WORLD SUPERBIKE ARRIVES IN EUROPE FOR THE SPANISH ROUND AT MOTORLAND DE ARAGON.

FOUR TIMES ON THE PODIUM IN THE FIRST TWO ROUNDS, APRILIA RIDER LEON HASLAM IS IN THE MIX FOR THE TOP SPOT. JORDI TORRES IS KEEN TO CONTINUE IMPROVING WITH THE APRILIA RSV4 RF IN HIS HOME ROUND.

THE APRILIA RSV4 RF BIKES MANAGED BY THE NUOVA M2 RACING TEAM ALSO BEGIN THEIR SEASON WITH ITALIAN RIDERS SAVADORI AND CALIA IN THE SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP.

Alcaniz (Spain) – After the first two rounds in Australia and Thailand, World Superbike arrives in Europe for the Spanish weekend at Motorland de Aragon. Team Aprilia Racing – Red Devils turns up at the first continental round after collecting a win and three second place finishes with Leon Haslam in the first four races. The English rider, now lying second in the overall standings, proved from his first few yards on the tarmac that he is in perfect harmony with the Aprilia RSV4, the bar setting bike in recent SBK seasons with 7 world titles won since 2010.

On the fast and spectacular Spanish track the duo will once again be making a play for the top spots, but they’ll have to reckon with some particularly fierce competition. In fact, based on performance thus far in the championship, the competitive level of the 2015 WSBK season is decidedly high.

Leon Haslam: “It has been a rather long break and now I can’t wait to get back onto the track. Aragon is a circuit where I have personally struggled in the past, but at the same time the Aprilia has always been fast here and this year we’ll be using the GP track which seems to be better. So I hope I can improve on my personal statistics!”

After just missing the podium in the Thai races, Jordi Torres wants to take advantage of his “home” round to continue improving. As a rookie in World Superbike the Spaniard took the first two rounds to familiarise himself with a bike that is brand new for him, in any case bringing home encouraging results and showing consistent progress. The Motorland de Aragon track, one that Jordi knows well, could be the ideal place to ride his RSV4 RF to a podium finish.

Jordi Torres: “I’m happy to be racing my first European round at home, in front of my Spanish fans. I know the Aragon circuit well, but I’ll have to be clever enough to figure out how a Superbike should be ridden at Motorland, adapting my points of reference quickly. This is a very important round because the characteristics of the track may let me take another step forward in terms of riding style. There are some tight turns, other wider ones and direction changes, plus the track is long and very complex. I think that working well on this track will be an advantage for the rest of the season. We have already made good progress, but this weekend will be a sort of final exam for me and my riding style.”

APRILIA RSV4 RF BIKES IN SUPERSTOCK 1000 WITH SAVADORI AND CALIA

The first European round also marks the beginning of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup which includes the Aprilia RSV4 RFs managed by Team Nuova M2 this year, ridden by Lorenzo Savadori and Kevin Calia, a perfect duo of Italian riders on Italian bikes. This means that Aprilia Racing has expanded its efforts in the factory derivative bike category, highly valuable activity for the impact it has on super sport bike production, a field where the RSV4 has proven to be a global reference point since it appeared on the market, not only with the wins taken on the WSBK track (seven championship titles in five seasons), but also with the superiority demonstrated in factory bike comparisons made by specialised magazines all over the world.

Lorenzo and Kevin distinguished themselves in 2014 by achieving important results in their respective championships, Savadori in second place and Calia in third place respectively in the Superstock 1000 FIM CUP and the CIV Superbike championship and they are approaching the 2015 season with decidedly ambitious goals.

Lorenzo Savadori: “We are finally about to start. I couldn’t wait! We are ready and anxious to compete with some top notch rivals. This winter we did an excellent job during the tests working a lot on getting to know this RSV4 thoroughly, which for me is completely new, and also doing some careful fine tuning. We reached a good compromise for riding fast, but at the same time there is still a lot of room for improvement. We’ll come to Aragon strong and determined to start the season in the best possible way. I want to thank the entire team and Aprilia who, along with my sponsors and the support of my family, allow me to compete at such a high level.”

