qualified on the front row and was in the group battling for second and holding his own offered plenty of reason for encouragement. 

“What a pity to end a great weekend! I was strong being up in the front of the group battling for second. Unfortunately starting the last lap, a rider made a stupid move making contact with another rider to then hitting me,” the man in 13th in the championship insisted. Taking the positives about this race, it was well and truly the best race I’ve had until this situation. I’ll keep chipping at it, soon we will arrive back on the podium.”

Jacob Roulstone – Moto3 Junior World Championship
While the results haven’t matched his speed in the Moto3 Junior World Championship, Jacob Roulstone’s still on the right path as he gains valuable experience. Securing a decent 18th in the opening race at Jerez, things then took a turn for the worse in race two, for he endured a nasty crash while attempting to avoid a rider who’d highsided. As a result, Roulstone, who was travelling at 180kph had nowhere to go, with him ultimately colliding with a wall.

Gaining vital experience with every passing race in both the Red Bull Rookies Cup and the Junior Moto3 Championship, young Aussie starlet, Jacob Roulstone, is relishing his time in Europe.
Gaining vital experience with every passing race in both the Red Bull Rookies Cup and the Junior Moto3 Championship, young Aussie, Jacob Roulstone, is relishing his time in Europe.

Heading into the Algarve round, a battered and bruised Roulstone left feeling happy with his output from the weekend, where he escaped unscathed and put in some consistent lap times on his way to finishing 21st in this stacked class.

“We are taking more steps each time and I feel good results are coming. I’ve worked out a few things I need to work on and I just need to sort out the qualifying and first lap aggression. Thank you to all my team for the ongoing hard work,” said the upbeat hotshot.

After missing the entire 2021 MXGP season with a troublesome wrist injury, it's been terrific to see Team Honda HRC's Mitch Evans back at the races.
After missing the entire 2021 MXGP season with a troublesome wrist injury, it’s been terrific to see Team Honda HRC’s Mitch Evans back at the races. Disaster struck at Lommel unfortunately.

Mitch Evans – MXGP
Almost back to a level resembling his best, Mitch Evans’ recent form has been extremely positive, for he’s shown he can take it to the frontrunners and hold his own. Having gone 6-7 for seventh overall at the Czech GP, Evans backed that up by running third in the qualifying race in the sand of Lommel.

Disaster then struck near the end, with the likeable Aussie enduring a horror crash over the triple. Although he bravely attempted to race on Sunday, Evans was forced to retire 15 minutes into the moto, with the ramifications of his incident seeing him withdraw. The HRC rider then wisely sat out the second moto, as he now turns his attention to the Swedish GP in two weeks.

Jed Beaton deserves credit for battling through the pain to show he belongs at this elite level.
F&H Kawasaki mounted Jed Beaton is steadily getting better with every round, in his quest to get back to race fitness.

Jed Beaton – MXGP
F&H Kawasaki mounted Jed Beaton is steadily getting better with every round, in his quest to get back to full race fitness. Running in seventh for a large part of the second moto at the Czech GP was a massive boost for him, in a race where he spent some crucial time battling with some of the elite riders in MXGP.

While last weekend at Lommel was a tough one at the office for Beaton, the bike time and experience he gained will serve him nicely moving ahead. Hoping to land some more top 10 finishes in the remaining four rounds is now the goal for Beaton to close out his injury interrupted debut MXGP campaign in style.

Leading the championship by 37 points with two rounds left, Jett Lawrence is in a commanding position to seal his second consecutive 250 AMA Pro Motocross title.
Jett Lawrence continues his dominance of the AMA 250 Pro Motocross series, hoping to score another championship…

Jett Lawrence – AMA Pro Motocross
Jett Lawrence continues his dominance of the AMA 250 Pro Motocross series, as the inordinately talented youngster appears destined to claim another outdoor crown. Although his July started cruelly with a DNF in moto one at RedBud when his bike let go, he remained focused to salvage the day by winning the second moto.

Having lost his red plate at RedBud, Lawrence emphatically reclaimed it at Southwick by going 1-1 in the sand to earn a dominant overall win. He then flexed his muscles to round out the taxing four race stretch by bagging overall wins at Millville and Washougal to extend his championship lead to 28 points heading into the three week break.

Falling just short of making it a clean sweep for the Lawrence brothers in the 250s, Hunter was forced to settle for second in the 250 West standings, a measly 10 points behind Christian Craig.
Hunter has also been riding flawlessly, finishing rounds just behind his brother. The Lawrence family is a name that will go down in motocross history.

Hunter Lawrence – AMA Pro Motocross
Still in the championship mix and proving he can match Jett for speed frequently, Hunter Lawrence isn’t giving up on the title yet. Sitting 28 points behind his younger brother and clearly feeling confident with four rounds to go, the older brother will be doing everything in his power to close the gap.

With his last eight moto scores reading 2-2-6-8-2-5-1-4, it’s obvious he’s got the quality, he just needs to avoid the small mistakes and keep pushing for better starts if he’s to truly be in the hunt.

Sitting pretty atop the FIM EnduroGP world championship at the completion of two rounds, Aussie Wil Ruprecht's enjoyed a sensational start to his season.
Wil had an awesome start to the 2022 FIM EnduroGP world championship but had a shocking weekend in Portugal.

Wil Ruprecht – Enduro GP
Heading into the EnduroGP in Portugal at the beginning of the month leading the championship and stamping his mark as the man to beat, things frustratingly took a turn for the worse for the Aussie. 

Starting the round with a disappointing crash, this put Ruprecht on the back foot from the off, with him only able to muster five points from the weekend. Consequently, he also dropped back to second in the standings behind Andrea Verona.

“Bonehead mistake on my part in the supertest set the tone for the weekend really,” Ruprecht lamented. Was going to work in the first enduro test of day one, just hitting my marks but ended up laying it down. Tried to gather every point I could following that but I couldn’t bring home anything worth talking about. So that hurt the championship a bit but with plenty still to play for it’s all hands on deck for the upcoming GPs.”

