2014

Jerez WSB: Melandri wins Spanish thriller

Jerez WSB: Melandri wins Spanish thriller

In of the closest races of the season so far Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) has taken the win in race one at Jerez after a 20 lap encounter that saw the leading group of eight riders exchanging...

Jerez WSB: Baz storms to pole with new circuit record

Jerez WSB: Baz storms to pole with new circuit record

An intense Tissot-Superpole second session has been won by Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) who claimed Pole Position today at Jerez. the young Frenchman will move off ahead of everyone else in the...

Baz hits back at teammate Sykes

Baz hits back at teammate Sykes

Loris Baz has hit back at Kawasaki WSB teammate Tom Sykes ahead of this weekend’s round at Jerez, after a number of incidents all year long have increased tensions in the reigning champions’ pit...

Bimota out of World Superbikes

Bimota out of World Superbikes

Bimota have now been officially blocked from further competition in the 2014 World Superbike championship, after failing to make the minimum production quantities needed for FIM homologation. Under...

Sykes to remain with Kawasaki until 2016

Sykes to remain with Kawasaki until 2016

Tom Sykes will remain with his world championship winning Kawasaki team for the next two seasons, as the Yorkshireman extends his five year deal with the team to the end of the 2016 season. The move...

Suzuka 8hr: Haslam makes it two from two as Rea's TSR Honda crashes out

The MuSASHi Honda team of Michael van der Mark, Leon Haslam and Takumi Takahashi have taken their second consecutive victory in the Suzuka 8hr, after bad luck once again robbed their WSB teammate Jonathan Rea of what looked like an assured victory.   Rea’s FCC TSR Honda squad were early leaders when the race eventually got underway after a delay of over an hour caused by torrential rain that saw...

Suzuka 8hr: Tsuda breaks circuit record to take Yoshimura Suzuki to pole

Suzuka 8hr: Tsuda breaks circuit record to take Yoshimura Suzuki to pole

Takuya Tsuda has dipped under the Suzuka absolute lap record to secure pole position for his Yoshimura Suzuki team in tomorrow’s 8hr race. His incredible 1:06.703 lap means that he will line up front...

Haslam with 'lots still to do' despite Suzuka provisional pole

Haslam with 'lots still to do' despite Suzuka provisional pole

Leon Haslam says that despite teammate Michael van der Mar putting their Musashi Honda team on provisional pole for Sunday’s Suzuka 8hr race, the Derbyshire man still has a lot of work to do to find...

Suzuka 8hr: Van der Mark takes pole for Musashi Honda at record pace

Suzuka 8hr: Van der Mark takes pole for Musashi Honda at record pace

Michael van der Mark has blown away the opposition with a record pace lap to take provisional pole position for the Musashi Honda squad in the Suzuka 8hr. The young Dutchman set a lap of 2:07.839,...

Suzuka 8hr: Watching live

Suzuka 8hr: Watching live

With the Suzuka 8hr race notoriously difficult to tune into from the UK, MCN have collated all the info you need to watch the ultra-prestigious Japanese race, as the biggest line-up of Brits for...

Suzuka 8hr: Rea leads the day in opening qualifying

Suzuka 8hr: Rea leads the day in opening qualifying

Jonathan Rea on the FCC TSR Honda has topped the timesheets on the opening day of practise for the Suzuka 8hr race, taking the top spot after dicing for most of the session with the Monster Yamaha...

Honda Racing set clear Suzuka goal

Honda Racing set clear Suzuka goal

The Honda Racing have made their targets for the Suzuka 8hr race perfectly clear, as the Lincolnshire based team look to get their Endurance World Championship into top gear after a disappointing DNF...

Entire Pata Honda WSB team set for Suzuka 8hr

Entire Pata Honda WSB team set for Suzuka 8hr

The entire Pata Honda World Superbike and World Supersport squad will be lining up on the grid for the start of this year’s prestigious Suzuka 8hr race, with last year’s winning combination of Leon...

Rumblings from the Laguna Seca paddock

Rumblings from the Laguna Seca paddock

The silly season started for real at Laguna and looks set to gather pace as WSB enters it’s long eight week summer break. Aprilia man Sylvain Guintoli, both Kawasaki Racing Team Riders and Pata...

Laguna WSB Race 2: Sykes wins crash-strewn dash to lead championship into summer break

Laguna WSB Race 2:  Sykes wins crash-strewn dash to lead championship into summer break

With Chas Davies not returning to the grid – after a particularly large high-side in the earlier race saw him sent to the medical centre with concussion – the British contingent were short of one...

Laguna WSB Race 1: Melandri leads Aprilia one-two at Laguna Seca

Laguna WSB Race 1: Melandri leads Aprilia one-two at Laguna Seca

Despite a great start from Melandri in Laguna Seca, turn one still saw Sykes take the lead and – with his qualifying pace preceding him – what looked set to be another race win. But, after all his...

Summer break too far for Lowes

Summer break too far for Lowes

After Laguna Seca has been completed the SBK hoards will head back to Europe, with some of the teams heading to Portimao for a (now increasingly rare) testing opportunity on 21 and 22 July. Some...

