ThePitcrewOnline

Category: Crew On Two

  • Extance: There Will Be Some Fireworks in the Garage

     

    Pete Extance says ‘there will be some fireworks in the garage’ at the end of the year, as he anticipates a showdown between his riders Luke Mossey and Leon Haslam. In this exclusive interview, Pete talks about the rivalry between the two riders, whether or not he’d employ team orders and also who he sees taking his JGSpeedfit Bournemouth Kawasaki brand to the championship in 2017. This interview gives an insight into what might occur towards the end of the season and if what Pete says is anything to go by, then we are in for some hard, and possibly even controversial, racing at times! Team Owner Extance also discusses his future plans, his season so far and what off-track aspects contribute to running one of the biggest and well branded teams in the Superbike paddock.

    How would you sum up your season so far?

    It’s been phenomenally well to be honest with you. We couldn’t have had a better start to the year with five wins from six races. Then, we had a bit of a disaster situation, which was no fault of the team’s or Leon’s. That has sort of set us back a little bit. Leon moved to WSBK and did a great job for Pucetti and we moved to the NW200 and Isle of Man TT where James Hillier got podiums at both. It wasn’t our best TT but two fourth places and a second, with James and the team back safe is really important to us. We’ve come straight from the TT to Knockhill so it’s been a really long trip, I’ve been away for over three weeks now and I’m looking forward to getting back home. Having said that, we are sat here on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Scotland at Knockhill and Luke has had a 2nd and a 4th. Big congratulations to Jake Dixon. Luke now leads the series from his teammate Leon Haslam who is unfortunately at home, following a crash from FP1. Leon is strong and is back testing on the 27th of June; he’s got no lasting damage which is great firstly for him and also for the team. This will only fire him up even more, ready for Snetterton. He won’t want to remain number two for very long.

    How does running a factory team compare to running the more satellite team you had last season?

    In fairness, it’s more or less exactly the same. We get a great amount of assistance from Kawasaki. Everyone knows Leon has got a great connection with the factory; he’s got a different swingarm but Luke hasn’t, as he’s running the exact same as last year. How beneficial that will be when track temperature goes up later in the summer and tyre wear comes into it, we don’t know yet. It’s a great privilege for me as a Kawasaki dealer, who’s been racing a long time, to be the official team and get some general support. We don’t really get ‘Factory’ support, KRT in WSBK are the ‘Factory’ team, we are the officially backed BSB team.

    Last year you ran Supersport with Andy Reid but not this year – why?

    The contract with Kawasaki specifically states that we are only allowed to run two bikes in the British Superbike paddock and that we have to focus on winning the British Superbike title this year. It stated that we weren’t allowed to run in the Supersport or Superstock 1000s, with just the roads. We were allowed to run the TT with a bit of race testing.

    How come Andy Reid and Filip Backlund have not featured in Bournemouth Kawasaki plans this year?

    I felt Filip was at the point where he wasn’t going to ride and, as you documented, he had a lot of crashes last year and wasn’t really on the pace, so I had to look elsewhere. I had already signed Luke well before Kawasaki approached us to run the factory team. Luke was running with us whatever happened and then began the bunfight over the Assen weekend. The riders had heard that Mark (Smith Halvorsn) was leaving, ‘can I come with you, can I come with you’ was all I heard over the weekend! We kind of agreed already with a certain rider that we would sign them, however I then got a phone call at half seven on the Monday morning from Ross Burridge at Kawasaki and thought ‘what the hell going off at half seven in the morning?’ and he approached us to say, “can you run Leon for 2017” to which we agreed.

    What goes on behind the scenes at Bournemouth Kawasaki with regards to hospitality etc?

    We have a legion of fans. We have 120 guests per round. A mixture of JGSpeedfit and our other sponsors. The guests have enjoyed a lovely roast lunch and dessert, absolutely rammed in here every single week and we have rider talks all the time. We are looking to do some more Q&As with the kids like at Donington Park last season. We are doing a milk and cookies morning with the parents and kids and just trying to bring families in. We have a lovely big ‘selfie board’ – as I’m calling it – with a picture of Luke and Leon on the bike and the little minibike in the middle. It’s great to see families in the paddock and not just crowds of blokes and if the families go away with a Luke Mossey cap on and a flag that they’re waving then they’re happy. We don’t do posters anymore, we do lanyards because they have all the riders details on them and hopefully, it’s a bit more of a memento than a poster that you see half a mile down the road when we’re driving away from the circuit.

    Given Leon’s successful wildcard, do you see WSBK as an option in the foreseeable future?

    Not for Bournemouth Kawasaki. We have a lot to prove in this paddock yet and we have come a long, long way in the last seven or eight years. I think before we start running at World Superbikes, we need to be British Champions. If it is this year, then it’d be great to come back and defend the series. For the riders, I think I know where we are with one rider but not necessarily where we are with the other. Luke is very keen to stay with us and we are looking to get that signed early to get it tied up ASAP. However, on the other side of the garage, Leon is actually contracted to Kawasaki UK so we will leave that seat open right up until the 11th hour until we, he or Kawasaki need to make a decision so we don’t miss out on other riders. I genuinely can’t believe at Knockhill – and before you ask, I’m not telling you who they are – but we have had three top riders approach us following rumours speculating Leon’s return to WSBK. I find it amazing that we’re not halfway through the championship and already silly season has kicked in.

