Australian Jack Miller, riding his Red Bull KTM RC16, led MotoGP Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning in Le Mans, France. Riding on Michelin control tires, Miller lapped the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) Bugatti Circuit in 1:31.449, which was quicker than Francesco Bagnaia’s 2022 Race Lap Record of 1:31.778.
Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Luca Marini was second-best in the session with a 1:31.544 on his Ducati Desmosedici.
Miller’s teammate Brad Binder was third-quickest with a 1:31.667.
MotoGP FP1
QJMotor Gresini’s Czech rider Filip Salac topped Moto2 Free Practice Two Friday morning on the Bugatti Circuit, in Le Mans, France. Riding a Triumph 765-powered Kalex on Dunlop control tires, Salas navigated the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) circuit in 1:36.658, which was just 0.4 second off Fernando Augusto’s 2022 Race Lap Record of 1:36.276.
American’s Joe Roberts and Sean Dylan Kelly (SDK) finished the session 20th and 25th, respectively.
Moto2 FP1
Ayumu Sasaki, riding his Liqui Moly Intact GP Husqvarna, was quickest during Moto3 Free Practice One Friday morning on the Bugatti Circuit, in Le Mans, France. Sasaki lapped the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) circuit in 1:42.402 to lead the 27-rider field.
Moto3 FP1
Editorial Note: American Patricia Fernandez-West got stuck behind a crash early in Thursday’s Supersport race, had to get help from track marshals to reposition her bike to ride around the incident, and soldiered on to finish 28th on her JMcC Roofing Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. Fernandez-West’s Kawasaki ZX-10R suffered a mechanical problem on the warm-up lap and she was unable to start Thursday’s Superstock race.
Alastair Seeley notched up his 28th victory at the 2023 fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 on Thursday evening. The event’s most successful racer fended off a strong challenge from Davey Todd (Milenco Padgett’s Honda) and Michael Dunlop with an emphatic performance on a SYNETIQ BMW in the Briggs Equipment Superstock race.
The 43-year-old broke the lap record twice, setting a new mark of 124.427 mph before the red flags came out just after he began his final lap. Honda’s Nathan Harrison had crashed at Dhu Varren, breaking his collarbone and wrist in a crash that has ruled the young Manx recruit to the Honda Racing squad out of the rest of the meeting.
The triumphant Seeley was delighted with his 10.3-second victory.
“It’s nice to rattle another one out,” Seeley smiled as he celebrated on the podium with his wife Danni and daughter, Olivia. “It is a match made in heaven [his relationship with TAS Racing]. Philip gave me the opportunity back in 2009 and we brought two titles very quickly. It’s a great team, they are a great bunch of guys with a big family atmosphere and this year we are very happy – and I keep saying that a happy rider is a fast rider.”
That match with the Moneymore-based squad has now produced 15 victories around the 8.9-mile Triangle circuit for the Carrickfergus rider. After setting fastest time during Thursday’s Superbike qualifying session on his Milwaukee BMW, could Saturday see him claim an epic 30th win on the north coast?
Davey Todd’s hopes of thwarting Seeley’s onslaught ended when he overshot Mather’s chicane on his Padgett’s Honda. The reigning British Superstock champion eventually finished 10.3 seconds behind the Ulsterman.
“I made a silly mistake and ran on,” Todd admitted as he looked forward to second encounter with the ‘Wee Wizard’ on Saturday. “If I can slipstream him then maybe we have half a chance.”
Michael Dunlop completed the podium placings on his MD Racing Honda just 0.3 seconds behind Todd.
“We made a change (to the bike) and it probably wasn’t the right change, and we lost a bit of ground,” the Ballymoney man admitted.
Seeley, Todd and Dunlop had all been involved in a brilliant battle during the opening Strain Engineering Supersport race earlier in the evening.
BPE/Russell Racing Yamaha riders Richard Cooper and Dean Harrison and Peter Hickman (Trooper Beer Triumph) were also involved in the thrilling scrap with just 1.31 seconds covering all six riders at the chequered flag.
The initial start was aborted after a red flag incident at Mill Road roundabout. Despite setting the fastest lap on his Powermate Tools Ducati during the restart, Alastair Seeley had to play second fiddle to Davey Todd who clinched his second NW200 win on the Milenco Padgett’s Honda.
“I didn’t want to let that one slip away,” Todd, who finished runner-up at the event three times last year, beamed. “It was really hard to judge on the last lap, but I’m over the moon and that’s a dream. We were touching handlebars and I gave it my all. I didn’t want to see P2 again and I just gave it my all for that top step.”
Richard Cooper claimed the final rostrum spot with Michael Dunlop, finishing fourth, Dean Harrison in fifth and Peter Hickman completing the top six in a race that had the fans on their feet throughout the five laps.
The time lost in dealing with the red flag incidents during the evening’s opening races forced the organisers to abandon plans to run the Milltown Service Station Supertwins race.
BRIGGS EQUIPMENT SUPERSTOCK RACE
FHO RACING BMW MOTORRAD WITHDRAWS FROM THE 2023 NORTH WEST 200
The FHO Racing BMW Motorrad team are withdrawing from the 2023 fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 due to no confidence in the application of the Superstock technical regulations.
The Superstock class technical regulations mandate the machines must fully comply with conditions regarding the wheels, where Superstock machines must remain with the originally homologated wheels from the manufacturer, which from BMW are carbon. It then goes on to prohibit carbon material, however aftermarket wheels are also not allowed and no mandated alternative specification is prescribed.
The FHO Racing BMW M 1000 RR machines passed scrutineering on Tuesday (9 May) and were allowed to take part in all qualifying sessions before being informed they were not allowed to race moments before the Briggs Equipment Superstock race this evening.
Having taking this issue out with the fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 organisers, there is no confidence that the FHO Racing riders could take part in a race with the obvious dangers, and risks that road racing prevents and then the performance protested or disqualified on a technicality that is not adequately explained.
The FHO Racing team have checked the 2023 technical regulations against those of 2022 and the regulations remain the same, where the team raced the carbon homologated wheels in both Superstock races, as well as the event in 2019.
The effort commitment and logistics required to compete in the North West 200 are significant and this lack of confidence in the organisation renders the team’s participation in this year’s event impossible.
The FHO Racing team would like to sincerely apologise to all its sponsors and fans, and the team are now looking forward to getting back out on the roads in a few weeks time at the Isle of Man TT Races.
More, from a statement issued by North West 200 organizers:
The technical regulations of the Motorcycle Union of Ireland (Ulster Centre), under which the fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 is run, state that carbon wheels are not permitted for use at any MCUI road race event.
Those regulations, which are implemented by the MCUI Stewards of the Meeting, were approved by the sport’s governing body in January 2023 and published on the North West 200’s website at that stage.
The FHO Racing BMW team were informed by the MCUI’s Stewards after qualifying on Thursday afternoon that their riders, Peter Hickman and Josh Brookes, would be excluded from the Briggs Equipment Superstock race as their machines were fitted with carbon wheels.
The NW200 organisers were informed of the Steward’s decision, which is final and binding upon the event, at 21.30pm on Thursday night during the final Steward’s meeting.
