FIM World Superbikes Round 9 Preview Showdown Set for Silverstone

As the paddock starts to unpack at Silverstone the Great British public have a lot to look forward to this weekend. I for one, have my fingers well and truly crossed for two more “all brit” podiums just like the ones we had this time last year.

This will be my second year at Silverstone, as this time last year I was given a Media Pass for the very first time. I can tell you that it was the most exciting experience I have ever had, and I am just as excited at the prospect of returning.

Unfortunately there will be a few riders who through injury will be unable to ride this weekend, namely both Castrol Honda racers Jonathan Rea and Rubin Xaus, and Kawasaki Racing Team’s Chris Vermeulen. Chris has been given extra time off to get race fit. Keeping him from the track is not his knee injury but actually the elbow injury which has to be dressed every day in order to prevent calcification due to an infection. It is said that he is recovering nicely from his knee injury which is now thought to be 80% fit.

On the plus side with Jonathan unable to race Alex Lowes gets a second chance to put on a set of Castrol leathers. Alex Said “I had a great time at Brno but it was all a massive learning curve for me and the test at

Assen last week was the perfect chance to spend some more time on the bike. I managed to pick up where I left off in terms of adapting my style and racked up quite a few laps. We changed a few things and got to test some stuff to try to improve the feel of the bike mid-corner. By the end of the second day it was beginning to feel like my bike, so I was really happy, and the last couple of runs were pretty good. Now I can really look forward to Silverstone this weekend – I love the track and it’ll be a home race for me, so I’ll work as hard as I can from Friday morning and try to deliver two solid results for the team”

Rubin will be replaced by Australian Karl Muggeridge who is currently competing in the IDM German

Suberbike Championship on the Honda 1000RR, which he won last year in his rookie year. Karl said “I was actually on holiday with the family in Italy when the call came through from Ronald, but I’m really happy to get this opportunity to join the team again. 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. The World Superbike paddock is a place where I feel completely at home, but there’s definitely a big job ahead for the weekend. I don’t want to set any unrealistic targets, and I’m not going to Silverstone to re-invent the wheel. I’ll just aim to work hard and ride strong all weekend and hopefully get a couple of decent finishes in the races.”

On a more positive note we also have a few riders returning to racing this weekend, as BMW sees both their injured riders Troy Corser and homeboy James Toseland putting their leathers back on.

Troy who broke his arm whilst racing at Aragon in June said “After my injury in Aragon, I am now really

looking forward jumping on my bike again. I have been back training for the last couple of weeks, and I do not feel any pain in my arm. I rode dirt bikes just to check how fit I am, and all feels good. Our performance in Silverstone was not too bad last year; unfortunately I crashed in the second race. The RR worked well there – you obviously need a fast engine, so this should suit us well. Leon and Steve [Martin] tested a few things at Lausitzring in preparation for the Silverstone races and I am optimistic that the test results will help improve the bike further. The new pit complex looks impressive on TV, but the track still looks quite bumpy. The new position of the start-finish-straight now leads into a quite tight and bumpy first corner, so I think it is even more important now to start the races from the front of the grid.”

James who has had a few tries at returning this year has expressed his frustration at having to sit out so many rounds and how it felt to finally have to give in to his injury to allow it to heal. He was happy to tell me that he had no plans to retire from the sport anytime soon, no matter what we had heard. I’m also very happy to say that is spell away from the track appears to have given him a renewed passion to get back to

racing. After all he really doesn’t have to, but he now knows he wants to. James also said “Obviously this year has been really difficult for me due to injury, but my plan has always been to return in time for Silverstone. Racing in front of your home fans on a track like Silverstone is an amazing feeling, so for sure I am looking forward to getting out there. I think the circuit’s fast-flowing nature will definitely suit my BMW Motorrad Italia RR and I hope we can do a good job come race day. I have been lucky this year to have such loyal support from my fan base back in the UK and they have really helped me through everything. I just hope I can give them something good to shout about. I cannot wait to get out there and really give it everything.”

Now on to the gaggle of British riders who will be hoping to make their home race one for us to remember, I’ll start with Leon Camier. Why…because for me Leon’s performance during Race 2 last year is the one

that sticks in my mind. It saw him start in a disastrous sixteenth place and blast his way through the pack to cross the line in a very impressive third place. Leon loves Silverstone and its fast flowing lines are bound to play into the hands of his impressively fast Aprilia. Leon said "I'm really looking forward to getting out there and seeing all the new additions. The Silverstone Wing pit and paddock complex looks awesome. Silverstone has always been one of my favourite circuits as its fast and flowing, and has plenty of overtaking opportunities, which no doubt I'll need with my track record! I've had my fair share of races where I've had to fight my way through the field, probably one of the most memorable being at Silverstone last year. Going from 16th to stand on an all-British podium was something I'll never forget - the crowd was amazing and the support I had was unreal. I'm hoping we'll be able to put on another good show for the fans this weekend!"

I think Eugene Laverty will be a man to watch, as no matter where he starts on the grid or what troubles that

he may get caught up in, he has showed us on more than one occasion this year just why we should never discount him. He just puts his head down and gets stuck in, personally I love his never give up attitude. Eugene said “Silverstone is one of my favourite tracks on the calendar following the best victory of my career in the World Supersport category, last season. 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. The start/finish line has been moved for 2011 and so I'm going to have to rethink my race strategy. Last year I made my race-winning overtake into Abbey on the last lap but it's now the first corner which changes things quite a bit. I'm looking forward to the new challenge though and I'd love nothing more than to walk away with a victory, or two, at my home round."