Kevin Calia: “We began working hard over the winter with the new RSV4 RF and you can really feel the changes, especially in terms of the engine, compared to the RSV4 that I used last year. We were able to find a good balance in the bike setup and I’m sure that already at Aragon we’ll be competitive straight away, with plenty of room for improvement throughout the season. I’m confident and pleased about taking on this new adventure with Nuova M2 Racing team which has by now become like a family to me. I would like to sincerely thank everyone who helps me, my friends who always follow me and support me, but in particular I would like to thank Aprilia Racing and Nuova M2 Racing who have given me the chance to be part of this ambitious project.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team set to start the race weekend at Motorland Aragón

Alcaniz (Spain) – The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team concludes a two-day test at Misano and travels directly to Spain for Round 3 of the 2015 Superbike World Championship.

The factory team is ready for the third round of the World Superbikes, and the first European round, taking place this coming weekend at the Spanish track of Motorland Aragón. At Round 3 (and also Round 4), factory rider Chaz Davies will be joined in the garage by Spanish rider Xavier Forés, substituting for the injured Davide Giugliano.

The team has today concluded two days of development tests at the Misano World Circuit in Italy, the last test before the ‘test ban’ that comes into effect as of the first European round. Favourable weather conditions allowed Chaz Davies, substitute rider Xavi Forés and test rider Luca Scassa to complete a great deal of work over the course of the tests, providing the team with a lot of useful data ahead of the next races.

Having concluded testing, the team immediately turns its attentions to round 3. This is the fifth consecutive year that the Motorland Aragón circuit, inaugurated in 2009, will host the Superbikes. In recent years, Davies has obtained some excellent results at the Spanish track, doing the double in 2013 and also stepping up to the podium in 2012. The last time that Forés raced at Aragón was in 2013, when he crossed the line second in the CEV championship. Davies and Forés are ready to take to the track on Friday morning for the first practice session of this third 2015 championship round.

Comments ahead of the event:

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7)

“These two days of testing have been very useful in order to better understand and work on a couple of issues that we had at Chang. And it’s always useful to lap before a race weekend in order to get back into the rhythm. I’m confident ahead of Aragón, as it’s a track I really enjoy and where I’ve scored some good results in the past.”

Xavier Forés (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #12)

“I’m pleased to have had the chance to ride for two days at Misano prior to the race. I immediately felt comfortable with the bike, and we’ve carried out some set-up tests which have given me a further confidence boost. I can’t wait to get this Aragón weekend started and I trust that I’ll be able to do a good job.”

More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing:

Althea Racing Round 3 Aragon Preview

World Superbikes return to Europe for the third round of the season after Australia and Thailand, taking place in Spain, at the Motorland Aragon circuit, on 10 April.

Team Althea Racing, after a very positive Asian event, will attend the first European round in its full configuration, with Superbike riders Nico Terol and Matteo Baiocco, but also the riders who will take part in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, Raffaele De Rosa, and Luca Salvadori.

Strong from its fourth place standing in the team classification and the results obtained in the first races of the series for production-derived machines, Genesio Bevilacqua’s Italian team is ready to fight at the Spanish track. Matteo Baiocco and Nico Terol, who have not stopped training since the Thai round, will face this weekend with greater motivation and with the intention of fighting for the positions that count.

Nico is ready to race at home, in front of his fans who will undoubtedly show their support at a track that the Spaniard really enjoys and at which he has already won in the past, in both 125 GP and Moto 2. His feeling with a heavier bike, in a championship that is new to him, continues to improve and Nico will surely be looking to make all of his experience and talent count.

Matteo, who was the first Ducati rider across the line in both of the races at the Chang International Circuit, and stimulated from having led champions of the calibre of Troy Bayliss, is determined to continue along the growth path seen between Phillip Island and now. After his significant performance at Buriram, the Italian champion is quickly making up for the fact he hadn’t been in such a high-level championship for some time.

Having already won the Superstock 1000 title, in 2011 with Davide Giugliano on board the Ducati 1198, Team Althea makes a return to one of Team Owner Genesio Bevilacqua’s favourite categories. This year the Stock 1000 appears to be more competitive than ever, with some key names ready to relaunch the category.

Team Althea renews its faith in this championship and in its riders chances of showing their worth, and will line up with the Ducati Panigale R 2015, a product in which it strongly believes. Luca Salvadori and Raffaele De Rosa will be on the starting line, two young riders in which the team has great faith ahead of the coming season.

