WSBK Preview: Aragon

The 2013 Superbike World Championship reconvenes in Spain after a long break, with Aprilia factory duo Eugene Laverty and Sylvain Guintoli leading the way

After the season kick-off at Phillip Island on February 24, the 2013 Superbike World Championship lands in Europe for round two, to be held from April 12-14 at the challenging Aragon circuit in northern Spain.

Gosford’s Mark Aitchison joins the world superbike (WSBK) grid at Aragon, aboard a Ducati 1098R for the returning Team Effenbert Liberty Racing. The Australian was a WSBK rider in 2011 for Team Pedercini Kawasaki and then spent five rounds on a privateer BMW in 2012 before moving on.

Now he has snapped up the deal with Effenbert to return to the class, after a prior deal to compete in the 2013 British Superbike Championship fell over.

“I’m very happy to have found a place in the world superbike title for this season,” said Aitchison.

“Of course we know that it will not be easy coming so late to the series. We have had no testing and development time, so it’s fair to say we have planned to use the first few rounds to accustom myself with the bike and team. I will do my absolute best for the team, and I’m sure once we find a good direction and rhythm the results will follow.”

Aitchison will certainly have his back against the wall at Aragon, with all other teams having raced round one at Phillip Island and invested further days in testing since the opener.

Eyes will be on the Aprilia Racing Team after its domination at Phillip Island, when team-mates Eugene Laverty and Sylvain Guintoli shared wins and second places. Laverty has always been fast at Aragon, and narrowly missed victory in 2012 when Marco Melandri pipped him in race two.

On the other hand, Guintoli, has never managed a top 10 finish at Aragon, but the new signing for Aprilia appears to have a strong handle on the V-four machine.

The current king of Aragon is without doubt Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet), who has finished on the podium in all four races for two wins and two second places. Aragon won’t be easy for the Italian, still recovering from a shoulder injury, aggravated by a crash with Carlos Checa in Australia. With Melandri out of action, BMW’s test plans have been somewhat waylaid. Only new signing Chaz Davies participated in an earlier test focusing on new electronics installed on the S 1000 RR. Last week Melandri was back on track as BMW put its machines and men through their paces in a two-day test at Jerez.

Checa (Team Ducati Alstare), whose braking error during the first Australian race led to both he and Melandri crashing out in race one and suffering injury, is hoping his home event will deliver a turnaround in form and luck. Normally the Phillip Island favourite is an early bolter in the championship, but the Spaniard goes to Aragon with no points under his belt. To further complicate matters for the injury fraught Alstare squad, Checa’s team-mate Ayrton Badovini will attempt to participate despite still recuperating from a fractured bone in his left foot.

High expectations remain for the Barcelona-based Kawasaki Racing Team, which performed well over last week’s three-day test at Aragon. Kawasaki shared the track with several teams including FIXI Crescent Suzuki and Pata Honda World Superbike, with Kawasaki’s main man, Tom Sykes coming out on top and proving he is close to full fitness after his Phillip Island wrist injury.

Leon Camier and Jules Cluzel will compete at Aragon boosted by a new engine-spec on their FIXI Crescent Suzukis, while Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam recently completed a two-day test to fine-tune the new electronics on their CBR1000RRs.

Current standings: 1. Laverty 45; 2. Guintoli 45; 3. Fabrizio 29; 4. Sykes 22; 5. Melandri 16; 6. Rea 16; 7. Haslam 15; 8. Cluzel 14; 9. Camier 14; 10. Davies 13; 11. Neukirchner 11; 12. Giugliano 10; 13. Baz 10; 14. Allerton 6; 15. Clementi 4.

WORLD SUPERSPORT

The Supersport World Championship is back at Aragon and with title holder, Turkey’s Kenan Sofuoglu, leading the championship after early success in Australia.

The controversial outcome of last year’s world supersport race at Aragon is all water under the bridge as Sofuoglu and Fabien Foret are now team-mates under Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki colours.

2012 Aragon race winner Sam Lowes appears the rider most likely to challenge Sofuoglu’s leadership, but the young Brit landed badly on his left hand during a three-day test at Aragon last week and is not 100 per cent. Lowes and Vladimir Leonov (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) were joined on track for the test by Pata Honda World Supersport duo of Michael van der Mark and Lorenzo Zanetti, Luca Scassa (Intermoto Ponyexpres Kawasaki), Kev Coghlan and Vladimir Ivanov (DMC Lorenzini Kawasaki) and Gabor Talmacsi (Prorace Honda).

Wollongong’s Mitch Carr and his Aussie-based AARK Racing kick off their international campaign on the Triumph 675R; while West Wyalong’s 17-year-old Matt Davies takes on the second round of the championship aboard his Honda CBR600RR.

Standings: 1. Sofuoglu 25; 2. Lowes 20; 3. vd Mark 16; 4. Foret 13 5. Salom 11; 6. Scassa 10; 7. Antonelli 9; 8. Zanetti 8; 9. Roccoli 7; 10. Kennedy 6.

WORLD SUPERBIKES ON SPEED

WSBK Superpole -- SAT 13/4 at 10:45pm LIVE (Rpt 14/4 7am)
WSBK Race 1 -- SUN 14/4 at 7:30pm LIVE (Rpts 14/4 9am, 5pm)
WSS Race -- SUN 14/4 at 9:15pm LIVE
Superstock 1000 -- SUN 14/4 at 10:30pm
WSBK Race 2 -- SUN 14/4 at 11:00pm LIVE
All times EST

WSBK Preview: Aragon

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