Team Althea Racing heads to Imola for the first of two Italian rounds in the 2015 Superbike World Championship.
Team Althea Racing travels to the ‘Enzo e Dino Ferrari‘ circuit in Imola, after a season-start that has seen continual growth for the squad. The team will strive to bring home some important results in front of the Italian crowd, which should be strong considering the track’s proximity to the Ducati factory in Borgo Panigale.
The team is forced to do without Nico Terol this coming weekend, as he continues to recuperate after his accident at Assen on 19 April which left him with a fractured right radius. The Spaniard, as already announced, will be substituted by Michel Fabrizio, who has previously won at this historic track, in 2009 on board the Ducati. The Roman rider will get on the 2015 Panigale R with the aim of completing two great races and confirming his talent, having already achieved a lot of success during his career.
Michel Fabrizio: “I’m pleased to be able to race at a track at which I’ve won in the past and I’m proud to be a part – even if only for one race – of a team that has already achieved so much success, as well as a world title. Together with the team, that has so much experience and the will to win, I know that I’ll be able to complete two good races, finally having the highest quality materials and bike at my disposal. I only have to concentrate on twisting the throttle. I want to thank Genesio Bevilacqua who has shown how much faith he has in me.”
Matteo Baiocco must meanwhile demonstrate that the constant progress seen up to the Thai round can be confirmed in the upcoming races. During the Assen weekend, in which he started the races a little further back, Matteo was nevertheless able to score some important points for the championship and will strive to show off his full potential at Imola and improve his position in the standings.
Matteo Baiocco: “I’m pleased to race in Italy in front of our fans. We closed the Assen weekend positively, finding the right set-up, though starting a bit further back compromised results, which could have been better. The potential of the team is very high and at the home round I’ll try to do everything that I’ve not managed to do up until now, that is start near the front and give 110% in the races. I hope to see all of the fans there.”
Team Althea also has big ambitions in the hard-fought Superstock 1000 category, where Raffaele De Rosa, having just missed out on a podium at Aragon before finishing second in Assen, will now aim for victory, something that is well within his reach. Luca Salvadori has almost recovered after suffering a crash on the Dutch track, where he nevertheless proved that he is capable of scoring good results despite his young age and the fact that this is his first experience in such a competitive, high-level category. Both riders arrive at Imola in high spirits and with the desire to make all of the fans in attendance, whether ducatisti or not, very proud.
Raffaele De Rosa: “I’m pleased with the work completed during these first two races and the second place finish at Assen. We’re working well as a team and now I want to aim for first place, having just missed out on that in Holland. At Imola, although it’s a track I’ve rarely raced at, we must try to reduce the gap in the standings and I can’t wait to get on the bike at this track, so full of history, and in front of our fans.”
Luca Salvadori: “I was unlucky in Holland because I hurt myself as a result of the crash during qualifying, compromising my race. But now I’m getting back to full fitness and am ready for Imola, where I’ll try hard to obtain results in line with the work we are doing. I hope there is a big crowd there to welcome us because the passion and atmosphere when racing at home always gives us that extra push.”
The ‘Enzo e Dino Ferrari’ circuit is suited to both cars and motorcycle racing and is located in the city of Imola, 40km east of Bologna. The circuit and all of its facilities have been completely renovated and improved, thanks to works begun in November 2006 and completed in September 2007. The restructuring work was carried out under the supervision of renowned German architect Hermann Tilke. The circuit has borne the names of Enzo and Dino Ferrari since the founder and his son passed away. Contrary to many other tracks, Imola runs in an anti-clockwise direction. The closest airport is Guglielmo Marconi in Bologna.
Length: m 4.936
Pole Position: left
Right-hand corners: 9
Left-hand corners: 13
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Imola A Happy Hunting Ground For Both Sykes And Rea
For KRT riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes the prospect of heading to Imola for the fifth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship this coming weekend brings back memories of recent race success at the Italian parkland venue.
Sykes took his 2013 spec Ninja ZX-10R to a double win at Imola in the same year he won the championship outright while Rea has three Imola race victories in total. His Imola wins last season formed a double that meant he took over the championship lead for a period.
Rea is the convincing championship leader right now, having won six races out of eight starts on his Ninja ZX-10R and finishing second in the other two. His current total of 190 points is only ten from a perfect beginning to his Kawasaki career and his next closest challenger is some 50 points adrift already. Jonathan is tied as the second most successful winning rider in terms of WSB race victories at Imola, thanks to his three previous successes.
For Sykes, well versed in the ways of the previous spec of WSB Ninja ZX-10R, the recent change in the technical regulations has made the 2015 early season more challenging than in most recent years. Showing his typical grit and determination he has still scored two podiums already and bounced back from a crash at Motorland Aragon that was not of his own making.
Tom is fourth in the championship after four rounds. With nine rounds and 18 races still to go, including Imola, he has lots of opportunities to make up points on those ahead of him.
Right now Sykes has 22 career race wins in WSB and Rea took his total to 21 after his recent double win at Assen.
