WORLDSBK.COM - bis 15.08.2010

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The Superbike World Championship is a test of both riders and machines, and with seven manufacturers playing their full part in 2010 the fight for domination in the Manufacturers' Standings is tough and ever changing. With seven rounds of the 13 now completed, there are two main quarrels going on, one for the lead in the points' standings and one for fourth.

Suzuki, thanks mainly to the efforts of long-time championship leader Leon Haslam have enjoyed the greatest time in the leading position, but after a double win at Miller Aprilia took the lead, for the second time this year. Aprilia now leads Suzuki by 11 points, 263 to 252. A little way behind after some recent reversals of fortune is Ducati, but with a current total of 214 points, the other Italian manufacturer is still very much in touch.

There have been more extremes of fortune in the fight for fourth place than in any other area of the championship, with Honda on 162 points, Yamaha right there with 158 and BMW 130. Kawasaki has 45 points after a tough first half of the season.

Four manufacturers have scored race victories so far. Aprilia has six wins (all Max Biaggi), Suzuki three (all Leon Haslam), Ducati three (one apiece for Carlos Checa, Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio) and Honda two (both Jonathan Rea).

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The effort put in by all involved in the Kawasaki Racing Team has been obvious to see for those working in the WSBK paddock in 2010, with more personnel involved in the background and an extensive programme of development taking place since the very first winter tests.

At Miller last time out the team beat its 2009 performance standards, proving that progress is being made, but it has been a tough season on many occasions - particularly since new signing Chris Vermeulen hurt his right knee badly in a Phillip Island race crash.

Team regular Tom Sykes has impressed many times, particularly at Monza when he finished a season best fifth in race two, but the English rider knows that Miller did not go to plan. "We started the weekend in good shape but although we were consistent with lap times and we improved on last year's times, it was still not fast enough." Bad luck has struck Sykes more than once in 2010, and it affected his final result in race two. "I had a decent launch in both races but in race two I got tangled up with a Ducati rider and lost a few places, which put us in a disastrous 19th place. Middle race distance we struggled with handling into the long left-handed corners but I fought back as hard as I could to finish within the points. I guess that is a positive from the weekend. I'm sorry for the boys but I did the best I could and I look forward to getting things back on track and running nearer the front at Misano."

Vermeulen has been frustrated in his much-lauded return to WSBK racing, but for the first time this year he scored in each race once he had completed his day's work at Miller, "A difficult weekend but we scored points in both races. It was my first time here and we improved the bike all weekend," said Chris.

The British-based team is now making preparations for the next challenge ahead, Misano. Both riders are keen to get recent injuries cleared up during this period of the year, when there are three free weekends between the American and San Marino rounds.

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During the sizzling heat of World Ducati Week, which runs from June 10 to 13, the official Ducati Xerox Superbike team as well as Althea Ducati, DFX Corse and Supersonic Ducati, will make a series of tests at the Misano World Circuit. The test will be open to the public, in front of thousands of Ducatisti, and is a unique event, as Ernesto Marinelli, Ducati SBK Project Manager, explained:

"This year WDW will be really special as, for the first time, we've arranged a true, official test that is open to the public. During each day of the WDW we will have Superbike test sessions scheduled, with all the main players of the 2010 season present: Nori, Michel, Carlos, Shane, Lorenzo, Luca and more..."

"We also have a surprise that I think will make these hours even more enjoyable for the spectators, as the test rider that we have chosen to ride the development Superbike during these sessions will be our very own Troy Bayliss who, excited to be back on the bike, will surely put on a show and provide us with useful information so as to make the 1198 even more competitive."

"I'm really happy and I think it's a great opportunity for us to experience a unique event together with the Ducatisti, with all the red passion that unites us. See you at Misano!"

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DFX Corse, which switched back to Ducati in 2009, is one of the teams taking advantage of World Ducati Week currently being held at Misano World Circuit to put in some extra track testing time. The team is present with the rider it normally enters in World Superbike events, Lorenzo Lanzi, but also with a man who has experienced an important chapter of his long career with the Veneto-based squad: Regis Laconi.