No such action had been discussed with the NW200 organisers prior to this time despite the machines having been scrutineered on both Tuesday and Thursday morning.
We deeply regret the FHO Racing BMW team’s decision to withdraw from the event tonight as a result of this action, a sentiment we know will be shared by all NW200 race fans.
“I hope for a great show!”: Thursday talking points in France
Hear from Bagnaia, Binder, Zarco, Quartararo, Bezzecchi, Miller and Marc Marquez!
Thursday, 11 May 2023
Bienvenue au Mans ! This weekend we hit event 1000 in FIM Grand Prix World Championship history, and ahead of the Shark Grand Prix de France, there was plenty to talk about in the two pre-event Press Conferences.
The first comprised Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), before Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) was joined by Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and the returning Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).
Here are some key quotes!
Do you see this a big opportunity to take control of championship?
FRANCESCO BAGNAIA: “We have to see for the conditions because it looks like it will not be consistent and looks like it will rain, but also today the forecast was saying it was raining but it was dry all day. So it will be quite difficult the conditions here.Is always difficult to understand quickly, so we have to wait, wait to understand everything. The potential of our bike is great, it’s high, and we can fight for the top positions, but we have to be careful and calm to understand everything because it’s quite easy to make mistakes like I did last year. So let’s see.”
So… what about KTM?
“Sincerely, seeing them in Portimao with Jack finishing well, he was at the front in the Sprint race. Then Argentina with Brad winning the Sprint race. So, I was prepared to see them at the front in the Sprint race because both of them were starting from the first two rows. So I was quite prepared for it, but I was not I was not prepared for the long race because they did, I think, an incredible job for sure and Dani had helped them to improve their situation but both Brad and Jack did an amazing job so I think so we can expect them at the front also here.”
On Valentino Rossi’s joke in Jerez that a bad start on Friday led to a great result in Jerez:
“Sincerely, I prefer to start like in Austin, but I don’t think I get distracted in the race. But in any case,we’re always having a lot of jokes with Vale and also at home we were speaking and I don’t think that was, like I said, for a distraction or anything else but was just what happened. In any case we can learn from our mistakes and we can understand we can learn so maybe I can improve from that situation. I was happy to see Vale back in the Ducati box so it was good!”
BRAD BINDER: “I’m excited to get started here. Two podiums last week gives me a lot of confidence and I’ve got a lot of faith in the machine beneath me. A few tracks this season haven’t been good for us in the past but somehow they’ve been much better so I expect to be stronger here then I have in previous seasons. The bike is working great and I’ve really good confidence with it. Le Mans is a track I enjoy but we’ve never just put a good weekend together and yeah, that’s priority number 1 on my list. I want to change that, try walk away here with a solid weekend overall. Let’s just keep our head down and keep fighting and see what we can do when it is time to perform.”
Are KTM a real challenger for the title now?
“I mean it is clear that we have been stronger than in previous seasons, no matter the tracks we’ve gone to. The team has done an unreal job to bring us this new machine that is way more competitive. It gives me so much more, like, clear, calm, peace of mind when you show up to a GP knowing that if you do a good job you can fight for wins and podiums whereas in the past it’s been ok if we could crack the top five, that’s the most we could get. It’s exciting for me yeah, I just really want to take things one race at a time and do my best on the day and bring home the most points as possible. It’s exciting, I’m looking forward to it and let’s see what tomorrow brings.
How much you looking forward to it?
JOHANN ZARCO: “Now I’ve had bit of experience with the French Grand Prix! After the tour in Le Mans, we were lucky to have the sun because with the MotoGP bike in the street, I think it’s better to get some sun. It’s a track I like and I hope I will fight for the best positions in both races, Sprint and the long race on Sunday. Clearly from Jerez I tried to get a bit more competitive in both races and I was pretty close to the top guys. Unfortunately I didn’t get the results because the performance was I think quite good to be close to the podium, and hear it’s a track where I’ve had much better result than in Jerez the other years, so we should think about a good weekend, even with the tricky conditions that we can have. I’m not sure if it is going to rain or it going to be dry, but I know that I can adapt quite quickly to this and maybe I can find an advantage in this situation.”
Did you find anything at test?
“I hope yes. The good thing at the Monday test in Jerez was that we didn’t have anything we needed to test on the bike for Ducati, so we could play much more with Massimo with the set up and get more feedback. Then I guess now we have our base and then we can maybe work more on the details and maybe in France now with the tricky condition we won’t have time to really play with the details, but at least we have a good base where I know I can perform on it and this can help to get the last step for the podium!”
FABIO QUARTARARO: “I hope for a great show from tomorrow! And even this afternoon I’m gonna give my best. It’s not a normal GP, it’s different and we have only one in France so hopefully it’ll be a turning point for us this weekend and make the fans happy.”
“We tried a few things in the Jerez Test but not all of them were good. We’ll try the chassis again this weekend and see how it works. Especially for the time attacks in Jerez, we changed the base of the bike a little because form the beginning of the year we can’t find a bike where I am 100% confident on it. We will try something again this weekend with the base we did at the Test that in the time attack we made a small step.”
What are the benefits of the chassis you tried?
“I like it. The benefit we don’t really know. It’s not clearly better, but not worse. We want to see on another track to see the feeling because trying only in Jerez can maybe be a mistake so we will try the standard chassis and the new one tomorrow.”
Was it important to get he feeling back at the test?
MARCO BEZZECCHI: “Yeah, as you said in Jerez it was a difficult weekend for me. Overall in the test, I had a good feeling, but at the end is not really important because it’s Monday, so it was better to have this feeling on Sunday and Saturday. Anyway, I can’t complain about how the test went. We found something interesting on the bike and especially I worked in practice starts which is my weak point for the moment. So yeah, can’t complain about about how it was and now I’m thinking about this race weekend Mark are looking ahead to this week.”
Do you like Le Mans?
“Yeah, it’s a track that I really like. Last year I was not too bad in race, I had a good race pace, but unfortunately I was starting not on the front, and then also my start was not very good, as always. But yeah, it’s a track that I like. I’m really charged for this weekend and yeah, I can’t wait.!”
Why no moustache?
“It’s here but it’s very short because I had to trim it up a little bit, because it was too much for me! I don’t like myself looking so much like Jack, but I will keep it until the best is done.”
JACK MILLER: “Le Mans is a place I really enjoy. I say it every year, even though it tried to kill me once upon a time, it’s still one of my favourite tracks on the calendar. Even in 2020 I was there fighting with Danilo and Dovi for the win until my bike expired. But no it’s a place I’ve been really, really fast at throughout my whole career. And you know, it’s a strange one with the weather. It’s definitely one of the ones that I look forward to coming to, and I think it’s a track to that can suit our bike. You know the bike as we showed in Jerez was really good at stopping and then also getting into tight corners which you kind of need here. I’m looking forward to this weekend.”
Stop and go strengths will be key?
“Definitely, between that and also the let’s say the weight of it, the way that the bike changes direction. Le Mans is kind of a track where you need to stop-go part of it. But then also you need to be able to get the timing right, especially in turns 3 and 4. And then also over the back after the back straight, with the chicanes is where you kind of need to get the timing right and the bike needs to react in the right way, so I feel like we’ve got that with this bike and you know as you said week by week gotten better and better and the bike’s gotten more and more comfortable with it. We were able to push with it in Texas, obviously until I crashed, and then to back that up with another challenge the following weekend in Jerez and to come away from that with a couple of podiums and to show at least a little bit of our speed, I think we come here in pretty good condition.”
