World Superbike Silverstone Preview 2011

The 2011 World Superbike Championship returns after a three-week break in the series to the Silverstone circuit. The British grounds will offer home track advantage to several riders including BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s Leon Haslam, Aprilia’s Leon Camier, Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes and BMW Italia’s James Toseland. Meanwhile Aprilia’s Max Biaggi and Yamaha’s Marco Melandri enter Great Britain with strong performances in the last two rounds, the duo both sharing wins to make up precious ground in the championship. The man to beat though remains Althea Racing’s Carlos Checa as he leads the series by 30 points with a total of eight wins so far. However, the Spaniard has been off the lead pace in the last two rounds as Biaggi and Melandri have settled into a groove. With the championship just starting to heat up between the top-three riders the next round will be crucial in determining the 2011 champion.
 
While Checa, Biaggi and Melandri remain at the top of the standings, none of them face entirely favorable conditions at Silverstone. Checa will visit another circuit that, at least on paper, doesn’t play to the strengths of his Ducati. Biaggi has yet to capture a win at the track, the Italian taking a mediocre 5-6 result in 2010 during his run for the title. And Melandri, who recently extended his contract with Yamaha into 2012, will participate in his first WSB race with the Yamaha R1 on Silverstone’s newly revised layout.
 
As Biaggi and Melandri have made significant strides for their team in the last few rounds, Castrol Honda has been victim to injury. Jonathan Rea will have to sit out his second and final home race of the season as the Irishman recovers from a fracture and ligament damage to his right arm. Filling in for Rea again at Silverstone will be Alex Lowes, who will race his home track after lackluster results in the Czech Republic.

In more recent news teammate Ruben Xaus has also withdrawn from the round after sustaining a leg injury and fracture to his L3 vertebra during a crash in Race 1 at Brno. Australian Karl Muggeridge, who raced with the team back in 2006, will ride in place of Xaus as he attempts to fully recover before the next round in Germany.

“I was actually on holiday with the family in Italy when the call came through from Ronald (Ten Kate), but I’m really happy to get this opportunity to join the team again," Muggeridge said. "I actually rode for the Castrol Honda British Supersport team way back when, so it’s good to be back with that iconic racing name again, too."
 
In contrast to Honda's recent struggles, Yamaha approaches the U.K. round with good prospects. Both of its riders are healthy and in the top-five in the championship right now, and Laverty heads back to the British Isles where he’ll attempt to make up for a less than ideal showing at Donnington. Other than Checa, Laverty remains the only other double race winner so far this season, and you can bet he’s eager to repeat the achievement. The fast, flowing nature of Silverstone’s track should also play to the hands of both riders and their machines.

“Silverstone is one of my favorite tracks on the calendar following the best victory of my career in the World Supersport category, last season," said Laverty. "The fast nature of the track really suits my style and there's many passing opportunities if it comes down to a last lap fight." 
 
One surprise for the upcoming round is the appearance of American John Hopkins with the Samsung Crescent Suzuki team. Alongside Jon Kirkham, Hopkins will pilot a GSX-R1000 as a wild-card entry at Silverstone as the 28-year-old gets a break from the 2011 British Superbike series.

"We're not there just to make up the numbers," said team manager Jack Valentine. "We can bet Hopper will be out to make a statement or two! We're certainly looking to run competitively. Our only disadvantage is that we normally run under British Superbike rules, which allows only one bike per rider, not two."
 
In 2010 at Silverstone it was British riders who swept the podium in both races. With Rea out, Haslam will face perhaps his best chance of the season to secure his first win aboard the BMW S1000RR. Combined with his good results last year, the Brit hopes that a recent two-day test at the EuroSpeedway has provided him with an ideal setup as he tries to improve from fifth place in the standings.

“Silverstone is always a special race for me, as we are racing in England," said Haslam. "I am looking forward to going back there. Last year it was a new track for everyone. I really enjoy the characteristics of the new layout. It is a fast, flowing circuit, a bit like a mix of Monza and Assen. In some sectors the setup of the motorcycle is a major factor." 
 
Tom Sykes will carry the Kawasaki charge without teammate Chris Vermeulen was advised not to race. Vermeulen’s heavy fall in the last round at Brno resulted in an injury to his elbow, which still hasn’t regained full movement. Rather than compete for mediocre results, the team decided it was in his best interest to use the summer break to recuperate before Nurburgring. As a result, Sykes will be Kawasaki's top contender this weekend.

"Silverstone is only 30 minutes from my house now, so it is even closer to home," Sykes said. "I want to put on a good show in Britain and having friends and family there is just another nice little added ingredient to race weekend. I want to have two strong results this weekend.”
 
Currently tied with Camier for seventh in the overall standings, Alstare Suzuki’s Michel Fabrizio is preparing to push ahead with a solid showing at Silverstone. In the past three races Fabrizio has earned fourth place, with his best result of the season so far being third at Monza. The Italian’s plan is for a good start, making quick setup an absolute must heading into practice and qualifying.
 
"This year, I have not been very successful in Superpole, so I would be very happy to be on the front row of the grid at Silverstone," Fabrizio said. "I know my race pace is very good, but that’s not good enough when you have to start the races from the third or fourth rows of the grid because it’s hard to make up the time on the leaders."

World Supersport

In the last round of the 2011 World Supersport Championship Step Racing’s Gino Rea became the fourth different race winner so far. However, the season has been dominated by Yamaha ParkinGO’s Chaz Davies and Kawasaki’s Broc Parkes, who remain first and second respectively in the overall championship. At Silverstone Davies will be on the hunt for his fourth win of the season on home soil to extend his lead in the series, which as of now stands at 36. But Parkes has also shown he’s in contention for the title this year by finishing in the top-five in five of the seven races so far. The Aussie is currently tied for second with Ten Kate Honda’s Fabien Foret, with Parkes’ teammate, David Salom, just one point behind the duo.