Following his dramatic crash during free practice at Kyalami in 2009, the Frenchman has now returned for an exploratory test to see his current state of form. Laconi has continued training on his bicycle all this time to remain fit, and after more than 70 laps with a best time of 1'37''800, he proved that his talent is still intact. But any thoughts of returning to racing for the moment are premature and totally groundless. The friendship that ties Regis to team manager Daniele Carli enabled the test to take place, for the joy of the thousands of WDW fans.

Lorenzo Lanzi was back on his regular 1098 mount for the first time since Monza and was immediately back on the pace. After 45 laps the Italian had recorded a best time of 1'36''600, also setting a good race pace over the distance. Lanzi will be back on track on Sunday evening and then on Monday on a day reserved for the Ducati teams taking part in this year's championship.

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This season, his fourth in World Superbike, Max Biaggi has quite literally taken the championship by storm. The 38 year-old from Rome can count on six wins in 2010 out of his all-time tally of 10, and this year they have all come in pairs, at Portimao, Monza and Miller Motorsports Park. WorldSBK.com spoke exclusively with the four-time 250GP champion (and three times 500GP and MotoGP runner-up) to find out his thoughts on leading the World Superbike Championship on his Aprilia Alitalia RSV4 for the first time.

What is the biggest improvement in competitiveness of the Aprilia RSV4 compared to last year?

"We have mainly worked on fine-tuning several different areas. The bike has become a bit more balanced both in engine power delivery and with the cycle parts."

How does it feel to lead the championship and have only one realistic rival in Leon Haslam?

"This is the first time I've been in the lead of the world championship this year and to be honest I think it's a great sensation that makes us proud of all the hard work we've done until now. As for me, I am and remain totally focused on getting the best possible result every time I go out on the track... but there's still a long way to go in the championship."

Where should the best and worst tracks be for the bike from now to Magny-Cours?

"Now you want to know too many things...! Let's just say that on average I want to go well at all the circuits. That's what I think!"

How much help is having the test team working in parallel with the official race team?

"Well, with a new bike like ours it's vitally important to have a test team (like BMW, moreover). We can say that for the new arrivals in this championship it's very important to quickly make up the competitive gap that separates us from the other teams that form part of the history of SBK."

Is there a difference in feel between the chain driven camshaft engine and the new gear driven camshaft engine?

"No, not really. For the moment you can't notice any difference. The new gear driven cam engine we've only used at Miller but maybe from the next round onwards I can be a bit more precise."

Have you changed your approach to WSBK racing this year, in any way?

"I settled in at WSBK right from the very first moment. I was missing an environment that was more concerned with the spirit of competition on the racetrack than MotoGP and I believe I found it in Superbike. This year for me nothing has changed, the big change came when I came back to race again for Aprilia and with the team I chose for this adventure."

How much is a settled family life, fatherhood etc, helped you this year compared to others?

"What can I say? It's simply fantastic what has happened to me. I didn't think it could be so nice. I'm really proud to be a father."

Why are older riders now able to compete when ten years ago it seemed impossible - yet the sport is maybe more physical than ever?

"Experience is an additional gift and when you race at the top all these little details count. The new guys who have arrived are all pretty good but very few of them make the big difference. Ben Spies is one exception to this."

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As reigning champions in World Superbike the official Yamaha team, led by team manager Massimo ‘Maio' Meregalli, had a tough act to follow in 2010. From the outset they clearly had more viable rivals to compete against than they had in 2009. So just after the half-season point has been reached we caught up with Meregalli to find out his thoughts on a half-season that has delivered James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow seven podiums between them, plus a few big handfuls of bad luck.

"I think for sure the first part season has been tougher than I thought, tougher than what we were expecting," said Meregalli. "But we had a lot of improvements to do to match our riders' suggestions, and we have had some bad luck as well. For sure I was expecting to be much closer to the front - but we will not give up until the end of the season."

A raft of off-season machine improvements in the unique YZF-R1 machine have been tried, some kept and some left behind as the Italian based team has searched for more competitiveness in 2010. "With the bike, right now, we have more power than last year, but we decided not to use the new tank," said Meregalli. Improvements are, however, ongoing in such a tough series. "We are improving the electronics and driveability of the bike all the time. The bike, I think, is better compared to last year - but the other manufacturers are better too. It is more difficult this year, there are more riders who can fight for the victories in each race."

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Four top teams, Aprilia Alitalia, Alstare Suzuki, Yamaha Sterilgarda and BMW Motorrad Motorsport, started testing at Misano yesterday (Tuesday 15 June) in readiness for the forthcoming race on June 27.