Why are the KTMs so good off the line?
“I wouldn’t tell you that because then everyone knows, but I mean, I’ve had good starts my whole Grand Prix career. On the Ducati, everybody said it was the Ducati launch device but now it seems like the Ducati launch devices are complaining and the KTM ones are the best ones. I mean, Brad and I both were getting off the line pretty well in Jerez. I mean, we had a good chance to show it with four starts over the weekend, but fingers crossed, no red flags this weekend and we only have to do two of those.”
Do you expect to come straight back to the level?
MARC MARQUEZ: “Yeah really happy to come back, but I can’t expect a lot about this weekend. It’s true it’s been a month and a half without riding any type of bike, so step by step I will try to get back in the rhythm, the target for this weekend is to get that rhythm again of a MotoGP bike and then the next three weeks start to rebuild my physical condition. As you know I had a hand injury so it was hard to push in the gym and to keep the same physical condition as Portimao, but we’ll also try to work for the team, for Honda, I missed the test in Jerez which is one of the most important tests on the calendar. So we will try to test the things here. Unfortunately for us, the weather conditions here look a bit tricky but we will try to do our best and try to finish the weekend in a good way.”
Mentally how difficult was it to sit out injured again?
“It’s true I worked really good, the last winter was the first without injuries and I was able to prepare for the first race really well, and I felt really good. We were struggling during the test and we were struggling during the weekend but when it’s the moment we arrived, in the Sprint and qualifying, even in the race I felt strong for the two laps, but yeah, unlucky for us the hammer was there again and I get another injury. Anyway I keep pushing, mentally I’m prepared, when you have these kind of things it’s difficult to keep motivated but the most important is to keep your routine and try to come back as soon as possible, which I did. Now step by step to be on the rhythm again and have a good pace.”
Thoughts on the penalty…
“Yeah, for me it’s normal. When I receive the penalty the rules were – now they’ve changed – but when I received the penalty, when I went to the Stewards I completely agreed to receive that because it was a big mistake. On the paper and when we spoke it was for the Argentina GP, then after two days somebody changed it. I don’t know who, but somebody changed it, it’s not my fault. So yeah, now it looks like it will change for the future, I don’t think that’s the best solution. Changing that rule will create some things that for the riders, we’ll take more risk. For me it was easy for me to come back in Jerez, take the penalty and stop in the box. These things we need to avoid, so I think they need to think about another strategy.”
Alastair Seeley, riding his Milwaukee Tools BMW M 1000 RR, earned pole position with a time of 4:20.634 around the 8.97-mile Triangle Circuit in Northern Ireland on Thursday. That equates to an average speed of 123.898 mph.
American Patricia Fernandez-West, riding for JMcC Roofing Racing, qualified 48th in Superbike with a time of 5:03.143 (106.524 mph) on a Kawasaki ZX-10R.
Seeley, riding his Powertoolmate Ducati Panigale V2, also claimed pole position in Supersport with a lap time of 4:36.589 and an average speed of 116.751 mph. Fernandez-West qualified 42nd in Supersport with a time of 5:17.180 (101.810 mph) on a Yamaha YZF-R6.
Seeley, riding his SYNETIC BMW M 1000 RR, also took pole position in Superstock with a lap at 4:21.769 and an average speed of 123.361 mph. Fernandez-West earned the 41st spot on the Superstock grid with a time of 5:01.714 (107.029 mph) on her Kawasaki ZX-10R.
Richard Cooper, riding his KMR Kawasaki ER6 (a.k.a. Ninja 650), captured the Supertwins pole position with a time of 4:49.037 and an average speed of 111.723 mph. American Cory West, a North West 200 rookie and Fernandez-West’s husband, qualified 18th at 5:19.386 (101.106 mph) on a JMcC Roofing Racing Kawasaki ER6.
The first round of races takes place Thursday evening.
Editorial Note: The current All-Time World Superbike Lap Record at Misano is 1:33.328, which was set by Alvaro Bautista on his Ducati in 2022.
FIM Superbike World Championship Test
Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli, San Marino
May 11, 2023
Unofficial Test Times (all using Pirelli tires):
*World Supersport rider
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Misano hosts two-day WorldSBK Supported Test, Bautista fastest on Day 1
Just a few days after Round 4 at Barcelona, WorldSBK is already back testing at Misano as the 2023 grid gets ready for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round
Championship leader Alvaro Bautista topped the timesheet at the end of day one. The Ducati rider completed 87 laps over the day. He was on a lap record pace setting a fastest lap of 1’33.035s, 0.510s quicker than Razgatlioglu.
Toprak Razgatlioglu was the second fastest rider with a best time of 1’33.545s. He is the rider who completed more laps on Thursday with 92 laps.
Having completed 90 laps over the day, Ducati’s Michael Ruben Rinaldi was third overall, 0.673s behind his teammate.
Xavi Vierge was the lead Honda rider in fourth with a fastest time of 1’34.043s. Teammate Iker Lecuona ended the day in eighth place.
Garrett Gerloff was fifth for BMW, 1.310s off Bautista’s best time.
Stepping in to replace injured Michael van der Mark for BMW, Tom Sykes was seventh.
Tarran Mackenzie tested for the PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team, making his return to WorldSBK.
WorldSBK Day 1 Report
The first of two days of testing for the majority of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field concluded with rain interrupting the final part of the day at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was under lap record pace in the morning as he used Pirelli’s SCQ tyre to edge closer to the 1’32s bracket, with Bautista finishing ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) whose day was disrupted by a Turn 3 crash in the morning session.
Reigning Champion Bautista led the way on Day 1 as he set a lap time faster than the existing all-time lap record after posting a 1’33.035s in the closing stages of the morning session while using Pirelli’s SCQ tyre, with his time around three tenths faster than his own lap record set in last year’s Tissot Superpole session. Bautista’s opening day, where he completed 87 laps including 64 in the morning, was spent working on the bike with new their rpm limit as well as looking ahead to the Emilia-Romagna Round. Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi took third spot on Day 1, 0.673s behind his teammate, as he worked on a setup comparison using setups from Mandalika and Barcelona as he completed 90 laps.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) took second spot after posting a 1’33.545s in the morning session on the SCX tyre, around half-a-second down on Bautista. Razgatlioglu had a small crash at Turn 3 in the morning on old tyres, but returned to the pits on his bike, while he had a focus on swingarms and linkage that had already been tested before but with modifications. He completed 92 laps on Day 1.
The Misano test is an important one for Team HRC with riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge testing two variations of a new swingarm in order to test the direction. Vierge was the fastest rider on Day 1 out of the two after he completed 87 laps and took fourth place with a 1’34.043s, when he used the SCQ tyre, while Lecuona completed 65 laps. His best time was a 1’34.602s to put him in eighth place, ensuring both Hondas finished in the top ten.
