Shane Byrne
2010 Nurburgring WSBK QP1 Result – Checa Clinches Provisional Pole
Source: MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks - ... that Ducati out of WSBK is almost as big as Rossi to Ducati - Friday, 3rd September 2010, 17:18 GMTCarlos Checa secured provisional pole during the first qualifying session for World Superbikes at the Nurburgring, heading up another fleet of Ducatis on the front row. Ducati's domination was only broken by Troy Corser, who put his BMW S1000RR between Checa and the remainder of the Althea Ducati and Xerox Ducati teams. Michel Fabrizio took 3rd spot for the factory team, while Checa's teammate Shane Byrne took the final spot on the provisional front row. Championship leader Max Biaggi put his Alitalia Aprilia into 6th, while his main rival, Alstare Suzuki's Leon Haslam, could manage only the 11th fastest time. According to one report on the Dutch website Racesport.nl, Leon Camier fractured his right wrist in a crash, and will take no further part in the weekend's action. Results: Read article
Historic circuit gets WSBK machine back into gear
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Wednesday, 1st September 2010, 10:42 GMTThe 2010 HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship approaches the final stretch this weekend, with the 11th round of the series taking place at the Nürburgring between 3 and 5 September. Only two subsequent rounds will remain after the restart of action in Germany - Imola on September 26 and Magny-Cours on 3 October. Located in western Germany, the Nürburgring is one of the most popular circuits for the riders, as it offers a series of challenges along its 5.137km length, and a high degree of rider satisfaction if a ‘perfect' lap is achieved. Competition in the World Superbike Championship is far from slowing down as the season begins to wind up, as current leader Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) has Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) 60 points behind him, but with 150 points up for grabs for any rider who wins the final six individual races. Both of these riders raced at the Nürburgring last year but neither managed to post a podium finish. They have no shortage of immediate competitors who did in, however, with championship third place rider Jonathan Rea (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda) winning the second race in ‘09, Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) going second in race one and Carlos Checa, now riding for Althea Ducati, third in each German race. Rea is currently third on 243 points, 130 behind the lead. Checa is fourth, on 204 points. The long summer break during August has been a welcome one for some riders, but with valuable points up for grabs the mass of WSB riders will be keen to get back into full race mode this weekend. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) pushed himself up to fifth in the championship with his first two wins in WSBK racing last time out at Silverstone. He knows his machine can win at Nürburgring, as eventual champion Ben Spies was victorious on the same model of machine in race one last year. Crutchlow's team-mate James Toseland is a two-time World Superbike Champion, but still looking for his first race success in Yamaha colours. He is sixth in the rankings, only nine points behind Crutchlow. The fight for the last few top ten places is already at fever pitch, with Noriyuki Haga, Leon Camier (Alitalia Aprilia), Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox), Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) and Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare) closely packed together, from seventh to 11th in the rankings. Even from Crutchlow in fifth to Guintoli in 11th, there is a spread of only 37 points, making almost anything possible in the midfield before season's end. Since the last round in Silverstone, Max Neukirchner (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) has won a race at the IDM Superbike championship. At his home circuit in Germany he will be particularly keen to make a move back up the championship rankings from his current 18th place. Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati) is a lonely 12th at present; over 50 points clear of Jakub Smrz (PATA B&G Aprilia) and Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport). Ducati privateer Luca Scassa (Supersonic Team) is the last rider inside the top 15 so far, but works Kawasaki Racing Team man Tom Sykes wants to be on the march forward at this round. He will, in his turn, have Lorenzo Lanzi pushing hard to get ahead of him on his DFX Corse Ducati. Sykes has another new team-mate in the KRT squad this time out, Northern Irish rider Ian Lowry, who is standing in for the injured Chris Vermeulen. Pedercini Kawasaki team-mates Roger Lee Hayden and Matteo Baiocco will be back in the mix in Germany. Replacing Broc Parkes in the Echo CRS Honda team will be Italian WSB debutant Fabrizio Lai. WORLD SUPERSPORT: Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) now has only one realistic championship challenger, Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) after the accident