Ellison improvements ready for the ‘Ring’ THE BOGDANKA PTR HONDA duo returns to World Supersport action following a five-week summer break with James Ellison looking to transfer recent setup improvements into a solid result at the Nurburgring in Germany. His Polish teammate, Pawel Szkopek, will be new to the German circuit but targets a strong start to the final run of races this year. The Nurburgring is notorious for changeable weather conditions with current forecasts predicting rain when the lights go off at 1:30 CET on Sunday. James Ellison: “We’ve kept testing and riding through the break and made some steps forward with the settings and I’m excited to try these improvements at the Nurburgring. I was there about 10-years ago. They’ve changed a couple of corners a bit since but for what I can remember, I really, really enjoyed it. It’s mostly fast, flowing and really nice. It should be a good weekend.” PaweÅ‚ Szkopek: “I can’t wait for the weekend. It feels like the start of the season all over again for me and I’d like to get off to a strong start to the final stretch of races. We’ve been a bit unlucky at times this year and I hope it’s another thing we’re leaving behind. Nurburgring will be a new track for me – there’s lots of fast corners but also a heavy braking to turn one so it should be fun.” Simon Buckmaster: “James tested his bike during the break and tried riding using the same settings as Sam Lowes. He improved his lap times and found confidence so he will be starting at the Nurburgring from this strong position. “Pawel has shown flashes of brilliance this season but needs to finish more races and crash less. He has the ability to get in the points and needs to take a structured positive approach to the whole weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Parkalgar Honda: Aiming high in Germany PARKALGAR HONDA’S Miguel Praia and Sam Lowes are targeting season best results when they take to the track at Nurburgring in Germany this Sunday September 4th. After a five-week break in racing both Parkalgar Honda men are eager to get back to action and have been working hard to keep themselves in top shape physically and mentally. There are practice and qualifying sessions on Friday and Saturday before the race takes place at 1330CET on Sunday. Miguel: “I have enjoyed a good break from the racing and spent a lot of time on my physical training and conditioning. I feel fitter and better than ever and will be at my peak this weekend. I cannot wait to get racing again. I have beaten race winners and front runners so now I want to get closer to the front in every race and achieve the best results possible.” Sam: “I have met with the team during the break and spent a lot of time thinking about the mistake I made at Silverstone. The team is right behind me and has every confidence in me – that is brilliant and I am learning fast. I know what I need to do and will be approaching the Nurburgring totally focussed on finishing and winning. We know we can do it and I have four races left to prove it.” Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “Miguel had another great ride at Silverstone but he and I know that he needs to qualify better to get into the top six. That is what we want to achieve in the last four rounds to get into the top 10 in the Championship standings. “Sam missed an opportunity to win at the last round through his own mistake. We have discussed it and he is learning by his mistakes. He is the fastest rider and we are going to build on that for the rest of the season and target race wins so Sam can become the complete package.” More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER CARLOS CHECA (ALTHEA RACING) FIGHTING FIT AND READY FOR ACTION IN GERMANY THIS WEEKEND Nurbürg (Germany), Wednesday 31st August 2011: The Superbikes are back after the August break and Team Althea Racing and rider Carlos Checa are in shape and heading for the Nurburgring in Germany for round ten of the World Championship. Prior to the summer break, the Althea Racing squad secured a stunning double win at the English track of Silverstone, extending Checa’s championship lead as a result to 62 points over second-placed Biaggi. Carlos will line up for his 101st start in SBK at the Ring this coming weekend, determined to add to his podium tally (he has finished top three in fifteen of the eighteen races held so far). With four rounds to go and 200 points still on the table, the Spaniard will be looking to consolidate his leadership status. Carlos has scored some strong results at the German track in recent years, including a second place finish this time last year. Checa heads into round ten of thirteen with 343 points. Ducati leads the manufacturer’s championship with 355 points to Yamaha’s 320. During the month long break Carlos has kept himself active, participating in a triathlon in Spain and spending time in Italy, where he had the opportunity to climb to the Castore peak of the Monte Rosa mountain range and take in spectacular views from 4220m! Checa’s Superbike form at the Nürburgring: 2010: Race 1- 2nd, Race 2 – DNF 2009: Race 1 3rd, Race 2 3rd 2008: Race 1 5th, Race 2 5th More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsport: Kawasaki Hope For German Success The Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team returns to action after a five week summer break when the Nurburgring hosts the tenth round of the World Superbike Championship this forthcoming weekend. Both Joan Lascorz and Tom Sykes will be hoping for a good performance