Getting on the podium in just his fourth EnduroGP, Daniel Milner deserves immense credit for his exceptional performance in Portugal. Photo: Daniel Milner Racing.
Getting on the podium in just his fourth EnduroGP, Daniel Milner deserves immense credit for his exceptional performance in Portugal. Photo: Daniel Milner Racing.

Daniel Milner – Enduro GP
Getting on the podium in just his fourth EnduroGP, Daniel Milner deserves immense credit for his exceptional performance in Portugal. Looking comfortable and fast aboard his Fantic, the consistent Australian proved he’s adjusted smoothly to the class and can match it with the best of them.

“To get on the overall podium in my fourth EnduroGP was a good feeling. Feel like I’m adapting and feeling more and more comfortable every race,” he explained.

Broc Pearson To Test DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R

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PB
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Gold Coast based racer and reigning SuperSport Champion Broc Pearson will climb aboard a DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R alongside Bryan Staring for the upcoming two-day test at Morgan Park on July 21/22. Check out what Broc and the team co-owners, Troy Bayliss and Ben Henry, had to say!

Broc had an unfortunate start to his season in the Superbike class of ASBK, crashing out and sitting out some of the weekend. Now it's full steam ahead to secure a team like DesmoSport Ducati.
Broc had an unfortunate start to his season in the Superbike class of ASBK, crashing out and sitting out some of the weekend. Now it’s full steam ahead to secure a team like DesmoSport Ducati.

Team co-owner, Ben Henry: “Troy and I have known Broc through a lot of his career. He’s local to the Gold Coast, he’s mates with Oli and he’s pushed through a lot of adversity to achieve what he has in his racing career so far, so although it’s just a two-day test, I’m glad we could find a way to get him on one of our bikes alongside Bryan. The additional data will help us better prepare for the upcoming Morgan Park round next month and I’m looking forward to seeing how he adapts to our Panigale V4 R. As for racing the bike he tests on, the reality is that Broc would have to be really fast at the test, and we’d need to secure some additional financial support, so I’d say it’s unlikely at this point.”

Broc Pearson: “I just want to thank Benny and TB for the opportunity to ride one of Bryan’s bikes. I’ve been into them a bit on some group chats and when I go past the workshop to let me have a ride, but I’ve pretty much done that for the last 2 years, sort of half-jokingly really, knowing that DesmoSport wasn’t going to have any rides readily available. When Troy called last week and said that he and Ben had an opportunity to ride the Panigale V4 R if I was interested, I jumped at the chance. It’s only for the two-day test at Morgan Park, but I’m pretty excited to get on one of the fastest bikes in the country.”

"As for racing the bike he tests on, the reality is that Broc would have to be really fast at the test, and we'd need to secure some additional financial support, so I'd say it's unlikely at this point." said Ben Henry.
“As for racing the bike he tests on, the reality is that Broc would have to be really fast at the test, and we’d need to secure some additional financial support, so I’d say it’s unlikely at this point.” said Ben Henry.

Team co-owner, Troy Bayliss: “Broc’s found himself in an unfortunate position this season, but I’m glad we found a way at least get him on track at the test. He’s a good kid, full of confidence and a fast rider. He knows his way around Morgan Park too, so it’s a good opportunity for him to have some fun and show everyone what he can do on a superbike.”

WorldSBK Auctions Raise $23,000 for Two Wheels for Life At Donington Park

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The action on track at Donington Park was a thrilling affair as the WorldSBK Championship descended on a scorching United Kingdom, but off-track there were some key events happening too. During the Paddock Show at Donington, with Two Wheels for Life returning to WorldSBK after a two-year absence.

Across the UK Round, lots of riders donated items for auction or took part in a rider concert to raise money for charity.
Across the UK Round, lots of riders donated items for auction or took part in a rider concert to raise money for charity.

Two Wheels for Life works on delivering vital healthcare to some of the most remote parts of Africa and the charity’s presence at Donington Park was a prime opportunity to raise some money to help with this vital work. With auctions on items provided by riders and teams across Friday and Saturday at Donington, around £15,000 ($23,000 AUD) was raised by the incredible spectators to help Two Wheels for Life.

Signed leathers and boots from reigning Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) sold for $2375 and $560 respectively, while signed boots from six-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) were sold for $1650; all three items going during Saturday’s auction. Also, on Saturday, there was an auction for a signed helmet from three-time WorldSBK Champion Troy Bayliss which sold for $1550; showing the huge generosity of the fans at Donington Park.

Signed boots from six-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) were sold for $1650.
Signed boots from six-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) were sold for $1650.

Other items that were auctioned off included hospitality experiences with Kawasaki, BMW, Team#109 Kawasaki and McAMS Yamaha, with the team making their first WorldSBK appearance at Donington Park, several items from riders up and down the paddock, a crashed fairing from Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and much, much more.

Also on stage were performances by Giulio Maceroni, with his Rock ’n’ Road show performed at WorldSBK for the very first time. However, he was not the only musical performance on stage, with several riders from WorldBK and WorldSSP showing off their singing voices in a rider concert, with this concert alone raising $450 for Two Wheels for Life’s valuable work.

Several riders from WorldBK and WorldSSP showed off their singing voices in a rider concert, with this concert alone raising $450 for Two Wheels for Life’s valuable work.
Several riders from WorldBK and WorldSSP showed off their singing voices in a rider concert, with this concert alone raising $450 for Two Wheels for Life’s valuable work.

All funds raised through the auctions will go to the life-saving Riders for Health programmes in some of the poorest and most remote areas of Africa, where motorcycles are predominantly used to deliver vital health care.

WorldSBK Reports: All The Action From Donington Park

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Donington Park saw the reigning world champion back on the top step of the podium. Starting from third on the grid, Razgatlioglu was able to claim his first full-length race win of the 2022 season before doing it all over again in Race 2 while Kawasaki claimed their 500th WorldSBK podium.

Tissot Superpole
Tissot Superpole for the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s fifth round at Donington Park was intense and intriguing from the start. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will see his quest for Donington Park victory and Kawasaki’s 500th podium start from pole position, as he smashed the previous lap record out of the park.

It was a disastrous start to the session for Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), who after finishing second in FP3, crashed at the start of his first flying lap at Turn 1. However, the times were absolutely electric from the first runs, with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) lapping together and getting down into the 1’26s, the best laps of their weekend so far. 