suffered by Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com) at Silverstone. Laverty has scored a fabulous six wins so far, but he is still behind three-time race winner Sofuoglu, by 17 points. In fourth place ParkinGO Triumph BE-1's Chaz Davies is 43 points ahead of his closest challenger, Gino Rea (Intermoto Czech Honda) who scored his first podium last time round at Silverstone. Robbin Harms (Harms Benjan Racing Honda) is close behind Rea, with David Salom also right in there for fifth, on his Triumph. Michele Pirro (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) will come back into the fray after suffering injury at the Brno round and missing out on the Silverstone round. SUPERSTOCK 1000: Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia STK) carried off the overall FIM Cup last time out at Silverstone, but at the home country of his machine's manufacturer he will be out to keep his perfect win record intact. Second place in the championship is still a very live fight, with Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Racing Junior Honda), Michele Magnoni (Bevilacqua Corse Honda), Andrea Antonelli (Team Lorini Honda), Davide Giugliano (Team06 Suzuki) and Loris Baz (MRS Yamaha) all set to try and claim runner-up spot by season's end. SUPERSTOCK 600: Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Racing Yamaha) leads his fellow Frenchman Florian Marino (Ten Kate Junior Racing Honda) by 26 points, with only these two riders in the final fight for the championship now. Federico D'Annunzio (Martini Corse Yamaha) no scored last time out but is still third, on the same 70 points total as his team-mate Dino Lombardi. TRIUMPH PARKINGO SERIES: The single make Triumph ParkinGO European Series continues apace in Germany, featuring identical Triumph Street Triple R machines, raced by a mix of experienced and amateur riders. The challenge of the Nürburgring is one that all the riders are eagerly anticipating, especially championship leader Fabrizio Perotti, who could win the title this time out if results go his way. Two rounds remain, at the Nürburgring and then the season finale at Magny-Cours on October 3rd. THE CIRCUIT: The modern-day Nürburgring is a very different one from the nearby 20th century classic, the ‘Nordschleife'. Nevertheless, the 5.137km circuit that welcomes WSBK racing this weekend still has plenty of elevation changes, fast and slow corners and overtaking opportunities. WSBK racing first started at the Nürburgring in 1998 and 1999, and returned in 2008 and 2009. High drama and close competition have been the keynotes of recent races at this venue, although being located in the Eifel Mountains the track can be subject to rapid and sometimes extreme changes in weather conditions. Read article
Shakey Says – Enjoy An Advanced Training Course!
Source: The Latest Motorcycle News - Friday, 6th August 2010, 0:13 GMTWorld Superbike racer Shane Byrne is urging motorcyclists to try an advanced riding course during their season this year to improve their two-wheeled skills. Read article
WSBK Silverstone: Not the best day for Althea Racing at Silverstone
Source: bikeracenews.com - Monday, 2nd August 2010, 14:22 GMTIt was not a particularly satisfying weekend for Althea Racing. Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne, despite having taken fifteen points per head, had some recriminations. Carlos did not make a strong start in either race and this undoubtedly penalized him; the Spaniard concluded the races seventh and tenth. “it’s hard to catch up once you’ve made bad [...] Read article
Crutchlow wins home double
Source: Insidebikes | Carole Nash » Bike News - Sunday, 1st August 2010, 20:18 GMTCal Crutchlow scored a double victory at Silverstone this afternoon, after dominating the World Superbike round all weekend. The Brits had it their own way on home soil, with early race one leader Jonathan Rea gaining the advantage over pole man Crutchlow. The latter was forced to take his place behind Rea for much of the opening laps, whilst Rea attempted to aid his championship campaign. After being on top of the times all weekend so far, Crutchlow fought hard to regain his spot at the front. Persistence finally paid off, when the Yamaha Sterilgarda rider saw an opportunity to make a break for the lead. From here he carved his way towards the chequered flag, setting a new lap record in the process, with a time of 2:05.259 seconds. With the dominant Yamaha across the line, Rea was able to hold onto a strong second place finish, whilst championship contender Leon Haslam made it the first all British podium since Assen earlier in the year. Michel Fabrizio just missed out on a podium crossing the line fourth, whilst championship leader Max Biaggi followed him home in fifth. Biaggi’s Aprilia Alitalia teammate, Leon Camier, was next up in sixth, after fighting his way through from sixteenth on the grid. Carlos Checa finished seventh, with James Toseland eighth, Shane Byrne ninth and Troy Corser tenth after slipping back earlier on. Race two got underway with a mirror effect, as Rea slipped into the lead once again, with Crutchlow second. Despite controlling the pace for the majority