    That said, you don’t need the added stress of what is already an enormous operation you have to oversee do you?

    Not yet. I tend to do a little bit more with the hospitality side of things. I love getting the microphone and presenting and doing a bit of the television stuff. I don’t tend to do too much with the riders, Jack Valentine probably does a little bit more with the riders although for now, they manage themselves quite well. We’ve also got some full time technicians that look after the bike so in fairness, it’s not that much more stressful than previous years gone by. The only thing that is different is that this season, we are bigger and better and have some high expectations so we have to deliver, to get results back to our sponsors and our guests, maybe a little bit more than other teams do.

    Would it be fair to say that this is the first time you have had both riders wanting to win the championship?

    100%. We as a team haven’t been very well financially supported in the past and we’ve had to fund a lot of the Bournemouth Kawasaki into the team. What that has done is meant that we can have one reasonably good, top quality rider and we started with Chris Walker and Dan Linfoot and gone through that, but the 2nd rider has had to bring their own money to the table. Whilst that kept us on track it unfortunately means that you get a rider who isn’t going to win the championship or be in the showdown and help support a title challenge. Now, we are in a position with two fully paid, full time professionals and that makes a massive difference.

    Did you expect Luke to be this strong?

    Luke’s had a podium at every round; we felt he has really matured this year as a rider. I’m not sure that even in my wildest dreams that I would’ve put him as leading the BSB championship after four rounds of the championship. That’s great for Luke. This is not a negative for Luke but one thing that has been good for him is that we’ve gone four rounds without rain. Luke is the first to admit that whilst he is improving in the rain all the time, it’s harder for him to be pushing for 1st, 2nd or 3rd. A podium every round, no rain has helped and we’re heading towards mid-June and into July and we should be able to run through most of the season without rain. However, then we have the showdown in Autumn. If there was a stumbling block for Luke then it’d probably be the rain but lets hope it all stays dry.

    Has Leon been surprised of Luke Mossey’s pace?

    Erm, I think Leon knew Luke was fast. I think certainly that if he didn’t know about it before then he knew about it after testing in Cartagena, because there, he definitely knew about it! I think perhaps Leon is more surprised with how Luke has strung the results together and stuck to him in most races. His consistency has been absolutely exceptional. Leon won’t be worrying about that – his job for this year is to win the British Superbike Championship and if Luke runs him hard then fair play to Luke but if Luke wins, Leon will be extremely upset. I think he’ll be pleased for Luke but I think he will be very upset. As we all know, Leon has never won a British Superbike Championship and that’s what he desperately wants to do. If we asked Kawasaki at the start of the year what the result would be out of both the riders, after all the effort and finances they’ve put into Leon, they’d probably say it would swing more his way. However, it’s not over yet, we’re only four rounds in, lets get the boys in the showdown and let battle commence!

    Is there going to be a rivalry between Luke and Leon?

    I think there’s definitely going to be a rivalry! I think at the beginning of the season, Luke wasn’t happy with being called the number two rider by some people – it’s not something I have ever done myself. We have always called them on an equal. Leon has to be looking not only at Shane Byrne and the others but also his teammate. We will get to round nine pretty quickly now seeing as the races are pretty much every other weekend. For sure, I certainly think that both bikes will be in the showdown and that there will be fireworks in the garage.

    Could it lead to an off-track fallout?

    No, I don’t think so, if anything the two riders get on better than the two crews, so I think the riders are fine, we just have to try and keep a lid on the two crews. Expectations run high in the garage and the two lads are ultimate professionals. On track, they’ll probably look after each other until the last round of the championship if they’re battling for it and then it is open to any of them.

    Would you use team orders as a tactic in the final round?

    Wow, thats a very good question. It’s a question that actually, I can’t believe as a team owner that I may be asked. However, that may well be the situation. If there’s a situation where Leon can win the championship and we need Luke 2nd and Leon to win then I think we have to look to team orders. There’s a lot of investment and hard work and graft that goes into this and whilst any rider is not happy with team orders, at that point, it has to come. It’s not something that I’m overly happy about but I think I would get my butt kicked if Kawasaki said ‘why didn’t one of your riders yield?’

    Which one of your two riders do you see team orders helping and hindering and who do you see as the rider taking your Bournemouth Kawasaki brand to the title in 2017?

    Now that is a very difficult question – goodness me. That really is a tricky one. No one can write Luke Mossey off and no one can right Leon Haslam off. I really do think that bookmakers wise, between our team and Shakey, it will be your top three in some order. What route it goes, with two green ones first and second and a red one third or a red one first and the green ones behind we will wait and see. I know which way I’d prefer that, I’m just not sure with which green one! Luke’s only downfall may be that we get to Assen and Silverstone and we get a wet race but I love them both.

    Image courtesy of Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography. You can find them on Twitter and on Facebook. We would also like to thank Pete Extance for his time on what was a very busy Sunday at Knockhill.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Brookes and Guintoli to make Suzuka 8 Hour Bow for Yoshimura Suzuki

    Josh Brookes will return to the Suzuka 8 Hour race at the end of July this season, riding a brand new Yoshimura Suzuki alongside Suzuki test rider Takuya Tsuda and fellow British Superbike returnee, Sylvain Guintoli. The star-studded line up comprises of riders who have all had world championship experience in the last two seasons.