After the completely flat Assen circuit that the KRT riders experienced at the previous round, Imola provides an undulating layout, with chicanes added over the years since its first use as a permanent racetrack in the 1950s.
Imola begins a rhythmical run of four European-based meetings that will occur on alternate weekends – Imola May 10th, Donington May 24th, Portimao June 7th and Misano June 21st.
Jonathan Rea: “I am looking forward to Imola because it is a track I really enjoy; a really technical track. It requires a lot of thought to be put into the lap and there are many areas where you can make up time by using quite different techniques, especially in the Piratella and Acque Minerali sections. I enjoy going to Italy in general and it is good to go somewhere where I went really well last year and in the past. It is the first time in Italy this year and I am just excited to go there. I have not been working with my crew chief Pere Riba for that long but we have a really good understanding of each other. We will be working through a few plans this weekend to make sure are strong for the next few races. It is going to be another tough weekend because Imola always provides some good racing.”
Tom Sykes: “I do not look at Imola any differently from any other circuit just because we have had some success there in the past, but for whatever reason we have had some good results there, even on the previous model of Ninja ZX-10R. I have two main limitations on the bike right now but when we cross those bridges I feel confident that I will be back to myself. And back to where we have been in the past three years, which is challenging and at the sharp end of the timing sheets. I am going to Imola like always, expecting to be fighting. I just want a package that lets me challenge the other guys at the end of the race. We have not had that yet but it is something we have had in the past and I do believe we are knocking on the door now, gradually getting that balance right for me now. I am hoping that this weekend, in front of a really fantastic and enthusiastic Italian crowd, we can hit the nail on the head. That is what I am gunning for.”
Guim Roda, Team Manager KRT: “We arrive at the fifth round in Imola with our two riders going through a strong period and the Ninja ZX-10R is on a very good level to fight for victory this weekend. Rea has demonstrated his style and motivation, and for sure his talent has adapted quite well to the ZX-10R under the new rules and inside a new team. The year will be hard, so we cannot allow any distractions because Ducati and Aprilia are working hard and Suzuki and Honda have still not said their last word. Tom didn’t start the season in a lucky way but from the Australian race, on a track we all know is not his best, he had a direction to go in to adapt to the new engine and bike strategy dictated by the 2015 rules. Even in Motorland, when he crashed trying to pass Leon Haslam, it was because a technical problem. We thought it was his first mistake in three and a half years in a race but no, it was a problem with a part of cooling system that made water go on the rear tyre. We really expect a big and very nice fight at Imola with Tom and Jonathan. We hope we can make our own show a small distance from all the other manufactures, so let’s see.”
Other top Kawasaki entries at Imola include David Salom (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) with the 2014 SBK Evo Champion currently 14th in the championship, one place and 10 points ahead of his fellow Spaniard Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki).
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:
The MRS Yamaha Team Prepares for Action at Imola
After a three-week break, the MRS Yamaha Team is back on its way to the fifth round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola this weekend.
Having been one of the frontrunners at the previous race in Assen, Kev Coghlan looks forward to continuing his hunt for glory during the third round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. The Scotsman had a good start to the race in Assen but was forced to repeat his efforts after the race was red flagged. He looked set for a top-four finish at the restart, but just missed out by two-tenths of a second and finished sixth, earning him nine valuable points.
Thanks to this result and a strong third place in Aragón, Coghlan currently holds fourth position in the standings with 26 points, just one point behind Ondrej Jezek in third place.
Teammate Florian Marino also looks forward to riding at the technical and fast track of Imola. He had a difficult outing at the previous race in Assen, where he suffered arm pump and wasn’t able to ride the way he wanted. However, not one to throw in the towel early, the French youngster kept focus and still managed to equal his seventh place finish in Aragón, increasing his points total to 18.
Marino is currently seventh in the championship rankings and is excited to be back on full form, so he can ride the YZF-R1M to its full potential.
Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola, was added to the World Superstock1000 calendar in 2001 for that year’s season finale. Since then, the circuit has undergone major redevelopment and was off the calendar for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The now 4.936 km long circuit has an interesting lay-out of 13 left corners and 9 right corners, with fast and technical sections that are loved by both riders and race fans.
Kev Coghlan
Championship: 4th, 26 points
“After the first two weeks we’ve had a little break to see how thing have gone and get ready for this weekend and I’m looking forward to it. The first two races went ok. It could have been a bit better in Assen but still not so bad and now we’re going to Imola which is a track I really like. I always went quite fast there. I crashed in the Supersport race last year, but I’ve always had a really good pace so it’s a track I look forward to riding and especially now with the new bike as well. Every time we ride we understand it a bit more and get a bit faster so we should have a good weekend.”
Florian Marino
Championship: 7th, 18 points
“I am really looking forward to Imola. It’s quite an interesting track, really technical with some fast parts as well. As with every Italian round, the competition will be high, because all the riders want to do well, especially the Italians. I’ve been there a lot of times and we really want to compete at the front. The past weeks went good, I did my physical program and had time think about the two first rounds that haven’t really been successful for me. I think I have learned from my mistakes and I feel good and ready. We will try to do well and I hope that we can fight even harder this race weekend.”