MotoGP: Repsol Honda Still Chasing Ducati For 2019 Team Championship

David Swarts

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October 29, 2019

MotoGP: Repsol Honda Still Chasing Ducati For 2019 Team Championship

Penultimate push as Repsol Honda Team chase Team Championship

The flyaways draw to a close and the end of the season is fast approaching, but the Triple Crown is still wide open.

First hosting a Grand Prix in 1999, the Sepang International Circuit has been a constant fixture on the MotoGP World Championship calendar for both racing and testing. The 5.5km long Malaysian circuit is a physically demanding challenge no matter the conditions, air temperature rarely dropping below 30ºC even when the tropical storms hit.

Hunting a sixth straight Grand Prix victory in 2019 and his third at Sepang, Marc Marquez arrives in Malaysia in perfect form as he continues to dominate the premier class. Currently on 375 World Championship points, the Malaysian GP present the reigning MotoGP World Champion with his first opportunity to pass Jorge Lorenzo’s record of 383 points scored in a single season. As in Australia, Marquez is aware he’ll face a strong challenge from Yamaha and Ducati.

Lorenzo arrives in Malaysia hoping for better fortunes after a trying weekend in Phillip Island. Struggling in the cooler conditions, Sepang’s heat should offer Lorenzo a chance to continue improving his feeling on the Honda RC213V. The five-time World Champion has finished on the premier class podium seven times in Malaysia.

Just a single point separates the Ducati Team (409) from the Repsol Honda Team (408) in the Team Championship as Honda look to complete the prestigious Triple Crown. With both the Riders and a record 25th Constructors Championships achieved, the Team Championship is final objective to achieve in 2019.

Practice for the premier class begins at 10:50 Local Time on Friday, November 01 with the 20-lap Malaysian Grand Prix scheduled for 15:00 Local Time on Sunday, November 03.

Marc Marquez

“We enjoyed a great victory in Australia as me, the Repsol Honda Team and the bike are working very well together. Now we arrive at the last race of the triple, but it’s not time to stop and relax. Sepang is another track where I think Yamaha will be fast, as will Ducati, but the target is of course to try and fight for victory again. We will see how the weekend goes and adapt as we need to.”

Jorge Lorenzo

“Sepang is a track where I have had good success in the past. Earlier this year I was not able to test in Sepang because of my training injury, but my team were there testing so already we have some ideas of what to do with the bike. Compared to Australia, the circuit in Malaysia should suit me more and I think we will be able to get back to where we were in Motegi. We will see how the weekend progresses there.”

Isle Of Man TT: New Schedule Proposed For 2020 Event

David Swarts

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October 29, 2019

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Isle Of Man TT: New Schedule Proposed For 2020 Event

REVAMPED SCHEDULE PROPOSED FOR 2020 ISLE OF MAN TT RACES

It is proposed that the 2020 Isle of Man TT Races, promoted by the Department for Enterprise, will be run on a revamped schedule designed to improve spectator entertainment and mitigate the demands that are placed on teams, riders, volunteers including the TT Marshals Association and local residents. The proposed schedule will mean some changes to road closure periods and the established racing schedule.

Rob Callister MHK, Political Member with responsibility for tourism and motorsport, commented: “The proposed new schedule has been designed to optimise qualifying conditions and offer shorter race days, reducing the pressure placed on competitors, teams, volunteers and officials. This new format is also designed to minimise the impact that racing has on local residents and businesses with more clearly defined road closure schedules including the more definitive first weekend qualifying timetable and cutting the duration of road closures during race week which result in clearer, easier to follow road closure timetables. This will bring benefits to rider, visitors and locals throughout the TT period.”

The proposals mean the 2020 Isle of Man TT Races will begin a day later than previous years, starting on Sunday 31st May with an afternoon Qualifying Session. Evening Qualifying Sessions will then run as before from Monday 1st June to Thursday 4th June with the final session moved from the evening to a new afternoon slot on Friday 5th June. Provisional sessions remain in the schedule on Thursday afternoon and Friday evening now becomes a provisional session.

The new TT Race day format starts with a single lap ‘Morning Warm Up Session’ for solo competitors before the opening race of the week – the RST Superbike Race – which gets underway at midday on Saturday 6th June followed by the first Sidecar TT Race at 3pm.

Monday’s and Wednesday’s Race days – featuring the two Supersport Races, the RL360 Superstock and the Bennetts Lightweight Race – will also begin with a Solo Morning Warm Up Session, with a single lap Sidecar Shakedown Session added to the running order on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s second Sidecar Race and the Senior TT Race.

ACU Events Ltd, as race organiser for the TT Races, will now submit the programme to the Isle of Man Government Department of Infrastructure for consideration and approval.

This proposed new schedule will be integrated with a new off track entertainment programme that will be announced on Saturday 16th November at Motorcycle Live in Birmingham.

Full details of the proposed 2020 TT Races schedule can be found here.

Australian Superbike: Three-Way Title Fight To Conclude This Coming Weekend At Sydney Motorsport Park

David Swarts

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October 29, 2019

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Australian Superbike: Three-Way Title Fight To Conclude This Coming Weekend At Sydney Motorsport Park

STAGE SET FOR TENSE ASBK TITLE DECIDER

29 October 2019

The Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship is set for a captivating title showdown in the seventh and final round at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend, with the top three riders separated by just 4.5 points, and no less than six of the nation’s best motorcycle racers in with a shot of winning the crown.