    Josh Brookes comes off the back of an incredibly successful Isle of Man TT, where he achieved a personal best of 6th place in the Senior TT, also becoming Norton’s fastest ever rider around the 37 mile Mountain Course. Brookes rides for the Anvil Hire Tag Racing Yamaha Team in the British Superbike championship, where he currently sits in 4th place. The BSB championship returns this weekend at Knockhill.

    The Australian competed in the event last year, finishing 3rd with teammates Tsuda and Noriyuki Haga, who has been dropped for 2017. The event will highlight Brookes as one of the most versatile riders in racing, having successfully competed on a range of manufacturers already this year, such as Norton (TT) Supersport 600 (TT) and Yamaha Superbike (BSB).

    Sylvain Guintoli is set to make his Suzuka 8 Hour debut alongside Brookes. Guintoli flew out to Malaysia to test the Endurance configuration for 3 days in January, in preparation for the event.

    The Frenchman has had three races over in MotoGP, riding the Factory Suzuki in place of injured rookie Alex Rins. Having had a difficult start to his British Superbike season on the new Suzuki, he will be looking to gain confidence and gel with the bike over at the Suzuka 8 Hours, a race that Yoshimura Suzuki haven’t won since 2009 with Daisaku Sakai, Kazuki Tokudome and veteran, Nobuatsu Aoki.

    Takuya Tsuda is Ecstar Suzuki’s test rider in MotoGP. The Japanese rider made his debut in MotoGP at Jerez earlier this year, finishing 17th.

    “Suzuka is a bit like a love-hate relationship. When I’m there and I’m riding the bike and it’s really hot and I’m exhausted, I think to myself, ‘Why do I out myself through this?’ There’s so many years I haven’t ridden and I’ve been gutted I’m not there. If I was to stop going without winning it, I’d be giving up in effect and I’m really not like that! I don’t want to give up on the challenge. I had to beg to get my first ride, saying ‘pick me, pick me’. Even if I won I probably wouldn’t stop going! Because I’d want to do it again and try and better myself.

    “I’m really looking forward to it. I’m scared to do it but I’m motivated to do it. I’ve set goals throughout my career and this is another one. To win this and already have a BSB title would be incredible, then I’d really want to win a TT! It’s good for me that I haven’t got everything I ever dreamed about wanting. If I had, then I’d be a bit like Casey Stoner. Retired and very boring. I’m sure he’s not that bothered but I’d be a bit of a lost soul without these kind of goals in my life”.

    The Suzuka 8 Hour Race will take place on the 28th – 30th of July.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Josh Brookes’ Tribute to Alan Bonner

    Every motorsport death is sad. Whatever the sport, you lose a member of the community and family. Sometimes however, series such as Indycar and events such as the Isle of Man TT have arguably more deaths than what most would consider normal and controversially, have been campaigned against to try and stop such events. I caught up with Josh Brookes, who lost a friend in Alan Bonner at the TT this year. The Australian superstar reminds us how the expected is always unexpected and how we should remember Alan. This is Josh Brookes’ tribute to Alan Bonner and how he as a rider and friend, overcome the situation carry on through TT week.

    “Unfortunately, due to circumstances, Alan Bonner had died. The reason it affected me was because he did nothing wrong. There was oil on the track and he was just the rider who got to it at the wrong time at the wrong speed and the wrong place, and he wouldn’t have known anything about it. I asked myself, ‘why does it make a difference’ because – sorry to be blunt – but he is still dead. It doesn’t matter about the reasons that caused it because it is the same outcome at the end. It bothered me because he did nothing wrong. He was so innocent in the whole thing.

    Alan was the tent next door to me. I knew Paul Owen, the ex TT rider and he was a mechanic for Alan. I was going into the awning to chat with Paul and Alan was there, so the banter started and there was plenty of good fun with jokes and just having a real good laugh. I got really friendly with him and he’d liked the fact that ‘Josh Brookes, BSB Champion’ was hanging out with him. Because of the position of my motorhome, we saw each other more or less everyday. He’d use my motorhome to warm his porridge up every morning, so when I found out what happened, it wasn’t that I’d just lost a competitor but it was more like I lost a mate.

    If they said that he’d just have fallen or if we saw the line that he took and it was a mistake, then we could think, ‘at least he had control’. You’d think, ‘we are all out there doing the same thing and we took our life out of our own hands’. Most people don’t understand that because of the way they value life.

    If you’d made a mistake yourself and you suffered yourself, you had control. You chose what it took to get there, you chose the line and it was your choice that led to the incident. However, when it’s nothing to do with any of that and you’re riding well within your capabilities and it’s an outside element, an outside factor that swept him away, it’s difficult to comprehend and accept and that really bothered me.

    I have to say that I did have a feeling of realisation. It’s not that you don’t know – everyone knows it can happen to you – but you ignore it because you have to carry on. Just when I felt completely at ease with the bike, I had a situation that bothered me and took the wind out of me a little bit. It made the first lap of the race much more difficult, far more intense than it needed to be or would’ve been. I had my own thoughts in my own head and they was affecting how I was riding.

    I got to the end of the first lap and it felt like I had got rid of that excess tension. I felt good on the bike, everything was going OK and then, I just carried on with my own destiny. Then, on the 2nd lap, Ian Hutchinson fell off and it was red flagged, so we all pulled over. At that point we knew Hutchy was OK – injured, but OK. We went back to the start, had a restart and as you know, we had a strong race.

