Sykes leads the WSBK standings as the series heads to Imola

The eni FIM Superbike World Championship is about to return to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari of Imola for what will be the fourth event of the 2014 season. The historical venue, located in the city, 40km southeast of Bologna, entered the World Superbike calendar in 2001 and has so far hosted the series 11 times. In 2009 a new, slow-speed chicane named “Nuova Variante Bassa” was added to the circuit layout just before the finish line.

Last year Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) had one of his three dominant weekends in his title-winning season: the Huddersfield born rider secured pole position and won both races, setting the new outright best lap and lap record in the process. The reigning World Superbike Champion and current points leader is the only rider to start from Pole Position on more than one occasion at the Italian track – in 2010 (maiden career pole), 2012 and 2013.

After winning his second race of the season last time out at Assen (race one), Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) now lies second in the standings, twelve points shy of the leader and three points ahead of compatriot Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team). Both riders have never won on the Italian track, unlike Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike), who climbed on the top step of the podium at Imola in 2011 (race one).

The Ulsterman is looking forward to the Italian round, hoping to keep the momentum going after some solid performances in the first three outings of 2014 and his maiden race victory of the year scored in the second Dutch race a fortnight ago.

With the riders in the top four within 19 points of each other, the rest of the field is already falling a significant distance behind. Fifth place Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team), still looking for his first win astride the factory RSV4, has a 39 point gap from the top, with Ducati Superbike Team duo Davide Giugliano (49) and Chaz Davies (61), as well as Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s Eugene Laverty (62), further behind.

Following his double DNF at Assen, Laverty hopes to return to his early season form, whilst the goal for Laverty’s team mate Alex Lowes is to build on his maiden WSBK podium, achieved on Dutch soil.

The battle for the title in the EVO class continues at Imola with Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing Team) looking strong after finishing twice on top at Assen. David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team) will take the charge to the Italian, hoping his injured right hand will not affect his on-track performance. Leon Camier (BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team) will again replace the Sylvain Barrier, whilst current Italian Superbike champion Ivan Goi will make a wildcard appearance aboard the Barni Racing Team’s EVO-spec 1199 Panigale R.

Team Hero EBR will race with an upgraded machine, with Bimota Alstare and MV Agusta RC – Yakhnich Motorsport) looking for solid results as the action resumes.

Standings (Round 3 of 13): 1. Sykes 108; 2. Guintoli 96; 3. Baz 93; 4. Rea 89; 5. Melandri 69; 6. Giugliano 59; 7. Davies 47; 8. Laverty 46; 9. Haslam44; 10. Lowes 36; 11. Elias 34; 12. Canepa 28; 13. Salom 27; 14. Scassa 11; 15. Camier 11; 16. Morais 10; 17. Foret 9; 18. Allerton 6; 19. Bos 5;20. Corti 5; 21. Guarnoni 5; 22. Fabrizio 2. Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 114; 2. Aprilia 106; 3. Honda 89; 4. Suzuki 76; 5. Ducati 73; 6. BMW 17; 7. MV Agusta 5.

Round 4, Imola – eni FIM Superbike World Championship – Statistical Smorgasbord with Michele Merlino