at Germany’s most evocative and famous circuit, located in the Eifel Mountains in the north west of the country, especially after the disappointment of Silverstone last time out. It was back at the Paul Bird Motorsport team’s home round that Yorkshireman Sykes was injured during qualifying and didn’t race and Spanish rider Lascorz was forced out of the second race after a clash with another rider so both riders are keen to address the situation for the Penrith based team. Sykes is returning to action following a chipped bone in his right ankle. He rates himself ready to race at the 5.137km long circuit in Germany, having had a month off from race action while working to get back to full fitness whereas Lascorz took part in a British Superbike Championship round at Brands Hatch after the Silverstone weekend. So far this season, Lascorz has scored two top five placings in his rookie WSB campaign and Sykes won the Superpole contest at Misano, then only just missed out on a podium finish by one place at the same venue. Currently Lascorz is 11th in the championship standings while Tom is only 15 points from a top ten spot in 14th place. Third official Kawasaki rider Chris Vermeulen is still working on recovering full strength in his injured left elbow and will miss the German race. Joan Lascorz: “It was interesting to race at Brands Hatch in the BSB series recently but finding the right bike set-up was a little more difficult compared to some other circuits. It was a very intense circuit and I think it was good preparation for the Nurburgring race which we come to this weekend. It gave me the chance to practice more on the bike and feel good so we will see how things go in Germany as this will be my first time there on a Superbike. But I think if we can have a good practice we can make good results.” Tom Sykes: “My ankle is getting stronger all the time so I will be ready for Germany. The Nurburgring is definitely one of my favourite circuits as it is quite unique in some ways. It goes up and down a lot, it is quite flowing and I like those sections where the corners roll into each other. A lot of the track takes quite a bit of courage in some ways and the circuit in general lends itself to my style of riding a bit more than some. I hope I can pick up where we left off before my injury at Silverstone.” Paul Bird, Team Owner: “Things certainly didn’t go our way at Silverstone so I’m really hoping we can get that bit of a break and a little luck this weekend which we have been so desperately short of this season. With Joan’s lack of experience around the track and Tom coming back after injury, it’s going to be a challenging weekend but hopefully both riders can put on a good show and we can get the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R well up the leaderboard where it rightfully belongs.” Meanwhile, Ulsterman Keith Farmer will make his foreign debut at the German round of the World Superbike Championship when he rides a Paul Bird Motorsport-prepared Kawasaki ZX-10R in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. The former Supermoto champion from Clogher raced at Silverstone and came home an impressive 16th on his World Championship debut; beating many established riders in his first ever race on a 1000cc Kawasaki ZX-10R. Farmer is managed by PBM and has impressed on his debut season in road racing whereby he currently leads the Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship by a healthy 36 points. More, from a press release issued by Supersonic Racing Team: The tenth round of the World Superbike Championship will be held next weekend at 2,3 and 4th September at the historic Nurburgring in Germany. In 1925, Germany decided to build the Nurburgring with the purpose to build a permanent circuit. The track opened in 1927 and is located in the Eifel region near Adenau and Nurburg. The old track was known as the Nordschleife, was well known because of the 172 curves and hosted the first Grand Prix of Germany in 1931. After the circuit was nicknamed by the ‘Ring’ it was the scene of many pages of motoring history before the Second World War. After the war the track was changed and in 1970, the renovation was finished on the roadway. (with addition guard rails along the track) But the track was too long and dangerous for modern motorsport. To return the host of the World Cup races they decided to build a new runway, which was inaugurated in 1984. Further changes were made in the years 2002 to 2009, changes that have made the circuit of Nurburgring, one of the most modern and safest tracks in the world. After the long summer break, the Supersonic Team is ready for the German round and ready to obtain the positive results from previous rounds like at Silverstone. Maxime Berger comes to the “ring” with the firm intention to achieve the same excellent results during the race as in testing and achieves entering the top five. Maxime Berger: “The Ring is a track that I really like because it is varied, with some ups and downs and very challenging curves. Last year I had in stock a good race and went on the second step of the podium. It would be great to do also well in Superbike. My feeling with the bike and the team is really good and this allows me to do my best. I will work hard during the practise and qualification to get a good grid position in the race and try to improve my eighth place from Silverstone, my best result this year. A place in the top five would be a reward for what we have done so far and for my team, they always worked so great.”