    This will sound disrespectful, but the other guys, I didn’t know. Don’t get me wrong, we all felt awful when Davy Lambert and Jochem van der Hoek died, but personally, it was better for me if I didn’t know them because it was easier for me to put it behind and focus. When you don’t know them, it’s easier to carry on because you didn’t lose anything personal to you, as sad as it was. Any TT rider will tell you that it is sad when anyone dies but there’s some weird affect it has on you when it’s personal. It’s not that their deaths weren’t as important, it’s just that we didn’t have a personal connection. The same as some riders wouldn’t have a personal connection like I did with Alan.

    When it’s someone you was just speaking to and you have a laugh with and have fond conversations with that form a friendship, it’s harder. We spoke about racing a lot. He spoke about a crash he had at the Ulster Grand Prix and he was just one of the lads who was willing to take the risks.

    I feel for the family that he’s left behind, because despite knowing the dangers, the crash that killed him wasn’t anything to do with him. Life isn’t worth living if you’re just competing. If the world was controlled where you couldn’t do anything dangerous, then I’d probably be on the verge of suicide anyway!

    I take perspective from someone like Michael Schumacher, who lived his life in one of the most dangerous sports, to end up being seriously injured on a holiday. I may as well carry on doing what I’m doing because there’s other factors that can kill you too. It’s the same for Nicky Hayden – of all the times he could’ve been killed, it happens on a bicycle when you think you’ll be OK. The times when I think you’re going to be safe are when I’m driving the car or walking on a footpath but often, that’s when it can kill you. So, I look at it and think, ‘you can’t stop doing something because of the chances it might go wrong’.

    It’s easy to say that we’re all adrenalin junkies and you do it for the feeling etc. Yes, there are elements of that but ultimately you wouldn’t do it all your life because eventually, you’d acclimatise and wouldn’t be bothered by it. Being competitive and riding a motorcycle pushes you to overlook what you’re willing to risk.

    The point I’m getting at is it’s not the fact that Alan died. It’s the ‘how’ he was killed that bothers me. All the emotional concern or worry is the circumstances of how it happened. I spoke to Dean Harrison and you know when you need a chat with a lad to make sure that they’re thinking the same as you? Well, we didn’t go too deep into it but we spoke about how none of us are going to go any slower in the next race. We are all going to go out there and ride as hard or harder than the previous time. The English language doesn’t allow you to describe the emotion fully.

    There’s other activities and sports such as mountain climbing and skiing where there a lot of deaths. Someone loses their father, son or partner but the next year, they’re doing it again because that’s exactly what the other person would’ve done. They would’ve been there on that next holiday. Alan would’ve been at the Ulster GP this year and warming his porridge up with me at the TT again next year”.

    You can donate to Alan Bonner’s GoFundMe page here, helping the family with costs and all money raised over the target amount will go to a charity of Alan’s choice.

    Picture courtesy of Josh Brookes’ Twitter, here

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

     

  • Mossey: I Never Doubted My Ability

     

    On a surprisingly warm summers day in the Knockhill pit lane, I caught up with championship leader Luke Mossey, getting his thoughts on the season so far, having Leon Haslam as a teammate and his prospects for this year and beyond. Mossey went on to take a podium (2nd) in race one and 4th in race two but leads the championship by a huge 30 points over teammate Haslam, who was absent from Knockhill following a free practice accident.

    How would you sum up your season so far?

    I’ve had two strong years on the Superbike, including the rookie year. We’ve had some strong testing and we said to ourselves we are ready to win races. Not only did we do that but we got our first double as well. I couldn’t really ask for a better season so far up to this point.

    Are you under pressure having Leon as your teammate or do you learn things?

    We’ve learnt a few things but I never doubted my ability. We knew we had speed and the issues that we did experience have gone. Of course, having Leon in the team will up my game and it will need to if I am to match a man of his stature because he’s been around a long time and has a wealth of experience. We are ready to up our game further but so far, so good.

    Would you consider being at an advantage in comparison to Leon, having had more time with this team?

    No, not really. It is only my third year and I’ve been on a thousand for two and a half years, whereas Leon has been around for about 15 years so I wouldn’t say that’s an advantage at all. Having a third season with the team brings some nice continuity but Leon has got experience.


    Can you focus more on racing without him being your teammate for this round and possibly the next?

    I like Leon and I get on really well with him but at the end of the day he’s just another guy I need to beat. It doesn’t matter if he was here, he’d have been at the front. His absence doesn’t really effect me or my team that much really.


    Is Leon your main title threat?

    If I’m honest, it’s Leon and Shakey for sure. Shakey had a bit of bad start to the year at Donington Park but he’s always going to be there or there abouts for sure.

    How is it working with Pete for a third season?

    He’s like a second dad really. We get on really well and I feel privileged to stay for a third year really and hopefully we have another year or two maybe but we will wait and see. If the opportunities come along then we’ve got to look at the world stage. I’m 24 and just starting my Superbike career so we would like to go there in two or three years but for now our focus is primarily on BSB. The MotoGP thing is a bit of a dream. You’ll never get Movistar Yamaha and you’ll never get a Repsol Honda. It’s great to say you race in MotoGP but I wouldn’t go there to finish 15th on a satellite Ducati because it doesn’t mean anything to me. I would rather stay in Britain and win races.

    Can you win the championship in 2017?