In the previous round at Phillip Island, it was Troy Herfoss who prevailed after an enthralling wheel-to-wheel duel with Wayne Maxwell, the Honda rider claiming his second overall round victory of the season and launching to the top of the standings.

Maxwell has demonstrated an impressive combination of one-lap speed and race pace in recent rounds, and the Suzuki rider heads to SMP just three points in arrears of Herfoss. Like the Honda rider, Maxwell has taken two round wins this season.

Third in the standings is Ducati runner Mike Jones, who arrived at Phillip Island with a handy points advantage, and has been the form rider in qualifying with four pole positions on the trot. However, a collision with Maxwell in Race 2, and subsequent non-finish, saw Jones slipping behind Herfoss and Maxwell.

19 points away from the lead is Cru Halliday; the Yamaha rider featured at the pointy end of the points table for the first half of the season, but struggled to match the outright pace of the front-runners at Phillip Island and lost valuable points with a crash in Race 2. Nevertheless, all it will take is one slip-up from the three main protagonists and Halliday will be right in the hunt.

A little further adrift of Halliday are Josh Waters (Suzuki) and The Bend round winner Bryan Staring, who realistically need all their main opponents to strike trouble in at least one of the races to be a chance of snaring a come-from-behind victory.

The last time the ASBK visited the Western Sydney venue was in 2017; on that occasion, it was Josh Waters who dominated the weekend, scoring pole position and victories in both races to claim the round from Troy Herfoss and Glenn Allerton.

This weekend’s Superbike action will consist of three practice sessions on Friday followed by an official timed session on Saturday morning, two-part qualifying on Saturday afternoon and two races on Sunday. Download the event schedule here.

A total of 23 riders are entered for the round – download the entry list here.

Tickets are now on sale for the event, and can be purchased online here. All patrons who purchase tickets before 11:59pm on Thursday evening will receive a FREE Sunday pit-lane walk.

Kawasaki Superbikes – Points after Round 6

1. Troy Herfoss – 241

2. Wayne Maxwell – 238

3. Mike Jones – 236.5

4. Cru Halliday – 222

5. Josh Waters – 216

6. Bryan Staring – 211.5

7. Matt Walters – 160.5

8. Daniel Falzon – 156

9. Alex Phillis – 131

10. Arthur Sissis – 106.5

Head to ASBK.com.au for more info about Round 6 of the 2019 Australian Superbike Championship.

For the latest updates from the ASBK, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

World Superbike: Championship To Race At Catalunya For The First Time Ever In 2020

David Swarts

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October 29, 2019

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World Superbike: Championship To Race At Catalunya For The First Time Ever In 2020

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya welcomed onto 2020 WorldSBK calendar

A new track awaits the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, as the historic Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya readies for WorldSBK action

For the first time in its history, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will host a round of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. The agreement between the Circuit, Dorna WorldSBK Organization and the Gemocat event manager will make the Catalunya Round of WorldSBK one of the biggest events to be on the 2020 calendar and is set to be held from the 18th – 20th September.

Joan Fontserè, General Director of the Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya has expressed his appreciation of the new event, saying: “With the inclusion of WorldSBK at the circuit, in addition to making history, the missing piece fits into our calendar of events, which will in-turn make for an exceptional 2020 season. We are very happy to be able to host the Catalunya Round of WorldSBK and we are sure that the fans will turn to this event and make this first addition a resounding success”.

Ricard Cardús, spokesman for Gemocat, added: “We are very excited about bringing the Superbike World Championship show to Catalonia for the first time. We want the weekend from September 18th to 20th to be a real party for the fan and we will organize events and activities around the event; there will be a limit of 30,000 tickets in order to offer an exclusive experience to the public. We hope that the Catalunya Round of WorldSBK will become a classic on the fans’ agenda.”

Gregorio Lavilla, WorldSBK Executive director – Sporting & Organization depts: “The new addition to the 2020 WorldSBK calendar is warmly welcomed and expected in great anticipation. The circuit has seen many memorable races in various motorsport disciplines and WorldSBK cannot wait to join the list. With such a rich heritage in motorcycle racing in Spain and the region, the Catalunya WorldSBK Round promises to be a great success for all parties involved.”

Click HERE for more information about the Round.

Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1978 Yamaha 0W31

Trudy Ulrich

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October 28, 2019

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Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1978 Yamaha 0W31

Featured In the October 2019 issue of Roadracing World:

There’s a certain amount of confusion between Yamaha TZ750s and factory 0W models and the 0W term itself. In the UK and USA, the number zero is often pronounced “oh,” so the Yamaha factory bikes were 0Ws not OWs! Yamaha factory racebikes were not sold to the public and differed from those that were. If you see a TZ750 being called an 0W31, it’s highly unlikely it actually is one.

The first factory 750 was a twin-shock 0W29 that Giacomo Agostini rode to victory at Daytona in 1975. The 0W31 was introduced in 1976 as a monoshock machine made available to Yamaha’s five leading distributors and their riders: Europe and Agostini; Canada and Steve Baker; Venezuela/South America and Johnny Cecotto; Japan and Hideo Kanaya; and the USA and Kenny Roberts.

Cecotto won Daytona that year but Victor Palermo won the F750 Championship with TZ750-engines in Nico Bakker monoshock frames. The following year Baker won the F750 Championship, by that time given world status, with five wins on the Yamaha Canada 0W31.

The 1977 TZ750D production racebikes appeared to be similar to the previous year’s 0Ws: Monoshock suspension, factory style fiberglass and exhaust system (see the September 2013 issue of Roadracing World, Historic Racebike Illustrations) but appearances were deceptive!

–Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1978 Yamaha 0W31, by Mick Ofield

The Yamaha TZ750 racebike was an amazing machine that defined road racing for years, but when the Yamaha factory race shop got through with the bike, it was at an even higher level. The 1978 Yamaha 0W31 utilized 500cc GP bike technology and was lighter, more powerful and faster than the production racer. Read all of the details about why the factory Yamaha was such an awe-inspiring machine – it’s all in the October issue of Roadracing World!

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3:16 Trackdays Announces Its New “America Superbike Camp” And 2020 Schedule (Updated)

David Swarts

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October 28, 2019

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3:16 Trackdays Announces Its New “America Superbike Camp” And 2020 Schedule (Updated)

3:16 Trackdays announces The America Superbike Camp at COTA [Circuit of The Americas] to be held on July 6, 2020

3:16 Trackdays LLC has developed a new format in through experience working with Texas Motorcycle Academy led by retired AMA Pro Craig Gleason and facilitating the Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association (CMRA) race school. The format has been named “The America Superbike Camp.”

The America Superbike Camp has completed the 2019 season with this unique
format which includes mentor coaching done by experienced road racing
athletes from the novice level all the way to the MotoAmerica level.
Coaching “student-to-teacher” ratio is extremely low 4:1 and sessions will be
30 minutes long at COTA.

Coaching is personalized by gathering key focus points from riders to
focus on. The riders are then matched with a mentor coach according to
their needs and skill levels.

These high value events are reasonably priced and will go on sale via the
website https://316trackdays.com on December 1, 2019 there will be one COTA
event, other events will be held at club level tracks in Cresson, Texas
and Houston, Texas. (MSRC and MSRH)

3:16 Trackdays/American Superbike Camp 2020 Schedule:

3/23/20 – America Superbike Camp at MSRC 1.7 CCW

5/25/20 – Memorial day America Superbike Camp MSRH CW

7/6/20 – America Superbike Camp at COTA CCW

8/8/20 – America Superbike Camp at MSRH CW

8/9/20 – Just a Trackday at MSRH CW

9/7/20 – Superbike Camp at MSRC 1.7 CCW

9/7/20 – Superbike Camp at MSRH CW

For more information visit 316trackdays.com

Penrite Honda’s Troy Herfoss Wins Superbike Support Race At Phillip Island

David Swarts

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October 28, 2019

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Penrite Honda’s Troy Herfoss Wins Superbike Support Race At Phillip Island

PENRITE HONDA RACING DELIVERS 1-2 RESULT ON GP WEEKEND

Penrite Honda Racing’s Troy Herfoss and Mark Chiodo rode to a rewarding 1-2 result in the national Superbike support races contested alongside the 2019 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, VIC, between 25-27 October.

Reigning Australian champion Herfoss scored pole position on Friday afternoon with a scorching new personal best lap-time of 1m32.171s at the 4.445-kilometre grand prix circuit, which further displayed the form that he’s been in during the latter stages of the season.

From there, Herfoss went on to capture a brilliant opening race victory on Saturday morning, leading all seven laps to top teammate Chiodo by 3.367s across the finish line. It was a special result for the ER Motorsport riders on the pair of factory-backed CBR1000RR SP Fireblades.

Race one would end up being the lone Superbike encounter of the weekend after wind caused the postponement of MotoGP qualifying on Saturday afternoon. As a result, its rescheduling on race-day morning came in place of the national support categories scheduled.

“Even though we weren’t able to get a lot of track time in this weekend, it was still a really positive one for us at Penrite Honda Racing,” Herfoss explained. “To do my best lap here and get pole with minimal laps was good, plus to win the race and lead a 1-2 for the team, I’m happy. The focus is definitely on Sydney now and I know that we’ll be ready.”

For Chiodo, it was a confidence-inspiring result at a circuit he has added experience on, setting the quickest lap of the race in tricky conditions and managing to overcome triple world champion Troy Bayliss to take the runner-up position.

“I’m really happy to be on the podium this weekend,” he commented. “It was disappointing not to be able to do races two and three, but we definitely deserved the finish in race one, so it’s a good result for Penrite Honda Racing. Now, we look ahead to Sydney and I’m excited to get back on the bike again next weekend.”

Penrite Honda Racing now turns its attention to next weekend’s final round of the 2019 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), which will take place at Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW, on 1-3 November.

Follow Team Honda Racing on Facebook, as well as @teamhondaracing on Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

MotoGP: Michelin Previews The Malaysian Grand Prix At Sepang

David Swarts

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October 28, 2019

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MotoGP: Michelin Previews The Malaysian Grand Prix At Sepang

MICHELIN HEADS TO MALAYSIA AND THE LAST STOP ON THE PACIFIC TOUR

Michelin and MotoGP™ are finishing the Pacific tour this weekend as the Sepang International Circuit hosts the final race of the three-week fly-away trip and the penultimate event of the season with the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix taking centre stage.

Malaysia signals the final race in a busy five-week schedule for the MotoGP paddock, which has seen races in Thailand, Japan, Australia and now the final venue at Sepang. With a mix of weather over the four races, Michelin has been prepared and met every eventuality and the Malaysian circuit will certainly add to the mix, as it is both a track which requires technical performance, as well as needing to meet the meteorological demands that can be faced there. The layout of the 5,543m track features five left- and ten right-hand turns, combined with two long straights, elevation changes and an abrasive surface where track temperatures are regularly above 50°C. This technical circuit – plus the high ambient temperatures and humidity – put huge requirements on riders, bikes and particularly the Michelin tyres.

