World Superbike Assen Superpole 2012

Bart Madson

Managing Editor For Motorcycle-usa.com

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Tom Sykes takes another Superpole, the KRT ZX-10R rider seizing pole during a wet qualifying session.

Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes keeps his pole position streak in check. The KRT rider took top honors in a wet Superpole session. Honda’s Jonathan Rea joins Sykes on the front row, alongside Liberty Racing Ducati’s Jakub Smrz and Sylvain Guintoli. Defending champion Carlos Checa was fifth-fastest, while Aprilia’s Max Biaggi did not make it into the 16-rider Superpole and will start from 17th on the grid for Sunday’s doubleheader.

SBK officials declared the Superpole wet, so the usual three-session knockout format was replaced with a pair of 20-minute sessions. Guintoli, the fastest SBK rider on Friday, finished atop Superpole 1. Key riders to miss the Superpole cutoff were BMW’s Marco Melandri, Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty and Crescent Suzuki’s Leon Camier. The RSV4 pilot crashed in the Superpole session, meanwhile Camier suffered a nasty spill during the preceding morning practice.

Sykes maintained top position throughout the closing session; the Englishman was the first to dip under 1’37 and later 1’36. None could match the Kawasaki rider, whose 1’35.399 was a full second ahead of his nearest competitor. Sykes will line up next to Rea, winner of three of the last four Assen SBK races. Liberty Racing Ducati riders Smrz and Guintoli edged their 1098R comrade, Checa, off the front row.

Max Biaggi had a difficult qualifying, missing Superpole and starting the Assen doubleheader from 17th on the grid.

Checa slot right behind Sykes, one of his prime title challengers in the early season, leading Row 2. Alongside the Althea Racing ace is BMW Italia's Michel Fabrizio, the top placing S1000RR rider, who got one up on factory man Leon Haslam. American John Hopkins had one of his better results in another injury-plagued season - the Crescent Fixi Suzuki rider slipping into Superpole 2 and qualifying eighth-fastest.

Biaggi's dismal qualifying result was foiled by the weather. With rain spoiling Friday afternoon and Saturday qualifying sessions, the opening dry laps on Friday proved critical in making it into the top 16 Superpole cutoff. The 2010 SBK champion missed by one position and will start from 17th.

2012 World Superbike Superpole Results:
1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 1’35.399
2. Jonathan Rea (Honda) 1’36.432
3. Jakub Smrz (Ducati) 1’36.566
4. Sylvain Guintoli (Ducati) 1’36.875
5. Carlos Checa (Ducati) 1’37.156
6. Michel Fabrizio (BMW) 1’37.311
7. Leon Haslam (BMW) 1’37.592
8. John Hopkins (Suzuki) 1’37.913
9. Marco Melandri (BMW) 1'40.516
10. David Salom (Kawasaki) 1'40.523
11. Chaz Davies (Aprilia) 1'40.627
12. Leon Camier (Suzuki) 1'40.681
13. Brett McCormick (Ducati) 1'41.962
14. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia) 1'43.947
15. Maxime Berger (Ducati) 1'44.022
16. Ayrton Badovini (BMW) 1'44.500
17. Max Biaggi (Aprilia)
18. Niccolo Canepa (Ducati)
19. Davide Giugliano (Ducati)
20. Leandro Mercado (Kawasaki)
21. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda)
22. Mark Aitchison (BMW)
23. Lorenzo Zanetti (Ducati)

World Supersport

The difficult conditions on Saturday kept the Supersport qualifying order static from Friday. The front row remains dominated by Honda riders with Bogdanka PTR's Sam Lowes on pole position, followed by Ten Kate's Broc Parkes and PTR's Jules Cluzel. Kenan Sofuoglu nicked fellow Kawasaki ZX-6R rider Fabien Foret for the final front row position. Instead the current points leader and former WSS champion will head Row 2. American PJ Jacobsen will start his first World Supersport race from 24th - the 18-year old lining up alongside compatriot and fellow AMA Pro Racing alumn Josh Day.