    Yeh for sure. We’ve got the bike, we’ve got the team and if we don’t win it then it won’t be through lack of trying. I’ve put my heart and soul into it and it’s a very tough championship – one of the toughest in the world and the goal is always to be in the top three but we are going for the title this season.

    Would you consider road racing, seeing as this team has road racing pedigree?

    I have absolutely no intentions in doing road racing whatsoever. Unless they paid a million pounds for it but I think that’s the end of that! I scare myself enough on the short circuits so the TT is not really in my mind. I think it is amazing what those riders do but it really doesn’t appeal to me.

    Image courtesy of Gareth Davies at Full Factory Photography, which you can follow on Twitter and Facebook.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Iannone’s Options if Suzuki say Ciao

    Andrea Iannone has struggled to adapt to the new Suzuki in MotoGP and after seven races, his best result is 7th, at COTA. 15th in the championship is a disaster for last year’s Austrian Grand Prix winner and I have a feeling that we are in for some mid-season musical chairs. Lets consider he will be moving (purely for the scenario), where are his options?

    Red Bull Honda in World Superbikes have a vacancy, following the death of former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden. Although Iannone has never been in the World Superbike paddock and has never rode for Honda in any class, you might have to consider a move here a little bit far-fetched even if it is practical. WSBK bosses however are desperate for big names and not ones that are at the end of their career. How much would they be willing to pay Maniac Joe on an internal Dorna transfer?

    Following a run of poor form stemming from unprofessionalism and poor team attitude, Sam Lowes’ seat for 2018 is already uncertain but I wouldn’t put it past him leaving the Gresini Aprilia Team before then. Andrea Iannone was rumoured to join the team last season, as Italian owner Fausto Gresini was desperate for an Italian to join the Italian marque. Iannone would suit the bike, as Aleix Espargaro’s development has been incredible. Stick Iannone on the bike and he could be the one to put the bike on the podium. Then again, I had him down as a title threat after the tests, so what do I know…

    There is another option to move to World Superbikes and that could be if Barni Racing expand to two machines. It is no secret that Marco Barnabo is looking to expand the team and it is unlikely he will field someone other than Xavi Fores. Iannone has Ducati contacts and has ridden the Panigale on track days at Misano so he does have the experience of the bike, an advantage compared to Stefan Bradl who received his Honda late on. It might be a pay cut but I think any rider would rather be winning than riding around at the back of the field with no confidence and receiving a big pay cheque. In fact, do they still do it by check? Answers on a tweet.

    With the recent departure of Davide Giugliano from Tyco BMW, there is an opportunity for him to join an already star-studded British Superbike line up. However, having had one lunatic Italian, I’m not sure the Neil family’s blood pressure could sustain Andrea, nor could the team’s bank balance. It’s a long shot and BSB would certainly welcome him.

    Besides those options, I’m not sure where else Andrea could fit. There’s a 0.01% chance he might drop back into Moto2 but who would it be? World Supersport certainly wouldn’t appeal to him and I don’t think any team in MotoGP would be looking to expand to three bikes.

    After all that however, I personally can’t see him leaving Suzuki, less than halfway through the initial contract. Iannone is one of the most determined riders on the grid and he will make it work. I think it is more down to the bike and how difficult the front end is rather than Andrea Iannone having lost his ability. It does go to show how valuable Vinales was to Suzuki. It’s a little bit like the Stoner-Ducati situation.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • WSBK Misano Preview: Kawasaki Party… Again?

    Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography

     

    World Superbikes stumble into Italy this weekend for the 2nd time this year. This time however, it is at the historic Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, in Rimini on the Adriatic Coast. Having his lead chopped down by 20 points at Donington Park, Jonathan Rea will be feeling the heat that former champion and teammate Tom Sykes is putting on him.

    Reigning champion Rea crashed out for the first time this season in race one at Donington Park, the first time he’s been outside the top 2, too. The Kawasaki rider has 55 points over teammate Sykes although that may well change this weekend. It was a confident double win last year for Rea at Misano, fending off pressure from Sykes in race one before dominating on Sunday. A repeat performance perhaps, or will it be an in form Tom Sykes to spoil a Northern Irish party?

    Sykes’ victory at Donington Park was his first of the year, astonishingly. The Huddersfielder has only finished off the podium three times this season but too many third place finishes explain the gargantuan gap between him and his teammate. Last year, Sykes came away from Misano with two second places but he knows this year he has to beat teammate Rea. It all depends on how many bikes can get in between the two all conquering Kawasakis.

    Chaz Davies made another mistake at Donington Park. Crashing out of the lead at Goddard’s in the first race, Davies sits a massive 75 points behind Jonny Rea. Two retirements have put Davies’ title surge on the back foot for now but if anyone can overturn, the Welshman can. We are coming to the circuits at which he dominated last year and it only takes a mistake from the Kawasaki pairing and Davies will be there to pick up the scraps. His best result at Misano remains a third place but he has crashed out three times from ten races.

    Marco Melandri hasn’t looked like a serious championship threat all season and he completes the leading four in the championship, some 123 points behind Rea. Barring miracles, Melandri doesn’t look like a challenger for the top three however, stranger things have happened. The former MotoGP race winner hasn’t had a podium since race one at Imola and is yet to win a race on his WSBK return. The last time he visited Misano, he came away with two third-place finishes but like Davies, he has never won there. The new Panigale is yet to win there too, with the last Ducati victory at Misano coming from a Carlos Checa double in 2011.