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• Tom Sykes is the man to beat in Imola: last year he scored the double from pole, recording both fastest laps. In race two he also led from lights to flag. Tom adds to these wins two second places, behind Carlos Checa, in the 2012 races. Tom is the only rider in history to have recorded more than one pole here: he counts three so far (2010, his maiden pole; 2012; 2013).
• Only one podium out of eight races run here for Sylvain Guintoli: last year in race two, when he finished behind Sykes and Giugliano, losing the lead of the championship, that will eventually recover in Russia. In race one he suffered from an engine failure when he was third, always behind Sykes and Giugliano: one of his two retirements in Imola, the other one in 2012 in race one, when he fell at Tamburello, taking Davies with him. In all the other races (6) he always scored points here. His best grid spot on the Santerno track is a second, scored two years ago: last year he started from fourth.
• Loris Baz had to race last year with a sore shoulder and also with pain in his ankles for a fall in superpole. He was ninth in race one and sixth in race two (he took painkillers only in the second one). He was second in 2012 in the Superstock 1000 class behind Sylvain Barrier, less than a second adrift, and tenth in the 2009 race.
• Two podium placements for Jonathan Rea in Imola: he won the first race in 2011 and was second last year in race two. He endured a great share of bad luck here: a clash with Fabrizio and a brake problem in 2009; he was a non-starter in the 2010 races for pain in his wrist after a fall on saturday; in race two in 2011 he had an electrical problem when he was enjoying a clear lead; in 2012 in race one he fell in qualifying, hitting his head quite heavily; last year in race two he fell whilerunning fourth.
• This is one of the two tracks, after Assen, where Marco Melandri never stood on the podium in his six Superbike races run here. He always scored points in Imola, finishing between fourth and tenth and posting last year his best result: twice fourth. He always qualified in the top-10 here, but never on the front row: his best grid spot in Imola is a sixth, scored two years ago.
• Davide Giugliano scored here in race two one of his three second places of his career, his best result under the chequered flag so far, starting from the third grid spot. That was the only time he finished a Superbike race in Imola: last year he fell in race two at Tosa while in second and two years ago he retired in race one and ran out of fuel while running sixth in race two. Davide was second behind Danilo Petrucci in the 2011 Superstock 1000 race and won in 2006 the Superstock 600 race before Xavier Simeon and Sylvain Barrier.
• The best results for Chaz Davies came last year, when he was sixth in race one and fifth in race two. He was less lucky two years ago: hit by Guintoli’s bike in race one and only fourteenth in race two. In 2011 in Supersport he had a clear lead when his engine failed: in the same championship he was fourth in 2009 and third in 2010.
• Eugene Laverty scored last year his only Imola podium: third after Guintoli’s engine failure. In race two he fell while third behind Sykes and Rea. In 2011 and 2012 he always finished from fourth to sixth. His best qualifying result in Imola is a fifth, scored last year and in 2011.
• Leon Haslam climbed on the podium only in 2012 with BMW, twice third, out of twelve Imola races. Last year he was tenth and ninth. Bad memories from 2010, when in race one he was second up to the last lap, then he made a mistake and finished fifth. In race two the engine on his Suzuki failed, giving the world title to Max Biaggi.
• The only international race for Alex Lowes in Imola dates back 2009, when he was fifteenth in grid and eleventh in the Superstock 1000 event for MV Agusta.
• Toni Elias races for the first time in Imola: the prototypes championship ran here from 1996 to 1999 and Toni began his full-time international career only the following year, on the 125 cc class.
• In 2012, in Superbike, Niccolò Canepa was tenth in race one and fell in race two while fighting for fifth. His experience on this track encompasses also three Superstock 1000 races (third in 2011 and second behind Sylvain Barrier last year). In 2005, in the same weekend, he ran the Supersport race finishing fifteenth and scored pole in the Superstock 600 class, falling on the opening lap.
• David Salom scored his best result in Imola in his fourth race here, race two last year, when he was seventeenth. For him also two Supersport races: he was fifth in 2011.
• Luca Scassa scored in Imola in 2010 his best Superbike grid spot to date: fourth behind Tom Sykes, Jakub Smrz and Leon Haslam. In the races he was thirteenth and tenth. In the Supersport championship he was sixth last year, and in 2011 he started from second: he was running second when the engine on his Yamaha failed, sending him on the ground. In 2004 he scored in Imola his maiden Superstock 1000 podium.
• Leon Camier was able to climb on the podium in the second 2011 race, behind Carlos Checa and Noriyuki Haga. He doesn’ count any other podium finishes here: last year he was seventh in both races, fighting with Davies in race one and Baz in race two. Sheridan Morais finished tenth in the two Supersport races held here in the past two seasons. He was seventh in the Superstock 1000 race, back in 2011;
• Ten Supersport races for Fabien Foret in Imola: the Frenchman was able to win three: 2001, 2011 and 2012. To date he is the most successful Supersrport rider in his track: Karl Muggeridge and Kenan Sofuoglu follow him at two wins each.
• Two Superstock 1000 races for Claudio Corti in Imola: fourth in 2006, he was second behind Xavier Simeon in 2009. He was fifth in the 2005 Superstock 600 race.
• Three Superstock 1000 races for Jeremy Guarnoni in Imola: his best result came last year, with a seventh in grid and a sixth in the race. He was fifth and sixth also in the 2009 and 2010 Superstock 600 races.
• Michel Fabrizio lived here a special weekend in 2009, when he scored his only Superbike pole, was third in race one and won race two before Noriyuki Haga and Marco Simoncelli. He counts three more points finishes here, his last two last year (fifth and eighth), but he endured a total of seven retirements in Imola: two falls and five mechanical failures. His last top-10 grid spot here dates back 2010 (10th).
• Alessandro Andreozzi last year was tenth in grid and eighth in the race in the Superstock 1000 class.
•  Ayrton Badovini always scored points in his six Superbike races in Imola, posting his best results last year, when he was eighth in race one and tenth in race two: in both occasions he was the best-placed Ducati rider at the flag. He won from pole the Superstock 1000 race in 2010, securing also the fastest race lap. He won from pole also the year before, but was disqualified for a technical infringment (illegal fasteners).
•  Last year in the Supersport championship, Christian Iddon wasn’t very lucky in Imola: in qualifying an electrical problem forced him to sit out the decisive minutes of qualifying, ending up 21st in grid. After the start he climbed through the field, but he fell after five laps. The race was stopped, but his bike couldn’t be repaired in time for the restart.
• Four Supersport races for Imre Toth in Imola: he was able to finish in the points (15th) in the 2011 one, retiring in 2010 and 2012, and finishing seventeenth last year.
• Peter Sebestyen was sixth in last year’s European Junior Cup race.