2012 World Supersport Assen Qualifying:
1. Sam Lowes (Honda) 1'38.900
2. Broc Parkes (Honda) 1'38.939
3. Jules Cluzel (Honda) 1'39.450
4. Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 1'39.548
5. Fabien Foret (Kawasaki) 1'39.730
6. Imre Toth (Honda) 1'40.040
7. Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki) 1'40.090
8. Vladimir Leonov (Yamaha) 1'40.289
9. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha) 1'40.326
10. Mathew Scholtz (Honda) 1'40.390
11. Valentine Debise (Honda) 1'40.524
12. Jed Metcher (Yamaha) 1'40.618
13. Andrea Antonelli (Honda) 1'40.727
14. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Triumph) 1'40.762
15. Ronan Quarmby (Honda) 1'40.797

Source: motorcycle-usa.com

World Superbike Assen Preview 2012

Bart Madson

Managing Editor|  At Motorcycle-usa.com

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi will continue their SBK title duel as World Superbike arrives at Assen. The third round of the 14-round season sees its past two champions atop the points, however, there are several riders looking to gain ground in the series. Top amongst these challengers are Tom Sykes aboard the resurgent Kawasaki and BMW’s Leon Haslam.

The previous Imola round couldn’t have gone better for Checa. The Althea Ducati rider claimed the double at the Bologna manufacturer’s home round. Even better, the Spaniard vaulted ahead of Biaggi to take a four-point advantage in the championship. Checa has managed to eliminate the 25-point void earned in his Race 1 DNF at Phillip Island (via vicious high-side while leading). The Ducati ace will be keen to get as many points as possible at Assen, as Biaggi is expected to gain ground at Monza where the 1098R isn’t favored.

Biaggi’s 1-2 performance at Phillip Island was completely dominating. The second-place finish was arguably more impressive than the win, as the Italian clawed his way back from last place after a first-lap incident. At Imola, however, Biaggi faltered, unable to crack the podium and losing his points lead. Biaggi is winless at Assen in his SBK career, though The Emperor took wins there during his GP glory days, twice with Aprilia in 250cc and once in 500cc with Yamaha. Biaggi’s new teammate, Irishman Eugene Laverty, has yet to break into the top five aboard the RSV4.                                                                                                           
Kawasaki has long struggled in SBK, but Assen was the site of a rare triumph – with British rider Chris Walker taking a win in 2006. As with Sykes’ win last year at Nurburgring, wet weather evened the playing field enabling the Kawasaki to be competitive. This season, however, Sykes needs no weather handicaps to figh for the rostrum. The Englishman has three podiums this season (tied with Checa for most on the year) and sits third overall in the points. Fast in qualifying and testing, Sykes will be keen to crack the dry race winless streak for Kawasaki. Tragically KRT team rider Joan Lascorz will be absent the Assen round, as the Spaniard remains hospitalized in Barcelona after fracturing his C6 vertebra during post-race testing at Imola.

The Motorrad crew remains winless in SBK, though Haslam’s 3-3 result at Imola represents its best ever WSB round. Assen has the potential to break the winless streak for the Bavarian marque, as BMW riders have already tallied three rostrum appearances at the Dutch circuit. Haslam continues to improve fitness following his Phillip Island injuries and surgery, meanwhile Melandri seems to be getting more confident in the Beemer. Assen has the potential to be history-making for the Germans.

Jonathan Rea is Honda’s best bet for glory at Assen. The Ten Kate Honda team always shows up strong for its home round. And, as in years past, the team tapped the Netherlands circuit for some extra testing, with Rea and teammate Hiroshi Aoyama completing a two-day test last week. Rea has a strong track record at Assen, the Northern Irish rider claiming three of the last four victories there. Aoyama continues to struggle in his SBK transition, the Japanese rider getting skunked from the points at Imola. The fortunes of the Honda World Superbike team have been hard to predict, capable of wins but shut out of the podium thus far.

The Suzuki team has struggled as well. English rider Leon Camier has finished in the points only twice this year. On the bright side, his best result was the last – an eighth-place Race 2 finish at Imola. American teammate John Hopkins fought hard to return to action at Imola, but was still hindered by his ailing hand – injured during Phillip Island testing. The British-based Crescent Suzuki team touts a new engine spec for Assen. Camier tested the new engine at the Imola post-race test with impressive results, the former Aprilia factory rider lapping third-fastest and under the existing lap record.

