It seems redundant to say racing is a fast sport, but there really isn’t any let up. Ben Spies is crowned SBK champion on Sunday, scramble up the roster some, and then start the 2010 campaign with the first test of the offseason on Tuesday. After two days, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea topped the timesheet, followed by Ducati Xerox rider Michel Fabrizio.
Rea Sets the Pace with Ten Kate
Jonathan Rea ended the season strong and hopes to make a title running play for 2010 with the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda.
According to Hannspree PR, Rea’s result came on Pirelli rubber not available during the final races of the season, which helps to explain the
Honda man's blistering 1’41.878 best that beat Ben Spies’ Superpole time of 1’42.412 on qualifying tires. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Rea’s second- and third-place finishes on Sunday were the most successful of any rider not named Spies. The Northern Irishman’s confidence is brimming for the upcoming 2010 campaign.
“I just want to say how really, really proud I am of the whole team, who have worked so hard over the last weeks,” said Rea. “They’ve gone through this test positively and methodically and got the bike working better. The great thing is that there is still so much potential and that just fills me with confidence for next season. The lap times were coming quite easily and we did all our work on used tires.”
Rea’s new teammate, Max Neukirchner, was 10th-fastest during the test. The German rider is still getting up to speed after a nasty crash ruined his 2009 season with Suzuki. Nuke’s fitness will be the first order of business as the German rider admitted he was fatigued after turning more than 140 laps during the two-day test.
Toseland Returns - The Once and Future King?
James Toseland returns to SBK as one of the title favorites to battle with Haga and company in 2010. Having underachieved in MotoGP, the pressure is on to exceed, or at the very least match, the success of the
Yamaha rider who replaced him on the Tech 3 squad.
James Toseland on the Yamaha R1. The British rider trades positions for 2010 with Ben Spies after getting demoted to SBK from the MotoGP Tech 3 Yamaha team. Toseland will campaign with SBK rookie Cal Crutchlow.
“I’ve been looking at Ben’s race time and in two days on the bike we are nearly a second a lap faster by the end which I’m quite pleased with,” said Toseland after testing. “We’ve got some work to do but for my first test on the bike we’ve been getting to understand the suspension and a few things and getting to understand how the bike reacts to some changes. We’re working on some of the electronics and an area of engine work as well. We’ve had a good test and have a lot of information to work on for next year. “
Toseland’s eighth-fastest time may appear underwhelming, but is prefaced by his long journey from the physically draining heat of the Malaysian GP. Not to mention the SBK veteran had never turned laps on the Portimao circuit, beginning his MotoGP career precisely the same time the Portugese circuit was homologated by the FIM in the fall of 2008.
“I like the bike, it’s so much different to what I’m used to though so it’s taking some time to tame the beast! When you ride a heavier bike you have to take your time to find its limits,” continued Toseland. “One thing I didn’t want to do was crash as I’ve got another GP to race next week. I’m really pleased with the team, and looking forward to testing again as soon as possible.”
Yamaha’s second ace, Supersport star Cal Crutchlow, made an impressive debut on the R1 – pacing third-fastest and within three-tenths of Rea.
Haga Ready for Break
Ducati’s Noriyuki Haga spent the two-day test sorting out new equipment for the 1098R, but the
Ducati pilot is clearly ready to get some miles between him and the Portimao circuit.
Noriyuki Haga, disappointed at Portimao. Can he rebound for another title attempt in 2010?
“Today we tried the new front fork and it felt quite similar to the one I use already but overall I prefer the one I have used up until now, the new one didn’t give me anything extra. I worked with the new clutch which is a bit of a different concept but it gave me a good feeling and it definitely has potential. I’m happy with how it’s gone here but to be honest I’m ready to go home as it’s been a long week.”
Haga’s disappointment and seventh-fastest result contrasts teammate Michel Fabrizio’s second-fastest testing time.
“I continued to test the fork that we used yesterday and I also tried the new shock,” said the Italian. “With the bike in its 2009 configuration but with the new shock mounted I was immediately half a second faster so it seems to be a big improvement. I’m very happy with the times as me and Jonathan were again the fastest out there and I’d say the testing has finished on a very positive note.”
Leon Haslam made an impressive testing debut for the Alstare Suzuki squad, fourth-fastest on Wednesday and fifth-fastest on Tuesday. The British rider’s first turn on the Suzuki GSX-R contrasted the times of new teammate, Sylvain Guintoli, who was a full-second behind.
Max Biaggi piloted the Aprilia RSV4 to a fourth-place overall in its first SBK campaign on Sunday. During the two-day test, Biaggi logged the fifth-fastest lap, with new teammate, British Superbike Champion Leon Camier, a mere 0.09 second adrift.
Former Hannspree Ten Kate rider and MotoGP vet Carlos Checa debuted for the new Althea Ducati team. The Spaniard got the satellite Ducati up to ninth-fastest.
Other News and Notes…
Tom Sykes finished first runs aboard his new Kawasaki ZX-10R in 14th. The British rider will share a garage next season with MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen, the Aussie not making the Portimao test after finishing sixth at Sepang this past weekend. Other interesting names reportedly taking part in the Portimao test include former MotoGP Kawasaki rider, Anthony West, and AMA rider Martin Cardenas, both riders turning laps aboard Yamaha machinery.
Portimao Test Two-Day Combined Times:
1. Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) 1'41.878
2. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1'41.992
3. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Superbike) 1'42.115
4. Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) 1'42.251
5. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) 1'42.71
6. Leon Camier (Aprilia Racing) 1'42.79
7. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) 1'43.098
8. James Toseland (Yamaha World Superbike) 1'43.147
9. Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati) 1'43.425
10. Max Neukirchner (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) 1'43.549
11. Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare) 1'43.612
12. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki WSRT) 1'43.902
13 Javier Fores (Kawasaki WSRT) 1'44.413
14. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki WSRT) 1'44.9
15. Vittorio Ianuzzo (Suzuki) 1'44.908
16. Alex Hofmann (Aprilia test rider) 1'45.5
17. Regis Laconi (DFX Ducati) 1'46.458