The headline at BMW was the return of Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) to BMW to temporarily replace BMW. His programme did not involve new parts but running the bike he finished the 2021 campaign with to compare it to the 2023 machine. Sykes was seventh at the end of the day after setting a 1’34.416s and completing 61 laps.
FIRST PERSON/OPINION:
By Michael Gougis
It was something rare, if not unprecedented, in International-level professional motorcycle racing. In retrospect, however, it’s remarkable that it took so long to happen.
At the Catalunya round of the FIM Superbike World Championship, race officials red-flagged the Supersport300 Superpole session for irresponsible riding and called all of the riders to an impromptu meeting in pit lane, where FIM representative Antonio Lima absolutely chewed out the entire field.
“If you don’t want to race, easy. Go home,” Lima said. “What we have seen this morning is a shame. Don’t play with safety. Next time you go to the track and you do this again, I stop the practice again. This is a World Championship. This is not a playground for kids. If you are not adult enough to be here, stay at home. If it is necessary, I stop the race. If it is necessary, I cancel the race. Go to the track and race like riders, not like stupid kids.”
The frustration of trying to rein in dangerous riding in this class has been boiling over for some time. But there are pressures in this class, at this level, that make it extremely difficult for riders to not engage in risky behavior.
What happened at Catalunya? When the Superpole practice started, nearly all of the riders went out on the track and began cruising around slowly, waiting to find the right pack to follow. After three minutes and 11 seconds of this, race officials had had enough and halted proceedings on the spot.
The Supersport300 class has been under more scrutiny since Dean Berta Vinales–cousin of MotoGP racer Maverick Vinales–died in a multi-bike accident in Jerez in 2021 and Victor Steeman died in a similar incident in Portugal in 2022.
Aboard small-displacement, close-to-stock motorcycles, Supersport300 riders tend to circulate the track in large packs during races and rely heavily on drafting during qualifying. At Catalunya, 10 laps into the first race, the first 18 riders were separated by 2.069 seconds. The large, closely-spaced packs have led to problems because if a rider crashes, the following racers have little or no chance to react before hitting the downed rider or bike. Their behavior is much the same in qualifying, with similar risks. And timing the draft, or waiting around for a pack of bikes to tow you around, becomes as or more important than raw speed.
But as Maverick Vinales and others have pointed out, this kind of pack behavior is almost a requirement for racers in the class. With very limited horsepower, light weight, sticky slicks, and extremely limited modifications, more riders can get the absolute best out of these bikes. With the machines so equally matched, no one can get away at the front. And drafting is critical. In Race One at Catalunya, the first nine riders crossed the finish line within a second. And the rider in the back of the pack gets a massive draft from those in front, making it even more difficult for the leaders and faster riders to break away.
It’s also worth noting who is racing in the Supersport300 class. Yes, it’s inexpensive in terms of racing in a World Championship. But it’s not cheap. And few, if any, of these riders are earning career-worthy salaries. At this point on the ladder, there’s a good chance that these riders are kids, bringing sponsorship or cash to the teams in exchange for a ride in the hopes of doing well here and climbing the professional racing ladder, where a fat paycheck might be found.
Do poorly in Supersport300, and a lot of other people’s money goes down the drain as your career sinks like a stone. The pressure to perform is immense, it is laid squarely on the shoulders of very young adults, and the price for riding irresponsibly is relatively small–generally a grid penalty.
In their place, what would you do? Maybe exactly what many of these riders are doing–waiting for a draft that can give them a critical edge in qualifying. At worst, they feel, if they try it and get penalized, they’re no worse off–they’ll just wind up back where they would have qualified had they tried for a hot lap on their own.
Increasingly harsh penalties have not worked. Perhaps the series organizers could consider making changes in the way qualifying works. Send the fastest 12 or 15 riders from the practice sessions to a final Superpole session. The longer practice sessions would remove the pressure to hang around immediately after leaving the pits to find the right drafting partner. The riders would have more than an hour, with both sessions counted, to put in a fast lap. Then, for the final Superpole session, have the riders go out in reverse order of their fastest practice lap, one at a time. No drafting, no packs, just pure skill. And it will give the faster riders a better chance at making a break at the start of a race.
It might not be the perfect solution. But it will work better than the system in place now. And no one wants to be standing on the grid for a moment of silence on Sunday because a 15-year-old died in a race accident on Saturday. No one wants to be standing next to a fellow journalist who wants to know how he’s supposed to behave, what he’s supposed to do, because he’s never been on the scene of a racing fatality in the past. And if that sounds specific, I spent Sunday morning at that race in Jerez in 2021 doing exactly that, comforting another member of the press corps who had come face-to-face with the worst part of the sport for the first time.
Chewing out the riders and red-flagging the session is one reaction. But wouldn’t it be better to create structural changes that will enhance safety and at the same time reward the riders with more speed and skill?
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – May 11, 2023 . . . BMW Motorrad is proud to present the new BMW R 12 nineT in celebration of “100 Years of BMW Motorrad” and, exactly ten years after the launch of the original R nineT.
Like the BMW R nineT, introduced in 2013, the new BMW R 12 nineT is a pure, powerful, classic roadster which offers a wealth of conceptual options for almost unlimited customizing and personal individualization.
Dr. Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad: “The R nineT and its customizing concept established the new Heritage experience for BMW Motorrad’s 90th birthday and has become an indispensable cornerstone of our model range. The new R 12 nineT continues the successful heritage story surrounding the legendary BMW boxer engines with an even more classic, reduced design language, even greater degrees of freedom when it comes to customizing and, last but not least, new and innovative technology.”
1200 Boxer motor with redesigned intake and exhaust systems
100 years ago, the very first BMW motorcycle – the R 32 – arrived, powered by an air/oil-cooled flat-twin engine. The boxer’s unmistakable design, powerful acceleration, unique power delivery, hallmark sound and smooth running quickly made it a legendary synonym for BMW motorcycles. With its air/oil-cooled boxer engine, the new R 12 nineT continues this great tradition. The number 12 has been added to reflect the model’s engine capacity, as done in other BMW motorcycle models.
Classic, Purist Design
Even more than its predecessor, the new R 12 nineT combines the strong visible character of the boxer engine, a classic design language of motorcycle eras past, innovative technology and a modular concept that offers the rider a maximum of customization options. Reduced even more to the essentials, it delivers high emotional appeal.
Edgar Heinrich, Head of Design BMW Motorrad: “The purist design language is dominated by the clear tank/seat/rear line, in the style of the traditional /5 or the legendary R 90 S of the 70s. At first glance, the tank itself is a classic BMW boxer tank, with a typical bend in the lower edge and classic knee contact. The new R 12 NineT also features side covers in the area of the frame triangle in the authentic Roadster look – another reminiscence of BMW motorcycles of the 1970s.”
Particular attention to detail is evident in the redesigned front fender, the LED headlamp design and the two round instruments gauges. As is tradition, attractive customization options are offered as part of the original BMW Motorrad accessory range. With customizing in mind, the new R 12 nineT features an LED taillight unit integrated into the seat for a “short tail” appearance.