WORLD SUPERSPORT

In the Supersport ranks Fabien Foret holds the points lead. The Kawasaki Intermoto Step rider holds a solid 14-point lead after only two rounds thanks to fellow ZX-6R rider Kenan Sofuoglu’s black flag DQ at Imola. For not obeying a ride-thru penalty, the Turkish rider will now have to make up 20 points on his French rival. Caught in the middle is British youngster Sam Lowes, who rests second in the points with Bodanka PTR Honda. Alongside Lowes in the Bodanka garage will be American PJ Jacobsen. Originally slated for PTR in World Supersport, and then dropped from the team, the 18-year-old Jacobsen will make his belated debut as a replacement rider for Pawel Szkopek.

Source: Motorcycle-usa.com

2012 Imola World Supersport | Results

WSBK
04/02/2012 Ultimatemotorcylcing.com

2012 World Supersport

Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step) took a cool and professional World Supersport win after 19-laps of competition at Imola in Italy Sunday, his first victory of the year, and the first for his team in 2012.

Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda) went a close second and after many issues for some front-runners, Ronan Quarmby (PTR Honda) was third, albeit 17 seconds from the winner.

Roberto Tamburini (Team Lorini Honda) went fourth - by only 0.004 seconds - the Power Team by Suriano Triumph of Vittorio Iannuzzo was fifth.

In the 2012 World Supersport Championship, Foret has 45 points, Lowes 31 and Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini) in on 25 alongside Quarmby, after the Turkish rider was black flagged for not taking a ride through penalty.

2012 Imola World Supersport Results:
1. Fabien Foret FRA Intermoto Step Kawasaki ZX-6R 35m 44.653s
2. Sam Lowes GBR Bogdanka PTR Honda CBR600RR +0.574s
3. Ronan Quarmby RSA PTR Honda CBR600RR +17.266s
4. Roberto Tamburini ITA Lorini Honda CBR600RR +17.270s
5. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA Power Team Suriano Triumph 675 +22.953s
6. Vladimir Leonov RUS Yakhnich Yamaha YZF-R6 +25.509s
7. Balazs Nemeth HUN Team Toth Honda CBR600RR +30.042s
8. Andrea Antonelli ITA Lorini Honda CBR600RR +32.429s
9. Massimo Roccoli ITA Bike Service WTR Yamaha YZF-R6 +37.894s
10. Sheridan Morais RSA Kawasaki DeltaFin ZX-6R +39.265s
11. Alex Baldolini ITA Power Team Suriano Triumph 675 +46.848s
12. Joshua Day USA GoEleven Kawasaki ZX-6R +56.679s
13. Romain Lanusse FRA Intermoto Step Kawasaki ZX-6R +57.925s
14. Luca Marconi ITA VFT Yamaha YZF-R6 +1m 04.381s
15. Jed Metcher AUS Team RivaMoto Yamaha YZF-R6 +1m 11.922s
16. Cristiano Erbacci ITA Bike Service WTR Yamaha YZF-R6 +1m 12.356s
17. Martin Jessopp GBR Riders PTR Honda CBR600RR +1m 14.321s
18. Lukas Pesek CZE ProRace Honda CBR600RR +1m 20.799s
19. Yves Polzer AUT MRC Austria Yamaha YZF-R6 +1 lap
20. Broc Parkes AUS Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR +1 lap
21. Eduard Blokhin RUS RivaMoto Yamaha YZF-R6 +2 laps
22. Dino Lombardi ITA PATA by Martini Yamaha YZF-R6 18 laps completed
23. Fabio Menghi ITA VFT Yamaha YZF-R6 17 laps completed
24. Imre Toth HUN Team Toth Honda CBR600RR 9 laps completed
25. Jules Cluzel FRA PTR Honda CBR600RR 5 laps completed
26. David Làtr CZE SMS Honda CBR600RR 1 lap completed

Source: Ultimatemotorcycling.com

2012 Imola World Superbike | Preview

Sam Sims Ultimatemotorcycling.com
03/28/2012 Source: Ultimatemotorcycling.com

2012 World Superbike Championship

The 2012 World Superbike Championship continues this weekend with its first trip to Europe for Round 2 at Imola, Italy.