Sepang is such a complete circuit for evaluating the extremes of the tyres, machinery and riders, that is has become the regular track for the pre-season test and with such knowledge, Michelin knows what to expect from this venue, but this does not mean it takes it easy, as it must produce a tyre which meets all the demands of the circuit and give the riders the performance, durability and consistency they require. The soft, medium and hard compound MICHELIN Power Slicks are selected to cope with these requirements and the tyres will have the specifications to combat the abrasivity and heat of the asphalt, without any compromise to performance. Supplied as symmetric for the front and asymmetric for the rear – which features a harder right-hand side to cope with the increased stresses that side of the tyre has to contend with at this demanding circuit. Malaysia’s tropical location means that rain is almost a daily feature, so there is every probability that a heavy downpour will cover the circuit at some point during the weekend. With this possibility and the complex demands of the track, the MICHELIN Power Rain tyres are carefully chosen to give optimum wet weather performance. A range of soft and medium compounds for both the front and rear will be available, with the latter featuring an asymmetric design with the harder right-hand side.

Michelin and MotoGP will begin the penultimate weekend of 2019 Grand Prix action on Friday 1st November with two free practice sessions, followed by two more the next day. Saturday afternoon will see qualifying for the 20-lap race take place to decide grid positions. The 18th round of the season will get underway at 15.00hrs local time (07.00hrs GMT/UTC, 08.00hrs CET) on Sunday 3rd November.

Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:

“The end of this long and exhausting tour of Asia and Oceania is drawing to a close, but that does not mean we are ready to relax, because the Malaysian GP is a very important race and also one that requires the utmost respect. Over the last three events we have had a huge mix of weather, from torrential rain to high temperatures and we now expect to roll that all in to one weekend here in Malaysia, but without the chill we had in Australia! We have probably more data from Sepang than any other circuit, but it still is a track that demands total respect, as it’s very technical, has an abrasive surface and usually the asphalt can be very hot. This is one of the venues where the tyres face the possibility of the greatest difference in conditions, not only over the weekend, but hourly, as we can have torrential rain and then the track dries quickly. The correct rubber is needed to work in those situations and from our intensive testing and knowledge of the circuit we know we have that.”

World Superbike: Pirelli Will Continue As Control Tire Supplier Through 2023

David Swarts

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October 28, 2019

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World Superbike: Pirelli Will Continue As Control Tire Supplier Through 2023

Pirelli confirmed as Official Tyre Supplier for all WorldSBK classes until 2023

Slick tyres will also become the standard for all classes from 2020 onwards

Pirelli and Dorna WSBK Organization have come to an agreement to extend their collaboration for a further three years, with the leading tyre manufacturer in the international racing scene set to remain as the Official Tyre Supplier for all classes of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship until 2023.

Pirelli has been the Official Tyre Supplier for WorldSBK since 2004, the year that the single tyre supplier rule was introduced. The extension to this partnership, which was set to expire in 2020, guarantees that the tyre supplier and the production-derived series will continue working into their twentieth season together.

This agreement also brings forward a significant change to all WorldSBK support classes. From 2020, all machines in WorldSSP, WorldSSP300 and the brand-new Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup will use exclusively DIABLO™ Superbike slick tyres, replacing the treaded tyres used up to now in those classes and following in the footsteps of the leading championship.

In WorldSBK, 200/65 rear and 125/70 front tyres will become the standard sizes from next year, with a maximum allocation per rider of 11 front and 13 rear for the full race weekend. The allocation for WorldSSP will be of 8 front and 9 rear (with a new 190/60 rear size), while for WorldSSP300 the regulations will remain the same as now, switch from treaded to slicks aside: three fronts (110/70) and three rears (140/70).

Roberto Righi, Executive Vice President Commercial Replacement, Moto & Velo and Region Emea for Pirelli, also celebrated the extension: “Motorsport is historically an important part of our company’s DNA and that between Pirelli and the FIM Superbike World Championship represents without no doubt one of the collaborations of greater longevity and success in the history of motorsport. This renewal offers continuity to our corporate strategy, which in recent years has allowed Pirelli to establish itself as an absolute reference in the segment of racing for supersport tyres and beyond. With this agreement, Pirelli also secures its confidence and trust of Dorna, organizer and promoter of the Championship, being sure that together we will be able to continue to offer and grow a world-class series that will meet the favours of riders, teams and of course motorcycle manufacturers which, like Pirelli, will continue to recognise in the Championship an excellent platform to develop and promote their products.”

Giorgio Barbier, Director of Sport Activities of Pirelli’s Motorcycle Business Unit said: “I have been following this Championship for Pirelli since the beginning of our adventure as a Single Tyre Supplier for all classes, and I am naturally satisfied with this renewal because it will allow us to continue working to offer riders, as well as all motorcyclists in the world, the best performance that can be found in motorcycle racing tyres. Starting next year, with the switch to slick tyres for all classes, we will see further significant performance improvements. In particular, the WorldSSP class will certainly benefit from changes in front profile, compounds and structure, while the new 190/60 rear size will bring the class to the performance of the superbikes of a few years ago. As for the WorldSSP300, the use of slick tyres will help not to trigger ‘tearing’ in historically colder morning sessions thanks also to the development of a dedicated SC2 rear compound that will be alternated with the SC1”.

