World Superbike Brno Preview 2011

The World Superbike series heads to the Czech Republic this weekend for Round 8 of the 2011 Championship. The Brno circuit plays host to a tightening three-way battle in the premier SBK class, as Althea Ducati’s Carlos Checa looks to hold his points advantage over former GP foes, Max Biaggi and Marco Melandri.

Round 7 at Aragon proved a reversal of fortune for Checa, whose points lead withered from 72 to 43 courtesy of a Race 1 high-side DNF. The Spaniard rebounded with a gritty third-place performance in Race 2, but couldn’t finish ahead of those who mattered most, Melandri and Biaggi, as the two Italians split wins and a second-place finish apiece. The cards seem stacked against Checa this weekend, notching a 9-6 result last year at Brno and managing only one podium in six tries (a second-place finish in 2009 for Honda). Brno may end up being his damage control, though as Checa has bolstered the Ducati Twin’s results at traditionally unfavorable tracks this season.

“Last year we did not have such a great race but that was down to a tire choice,” explained Checa. “I think we have great potential this year; of course we have a disadvantage when it comes to power, especially on the uphill and the straight but I am confident and I think the work we’ve been doing this year will help us.”

Brno represents a huge opportunity for Alitalia Aprilia’s Biaggi. The defending champ enjoys an unmatched record at the Czech circuit, with three victories and seven podiums in his seven SBK races there. Biaggi’s GP days at Brno include a trio of wins in the premier class and four in 250 GP. Chances are good that The Emperor will cut into that 43-point deficit – the only question being by how much.

“It's no mystery that I like the Brno track very much,” said Biaggi on the Czech locale. “I have a particular feeling with this track which really suits my riding style well. But the last thing we need is to think that this will be a simple weekend. Each Superbike race writes its own history and our rivals have also demonstrated that they ride well here – especially Ducati and Yamaha.”

Melandri sits 66 points down from Checa in the championship and 23 down from Biaggi. Supermarco got back on track at Aragon with his 1-2 result. Unlike some of the previous rounds, the SBK rookie had the advantage of racing the Spanish circuit in GP before any of his new WSB brethren. Brno is another circuit where Melandri’s experience is robust, though his record not nearly as impressive as Biaggi’s. Fellow Factory Yamaha rider and rookie, Eugene Laverty, managed a 4-6 result at Aragon. The Irishman has traded spots with his Italian teammate as the more effective R1 pilot this season, so perhaps the pendulum will swing back to Laverty in Brno, who needs 49 points to catch Melandri for third in the standings.

Biaggi’s teammate, Leon Camier, has become a more regular podium performer, though the second-year British rider still struggles with consistency. Fellow countryman Leon Haslam follows Camier in the points in sixth. Haslam and the BMWs have struggled to find a race-winning pace. Haslam’s position in the Beemer hierarchy will not be challenged by injured teammate Troy Corser, who misses Brno with a broken arm sustained at Aragon. Instead, the biggest S1000RR rival to Haslam is Ayrton Badovini. The BMW Italia pilot has been a top-10 finisher ever since Miller and enjoyed past wins at Brno in the Superstock class – making him a dark horse contender for the top-five this weekend.

Kawasaski’s Tom Sykes can get cast into the top-five dark horse role as well, the British rider flogging the ZX-10R to its best results in years. Sykes managed a fifth-place result in Race 1 at Aragon before crashing out of Race 2. Teammate Joan Lascorz nabbed fifth in Race 2, a promising sign for the traditionally anemic Kawasaki WSB effort. The third Paul Bird Kawasaki, piloted by Chris Vermeulen, is finally back in action. While the 12-14 Aragon result is far from Chris V’s potential, it’s promising to finally see the oft-injured Aussie getting back in the results. The second half of the season should see significant improvement.

Also returning from injury is James Toseland, who arrives at Brno recovering from the lingering effects of a testing crash earlier this year. King James hasn’t been himself since his MotoGP demotion. It’s now up to the two-time SBK champion to prove he’s still got the pace to be a contender, no mean feat aboard the BMW Italia.

In the Castrol Honda camp Jonathan Rea remains out of commission with a broken arm. The Northern Ireland native is replaced at Brno by Alex Lowes, who gets his first shot at a SBK ride after competing aboard a Kawasaki this year in the British Superbike Series. Castrol’s second rider, Ruben Xaus, hasn’t done much to distinguish himself in 2011 – with a smattering of top 10 finishes, but more often than not a double-digit or DNF on the result sheet.

The stacked SBK field has plenty of potential surprises, too. PATA Aprilia’s Noriyuki Haga has been relatively quiet this season, but Nitro Nori’s results have been flush with top-10 results. The veteran of 300 SBK contests is a past winner at Brno and looks for his second podium of 2011. Alstare Suzuki's lone rider, Michel Fabrizio, could finagle a good result having performed well at Brno in the past and logging some solid rides in 2011.

The Effenbert-Liberty Racing duo of Jakub Smrz and Sylvain Guintoli are another team to reckon with. The two already pinched a podium at Miller, and the Czech-based team will have sentimental motivation to provide a good result at their home round. This is doubly true for Smrz, the lone Czech rider in the SBK class.

World Supersport

The World Supersport series arrives at Brno with a definite man to beat in Chaz Davies. The ParkinGO Yamaha rider took his third win of the season last round at Aragon. The British rider’s 20-point advantage comes after lead rivals Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Motocard.com) and teammate Luca Scassa both crashed out of the Spanish round. Davies and Scassa have taken five of six wins in the SS series, though the Italian has fumbled his title hopes with the Aragon DNF and an embarrassing disqualification at Misano.

Challenging the Yamahas are the Kawasaki duo of Parkes and his Motocard.com teammate David Salom. The Honda contingent are also strong contenders. Parkalgar’s Sam Lowes (twin brother of Castrol Honda SBK call-up Alex Lowes) was pressing Davies for the win last round. Hannspree Ten Kate rider Fabien Foret took the Brno win in 2009 and the veteran remains a consistent threat for the Supersport steps at every round.