Imola will be the first of three rounds held in Italy during the 14-round World SBK Championship, followed by Monza on May 6 and Misano on June 10. And the first Italian round will bring home Aprilia Racing Team's Max Biaggi, the 2010 WSBK Champion.

Biaggi holds the championship lead after winning race 1 at Phillip Island, the season opener last month, and taking runner-up in race 2. Biaggi has 45 points, but only 15 points behind is another man who will be returning home at Imola to race, BMW Motorrad's Marco Melandri.

During Melandri's debut aboard the BMW S1000RR at Phillip Island, the Italian finished second in race 1, and sixth in race 2. This was great news for BMW, as second was the German manufacturer's best-ever result in Australia.

Heading into Imola, Melandri and his BMW Motorrad teammate Leon Haslam will likely be utilizing a new swing-arm and evo-spec engine that both recently tested at Aragon Motorland in Spain; both had positive results during the test.

With two Italians arriving in Imola on top of the point's race, there's undoubtedly going to be record-breaking crowds this weekend at the Enzo & Dino Ferrari circuit. Biaggi has one up over Melandri, though, considering the "Roman Emperor" clinched his first World Superbike title here in 2010, though he never had a WSBK win at Imola.

In third with 29 points, just one behind Melandri, is Kawasaki Racing's Tom Sykes, who gave the Japanese manufacturer its first win since 2006 at Nurburgring last season. The Brit was a top rider in last week's Aragon test sessions, and also started from the pole at Imola in 2010.

And Sykes began the 2012 World Superbike Championship strong with fourth in race 1 and third and race 2.

But only four points behind Sykes is the reigning World Superbike Champion, Carlos Checa. The Althea Ducati rider will also be a favorite since the Borgo Panigale Ducati factory is only a few miles from Imola.

And the 4.396-mile Imola circuit caters to Ducati machinery; out of the 17 races held there since 2001, Ducati won 11 of those, with Checa taking three of those.

At Phillip Island, Checa suffered a DNF in race 1 due to a nasty high side on lap six; before the crash, Checa was in second chasing down the eventual winner Biaggi. But he came back with vengeance in race 2, taking the win by 5.7 over Biaggi.

Fifth in the championship heading into Imola is Honda World Superbike's Jonathan Rea; the Brit trails Checa by three points. Rea has some ups and downs at Imola, though.

In 2010, he fractured his collarbone and wrist during a qualifying crash. But in 2011, he redeemed himself by taking the race 1 win at Imola while utilizing a "Ride-By-Wire" electronic throttle control, which was just sanctioned for use in World Superbike the week before the September race.

Imola is also a turning-point for Jonathan Rea, the talented Honda rider who could only manage seventh and fourth in Australia and who has bitter-sweet memories of Imola: a painful injury in the 2010 warm-up and a magnificent win last year.

Making his debut at Imola World Superbike will be the American John Hopkins, who missed the Australian round due to injury. The Crescent Suzuki rider has additional surgery on his throttle hand, which he injured during a crash while testing at Phillip Island before the 2012 WSBK Championship began. But following further evalution, his hand surgeon cleared him to return to action.

Imola World Superbike begins with practice Friday, Superpole Saturday and both races on Sunday. 

Imola World Superbike on TV

SPEED TV will broadcast back-to-back coverage of Imola World Superbike beginning at 2 p.m. EDT Sunday, April 1.

Imola World Superbike History (courtesy of World Superbike):

Since its debut in 2001 this is the first time the Imola round has been held in the spring, but the date evokes memories of the 200 Mile race which in the early 1980s opened up the racing season, with pioneering battles between the American specialists and the European aces. At that time Superbike racing was almost unknown in Europe, now it is a sporting phenomenon that has millions of passionate fans throughout the world.