The test started in dry conditions, but in the afternoon, around 13.00, the rains arrived and halted proceedings, although most riders went back out on track later in the day, as the track started to dry out. One more day of testing is scheduled for today.

Said Aprilia team manager Francesco Guidotti, "We ran until around 1pm then we had some heavy rain. Otherwise the test has been good, so far everything is under control. With Max Biaggi and Leon Camier we are just preparing for the race next week."

Biaggi set a 1'36.4 in the morning, and Camier 1'37.1, in what is his second test at Misano this season. Guidotti is confident that the team can get through its workload if conditions improve, but the forecast is for the possibility of more rain at some stage. "If we can ride all day long tomorrow it will be enough for us, but we can't do anything about the weather. We expect it to be really hot next week."

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Kawasaki Racing Team's Chris Vermeulen says he can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and after an injury-ravaged WSB campaign, he has earmarked round 8 of this year's championship in San Marino for a turnaround in fortunes.

The Australian, who turns 28 on June 19, injured his right knee in a high-speed crash at the Phillip Island season opener, which eventually required surgery and a short period of convalescence before he returned to action at round 4 in the Netherlands. Ever since he has been safe in the knowledge that he can't do any more structural damage to the recuperating knee - but with the sobering fact that he will probably require a full reconstruction once he retires from racing.

"Everyday life hasn't been such a hassle for me (since getting the injury), and if I was a builder or house painter I would be fine," said Vermeulen, "but on a bike there is a lot of bend and push going through the knee, and that's where I've had problems. Early on I had to lift my seat about 20mm and lower the footpegs on the Kawasaki, and that had a big impact on the bike's handling. But I didn't really have a choice, as a full reconstruction would have kept me off the bike for a minimum of six months, and that just wasn't possible with lots of important stuff starting soon, such as testing the all-new Kawasaki."

Despite the Kawasaki struggling to match the pace of its Japanese and European rivals, Vermeulen believes he will still be a powerful force at the next round in Misano on June 27.

"It was always my goal to be strong there, and the big inroads I made in America have given me even more confidence. I finished second behind Casey (Stoner) in the 2007 MotoGP race there, and it's a circuit I know really well. I am working my butt off while I'm back in Australia, and I hope to hit the ground running in Misano."

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After two days of testing at Misano four of the top WSBK teams - Aprilia Alitalia, Alstare Suzuki, BMW Motorrad Motorsport and Yamaha Sterilgarda - are now prepared to face the next round of the championship on June 27, despite rain affecting the first day of action.

A full day of testing today, on standard Pirelli race tyres that were used as a reference, saw the top riders closely grouped together at the generally twisty Misano World Circuit.

The fastest riders on show proved to be the Yamaha pairing of Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland, with Crutchlow just a tenth ahead at the end. Ruben Xaus and Leon Camier were less than a second back from the fastest in the final two places, according to some trackside stopwatches. Xaus missed the later stages of the test, as he had to catch a flight home.

Almost all of the top teams have now completed tests recently, with the official Ducati Xerox Team and the Althea Ducati squad having been on track at Monza after World Ducati Week, and the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team having finished their own private two-day tests at Assen yesterday (Tuesday 15th).

Misano Test Times (unofficial; no transponders): 1. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) 1'36.2; 2. James Toseland (Yamaha) 1'36.3; 3. Troy Corser (BMW) 1'36.4; 4. Leon Haslam (Suzuki) 1'36.4; 5. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) 1'36.5; 6. Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki) 1'36.6; 7. Leon Camier (Aprilia) 1'37.1; 8. Ruben Xaus (BMW) 1'37.1

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The four-man Hannspree Ten Kate Honda World Superbike and World Supersport championship squad completed a two-day test at Assen in Holland yesterday ahead of next week's eighth round races at Misano in Italy. It was the first track outing for the Ten Kate riders since competing at round seven of the 2010 championships at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City in the USA at the end of May.

Jonathan Rea was almost fully recovered from the severe tyre burns he sustained in a qualifying crash at Miller and found himself quickly back up to race pace at the Assen circuit where he enjoyed his first World Superbike pole position and a maiden double race win in April. For Max Neukirchner, the Assen test provided a pressure-free environment in which to try to eliminate the chatter problems that have plagued him in recent weeks.