Guintoli ready to risk more

Guintoli ready to risk more

Sylvain Guintoli knew even before he got to Laguna Seca that he would have to go for it at this race and every other one, as Sykes was in an enviable championship position, so the prospect of Sykes...

Bryan Staring making progress

Bryan Staring making progress

In the first free practice at Laguna Seca the name Bryan Staring was well into the top ten positions in a field of 27 riders. Staring admitted that it was only FP1 at that early stage but he put his...

Laguna Seca WSB: Sykes takes pole

Laguna Seca WSB: Sykes takes pole

Reigning world champion Tom Sykes claimed his 23rd World Superbike pole position at Laguna Seca ahead of tomorrow’s races. The Kawasaki rider set a best time of 1’21.811 to hed the front row ahead of...

Camier's first MV steps

Camier's first MV steps

Leon Camier was thrown into the SBK mix once again in 2014 despite having no regular ride, as he took over control of the MV Agusta Reparto Corse F4 vacated for one race by injured regular Claudio...

Lowes hits early high

Lowes hits early high

Among a short handful of WSB riders who were taking their first experiences of the Laguna Seca circuit this weekend Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) did best of all after one day, in fifth place...

Riders Mystified By Laguna Schedule

The weekend schedule at Laguna Seca in 2013 featured a race on Saturday and one on Sunday, but in 2014 the WSB weekend featured two races on Sunday as per most rounds. One major departure from the norm was featuring all three times qualifying sessions on Friday, leaving just one free practice and then two sessions of Superpole on Saturday, wit the rest of the day turned over to AMA racing. Most...

Camier back in WSB to deputise for injured Corti

Camier back in WSB to deputise for injured Corti

Leon Camier will once again return to the World Superbike championship this weekend at Laguna Seca, deputising for the injured Claudio Corti on the factory MV Agusta machine. Corti, who crashed out of...

WSB: Rea wins Race Two with Ducati doubling-up behind

WSB: Rea wins Race Two with Ducati doubling-up behind

With the Portimao track now soaking wet from the downpour that began in the World Supersport race, the second run- now shortened to eighteen laps because of the conditions – looked to be a completely...

WSS: Vd Mark glimpses title as Kennedy grabs second

WSS: Vd Mark glimpses title as Kennedy grabs second

With pole-sitter, Kenan Sofuoglu needing a win to stand any chance of finishing the year with the World Supersport championship to his name, this was always going to be a fascinating race; especially...

WSB: Sykes extends championship lead with race one victory in Portimao

WSB: Sykes extends championship lead with race one victory in Portimao

After yesterday’s blistering qualifying session where Tom Sykes firmly answered his critics and his own criticisms of the undulating track, an all British front-row and the clouds looking suspiciously...

WSB: Sykes climbs to Pole in Portimao

WSB: Sykes climbs to Pole in Portimao

The qualifying sessions of round eight in the World Superbike Championships took place in perfect track conditions today in Portimao, Portugal. With Melandri looking to continue showing the form he’d...

Sykes and Rea Come Close But Melandri Leads Day One

Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) made a strong push in second practice session on Friday at Portimao but Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing) edged them out thanks to his first session time set earlier in the day.   Melandri was only 0.047 seconds up on Sykes and 0.059 seconds up on Rea as the British duo made progress in the afternoon, as did all four of...

Portimao WSB: Sykes and Rea come close but Melandri leads day one

Portimao WSB: Sykes and Rea come close but Melandri leads day one

Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) made a strong push in second practice session on Friday at Portimao but Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing) edged them out...

Portimao WSS: Kennedy and Coghlan open up inside top five

Portimao WSS: Kennedy and Coghlan open up inside top five

Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Mahi Racing Team India) pulled out the best lap of the first day of WSS action at Portimao in the morning session, and it survived a second session onslaught from championship...

WSB Brits clash ahead of Portimao race

WSB Brits clash ahead of Portimao race

The general consensus as to why WSB is suffering from dwindling spectator interest despite its close racing is a combination of no terrestrial TV coverage and a lack of personalities and character...

Rea and Haslam back with Honda for Suzuka 8hr

Rea and Haslam back with Honda for Suzuka 8hr

Honda has confirmed their factory line-up for the prestigious Suzuka 8hr; one of the most important races of the year for the Japanese manufacturers and held at Honda’s own circuit. Honda are looking...

‘Damage limitation’ for Laverty in Misano

‘Damage limitation’ for Laverty in Misano

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki rider Eugene Laverty has walked – or limped – away from the Misano round of the World Superbike championship having limited the damages to his championship efforts with a ninth...

Misano WSB: Sykes takes double in Misano race two

Misano WSB: Sykes takes double in Misano race two

Tom Sykes has completed another double World Superbike double at Misano, taking yet another controlling victory ahead of teammate Loris Baz to give the Kawasaki team their eighth one-two of the...

Misano WSS: Cluzel breaks away to win in style

Misano WSS: Cluzel breaks away to win in style

Jules Cluzel has taken another race win on the MV Agusta at Misano, taking the victory in a controlling style by breaking away from the off and crossing the chequered flag by 1.5 seconds despite a...