Raffaele De Rosa, though young, is strong from his experience in international series such as the 125, 250 and Moto 2 championships. In the past he has battled with champions such as Marquez, Iannone and Simoncelli and has been closely followed by Genesio Bevilacqua who believes in his potential and provides him with a team structure that will provide him with the best possible materials.

Luca Salvadori, after competing in the 2014 Superstock 600 championship, finishing eighth overall, as well as winning the National Trophy in the 600 class, is ready for this step up in category, which will allow him to grow and where he will strive to improve race after race. Luca has some solid experience and this is his first real chance with an important team such as Althea Racing.

Motorland de Aragon is located close to Alcañiz in the Aragon area of Spain. It is 5.344 km in length and was designed by the famous German architect Hermann Tilke in collaboration with McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa, a sporting consultant on the project. Since 2011 the track has hosted the Spanish round of the Superbike World Championship, with the first edition taking place on 19 June 2011.

The closest airports to the city of Alcañiz are those of Saragozza and Barcelona, rounds 2 hours drive from the Spanish town. Temperatures are expected to reach 18°C but, in this almost desert-like environment, weather conditions can change quickly.

More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:

Pirelli back to Aragón with over 4600 tires for the first European round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship

The Spanish round marks the season debut for the Superstock classes and European Junior Cup. Superstock 1000 sees a move to the softer SC1 rear DIABLO™ Supercorsa tire from the SC2 compound

The day after the races, the circuit will host the second round of the Pirelli SBK® Track Days initiative, with track sessions organized by the tire company for riders who love the brand of the elongated P logo

Alcañiz (Spain), April 8, 2015 – Pirelli is back on stage in Spain this weekend for the first European round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship which will take place this year at Motorland Aragón from 10 to 12 of April.

The Iberian circuit will host not only races but also, on the Monday following the weekend’s races, the second event of the Pirelli SBK®Track Days initiative, after the first which took place in Thailand on the new circuit of Buriram. The Pirelli SBK® Track Days are days of track sessions organized by the tire company on some of the best circuits of the World Superbike calendar and which are dedicated to all bikers who love the Pirelli brand.

Being the first European round, Motorland Aragón will see the season debut of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup and Superstock 600 UEM European Championship, as well as the European Junior Cup.

Unlike past years, the news this year is that in Superstock 1000, in agreement with Dorna, teams and riders, Pirelli has decided to change the rear tire from the DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC2 compound to the softer and higher performing SC1 that will surely help to make the races of this class even more exciting.

DIABLO™ Supercorsa tires are used in all classes except Superbike where slick DIABLO™ Superbike tires are used. In the Supersport class 120/70-17 front and 180/60-17 rear with different compound solutions to which Pirelli can add development solutions over the year. In Superstock 1000 120/70-17 front in the confirmed SC2 compound while the 200/55-17 rear this year will be the SC1 compound. For the Superstock 600class as in the past the tires will be available to riders in 120/70-17 SC1 front compound and 180/60-17 in SC2 rear compound. Finally, theEuropean Junior Cup which this year will race with Honda CBR500R shod with DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC1 front and SC2 rear.

MotorLand Aragón VS tires: abrasive asphalt and possibility of low temperatures

La Ciudad del Motor de Aragón, better known as Motorland Aragón, is a race track located in Alcaniz, within the Spanish autonomous community of Aragón. The circuit is 5344 meters long but in the configuration used by the Superbike World Championship has a length of 5077 meters. The track was designed by the well-known German architect Hermann Tilke and opened in 2009; from 2011 it has hosted the World Superbike Championship.

This circuit is characterized by the high level of abrasiveness of the asphalt affecting the rear tires. The surface has a very marked roughness which is joined by cooler temperatures, typical of April. Moreover, the possible presence of residual sand carried by the wind accentuates this abrasiveness. The sand that is deposited on the road surface prevents the optimal contact between the tire tread and asphalt and so cause loss of grip and making it difficult to hold a line.

It is therefore not uncommon to see heavy wear and cold tearing on the rear tires during the first sessions of the weekend and during warm-up.

