Shane Byrne and Sterilgarda Ducati On Top at Portimao Test

WSBK press release on the first day of pre-season testing:

"Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati) led the time sheets for much of the first day of testing at Portimao, both in the morning session when it was wet in many places then in the afternoon as track conditions dried almost completely. His impressive pace took him to a day one overall best of 1'44.265, less than one second from the absolute track best, set by outgoing champion Troy Bayliss last year.

Byrne had to put in an effort later in the session, as first Michel Fabrizio and then Ben Spies passed him, but after his 47 laps, Byrne held the upper hand on his private 1098R.

Max Neukirchner pushed the new Suzuki to fourth fastest time, still inside the 1'44 bracket, as was the following Noriyuki Haga, getting used to his factory Ducati at a quick pace.

Every one of the 27 riders on show went quicker in the afternoon sessions, leaving Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati) sixth fastest as he put in a strong challenge throughout.

The top Honda was the privateer Stiggy Motorsports machine of Leon Haslam, leading a three rider running flush of CBR machinery ahead of team-mates Jonathan Rea and Carlos Checa.

The top ten was rounded out by Yukio Kagayama's Suzuki, with Broc Parkes the leading Kawasaki runner in 14th. The all-new BMW and Aprilia machines were out in full force at this test, with Troy Corser 15th on the S1000RR and Max Biaggi 16th on the vee-four Aprilia.

In the Supersport class, the new combination of Joan Lascorz and his Kawasaki ZX-6R proved to be the quickest overall, albeit on a slightly wetter track than the Superbike riders finally got to ride on.

Second was class rookie Cal Crutchlow, on a Yamaha, with Honda rider Kenan Sofuoglu third, Suzuki man Barry Veneman fourth, making for four different types of machine inside the top four.

Two more days of testing remain."

SBK-09 Preview

"2009 season gets underway with Superbike and Supersport tests at Portimao

The 22nd edition of the Superbike World Championship kicks off in just over one month's time at Phillip Island in Australia, but the bikes will be air-freighted across the globe at the start of February so as to be ready for several teams to test there one week before the opening round. This weekend's test at the Portuguese circuit of Portimao, from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th January, therefore represents the last remaining opportunity for major testing and development work, but above all it will be the first direct clash between all the WSBK contenders before the start of the new season. The test in Portugal will also see the official launch of the championship, which sees a record participation of 32 riders, with a press conference in the circuit.

MAGNIFICENT SEVEN RIDE - Portimao will see the participation of Paul Bird Motorsport's Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team, absent from the South African test in December, therefore all seven manufacturer teams, a record in bike racing, will be present. Aprilia Racing (Max Biaggi and Shinya Nakano), BMW Motorrad Alpha Racing (Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus), Ducati Xerox (Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio), Hannspree Ten Kate Honda (Carlos Checa, Jonathan Rea and Ryuichi Kiyonari), Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team (Makoto Tamada and Broc Parkes), Suzuki Alstare (Max Neukirchner and Yukio Kagayama) and Yamaha World Superbike (Ben Spies and Tom Sykes) are the 15 riders on the factory machines.

NEW ENTRIES - The Kyalami test in December demonstrated that the battle will be exceptionally close this year, as the top riders were all separated by just over one second. Expectations are high for these tests at Portimao, with the two new entries Aprilia and BMW expected to be much closer to the leading pace.

FULL GRID - But it's not just the factory teams that make up the starting-grid. The 2009 edition of the WSBK championship also includes several other top class satellite and private teams who will be aiming to carve out a role for themselves amongst the leaders. All eyes will be on Ducati Sterilgarda with Shane Byrne, the 2008 BSB champion, Stiggy Motorsport Honda with Leon Haslam and Roberto Rolfo and also Ducati Guandalini, with Jakub Smrz and 2008 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup winner Brendan Roberts.

MADE IN ITALY - Italy has never been able to win a Superbike title but this year the prospects are promising, with two top riders, Max Biaggi and Michel Fabrizio, on the grid. Biaggi has opted to debut the new Aprilia RSV4 and if development goes well, he can also be considered amongst the favourites. Fabrizio, in his second season with the factory Ducati team, has already slipped into the role of front-runner and is aiming for the top. Six Italian riders will be on the grid, all with different ambitions: Roberto Rolfo (Honda), Alessandro Polita (Ducati), Italian Superbike champion Luca Scassa (Kawasaki), Vittorio Iannuzzo (Honda) and the two Kawasaki PSG-1 youngsters, Ayrton Badovini and Matteo Baiocco, who however will not be present at Portimao.