With seven minutes to go, the riders came into the pits to take a quick break before putting the SCQ tyres on and getting back out for their second and final runs with six minutes to go. Rea and Redding once again left the pits together with Redding’s teammate, Illia Mykhalchyk (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) likewise aiming to improve his time with the two home-heroes laying down the pace. 

Come the chequered flag at the end of the session, it was Rea who obliterated the lap record with a 1’26.080s, a new outright motorcycle lap record at the Donington Park circuit. Joining him on the front row in second place is teammate Alex Lowes, who will want to get a first podium of the season and his third podium at Donington Park. Third place went the way of Toprak Razgatlioglu, who made it 11 straight front rows – a record for a single Yamaha rider.

 

Donington Park Tissot Superpole Front Row (Full Results Here)

1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’26.080s
2 Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.273s
3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +0.426s

Race One
The opening MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race of the Prosecco DOC UK Round was a dramatic affair full of battles up and down the grid at Donington Park as reigning Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK Team) claimed victory by 6.3 seconds to claim his first full-length race win of the 2022 season. It means Razgatlioglu is now 54 points behind Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the Championship standings following the latter’s retirement.

It’s a move that has been seen a lot throughout 2022 as Razgatlioglu got the holeshot at the start to take the lead of the race and he was able to take advantage of the battling between Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and teammate Alex Lowes in the early stages, before Rea and Bautista  fought each other for second place in the middle stage of the race.

Rea initially got swamped on Lap 1 and dropped to as low as fifth place before fighting his way back up to second place. He first fell behind Bautista on Lap 7 as the pair battled, with Rea making a move on Bautista on Lap 8. Bautista then re-passed Rea on Lap 12 at Turn 9 before Rea responded immediately before making the move stick on Lap 14 at Turn 12. Two laps later, however, Bautista crashed at the same corner and retired from the race; ending his run of 12 consecutive podium.

Razgatlioglu’s victory gave him the 20th of his career and his 64th podium finish in WorldSBK, while it was also Yamaha’s 97th win. Rea claimed his 226th podium and claimed Kawasaki’s 500th podium placement in WorldSBK. In the Championship standings, Rea took 20 points out of Bautista’s lead with the gap now only 16 points, with Razgatlioglu 54 points back.

The battle for third place came down to a shootout between two home heroes as Lowes fought with Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). Redding was ahead until the final handful of laps as the pair battled through the final sector of the race, racing hard through Turns 11 and 12 and into Turn 1 on the next lap, before Lowes got the move done on the exit of Turn 1 and into Turn 2 to secure his first podium of the 2022 season. Lowes ensured Kawasaki immediately moved onto their 501st podium; Lowes’ third place was the 30th podium finish of his career. It was also his first podium since the Superpole Race in the 2021 French Round at Magny-Cours.

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) finished as the best Independent rider in Race 1 as he claimed fifth place in Race 1, his sixth consecutive top-seven finish in 2022. Bassani finished as the lead Ducati rider following Bautista’s crash as he finished a second clear of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in sixth place.

American star Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) performed another customary late-race surge as he finished in seventh place, equalling his best result of the season so far. Gerloff passed Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) on the final lap with the Spanish rookie finishing in eighth place, almost 7.5 seconds clear of Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) in ninth and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) in tenth.

Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) was 11th on his first race at Donington Park, finishing two seconds clear of Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in 12th; Mahias securing points on his return from injury. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) was just a tenth back from Mahias while he was one second clear of wildcard Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) in 14th with the reigning British champion taking points on his WorldSBK debut. British rider Leon Haslam (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) rounded out the points with 15th place.

Stand-in rider Illia Mykhalchyk (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) made a good start to climb up the order but dropped down to 16th place at the end of the race, missing out on points by just 0.244s after the 23-lap race. He was more than seven seconds clear of Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team) who was only half-a-second clear of fellow rookie Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) in 18th.

Japanese rider Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was 19th, just over a second clear of Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) and Robert Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team), with Laverty and Tamburini separated by just 0.085s.

Wildcard Peter Hickman (FHO Racing) was 22nd ahead of Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in 23rd; the last of the classified finishers. Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) was the first retirement of the race after he crashed at the Turn 12 hairpin, the final corner of the circuit, on Lap 8. Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) was the second retirement of the race as he brought his Yamaha into the pits.

WorldSBK Donington Park Race One Pdoium (Full Results Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +6.397s
3 Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +9.449s

Tissot Superpole Race
Razgatlioglu, like in Race 1, was able to get the holeshot at the start to move into Turn 1 and, also like in Race 1, went on to lead every lap of the race, finishing ahead of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in second place. The battle for third was also reminiscent of Race 1 as Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) fighting for third place; Redding this time able to come out on top for his first BMW podium. It means the front row of the grid in Race 2 will be made up of Razgatlioglu, Rea and Redding.

Lowes made moves on Redding through the Turn 9-10 chicane, battled with him through Turn 11 and into Turn 12 before Redding responded into Turn 1. After that, he had to fight with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) for fourth place, with the Championship leader coming through at Turn 9 on the final lap for fourth; Lowes will start Race 2 from fifth. Bautista was the highest placed rider using the SCX tyre with the front three all using the SCQ, while teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi was sixth also on the SCX tyre.

Wildcard Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) retired from the race after a crash with Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) at Turn 12 on Lap 4, with Vierge able to re-join the race. The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards.

WorldSBK Donington Park Tissot Superpole Race Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK +1.089s
3 Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +3.889s

Race Two
It was an inseparable duo at the front of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field in Race 2 at Donington Park but Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) was able to hold on after consistent challenges from Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) to take his first hat-trick in WorldSBK during the Prosecco DOC UK Round.

Like in the previous two races of the Donington Park weekend, Razgatlioglu led into Turn 1 but, unlike Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race, he was unable to escape from his rivals as Rea stuck with him throughout the race usually within just a couple of tenths of a second. On Lap 3, Rea initially got past into Turn 9 but Razgatlioglu responded immediately into Turn 11 with the same happening again on Lap 6 after Razgatlioglu was a bit offline through the Foggy Esses.