The rear solutions chosen by Pirelli for this track are designed to find the right balance between stability and rigidity of the compounds and the grip they can utilize when warm.

The choice of the front tires, the aggressiveness of the asphalt which has only a partial impact on their wear, must take into account two key aspects. The first is the heavy braking section on the straight opposite the pit lane that cause high stresses on the front. Both require a large amount of support from the front in order to prevent vibration and movement going into the turns. The second aspect to be considered is, on the other hand, the fast corners and multiple changes of direction, where excellent precision and grip on the surface are required. To reduce times, you need good front end grip, which is why two soft SC1 solutions which provide better traction were brought.

Pirelli’s solutions for Superbike and Supersport classes:

The company will bring Aragón a total of 4644 tires to cover the needs of the four classes that are part of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship and European Junior Cup. The minor categories of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup and Superstock 600 UEM European Championship will have, as throughout the championship, DIABLO™ Supercorsa tires only in standard solutions. Specifically in the 600 class riders are using the SC1 front and the SC2 rear compounds, while the riders of the 1000 class will use the SC2 front compound and for the first time the SC1 at the rear.

Each Superbike rider will have 34 front and 37 rear tires, for Supersport the amount will be 22 front and 25 rear.

For Superbike Pirelli proposes three dry solutions for the front and 3 for the rear in addition as always to the rear qualifier tire that riders can use in the two sessions of Superpole on Saturday and to the intermediate solutions, available in the amount of 3 for the front and the same for the rear, and in rain solutions, quantities of 8 front and 8 rears. At this track there will also be a new development rear tire for wet, the T1161 solution, which should offer greater stability in a straight line and while braking.

At the front, choices of slicks are the standard SC1 and SC2, in addition to which there is a development SC1, the S1699, which debuted successfully at Aragón in 2014. This offers more support in the approach to the corner in favor of better steering precision. The latter was the most popular solution for the front in 2014 and this year has also been taken to Australia and Thailand.

At the rear three solutions are provided, the standard SC0 and SC1 will be complemented by a new development solution, the T1392, which differs from the standard SC1 a different construction that guarantees a more homogeneous and constant behavior for the entire duration of the race.

In WSS there is available to the riders for the front end, two solutions in medium-soft compound, the standard SC1 and the development SC1 S1485, which made its debut in Misano in 2014, which was also taken to Portimão and Magny-Cours. Usually it provides greater support in the approach to the curves in favor of better steering precision and this year has been brought only to Australia.

At the rear, riders can choose between the standard SC0 and SC1 or opt for the new soft solution T0957, which differs from the standard SC0 for with a different construction again guaranteeing a more homogeneous and constant behavior throughout the entire duration of the race.

The 2014 Pirelli statistics for MotorLand Aragón:

• Total number of tires Pirelli brought: 4755

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class:5 front and 7 rear

• Number of tires available for each Superbike rider: 35 front and 40 rear

• Number of solutions for the Supersport class (dry, intermediate and wet): 4 front and 5 rear

• Number of tires available for each Supersport rider: 23 front and 29 rear

• Superbike Best Lap Awards won by: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’57.664 (Race 1, 2nd lap) and Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team),1’57.982 (Race 2, 2nd lap)

• Supersport Best Lap Awards won by: Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta RC-Yakhnich Motorsport), 2’01.708 (9th lap)

• Temperature in Race 1: air 16° C, asphalt 16° C

• Temperature in Race 2: air 19° C, asphalt 32° C

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tires:328.3 km/h, Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) in Race 1 at 11th lap.

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC tires in Supersport race: 285 km/h, Jules Cluzel (MV AGUSTA RC-Yakhnich Motorsport) at 1st, 6th and 7th laps.

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Europe:

Yamaha To Start Hunt for Glory in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup

After two action-packed rounds in Australia and Thailand, the eni FIM Superbike World Championship paddock heads to European grounds. The third round, to take place at MotorLand Aragón this weekend, means the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup will finally get underway.

The 2015 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup runs over eight European rounds. The fiercely competitive field of 34 talented riders and 6 manufacturers makes it the perfect place for Yamaha to carry out its 2015 road racing campaign.

As a part of Yamaha Motor Europe’s new road racing strategy Yamaha will be represented by the officially supported Morillas Racing School (MRS) Yamaha Team, headed by Team Manager Adrien Morillas.