    Britain’s Alex Lowes put in a stirling effort to take his first podium in over two years at Donington Park. It was also Yamaha’s first of the year. Just one DNF all season, the former British Superbike champion is starting to surge forward and now with the pressure of his home round out the way, he can focus on trying to catch Melandri for 4th (he is only 16 points behind). Alex has had a best finish 8th at Misano, which he matched last year but nothing less than a top five will suffice for the Lincolnshire rider.

    Teammate Michael van der Mark is in 6th place as he continue to work through his schedule of adapting to his new Yamaha. The Dutchman is yet to take a podium this year but you get the feeling it isn’t far away. Having been usurped out of 3rd in the closing stages of race two at Donington Park, he will come to Misano – like his teammate – with a bundle of confidence. He took a podium in the first race last year at the track on a dog-slow Honda but hasn’t won there – even in his Supersport days. Could Michael be an upset? Nothing will spur him on more than being just 19 points away from his teammate.

    Keep your eyes open on other movers and shakers, such as Xavi Fores and Leon Camier, but also on Stefan Bradl, who recently completed a test at the track as the team continue to gain valuable data. Jordi Torres will always be in the top 10 but could spring a surprise in the races whilst the Aprilia pairing of Eugene Laverty and Lorenzo Savadori will be desperate to make up for an apocalyptically disastrous Donington Park.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Why Bradl Still Has It

    Post by @MotoGPKiko

    It is no secret that the Honda are struggling in World Superbikes, however, Stefan Bradl – the team’s sole rider after the tragic passing of teammate Nicky Hayden – has got bundles of talent and on a good bike with the right team, he’s a WSBK race winner all day long. Come next year, I have a feeling that the German could be a bit of a threat.

    It sounds ridiculous that I am mentioning the 2018 WSBK season after just reaching the half way distance this year but for Stefan Bradl, the remainder of this campaign will be more of a huge test session on the new Honda Fireblade.

    Having received the bike late this season, the Red Bull Honda Ten Kate Team have been slashed of testing time and the results have highlighted that. Stefan Bradl’s 6th place in Assen is the team’s best result and they are slowly but surely making progress, with throttle connection being a main target, although a gearbox solution for WSBK is still looming a large issue.

    Stefan Bradl is one of the top riders in World Superbikes. Having been unceremoniously tossed out of the Grand Prix circus last year, following a tricky time at Aprilia, he found himself in WSBK on what was supposed to be a championship contending bike. Bradl’s speed is most certainly there and his resilience is too, riding in honour of fallen hero Hayden at Donington Park.

    Bradl is also the only German on the grid, following Markus Reiterberger’s departure due to injuries sustained over a year ago. The former Moto2 World Champion has actually been rather steady in WSBK. Every race he has finished has been in the points, which gains not only track time for him as a WSBK rookie but valuable data which will be used to improve the Fireblade. He has only retired from two races, at circuits that he has never rode a 1000cc bike at in his life.

    The next circuit for the German to visit is Misano, where the team recently held a test to try and make further gains with the Honda. Bradl also knows the circuit reasonably well too, having raced there in his Grand Prix years, with a 2nd in Moto2 in 2011 and a top class best of 5th.

    There is no doubting Bradl’s pace. It will just take some more time to be shown. Likewise for the Honda, development and testing is the most valuable asset to the outfit at the moment. I’m predicting a Honda podium by the end of the season; where that will be, I’m not so sure. But with a determined Bradl and a hardworking team around him, I expect some breakthroughs very shortly.

    Image courtesy of Gareth Davies from Full Factory Photography

     

  • Halsall Slams Suzuki GB ‘Unprofessional’ over Bike Supply Feud

    Images by Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography.

    Martin Halsall has branded Suzuki GB as “unprofessional” and “difficult to work with” following an ongoing issue, stemming from last year when the BSB Team Owner decided to drop the Japanese manufacturer after “poor communication”. Halsall once again mentioned communication as an issue, with Suzuki GB seemingly ignoring anything Martin mentions.

    “I’m pretty disappointed really, with Suzuki. I had approached Suzuki to see if I could buy some bikes to do the Isle of Man TT with William Dunlop and then with a view to return to BSB. However, due to difficulty with Suzuki, I have not been able to get my hands on the bikes”.

    “I have now written a letter to Japan to see if that can do anything but what Suzuki have got to realise is that they are a PLC, so they’re answerable to shareholders. So, the people not selling me the bikes are answerable to the people willing to invest in their business”.

    Halsall left the manufacturer last September, having done so well with the bike, considering it is seven years old.

    “There’s no logical sense to why I can’t buy bikes off Suzuki, it makes absolutely no sense. OK, I ran Suzuki and then decided not to run Suzuki for 2017. However, as a bike, the 2017 model is a very, very good piece of equipment and that was never in question before; I always knew it was going to be a good bike, I just didn’t want to work with Suzuki GB anymore.

    “I like to do things my way and if I’m the one spending the bulk of the money, then I should be having the say. I think they forgot who’s team it was from time to time. If they want to fund the whole of the team’s budget, then that’s fine and people can be answerable to them but if they’re not, they have to succumb to the person who is paying the bill – which was me. It has already been good out of the box as a stock bike with Richard Cooper in the National Superstock 1000 Championship, so there’s no reason why it can’t be a really good and competitive Superbike”.

    Have Suzuki messed this up? The Halsall Racing outfit is one of the most striking and well branded teams in the paddock, with a huge presence still existent from last year, ranging from merchandise to fans of Halsall’s operation of his team.

