WSBK preview: Monza
Round four of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship sees the SBK circus descend on the high-speed and historic Italian circuit of MonzaThe eni FIM Superbike World Championship returns to Monza’s Autodromo Nazionale for round four of the season, with riders ready to lock horns on the fastest track on the calendar on Sunday, May 12. Following the two races at Assen, Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) is still the championship leader with 111 points. The Frenchman, who ended his seven-podium-finish streak in race two at the last round, is now looking forward to riding his works RSV4 on a track to which the furious speed and top-end of the V-four will be well suited.
Guintoli will face fierce competition from a trio of riders ready to challenge him for the lead. Teammate Eugene Laverty – the double winner at Monza two years ago (in his rookie season) and boosted by the outstanding race-two win of the last round – is tied on 83 points with Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team). Davies dominated at Monza in 2011 in World Supersport, taking pole, the race win and the fastest lap, while Sykes triumphed in race two of the World Superbike round at Monza last year.
Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) welcomes Kousuke Akiyoshi, his former teammate in last year’s Suzuka 8-Hour win, who has been selected as substitute for an injured Leon Haslam for the upcoming round. Haslam is doing his best to speed up his recovery in order to race at Donington Park later this month. Rea and the team can count on the experience of the 38-year-old from Japan – an official HRC test rider – to further improve the CBR1000RR after some good indications from the recent two-day test at Assen.
Monza serves as the first of two home races for Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet), who is back after his unfortunate outing at Assen, and for Michel Fabrizio, who scored his maiden World Superbike race win at Monza in 2009 (race one).
Monza holds fond memories for Jules Cluzel (FIXI Crescent Suzuki), who tasted victory there last year in the Supersport race – also his first win in the series. Carlos Checa and Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare) are about to face a tough challenge on a track that hasn't suited the Ducatis particularly well in recent times. The 1199 Panigale R will feature a 52mm air restrictor as per FIM regulations regarding the performance balance between twin- and four-cylinder machines.
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