Marc Saurina, WorldSBK Executive Director, Commercial, Marketing & Media said about the announcement: “Having Pirelli on board until 2023 is brilliant news for the Championship, and to reach the milestone of the longest running sole tyre supplier really shows this strong and solid relationship we have, as 2023 will see the 20th season of this successful partnership. Providing the entirety of the WorldSBK paddock with Pirelli tyres, and continuing to see the development at the forefront of tyre technology, is really something I and we all welcome, I look forward to our future together.”

Catch all the riders’ reactions and more on our WorldSBK social channels and at WorldSBK.com.

More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:

Pirelli is Confirmed as the Official Tire Supplier for all Classes of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship Until 2023

With the extension of the partnership with Dorna WSBK Organization for an additional three years, the relationship established in 2004 between Pirelli and the production-derived series will boast a unique 20-year collaboration in motorsport

In response to the evolution of supersport machines, and confirming Pirelli’s role as a leading tire manufacturer in the international racing scene, starting from 2020 all WorldSBK Championship classes will use DIABLO™ Superbike slick tires

In the WorldSBK category, the larger sizes become the new standard, as well as the rear 190/60 for WorldSSP, and the switch to slick tires will gradually involve the national championships in which Pirelli participates. The SCX option will enter the DIABLO™ Superbike range and become available on the market

Milan, Italy (October 28, 2019) – Pirelli has been confirmed by Dorna WorldSBK Organization as the Official Tire Supplier for all classes of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship up to and including the 2023 season. In agreement with the promoter and organizer of the production-derived series and with the FIM, the International Motorcycling Federation, the Italian tire companyhas extended, as per contractual conditions, the current supply agreement, set to expire in 2020, for three additional seasons.

Pirelli, in agreement with Dorna WSBK Organization and the FIM, also announces that from 2020 all WorldSBK Championship classes will exclusively use DIABLO™ Superbike slick tires. This means, starting from next season, the WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 classes and the newborn Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup will also have the maximum technology and performance offered by the top product in the Pirelli range, replacing the DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC treaded tires used in those classes.

Roberto Righi, Executive Vice President Commercial Replacement, Moto & Velo and Region Emea for Pirelli commented on the renewal of the agreement: “Motorsport is historically an important part of our company’s DNA and that between Pirelli and the FIM Superbike World Championship represents without a doubt one of the collaborations of greater longevity and success in the history of motorsport. This renewal offers continuity to our corporate strategy, which in recent years has allowed Pirelli to establish itself as an absolute reference in the segment of racing for supersport tires and beyond. With this agreement, Pirelli also secures its confidence and trust of Dorna, organizer and promoter of the Championship, being sure that together we will be able to continue to offer and grow a world-class series that will meet the favors of riders, teams and of course motorcycle manufacturers which, like Pirelli, will continue to recognize in the Championship an excellent platform to develop and promote their products.”

Marc Saurina, Executive Director, Commercial, Marketing and Media depts. of Dorna WSBK Organization: “Having Pirelli on board until 2023 is brilliant news for the Championship, and to reach the milestone of the longest running single tire supplier really shows this strong and solid relationship we have, and 2023 will see the 20th season of this successful partnership. Providing the entirety of the WorldSBK paddock with Pirelli tires, and continuing to see the development at the forefront of tire technology, is really something we all welcome. I look forward to our future together.”

From left to right: Roberto Righi (Pirelli), Marc Saurina (Dorna), Giorgio Barbier (Pirelli)

Beginning in 2004, and initially designed to contain the overall costs of running the Championship, the technical partnership established by Pirelli with the Federation, promoter, teams and racers represented the first example of single tire formula in the history of top motor racing competitions. Now, after almost 20 years, it has proven to be a winning choice that has been followed by other two and four-wheel championships, offering all riders and teams the same opportunities to compete for victory, through a fair and identical tire supply for all.

Since the beginning of its involvement in the production-derived World Championship, Pirelli has not restricted itself to carrying out the mere role of Single Tire Supplier but it has been an active partner of the Championship contributing to the identity and peculiarities that have always distinguished it from other motorcycle competitions, applying also to tires the ‘production’ bike philosophy of the series. Therefore, Pirelli chooses not to supply the Championship with prototype solutions but rather with normal standard tires, which could have been purchased on the market. And, while always remaining faithful to this philosophy, the Milan-based tire company has continued to innovate technologically and to dictate the new generation of racing tires used throughout the world: in 2013, for the first time in history, Pirelli abandoned the 16.5-inch tires in favor of the new 17-inch, a size commonly used by road motorcyclists. In 2018, the beginning of a further development destined to rewrite the parameters of the tire world for competition: the switch to larger sizes, 125/70 front and 200/65 rear, which beginning next year will become the standard sizes of the WorldSBK class.

2004-2019: 16 years of success for Pirelli

Also, the choice of Pirelli, which has always been a leader of market trends and needs, to make the WorldSSP, WorldSSP300 and new Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup compete with slick tires, is the result of the brand’s strategy to respond to market changes and to the performance evolution of modern medium and small displacement supersport machines. Then the goal of Pirelli is to gradually involve the national championships in which it participates, offering the same product that will be used in the World Championships. The slick solutions are in fact not only able to guarantee better performance than treaded ones, thus allowing riders to exploit the full potential of their machines, but they have also become the new reference for all motorcyclists and amateur racers who love to use their own motorcycle on the track while participating in track days.

Pirelli DIABLO Superbike

In the WorldSBK class, the rear tires will all be in the 200/65 rear and 125/70 front sizes which, as per the rules, the riders will be able to use a maximum amount of 11 front and 13 rear to cover the entire race weekend.