MANUFACTURERS

• Aprilia never won here since their return to racing: their only win here is Regis Laconi’s one in 2001, race two. Aprilia scored ten podium placements in Imola, eight from 2009 onwards. Always considering the races from 2009, the best-placed Aprilia was always among the top-five in every race. Only one pole here: in 2001 with Troy Corser.
• Only two podiums for BMW in Imola: both came from Leon Haslam, third twice in 2012. Haslam is also the only BMW rider to have started from the front row here: fourth in 2012.
• 13 wins and 30 total podium spots for Ducati in Imola: last year was the only one in which they missed the podium in both races. Their last wins here came two years ago (a double by Carlos Checa).
• Honda is second to Ducati for wins here: five to thirteen. Their last win came in 2011 (Rea) and the last podium last year (Rea, 2nd).
• Kawasaki won, climbed on the podium and started from the front row here only with Tom Sykes (pole in 2010, 2012 and 2013; double win last year; two second places two years ago).
• Suzuki never won in Imola, scoring three podium placements, the last one in 2006 with Yukio Kagayama (third).
• Bimota never raced in Superbike on the Imola track, present on the calendar from 2001 onwards.

Statistics by Michele Merlino

World Supersport

Imola is the next stop for one of the closest World Supersport seasons in recent years. The title race sees a consistent Florian Marino (Intermoto Ponyexpres Kawasaki) leading the way, four points ahead of Assen race winner Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Superbike). Kev Coghlan (DMC-Panavto Yamaha), third, and Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta RC – Yakhnich Motorsport), fourth, are only 5 and 8 points shy of the leader respectively, with CIA Insurance Honda’s Raffaele De Rosa (15) and San Carlo Puccetti Racing Kawasaki’s Roberto Tamburini (20) in fifth and sixth place, followed by three time WSS Champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki).

The Turk has endured so far a difficult early part of the season, crashing out of the opening race and, forced to an early retirement in the last encounter at Assen, due to a technical problem. Sofuoglu did win in Aragon (his only finish of 2014 so far) and can be confident that last year he was victorious in the Supersport race at Imola, edging out Sam Lowes by half a second at the finish line.

Former WSS full timer and podium finisher Alex Baldolini (ATK Racing) will make his return to the series this weekend, as the Italian rider will contest the first of five rounds aboard a privately entered MV Agusta F3 675.