Meanwhile Kenan Sofuoglu and Michele Pirro used the Assen test to try new a new electronics package on their Supersport CBR600RR machines.

Ronald ten Kate declared: "We've had a very worthwhile two days at Assen where it was good to get the wheels rolling in Europe again after the last two flyaway rounds. We experienced some problems at Miller so we needed some track time to test a few things on the bikes. It's been hard work for the riders and the crew but we've been able to try a few things on Jonathan's side and we've definitely made a step forward with Max. We're looking forward to Misano now, which is the first track of this season where we have some Ohlins data. On the Supersport side, we did a lot of work on the electronics, particularly in the areas of power delivery and traction control. We matched the race pace from Assen but it was incredibly windy on the second day. We'll head to Misano next week to try and keep Kenan in his winning ways and to get Michele back on the podium at his home race."

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The forthcoming World Superbike races at Silverstone on August 1 will feature two extra talents who are well known to the fans of the series - Ryuichi Kiyonari and Josh Brookes (photo).

Now regular riders for the highly respected HM Plant Honda BSB team, both ‘Kiyo' and Josh are old hands in the Superbike World Championship, with Kiyo a three-time race winner and Josh an experienced privateer in WSB and a double race winner in the Supersport World Championship.

Said Josh of his return to the paddock that first brought him to global prominence, "I'm really fired up for taking part in the World Superbike event and it will be great to also have Kiyo racing there, so we're a full team."

Currently, Brookes is second in the BSB series and Kiyonari is eighth.

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Matteo Baiocco lives one hour away by car from Misano and it is for this reason that he considers the Adriatic Riviera circuit to be his home track. On his Team Kawasaki Pedercini machine, the 26 year-old from Osimo will be aiming to score some world championship points for only the second time this season, following his fifteenth place in race 2 at Assen. WorldSBK.com sat down for a chat with Baiocco in view of the forthcoming San Marino Round, which will undoubtedly see an invasion by his numerous fans and which represents an important event in his second World Superbike season.

What's your opinion on this first part of the season?

"For sure the first half of the season has not seen me score as many good results as the end of 2009, but up until Monza my season was going well and I also did a good race in Superstock 1000 in the opening CIV round. I've struggled a bit in the last two overseas rounds, I was unable to find a good feeling at these two new circuits ... and I want to wipe them from my memories forever!"

What has been missing so far and what do you feel optimistic about?

"So far I haven't been able to find the right confidence with the front of the bike. I ended 2009 with a Ducati and it wasn't easy to get used to the Kawasaki again but in particular I haven't been able to establish a good feeling with the new front forks. I'm optimistic however because I'm sure the team will do everything possible to make things easy for me, especially because I know I can fight for better positions than this".

What are your best memories of the Misano track?

"Misano is a track I really love and my best memory is from 2007 when, on the new circuit, I set pole and went on to win the Superstock 1000 race as a privateer. I also won my debut CIV race last year for the Guandalini Team, and my best lap was just 5/10ths off Haga's record".

Misano is your home circuit. Where are the points on the track that make all the difference?

"For sure it's my home circuit because I live less than an hour away. The track is a bit like being on rails, and you can surely make all the difference from Tramonto to the Carro curve. There it's really quick and you can make it count if you ride it well".

What are you expecting from this year's San Marino Round?

"I expect to make it into the top 15. Getting into Superpole and into the points would be fantastic ... and I also want to make sure all my fans at the Quercia curve have a good time".

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The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola will once again be the traditional mid-season venue for two days of official Superbike World Championship testing at the end of June.

The tests, organized by Infront Motor Sports, will be held on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th June, and will take place shortly after round 8 of the championship at Misano World Circuit on Sunday 27th.

Most of the top teams from the FIM Superbike World Championship, plus FIM Supersport World Championship and Superstock 1000 FIM Cup regulars will be present at Imola, and will be out on track together for a total of 15 hours of testing action over the two days.

This year's race at the Santerno track is scheduled for September 24-26.

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Team ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing and Vittorio Iannuzzo have reached a deal that will see the latter race in the second half of World Supersport. The Italian will ride the Daytona 675 starting from the next round, held at Misano Adriatico and will therefore fill the void left by Jason DiSalvo's departure. Iannuzzo, who has been racing in Superbike in the last few seasons, won the European Superstock title with team Alstare in the seat of a Suzuki in 2003. He made his Superbike debut on the same machine the year after. Despite being born in 1982, Iannuzzo has raced for 12 seasons at world level and has the experience to reach important goals.