of the outing, Crutchlow again found a way passed Rea, leaping into the lead right when it mattered. Rea was unable to regain his position at the front, leaving him to take home another second place. Camier had a stronger outing this time, completing the podium in third. Home support from the British fans obviously played a part, with fellow Brits Haslam and Toseland making it a British top five. This is the first time in WSB history that five British riders filled the top five positions, and on home soil as well. Biaggi extended his title charge with a sixth place finish, with Sylvain Guintoli seventh, Byrne eighth, Jakub Smrz ninth and Checa tenth. Crutchlow rode to the top step of the podium for the very first time in his WSB career, and making it a double was even better for the Yamaha rider. It was also the first win of the season for his Yamaha Sterilgard outfit. Commenting on his double triumph, Crutchlow told the WSB website: “As people have said, it’s a dream come true for a lot of Brits, three on the podium in both races. All credit to the fans, they gave us tremendous support here today. What a brilliant day for Yamaha and a brilliant day for me! I couldn’t believe both wins came at once, I would rather have had one earlier in the year and one today, but we’ve been fighting for this all the year and here it is.” Biaggi has now earned 373 points, with Haslam second with 313 points. Heading into the final three rounds, Biaggi holds the edge but there are still six races to go. The next round is at the Nurburgring in Germany on the 5th September. Read article
Crutchlow wins Silverstone Superpole
Source: Insidebikes | Carole Nash » Bike News - Saturday, 31st July 2010, 18:32 GMTCal Crutchlow dominated the early stages of the World Superbike championship visit to Silverstone this weekend, by rocketing to pole position this afternoon. After setting the pace in the opening stages during practice on Friday, Crutchlow held onto his advantage with a storming record fastest lap to take a Superpole win ahead of his home event, with a time of 2:04.091 seconds. Despite his evident pace, Crutchlow had to fight for the pole position. With stiff competition from fellow Brit Jonathan Rea, the Yamaha rider managed to edge him out for top spot. Michel Fabrizio was the third fastest man on track, lining up alongside the British duo for tomorrow’s opening race. A quick Jakub Smrz set the fourth fastest time, beating both factory Aprilia machines, while Leon Haslam picked up fifth spot. The first of the official factory Aprilia bikes came in the form of championship leader Max Biaggi, with the Italian lining up sixth on the grid, ahead of BMW Motorrad Motorsport duo Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus. Shane Byrne and Carlos Checa complete the top ten, while Sylvain Guintoli narrowly missed out in eleventh. Home hero James Toseland will start twelfth, with fellow Brits Tom Sykes and Leon Camier ready to start thirteenth and sixteenth, respectively. British Superbike regular Tommy Bridewell is making the switch to the world class for this British round, and will start twenty-fourth. Silverstone will host the usual two WSB races during tomorrow’s action packed programme, with Biaggi aiming to extend his championship advantage. Qualifying Positions, WSB, Silverstone: Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 2′04.091 2 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 2′04.763 3 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2′05.083 4 Smrz J. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′05.168 5 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 2′05.595 6 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′05.682 7 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 2′05.740 8 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 2′06.787 9 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 2′05.026 10 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 2′05.035 11 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 2′05.066 12 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 2′05.397 13 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2′05.564 14 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2′05.903 15 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 2′06.425 16 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′10.663 17 Brookes J. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 2′06.271 18 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 2′07.041 19 Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 2′07.636 20 Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2′07.042 21 Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2′07.677 22 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 2′08.689 23 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2′10.431 24 Bridewell T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 2′11.057 25 Yanagawa A. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2′11.230 Read article
Silverstone – Rider Form Guide