In the previous nine editions (17 races in total because race 2 in 2005 was cancelled due to pouring rain) Ducati have won 11 races, Honda 5 and Aprilia 1, back in 2001 at the hands of Frenchman Regis Laconi. The most successful riders, with three wins apiece, are Laconi, Carlos Checa and Ruben Xaus. The only Italian to win at Imola is Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) in 2009. In four races Biaggi has scored a second, a fourth, a fifth and an 11th place, while Melandri only raced here in Superbike last year with a Yamaha, finishing eighth and sixth.

2012 World Superbike Point Standings (After 1 of 14 Rounds):

1. Max Biaggi 45 pts ITA APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
2. Marco Melandri 30 pts ITA BMW BMW Motorrad Motosport
3. Tom Sykes 29 pts GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
4. Carlos Checa 25 pts SPA DUCATI Althea Racing
5. Jonathan Rea 22 pts GBR HONDA Honda World Superbike Team
6. Sylvain Guintoli 16 pts FRA DUCATI Team Effenbert Liberty Racing
7. Jakub Smrz 16 pts CZE DUCATI Team Effenbert Liberty Racing
8. Leon Haslam 15 pts GBR BMW BMW Motorrad Motosport
9. Hiroshi Aoyama 15 pts JPN HONDA Honda World Superbike Team
10. Maxime Berger 12 pts ITA DUCATI Team Effenbert Liberty Racing
11. Michel Fabrizio 10 pts ITA BMW BMW Motorrad Italia GOLDBET
12. Davide Giugliano 10 pts ITA DUCATI Althea Racing
13. Eugene Laverty 8 pts IR APRILIA Aprilia Racing Team
14. Lorenzo Zanetti 7 pts ITA DUCATI PATA Racing Team
15. Niccolo Canepa 6 pts ITA DUCATI Red Devils Roma
16. Bryan Staring 6 pts AUS KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
17. Leon Camier 4 pts GBR SUZUKI Crescent Fixi Suzuki
18. David Salom 2 pts SPA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
19. Josh Brookes 1 pts AUS SUZUKI Crescent Fixi Suzuki
20. Joan Lascorz 1 pts ESP KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
21. Raffaele De Rosa 0 pts ITA HONDA Team Pro Ride Real Game Honda
22. Mark Aitchison 0 pts AUS BMW Grillini Progrea Superbike Team
23. David Johnson 0 pts AUS BMW Rossair AEP Racing

Source: Ultimatemotorcycling.com

Phillip Island World Superbike Results 2012

Matt Davidson

Editorial Assistant|Articles|Articles RSS Motorcycle-usa.com

Danger, adrenaline and competition are what fuel this moto enthusiast. Driven by a spirit for sportsmanship, our racing guru here at MotoUSA can be spotted at finish lines the world over as he delivers the latest battles from the two-wheeled realm.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Aprilia’s Max Biaggi came out of the opening round of the 2012 World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island with the early advantage. The Italian posted a win and second-place podium finish in two dramatic races. The first race saw defending champ Carlos Checa crash out of the opening laps with a nasty high-side. The Spaniard returned to good form in the second race, however, winning by more than five seconds ahead of Biaggi. Marco Melandri also posted an impressive first outing, taking second in Race 1 with his new BMW after starting from 13th on the grid. Supermarco leaves Phillip Island second in points after taking sixth in Race 2, with Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes rounding out the overall podium in Australia with 4-3 scores.

Race 1

In the first race Sykes got off to a good start from pole position to lead the field throughout the first two laps. By the end of the first lap Checa and Biaggi were scrapping for second ahead of Castrol Honda’s Jonathan Rea. After winning his duel with Biaggi, Checa moved into the lead on the third lap in front of Sykes, Biaggi, Rea and Liberty Racing’s Sylvain Guintoli. Sykes soon came under pressure from Guintoli as Checa suffered a huge highside on Lap 5 after losing grip. The incident moved Biaggi into the lead and the Italian began laying down some of the fastest laps of the contest to create a gap. By this point Rea had also gotten past Sykes for second while it started to rain.

Italian Marco Melandri gave BMW its best result in World Superbike after finishing second in Race 1.

