WSBK

Jonathan Rea made it two pole positions from two events in the 2021 World Superbike season so far as he beat Scott Redding to the top spot in qualifying at Estoril. Kawasaki man Rea led the opening runs on a 1m36.635s in the 15-minute Superpole session, but it was ex-MotoGP racer Redding that was first to break through the existing lap record when he posted a 1m36.047s aboard his factory Ducati with four minutes to go. Two minutes later however Rea struck back with a 1m35.876s, which was enough for him to claim the top spot in qualifying for the second weekend in a row for the third time, with the 2021 season joining 2015 and 2017 in the record books. Alex Lowes made it two Kawasakis on the front row with a time just 0.007s slower than Redding. Toprak Razgatlioglu had entered the session firmly among the favourites for pole after topping Friday practice, but the Yamaha rider struggled to put a lap together in Superpole. The Turkish rider salvaged fourth on the grid on his final run, in which he had to force his way by the Go Eleven Ducati of Chaz Davies at the final corner, ending up 0.288s off the pace. Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha) and the top BMW of Tom Sykes completed the second row. Michael Ruben Rinaldi was again unable to match the pace of Ducati teammate Redding and will start Saturday’s opening race from seventh, followed by the RC Squadra Corse BMW of Eugene Laverty and the Puccetti Kawasaki of Lucas Mahias. Tito Rabat (Barni Ducati) rounded out the top 10, following in the slipstream of Redding for his second run and running spectacularly wide at Turn 1 after crossing the start/finish line. Honda had a session to forget as Alvaro Bautista could only manage 12th on the grid, behind the second factory Yamaha of Andrea Locatelli, while Leon Haslam was down in 15th. Davies will start down in 16th after losing time being stood up by Razgatlioglu on his last run.

Ducati’s Scott Redding claimed a dominant victory in the final race of the World Superbike season opener at Aragon, as Jonathan Rea came into contact with Garrett Gerloff. Having been caught out on wet tyres on a drying track in the superpole race earlier on Saturday, Redding made the right call to start Race 2 on slick tyres, allowing him to claim his sixth victory in WSBK by nearly 10 seconds and prevent Rea from completing a weekend sweep. Six-time WSBK champion Rea led the field early on from pole position from Kawasaki teammate Alex Lowes but both soon came under pressure from the GRT Yamaha of Garrett Gerloff. Gerloff dispatched Lowes on the second lap and then set his sights on Rea, but their battle for the lead ended in a disaster. On lap 4, Gerloff made a late lunge on Rea going into Turn 14 but the Kawasaki rider was caught unaware, causing the two to collide and go straight through the corner. Gerloff fell off his Yamaha seconds after impact while Rea was able to rejoin the track immediately, albeit down in fourth place. This allowed Michael van der Mark to take the lead on the new BMW M1000RR, having passed Lowes moments before the incident. However, as the track began to dry, Redding slowly rose to the fore on his slicks-shod Ducati having started eighth on the grid, lapping two seconds quicker than his rivals at one point. Having moved up to fifth already, Redding made light work of Rea and the Yamaha of Toprak Razgatlioglu, before reeling in Lowes and eventually van der Mark’s BMW on the back straight with 13 laps still to run. Once out in front, there was no catching Redding, the Ducati rider cruising out front on slick tyres as his rivals struggled to keep the pace on intermediate rubber on a drying track. Behind Redding, a long battle for second place ensued as van der Mark’s pace began to fade, and after trading positions multiple times a recovering Rea was able to pass the BMW rider at Turn 13 with three laps to go to finish second, limiting the damage to Redding in the standings. Lowes also found a way through to make it two Kawasakis on the podium, while Tom Sykes on the second BMW also overtook his teammate right at the end of the race to claim fourth. Razgatlioglu was unable to keep up with the rest of the group led by Rea and ended up sixth behind van der Mark, while Gerloff was able to remount on his bike on his way to seventh – having been handed a long lap penalty for causing a collision with Rea. Jonas Folger was classified eighth for BMW’s new satellite team Bonovo MGM, as Andrea Locatelli (Yamaha) and Lucas Mahias (Puccetti Kawasaki) completed the top 10.