In the WorldSSP category, in addition to the transition from treaded to slicks, the riders will be able to count on the new 190/60 rear size. The evolution of the rear size has followed that of the competition models, larger than the 180/60 used thus far or that of the 180/55 fitted by road bikes. In terms of quantities, they will be able to use a maximum amount of eight front and nine rear during the weekend. Furthermore, in all the races there will always be two alternatives for the front – standard SC1 and SC2 – and two for the rear – standard SC0 and SC1 – even if Pirelli reserves the right to replace a standard solution with a development solution during the season.

In WorldSSP300, with the transition to slicks, the quantities available to the riders will not be affected: three fronts and three rear. Also, compounds and sizes will remain unchanged: 110/70 in SC1 compound at the front and 140/70 in SC1 or SC2 (based on the circuit) compound at the rear.

Finally, welcoming the numerous requests from customers, riders and promoters of championships all over the world – such as the CIV (Italian Speed Championship) in which the riders have already had the opportunity to test it – Pirelli has decided that the SCX rear solution, introduced this year only in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as an extra soft pre-qualifier option used during the Superpole^®, will become part of the DIABLO™ Superbike range and will therefore be available to all championships, professional riders and amateurs who will want to use it during racing.

Pirelli DIABLO Superbike SCX

“I have been following this Championship for Pirelli since the beginning of our adventure as a Single Tire Supplier for all classes,” said Giorgio Barbier, Director of Sport Activities of Pirelli’s Motorcycle Business Unit. “I’m naturally satisfied with this renewal because it will allow us to continue working to offer riders, as well as all motorcyclists in the world, the best performance that can be found in motorcycle racing tires. Starting next year, with the switch to slick tires for all classes, we will see further significant performance improvements. In particular, the WorldSSP class will certainly benefit from changes in front profile, compounds and structure, while the new 190/60 rear size will bring the class to the performance of the superbikes of a few years ago. As for the WorldSSP300, the use of slick tires will help not to trigger ‘tearing’ in historically colder morning sessions thanks also to the development of a dedicated SC2 rear compound that will be alternated with the SC1”.

The extension of the contract in the role of Single Tire Supplier for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is an integral part of Pirelli’s commitment and involvement in the racing world. Pirelli is the Exclusive Tire Supplier of the FIA Formula One World Championship^® since 2010 and is historically involved in the World Rally Championship, FIM Motocross World Championship, FIM Endurance World Championship and all the most prestigious four and two-wheel motor competitions as well as in numerous national championships. Among the motorcycle ones, to name but a few, there are the British Superbike Championship, CIV (Italian Championship), Superbike IDM (German National Championship), FSBK (French National Championship) and Brazilian Superbike Championship.

WERA Grand National Finals: Blackmon, Ivey, Knapp, Melka, Mesa, Parrish Win National Challenge Races At Barber

David Swarts

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October 27, 2019

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WERA Grand National Finals: Blackmon, Ivey, Knapp, Melka, Mesa, Parrish Win National Challenge Races At Barber

The 47^th annual WERA Grand National Finals (GNF) concluded with Jackson Blackmon, Chuck Ivey, Taylor Knapp, Greg Melka, Stefano Mesa, and Chris Parrish winning some of the Pirelli WERA National Challenge races Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mesa started the day by using a last-lap pass on Knapp to win the Open Superstock Expert sprint on his Mesa37 Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R.

Blackmon rode his RBoM Racing/Robem Engineering Suzuki SV650 to victory in Heavyweight Twins Superbike Expert.

Chuck Ivey pulled away from a large field, which included Melka, to win the 750 Superstock Expert race on his Team Velocity Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.

Former MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion Chris Parrish used his Ghetto Customs Suzuki SV650 to top Blackmon and the rest of the Lightweight Twins Superstock Expert class.

Melka, riding his Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 Superbike, won a rematch with Ivey in the 750 Superbike Expert race.

Parrish won again on his Suzuki SV650 in Formula Two Expert thanks in part to Blackmon suffering a mechanical problem that caused his Suzuki SV650 to slow and him to lose the lead on the last lap of the race.

Dunlop test rider Knapp closed out the day by holding off Mesa to win the 10-lap WERA Open Superbike race on his personal Suzuki GSX-R1000.

47^th WERA Grand National Finals (GNF)

Pirelli WERA National Challenge Series

Barber Motorsports Park

Birmingham, Alabama

October 27, 2019

Provisional Race Results (listed in chronological order):

OPEN SUPERSTOCK EXPERT: 1. Stefano Mesa (Kaw ZX-10R); 2. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R1000); 3. Ryan Jones (BMW S1000RR); 4. Vasiliy Zhulin (Yam YZF-R1); 5. R. Bryan Land (Kaw ZX-10R); 6. Gary Virgin (Kaw ZX-10R); 7. Jeremy Kolewski (Kaw ZX-10R); 8. Draik Beauchamp (Kaw ZX-10R); 9. Christian Guffy (Suz GSX-R1000); 10. Peyton Inge (Yam YZF-R6); 11. Jesse Ruehling (Kaw ZX-10R); 12. Joshua Goodrich (BMW S1000RR); 13. Mike McAbier (Yam YZF-R6); 14. Mark Keown (Yam YZF-R1); 15. Geoff May (Kaw ZX-10R), -2 laps, DNF, retired; 16. Freddy Carswell (Kaw ZX-10R), -2 laps, DNF; 17. Jeffrey Gochenour (BMW S1000RR), -6 laps, DNF; 18. Kevin Callaway (Duc 1198), -8 laps, DNF.

