TBK-Light.com

Gregorio Lavilla has been appointed as a key representative for WSB.

Interesting quotes:


I can only think of one time when a rider preferred to take slicks out onto a fully wet track that wasn't drying out and achieved any degree of success, and that was when Lavilla himself tried it at Brands Hatch in 2006, scoring a podium finish.

I don't think mandating pit stops in changeable conditions is a smart choice in terms of safety. There are two distinct situations: a wet race that could dry out, or a dry race interrupted by rain. In the first case, riders make the call before the race and it's up to them to gamble, but encouraging them to continue pushing on slicks in a rain shower is only creating an un-necessary risk. I can only assume this was done to keep TV companies happy by eliminating red flag delays and situations like Monza last year.


2012 saw wins for 9 riders and 5 out of 6 manufacturers, plus what I believe is the first privateer victory since 1993. The only problem is cost. I hate to think what else Dorna are going to try in order to cripple the series into obscurity.

_________________
The Unofficial World Superbike Archive 1988-2015: http://www.wsb-archives.co.uk
World Superbike Archives YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/WSBArchives

Testing times from Jerez:

Pos. No.   Rider                Bike            Wet        Dry     Gap
1    33    Marco    Melandri    BMW        1:50.950   1:40.758   
2    34    Davide   Giugliano   Aprilia    1.50.531   1:40.862   0.104
3    58    Eugene   Laverty     Aprilia    1:53.410   1:41.043   0.285
4    2     Leon     Camier      Suzuki     1:53.285   1:41.183   0.425
5    65    Jonathan Rea         Honda      1:54.907   1:41.641   0.883
6    50    Sylvain  Guintoli    Aprilia    1:52.909   1:41.683   0.925
7    19    Chaz     Davies      BMW        1:54.084   1:41.727   0.969
8    91    Leon     Haslam      Honda      1:54.548   1:42.410   1.652
9    16    Jules    Cluzel      Suzuki     1:54.168   1:42.636   1.878

And Jonathan Rea's bike/helmet combo looks great:

_________________
The Unofficial World Superbike Archive 1988-2015: http://www.wsb-archives.co.uk
World Superbike Archives YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/WSBArchives

Time for a 2013 SBK thread.

Why? We use this thread since 2010 . Just change the name.

lol ok I didn't know.

When are Honda going to put proper effort back into WSBK? Each year I feel like Ten Kate's and Johnny Rea's talents are being wasted.

_________________
BTCC Pick Em's Champion 2010
Formula Fun Cup Champion 2013
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk

Probably never.
Honestly, I think it's already a good thing Honda hasn't officially retired from WSBK yet.

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"IT'S CHAOS! ABSOLUTE CHAOS!"

Dorna and Honda are playing under one hat. So just assume they will dominate anytime soon.

For example the idea with the 500cc class as replacement for Superstock. What manufacturer got 500cc bikes. Oh yeah right...



http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport ... -for-wsbk/

Neukirchner's bike for the year, run by Mario Rubatto:



There's still no official entry list yet, which is a bit odd considering the season starts in 3 weeks. Hopefully the current provisional list of 19 riders will get above 20 when they finally confirm it.

_________________
The Unofficial World Superbike Archive 1988-2015: http://www.wsb-archives.co.uk
World Superbike Archives YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/WSBArchives

good livery


also kawasaki:

Since Dorna took over I have had a bad feeling about the future of the series. Making it fall apart looks like the only way to put back some interest in an agonizing championship like Motogp.

_________________
"IT'S CHAOS! ABSOLUTE CHAOS!"

just noticed they moved the Indian round from Rd. 2 to the final round, there's Dorna's first step in destroying the series

No. Dorna's first step was putting India on the calendar in the first place.

_________________
BTCC Pick Em's Champion 2010
Formula Fun Cup Champion 2013
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk

LOL Indian bureaucracy is so bad they had to move it to the end, haha.

So is there a 2-3 month gap between the last round and India? I'm just wondering, if the goods need to be in the country for a set period of time before the event then how is moving the round for one end of the season to the other going to help?

_________________
BTCC Pick Em's Champion 2010
Formula Fun Cup Champion 2013
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk

There's a gap of 4 weeks between Jerez and India. The amount of time they need to get all their equipment cleared by customs is 15 days, but to be honest this just looks like they're trying to buy some time to sort out some of the other issues with the event - notably the deposit that teams have to pay when they bring their kit to the country. I'm fully expecting the round to be cancelled half way through the year.

_________________
The Unofficial World Superbike Archive 1988-2015: http://www.wsb-archives.co.uk
World Superbike Archives YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/WSBArchives

On a more positive note ParkinGo MV Agusta Corse presented their F3 Supersport for next season.



http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/racing/ ... race-bike/

Looks good

Official entry list came out today, no surprises:

   #    Rider                  Nat. Team                           Bike
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1  2    Leon      Camier       GBR  FIXI Crescent Suzuki           Suzuki GSX-R1000 L3
2  5    Alexander Lundh        SWE  Team Pedercini                 Kawasaki ZX-10R
3  7    Carlos    Checa        ESP  Team Ducati Alstare            Ducati Panigale 1199
4  16   Jules     Cluzel       FRA  FIXI Crescent Suzuki           Suzuki GSX-R1000 L3
5  18   Ivan      Clementi     ITA  HTM Racing                     BMW S1000RR
6  19   Chaz      Davies       GBR  BMW Motorrad GoldBet           BMW S1000RR
7  23   Federico  Sandi        ITA  Team Pedercini                 Kawasaki ZX-10R
8  27   Max       Neukirchner  GER  MR Racing                      Ducati Panigale 1199
9  31   Vittorio  Iannuzzo     ITA  Grillini Dentalmatic SBK Team  BMW S1000RR
10 33   Marco     Melandri     ITA  BMW Motorrad GoldBet           BMW S1000RR
11 34   Davide    Giugliano    ITA  Althea Racing                  Aprilia RSV4 Factory
12 50   Sylvain   Guintoli     FRA  Aprilia Racing Team            Aprilia RSV4 Factory
13 58   Eugene    Laverty      IRL  Aprilia Racing Team            Aprilia RSV4 Factory
14 65   Jonathan  Rea          GBR  Honda WSBK Team                Honda CBR1000RR
15 66   Tom       Sykes        GBR  Kawasaki Racing                Kawasaki ZX-10R
16 76   Loris     Baz          FRA  Kawasaki Racing                Kawasaki ZX-10R
17 84   Michel    Fabrizio     ITA  Red Devils Roma                Aprilia RSV4 Factory
18 86   Ayrton    Badovini     ITA  Team Ducati Alstare            Ducati Panigale 1199
19 91   Leon      Haslam       GBR  Honda WSBK Team                Honda CBR1000RR

And here is what happened to various other riders who were rumoured to be racing in WSB this year:

Sylvain Barrier - BMW France Endurance team
Brett McCormick - No ride yet
Lorenzo Lanzi - No ride yet
Martin Cardenas - AMA Superbike with Yoshimura

_________________
The Unofficial World Superbike Archive 1988-2015: http://www.wsb-archives.co.uk
World Superbike Archives YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/WSBArchives

more new liveries

suzuki:



bmw:

So:

- Ducati debuts a new bike with Alstare (could be a potential season killer)
- BMW works team and BMW Italy merged
- Aprilia and BMW became the weapon of choice for privateers
- What happened to Team Effenbert?
- OMG Ivan Clementi! Sometimes they come back

MV is back in WSS. I've got somebody to root for.

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"IT'S CHAOS! ABSOLUTE CHAOS!"