Jonathan Rea claimed his 100th career WorldSBK win as he led all 18 laps of the opening race in Aragon. The six-time world champion joins a very select club of Motorcycle riders to win over 100 races at world level which includes Giacomo Agostini and Valentino Rossi. But unlike the two Italian’s, all of Rea’s wins have come in the premier class of his particular championship. Except for the early laps where team-mate Alex Lowes looked to have the speed to challenge Rea, the Northern Irishman impressively opened up the gap halfway through the race. Rea was surprised at how easily he opened the gap to everyone as he ‘felt really slow’ – ominous words for his rivals I’m sure. Speaking about the incredible achievement, Rea added: “Incredible! What a race. I just felt from the start that I really wanted it and put my head down. “It just came, the rhythm at the beginning was good and I was going away, was not too stressed, but then at the end I was surprised how much everyone was dropping because I felt really slow but the gap was increasing. “What a way to be in the race as it doesn’t happen like that normally.” Motorsport stars Lewis Hamilton, Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez paid tribute to Jonathan Rea after the six-time World Superbike champion claimed his 100th victory yesterday. Rea could soon be joined by another Brit in claiming 100 wins all in one category, with F1 driver Lewis Hamilton currently on 98. In his post race interview Rea took the opportunity to pass the baton onto Hamilton, by saying: “To reach 100 victories… that’s a career milestone and I’m so, so happy with that and to do it here in World Superbike is amazing. I guess it’s Lewis Hamilton next, so good luck Lewis.”

Difficult weather conditions and tyre choices dominated the Tissot Superpole Race for the Pirelli Aragon Round at MotorLand Aragon as the second race of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) holding off an early challenge in the 10-lap race to claim his 101st WorldSBK victory. Redding got the holeshot from the front row to lead from Rea into Turn 1, although he ran wide allowing Rea back through. For the first couple of laps, Redding, Rea and Lowes engaged in a battle for the lead, although the intermediate tyres for Kawasaki gave them the advantage mid-way through the second lap. It enabled both Rea and Lowes to get ahead of Redding to take another KRT 1-2 in Aragon, repeating the result from yesterday’s Race 1 to claim Kawasaki’s 160th WorldSBK victory, and the first time Kawasaki have started a season with two consecutive 1-2 finishes. The battle for third burst into life on Lap 4 with Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) battling for the final podium spot; the American passing Davies at the final corner on Lap 4 to secure his fourth WorldSBK podium and tying with the late, great Nicky Hayden in terms of WorldSBK podiums. The result means Rea will start from pole in Race 2, with Lowes and Gerloff on the front row and Davies in fourth place. Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) secured a top five start for Race 2 with fifth place, battling through the field despite starting on the Pirelli SCX tyres; coming through the field as the track dried more. Van der Mark was 19 seconds clear of former teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) in sixth, who will complete the second row in Race 2. Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) will start in seventh place for Sunday’s Race 2, with Redding eventually coming home in eighth place, holding off the challenge from Japanese rookie Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) who will complete the top nine on the grid for Race 2. Nozane’s ninth place means he secures Japan’s first top ten finish since Yuki Takahashi in 2019 in Race 1 at Misano. There were three retirements from the race with Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) the first to retire; the French rider crash on Lap 1, and while he was able to mount his bike again, he retired from the race. Samuele Cavalieri (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) retired later in the race while Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) came into the pits towards the end of the 10-lap race.

After a long offseason, the 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship got underway with the first Free Practice session at MotorLand Aragon for the Pirelli Aragon Round. It was Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) who topped the session after a flurry of late laps from the entire field, with Razgatlioglu the only rider to dip below the 1’50s bracket. The Turkish star had been in the top four for the majority of the session but a late lap from Razgatlioglu meant he jumped up the order as he posted a 1’49. 952, topping the session by around three tenths ahead of Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven); the British rider the lead Ducati rider in the opening session. American Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) continued his fine form with third as he looks to make a strong start to the 2021 campaign; while Yamaha appear to have made a step forward at Aragon following testing throughout at the winter at the Alcañiz venue. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was the lead Kawasaki rider in Free Practice 1, onboard the new ZX-10RR. Lowes had gone top of the session after around 15 minutes and stayed there right until the very end when he was usurped by Razgatlioglu, Davies and Gerloff. Michal Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) was fifth on his first outing for the factory Ducati outfit with a 1’50.741s, fending off the challenge from Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) on his new BMW M 1000 RR by around one tenth. Scott Redding (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) finished the session in 11th, just behind Team HRC’s Alvaro Bautista who recorded the highest top speed in the session; while Bautista’s teammate Leon Haslam was eighth. Tito Rabat’s (Barni Racing Team) first competitive session for his new team saw him classified in 12th place, the highest placed rookie finisher in FP1.