Vittorio Iannuzzo: "I was close to signing with the team two years ago, now we've finally reached the deal. I'm sure I can score important results and I will work hard to get to grips with the bike as soon as possible. I'm going to be a factory rider yet again and this makes me really proud, so I would like to thank Giuliano Rovelli for giving me this opportunity. I haven't raced in Supersport for 5 years, my last season in the competition was in fact in the seat of a Suzuki, racing for team Alstare, where I scored great results. Now that I have more experience, I'm confident I can do even better".

Giuliano Rovelli: "After DiSalvo quit, we have received interesting proposals, but we chose Vittorio because we believe he possesses the talent to battle with the front runners right away and his riding style fits our machine's characteristics. I wish him the best of luck for his debut at Misano".

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Althea Racing are without a shadow of doubt the revelation of the 2010 season. Carlos Checa won one of the two races for the Italian team in the opening round of the season at Phillip Island and only electrical gremlins prevented Althea Racing from celebrating a double victory in the USA Round at Miller Motorsports Park, with the outcome safely in the hands of the Spanish rider until a few laps from the end.

We caught up with Althea Racing's General Manager Genesio Bevilacqua (who a few days ago became father, so congratulations from WorldSBK.com to Genesio, his wife Maya and new-born Isabella are in order), for a chat about Checa and the season so far.

"At the start of the season I was counting a lot on Carlos and the results are proving me to be right. He is a ‘complete' rider, one who still has a desire to prove something and the same desire to race at the top. He's riding really well and we, as a team, are learning a lot from him and his way of working. As for Byrne, before the year is out I hope to see him race up at the front where he deserves to be and for this reason we are trying to meet him half-way from a technical point of view. Already at Miller we could see the first results because in America he went really well".

For the second half of the season the aims are clear for the Italian team manager: Bevilacqua is aiming high and is looking beyond 2010. "I can't deny that we'd like to get some more wins between Misano and the final round at Magny-Cours. We want to demonstrate to everyone, even though there is no real need to do so, that the win at Phillip Island, the podiums at Valencia and Kyalami and the two races at Miller were not isolated cases but the basis for a rosy future".

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A lap of 1 minute 47.854 seconds from Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) allowed him to top the first session of Imola testing on day 2, holding off Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda).

Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) was third but fell, bringing out the red flags to stop the session a few minutes early.

Three British riders made it into the top four this morning, with Cal Crutchlow fourth on his Sterilgarda Yamaha, while Ruben Xaus hauled his German BMW machine up into a promising fifth place. The final hours of testing get going again at 14.30.

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1 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'47.478

2 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'48.096

3 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'48.147

4 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'48.359

5 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'48.363

6 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1'48.666

7 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'48.676

8 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'48.690

9 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'48.978

10 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'49.031

11 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'49.186

12 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'49.394

13 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1'49.423

14 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'49.622

15 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1'50.054

16 77 Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'50.074

17 26 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'51.781 (WSS)

18 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1'52.995 (WSS)

19 51 Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'54.872 (WSS)

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1 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'47.478

2 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'47.854

3 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'47.966

4 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'47.990

5 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'48.096

6 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'48.147

7 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'48.329

8 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1'48.666

9 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'48.690

10 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'48.943

11 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'49.031

12 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'49.079

13 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'49.186

14 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'49.214

15 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1'49.423

16 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1'50.054

17 77 Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'50.074

18 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1'51.572 (WSS)

19 26 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'51.781 (WSS)

20 51 Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'52.244 (WSS)

21 86 Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'52.375 (STK)

22 20 Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 1'52.876 (STK)

23 21 Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'53.146 (STK)

24 87 Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'53.616 (STK)

25 29 Beretta D. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'53.622 (STK)

26 6 Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 1'54.835 (STK)

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Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) was in dazzling form in the final session of testing at Imola, posting the fastest time of 1'47.478 to beat the previous track best from last year's race. The English rider used a race tyre to set his best time. The next three riders who were fastest over the two days of the tests had to rely on earlier lap times to take their places in the final rankings, with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) second, on a 1'47.854 that he set this morning.