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Friday, 30th July 2010, 8:35 GMT100 and 150: Max Biaggi and Jakub Smrz in Silverstone will start their 100th Superbike race. It's an important race also for Aprilia, at their 150th start. • Shane Byrne was present in the 2002 races, the first held in Silverstone, when he classified ninth and fifth; • Troy Corser reached the podium three times out of nine in Silverstone. His best result is a second in both 2005 races; • Michel Fabrizio retired twice out of three races run in Silverstone: he only finished in 2006 in race two, fifteenth. He won the Superstock 1000 race in 2003; • Noriyuki Haga won the first race in 2004. Curiously he has finished second five times, including the last three races run here. Noriyuki always qualified on the front row in the British track; • Leon Haslam was fifth and fourth in the 2004 races, the only time he raced there for the World Superbike Championship; • Lorenzo Lanzi obtained his best result in the last of his five races run here, in 2007, when he was seventh. He was the polesitter in the 2003 Superstock 1000 race; • The opposite can be said for Max Neukirchner, who obtained his best result on his first visit here, in 2005, race 1 (seventh). His best qualifying effort came in the same year, when he was tenth; • James Toseland won race 2 in 2005, has climbed on the podium a total of five times and, if we exclude a retirement in the first 2004 race, he has always classified in the top 10. James is the only one to have started in all eleven races held here; • Ruben Xaus has finished all his Silverstone races, climbing onto the podium three times in third and always finishing in the top-10, both in qualifying and in the races. • Aprilia finished the first Silverstone race in second place, in 2002, with Noriyuki Haga; • Ducati has won nine of the eleven races run here. The Borgo Panigale squad missed out on only the first 2002 race, won by Colin Edwards on a Honda and the second 2004 race, won by Chris Vermeulen, again on a Honda; • Alongside the aforementioned two wins, Honda scored four more podium placements. The Japanese manufacturer has always placed a bike inside the top 4 at the finish except for the 2003 edition, when they were not involved with a works team; • Kawasaki has never managed to climb on the podium in Silverstone, but since 2004 have always placed a bike in the top 10. The best result came in 2002, race 2, when Chris Walker was fourth; • Three podium placements for Suzuki, always in second place: in 2003 race 2 with Gregorio Lavilla and in both 2005 races with Troy Corser; • Yamaha in the last three races held here have always classified in second place, in all three cases with Noriyuki Haga; • In the last three editions the pole went to three different manufacturers: 2005 Suzuki, 2006 Yamaha and 2007 Ducati. MILESTONES AT SILVERSTONE 2003 - first fastest lap and tenth podium for Gregorio Lavilla; 2004 - first win and first fastest lap (the 75th for Honda) for Chris Vermeulen; 2005 - tenth fastest lap for Regis Laconi; 250th race start for Pierfrancesco Chili;2006 - first pole position for Tommy Hill at his first presence;2007 - 110th podium for Troy Corser, 50th fastest race lap for Yamaha. Read article
Biaggi & Co. make long-awaited Silverstone comeback
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Tuesday, 27th July 2010, 14:58 GMTRound ten of the 13-round HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship will take place at the latest incarnation of the classic Silverstone circuit this weekend, between 30 July and 1 August. The championship has been to Silverstone on six previous occasions, the most recent being in 2007, when only one race took place due to incessant rain that flooded the track before race two could get underway. The Silverstone that WSB returns to this year is a very different venue from previous versions, with massive investment in both a heavily modified circuit layout and infrastructure improvements resulting in a 5.902 km circuit, which owes a lot to the ex-airfield circuit's original reputation as a fast and open racetrack, where speed is a key element. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) and his factory team have been almost immaculate in 2010, winning half the races on offer, finishing every race in the points and having no individual placing lower than eighth. Biaggi has been so consistent he has only had five non-podium finishes all season. No surprise to find that Max is a clear championship leader after round nine at Brno, now having a 68-point advantage approaching Silverstone. Biaggi has not got far to look to see the immediate threat at Silverstone, with the first of seven well-equipped local riders being second placed in the overall WSB rankings, Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare). Haslam could ask for no better current WSB venue to try to make big inroads into Biaggi's points lead, as he will have the crowd firmly on his side for the first time all year, and greater recent experience of at least some of the Silverstone layout than many of his rivals. There are no fewer than seven full time riders in the 2010 line-up who emanate from the UK, and all of them are on either official or well-supported machinery. For this reason alone Silverstone may well provide the best chance of a new name appearing on the 2010 winner's roster since Kyalami in May. So far we have had six different race-winning riders, the roll of honour led by Biaggi with nine victories. Next up, Haslam is tied on three wins with overall third placed rider Jonathan Rea (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda). Rea has been busy of late, winning the first race at Brno last time out before heading to Japan and a podium slot at the Suzuka 8 Hours last weekend. Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati) was a winner at round one in Australia and he is now fourth in the points, close to Rea and the following rider in fifth place, Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox). Haga is another with a single win to his credit in 2010, and the most recent rider to enter the 2010 winners' club is Haga's own team-mate, Michel Fabrizio - eighth overall and twice a podium man in the past two rounds. The Ducati 1200cc Vee-twin riders will all arrive at Silverstone with the same regulation minimum weight of 162 kg as the other machines, after once more breaking through the lower threshold of the balancing regulations at the previous Brno round. The seven British regulars looking for hometown glory on Sunday include James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda), a double WSBK champion but a rider still looking for his first win in his comeback season. He has already stated that a British 1-2-3 is very possible at Silverstone and for him the top step of the podium is his overriding motivation this weekend. James is sixth in the current rankings. Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) was unlucky to injure himself at the previous round in Brno, missing raceday, but he is expecting great things from his S1000RR around the fast sweeps of Silverstone, if he comes through a test at Mugello in good condition. Troy is seventh now, two points ahead of a chasing Fabrizio, with the second official BMW rider, Ruben Xaus, 13th overall and improving all the time. One of the ‘magnificent seven' local riders is particularly well known to British crowds, 2009 BSB champion Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia). Already a podium placer on his vee-four Aprilia, Camier is having an intense learning year in WSB, tied on points with a Superpole expert in his first full season, Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda). Briton Crutchlow has scored pole four times so far, and has four podium places to boot. He is tenth in the championship, but tied on the same 138 point total as Camier and British-domiciled Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare). Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati) sits 12th right now, looking forward to his latest return home to race and another chance to match his sheer speed over a single lap to a race result of equal prominence. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) is the seventh Brit in regular WSB competition in 2010 and he more than anyone will see Silverstone as an opportunity to shine. With his regular team-mate Chris Vermeulen out for the rest of the year through injury, he will have the legendary figure of Akira Yanagawa alongside him at Silverstone, as the Japanese star stands-in for Chris for this race. Series regular Luca Scassa (Supersonic Ducati) who suffered a fracture at the Brno race weekend, has recovered well and will race in England. Jakub Smrz (Pata B&G Aprilia) will be on a vee-four for this round again, with Max Neukirchner (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda) and Honda privateer Broc Parkes (ECHO CRS) out for more points to move up the standings. Lorenzo Lanzi (DFX Corse Ducati) plus Pedercini Kawasaki team-mates Roger Lee Hayden and Matteo Baiocco are also privateers worth watching. Wildcards of the highest quality and equipment levels are set to join the Silverstone party in 2010, as Josh Brookes and Ryuichi Kiyonari (both HM Plant Honda) combine forces to lever points and places from the hands of the regulars. Privateer rider Tommy Bridewell will also be made welcome in the WSB paddock on his Quay Garage Honda. SUPERSPORT: For the fifth time this year the championship lead has changed hands once again with three riders having taken turns to head up the standings even before the last round at Brno. After another win, his third of the year, Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) left Brno at the top of the reckoning and second place in the race gave Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com) second in the rankings also, some 15 points behind Sofuoglu. Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) no-scored for the first time last time and is now third, 22 points adrift but with four races to go - including Silverstone. ParkinGO Triumph BE-1's Chaz Davies is an increasingly impressive fourth, having scored three podium finishes so far. Almost a podium finisher last time out, Gino Rea (Intermoto Czech Honda) is looking forward to his first full Supersport World Championship race at Silverstone. Ronan Quarmby (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) will replace injured regular runner Michele Pirro at Silverstone and there are no fewer than 28 riders on the Silverstone grid, thanks to a wildcard rider influx. SUPERSTOCK 1000: Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia STK) has remained untouchable at the top of the Superstock 1000 standings, winning six from six as his championship carries on relentlessly. He now has a 77-point advantage over Michele Magnoni (Bevilacqua Corse Honda), and a win at Silverstone would give Badovini the championship no matter what. Lesser results would also see him crowned champion, if all his four main rivals have poor weekends. Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Racing Junior Honda) is third overall, while Andrea Antonelli (Team Lorini Honda) heads up the final top five runners, together with Davide Giugliano (Team06 Suzuki). SUPERSTOCK 600: Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Racing Yamaha) is overcoming all obstacles in his way this year in the 600 Superstock division, having won four races and been placed in the other two. He leads his French countryman Florian Marino (Ten Kate Junior Racing Honda) by 30 points after his last win in the Czech Republic. Italian rider Federico D'Annunzio (Martini Corse Yamaha) is still third but looking for his first win of the year. TRIUMPH PARKINGO SERIES: The monomarque Triumph ParkinGO European Series will be back at Silverstone, with riders on identical Triumph Street Triple R machines battling it out for glory in this thrilling class. Fabrizio Perotti is the leader with three rounds to go, 16 points ahead of Matteo Marzotto. THE CIRCUIT: The recent works at Silverstone have now created a multiple use circuit of truly international class, including several initiatives that have been specifically designed for motorcycle use. Riders and spectators have been well catered for in the layout to be used for World Superbike, with the track now shooting to the infield at one key section to allow spectators in that area a closer look at the action, while still meeting all the latest safety requirements. The work at Silverstone is still continuing, to make the classic British circuit even more user-friendly for all. High top speeds and fast average lap speeds will be much in evidence. Read article
Magnificent Seven line up for shoot-out
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Monday, 26th July 2010, 12:46 GMTBritain's ‘Magnificent Seven' World Superbike riders will ride into Silverstone this week for the UK's only round of the FIM Superbike World Championship. Rather than protecting the Silverstone crowd from marauding Mexican bandits, the Magnificent Seven will be searching for glory of a different kind; going all out to clinch race wins and podium finishes aboard their trusty two-wheeled steeds. The seven British regular World Superbike riders got together at the last round of the series in Brno, Czech Republic, to pay homage to the classic John Sturges film, The Magnificent Seven, that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Donning cowboy hats, they lined up in their current championship positions to publicize their imminent arrival at their home circuit - the new 3.666 mile Silverstone track. Pictured from left to right are Leon Haslam, Jonathan Rea, James Toseland, Leon Camier, Cal Crutchlow, Shane Byrne and Tom Sykes. Cast as the ‘bandit' in the scenario is veteran Italian rider Max Biaggi. Biaggi is a four-time 250cc World Champion and former MotoGP front-runner. He currently heads the championship standings with Haslam and Rea, second and third, in hot pursuit. Read article
Althea aiming for better fortunes at Silverstone
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Monday, 19th July 2010, 13:28 GMTAfter the Althea Racing team name had strangely not figured in the top echelons of the World Superbike classification in both Brno races of the ninth round of the championship, Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne (photo) will be looking forward to making up ground again at Silverstone but for different reasons. Checa qualified in eighth place at Brno, but closed the morning's race in ninth position while in the afternoon he just missed out on the top five, having to settle for sixth. "In the morning we tried to adapt the bike to the situation but during the race it was sliding around a lot," declared the privateer Spaniard, who is still the leading Ducati rider in the standings after two-thirds of the season is over. "I tried to push to take as many championship points as possible but now my head is already focused on Silverstone, a great track, rich in history, on which we will try to race to the front." Shane Byrne, who had suffered a nasty gash in his left hand in a pre-Brno testing crash at Imola, fulfilled his initial objective to finish in the top ten. The British rider, who as far back as 2003 scored a sensational double win at the Brands Hatch WSB round, is now concentrating on getting a good result again in front of his home fans. "Now I'm banking on getting fully fit so I can be totally prepared for Silverstone. No-one has ridden on the new track yet and this could be an interesting factor as far as the races are concerned." Read article