Standings (Round 3 of 12): 1. Marino 49; 2. Vd Mark 45; 3. Coghlan 44; 4. Cluzel 41; 5. De Rosa 34; 6. Tamburini 29; 7. Sofuoglu 25; 8. Zanetti 24; 9. Rolfo 19; 10. Wahr 16; 11. Gamarino 13; 12. Leonov 12; 13. Russo 10; 14. Gowland 9; 15. Jacobsen 9; 16. Menghi 9; 17. Wilairot 9; 18. Bussolotti 7; 19. Kennedy 5; 20. Coveña 4; 21. Schmitter 3; 22. Calero 3; 23. Rogers 1. Manufacturers: 1. Honda 61; 2. Kawasaki 58; 3. MV Agusta 49; 4. Yamaha 44; 5. Triumph 9.

Superstock 1000

Despite a fifth place in the wet STK1000 race at Assen, Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing Team Ducati) still holds on to first place as the 2024 series approaches the third round. The Argentinean rider is followed closely by Team Pedercini Kawasaki’s Lorenzo Savadori and MTM Racing Team Kawasaki’s and Dutch round winner Kevin Valk, second and third with only 3 and 4 points to make up respectively.

The other Barni Racing rider Ondrej Jezek, third last year at Imola behind winner Barrier and second placed Canepa, made up for the lost ground he suffered in the opening round by crossing the line second in the Dutch encounter. The Czech rider is now fifth overall behind Frenchman Matthieu Lussiana (Team Garnier by ASPI Kawasaki) but ahead of David McFadden (MRS Kawasaki), Kyle Smith (Agro-On Wil Racedays Honda) and Romain Lanusse (Team Pedercini Kawasaki).

Several one-off entrants will also add some extra flavour to the Italian round.

Standings (Round 2 of 7): 1. Mercado 36; 2. Savadori 33; 3. Valk 32; 4. Lussiana 26; 5. Jezek 20; 6. McFadden 18; 7. Smith 16; 8. Lanusse 15; 9. Bergman 13; 10. D’Annunzio 13; 11. Day 10; 12. Grotzkyj G. 9; 13. Massei 8; 14. Nemeth 7; 15. Walraven 6; 16. Pagaud 6; 17. Schacht 5; 18. Castellarin 4; 19. Suchet 2; 20. Ayer 1. Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 45; 2. Ducati 45; 3. Honda 21; 4. BMW 13; 5. Suzuki

Superstock 600

The FIM Europe Superstock 600 riders are ready for another exciting event of the season at Imola, with the title race that sees Finland’s Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing Team) heading the field after his maiden victory in the series a fortnight ago at Assen.

Two thirds in the opening two races of the season have allowed Wayne Tessels (Wayne Racing Team Suzuki) to elevate himself to second place in the standings, whilst San Carlo Team Italia Kawasaki duo Marco Faccani and Andrea Tucci, who dominated the first encounter at Aragon, are now tied with 31 points in third and fourth place, respectively.

Former EJC entrant Kevin Manfredi (Agro-On Wil Racedays Honda), who was second at the flag at Assen, currently lies fifth, 11 points behind the leader.

Two wildcard entrants are going to further increase the already significant number of local riders contesting the Italian Round – Massimiliano Spedale (GRADARACORSE Racing Team Yamaha) and Roberto Mercandelli (MC World Yamaha) could surprise the regulars this time out.

Standings (Round 2 of 7): 1. Tuuli 38; 2. Tessels 32; 3. Faccani 31; 4. Tucci 31; 5. Manfredi 27; 6. Mikhalchik 18; 7. Duwelz 18; 8. Salvadori 18; 9. Hartog 13; 10. Lahti 10; 11. Casalotti 9; 12. Nestorovic 7; 13. Gobbi 5; 14. Lewis 5; 15. Zeelen 5; 16. Rinaldi 4; 17. Marchal 4; 18. Canducci 3; 19. Pittet 2.

European Junior Cup

Marc Miralles (Honda Spain) leads the points in the Pata European Junior Cup, powered by Honda after winning the opening round of the season at Aragon and claiming a third place at Assen. The Dutch race saw Augusto Fernandez (WIL Sport) on top of the rostrum for the first time this season, courtesy of a masterful performance in wet conditions. Fernandez lies second in the title race, 3 points behind Miralles and 10 points ahead of another Spaniard, Javier Orellana (Europ Food SL), with Sweden’s Jesper Hubner (Honda Sweden) in fourth place.

