Positive Start to Pata Honda's 2015 SBK Campaign

[totalmotorcycle]

Positive Start to #Pata #Honda's 2015 #SBK Campaign


Sylvain Guintoli took two positive results from the opening round of the 2015 World Superbike championship at Phillip Island in Australia this afternoon, with his Pata Honda team-mate Michael van der Mark impressing with a strong fifth place finish in the first race, his WSBK debut.

Sylvain GuintolizoomSylvain Guintoli Sylvain GuintolizoomSylvain Guintoli
The two 22-lap races around the 4.445km Phillip Island circuit were won by British riders Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam, with 2014 champion Guintoli riding hard in the first outing from his ninth place on the grid to post a seventh at the flag.

Guintoli’s crew made further changes to his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP for race two, but with temperatures above 30°C, the 32-year-old Frenchman, injured in a big testing crash in Spain recently, endured another tough physical battle to bring the CBR home in fifth place.

Fifth was where Dutch sensation Michael van der Mark finished his debut World Superbike race after starting from fourth on the grid and battling in the early stages with the leading group before dropping into a solitary race and finishing four seconds ahead of 2013 WSBK champion Tom Sykes.

The 22-year-old reigning World Supersport champion enjoyed an even better start to race two, blasting past Rea’s Kawasaki into the lead at the start of the eighth lap. Van der Mark led for the following five laps before rear tire wear forced him back. He finally crashed out of fourth place with just three laps to go but was more than satisfied with his World Superbike debut.

Honda Rider Comments
Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike Team)
Race result: 7th / 5th“I tried everything I could and we did both races with very different set-ups, although the results were much the same. But at least we’ve got some good data that we can work on now. After missing so much winter testing, I’ve really been treating this weekend as another live test session because I’m still not quite yet clicking with the bike. We’ll just keep working though and come back strong in Thailand. To be honest, I’ve never felt so physically drained after two races. I think the injury from Jerez must have somehow added to the dehydration because I felt really ill during both the races. I’ll focus on recovering as much as possible before the next races now. But one of the highlights of the weekend for me was being on the track with Troy Bayliss. He had already retired when I came to SBK but we had a few laps scrapping out there in race two which was a bit special!”Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Superbike Team)
Race result: 5th / DNF“Friday morning started as a bit of a nightmare really because we changed the bike a lot compared to the test earlier in the week. It was just not working but from the second free practice we started getting faster and faster and when the temperatures went really high yesterday we were still fast and managed the tires well. I had a good feeling for the races but we were a bit unlucky that the weather was not as hot as yesterday. I had quite a good start to the first race and was aggressive in the first couple of laps, but I couldn’t stay with the front guys. I had a big drop in the tire as well, so I had to focus on the guy behind me and save some tire to bring it back in fifth. We made a couple of small electronics changes for the second race but I was hoping for a bit more hot weather. The start wasn’t really great but I was really aggressive and could stay with the front guys this time. I even led the race for a few laps which felt really good before I had another big, big drop in the tire. I tried to follow the guys but just pushed a bit too hard and lost it. But my guys did an amazing job this weekend and to be fifth in my first Superbike race was incredible. To be leading in my second Superbike race was just too good to be true!”
Michael van der MarkzoomMichael van der Mark Michael van der MarkzoomMichael van der Mark
Gino Rea Third At Phillip Island In His Comeback WSS Ride



Gino Rea (CIA Landlords Insurance Honda) was top Honda finisher in third place after the 22-lap World Supersport championship race at Phillip Island, in his first ride back in the WSS class since 2011.

Starting from the second row of the grid Rea overcame the effects of his recently broken right foot to eventually hold off another CBR600RR rider, Kyle Smith (Pata Honda).

Smith was only 0.032 seconds from taking the final podium position himself, in what was his first WSS ride for the Pata Honda team.

Ratthapark Wilairot (Core” Motorsport Thailand) had genuine ambitions to take a top three finish and was running in a strong second place for the first four laps until traction issues dropped him back to finish an eventual fifth place at the flag.

Roberto Rolfo (Team Lorini Honda) placed eighth after a final three-rider battle on the last lap, just losing out but scoring valuable championship points at the opening round.

The next round takes place at a new circuit for the WSS riders, at Buriram in Thailand, on 22nd March.