    “People can see how I brand things. The thing about my businesses are that they are exceptionally branded. We’ve invested a lot of money into having proper marketing done and proper branding done to be professional with the business. I would do a good job with any branding. We’ve done it already with movuno.com, the online estate agents”. There’s no reason why we can’t follow that through to Superbikes and create an exceptionally well branded team with it”.

    Have Suzuki no loyalty? Halsall dropped a proven race winner in the Kawasaki at the end of 2014 to pursue success with Suzuki – which he achieved. Now, despite persevering with a seven year old bike, the effervescent charismatic Lancastrian now finds himself banging his head against a brick wall.

    “There is no reason why we as a team with the right rider can’t make the 2017 Suzuki work. We proved what we could do last year with two podiums on a bike that effectively, nobody else was interested in running. Primarily, I ran the bike with the bigger picture of picking up the new bike. So for me to walk away from Suzuki – after making massive investments for two years – hurts a bit”.

    “Primarily, why can I not buy bikes? I can go and buy bikes tomorrow morning from any Suzuki dealer, without the Halsall Team name. We will be wanting some race parts from Yoshimura, from Suzuki and therefore, it makes sense to have a proper link with Suzuki – which I have tried to do on numerous occasions. I can’t see any logical sense at all in why I can’t buy bikes”.

    “It’s good for Suzuki’s anyway if another team runs their brand. It is also healthy for a championship and the fans. ‘Why not bet on two horses’ comes to mind. I wouldn’t mind, it isn’t at Suzuki’s expense! It’s an absolute no-brainer. I think it is really unprofessional how a well-known brand is turning down such a well-known, successful and popular team with great presence in the paddock”.

    Suzuki haven’t helped their image in this sorry saga. No WSBK effort and a difficult start to their 2017 MotoGP campaign, they’re relying mainly on BSB for their results – and that, as it stands, is risky business. Although risky business to them succeeds ‘no business’ with Martin.

    “It’s had an effect on William Dunlop too. He wanted to ride the Suzuki at the TT but that isn’t possible. It is just crazy that they won’t give a top class road racer a bike that he demands. It has actually stopped the road racing side of Halsall Racing Team progressing on the roads because primarily, we’ve run out of time. Within the communication I’ve had with Suzuki, I made it clear that William Dunlop would ride the bike and that is what he wanted.

    “At the end of the day, I own Halsall Racing. I am in charge. The people who I am trying to deal with aren’t representative of what Suzuki stand for. If i had the bikes in time for the TT, we could have got them prepared, potentially leading to a come back in BSB. If we got the right rider, there’s no reason we couldn’t run in BSB from 2017 and be successful”.

    This is a developing story and you can find out exactly what the outcome of it will be when we hear news of it.

     

    Story by @MotoGPKiko

  • Raw Emotion

    Prosperity. Positivity. Hope. Many things were bought to the MotoGP and World Superbike paddocks but it was Nicky Hayden who did it better than anyone else. From long hair to man-buns, hardcore riding to effortless speed, Nicky Hayden brought a breath of fresh air with him wherever he ended up. From his first MotoGP race at Suzuka in 2003, to his last WSBK race at Imola in 2017, the effervescent American was a charmer in every sense of the word. The world of sport warmed to him and now the world of sport mourns him.

    The first time Nicky Hayden was a name amongst the racing world was in 2001, after a stellar season in the AMA Superbike championship. Finishing 3rd behind the likes of championship victor Mat Mladin and runner-up Eric Bostrom was by no means something to be ashamed of – and of course, Nicky being Nicky, he wasn’t. The 20 year old Kentucky rider was starting to become a bit of a pest within the AMA hierarchy. But it was welcome. His warm personality and constant smile was something that disguised his fierce, tenacious nature on circuit. The reason for the number 69 was because he crashed so much as a kid, he needed a number that he could read upside down. If that wasn’t a personality, then seriously, what was?

    In 2002, Hayden became AMA Superbike champion, beating Mat Mladin to take his first big championship victory. Not only did he win the championship, but he won the Daytona 200, the motorcycle racing world’s answer to the Indy 500 or the Monaco Grand Prix. His efforts were rewarded with an outing in World Superbikes, at his home round at Laguna Seca, California. Finishing a strong 4th in race one before a collision in race two saw him finish in 13th, us as motorcycle fans knew we were witnessing something special. This young rider was sending shockwaves in all championships, rocketing through every paddock he welcomely stepped foot in.

    2003 would see Nicky Hayden make the big time. Not only had he joined the MotoGP family but he joined the Repsol Honda Team and Valentino Rossi in a season that would be remembered for a variety of reasons. Finishing the season in 5th position meant that not only had he become Rookie of the Year, but he had beaten proven talent such as former WSBK champion Troy Bayliss, reigning WSBK champion and fellow countryman Colin Edwards, WSBK superstar Noriyuki Haga, Alex Barros, reigning 250cc champion Marco Melandri and fellow American John Hopkins. Hayden was ruffling feathers in the biggest possible way. Taking his first podium at Motegi and following it up two races later at Phillip Island, the talent had been showcased in great quantity.