At the start of Lap 14, Razgatlioglu was able to start opening up the gap to Rea after resisting 13 laps of constant pressure from the six-time Champion, with the pair often alongside each other on the run down to the Foggy Esses. The pair were able to drop Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), with the Spanish rider taking his first podium of the weekend, although Bautista was able to attack Rea in the closing stages of the race, with Bautista passing Rea on Lap 19 at Turn 11 to move into second place with Ulsterman Rea finishing in third place.

The results mean all three riders in the 2022 title fight have now taken a WorldSBK hat-trick in their career, with Razgatlioglu the latest to join the exclusive club following his three wins. Razgatlioglu has now taken 22 WorldSBK wins in his career and 66 podiums while Yamaha now sit on 99 wins. Bautista’s second place gave him his 40th WorldSBK podium while Ducati now have 999 podium placements in the Championship, with Rea moving on to 228 podiums in his career.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed fourth place at Donington Park and, for the lap after his teammate overtook Rea, looked like he would be able to challenge the six-time Champion for the podium spot but the gap stabilised at 1.2 seconds. Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) concluded a very strong weekend with fifth place, with Redding leaving his home round with a third, fourth and fifth-place finish. He was ahead of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in sixth, with Lowes and Redding seemingly inseparable throughout the three races as they often battled on track.

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) was once again the lead Independent rider, repeating his Race 1 feat, as he secured yet another top-seven finish, his tenth in the first 15 races of the season. The Italian finished ahead of compatriot Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) in eighth place, with Italian more than seven seconds clear of an incredible fight for ninth place. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) took home ninth place after a battle with four other riders for ninth place, passing Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) in the latter stages of the race.

Lecuona had to fend off a late challenge from American rider Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) with the Spanish rider coming out on top by just 0.084s; Lecuona remains the only rider to have scored top ten finishes in every race this season. Gerloff was just half-a-second clear of rookie Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) in 12th with Lecuona’s Honda teammate Xavi Vierge less than a second back from Oettl. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) completed then points-paying positions with 15th place, the wildcard fighting his way up for field after being given a five-place grid penalty for irresponsible riding following a crash with Vierge in the Superpole Race.

Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) was another who fought his way up the field as he claimed 16th place, finishing seven seconds clear of Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) in 17th place. Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was 18th after losing a couple of positions in the closing stages of the race, and the Japanese rider withstood a late charge from wildcard Peter Hickman (FHO Racing) who finished 19th. Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team), Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) and Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) rounded out the riders.

Ukrainian rider Illia Mykhalchyk (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was the first retirement of the race after he had a Lap 3 crash at Turn 7. Leon Haslam (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) retired from the race when he brought his bike into the pitlane on Lap 8 of 23. Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) was the final retirement after he came out of the race in the closing stages of the race.

Donington Park WorldSBK Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.102s
3 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.615s

Championship Standings After Donington Park (Full Standings Here)

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 246 points
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 229
3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 203

WorldSBK Heads To Donington Park This Weekend

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Razgatlioglu got a good start from second on the grid to lead into Turn 1 with Rea in second and it was a precursor of what was to come during the 21-lap race.

Back to where it all began, where on a cold Sunday in 1988, the Championship was born. The 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has arrived at Donington Park for Round 5 of the season and the Prosecco DOC UK Round. Make sure you tune in this weekend for all the action…

The historic home of WorldSBK and unequivocally home to some of the Championship’s greatest sporting moments, more emotions lie ahead this weekend.
The historic home of WorldSBK and unequivocally home to some of the Championship’s greatest sporting moments, more emotions lie ahead this weekend.

The 35th season of World Superbike action is proving to be one of the best yet and with a three-way fight for the title clear, other stars aim to have a say at a round that brings seen shocks and surprises. Could this be one of the key turning points in 2022, or will we see the usual suspects continue to knock spots off each other?

12 podiums from 12 races in 2022 and leading the Championship by 36 points, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has undertaken a more measured approach in 2022 in comparison to 2019 and it seems to be working. The Spaniard has won six races and is the only rider in the Championship to have finished on the podium in every race he’s finished.

Donington Park has been far from a happy hunting ground for Ducati in recent years; no win since 2011 and the Ducati Panigale V4 R has only had one third place.
Donington Park has been far from a happy hunting ground for Ducati in recent years; no win since 2011 and the Ducati Panigale V4 R has only had one third place.

owever, Donington Park has been far from a happy hunting ground for Ducati in recent years; no win since 2011 and the Ducati Panigale V4 R has only had one third place – courtesy of Bautista in 2019’s Race 2. No top two finish since 2016, will Bautista change all of that? Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi had a successful test at Misano during the break and will look to back-up his findings and step back on the podium, whilst Ducati chase their 1000th podium in WorldSBK; they currently have 998.

Chasing down Bautista and heading home to rule the roost, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will be keen to continue his success at Donington Park. A sole win last year and a triple in 2019, Rea’s got amazing form at Donington Park. He’s been testing for the Suzuka 8 Hour race during the gap since Misano and will hope that he can hit the ground running at a circuit at which he crashed at in 2021’s Race 2, relinquishing the Championship lead. This time, he’s chasing it from Bautista at a circuit where Rea certainly seems to have the upper hand. On the other side of the garage, Alex Lowes hopes to dazzle at home after a podium in Race 1 in 2021; Kawasaki as a manufacturer are one podium place away from 500 in WorldSBK – will they manage it?

Chasing down Bautista and heading home to rule the roost, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will be keen to continue his success at Donington Park.
Chasing down Bautista and heading home to rule the roost, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will be keen to continue his success at Donington Park.

Looking to build on a first victory from the last round at Misano, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) hopes that Donington Park lives up to be the happy hunting ground of years gone by. Along with San Juan, Donington Park is one of just two circuits where Razgatlioglu has taken a podium at least once every year he’s raced there. In 2018, he took a first rostrum whilst in 2019, he battled for victory in Race 2 with Jonathan Rea. However, the Turk’s opening lap of Race 1 in 2021 will go down as one of WorldSBK’s finest moments as he cruised to two wins and the Championship lead. Does more success await? Teammate Andrea Locatelli will aim to consolidate his top five placing with a strong ride this weekend, where he had a best of ninth in the Superpole Race.