Crutchlow declared: "I got through a bit of stuff today. It was a good enough job and we strung quite a few good laps together and did 30-odd laps on one of the new tyres. So all-in-all, not too bad. We will keep going and see what we can do in the next races."

Leon Haslam (Alstare Suzuki) had two big crashes today, the second a collision with his fellow Briton Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati), with Shane cutting his hand and suffering a suspected broken second metacarpal bone. Haslam was still third fastest overall, but was reliant on his day one best time. Jonathan Rea was faster today than yesterday on his Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR, and the last rider with a time inside the 1'47s.

A somewhat rejuvenated Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) was fifth, heading off third place rider in the overall championship standings, Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati). Ruben Xaus was fast in the morning session today, going seventh overall in the standings, but stopping early to rest the leg he hurt in a collision with another rider at Misano on Sunday.

Before his late session fall, Byrne had done enough to secure eighth place, one up on championship leader Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia). Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) rounded out a top ten of great variety, with all seven competing manufacturers represented.

In the Supersport division, which was scheduled alongside the Superbikes for two days, Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was the fastest, with a 1'51.572 lap from this morning.

In yesterday's session for the Superstock 1000 runners the rankings were headed by Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia STK) who recorded a lap time of 1'52.375.

From the start of July pre-sales will be getting underway for the Imola round of the Superbike World Championship on September 24-26. For further information, go to www.ticketone.it.

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Brought in as team manager to aid the overall boss Luigi Dall'Igna this year, Francesco Guidotti is ideally placed to tell us how the season has been for Aprilia Alitalia so far. With Max Biaggi leading the championship, it appears to be going even better than expected.

"Our expectation was not to be leading for sure with this gap, at this stage of the season," said Francesco. "Our expectation was to fight with some other riders. It was like that before and it will come back for sure. No one gives up so easy. At the beginning of the season the first race was really tough, but then we had a good response at the last race. Where we expected no huge problem we had one, in Phillip Island. When we expected a difficult race in Misano, and it was still a difficult race, we took a double win. At the end of the day it is the result that is important."

With five rounds remaining, Guidotti would not be drawn on any talk of the championship now, stating, "Our goal is still the same, improve the performance of last year, which means being inside the top three. It seems that we are getting to that goal, maybe more. But the competitors are really tough; we have to respect them to the end of the season. Races are never finished until the chequered flag and the season is not finished until the last race. We are still focused on race results. We are not thinking about the title, really. Step-by-step. It is our goal, but our feet are on the ground."

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Uniting his passion for bikes and speed with solidarity in the fight against cystic fibrosis, and helping to promote the values and the commitment of the FFC (Foundation for Research into Cystic Fibrosis) to bike fans and the general public; after his experience in 2009 in the CIV domestic racing series on a Kawasaki, the Italian entrepreneur and keen bike racer Matteo Marzotto (currently president of the Italian National Tourist Board) this year has opted for a major International series - the Triumph ParkinGO Trophy - as a showcase to make people more aware of CF and the programmes of the FFC.

Marzotto is co-founder, vice-president and testimonial for the FFC, the only Onlus institute in Italy, whose main aim is to promote and finance medical research projects to help improve the duration and the quality of life of CF patients and defeat what has become the most widespread genetic disease in the Western world.

During the last Superbike race weekend 40 people from FFC, all bike fans, were present at Misano: young CF sufferers, donors and FFC delegates from all over Italy, offering T-shirts and caps to race fans.

Matteo also spoke about the FFC in a press conference for the Adopt-A-Rider initiative, of which FFC is charity partner, held on Saturday in the SBK Paddock Show.

For more information on FFC, click on: www.fibrosicisticaricerca.it

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Britain's seven Superbike World Championship riders will be competing on home soil at Silverstone (July 30-August 1) in round ten of this year's series. Leon Camier and Cal Crutchlow were both at Silverstone's British GP event two weeks ago, providing their thoughts on the new Grand Prix Circuit which will also host the only British round of World Superbikes in 2010.

Camier took to the skies in a helicopter for a bird's-eye view of the new 3.666 mile (5.90km) circuit, and the Aprilia Alitalia man was in full agreement with his colleagues, giving the track a big thumbs up.

