Latest Posts:
Asphalt & Rubber
Author

Steve English

Browsing
A&R Pro

Tom Sykes Reflects on Chapters, New and Old

By No Comments

Over the course of 228 races, Tom Sykes made himself into a Kawasaki legend. It’s easy to look at the last four years and to only see the success that Jonathan Rea has achieved on the green machine, but before 2010 the Japanese firm was struggling. Chris Walker’s win in the wet at Assen was a bright spot that punctuated ten years of failure.

From the turn of the millennium, until Sykes joined, the team had three wins, a home double at Sugo in 2010 by wildcard rider Hitoyasu Izutsu and Walker’s famous result. These weren’t lean times for Kawasaki – this was a famine. With only 19 podiums in the ten years prior to his arrival, it’s remarkable what the Englishman has achieved with the team.

“It’s the end of a great era,” reflected Sykes. “It’s been a great time, and I feel that we’ve done a great job together. We’ve all grown up a lot together. We had the chance to be three-times world champions and I’m very, very fortunate to be able to say that I’m a world champion.”

Keep Reading
By
WSBK

WorldSBK Villicum Debrief – A Race Recap from Argentina

By No Comments

WorldSBK’s South American adventure saw the history books once again rewritten by Jonathan Rea with the Northern Irishman claiming a tenth consecutive victory.

The world champion claimed a comfortable win on Saturday, the series first ever race in Argentina, but after weekend of cleaning a dirty and dusty track it was the temperature that caused problems on Sunday.

With over 110F temperatures on the asphalt, it was as slick a surface as many riders could remember with overnight rain also washing away any rubber that had been put down on the surface. It was easy to make a mistake, and coming from the third row of the grid, Rea certainly made his fair share in the early laps.

Once on clear track however, he was imperious, and comfortably the fastest man on track. He used this advantage to charge down Xavi Fores, and claim a historic double that broke the long-standing record of Colin Edwards (2002) and Neil Hodgson (2003) for most consecutive victories in WorldSBK.

Keep Reading
By
WSBK

Eugene Laverty Guides Us Around a Lap at Villicum

By No Comments

The Circuit San Juan Villicum surprised everyone in the WorldSBK paddock this past weekend. With the Andes Mountain range offering one of the most picturesque backgrounds in all of racing, this brand new facility has instantly offered a unique circuit to the championship.

The 2.6-mile circuit has received positive feedback from the riders and teams, and Milwaukee Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty offered us his perspective of the track.

Keep Reading
By
A&R Pro

Who Is the Greatest Superbike Rider of All Time?

By No Comments

“Who’s the greatest” has been a question asked in every sport over the years. Whether it’s Muhammad Ali self proclaiming himself, or Tiger Woods being anointed by the masses, a general consensus quickly forms about a pecking order.

In football, it quickly comes down to Pele or Maradonna, Ronaldo or Messi, or another combination from a certain era. In tennis it comes down to dominance over a sustained period, with one era blending into the next of Rod Laver to Bjorn Borg to Pete Sampras to Roger Federer.

Motorcycle racing is similar in a lot of ways with riders typically earning their titles in spurts of sustained excellence.

Superbike racing is however a curious subset. With domestic series feeding into World championships, and some of the brightest WorldSBK stars being offered MotoGP seats after only a couple of years, at the same as riders step across to Superbike racing from Grand Prix for only a handful of seasons at the end of their careers, it’s a strange combination of fluidity and constant change.

When you ask a Superbike fan who the greatest is you certainly get more than your fair share of choice.

Keep Reading
By
WSBK

Eugene Laverty Guides Us Around a Lap at Portimão

By No Comments

Portimão is one of the most exciting laps of the year for a WorldSBK rider. The Portuguese circuit is used extensively for winter testing, and last month’s official test also offered the majority of the field a chance to fine tune their settings for their return to action.

The circuit, nestled in the hills of the Algarve, is challenging for riders. There’s a bit of everything here, and getting your eye in and getting the most from the circuit takes time.

“Portimao is my favourite track in the world,” said an enthusiastic Eugene Laverty. “It’s something unique! I’ve done so many laps around this place over the years that I know this place like the back of my hand. At some tracks, you need the bike to work in a certain way to be fast because the rider is limited in what they can do – this place is the opposite!”

Keep Reading
By
A&R Pro

Jake Gagne Talks About Jumping in at the Deep End

By No Comments

Jake Gagne is under no illusions about the remainder of the 2018 WorldSBK season; he’s racing for his future. The American has had a challenging rookie campaign, and it is almost certain that he won’t be retained by the Red Bull Honda squad for next year.

That being so, the San Diego native is excited to get back on track this weekend in Portimao, and use the final four rounds of the season as a springboard for his future.

“It’s been a hell of a ride,” said a smiling Gagne. “It’s no joke racing in WorldSBK. I don’t think that I’ve not shown what I can do yet. I’ve not reached my potential yet because there’s so much for me to learn.”

“Whether it’s bike, tires, or tracks ,you’re going up against riders and teams that have that experience. It takes time to learn and there’s a lot to learn. It’s a huge step from MotoAmerica, and it’s bigger than I thought beforehand.”

“I knew that I was jumping in at the deep end but the depth is so much better. The bikes and the variables with them are more complex. In MotoAmeica, I didn’t have to change much other than a click or two because I’d just go out there and ride my ass off. Here you have to think about so much more. In Moto America, I was thinking about 10 or 15 things, but here its 50 things!”