In what has been a very strong opening four rounds of the Championship, a challenge lies ahead for Iker Lecuona (Team HRC). The Spanish rookie has never raced at Donington Park and only completed a track day at the circuit prior to the round. One of just two riders to finish every race – the other being compatriot Bautista – Lecuona is nine points from Locatelli in the battle for fourth. Honda only have one round of experience with their current bike at Donington Park, with a best of fourth with Leon Haslam in the Superpole Race last year, but they’ll hope a pre-round test at Misano can give them a boost going to the UK. Hoping to be fighting fit, Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) will have to get his head around the quirky circuit layout during the round.

In what has been a very strong opening four rounds of the Championship, a challenge lies ahead for Iker Lecuona (Team HRC). The Spanish rookie has never raced at Donington Park...
In what has been a very strong opening four rounds of the Championship, a challenge lies ahead for Iker Lecuona (Team HRC). The Spanish rookie has never raced at Donington Park…

Likewise in a track day at Donington Park in between rounds, the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and Scott Redding. One of Redding’s career highlights came at the British circuit, when in 2008, he became the then-youngest Grand Prix winner in the 125cc World Championship Grand Prix, aged just 15. Since then, wins in BSB but no podiums in WorldSBK have come at the circuit, with a best of fourth in Race 2 last year. Illia Mykhalchyk (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) will once again be present in the place of double Donington Park winner Michael van der Mark who is still recovering from injury; he’s scored points in WorldSSP and STK1000 at Donington Park before.

The Independent battle is led by Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), who returns to Donington Park, historically a tricky circuit for him, despite being top Ducati in Race 1 last year. Eighth overall and just seven points behind Alex Lowes, he’s 23 ahead of Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), who aims to return to the top six at a track he knows well, having fought for victory in 2014. 11 points further back of Baz is Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), who returns to the circuit at which he got his last podium at 12 months ago, when he was second in Race 2. Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) will race at Donington Park for the first time, whilst Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) has a podium to his name at the track; both complete the top five in the Independent standings.

The action at Donnington Park gets underway on Friday. Make sure you tune in so you don't miss any action!
The action at Donington Park gets underway on Friday. Make sure you tune in so you don’t miss any action!

Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) is next up in 15th place overall, with the Italian just marginally ahead of Sammarinese rider Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team), who’s made steps of late. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) will hope to be passed fit after being ruled out of Misano, whilst Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) makes a debut at the track as he missed out through injury in 2021.

Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha), like Mahias, hopes to be fit after being ruled out in Italy, whilst the target for MIE Racing Honda Team duo Leandro Mercado and Hafizh Syahrin is points. Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) is another rider hoping to be passed fit, whilst home-hero Leon Haslam returns with the TPR Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki outfit. Two wildcards to keep an eye on: long-awaited debut of Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) and return of Peter Hickman (FHO Racing) on a BMW M1000RR.

Mladin Innocent, Makes Statement Saying He Was The Victim Of DV

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Mat Mladin has made further statements after being acquitted of the charges against him. The seven-time AMA Pro Superbike Champion says he was the victim of domestic violence by his ex-partner. You can read the complete statement he made to his Facebook page below.  