Standings (Round 2 of 8): 1. Miralles 41; 2. Fernandez 38; 3. Orellana 28; 4. Hubner 27; 5. Soomer 20; 6. Grassia 18; 7. Perez 16; 8. Licciardi 14; 9. London 14; 10. Brink 13; 11. Fernandez 11; 12. Harland 11; 13. Wisdom 10; 14. Van Sikkelerus 6; 15. Geissler 4; 16. Zhu 4; 17. Moreno 2; 18. Patterson 2; 19. Levy 1.

HRC Preview

Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) and his team-mate Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) have many reasons to look forward to the Imola round of the FIM Superbike World Championship, after the team’s first win of the year at Assen last time out.

Rea made it 12 career victories on his Ten Kate prepared Honda when he won race two at the Dutch squad’s home event. This time around it will be title sponsor Pata’s home round, which will be another spur to the ever increasing confidence of everyone involved in the team.

Jonathan is now fourth in the championship battle after three intense rounds of action, from Australia to Spain to the Netherlands, and he is only 19 points from championship leader Tom Sykes (Kawasaki). Rea has three podium places to his credit in 2014 already and is eager to boost that total before heading back to his home round in the UK at the end of May.

Leon’s previous record at Imola includes two podium finishes in the 2012 season, shortly before he joined the Pata Honda team for the start of the 2013 campaign. With new electronics and many new parts on his race-spec Fireblade, Haslam has been making progress through the year and is now looking to jump up to his first podium spot of the season. Haslam is ninth in the championship standings with a best 2014 finish of fifth, at the most recent race in the wet at Assen.

Like Assen the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari is yet another classic circuit to appear on the 2014 FIM Superbike World Championship trail. With the paddock hemmed in by the Santerno River on one side and occupying a location inside the city boundaries of Imola itself, the 4.936km long racetrack features some of the most evocative and challenging sections in world motorsport. Tamburello, Piratella, Acque Minerali and Rivazza are all names that resonate in the memories of all kinds of motorsport fans and in 2014 the Superbike World Championship will be the main race event at the Imola facility.

Even though the fastest corners have seen the adoption of chicanes over the decades, and other works have been carried out on certain sections of the racetrack at regular intervals, Imola is still very much a naturally sculpted venue. It is also an anti-clockwise circuit, which puts it in the minority compared to most international racing venues.

Since it first appeared on the SBK Championship trail in 2001, Imola has hosted 21 previous individual races. It should have been 22 but one race in 2005 was cancelled due to a waterlogged track surface. Honda riders have won five of those 21 races, the most recent being Rea in 2011.

There will be a one-day official tyre test for the SBK riders on the Monday after raceday at Imola, before the travelling circus heads back northwards for the next round at Donington Park in England on 25 May. 

After Dutch rider Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) won the previous race at his home circuit of Assen every Honda rider in the FIM Supersport World Championship enters the forthcoming Imola round confident in their ability to put in a season best performance.

Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) – “After Assen it is really nice to go to another circuit I really enjoy. It is also so good to be in Italy because the atmosphere at this round is one of the best of the season. Imola is a track that I have seemed to bond well with over the last few years. I am just looking forward to getting back on my bike because I enjoyed Assen so much. I am looking forward to seeing where we are at Imola on Sunday morning and we will try to make some good set-up work that will allow us to ride with the front group again.”

Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) – “We came to Italy right after the Dutch race and we also had Jonathan over to visit, so it has been good to be here for a while. After Assen, Imola should also be a good circuit for the Honda. I have had mixed results there over the years on different bikes but I have usually been battling for the top three places. Except for last year when it was my first weekend back after breaking my leg. All in all, I do like the circuit. At Aragon and Assen I definitely thought the CBR was a top five bike in the dry and obviously a winning bike in the wet for Jonathan. We were just a little bit of a step behind at those tracks in finding the set-up that Jonathan had. It is quite positive what he has achieved over the past couple of races and we just need to get there too. I feel pretty good about that.”