OPEN SUPERSTOCK NOVICE: 1. Chris Bettis (Yam YZF-R1); 2. Ryan Aroma (Yam YZF-R1); 3. Edwin Cosme (BMW S1000RR); 4. Bo Bin (BMW S1000RR); 5. David Shadduck (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap; 6. Justin Nelson (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap; 7. Rogerio Sabino (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap; 8. Bennett Donan (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap; 9. Chase Alewine (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap; 10. Dmitrij Maslovskij (Duc 1199), -1 lap; 11. Todd Eads (Suz GSX-R750), -1 lap; 12. Nathan Seethaler (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap; 13. Allan Kersey, Jr. (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap; 14. Drew Everett (Hon CBR600RR), -1 lap.

GROM CUP: 1. Kayla Yaakov (Hon 125); 2. Christian Dooley (Hon 125); 3. Colin Gast (Hon 125); 4. Michael Killian (Hon 125); 5. Heather Hickerson (Hon 125).

MINI 80: 1. Eli Banish (Ohvale 160); 2. Jenna C. Wigginton (Hon 125).

HEAVYWEIGHT TWINS SUPERBIKE EXPERT: 1. Jackson Blackmon (Suz SV650); 2. Michael Hilton (Duc 999); 3. Trace Stafford (Duc 1199); 4. Joseph Blasius (Suz SV650); 5. Tyson M. Williams (Duc 1199); 6. Alex Shackelford (Suz SV650), -3 laps, DNF.

HEAVYWEIGHT TWINS SUPERBIKE NOVICE: 1. John Mulcahy (Duc 1198); 2. Dmitrij Maslovskij (Duc 1199), -4 laps, DNF.

750 SUPERSTOCK EXPERT: 1. Chuck Ivey (Yam YZF-R6); 2. Greg Melka (Yam YZF-R6); 3. Connor Funk (Yam YZF-R6); 4. Caleb Odom (Yam YZF-R6); 5. Mark Faulkner (Suz GSX-R750); 6. Matt Burdett (Yam YZF-R6); 7. David Grey (Yam YZF-R6); 8. Dante Witter (Suz GSX-R600); 9. Garrett O’Brien (Yam YZF-R6); 10. William Posse (Yam YZF-R6); 11. Steven Bryant Hunter (Suz GSX-R750); 12. Doug Royce (Yam YZF-R6); 13. Nicholas M. Johnson (Yam YZF-R6); 14. Brandon Salyer (Yam YZF-R6); 15. Joseph Blasius (Suz SV650); 16. Justin Bourland (Yam YZF-R6); 17. Mike McAbier (Yam YZF-R6), -2 laps, DNF; 18. Daniel Paine (Yam YZF-R6), -8 laps, DNF, crash.

750 SUPERSTOCK NOVICE: 1. Danubio Ribeiro (Suz GSX-R750); 2. Hugo Silva (Yam YZF-R6); 3. T. Christopher Jackman (Kaw ZX-6R); 4. Eric Connell (Yam YZF-R6); 5. Drew Everett (Hon CBR600RR); 6. Nathan Seethaler (Yam YZF-R6); 7. Michael Martin (Yam YZF-R6); 8. Pierce Landers, IV (Hon CBR600RR); 9. Todd Eads (Suz GSX-R750); 10. Robby Ringnalda (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap; 11. Marcos Teles (Suz GSX-R750), -1 lap; 12. Andy Rudolph (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap; 13. Eric Anderson (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap; 14. Jeremy Barker (Yam YZF-R6), -8 laps, DNF; 15. Ryan Tekavec (Yam YZF-R6), -8 laps, DNF.

LIGHTWEIGHT TWINS SUPERSTOCK EXPERT: 1. Chris Parrish (Suz SV650); 2. Jackson Blackmon (Suz SV650); 3. Tyler Freeman (Suz SV650); 4. Trevor Standish (Suz SV650); 5. Jared Trees (Suz SV650); 6. Blake Davis (Kaw Ninja 400); 7. Jamie Astudillo (Kaw Ninja 400); 8. Damian Jigalov (Kaw Ninja 400); 9. Alex Shackelford (Suz SV650); 10. Israel Gillette (Suz SV650); 11. Edward F. Scammon (Suz SV650), -1 lap; 12. Toni Sharpless (Yam YZF-R3), -1 lap; 13. Keith Buras (Suz SV650), -2 laps, DNF.

LIGHTWEIGHT TWINS SUPERSTOCK NOVICE: 1. Max Van Den Brouck (Kaw Ninja 400); 2. Aden Thao (Kaw Ninja 400); 3. Kevin Wells (SV650), -1 lap.

300 SUPERSTOCK EXPERT: 1. Keith Buras (Kaw Ninja 300); 2. Heather Trees (Yam YZF-R3); 3. Michael Killian (Yam YZF-R3).

300 SUPERSTOCK NOVICE: 1. Max Van Den Brouck (Yam YZF-R3); 2. Nicole Karamichael (Yam YZF-R3); 3. Eli Banish (Yam YZF-R3); 4. Scott Campbell (Yam YZF-R3).

750 SUPERBIKE EXPERT: 1. Greg Melka (Yam YZF-R6); 2. Chuck Ivey (Yam YZF-R6); 3. Connor Funk (Yam YZF-R6); 4. Gabriel DaSilva (Yam YZF-R6); 5. John Hawkins (Yam YZF-R6); 6. Steven Bryant Hunter (Suz GSX-R750); 7. Dante Witter (Suz GSX-R600); 8. Kurt Miller (Yam YZF-R6); 9. Mike McAbier (Yam YZF-R6); 10. Richard Kay (Kaw ZX-6R); 11. Kevin Whaley (Yam YZF-R6).