Mat Mladin has made further statements after being acquitted of the charges against him.
Mat Mladin has made further statements after being acquitted of the charges against him.
“For anyone who is a victim of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE”
I am “MAT MLADIN”. Surely I could not be the victim of DV, especially how all of you know me as the racer.
But away from the track I’m known as “Doof” by the two most important people in my life, Em and Jess, my two beautiful daughters. Yes 18 and 15 and they still call me Doof, the name my eldest gave me when she was just 2.
“He says it as he sees it”, “brutally honest”, “hard man”, “a machine”, “boring”, “prick”, “asshole”, and the list goes on. These are the things I was known as by the people that didn’t approve of how I went about things and probably by most of my competitors when racing in the USA. When you do a bit of winning you could be Harry Potter and they will call you these things. But truth be truths, on occasion I was all of the above. What you don’t know is that my life away from the track was very different. I didn’t believe I had to be defensive like I was at the track. I trusted people, I rarely hid anything from anyone. As one of the three witnesses in my case said, “too honest for his own good”. People that knew me well would say “he is so different at home compared to the track”. I could go on, but suffice to say I really screwed up my personal life after racing had finished. I should have treated my personal life like my professional life and I know now, I would have been much much happier if I did. I have screwed up some things and hurt some people and for this I can only improve and not allow things like this to happen again.
The seven-time AMA Pro Superbike Champion says he was the victim of domestic violence by his ex-partner.
Because of the lies that landed me in this crap, the past two years of my life have been spent doing the best I could to prepare my now 18 year old uni student daughter and my 15 year old homeschooled daughter who is on the autistic spectrum, to prepare them for some years without their father and the possibility of having their mother depart their life at some point (a little on this later). Some would say that if I knew I was innocent, why would I worry about doing this? Anyone on this FB page knows most of my success on two wheels, from my first Australian dirt track championship win in 1981 through to my last and seventh American Superbike championship win 28 years later in 2009. To be able to have such success, one thing you have to learn first and foremost is to prepare for the worst because I can tell you from much experience that when you win as many motorcycle races as I have, a lot of the time you do so with some sort of problem (mechanical, sickness etc) that can mostly be overcome by being organised and prepared. So I started preparing my girls the best way I knew in March of 2020. That’s over 2 years of not knowing what my future held and worried sick about my daughters and their mum. It was the heaviest burden to carry.
My message to you: do not wait to go to the police because you think the DV you are suffering from will get better, it will not. If you are told “I love you, I’m sorry and I won’t do it again”, do not believe it – it will never get better.
My abuser would sneak up to my property with no worries about others seeing or hearing as the property was in the middle of nowhere. As per usual the tears and the sorry’s and the I love yous were the first thing, and when you didn’t accept these things once again and you verbally abuse them because that’s all you have, then that way of them trying to get back in is quickly replaced with yelling abuse and calling you everything under the sun and last but not least as they are walking away telling you to stop abusing them. Yes they change that quickly when they are not getting what they believe they deserve. They use every tool they have to make you feel like you are the abuser and they are the victim. My closest friends and my family have no idea at the depth of abuse I was subject to. Some have witnessed it, but for the most part I denied it was that bad. If video footage and CCTV from my security systems wasn’t available, few would believe it.
Throughout the past years, even though the relationship was on again off again, but by far mostly off, I endured constant stalking, mental and emotional abuse and physical violence, break and enter to my homes (whilst I was there and not) and the list goes on. I was dining with another woman in my local town, I was confronted, verbally abused, as was my date and chased out of the restaurant. I have been physically abused on the street and hoped that no one would see it, only to be asked later by a business owner across the road, who I’d known for 30 years, was I okay and if I wanted him to call the police. No I said, thinking it will “get better” and not wanting the abuser to get charged and so on.
In 2018, I had the chance to work directly with a young man and get back involved in road racing, which for a few reasons I was excited about. I got to go to the track again and get my hands dirty in a different role, this time as a mechanic. I had big shoes to fill. If you ever saw my boys work on my bikes you would understand.
I enjoyed giving back to the sport that has afforded myself, my daughter’s and their mum a very comfortable life. After all the abuse, I thought this will get me back on track and to be able to get away from my abuser. How wrong I was. When they see you slipping away, the abuse, the stalking, the complete invasion of privacy gets far far worse. Then you find yourself being told you are this and that, words I won’t use here because I’m sure some kids are reading, then you start feeling it’s your fault and that you are making this person abuse you and it’s exactly what you are being told by them.
Being charged with what I was, thrown in jail and then living the past two and a half years in silence waiting for my turn to speak, was very hard. But as I did in my racing days, I have and am taking all the positive things that have and are coming out of this tumultuous time in my life and have become smarter and better from the experience. We could hold onto the negatives and allow these perpetrators of DV to win and allow them to still control our lives indirectly but I won’t, never. I thank my abuser for the experience I have gained at the hands of her abuse. Mine and my daughter’s lives will be that much richer because of it.
I talk openly, actively and honestly with Em and Jess, about DV, among other things (unfortunately Em witnessed a lot of it). But I won’t let this very negative part of my life go forgotten without drawing on the positives. I did this in my professional life so I sure as heck won’t miss this opportunity this time in my private life.
When your life and privacy are constantly under threat of violence in one manner or another, you quickly turn inward and for me, being financially set and not having to go to work and also my daughters being with their mum fifty percent of the time, I had plenty of spare time and I started to drink alcohol, far too much at times and my cocaine use was out of control at times also. Other than a celebratory drink after winning a championship or a Daytona podium swig of the champers for example I never became a drinker until the abuse entered my life in my early 40’s. Even after the rough years of retiring from the sport I loved, I never touched a drink for three years after retirement. The first time I used drugs was not long after the first time I was physically abused as an adult when I was 43 years old. The drugs started for the first time not long after my abuser stormed into my house (on a property in a national park with just one private road in and my nearest neighbour 2kms away) when I had returned from a round of the Australian Superbike championships in 2015, with a woman I was seeing. We got home at midnight from the Queensland road trip. Half an hour after we were settling in for the night, my abuser bust through the door into my house and verbally abused my friend and this was the first time I was physically abused. The drugs allowed me to escape the abuse. These years could have all been a non event if I just took care of myself and not worried so much about others.
DO NOT BELIEVE YOUR ABUSER NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY OR HOW MUCH THEY APOLOGIZE. IF IT HAPPENS ONCE, IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN AND OVER TIME IT WILL GET WORSE!
One last thing, I wanted to clear something up as the lovely person who looks after this FB page has told me that some people may be a little confused and may be thinking that all of this is about by my X wife. It is not. Absolutely couldn’t be further from the truth. We were trogehter for nearly twenty years. My X wife and I are still good friends. We share our girls 50/50 and have done from the first day of our separation. There are no court orders in place to make sure we stick to this verbal agreement because we never needed that. We have both done everything we can to soften the landing as much as we can for our girls in what was a very hard time. We have remained very cordial for the past 10 years since our separation. The girl’s mum is going through her own very tough time battling brain cancer. The past twelve months have been very hard for her and of course us and her mum, dad and siblings and her close friends.
She was the first person to put her hand up for me to come to trial as a character witness but her health just didn’t afford that. She was the third person to give me a tight squeeze (after our daughters) after all this stuff got sorted. I continue to support her through her fight and would do anything for her. She is the best mum and a loving, caring and compassionate person. And if I need an ear she was always there until the day her communication became a bit hard for her. She is the woman that gave me my beautiful daughters and until I take my last breath I will be there to support her.
Thank you,
Mat

Bagnaia Crashes Car Then Blows Over The Limit

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PB
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Francesco Bagnaia and Ducati set to continue together in the 2023 and 2024 MotoGP seasons

Ducati Lenovo Team MotoGP rider, Francesco Bagnaia, has come out and publicly apologised to his fans after a crash his car while allegedly intoxicated in Ibiza. Pecco left the club where he had been drinking with friends and attempted to drive home before putting his car into a ditch. 

Ducati Lenovo MotoGP team rider, Francesco Bagnaia, ends up crashing car into a ditch after a night of partying.
Ducati Lenovo MotoGP team rider, Francesco Bagnaia, ends up crashing car into a ditch after a night of partying.

After the single car accident, a local newspaper (Periodico de Ibiza y Formentera) posted on their twitter claiming that Bagnaia blew a whopping three times over the limit of 0.25mg/L at 0.87mg/L with a photo of the car in a fence.

Bagnaia, who claims he is “practically a non drinker” took to Instagram to make the following statement: “Last night I was in Ibiza with my friends for a party during this break from MotoGP. We celebrated and toasted together for my victory at the Dutch GP. As I was leaving the disco at 3am, I was facing a roundabout when I ended up with the front wheels in a ditch without involving other vehicles or people.”

“However, the alcohol test carried out by the police found that the blood alcohol level was higher than what is allowed by Spanish law. I am sorry for what happened; I am practically a non drinker, and it was serious carelessness that should not have happened. I apologize to everyone, and I can assure you that I have learned my lesson. Never get behind the wheel drinking alcohol. Thank you.”