Alvaro Bautista is unsure Honda’s World Superbike project is ready to win races despite the improvements made to the Fireblade ahead of this weekend’s Aragon curtain-raiser. Last year marked the first season for Honda’s new CBR1000RR-R bike, whose arrival coincided with HRC taking full control of the marque’s WSBK operation following years of disappointment with Ten Kate and then Moriwaki. Ex-MotoGP racer Bautista and Leon Haslam were signed from Ducati and Kawasaki respectively to spearhead the rider line-up for HRC’s comeback, finishing ninth and 10th in the riders’ table respectively. That left Honda a distant fourth in the constructors’ standings, only ahead of BMW, with the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic cited as a major factor in its lack of progress through the year. Following what Bautista described as the “longest pre-season of my life”, various minor changes have been made to the Fireblade for the 2021 season, which begins this weekend at Aragon. But the Spanish rider, who scored Honda’s one and only podium finish of 2020 at the same track last year, admits that he isn’t sure that the progress will be enough to allow Honda to fight the likes of Kawasaki, Ducati and Yamaha at the very front of the field. “We didn’t make many tests, but we fixed many things like electronics, weight distribution, geometry,” Bautista told Motorsport.com. “It’s more difficult to make a big change compared to, say, MotoGP, but at least we fixed many things we couldn’t fix last season. “Especially on the electronics side, we made a big change, because last season it was our worst point. Now everything is working in a better way: the electronics, but also weight distribution, we try to find a more balanced bike for braking, turning, corner exit. “We played with all these things, and we made some steps forward. [Whether it’s] good enough to fight for wins from the beginning, I don’t know, but we should be more competitive.” Bautista made the move to Honda off the back of a rookie WSBK campaign with Ducati in 2019 that yielded an impressive 16 race wins and runner-up in the standings behind Jonathan Rea. Late last year he admitted he liked “nothing” about the Fireblade in his early tests with the bike, as he struggled to get used to the bike’s powerful inline four-cylinder engine after years of riding V4 machines, firstly in MotoGP and then his first year of WSBK with Ducati. Now Bautista says he is “familiar” with the Honda unit, thanks in part to the Japanese marque’s efforts to help him adjust. “HRC got behind me, to give me more solutions,” he said. “We went in the same direction. We also improved the power delivery with the electronics and now everything is more ‘normal’, not so aggressive like it was in the past.”

BMW has made major strides in overcoming a top speed deficit with its new World Superbike Championship contender in 2021, according to the marque’s motorsport director Marc Bongers. BMW is entering its third season since its WSBK return with the brand new M1000RR bike and a refreshed rider line-up comprising 2013 champion Tom Sykes and ex-Yamaha ace Michael van der Mark. The German marque has also expanded its presence in the category by adding two one-bike satellite squads, with Jonas Folger and ex-factory rider Eugene Laverty hired to spearhead their charge. It follows a tough 2020 season for BMW where it finished at the bottom of the manufacturers’ standings, with a fifth-place finish in Barcelona the best it could manage after a start-line incident at Magny-Cours undid the marque’s 1-2 result in qualifying. BMW’s new 2021 WSBK bike replaces the old S1000RR model and features a wholesale revamp, with the engine one of the key areas of focus for improvement along with a new exhaust, improved electronics and the addition of winglets for improved aero. Bongers admitted that straightline speed was a major weakness for BMW during the last two seasons, but hopes that the new engine can turn that around and make it among the very best in class. “We have considerable changes in the base engine which affect the clutch to start with as well as the titanium conrods and the pistons,” BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Bongers said. “It’s been clear from the test data which was partly shared, partly private that we have made a big step in terms of top speed. “Of course we are not surprised about that, it was one of our main targets and the ingredients of the M1000 RR [road bike], there was some base on which we could work very well. We clearly got much more power output than last year. “Last year we were on average about 7-10km/h down. I expect to be in the top five of the rankings in terms of top speed. Who that will be we’ll see, but one of the four [BMW riders] for sure.” Bongers said it already has several upgrades in the works, including those on the engine side, but will have to take into account several factors before introducing them on track – including the system that allows manufacturers to bring concession parts during the season should they be lagging behind their rivals. “If there’s any updates, we are also limited in terms of regulations. For sure we don’t stop developing,” he said. “To be able to bring updates you need to gain some concession points or rather no concession points. “I prefer to get no concession points and be on the podium straight away. But if that’s not the case and we do earn concession points, we will bring updates as soon as we can, or as soon as we are allowed to. “Furthermore, if you talk about the engines, you can only use ‘the number of events divided by two’ engines. “So it would also be a shame to, for example, bring an update after the third race when the the engine in the bike is actually [supposed to] do races 3 and 4. So there are actually many details to consider while bringing an update.”