The highlights of the new BMW R 12 nineT:
BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley, and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles as well as the BMW XM. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 146 BMW motorcycle retailers, 104 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Australian Jack Miller, riding his Red Bull KTM RC16, led MotoGP Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning in Le Mans, France. Riding on Michelin control tires, Miller lapped the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) Bugatti Circuit in 1:31.449, which was quicker than Francesco Bagnaia’s 2022 Race Lap Record of 1:31.778.
Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Luca Marini was second-best in the session with a 1:31.544 on his Ducati Desmosedici.
Miller’s teammate Brad Binder was third-quickest with a 1:31.667.
MotoGP FP1
QJMotor Gresini’s Czech rider Filip Salac topped Moto2 Free Practice Two Friday morning on the Bugatti Circuit, in Le Mans, France. Riding a Triumph 765-powered Kalex on Dunlop control tires, Salas navigated the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) circuit in 1:36.658, which was just 0.4 second off Fernando Augusto’s 2022 Race Lap Record of 1:36.276.
American’s Joe Roberts and Sean Dylan Kelly (SDK) finished the session 20th and 25th, respectively.
Moto2 FP1
Ayumu Sasaki, riding his Liqui Moly Intact GP Husqvarna, was quickest during Moto3 Free Practice One Friday morning on the Bugatti Circuit, in Le Mans, France. Sasaki lapped the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) circuit in 1:42.402 to lead the 27-rider field.
Moto3 FP1
Editorial Note: American Patricia Fernandez-West got stuck behind a crash early in Thursday’s Supersport race, had to get help from track marshals to reposition her bike to ride around the incident, and soldiered on to finish 28th on her JMcC Roofing Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. Fernandez-West’s Kawasaki ZX-10R suffered a mechanical problem on the warm-up lap and she was unable to start Thursday’s Superstock race.
Alastair Seeley notched up his 28th victory at the 2023 fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 on Thursday evening. The event’s most successful racer fended off a strong challenge from Davey Todd (Milenco Padgett’s Honda) and Michael Dunlop with an emphatic performance on a SYNETIQ BMW in the Briggs Equipment Superstock race.
The 43-year-old broke the lap record twice, setting a new mark of 124.427 mph before the red flags came out just after he began his final lap. Honda’s Nathan Harrison had crashed at Dhu Varren, breaking his collarbone and wrist in a crash that has ruled the young Manx recruit to the Honda Racing squad out of the rest of the meeting.
The triumphant Seeley was delighted with his 10.3-second victory.
“It’s nice to rattle another one out,” Seeley smiled as he celebrated on the podium with his wife Danni and daughter, Olivia. “It is a match made in heaven [his relationship with TAS Racing]. Philip gave me the opportunity back in 2009 and we brought two titles very quickly. It’s a great team, they are a great bunch of guys with a big family atmosphere and this year we are very happy – and I keep saying that a happy rider is a fast rider.”
That match with the Moneymore-based squad has now produced 15 victories around the 8.9-mile Triangle circuit for the Carrickfergus rider. After setting fastest time during Thursday’s Superbike qualifying session on his Milwaukee BMW, could Saturday see him claim an epic 30th win on the north coast?
Davey Todd’s hopes of thwarting Seeley’s onslaught ended when he overshot Mather’s chicane on his Padgett’s Honda. The reigning British Superstock champion eventually finished 10.3 seconds behind the Ulsterman.
“I made a silly mistake and ran on,” Todd admitted as he looked forward to second encounter with the ‘Wee Wizard’ on Saturday. “If I can slipstream him then maybe we have half a chance.”
Michael Dunlop completed the podium placings on his MD Racing Honda just 0.3 seconds behind Todd.
“We made a change (to the bike) and it probably wasn’t the right change, and we lost a bit of ground,” the Ballymoney man admitted.
Seeley, Todd and Dunlop had all been involved in a brilliant battle during the opening Strain Engineering Supersport race earlier in the evening.
BPE/Russell Racing Yamaha riders Richard Cooper and Dean Harrison and Peter Hickman (Trooper Beer Triumph) were also involved in the thrilling scrap with just 1.31 seconds covering all six riders at the chequered flag.
The initial start was aborted after a red flag incident at Mill Road roundabout. Despite setting the fastest lap on his Powermate Tools Ducati during the restart, Alastair Seeley had to play second fiddle to Davey Todd who clinched his second NW200 win on the Milenco Padgett’s Honda.
“I didn’t want to let that one slip away,” Todd, who finished runner-up at the event three times last year, beamed. “It was really hard to judge on the last lap, but I’m over the moon and that’s a dream. We were touching handlebars and I gave it my all. I didn’t want to see P2 again and I just gave it my all for that top step.”
Richard Cooper claimed the final rostrum spot with Michael Dunlop, finishing fourth, Dean Harrison in fifth and Peter Hickman completing the top six in a race that had the fans on their feet throughout the five laps.
The time lost in dealing with the red flag incidents during the evening’s opening races forced the organisers to abandon plans to run the Milltown Service Station Supertwins race.
BRIGGS EQUIPMENT SUPERSTOCK RACE
FHO RACING BMW MOTORRAD WITHDRAWS FROM THE 2023 NORTH WEST 200
The FHO Racing BMW Motorrad team are withdrawing from the 2023 fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 due to no confidence in the application of the Superstock technical regulations.
The Superstock class technical regulations mandate the machines must fully comply with conditions regarding the wheels, where Superstock machines must remain with the originally homologated wheels from the manufacturer, which from BMW are carbon. It then goes on to prohibit carbon material, however aftermarket wheels are also not allowed and no mandated alternative specification is prescribed.
The FHO Racing BMW M 1000 RR machines passed scrutineering on Tuesday (9 May) and were allowed to take part in all qualifying sessions before being informed they were not allowed to race moments before the Briggs Equipment Superstock race this evening.
Having taking this issue out with the fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 organisers, there is no confidence that the FHO Racing riders could take part in a race with the obvious dangers, and risks that road racing prevents and then the performance protested or disqualified on a technicality that is not adequately explained.
The FHO Racing team have checked the 2023 technical regulations against those of 2022 and the regulations remain the same, where the team raced the carbon homologated wheels in both Superstock races, as well as the event in 2019.
The effort commitment and logistics required to compete in the North West 200 are significant and this lack of confidence in the organisation renders the team’s participation in this year’s event impossible.
The FHO Racing team would like to sincerely apologise to all its sponsors and fans, and the team are now looking forward to getting back out on the roads in a few weeks time at the Isle of Man TT Races.
More, from a statement issued by North West 200 organizers:
The technical regulations of the Motorcycle Union of Ireland (Ulster Centre), under which the fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 is run, state that carbon wheels are not permitted for use at any MCUI road race event.
Those regulations, which are implemented by the MCUI Stewards of the Meeting, were approved by the sport’s governing body in January 2023 and published on the North West 200’s website at that stage.
The FHO Racing BMW team were informed by the MCUI’s Stewards after qualifying on Thursday afternoon that their riders, Peter Hickman and Josh Brookes, would be excluded from the Briggs Equipment Superstock race as their machines were fitted with carbon wheels.
The NW200 organisers were informed of the Steward’s decision, which is final and binding upon the event, at 21.30pm on Thursday night during the final Steward’s meeting.
