The WorldSBK championship now heads to the Catalunya Barcelona circuit for the sixth and antepenultimate meeting of the season. Before even looking at the Kawasaki/Ducati duel in Superbike, some news should be taken into account…
- After a foray into the French FSBK championship, Jonas Folger will make his first wildcard in Superbike World Cup in Barcelona. After a career in Grands Prix crowned by 5 victories, the German rider is riding this year in the German IDM Superbike championship on a Yamaha R1. He has won all six races held there so far and will line up in Barcelona with his German team under the Benovo Action by MGM Racing Yamaha colors.
Jonas Folger : " I'm looking forward to this weekend as I really wanted to do a WorldSBK round as a wildcard this year on a Yamaha R1. I'm really happy to have my full team also coming from IDM Superbike, including the whole team and mechanics. We have a good package and we are all very excited to arrive in Barcelona and show what we can do. It's a good circuit for me, because I've spent a lot of laps there over the years, so I'm ready to put in a good performance. »
Note, however, that according to Michael Galinski (the team manager who runs Jonas in IDM), the R1 used would be Niccolò Canepa's test machine for Yamaha, so obviously not Jonas Folger's usual R1 Stock in IDM. Adaptation to be expected…
- Still in Superbike, Sandra Cortese revealed the severity of his injuries after a heavy fall during Race 1 in Portimão: “The first two and a half weeks were really painful. I couldn't really sleep or move because of the ribs. Now it's getting better every day and I'm happy. Everything else in my body still hurts a lot and I have done many tests for the vertebrae, nerve tests, to see the extent of the injury. The main positive is that whatever is damaged will be able to heal. Over time, the body will recover. »
Back home after four weeks of hospitalization following back and knee operations, the German driver is already looking towards the 2021 season by undertaking a long convalescence. His team led by Lucio Pedercini, OUTDO TPR Kawasaki, called on Valentine Debise for the next two races, to replace the substitute Roman Ramos.
Valentine Debise : “Kawasaki contacted me to do a race in IDM and two races with the Pedercini team. Basically, this only concerned Magny-Cours, then there was also the possibility of doing Barcelona as training for the French round. I obviously jumped at the chance. I thank everyone who made this possible! Having never ridden a motorcycle and without knowing this championship in the Superbike category, my objective is above all to familiarize myself with this new environment. And if I manage to score a point for the first race, I will be very happy! »
- After the renunciation of Marco Melandri, we saw that Samuele Cavalieri would take his place on the Ducati of the Barni team.
- On the other hand, no replacement for the French wildcard Christophe Ponsson who was riding the Aprilia of the Nuova M2 team! The team and driver have parted ways by mutual agreement and the Italian outfit is now focusing on its CIV national championship for the remainder of the season.
Christophe Ponsson : “My initial program of 3 wildcards in World Superbike having ended, I therefore have no more races planned for 2020… I must now look to the future to prepare for 2021.”
- En Supersport, Jules Cluzel will be replaced by Kyle Smith. A choice which could at first glance appear a bit strange for a Franco-French structure... But which is justified by the three victories in WorldSSP and seven podiums obtained by the Briton during his five seasons in the category.
Kyle Smith: « First of all, I wish a speedy recovery to Jules Cluzel, whom I know well from all the years we spent together in WorldSSP,” confides the Briton. “I will do my best to get ahead of his pursuers and preserve his place. I am also very motivated by the idea of helping GMT94 in its quest for the world title. I drove on this circuit less than a month ago in the Spanish championship, which will allow me to quickly get into the swing of things.. "
- Finally, in WorldSSP300, Ana Carrasco crashed during a private test session at the Estoril circuit on Thursday September 10. The champion suffered spinal fractures at the T3, T4 and T6 vertebrae. It is estimated that she will be able to gradually return to professional activity within three months, once the surgical operation has been carried out. The Spaniard will therefore skip the last three events of the season.
- Ana Carrasco : " That definitely wasn't the plan for this week. My idea was to take part in my home race this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and continue to fight for the WorldSSP300 Championship. But hey, falls and injuries are part of the risks of being a pilot. For my part, the 2020 season is over and tomorrow I begin my “2021 pre-season”. I would like to thank all the people who have helped me over the last five days, of which there are many, and those who will do so in the months to come. Thank you also for the thousands of messages of encouragement that I have received and which help me a lot. »
Watch out for the unusual schedule for Superbike Race 2
09 – 00 – WorldSBK FP09
09:00 – 09:15 – WorldSBK Warmup