NEW FOR 2009 - The Portimao test will also be a first chance to try out the two new regulation changes this year, in particular the Superpole ?knock-out' format. After the Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning sessions, the top 20 will go on to try out the new format in the final afternoon, an innovation that is guaranteed to add even more excitement to this year's championship.

SUPERSPORT - Supersport will also have three days of testing in Portugal, with all teams present except for the second Suzuki Hoegee rider. It will be interesting to see the battle between the Ten Kate Honda duo of Andrew Piitt and Kenan Sofuoglu, Supersport champions respectively in 2008 and 2007, but they will be up against a number of tough adversaries including Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport's new signing, team-mate Fabien Foret, Anthony West with the Stiggy Motorsport Honda, and youngsters Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Provec) and Mark Aitchison (Honda Althea). Six Italians are present in this year's championship: Gianluca Vizziello (Honda), Gianluca Nannelli (Triumph), Massimo Roccoli (Honda), Michele Pirro (Yamaha), Fabrizio Lai (Honda) and Danilo Dell'Omo (Honda)."

From worldsbk.com

Ducati beats Ferrari: Casey Stoner beats Felipe Massa

Ducati MotoGP racers Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden had a showdown at the Italian Wrooom event with Ferrari F-1 star Felipe Massa and Ferrari test-driver Luca Badoer (Kimi Raikkonen had a fever).

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In an event which one must assume gave a slight advantage to the four-wheeled racers, -- go-karts on ice -- Stoner came out on top, beating 2nd-placed Massa, 3rd-placed Badoer, and 4th-placed Hayden.

Check out the video footage HERE at MotoGP.com.

New Ducati Desmosedici GP9

Ducati has unveiled the new Desmosedici GP9 at Madonna di Campiglio with Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden in attendance.

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The machine utilizes an at least partially carbon fiber frame and both riders seem to be very positive. Rightfully so, if we're to judge the new bike's potential by how Casey beat his own best racelap at Catalunya while testing an early GP9 back in 2008.



The free video HERE.

More on Kawasaki/MotoGP Situation, WSBK News Bits

Kawasaki is testing the 2009 Ninja ZX-RR GP race machine in Australia despite a seemingly legitimate announcement that the factory would not directly support the '09 season. MotoGP.com reports that this *may* mean the Ninja will live to see another season of GP racing -- as part of a 2-bike privateer effort. With such a dwindling number of participants, MotoGP can't be happy about a manufacturer as major as Kawasaki deciding that the series is economically unjustifiable, and surely must be pressing to get some green on the grid even if it means as consistent last-placers.

Kawasaki's withdrawal from MotoGP apparently does NOT mean a withdrawal from World Superbike racing.

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Instead, the WSBK series will enjoy a record number of both full-time entries and manufacturers this year as well as fresh tracks.

Not so long ago, it seemed that World Superbike was teetering on the edge of irrelevance and MotoGP ascending to a new level of global popularity. Now we see the opposite taking place. History has proven it: Despite each series having its "niche", factory support is a zero-sum game.

The past few seasons of MotoGP have been a droning anti-climax at best, with only a few hot moments (like the '08 Laguna Seca contest) reminding nostalgic viewers of a more colorful past. SBK on the other hand has seen some of the closest racing in years.

No longer are we seeing washed up GP riders move to SBK and SBK's best move to GP, but mutual exchanges of top talent. SBK is not only more relevant to many street riders, but significantly more affordable for teams and manufacturers. Stoner, Rossi, Hayden & gang (what's left of it) will have to work hard to make '09 buck the trends. That is, if new arrivals such as BMW, Aprilia, and Ben Spies don't bolster the popularity of WSBK even further.

Indeed, the only disappointing news as of recent coming from the WSBK camp is a statement by Aprilia's race chief: 'No SBK for Marco Simoncelli'. Marco had previously hoped to pilot the new RSV4 in the Phillip Island and Qatar Rounds. Valentino Rossi has expressed similar interest in the past (with who knows how much sincerity).

Kawasaki Quits MotoGP!

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MotoGP.com reports that Kawasaki will suspend MotoGP racing
activities for the 2009 season:

"Amid the quickly changing business environment, Kawasaki has been promptly taking countermeasures to cope with the situation. As the world economy is not likely to recover in a short period due to the major impact of the financial crisis, Kawasaki decided to suspend its MotoGP racing activities from the 2009 season onward and reallocate management resources more efficiently."

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