That level of complexity surprised Gagne. Coming from the Moto America Championship, the Honda rider feels that even the top teams and riders in the domestic series would struggle to make the adaptation. The resources available to riders and teams are so much greater at the world level.

For Gagne the switch was even more pronounced, with his American squad having been severely outgunned when compared to the likes of Graves Yamaha or Yoshimura Suzuki.

“I’ve been slammed into the ground a bunch of times this year, but I’ve enjoying it and I’ve learned a lot. The approach you need to takes for racing at this level and what you need to do to set the bike up have been the biggest lessons.”

“Obviously I’d prefer to have some better results, but I want to try and finish the season as strong as I can. I’ve made some mistakes but these guys are the best in the world.

“In terms of my riding, I was probably a bit too pumped up coming into the year. Riding harder isn’t always riding better or riding faster. That was always my style, and I know that sometimes it means that I go backwards or it develops some other issues for me, so it’s been important to relax, stay calm and understand the bike better.”

“I know that being at the limit all the time isn’t the best thing all the time. I’ve learned how I need to set the bike up with chassis or suspension changes and obviously the electronics. I’ve never had to deal with so many variables that can be changed.”

Gagne admits that the biggest variable that needed to be changed at times throughout the season was his mentality. Knowing what to expect and having the confidence to let the weekend come to him has taken time. It takes five years to get five years experience in any job, but Gagne has tried to shortcut some of his inexperience by riding to the absolute limit.

At times he has looked ragged, at times he has looked quick. His home round at Laguna Seca has been the high point because his experience at the Californian circuit meant he knew what to expect. Knowing how the bike should feel is necessary for any rider to go fast, but for a rookie that’s even more the case. At Laguna Gagne was able to claim two top ten finishes.

“Your mentality is so important, and how I approached the weekend and tried to over-ride the bike was an issue. I know that turning myself down to 90% can make a big difference to my performance and consistency, and being able to set the bike up. I need to think about the bike over the stint more than thinking about corner by corner.”

“Throughout the season I know that I’ve been able to give everything I possibly could on every day. I know that each day that I could have done things differently but I also have no had regrets at the end of any day.”

“My crew have always been very supportive and for the last four rounds the target is to get closer to the top ten. I know that I can do better but there’s so many pieces that you have to put together.”

“I know in the last few rounds that I was riding too hard, but two Top 10 finishes at Laguna at least was good. It was the best of the year and obviously knowing the track helped and having last year’s data to compare it to helped. It was an easier start to the weekend because rather than playing catch-up I knew what to expect. I’ve raced at Portimao, Magny-Cours, and Qatar so I know what to expect there.”

Gagne certainly didn’t know what to expect when he made the move to Europe and WorldSBK. Despite having raced in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, he had spent little time outside the US. When racing in the Rookies Cup, he travelled to and from America, but this year he made a point to travel, explore and live in Europe.

“I’ve definitely stepped out of comfort zone this year. In Rookies Cup, the maximum time I spent in Europe was about a month because I stayed in the US as much as possible. I was always with my family at that time, but this year I’ve been on my own and stayed in Europe for months at a time.”

“It’s been really cool because even though San Diego is the best city in the world, it’s been a lot of fun to live in Holland and see some other countries. It’s not just about the airport and the track now because I’ve seen cities this time and tried to enjoy it as much as I can. I’m here to race bikes, but I’m a person too and it’s important to see some cool shit too!”

“I’ve no real regrets about this year. It’s not part of my personality to be honest. The past is the past and you need to learn from it and move on. I’ve learned a lot this year! I’ve had a few too many big crashes from getting a bit too excited, but it’s no joke racing in WorldSBK. You’ve got to push to keep up with them,

“I know my ass is on the line for next year, and that I’ve got to keep learning and finish the year strong. I don’t want to have any regrets. I want to be able to look back and be proud. I want to stay in WorldSBK, but I don’t know what will happen for next year. I’ll try my best and make some headway to get some good results. If I can’t be back in WorldSBK, it’ll probably be back to America for me.”

Photos: © 2018 Jensen Beeler / Asphalt & Rubber – All Rights Reserved

Keep Reading
By
A&R Pro

After Suzuka

By No Comments

The 2018 Suzuka 8-Hours is in the books, and it was one to remember. In a lot of ways, this was Suzuka back in its heyday. Factory bikes, world-class riders, and a flat-out sprint race between the best of the best.

It was a shame that the weather interrupted what had looked set to be a classic 8-Hours. With Jonathan Rea hitting the deck in the treacherous conditions, it took a potential race-winner out of contention, and ended three and a half hours of toe-to-toe, bar-to-bar between Kawasaki and Yamaha.

For the first time since 2015, Yamaha was challenged, but Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark weren’t rattled.

Prior to the race Van der Mark joked that “I don’t get scared on a bike, I scare the others!” and on Sunday the two-time WorldSBK race-winner certainly wasn’t scared of the reputation that Rea brings as a three-time world champion.

The Dutchman’s opening stint was superb, and his fight with Rea was something unlike any seen we have at the 8-Hours in recent years. When they pitted, it was up to Lowes and Leon Haslam to continue the fight and that’s exactly what happened.

Over the course of those opening hours, we were treated to the full spectacle of motorcycle racing, and it was everything it should be. With that in mind, here are some of the biggest talking points of the 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours.

Keep Reading
By