Kawasaki World Superbike rider Alex Lowes has injured his shoulder in a flat track training crash and will miss a test at Jerez this week as a result.Lowes will be remaining with Kawasaki for a second season in 2021 having joined from Yamaha last year, winning on his debut weekend in the second Phillip Island feature race and scoring three further podiums on his way to sixth in the standings. Kawasaki revealed on the eve of more pre-season testing at Jerez beginning on Thursday Lowes “damaged” his shoulder and faces a recovery period of up to three weeks. A brief statement from a Kawasaki spokesperson said: “Alex crashed training Flat Track in his personal winter test program, and because he damaged a bit the shoulder, doctors recommend he rest for two or three weeks. “So, we prefer to not force him. Soon [he] will be on the bike, and this is just a small stone on the way to success.” Lowes’ injury marks yet further disruption to Kawasaki’s testing programme of its new ZX-100RR, after it had to abandon running at Jerez last month due to poor weather.

The full lineup of World Superbike protagonists has been unveiled and with two seats still up for grabs, the season to come promises to be one of the most spectacular yet. The 2021 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship will feature 24 riders across five different manufacturers, as the full entry-lists are revealed ahead of the season. More manufacturer presence from Kawasaki and BMW and nine rookies are the headlines, along with a multitude of team changes and also the opportunity for two seats to still be filled. The 2021 WorldSBK season has plenty of hype and excitement for all of the right reasons. Remaining the same for a second season is the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK, although featuring the new ZX-10RR. The defending Champions keep Jonathan Rea, who is aiming for a seventh WorldSBK title, alongside Alex Lowes. Kawasaki’s presence in the Championship has also expanded, with TPR Team Pedercini Racing fielding two brand-new ZX-10RRs with Loris Cresson and Samuele Cavalieri. The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team promote Lucas Mahias to the class from WorldSSP, while the sixth and final ZX-10RR belongs to Isaac Viñales at the Orelac Racing VerdNatura team. Moving on to the Ducati onslaught for 2021 and the Aruba.It Racing – Ducati team continue with Scott Redding for another season, while Italian star Michael Ruben Rinaldi gets his dream opportunity in the factory team. Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) replaces the Italian as they switch seats, while Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team) joins the WorldSBK paddock for 2021. Axel Bassani is the youngest rider on the grid for Motocorsa Racing, aged just 21. The youngest factory team in the WorldSBK class is fielded by Yamaha. Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA Yamaha WorldSBK Team) leads the team with reigning WorldSSP Champion Andrea Locatelli joining him – the exact same age as they share the same birthday (24). The GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team retain Garrett Gerloff in the quest for more podiums while Japanese champion Kohta Nozane is alongside the American. Yamaha’s final team is the Gil Motor Sport – Yamaha squad, fielding Christophe Ponsson. Honda’s factory line-up remains unchanged for 2021; Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) heads into his third World Superbike campaign and is joined once again by Leon Haslam. In contrast to Yamaha, this is the oldest WorldSBK team by age of the riders. The manufacturer’s Independent team will be the MIE Racing Honda Team with two bikes, both of which are yet to be announced. The BMW effort also expands in 2021. The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team keep Tom Sykes for a third season, but for a third season, he has a new teammate again in the shape of Michael van der Mark – one of the earliest confirmations on the 2021 grid. The German manufacturer will also enjoy two satellite teams for the year ahead with Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corse) and Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing) at the helm. In total, 11 nationalities from three continents will do battle in the premier class of motorcycle production-derived racing. With 22 riders already confirmed and two more to go, a 24-rider field will take to the track at the TT Circuit Assen from the 23rd – 25th April for yet another scintillating season of World Superbike action and drama.