Owning up to his mistake straight away on social media saw a mixture of replies, with some scolding the rider for driving and others offering support, applauding the rider for not beating around the bush.

Might be time for Pecco to give dry July a go before the next round of MotoGP.
Might be time for Pecco to give dry July a go before the next round of MotoGP…

MotoGP returns in August for the British GP. We will see how this incident has affected the championship contender in terms of headspace, will he be back on the podium? When he’s there, will he drink the champagne? We will have to wait and see.

One thing is for sure, don’t drink and drive. Especially when you’re a MotoGP star and are not short of a buck or two, is it really worth saving $30 on an Uber? I bet Peccco doesn’t think so, considering he’ll be catching the bus for the next few months…

Racer Test: Troy Corser’s WorldSBK BMW S 1000 RR

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PB
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Over a decade ago I headed to Portimao to ride the WorldSBK machines. The BMW was of particular interest, as I had ridden the first model at the same circuit and some domestic BMW superbikes here in OZ. It turned out to be Troy’s final World Superbike.

The BMW Motorrad Motorsport S 1000 RR was heavily modified for the 2011 season, their third in WorldSBK.
The BMW Motorrad Motorsport S 1000 RR was heavily modified for the 2011 season, their third in WorldSBK.

Check out our other racer tests here…

The 2011 season marked an exciting time for BMW Motorrad Motorsport WSBK team. After an encouraging debut season in 2009, where the team achieved 17 top 10 finishes, followed by a first pole position and podium in 2010, 2011 was going to be the year that the team could concentrate on racing for more podiums and perhaps an ambitious win…

Jeff was fortunate enough to sample all of these back in 2011 when he was a WorldSBK TV commentator on Speed TV for a few years. He also rode the top Supersport machines...
Jeff was fortunate enough to sample all of these back in 2011 when he was a WorldSBK TV commentator on Speed TV for a few years. He also rode the top Supersport machines…

Rainer Baumel, previously technical director, moved into the role of Head Of Race Operations, while Stephan Fischer became Head Of Development and logistics, personnel, finance and responsibility for the race factory was placed in the hands of alpha Racing Manager Josef Hofmann.

The weight distribution was optimised with the seating position of the rider shifted back to increase weight over the rear.
The weight distribution was optimised with the seating position of the rider shifted back to increase weight over the rear.

There were extensive changes to the machine for 2011. The engine specifications were dramatically altered to give more mid-range power, evident by the use of a new shorter exhaust pipe. But maximum power was increased to 220RWHP. The year began with specification engine number nine and spec 10 was introduced mid season. The goal was to increase top end without losing mid range. This was achieved and saw a 5hp increase.

However, maximum power is not the only criterion in WSBK, with throttle response being equally important. The BMW S 1000 RR throttle-bodies are controlled by a ride-by-wire system that was continually developed throughout the season. It is controlled by an RSM5 management system, developed in-house by BMW Motorrad Motorsport.

The throttle-bodies are controlled by a ride-by-wire system that was continually developed throughout the season.
The throttle-bodies are controlled by a ride-by-wire system that was continually developed throughout the season.

Chassis-wise, there was also a lot changed for 2011. The weight distribution of the bike was optimised with the seating position of the rider shifted back to increase weight over the rear of the bike. The fuel tank was also new, as was the rear sub-frame and new Ohlins TRSP25 forks were used. Also, interestingly, a cast rear swingarm replaced the previous fabricated swingarm. Lastly, new livery was added to the carbon-fibre fairings to make bike look more like the limited edition blue and white road version. Nice touch…

THE RIDE
By the time I rode the BMW of hero Troy Corser, I’d already sampled the Althea Ducati, Yamaha, Alitalia Aprilia and a few 600s. So I was well and truly back in the groove on the track and the nerves had settled. As much as they can when riding a World Superbike!

Jeff said he found the S 1000 RR electronics to be super intrusive, perhaps dialled up for journo pace.
Jeff said he found the S 1000 RR electronics to be super intrusive, perhaps dialled up for journo pace.

The BMW Motorrad Motorsport pit set up was the most professional of the lot. It was incredibly clean and the team were really friendly. Fellow Speed TV WSBK face Steve Martin was hanging around so I had a chat with Steve about the bike he played such a big role in developing. Troy Corser popped in to the pit garage however I was not able to get a chance to chat to the two-time WSBK champ sadly.

Looking over the bike, the attention to detail is incredible. From the stunning Akropovic shorty four-into-one to the amazing and huge handmade radiator, the bike is incredibly perfect to the eye. Not a mark or a scratch and nothing looks like its worth anything under a million bucks.

I’d overheard a few fellow journalists complaining that the electronics on the bike were too intrusive, perhaps set too conservatively for some of us, so as the team fired up the bike I was a little concerned the ride might be less than the real deal – so far on the day every other team had left the bikes as raced, and showed us the data to prove that – and the settings they used.

The bike was fired up and I jumped on. The first thing that blew me away was just how tiny the machine is and how compact Troy must be! He’s no Marco Melandri midget but I was more cramped on Troy’s bike than on Marco’s, Checa’s, Rea’s or Biaggi’s machines.

The team at BMW somehow made the S1000RR feel like a 250... Just goes to show how specially catered these are to keep the riders comfortable.
The team at BMW somehow made the S1000RR feel like a 250… Just goes to show how specially catered these are to keep the riders comfortable.

The ‘bars are very traditionally positioned – wide, pulled back with an angle downwards. The levers are tiny and only for two-fingers. And the footpegs very, very narrow. The seating position feels way back over the rear wheel and despite the ride height in the bike; it feels rear biased and low. Overall, tiny. I felt like I was on a 250!

The engine idled over at a fast pace as I clicked up into first gear and headed off down pit lane with a fist full of revs to get moving in the tall first gear. The pit lane limiter kept me at 40km/h then automatically switched off as I exited onto the end of Portimao’s fast chute.

The BMW throttle could be opened very early and the top-end hit was absolutely incredible.
The BMW throttle could be opened very early and the top-end hit was absolutely incredible.