MRS Yamaha’s riders Florian Marino and Kev Coghlan were front runners in the 2014 World Supersport season and have impressed many with their strong pace during the 2015 Superstock 1000 pre-season testing. Both riders are happy with the base set-up of their all-new YZF-R1M they found at last week’s test in Aragon and will be ready to claim the roles of key protagonists for the start of the Superstock 1000 season.

Though Motorland Aragon is not Marino’s favorite circuit, he scored a strong third place in last year’s Supersport race. Teammate Coghlan on the other hand thoroughly enjoys the Spanish circuit and looks forward to bettering his fifth place in Supersport from the previous season.

Besides the MRS crew, Yamaha will also be supporting Team Trasimeno’s Jeremy Guarnoni and Remo Castellarin and G.M Racing team’s Michele Magnoni. They aim to show the potential of the new YZF-R1M and make Yamaha’s exciting 2015 line-up even more competitive.

The MotorLand Aragón facility has been part of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship calendar since 2011 and is loved by many riders and fans alike. This year the Spanish track will see a different track configuration, with the long double left-hander leading into the start/finish straight, making opening race for the 2015 Superstock1000 season even more special.

Florian Marino

“Last week we’ve been testing in Aragon and it was a good check up for the race weekend. We’ve been working on the bike and tried many things to understand the bike and our package better. We’ve got everything done we needed and we have a good point to start from. The bike feels great and we found a good set-up. I’m enjoying myself while riding this new YZF-R1M. I think we are competitive, but we will need to see the level of the other guys at the start of the weekend. I think the expectations from everyone are quite high. I don’t like saying that I’m going in for the win, because you never know what will happen. For sure, for me the target is high and I think we are capable of winning, so we will see. I will do the very best I can do and hopefully we get the right conditions to do the best job possible. Aragon is not one of my favorite tracks, but I’m ok, it won’t be an issue for me.”

Kev Coghlan

“We managed to get a lot done during the test and we improved quite a bit with the bike. The lap times that we managed to get down to should be competitive, so I think we will be alright in the first race. It’s been a bit difficult to find a base setting with the balance of the bike, but once we got ahead of that it seemed to move forward quickly and now it’s just a case of fine-tuning the setting to each track. I feel quite quick. We did some different times in testing at Aragon and some longer runs as well to see how the tyres are holding up and everything seems to withstand alright. It’s going to come down to what the other guys have been doing and what pace they are at this weekend, but I don’t think there’s a reason why we shouldn’t be fighting for the top three. MRS Yamaha is a small team and everyone is quite close. Like usual at this time of year, every test you spend together you get a bit closer and working together gets easier and smoother. The team seems to work really well. I look forward to his first round in Aragon, it’s a track I like and – being the first race as well – it’s always quite exciting.”

Andrea Dosoli – Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Project Manager

“After the winter preparation and some successful tests, we are ready for the first race. We have one official team and two supported teams in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, which form a strong and promising rider line-up. We support young and talented riders in order for them to express their talent and allow them to grow and excel. We aim to achieve these important results and show the potential of the new YZF-R1M, which has been performing well throughout the winter testing. We are ready for this weekend and confident that with these teams, these riders and the YZF-R1M we will be able to compete with the top guys to get good results.”

More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda:

Smith seeks ‘home’ success in Spain

Pata Honda World Supersport rider Kyle Smith returns to Europe this weekend for round three of the 2015 World Supersport championship at Motorland Aragon in Spain.

Although born in Huddersfield in the UK, Smith, 23, has lived in Spain since the age of six and knows the 5.077km Aragon circuit well having scored a podium finish in last season’s Superstock 1000 series on a Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.

For this season he has switched to the World Supersport Pata Honda CBR600RR and just missed out on a debut podium during the opening race at Phillip Island in Australia. Smith crashed out of the last round at Buriram in Thailand so will be looking to make amends during Sunday’s 16-lap third-round encounter.

Kyle Smith

This circuit has been good to me over the past few years; I was on the podium here last season and I’ve had some good Spanish championship races here as well. It’s a home race for me as it’s the closest circuit to where I live in Spain, so I’ve got lots of friends and family coming at the weekend. I’m excited to be racing again after Thailand, which didn’t go so well for me. If we can be as fast as we were there until I messed up the race I’ll be quite happy because I think I really had the pace to win there. Hopefully I’ve learned from that mistake and I can go on here to show how good the CBR really is.