No such action had been discussed with the NW200 organisers prior to this time despite the machines having been scrutineered on both Tuesday and Thursday morning.
We deeply regret the FHO Racing BMW team’s decision to withdraw from the event tonight as a result of this action, a sentiment we know will be shared by all NW200 race fans.
“I hope for a great show!”: Thursday talking points in France
Hear from Bagnaia, Binder, Zarco, Quartararo, Bezzecchi, Miller and Marc Marquez!
Thursday, 11 May 2023
Bienvenue au Mans ! This weekend we hit event 1000 in FIM Grand Prix World Championship history, and ahead of the Shark Grand Prix de France, there was plenty to talk about in the two pre-event Press Conferences.
The first comprised Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), before Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) was joined by Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and the returning Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).
Here are some key quotes!
Do you see this a big opportunity to take control of championship?
FRANCESCO BAGNAIA: “We have to see for the conditions because it looks like it will not be consistent and looks like it will rain, but also today the forecast was saying it was raining but it was dry all day. So it will be quite difficult the conditions here.Is always difficult to understand quickly, so we have to wait, wait to understand everything. The potential of our bike is great, it’s high, and we can fight for the top positions, but we have to be careful and calm to understand everything because it’s quite easy to make mistakes like I did last year. So let’s see.”
So… what about KTM?
“Sincerely, seeing them in Portimao with Jack finishing well, he was at the front in the Sprint race. Then Argentina with Brad winning the Sprint race. So, I was prepared to see them at the front in the Sprint race because both of them were starting from the first two rows. So I was quite prepared for it, but I was not I was not prepared for the long race because they did, I think, an incredible job for sure and Dani had helped them to improve their situation but both Brad and Jack did an amazing job so I think so we can expect them at the front also here.”
On Valentino Rossi’s joke in Jerez that a bad start on Friday led to a great result in Jerez:
“Sincerely, I prefer to start like in Austin, but I don’t think I get distracted in the race. But in any case,we’re always having a lot of jokes with Vale and also at home we were speaking and I don’t think that was, like I said, for a distraction or anything else but was just what happened. In any case we can learn from our mistakes and we can understand we can learn so maybe I can improve from that situation. I was happy to see Vale back in the Ducati box so it was good!”
BRAD BINDER: “I’m excited to get started here. Two podiums last week gives me a lot of confidence and I’ve got a lot of faith in the machine beneath me. A few tracks this season haven’t been good for us in the past but somehow they’ve been much better so I expect to be stronger here then I have in previous seasons. The bike is working great and I’ve really good confidence with it. Le Mans is a track I enjoy but we’ve never just put a good weekend together and yeah, that’s priority number 1 on my list. I want to change that, try walk away here with a solid weekend overall. Let’s just keep our head down and keep fighting and see what we can do when it is time to perform.”
Are KTM a real challenger for the title now?
“I mean it is clear that we have been stronger than in previous seasons, no matter the tracks we’ve gone to. The team has done an unreal job to bring us this new machine that is way more competitive. It gives me so much more, like, clear, calm, peace of mind when you show up to a GP knowing that if you do a good job you can fight for wins and podiums whereas in the past it’s been ok if we could crack the top five, that’s the most we could get. It’s exciting for me yeah, I just really want to take things one race at a time and do my best on the day and bring home the most points as possible. It’s exciting, I’m looking forward to it and let’s see what tomorrow brings.
How much you looking forward to it?
JOHANN ZARCO: “Now I’ve had bit of experience with the French Grand Prix! After the tour in Le Mans, we were lucky to have the sun because with the MotoGP bike in the street, I think it’s better to get some sun. It’s a track I like and I hope I will fight for the best positions in both races, Sprint and the long race on Sunday. Clearly from Jerez I tried to get a bit more competitive in both races and I was pretty close to the top guys. Unfortunately I didn’t get the results because the performance was I think quite good to be close to the podium, and hear it’s a track where I’ve had much better result than in Jerez the other years, so we should think about a good weekend, even with the tricky conditions that we can have. I’m not sure if it is going to rain or it going to be dry, but I know that I can adapt quite quickly to this and maybe I can find an advantage in this situation.”
Did you find anything at test?
“I hope yes. The good thing at the Monday test in Jerez was that we didn’t have anything we needed to test on the bike for Ducati, so we could play much more with Massimo with the set up and get more feedback. Then I guess now we have our base and then we can maybe work more on the details and maybe in France now with the tricky condition we won’t have time to really play with the details, but at least we have a good base where I know I can perform on it and this can help to get the last step for the podium!”
FABIO QUARTARARO: “I hope for a great show from tomorrow! And even this afternoon I’m gonna give my best. It’s not a normal GP, it’s different and we have only one in France so hopefully it’ll be a turning point for us this weekend and make the fans happy.”
“We tried a few things in the Jerez Test but not all of them were good. We’ll try the chassis again this weekend and see how it works. Especially for the time attacks in Jerez, we changed the base of the bike a little because form the beginning of the year we can’t find a bike where I am 100% confident on it. We will try something again this weekend with the base we did at the Test that in the time attack we made a small step.”
What are the benefits of the chassis you tried?
“I like it. The benefit we don’t really know. It’s not clearly better, but not worse. We want to see on another track to see the feeling because trying only in Jerez can maybe be a mistake so we will try the standard chassis and the new one tomorrow.”
Was it important to get he feeling back at the test?
MARCO BEZZECCHI: “Yeah, as you said in Jerez it was a difficult weekend for me. Overall in the test, I had a good feeling, but at the end is not really important because it’s Monday, so it was better to have this feeling on Sunday and Saturday. Anyway, I can’t complain about how the test went. We found something interesting on the bike and especially I worked in practice starts which is my weak point for the moment. So yeah, can’t complain about about how it was and now I’m thinking about this race weekend Mark are looking ahead to this week.”
Do you like Le Mans?
“Yeah, it’s a track that I really like. Last year I was not too bad in race, I had a good race pace, but unfortunately I was starting not on the front, and then also my start was not very good, as always. But yeah, it’s a track that I like. I’m really charged for this weekend and yeah, I can’t wait.!”
Why no moustache?
“It’s here but it’s very short because I had to trim it up a little bit, because it was too much for me! I don’t like myself looking so much like Jack, but I will keep it until the best is done.”
JACK MILLER: “Le Mans is a place I really enjoy. I say it every year, even though it tried to kill me once upon a time, it’s still one of my favourite tracks on the calendar. Even in 2020 I was there fighting with Danilo and Dovi for the win until my bike expired. But no it’s a place I’ve been really, really fast at throughout my whole career. And you know, it’s a strange one with the weather. It’s definitely one of the ones that I look forward to coming to, and I think it’s a track to that can suit our bike. You know the bike as we showed in Jerez was really good at stopping and then also getting into tight corners which you kind of need here. I’m looking forward to this weekend.”
Stop and go strengths will be key?
“Definitely, between that and also the let’s say the weight of it, the way that the bike changes direction. Le Mans is kind of a track where you need to stop-go part of it. But then also you need to be able to get the timing right, especially in turns 3 and 4. And then also over the back after the back straight, with the chicanes is where you kind of need to get the timing right and the bike needs to react in the right way, so I feel like we’ve got that with this bike and you know as you said week by week gotten better and better and the bike’s gotten more and more comfortable with it. We were able to push with it in Texas, obviously until I crashed, and then to back that up with another challenge the following weekend in Jerez and to come away from that with a couple of podiums and to show at least a little bit of our speed, I think we come here in pretty good condition.”