The 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship continues to edge closer to kicking off as more and more riders begin to take to tracks on their own motorcycles to get back up to speed. The British rider, runner-up in his rookie season in 2020, took to the Cartagena circuit in Murcia, Spain, aboard a stock version of the Ducati Panigale V4S. Redding knows the Cartagena circuit well from testing there at the start of 2019, but getting back up to speed this year was more crucial than ever, having not tested at the rain-hit Jerez test two weeks ago. He enjoyed his time on track as he got reunited with Ducati machinery on the Spanish circuit. Redding’s 2020 season was phenomenal for a rookie, starting with six consecutive podiums, which consisted of two race wins in the high heat of Jerez. He was pegged back by Jonathan Rea at Portimao before extending his lead at the Aragon Round. A crash during the inaugural Teruel Round saw Redding’s season start to unravel but he still took the title race to the final round of the season, ultimately finishing second overall. Redding, who has since travelled to the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, said: “We’re here in Jerez. I’ve been training with my track bike, street bike, the V4S. It’s been super good, I’ve been a bit eager to ride the bike as everything’s been in delay and we didn’t get to test here a few weeks ago so I was able to swing my leg over the Panigale V4S and I look forward to getting on the race bike soon.”

Tito Rabat will ride a ‘99% factory’ Ducati Panigale V4 R for the 2021 WorldSBK season after becoming the latest to make the switch from MotoGP. Tito Rabat says he will be rewarded with the ‘top material’ from Ducati if he proves competitive during his maiden WorldSBK Championship season in 2021. The 2014 Moto2 World Champion becomes the latest rider to make the switch from MotoGP to WorldSBK after being edged out of his Avintia Ducati ride following a disappointing season that yielded a best finish of only 11th position. With both factory Ducati seats taken, Rabat has instead landed at the satellite Barni Racing – getting the nod over Loris Baz – and while he is yet to ride the Panigale V4 R after the recent two-day test at Jerez was washed out, he says he is settling into the team well. “I am happy and motivated and looking forward to what will happen,” he told the official WorldSBK website. “In the beginning it was quite hard to realise what is happening but now everything has happened, I think it is a good opportunity to stay at the front and do big things. I feel comfortable with the team and I see it is a team that has a passion to race “If I show I can win races and be at the front, then I will have everything, the material to stay out front. This makes me motivated because I will put in everything. For the moment I want to go step by step. I am looking to make steps to arrive well at the first race. To achieve my goal is to keep this line, stay competitive and get good results. I am still a rider. Though Barni aren’t race winners in WorldSBK, it has shown itself to be capable of podiums and has been a regular top ten finishers with the likes of Xavi Fores and Michael Ruben Rinaldi.

Team HRC has named Leon Camier as their new team manager for the 2021 World Superbike season. The Brit has called time on his racing career after suffering from a long list of injuries over the last few years. He takes over from Jaume Colom at Honda from today. Camier has not been able to fully recover from his latest injury; a shoulder problem caused following a crash on his testing debut for Barni Racing Ducati at Aragon at the end of 2019. As a result, Camier underwent two operations and he was forced to initially withdraw from the opening two rounds of 2020. Still unable to ride in June, Barni Racing made the decision to terminate his contract. The 34-year-old joined WorldSBK in 2010 after dominating the British Superbike Championship in 2009, which led to the introduction of the Showdown format in BSB. Camier has been a mainstay in the championship and has raced several different bikes. Over the years Camier raced for Suzuki, BMW, MV Augusta, Ten Kate Racing Honda and then the HRC-supported Moriwaki Althea team. Although he failed to win a race, Camier secured a total of nine podiums during his time as a rider in WorldSBK. “I’ve been a Honda rider for several seasons during my career and I’m now very happy and proud to be back with the company for what is a major change in my professional and personal life,” Camier said. “I thank Honda for the trust they have put in me – the WorldSBK project is very important and the new CBR1000RR-R Fireblade looks absolutely great. I’m prepared to work hard to achieve our goals; I always did so as a rider and I will continue in the same way as team manager. “Having raced in SBK for many years, I know the championship and its challenges very well, although the current period further exacerbates these issues. But in working alongside two very strong riders like Alvaro and Leon, and such a professional group of people as Team HRC and the HRC engineers, I am confident we’ll be able to reach our full potential and fight for top results. “We now have two days of testing at Jerez, it will be my first opportunity to work with the team and I really look forward to starting this new and exciting adventure.” Team HRC will be present at the two-day Jerez test this week (January 20-21) with riders Leon Haslam and Alvaro Bautista looking to build on their efforts last season with the new Fireblade.