"I think the circuit looks absolutely awesome, it's fast, flowing and technical too. It's wide as well which always makes for good racing. I'm really looking forward to coming here. Hopefully it will be really close for the World Superbike round and obviously as a Brit it would be nice to be up at the front somewhere. I think it will suit my bike and style as well. Fingers crossed it goes to plan when we race here. I've got good memories at Silverstone and I hope that continues on the new layout."

Yamaha Sterilgarda man Cal Crutchlow added, "It's a good circuit and all us Brits are looking forward to being here for World Superbikes. What a phenomenal new layout. I think Silverstone has done a great job and the new circuit looks tricky but perfect for motorbike racing. To come here, to Silverstone, with a different circuit is going to be good. Hopefully we can do the British fans proud."

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The two days of official Infront Motor Sports/Pirelli testing that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday at Imola's Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari were positive for the Italian one-make tyre supplier, who brought one new front tyre and six new rear tyre solutions to the circuit for the riders to test.

Both from a duration point of view as well as performance - Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) took a serious chunk out of the circuit record with a lap time of 1 minute 47.478 seconds, three tenths inside last year's Superpole time set by Michel Fabrizio - Pirelli were clearly satisfied with the development tests for the second half of the season and in particular the Imola round in September. WorldSBK.com took the opportunity to have a word with Giorgio Barbier, Racing Director Pirelli Moto, to analyze the situation:

"Here at Imola for the first time this year we brought some really soft race tyres. The aim was to test soft tyres that work well in hot temperatures, and especially for circuits where the asphalt is smooth, in part like Imola. A comparison of the results of at least three different solutions showed that excellent times were achieved, times that are difficult to improve on with a Superpole tyre."

"We focused on a range of tyres, from supersoft to race distance. We are convinced that we will take at least one solution to Imola, irrespective of the temperatures during September's race, when it might be hot like last year. We wanted a confirmation on the material we brought to Misano and which we brought here to Imola, both front and rear including for example the tyre that took Biaggi to victory as well as the front used by Checa, and so on.

"Furthermore we had some new intermediate material in hardness and this also worked well, so now we leave Imola with clear ideas for the race. The positive thing over the past couple of days is that despite the heat and exhaustion of the riders after racing at Misano, everyone put in a lot of laps, especially in the middle of the day when it was really hot, obtaining excellent times. In short, they liked what we brought and were encouraged to test it!"

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Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga found real progress with some of the new Pirelli tyres that they tried in the recent Imola tests.

Nori, who has had an up and down season so far compared to some previous years, found increased rear traction with one of the new rear tyres, but pushed too hard on a new front and fell without injury in the first morning of the final day, Wednesday. Fabrizio meanwhile finished second overall with his time from Wednesday morning, but Haga found more time that afternoon to go fifth fastest.

Said Fabrizio after two hot days and 126 laps: "We continued with the tyre testing today and with one of the new rears I had a particularly good feeling and went half a second faster than yesterday which wasn't bad. We'll see how the tyres behave when we return for the race but on hot tarmac they have worked well, providing a good level of grip. Now I'll start to concentrate on the next event at Brno, a track a like very much."

Noriyuki Haga, who completed 123 laps at Imola, said of his experiences: "These two days of testing have gone very well. As usual we've tried various settings over the two days and I found a good feeling with the front; it's only a shame that I had a crash this morning - let's say that the new front tyre solution is not for me. With the new rears on the other hand I was able to get into a good rhythm, with a good pace. We will continue with the work during the September race weekend to see if we can further improve absorption levels, but I can say that I'm satisfied with what we've achieved here."

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There shouldn't be any problems regarding the participation of Shane Byrne in the ninth round of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship at Brno next week. The British rider was involved in a nasty crash during Imola testing this week after coming into contact with Leon Haslam.

Genesio Bevilacqua, Althea Racing's general manager, spoke to his rider and declared: "The stitches applied by the Imola medical service to Shane's left hand shouldn't create any problems for him to race at Brno. The fact that there isn't any fracture (Ed. at first a metacarpal bone break was suspected) has given us reasons to be optimistic and I am sure that if the doctors confirm their authorization, Shane will react like every British rider, who to me appear to be notoriously insensitive to pain. If everything goes the way we hope Byrne might even be in a position to aim to improve on his last year's results".

In 2009 Shane Byrne took his private Ducati 1098 to fourth and seventh in the two races at Brno.

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