Why are the KTMs so good off the line?
“I wouldn’t tell you that because then everyone knows, but I mean, I’ve had good starts my whole Grand Prix career. On the Ducati, everybody said it was the Ducati launch device but now it seems like the Ducati launch devices are complaining and the KTM ones are the best ones. I mean, Brad and I both were getting off the line pretty well in Jerez. I mean, we had a good chance to show it with four starts over the weekend, but fingers crossed, no red flags this weekend and we only have to do two of those.”
Do you expect to come straight back to the level?
MARC MARQUEZ: “Yeah really happy to come back, but I can’t expect a lot about this weekend. It’s true it’s been a month and a half without riding any type of bike, so step by step I will try to get back in the rhythm, the target for this weekend is to get that rhythm again of a MotoGP bike and then the next three weeks start to rebuild my physical condition. As you know I had a hand injury so it was hard to push in the gym and to keep the same physical condition as Portimao, but we’ll also try to work for the team, for Honda, I missed the test in Jerez which is one of the most important tests on the calendar. So we will try to test the things here. Unfortunately for us, the weather conditions here look a bit tricky but we will try to do our best and try to finish the weekend in a good way.”
Mentally how difficult was it to sit out injured again?
“It’s true I worked really good, the last winter was the first without injuries and I was able to prepare for the first race really well, and I felt really good. We were struggling during the test and we were struggling during the weekend but when it’s the moment we arrived, in the Sprint and qualifying, even in the race I felt strong for the two laps, but yeah, unlucky for us the hammer was there again and I get another injury. Anyway I keep pushing, mentally I’m prepared, when you have these kind of things it’s difficult to keep motivated but the most important is to keep your routine and try to come back as soon as possible, which I did. Now step by step to be on the rhythm again and have a good pace.”
Thoughts on the penalty…
“Yeah, for me it’s normal. When I receive the penalty the rules were – now they’ve changed – but when I received the penalty, when I went to the Stewards I completely agreed to receive that because it was a big mistake. On the paper and when we spoke it was for the Argentina GP, then after two days somebody changed it. I don’t know who, but somebody changed it, it’s not my fault. So yeah, now it looks like it will change for the future, I don’t think that’s the best solution. Changing that rule will create some things that for the riders, we’ll take more risk. For me it was easy for me to come back in Jerez, take the penalty and stop in the box. These things we need to avoid, so I think they need to think about another strategy.”
Alastair Seeley, riding his Milwaukee Tools BMW M 1000 RR, earned pole position with a time of 4:20.634 around the 8.97-mile Triangle Circuit in Northern Ireland on Thursday. That equates to an average speed of 123.898 mph.
American Patricia Fernandez-West, riding for JMcC Roofing Racing, qualified 48th in Superbike with a time of 5:03.143 (106.524 mph) on a Kawasaki ZX-10R.
Seeley, riding his Powertoolmate Ducati Panigale V2, also claimed pole position in Supersport with a lap time of 4:36.589 and an average speed of 116.751 mph. Fernandez-West qualified 42nd in Supersport with a time of 5:17.180 (101.810 mph) on a Yamaha YZF-R6.
Seeley, riding his SYNETIC BMW M 1000 RR, also took pole position in Superstock with a lap at 4:21.769 and an average speed of 123.361 mph. Fernandez-West earned the 41st spot on the Superstock grid with a time of 5:01.714 (107.029 mph) on her Kawasaki ZX-10R.
Richard Cooper, riding his KMR Kawasaki ER6 (a.k.a. Ninja 650), captured the Supertwins pole position with a time of 4:49.037 and an average speed of 111.723 mph. American Cory West, a North West 200 rookie and Fernandez-West’s husband, qualified 18th at 5:19.386 (101.106 mph) on a JMcC Roofing Racing Kawasaki ER6.
The first round of races takes place Thursday evening.
Editorial Note: The current All-Time World Superbike Lap Record at Misano is 1:33.328, which was set by Alvaro Bautista on his Ducati in 2022.
FIM Superbike World Championship Test
Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli, San Marino
May 11, 2023
Unofficial Test Times (all using Pirelli tires):
*World Supersport rider
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Misano hosts two-day WorldSBK Supported Test, Bautista fastest on Day 1
Just a few days after Round 4 at Barcelona, WorldSBK is already back testing at Misano as the 2023 grid gets ready for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round
Championship leader Alvaro Bautista topped the timesheet at the end of day one. The Ducati rider completed 87 laps over the day. He was on a lap record pace setting a fastest lap of 1’33.035s, 0.510s quicker than Razgatlioglu.
Toprak Razgatlioglu was the second fastest rider with a best time of 1’33.545s. He is the rider who completed more laps on Thursday with 92 laps.
Having completed 90 laps over the day, Ducati’s Michael Ruben Rinaldi was third overall, 0.673s behind his teammate.
Xavi Vierge was the lead Honda rider in fourth with a fastest time of 1’34.043s. Teammate Iker Lecuona ended the day in eighth place.
Garrett Gerloff was fifth for BMW, 1.310s off Bautista’s best time.
Stepping in to replace injured Michael van der Mark for BMW, Tom Sykes was seventh.
Tarran Mackenzie tested for the PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team, making his return to WorldSBK.
WorldSBK Day 1 Report
The first of two days of testing for the majority of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field concluded with rain interrupting the final part of the day at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was under lap record pace in the morning as he used Pirelli’s SCQ tyre to edge closer to the 1’32s bracket, with Bautista finishing ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) whose day was disrupted by a Turn 3 crash in the morning session.
Reigning Champion Bautista led the way on Day 1 as he set a lap time faster than the existing all-time lap record after posting a 1’33.035s in the closing stages of the morning session while using Pirelli’s SCQ tyre, with his time around three tenths faster than his own lap record set in last year’s Tissot Superpole session. Bautista’s opening day, where he completed 87 laps including 64 in the morning, was spent working on the bike with new their rpm limit as well as looking ahead to the Emilia-Romagna Round. Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi took third spot on Day 1, 0.673s behind his teammate, as he worked on a setup comparison using setups from Mandalika and Barcelona as he completed 90 laps.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) took second spot after posting a 1’33.545s in the morning session on the SCX tyre, around half-a-second down on Bautista. Razgatlioglu had a small crash at Turn 3 in the morning on old tyres, but returned to the pits on his bike, while he had a focus on swingarms and linkage that had already been tested before but with modifications. He completed 92 laps on Day 1.
The Misano test is an important one for Team HRC with riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge testing two variations of a new swingarm in order to test the direction. Vierge was the fastest rider on Day 1 out of the two after he completed 87 laps and took fourth place with a 1’34.043s, when he used the SCQ tyre, while Lecuona completed 65 laps. His best time was a 1’34.602s to put him in eighth place, ensuring both Hondas finished in the top ten.