Former Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider Mark van der Mark made the switch to BMW for 2021 and has now tested his brand new machine for the first time After testing with his new team for the first time the day after the 2020 season finished, Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was able to test his new bike for the first time after completing a shakedown at the French Miramas circuit on Saturday, giving him the chance to work with his new team while the team were able to learn more about the Dutchman’s preferences while on the bike. Van der Mark’s first test with the team came on a modified S 1000 RR used throughout the 2020 season at Estoril but he has now been able to sample the M 1000 RR for the first time at the French circuit, meaning van der Mark was able to give his initial feedback to the team after he completed his shakedown laps. The Dutchman said: “It was really good for me to have a first shakedown with the bike at Miramas. I think it was also really helpful to work together with the team and to get used to each other. We tried a couple of things which we normally don’t have the time for during a normal test so I think it was really positive and I was just happy to be back on the bike this year and I am really looking forward to the next test.” Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Director, added: “It is important to do a shakedown with a new rider, and the day at Miramas was very productive. Michael had his first opportunity to take to the track with the new BMW M 1000 RR and get to know his race bike for the upcoming WorldSBK season better. He was also able to provide us with initial feedback on where we can customise his bike to suit him better. For example, in terms of ergonomics, the seating position, the position of the handlebar and the footrests, through to preferences when it comes to electronics. With the information that we gathered during this shakedown, we know the direction we need to go in with Michael’s bike to be well prepared for the first proper tests in 2021.”

Outgoing factory Ducati World Superbike rider Chaz Davies will continue to represent the Italian marque in the series next year with the satellite Go Eleven team.Davies, third overall in the standings this year behind Jonathan Rea and Scott Redding, will continue for a third season riding a Ducati Panigale V4 R as he takes the seat vacated by his replacement at the works squad, Michael Ruben Rinaldi. The move comes despite Davies having previously made clear his reluctance to join a satellite team when it became clear he wouldn’t be staying at the factory team. Go Eleven team manager Denis Sacchetti commented: “Davies is a top rider, who needs no introduction and it is an honour to work with him. “We still have so much to learn and to grow; and knowing that Ducati and Feel Racing will be by our side gives us even more motivation and determination. “We will give 110 percent to put Chaz in the best possible conditions, to fight for what he deserves. I often watch the riders on the track and he always surprises you, with an aggressive but precise riding style.” Go Eleven scored one win this season with Rinaldi at Aragon, helping the Italian to seventh in the standings and best of the independent riders. Davies, 33, said of the move: “I think it’s a great opportunity next year for myself and the Go Eleven Team to continue our progression. “I had a great end to the 2020 season, winning the last race in Estoril and scoring the most points in the last nine races. Go Eleven put together a great 2020 season as well. I think it has the makings of a really strong partnership for 2021.”

BMW has made an announcement that it will be adding two satellite teams to its World Superbike lineup come 2021, they also announced that they have signed ex-Moto GP riders Eugene Laverty and Jonas Folger. BMW has been the only manufacturer without a satellite team in WSBK until 2020 and they had confirmed last month that talks were underway with atleast three teams to fill the gap. The German outfit has now announced that it will have two one-bike satellite teams starting on the grid in 2021. The teams will be RC Squadra Corse and Bonovo Action. RC Squadra Corse has been a part of the World Superbike teams since 2016 and also contested for the 2020 WorldSBK championship. Eugene Laverty had been dropped from the BMW factory team to give way to Yamaha’s Michael Van der Mark and will now be racing for RC Squadra Corse while remaining as BMW’s official test rider. Bonovo Action on the other hand contested for only two rounds in the 2020 WSBK season with Jonas Folger riding Yamaha YZF-R1 but will now switch to BMW M1000 R for the 2021 season. “Cooperation with satellite teams represents another important step for our involvement in the FIM Superbike World Championship”, says Markus Schramm, Director of BMW Motorrad. “It is great to have two more BMW M 1000 RRs in the field alongside the two motorbikes from our works teams, the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team with riders Tom Sykes and Michael van der Mark. I would like to extend a warm welcome to the two satellite teams in our WorldSBK project.” “The Bonovo Action Team with Jonas Folger is the first German team to register to compete in the WorldSBK with a Bavarian rider on a Bavarian motorbike. That is a special combination.” “I am also delighted that Eugene Laverty will remain an integral member of our BMW family, applying his talents and his knowledge of BMW superbikes in our satellite team RC Squadra Corse, newly formed but already well known in the World Superbike paddock.” BMW failed to finish on the podium this season, which concluded last month at Estoril in Portugal, with Tom Sykes’ run to fifth in Barcelona Race 2 its best result of the season. Laverty led a 1-2 for BMW in a wet Superpole at Magny-Cours, but both riders were eliminated at the start of Race 1 in an incident with the GRT Yamaha of Garrett Gerloff.