Although of late Leon Haslam has appeared to struggle with race pace we have long since learned never to rule him out. Leon said “I’m really looking forward to Silverstone. The new circuit is really fast and flowing and it’s a great place to race, with plenty of opportunities for passing. There was some really close racing last year and the Brits did particularly well. I finished on the podium in race one and will be pushing hard to get back up there again this year. It’s also the first time we’ll be using the new Pit and Paddock complex. It looked amazing at MotoGP. It’s always special to race in front of your home crowd and it would be great to christen the new podium with a top three finish.”

Last of the British riders hoping to do well at his home circuit is Tom Sykes, he said “I am in highs spirits at the moment and looking forward to the Silverstone weekend. It is a massive circuit and really enjoyable. It

has a fast average speed and it is very flowing in nature. I hope we can pick up the pace and have a result like we had in Misano and Aragon. I like to stop the bike, turn it and when I open the throttle I want to open it hard. I see no reason why we cannot go to Silverstone and pick up our game. The test we had at Cadwell last week was an eye-opener! I had just come from Brno and I think it must be four times the width of Cadwell, so it felt so fast to be running on a track so narrow. We tried a couple of things and got a bit of a direction on where I would like to improve the bike. It was good to get a couple of hours of track time to help us make the most of our practice time this weekend. Silverstone is only 30 minutes from my house now, so it is even closer to home. 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.”

Of course we cannot discount the non-British riders, mainly current championship leader Carlos Checa. Carlos said “I really like the Silverstone track, despite the straights where we’ll suffer a little. I’m however optimistic and excited to see the brand new paddock area and the changes that have been made in the last year. I have many British friends and if, as forecast, the weather stays good, it will no doubt be a great weekend. We will work as always to find the best possible set-up and I can say that I am revved up and feeling confident.”

Hard on the heels of Carlos is second place man and last year’s champion Max Biaggi, I expect that if Max

gets a good start he will be hard to catch. It is safe to say that Max appears to put himself under much more pressure than any riders who are chasing him which often results in him making silly mistakes. With a track so fast and plenty of passing opportunities Max will need to keep a calm head. Max said “Hello everyone I am quite satisfied with the results obtained at the Brno circuit, a first and a second place that give us really want to do better. We have seen that Yamaha and Ducati are very competitive even on medium-fast circuits like Brno We expect the same thing for Silverstone. I really enjoyed it, too-good-all those curves up and down. Now we have entered in the 'last league game and there is work to do to catch up in the standings. Technically I know that our bikes will not change between now and year-end, so we have to make the most of what we have to make it better. I invite you to next week on the English circuit of Silverstone, goodbye Max”

Last but not least in Marco Melandri who is currently nestled third is the championship. Marco said “I think Silverstone is one of the best tracks of the season. I really enjoyed riding there last year with the GP and I’m looking forward to riding it with my R1. It’s a nice flowing track with some fast corners and these characteristics should be suitable for my bike. Crutchlow came away with two race wins last year and I’m confident the yamaha will be strong there this year also. I’m looking forward to the weekend and I’m optimistic we can get some good results.”

My race preview wouldn’t be complete if I wasn’t to give the wildcards a mention as this year’s duo is none other than Samsung Crescent Racing Suzuki Riders John Hopkins and Jon Kirkham. My favourite Nando munching rider John Hopkins, who has a smile so bright he could do toothpaste adverts, has also become a firm favourite with the British public. Who can forget his highland fling at Knockhill? For me it only served to make me respect his passion for the sport more. For John this is a return to the paddock where he last raced with Stiggy Honda back in 2009. For Jon Kirkham this will be a whole new experience which will allow him more time on the bike, which in my book is never a bad thing.

Finally I like to say a special good luck to the BMW Superstock 1000 rider Sylvain Barrier, who I had the pleasure to meet for the first time this week. The both funny and friendly Frenchman is currently being mentored by none other than double world champion James Toseland. Proving that mentors can work, he firmly put his BMW on the top spot at Brno and is currently fourth in the championship.

The fun frolics and frivolity kicks off with the Paddock Show on Thursday. Be sure to follow both myself @weeyin13 in Pit Lane and my fellow photographer @MikeEvstog who will be trackside. If you want to know what is happening at Silverstone check out our live blog www.girlracerlive.com and our main site www.girlracer.co.uk for all our pictures, gossip and updates which we will be bringing you live as they happen. By Jen Watson

Current Championship Standings
Carlos Checa         293
Max Biaggi          263
Marco Melandri      240
Eugene Laverty      168
Leon Haslam       137
Leon Camier          134
Michel Fabrizio       134
Ayrton Badovini       126
Noriyuki Haga           99
Jonathan Rea           94
Sylvain Guintoli       89
Jakub Smrz               88
Joan Lascorz          88
Tom Sykes                84
Troy Corser       55
Ruben Xaus          44
Roberto Rolfo           31
Maxime Berger       24
Mark Aitchison        18
Chris Vermeulen   14
Lorenzo Lanzi           10
Joshua Waters           8
Matteo Baiocco           4
James Toseland        3.

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