The headline at BMW was the return of Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) to BMW to temporarily replace BMW. His programme did not involve new parts but running the bike he finished the 2021 campaign with to compare it to the 2023 machine. Sykes was seventh at the end of the day after setting a 1’34.416s and completing 61 laps.
FIRST PERSON/OPINION:
By Michael Gougis
It was something rare, if not unprecedented, in International-level professional motorcycle racing. In retrospect, however, it’s remarkable that it took so long to happen.
At the Catalunya round of the FIM Superbike World Championship, race officials red-flagged the Supersport300 Superpole session for irresponsible riding and called all of the riders to an impromptu meeting in pit lane, where FIM representative Antonio Lima absolutely chewed out the entire field.
“If you don’t want to race, easy. Go home,” Lima said. “What we have seen this morning is a shame. Don’t play with safety. Next time you go to the track and you do this again, I stop the practice again. This is a World Championship. This is not a playground for kids. If you are not adult enough to be here, stay at home. If it is necessary, I stop the race. If it is necessary, I cancel the race. Go to the track and race like riders, not like stupid kids.”
The frustration of trying to rein in dangerous riding in this class has been boiling over for some time. But there are pressures in this class, at this level, that make it extremely difficult for riders to not engage in risky behavior.
What happened at Catalunya? When the Superpole practice started, nearly all of the riders went out on the track and began cruising around slowly, waiting to find the right pack to follow. After three minutes and 11 seconds of this, race officials had had enough and halted proceedings on the spot.
The Supersport300 class has been under more scrutiny since Dean Berta Vinales–cousin of MotoGP racer Maverick Vinales–died in a multi-bike accident in Jerez in 2021 and Victor Steeman died in a similar incident in Portugal in 2022.
Aboard small-displacement, close-to-stock motorcycles, Supersport300 riders tend to circulate the track in large packs during races and rely heavily on drafting during qualifying. At Catalunya, 10 laps into the first race, the first 18 riders were separated by 2.069 seconds. The large, closely-spaced packs have led to problems because if a rider crashes, the following racers have little or no chance to react before hitting the downed rider or bike. Their behavior is much the same in qualifying, with similar risks. And timing the draft, or waiting around for a pack of bikes to tow you around, becomes as or more important than raw speed.
But as Maverick Vinales and others have pointed out, this kind of pack behavior is almost a requirement for racers in the class. With very limited horsepower, light weight, sticky slicks, and extremely limited modifications, more riders can get the absolute best out of these bikes. With the machines so equally matched, no one can get away at the front. And drafting is critical. In Race One at Catalunya, the first nine riders crossed the finish line within a second. And the rider in the back of the pack gets a massive draft from those in front, making it even more difficult for the leaders and faster riders to break away.
It’s also worth noting who is racing in the Supersport300 class. Yes, it’s inexpensive in terms of racing in a World Championship. But it’s not cheap. And few, if any, of these riders are earning career-worthy salaries. At this point on the ladder, there’s a good chance that these riders are kids, bringing sponsorship or cash to the teams in exchange for a ride in the hopes of doing well here and climbing the professional racing ladder, where a fat paycheck might be found.
Do poorly in Supersport300, and a lot of other people’s money goes down the drain as your career sinks like a stone. The pressure to perform is immense, it is laid squarely on the shoulders of very young adults, and the price for riding irresponsibly is relatively small–generally a grid penalty.
In their place, what would you do? Maybe exactly what many of these riders are doing–waiting for a draft that can give them a critical edge in qualifying. At worst, they feel, if they try it and get penalized, they’re no worse off–they’ll just wind up back where they would have qualified had they tried for a hot lap on their own.
Increasingly harsh penalties have not worked. Perhaps the series organizers could consider making changes in the way qualifying works. Send the fastest 12 or 15 riders from the practice sessions to a final Superpole session. The longer practice sessions would remove the pressure to hang around immediately after leaving the pits to find the right drafting partner. The riders would have more than an hour, with both sessions counted, to put in a fast lap. Then, for the final Superpole session, have the riders go out in reverse order of their fastest practice lap, one at a time. No drafting, no packs, just pure skill. And it will give the faster riders a better chance at making a break at the start of a race.
It might not be the perfect solution. But it will work better than the system in place now. And no one wants to be standing on the grid for a moment of silence on Sunday because a 15-year-old died in a race accident on Saturday. No one wants to be standing next to a fellow journalist who wants to know how he’s supposed to behave, what he’s supposed to do, because he’s never been on the scene of a racing fatality in the past. And if that sounds specific, I spent Sunday morning at that race in Jerez in 2021 doing exactly that, comforting another member of the press corps who had come face-to-face with the worst part of the sport for the first time.
Chewing out the riders and red-flagging the session is one reaction. But wouldn’t it be better to create structural changes that will enhance safety and at the same time reward the riders with more speed and skill?
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – May 11, 2023 . . . BMW Motorrad is proud to present the new BMW R 12 nineT in celebration of “100 Years of BMW Motorrad” and, exactly ten years after the launch of the original R nineT.
Like the BMW R nineT, introduced in 2013, the new BMW R 12 nineT is a pure, powerful, classic roadster which offers a wealth of conceptual options for almost unlimited customizing and personal individualization.
Dr. Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad: “The R nineT and its customizing concept established the new Heritage experience for BMW Motorrad’s 90th birthday and has become an indispensable cornerstone of our model range. The new R 12 nineT continues the successful heritage story surrounding the legendary BMW boxer engines with an even more classic, reduced design language, even greater degrees of freedom when it comes to customizing and, last but not least, new and innovative technology.”
1200 Boxer motor with redesigned intake and exhaust systems
100 years ago, the very first BMW motorcycle – the R 32 – arrived, powered by an air/oil-cooled flat-twin engine. The boxer’s unmistakable design, powerful acceleration, unique power delivery, hallmark sound and smooth running quickly made it a legendary synonym for BMW motorcycles. With its air/oil-cooled boxer engine, the new R 12 nineT continues this great tradition. The number 12 has been added to reflect the model’s engine capacity, as done in other BMW motorcycle models.
Classic, Purist Design
Even more than its predecessor, the new R 12 nineT combines the strong visible character of the boxer engine, a classic design language of motorcycle eras past, innovative technology and a modular concept that offers the rider a maximum of customization options. Reduced even more to the essentials, it delivers high emotional appeal.
Edgar Heinrich, Head of Design BMW Motorrad: “The purist design language is dominated by the clear tank/seat/rear line, in the style of the traditional /5 or the legendary R 90 S of the 70s. At first glance, the tank itself is a classic BMW boxer tank, with a typical bend in the lower edge and classic knee contact. The new R 12 NineT also features side covers in the area of the frame triangle in the authentic Roadster look – another reminiscence of BMW motorcycles of the 1970s.”
Particular attention to detail is evident in the redesigned front fender, the LED headlamp design and the two round instruments gauges. As is tradition, attractive customization options are offered as part of the original BMW Motorrad accessory range. With customizing in mind, the new R 12 nineT features an LED taillight unit integrated into the seat for a “short tail” appearance.
The highlights of the new BMW R 12 nineT:
BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley, and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles as well as the BMW XM. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 146 BMW motorcycle retailers, 104 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