Irishman Eugene Laverty was running just outside the top-10 when he slid into the gravel at Turn 6. More rain started to pummel the circuit as Biaggi continued leading the field at the halfway mark ahead of Sykes, Guintoli, BMW’s Marco Melandri and Liberty Racing’s Jakub Smrz. Meanwhile BMW’s Leon Haslam was back in 11th despite riding with multiple injuries. In the final laps Guintoli moved into runner-up position ahead of Sykes as Melandri continued to charge toward the front in third.

On Lap 17 Melandri finally passed Guintoli for second. Up front Biaggi never dropped he guard until the finish line, crossing more than seven seconds ahead of Melandri.

“It was a very nice race, at the start with Carlos battling for the lead,” said Biaggi. “Then suddenly he high-sided. When I was behind him a big stone hit my windscreen and then it started to do a little shower in one corner. So I had to stayed focused towards the end and with three laps to go my front tire was sliding. But it’s a great result, it’s a new team with new people, my motivation is very high, the team did a great job.”

Despite getting a bad start on the grid following the cancellation of Superpole, Melandri made significant progress during the 22-lap encounter to finish in second. The Italian’s pivotal passes on top riders proves he’ll be a threat this year on the BMW S1000RR.

“I’m so happy with the result and happy to give BMW their best result,” said Melandri. “I didn’t think it was possible before the race. I knew we were struggling more in practice than in the race but I have never made a long-run so far in the season so I wasn’t sure. The team has been working awesome and in the race the rear tire did a really good job.”

Phillip Island Race 1 Results:
1. Max Biaggi (Aprilia)

 2. Marco Melandri (BMW)
3. Sylvain Guintoli (Ducati)
4. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki)
5. Jakub Smrz (Ducati)
6. Michel Fabrizio (BMW)
7. Jonathan Rea (Honda)
8. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda)
9. Davide Giugliano (Ducati)
10. Bryan Staring (Kawasaki)
11. Lorenzo Zanetti (Ducati)
12. Leon Haslam (BMW)
13. Maxime Berger (Ducati)
14. David Salom (Kawasaki)
15. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki)
DNF Eugene Laverty (Aprilia)
DNF Ayrton Badovini (BMW)
DNF Carlos Checa (Ducati)
DNF Raffaele de Rosa (Honda)

Race 2

In the second contest Sykes got another good jump on the field to lead during the first few laps. Checa remained right behind the leader followed by Rea, Haslam, Guintoli and Red Devils Roma’s Niccolo Canepa. In the opening lap Biaggi went off the track but managed to stay upright to restart from dead last.

“Tom [Sykes] is a difficult man to pass,” said Biaggi. “He touched my brake lever, which turned up so lucky I stayed on the bike. I cut all the way through Turn 1, jumped into Turn 2 and said ‘OK, let’s go!’. I was very motivated.”

Just five laps later the winner of Race 1 was back in point-scoring position with Checa being the only faster rider on the track. Fabrizio was one of the first riders claimed in the second race after losing the front end at Turn 4 on Lap 4. On Lap 5 Checa darted into the lead ahead of Rea - who had been leading for just two laps.

Biaggi continued making up tremendous ground by moving into the top-six at the halfway point. At that point Kawasaki’s Joan Lascorz also lost the front end while battling with Sykes for fourth. Just two laps later Biaggi overtook both Haslam and Melandri to move into fourth as Checa still led out front. Biaggi would continue to make major passes on Sykes and Rea in the final laps to fight his way up to second as Checa claimed the checkers more than five seconds ahead.

“I’m really satisfied, even more so after the crash in Race 1,” said Checa. “I’m OK now after winning, I think it’s the best anti-inflammatory I can take today! The team worked hard many days in Australia preparing for the race and to leave this country and track with a crash was not the best result. It wasn’t easy in Race 2, I was pushing hard but I did not know where Biaggi was and I knew he had a strong pace to catch me. Shame about the crash but we are happy here to be winning!”

Meanwhile Sykes finished behind Biaggi in third after making a pass on Rea during the final lap.
 
“Today the high winds definitely affected us more than the other guys, but other than that it’s a very strong weekend for myself and Kawasaki to come away with a third and fourth at what is not one of our best circuits,” said Sykes. “It’s all very promising, now we’re looking forward to Europe and hopefully I can stay strong there.”