750 SUPERBIKE NOVICE: 1. Will Ray (Yam YZF-R6); 2. T. Christopher Jackman (Kaw ZX-6R); 3. Danubio Ribeiro (Suz GSX-750); 4. Todd Eads (Suz GSX-R750); 5. Nathan Seethaler (Yam YZF-R6); 6. Eric Connell (Yam YZF-R6); 7. Hugo Silva (Yam YZF-R6); 8. Neal Wm. Scalf (Yam YZF-R6); 9. Ryan Tekavec (Yam YZF-R6); 10. Andy Rudolph (Yam YZF-R6); 11. Eric Anderson (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap; 12. Robby Ringnalda (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap; 13. Marcos Teles (Suz GSX-R750), -7 laps, DNF.

FORMULA TWO EXPERT: 1. Chris Parrish (Suz SV650); 2. Joseph Blasius (Suz SV650); 3. Jackson Blackmon (Suz SV650); 4. Kayla Yaakov (Hon NSF250F); 5. Tyler Freeman (Suz SV650); 6. Trevor Standish (Suz SV650); 7. Blake Davis (Kaw Ninja 400); 8. Jamie Astudillo (Kaw Ninja 400); 9. Damian Jigalov (Kaw Ninja 400); 10. Israel Gillette (Suz SV650); 11. Toni Sharpless (Yam YZF-R3), -1 lap; 12. Edward F. Scammon (Suz SV650), -1 lap.

FORMULA TWO NOVICE: 1. Aden Thao (Kaw Ninja 400); 2. Eric Reed (Suz GSX-R600), -1 lap; 3. Kevin Wells (Suz SV650), -1 lap; 4. Max Van Den Brouck (Kaw Ninja 400), -8 laps, DNF crash.

MICHELIN WERA SUPERBIKE: 1. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R1000); 2. Stefano Mesa (Kaw ZX-10R); 3. Vasiliy Zhulin (Yam YZF-R1); 4. Ryan Jones (BMW S1000RR); 5. R. Bryan Land (Kaw ZX-10R); 6. Draik Beauchamp (Kaw ZX-10R); 7. Michael Hilton (Duc 1000); 8. Jesse Ruehling (Kaw ZX-10R); 9. Christian Guffy (Suz GSX-R1000); 10. Mark Faulkner (Suz GSX-R750); 11. Peyton Inge (Yam YZF-R1); 12. Mike McAbier (Yam YZF-R6); 13. Joshua Goodrich (BMW S1000RR); 14. Freddy Carswell (Kaw ZX-10R), -4 laps, DNF.

MotoGP: Repsol Honda Still Chasing Ducati For 2019 Team Championship

October 29, 2019

Repsol Honda's Jorge Lorenzo (99). Photo courtesy of Repsol Honda.

Penultimate push as Repsol Honda Team chase Team Championship

The flyaways draw to a close and the end of the season is fast approaching, but the Triple Crown is still wide open.

First hosting a Grand Prix in 1999, the Sepang International Circuit has been a constant fixture on the MotoGP World Championship calendar for both racing and testing. The 5.5km long Malaysian circuit is a physically demanding challenge no matter the conditions, air temperature rarely dropping below 30ºC even when the tropical storms hit.

Hunting a sixth straight Grand Prix victory in 2019 and his third at Sepang, Marc Marquez arrives in Malaysia in perfect form as he continues to dominate the premier class. Currently on 375 World Championship points, the Malaysian GP present the reigning MotoGP World Champion with his first opportunity to pass Jorge Lorenzo’s record of 383 points scored in a single season. As in Australia, Marquez is aware he’ll face a strong challenge from Yamaha and Ducati.

Lorenzo arrives in Malaysia hoping for better fortunes after a trying weekend in Phillip Island. Struggling in the cooler conditions, Sepang’s heat should offer Lorenzo a chance to continue improving his feeling on the Honda RC213V. The five-time World Champion has finished on the premier class podium seven times in Malaysia.

Just a single point separates the Ducati Team (409) from the Repsol Honda Team (408) in the Team Championship as Honda look to complete the prestigious Triple Crown. With both the Riders and a record 25th Constructors Championships achieved, the Team Championship is final objective to achieve in 2019.

Practice for the premier class begins at 10:50 Local Time on Friday, November 01 with the 20-lap Malaysian Grand Prix scheduled for 15:00 Local Time on Sunday, November 03.

Marc Marquez

“We enjoyed a great victory in Australia as me, the Repsol Honda Team and the bike are working very well together. Now we arrive at the last race of the triple, but it’s not time to stop and relax. Sepang is another track where I think Yamaha will be fast, as will Ducati, but the target is of course to try and fight for victory again. We will see how the weekend goes and adapt as we need to.”

Jorge Lorenzo

“Sepang is a track where I have had good success in the past. Earlier this year I was not able to test in Sepang because of my training injury, but my team were there testing so already we have some ideas of what to do with the bike. Compared to Australia, the circuit in Malaysia should suit me more and I think we will be able to get back to where we were in Motegi. We will see how the weekend progresses there.”

Isle Of Man TT: New Schedule Proposed For 2020 Event

October 29, 2019

Peter Hickman (10), as seen during the Senior TT in 2018. Photo courtesy of Isle of Man TT Press Office.