I was lucky again as I had new tyres. So I put my head down and started to push from turn three onwards. The peaky nature of the bike was immediately noticeable and it did not have the punch and throttle response off the turns that the other fours enjoy and nowhere near the Ducati. However, the throttle could be opened really early without torque tying the bike in knots – and the top-end acceleration was incredible. Much more than the Castrol Honda or the Yamaha and similar in feeling to the Alitalia Aprilia.

It was about now that I got into a rhythm and the electronics started to spoil my fun. At anything but close to upright the bike would cut ignition and fuel and splutter off the turns slower than a 600 supersport bike. In fact, the bike felt slower than the street bike in some instances. Off any of the first or second gear corners, right on apex when I started to pickup the throttle and feed some power in, the traction control would cut in and sometimes it almost caused me to crash when the bike did not react to the throttle and pick itself up to drive off the corner. To adapt I had to basically park it turn, stand it up and fire it off the corners. It was a shame as most of us there were experienced racers and should have been given the opportunity to ride the bikes as raced.

"It was about now that I got into a rhythm and the electronics started to spoil my fun."
“It was about now that I got into a rhythm and the electronics started to spoil my fun.”

The only other theory s that Troy is carrying more speed and higher rpm at that lean angle and the TC is set to be less intrusive there – so I was not riding in the same rpm range as him, therefore the TC was misbehaving. However, after speaking with the other test riders, the experience was a common one apart from for the really slow guys that were not opening the throttle hard enough.

The handling of the bike was different to the other four-cylinder machines. Firstly, Troy has the set-up very stiff compared to all of the other superbikes. And as mentioned, you really feel like you are riding the rear wheel everywhere – whereas looking at the bike in 2009 and 2010 it looked very forward biased and Troy was a weapon at running it into corners blindingly fast.

"Initial turn-in on the bike is brilliant. The steering light and agile and I could get the turning process done more quickly than I could on the other fours."
“Initial turn-in on the bike is brilliant. The steering light and agile and I could get the turning process done more quickly than I could on the other fours.”

With the narrow footpegs and tiny levers, I felt like I was slipping off the bike and I could not get the hang of the thumb rear brake – but I did make a point of trying it. I reckon once you got used to the mental mechanical action it would be brilliant.

Initial turn-in on the bike is brilliant. The steering light and agile and I could get the turning process done more quickly than I could on the other fours. There is a mix of braking turns and non braking turns at Portimao and the bike was great in both situations, turning with accuracy and speed and not much effort. However, I found that I had to put quite a lot of effort into keeping the BMW on its side through a turn, really using my outside knee to hold the bike down. On picking up the throttle for exit, the bike would snap and try to stand up. So running a long, accelerating line off a corner was difficult. It was a shame, as the lack of torque made the bike easiest to open the throttle early on and the chassis should not get upset so much without torque there to tie it in knots…

I think it was a combination of me not fitting in the seating position and having my 90kg at the time weight over the rear wheel, plus the aggressive nature of the engine in the higher rpm in some situations, that caused the reaction in the faster corners. In the slow corners I can’t explain it…

On the brakes the bike was extremely stable and the slipper clutch and back-shift system was brilliant. But with the thumb rear brake and stubby levers on the handlebars, the experience was different and would take some getting used to.

"I left thinking that the ASBK winning S 1000 RR of Glenn Allerton is a better handling package and I wonder how Troy would go on that if it had another 20hp."
“I left thinking that the ASBK winning S 1000 RR of Glenn Allerton is a better handling package and I wonder how Troy would go on that if it had another 20hp.”

Acceleration down the front chute was definitely a thrill on the 220hp S 1000 RR as the electronics battled to keep the front wheel on the ground coming over the crest at 200-odd km/h before accelerating to close to 300 before the braking area. And experiencing how the electronics work was great, although it would have been more interesting if it was raining for example.

Overall I really enjoyed the ride but left thinking that the ASBK winning S 1000 RR of Glenn Allerton is a better handling package and I wonder how Troy would go on that if it had another 20hp…

BMW Motorrad Motorsport 2011 Season
Team Partner: alpha Racing
BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: Bernhard Gobmeier
Head of Race Operations: Rainer Bäumel
Head of Development: Stephan Fischer
Managing Director Stephanskirchen: Josef Hofmann
Riders: Troy Corser, Leon Haslam
Crew Chief Troy Corser: Tom Larsen
Crew Chief Leon Haslam: Giacomo Guidotti

TROY CORSER – active WSBK 1992 – 2011.
Date of birth: 27th November 1971 in Wollongong
Place of residence: Monte Carlo
Nationality: Australian
Marital status: Married to Sam, two children: Kalani and Kelisa
Height: 1.70m
Weight: 68kg
Hobbies: Golf, wakeboarding, karting, jet ski, motocross
Passion: Racing
Favourite circuits: Phillip Island, Valencia, Portimão
First bike: Yamaha TY80, Honda CR80
First race: 1989 Australian Production Series 250cc
Career highlights: 1996 Superbike World Champion, 2005 Superbike World Champion
World Superbike record: 377 race starts, 130 podiums
33 wins, 47 seconds and 50 third places, 43 pole positions, 45 fastest laps

Troy Corser’s WorldSBK BMW S 1000 RR Specifications

Power: Over 220hp
Wet weight: 162kg
Fuel capacity: 23L

Engine: Liquid-cooled, inline four-cylinder, DOHC, 16-valve, four-stroke, Bore and stroke 80 x 49.7mm, 999cc, compression ratio: 14:1, fuel delivery: Dell’Orto fuel management system with 48mm throttle-bodies, gearbox: Six-speed cassette-style, clutch: wet multi-plate slipper clutch

Frame type: Twin-spar alloy frame with adjustable geometry
Wheelbase: Adjustable
Rake: Adjustable
Trail: Adjustable
Front suspension: Ohlins forks
Rear suspension: Ohlins TTX shock
Front brakes: Dual 320mm Brembo rotors with Brembo four-piston radial-mount monoblock calipers and radial-pull master-cylinder
Rear brake: Brembo
Front wheel: OZ Racing
Rear wheel: OZ Racing
Front tyre: Pirelli Slick, 120/70 – 16.5
Rear tyre: Pirelli Slick, 190/50 – 16.5 or 200/55 – 16.5
Instruments: BMW Racing

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