Phillip Island Race 2 Results:
1. Carlos Checa (Ducati)
2. Max Biaggi (Aprilia)

3. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki)
4. Jonathan Rea (Honda)
5. Leon Haslam (BMW)
6. Marco Melandri (BMW)
7. Maxime Berger (Ducati)
8. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia)
9. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda)
10. Niccolo Canepa (Ducati)
11. Jakub Smrz (Ducati)
12. Leon Camier (Suzuki)
13. Davide Giugliano (Ducati)
14. Lorenzo Zanetti (Ducati)
15. Josh Brookes (Suzuki)
DNF Ayrton Badovini (BMW)
DNF Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki)
DNF Sylvain Guintoli (Ducati)
DNF David Salom (Kawasaki)
DNF Michel Fabrizio (BMW)
DNF Mark Aitchison (BMW)

2012 World Superbike Championship Points:
1. Max Biaggi, 45
2. Marco Melandri, 30
3. Tom Sykes, 29
4. Carlos Checa, 25
5. Jonathan Rea, 22
6. Sylvain Guintoli, 16
7. Jakub Smrz, 16
8. Leon Haslam, 15
9. Hiroshi Aoyama, 15
10. Maxime Berger, 12

Source: Motorcycle-usa.com

2012 World Superbike Dates

For 2012, the World Superbike Championship will consists of 14 rounds across three continents - North America, Europe and Australasia.

The newest edition to the World SBK schedule will be the Moscow International Raceway in Russia. This will be the first time in the series 23-year history that a race will be held in Russia.

After next year's Moscow round, World Superbike will have been hosted on 45 different circuits, counting A1-Ring and Osterreichring as two different race tracks.

At the conclusion of the 2011 World Superbike Championship, the series had visited 21 different countries, including San Marino (Republic in Northern Italy). There was an "Irish" round of World Superbike held in 1993, but the race occurred at the Brand Hatch circuit in Great Britain.

World Superbike reports that Italy is out in front in terms of the number of different circuits visited by WSBK, with Enna Pergusa, Imola, Misano, Monza, Mugello and Vallelunga hosting races over the years. Imola, Monza and Misano ready to go again in 2012. Spain has been represented by five different tracks since the early days, Albacete, Jarama, Jerez, Aragon and Valencia. Motorland Aragon is the current venue for the Spanish round."

In alphabetical order, the 44 circuits which have hosted races so far are... A1-Ring, Albacete, Algarve, Anderstorp, Assen, Brainerd, Brands Hatch, Brno, Donington, Enna Pergusa, Estoril, Hockenheim, Hungaroring, Imola, Jarama, Jerez, Johor, Kyalami, Laguna Seca, Lausitzring, Le Mans, Losail, Magny-Cours, Manfield, Miller Motorsports Park, Misano, Monza, Mosport, Motorland, Mugello, Nürburgring, Oran Park, Oschersleben, Osterreichring, Paul Ricard, Phillip Island, Salzburgring, Sentul, Shah Alam, Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Sugo, Valencia and Vallelunga.

2012 World Superbike Schedule

• Round 1: Phillip Island, Australia (Feb. 26)
• Round 2: Imola, Italy (April 1)
• Round 3: Assen, Netherlands (April 22)
• Round 4: Monza, Italy (May 6)
• Round 5: Donington Park, Great Britain (May 13)
• Round 6: Miller Motorsport Park, USA (May 28)
• Round 7: Misano, San Marino (June 10)
• Round 8: Motorland Aragon, Spain (July 1)
• Round 9: Brno, Czech Republic (July 22)
• Round 10: Silverstone, Great Britain (Aug. 5)
• Round 11: Moscow International Raceway, Russia (Aug. 26)
• Round 12: Nurburgring, Germany (Sept. 9)
• Round 13: Portimao, Portugal (Sept. 23)
• Round 14: Magny-Cours, France (Oct. 7)

SOURCE: http://www.ultimatemotorcycling.com/2012-world-superbike-14-round-schedule