Honda Rider Comments
Gino Rea (CIA Landlords Insurance Honda)
Race result: 3rd Championship position: 3rd“I’m speechless really. After having an operation on Tuesday and laying on a hospital bed I did not expect to have the fitness or the strength in my foot to be able to get on the podium in our first race. I miss that feeling of being on the podium. It has been a tough couple of years and this is what I have come back to WSS for, to be on a competitive package and fight for race wins and hopefully challenge for the title. I did not expect it to happen so soon. Friday was our first proper test really and the CIA Landlords Insurance PTR team put out a great bike and the base setting was good. From there on my crew chief Andy and I had a head start. He was able to give me a bike that lasted the whole race in terms of tire life. I am a little frustrated at myself for my riding for the first half of the race because I was being conservative with my foot, and with the tire. I just felt like midrace onwards I should be able to stay at least with Zanetti. I will take this podium with both hands.”Kyle Smith (PATA Honda World Supersport Team)
Race result: 4th Championship position: 4th“I had a really good start and paced myself early on to look after the tire. A couple of riders passed me but I knew that I had better race pace than them so I wasn’t too worried. I held on and tried to keep with the leading group and, as the race unfolded, a couple of people dropped off, which I was expecting. Cluzel and Zanetti pulled away a bit because they’ve had better tire life than everyone all weekend. But I think that’s just this track and hopefully at the next few circuits we’ll be a little closer to them. Then it was just the two Brits battling it out until the last lap. And he beat me. There’s not much I can say about that, except that I’ll try to make sure it doesn’t happen again. There’s nothing like standing on that box after a full weekend of work. But, not only was it the other Brit, not only the other Honda, but it was three hundredths of a second. But I'm not going to cry about it, because it’s game on!”Ratthapark Wilairot (Core” Motorsport Thailand Honda)
Race result: 5th Championship position: 5th“I felt that I could have reached the podium today. I tried really hard but on the last lap I nearly crashed. We had two issues, one that meant I had to brake a bit earlier and also one with the rear. My confidence was high, we made improvements all weekend but I am disappointed because I felt I could have been on the podium today. Our target was originally a top five finish but I ended up targeting the podium.”Roberto Rolfo (Team Lorini Honda)
Race result: 8th Championship position: 8th“I am not really happy because the start was good but after four laps I started to feel big slides from the rear. Compared to practice the grip on the rear was a lot less. I struggled with this point on the bike. At the end it was very difficult. On the brakes the bike slid around a lot. Sofuoglu was fast when he rejoined, then we touched on the slow corner on the last lap and Baldolini got in front of me. This was a pity because sixth place was possible. The work we did this weekend was very positive and everybody did a very good job”
Gino ReazoomGino Rea

World Superbike and World Supersport 2015
Round 01: Phillip Island Circuit – Australia

Superbike Race 1


Rank

Rider (Team)

1 J. REA (Kawasaki Racing Team)
2 L. HASLAM (Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils)
3 C. DAVIES (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati SBK Team)
4 J. TORRES (Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils)
5 M. VD MARK (PATA Honda World Superbike Team)
6 T. SYKES (Kawasaki Racing Team)
7 S. GUINTOLI (PATA Honda World Superbike Team)

Superbike Race 2


Rank

Rider (Team)

1 L. HASLAM (Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils)
2 J. REA (Kawasaki Racing Team)
3 C. DAVIES (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati SBK Team)
4 T. SYKES (Kawasaki Racing Team)
5 S. GUINTOLI (PATA Honda World Superbike Team)
6 N. TEROL (Althea Racing)
RT M. VD MARK (PATA Honda World Superbike Team)

Supersport


Rank

Rider (Team)

1 J. CLUZEL (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
2 L. ZANETTI (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
3 G. REA (CIA Landlords Insurance Honda)
4 K. SMITH (PATA Honda World Supersport Team)
5 R. WILAIROT (CORE'' Motorsport Thailand)
6 K. SOFUOGLU (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
8 R. ROLFO (Team Lorini)
14 G. SCOTT (AARK Racing)
16 K. WAHR (SMS Racing)
17 A. PHILLIS (Team Lorini)
18 K. CLARKE (CIA Landlords Insurance Honda)
RT R. RUSSO (CIA Landlords Insurance Honda)
RT M. CARDENAS (CIA Landlords Insurance Honda)