Pieter Breddels

We’ve had two races now and we’ve been well on the pace in both, which is really good to see. After Phillip Island, where Kyle was so close to the podium, we thought that it might happen in Thailand where he was really fast and strong all weekend. Unfortunately, a small mistake in the race there cost us a potential podium finish, but I think this is all part of the learning process. Kyle is new to the bike, to the team and to the whole class; and he has to learn how to be relaxed with the pressure of being fast and all the attention that this brings. He went well at Aragon on the stock CBR1000RR last season so, hopefully, with everything he has learned in Thailand and elsewhere, this can be the race where he gets his debut podium with us.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

TEAM SUZUKI EUROPE READY FOR SUPERSTOCK DEBUT

Team Suzuki Europe will make its debut this weekend at Aragon in Spain for the opening round of eight in the 2015 FIM Superstock 1000 Championship.

Team riders Wayne Tessels – the 2014 Superstock 600 Championship runner-up – and Nigel Walraven are both optimistic and positive following pre-season testing at Motorland Aragon, Portimao in Portugal, Cartagena in Spain and also a one-off appearance aboard their GSX-R1000s at the opening round of the British Superbike Championship’s Superstock class last weekend at Donington Park in the UK.

Team Manager Marc Hoegee said: “In general we have had a pretty good test program, we achieved a lot although the weather hasn’t been on our side at some of the tests. All the tracks we’ve been to are quite different and it was good to find a base set-up for most of the tracks. After many different set-ups we got to understand the bike even more. The Suzuki GSX-R1000 is a great bike and we’re fully confident to be competitive in the FIM Superstock 1000 class. This weekend is the first race, we’ll see who’s got the best package, but our team is ready for it!

Walraven said: “The nine days of testing went really well, the team worked hard and we made a lot of progress in getting the best set-up. I already know the Suzuki, but the new tracks have been a great challenge; and I loved riding at Donington and Portimao the most. We gave our best to be ready for the first race and I can’t wait for the lights to go green. A big thanks to my team and sponsors!”

Tessels said: “We started well and immediately had good and confident feel with the Suzuki. I had to get used to the power of the 1000cc, but I adapted quickly. At a wet Portimao we fine-tuned the K-Tech suspension and made big steps on the track. At Cartagena we had a lot of riding time and used that time to test different settings. I can’t praise the team enough for the work everyone has put in and I feel confident about this weekend’s race.”

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Europe:

Sylvain Barrier Joins Yamaha’s Superstock 1000 Line-Up

Yamaha is proud to announce that two-time Superstock 1000 Champion Sylvain Barrier has been added to Yamaha’s competitive line-up for the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, starting this weekend with the opening round at MotorLand Aragón.

Barrier will join Michele Magnoni as a full-time rider for the G.M Racing team and is sure to play a key role in further developing the all-new YZF-R1M as Yamaha hunts for glory in the STK1000 series.

Though the Frenchman hasn’t tested the YZF-R1M before, his high-level of experience in the Superbike and STK1000 class still makes him a force to be reckoned with. He has won the opening round in MotorLand Aragon once before in 2013, which was the year he won the Superstock 1000 class title for a second year in succession.

With Barrier added to the field, it now counts 35 riders, making the Superstock class even more exciting as fans anticipate this weekend’s racing action.

Sylvain Barrier

“I am really happy to be riding with Yamaha. It’s a new project for me and it gives me a different kind of energy because I come from Superbike and now I get to try the new YZF-R1M and join a new family. I look forward to getting on the bike. I rode the old YZF-R1 in 2009 for just one year, but I haven’t tried the new one yet, it will be the first time this weekend. I really want to try the new YZF-R1M and I am really excited. When I heard I had the opportunity to work together with Yamaha and ride the Italian and Superstock Championship I immediately responded “Yes, I want to”. Now we just need to get on the bike, ride and learn. I won the Superstock race in Aragon in 2013. It was the first race of the year. I like the circuit, it has a nice lay-out and normally the weather is good there, so it’s quite an enjoyable track.”