    Despite another two podiums in 2004, Hayden slipped down the leaderboard to 8th. But, it would be 2005 when The Kentucky Kid earned his corn. A return to Laguna Seca for the American Grand Prix would see Nicky Hayden dominate. Having not had a podium all season, times were looking hard. Pole position followed up by a classy, exuberant race win gave him America’s first win in the MotoGP era and Honda’s first ever at Laguna Seca. It was this race where a zest of Kevin Schwantz would come in, with the wild celebrations at the crowd’s demand. He was a hero. Hayden would go on and take five more podiums that season, finishing in the bronze medallist position at just his third attempt.

    2006 was always going to be special. Hayden started the season with four podiums and never dropped below 5th before his first race win of a truly unforgettable campaign. A last lap dual with Colin Edwards will go down as the day that America conquered The Netherlands. Taking his 2nd ever win after a rare Colin Edwards crash on the last lap at the chicane, we once more saw that emotion which Nicky emitted every single time he achieved his goal. Three races later and he did it again, his third and final MotoGP win at home again. 2006 was turning into a Nicky Hayden year but in Portugal, we saw emotion that Nicky had never shown before.

    Rookie teammate Dani Pedrosa wanted good results and needed them to stay in the fight for a top three placing. A pass on Nicky Hayden at the parabolica interior would send Repsol Honda spiralling to the ground, both on track and off. Management watched on in disbelief. All the effort of 2006. All the graft of the team. Every droplet of sweat and molecule of tear shed. It had all come to seemingly nothing. Dani Pedrosa wiped out his teammate with just one race left after Portugal. The swearing erupted from championship challenger Hayden. Fingers pointing and feet stomping. Tears streaming. Hayden wished he was only dreaming. A little boys dream to reign supreme was lying amongst the bits Repsol Honda in the gravel. Would this be his last chance?

    “Valencia 2006” – a sentence that every MotoGP fan gets goosebumps thinking about. All Valentino Rossi had to do was beat Hayden, or make sure Hayden did not finish in a position that was worth nine points more than him. But even five time champions make mistakes. Rossi crashed in the race, all but gifting Nicky Hayden the title. Whilst the Ducatis of Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi took first and second, Nicky Hayden finished third, enough for him to take the crown and the crowd by storm. Screaming his name they were, in awe at what they just witnessed. One of MotoGP’s finest 45 minutes. As former commentator Charlie Cox would say, “the only thing predictable about MotoGP is that it is completely, unpredictable!”.

    Defying the odds after despondently marching through the gravel across the border in tears of dejection two weeks previous, Nicky Hayden now celebrated in front of the longest continuous grandstand in the world, basking in the Spanish sun as the burnouts came surplus to requirement. And instead of tears of dejection, it was tears of joy. From the dirt tracks of Owensboro to the Grand Prix circus on the world stage, The Kentucky Kid had accomplished his childhood dream and ambition in becoming MotoGP world champion.

    Never once did he give up or question his ability. He never once was put off by Valentino Rossi’s hoards of fans or by the status of the man he was battling with. Nicky displayed one of MotoGP’s most determined rides ever, with his natural charismatic style blending with his on track resilience to conquer the world and reign the two-wheeled King.

    And that is how I want to remember Nicky Hayden. Not as someone who would only go on to achieve a handful more podiums. Not as a rider who was struggling on uncompetitive machinery in World Superbike. But as the champion of our hearts. The champion who was as common as the rest of us, just with that flamboyancy and individualism only Nicky could make work. A people’s racer with just one desire, he leaves us with some fantastic, irreplaceable and unforgettable memories. His ‘happy-go-lucky’ aura captivated millions of fans from across the planet as we watched one rider chase a dream before watching the same rider realise his dream had become a reality. Living on in our hearts and riding on above with some other stern opposition, you can be sure that Nicky Hayden will be remembered as a true legend, both on track and off it. The Kentucky Kid will never be forgotten, even if his visor has come down for the final time.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • BREAKING: Brookes Replaces McGuinness at Jackson Racing in Supersport TT Bow

    Josh Brookes has joined Jackson Racing Honda for the 2017 Isle of Man TT, in place of the injured John McGuinness following the Morecambe Missile’s crash at the NW200.

    Former BSB champion Brookes has already been announced as a competitor on the Norton in the Superbike class at the TT and also as a rider for Ryan Farquhar’s KMR team in the Supertwins race.

    The Australian first rode the 37 mile ‘Mountain’ course back in 2013 for TAS Tyco Suzuki, with a best result of 10th place. At the time, he was the fastest ever newcomer, setting a lap time of 127.726. Only Peter Hickman went quicker on his debut.

    Brookes returned with the Shaun Muir Milwaukee Yamaha team for 2014, achieving a best result of 7th in the Senior TT which closed the week. He also achieved a 10th in the first Superbike outing.

    Having had two years away, Josh said that he will be looking to “rekindle the memories” of the TT, but insisted to me in an exclusive interview that a 2nd BSB title is still top of the list and that a Senior TT wouldn’t be higher on the priority list.

    There was talks of Brookes’ return to the road racing scene being slightly sooner, when the Anvil Yamaha Team he rides for in the BSB championship were contemplating the NW200 but the talks remained just that. Brookes and the Norton he will also be riding at the TT received backing to go to the NW200, with only insurance and homologation rules preventing such things.

    The effervescent Australian is 4th in the British Superbike championship, just 9 points ahead of Shane Byrne who occupies 7th; the Londoner just 1 place outside the all-important showdown positions.

    The TT will start on the 27th of May, finishing on the 9th of June.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko