SHARK FRENZY

2012 MotoGP Championship draws to a close at Valencia

Posted by Becky on 12 novembre 2012 0 comments

This weekend the final round of the MotoGP Championship took place in Valencia, Spain. SHARK supported riders finished their season in the top ten in both the MotoGP and Moto2 championships.

The 30-lap MotoGP race took place in damp conditions on Sunday. Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) started well using slick tyres and was holding third place until he fell unhurt on lap ten. Bradl has had a successful rookie year impressing the paddock with a string of top-ten finishes and challenging more experienced riders in the field, which lead to Bradl being awarded ‘Rookie of the Year’. The young-German finished eighth in the overall championship ahead of experienced riders Nicky Hayden and Ben Spies. Team-mates and SHARK supported Aleix Espargaro and Randy de Puniet finished the overall championship in 12th and 13th.

It was a disappointing final Moto2 race for SHARK riders. Scott Redding (Marc VDS) got off to a good start from the third row of the grid, but was pushed wide into turn one and hit by another rider going into turn two. Both incidents cost the SHARK man time but it was lack of mid-corner grip that robbed his chances of fighting back into the points. Redding eventually finished the race in 22nd place following a good season with four podium finishes, ending his season in fifth place. Moto2′s ‘Rookie of the Year’ Johann Zarco (JiR Team) started from tenth on the grid and had a difficult first few laps before moving up into the battle for a podium finish. Unfortunately Zarco was caught out in the difficult conditions and crashed out, unhurt, with 17-laps to go. After a positive season, Zarco secured tenth place in the championship.

Stefan Bradl: “We had very tricky conditions today as almost everybody was on wet tyres because the dry line was less than 10cm wide and we decided to go on slicks because we wanted to avoid a bike change which could cost us a lot of time. At the end we made the right choice and I want to thank the team for their support because it’s not easy for a rider to decide when the surface is so slippery. I was on a good pace from the beginning and was third when I crashed out. The rider in front of me was slower and I wanted to overtake him quickly but in turn five I was a bit too aggressive and lost the control of the bike. I should have waited a bit longer to make the move and I feel bad for the team because I lost the chance to fight for the podium. However I feel happy today because I will be awarded as Rookie of the Year and this is simply great. This first year in the premier class has been incredible for me and I must thank Lucio and his team because at the beginning I was a bit worried but now I know this team is like a family.”

Scott Redding: « As soon as we saw the weather we knew today was going to be tough. I got a good start, but was pushed wide in turn one and then in turn two I was hit so hard by someone that I was winded for the first two laps. We knew set up was going to be an issue in the wet; it was a little bit better than it was in Malaysia, but there was still little grip and I was struggling mid-corner. Finishing out of the points is not how I wanted to end the season, but I can take some consolation in finishing fifth in the championship, my best finish so far. »

Johann Zarco: “I was unlucky in this race! I had a good start but Bradley Smith on the second corner pushed me wide – it happens – so I lost many places on this lap, but then it was drying and I was moving forward step-by-step and I was doing well, was fighting for the podium and I was confident, but finally Xavier Simeon crashed, Gino Rea went wide and then when I was trying to overtake him, Marquez touched me and I crashed. I’m disappointed as I wanted so much to make a podium but I’m thinking of next year where I hope to fight for wins and a world title. This year we will remember our ‘Rookie of the Year’ title and our top 10 finish. I would also like to say how I will take some great memories from this great team. It’s been fantastic working with them as well as Gianluca Montiron, who is a good team manager and a good man.”

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La course aux titres

Posted by Florian on 29 octobre 2012 0 comments

Ce week-end nous étions en Australie, sur le circuit de Phillip Island, pour l’avant dernière épreuve de la saison. Les titres de champion du monde GP et Moto2 se sont joués sur le circuit australien. Les distinctions de Rookie de l’année en Moto2 ainsi qu’en GP ont également été distribuées et sont revenues à des pilotes SHARK.

En Moto 3, le titre étant acquis depuis la Malaisie, les pilotes n’avaient plus que la victoire en tête. Un peu trop peut-être car 5 pilotes volent le départ et sont condamnés à un passage par la ligne des stands. Jake Miller est de ces pilotes et il perd alors beaucoup de temps. Il finira la course 21^ème. Efren Vazquez a fait partie du deuxième groupe toute la course, pouvant prétendre à une place sur le podium. Malheureusement il ne réussit pas durant le dernier tour à passer ses concurrents, il se place donc dernier de son groupe à la 8^ème position. C’est Miguel Oliveira qui réalise la plus belle performance SHARK. En effet, toute la course dans le groupe de tête il se classe 2^ème de la manche australienne et nous offre un magnifique podium. Il nous expliqua sa course ci-dessous. Au championnat du monde Oliveira est 7^ème, Vazquez 10^ème et Miller 22^ème.

Miguel Oliveira : « C’était une course vraiment fun mais vraiment dure. J’ai eu des difficultés avec le pneu avant et n’ai pas réussi à avoir le max d’adhérence. Sur la fin le deuxième groupe est revenu sur Cortese et moi-même mais nous avons à nouveau creusé l’écart. Dans les derniers tours j’ai essayé de passer Cortese puis de le suivre. Impossible. »

En Moto 2, nos pilotes ont pris de très bonnes places downunder. Scott Redding habitué au bon résultat sur ce circuit réussit un bon week-end et se classe 4^ème à l’arrivée de la course. Il a cru un instant pouvoir faire un podium mais déjà à la limite il se fait passer pour finir très déçu au pied du podium. Johann Zarco auteur d’un bon départ finit 6^ème. Il nous explique sa course ci-dessous. En plus de cette très bonne course, Zarco est titré rookie de l’année c’est-à-dire meilleur débutant de la catégorie. Une excellente nouvelle pour le futur puisque le rookie de l’année 2012 était Marc Marquez, titré champion du monde à Phillip Island cette année. Nos autres pilotes Wilairot et Granado finissent respectivement 19^ème et 26^ème. Dans la course au titre Redding est 5^ème, Zarco 10^ème…

Johann Zarco : « J’ai fait un départ correct et je me suis bien débrouillé en début de course en occupant la 4e position. Puis j’ai perdu un peu le contact avec les pilotes devant et c’est le bémol de ma course, car il aurait fallu que je m’accroche à Marquez et Redding. Je me suis ensuite laissé engluer dans un groupe, et j’ai commencé à perdre des places car on me doublait à chaque fois dans la ligne droite avec l’aspiration et c’est dur de repasser dans les parties sinueuses. A la fin, je me battais avec Aegerter et Rabat et je me suis bien débrouillé car je suis sorti en tête du dernier virage, même si je perds la 5e place pour un centième. Je suis un peu déçu de ne pas avoir fait de podium car c’était l’objectif que je me fixais pour la fin de l’année – et c’était peut-être ici la dernière occasion. Mais une sixième place est positif pour le championnat, car ça me permet de marquer des points importants et de récupérer la dixième place. »

En MotoGP, Stefan Bradl nous a offert encore une très belle course puisqu’il s’est battu jusqu’à la fin pour 4^ème place mais finit tout de même en très beau 6^ème. Il nous explique son dernier tour où tout s’est joué : « J’ai malheureusement été ralenti dans le dernier tour par Alvaro Bautista et Andrea Dovizioso en a logiquement profité pour me doubler ». Et il ajoute « Je ne suis pas le genre de pilote qui s’incline ou abdique systématiquement lors des bagarres en course mais l’on doit se satisfaire de ce GP d’Australie où nous avons une nouvelle fois montré notre potentiel ». Bradl confirme ainsi sa place de rookie de l’année en GP. Randy de Puniet et Aleix Espargaro se sont retrouvés roues dans roues un bonne partie de la course et c’est Espargaro qui termine 10^ème devant de Puniet 11^ème. Sauf coup du sort Espargaro sera titré meilleur CRT à Valence. Au classement Bradl est 8^ème, Espargaro 12^ème, et de Puniet 13^ème.

Randy de Puniet : « Je suis un peu déçu car je pensais pouvoir suivre les Ducati officielles. Pourtant, en regardant les chronos après la course, j’ai vu que nous avions un rythme identique. Mais au départ, j’ai eu du mal à passer la troisième et ça m’a fait perdre le contact et des positions. Petit à petit, j’ai passé les pilotes devant moi, pour me retrouver avec Aleix. On s’est passé plusieurs fois, il a très bien roulé et je n’arrivais pas à le pousser à la faute. Je déteste terminer une course comme ça, non pas parce que mon coéquipier m’a battu, mais parce que la course ne s’est pas passée comme je l’espérais. »

Prochain rendez-vous le 11 novembre pour la course finale de la saison 2012 à Valence.

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Johann Zarco crowned Moto2 ‘Rookie of the Year’ at Phillip Island

Posted by Becky on 28 octobre 2012 0 comments

This weekend the penultimate round of the 2012 MotoGP Championship took place at Phillip Island Australia, which saw one SHARK-man crowned ‘Rookie of the Year’ and further vital championship points collected.

Johann Zarco (JiR Team) took a superb sixth place finish in the Moto2 race after a tough battle with more experience riders in the field. Despite being as high as fourth place in the early stages, the young Frenchman struggled to stay with the lead pack and decided to concentrate on scoring further points, which eventually saw him crowned Moto2′s ‘Rookie of the Year’. Zarco’s points today saw him move back into 10th in the overall championship standings. Meanwhile fellow SHARK-supported Scott Redding finished his weekend in fourth place.

In the 27-lap MotoGP race, Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) continued to impress in his rookie year finishing in sixth place after a strong battle with experienced riders Alvaro Bautista and Andrea Dovizioso. Randy de Puniet (Power Electronics Aspar) finished just outside the points in 11th place.

The final race of the season takes place at Valencia, Spain on 10-11 November.

Johann Zarco: « I’m fine with finishing the race in sixth position and happy to be Rookie of the Year and regain 10th in the championship, but although I enjoyed today’s race it wasn’t easy. At the beginning of the race I made a good start and was as high as fourth in the early laps. Then I couldn’t match the times of the leaders and fell back into the following pack. There it was a big battle and I made some overtakes and on the last lap coming out of the last corner I was fifth but then as I always wasn’t so fast in the final sector I got taken for that position before the line and lost fifth by just one-tenth of a second. The pace was quite hot in the race and I wasn’t far off my qualifying lap time, with the average lap times being in the 1m 35.0 and 35.2 bracket. Now we look forward to Valencia where the goal is still the same – a podium before the end of the year.”

Scott Redding: « I’m disappointed to have finished off the podium today, because it was there for the taking. I didn’t get the best of starts, but forced my way through on the opening lap only to be held up a little by Zarco as Espargaro disappeared off into the distance. I knew I had the measure of Marquez, so put in a pass quite early, before settling down and trying to conserve the tyres. I could see Westy was catching us, but I was already on the limit and couldn’t defend the position. I thought I could hold on to third, but then Marquez came past like he had another gear and he was gone before I could even think about putting in a pass on him. Fourth is not what I was looking for here, but at least it’s moved me closer to Lüthi and Iannone in the championship. »

Stefan Bradl: “Off course we are all happy because we did not expect such a close fight for the fourth place today after the difficult first day of practices we had here. It’s a shame that we lost the fourth place, because I was on hard tyre today and had a small advantage on my competitors, so I thought I could take it. But the other guys had other advantages on me so we were plus or minus on the same level. But on the last lap I was stopped by Bautista and Dovi (Dovizioso) passed me. I am not the one who usually lost the battle, but I am quite happy anyway because we showed our pace once again and want to thank the team for their excellent job this weekend.”

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Les pilotes SHARK ont pris le ciel sur la tête lors du GP de Malaisie à Sepang

Posted by Florian on 22 octobre 2012 0 comments

Ce week-end avait lieu la 16^ème et antépénultième étape de la saison MotoGP en Malaisie. Le circuit de Sepang accueillait donc cette course où nos pilotes avaient pour intention de jouer devant et de truster les podiums. Malheureusement les conditions climatiques apocalyptiques n’ont pas favorisé nos pilotes. Revoyons les courses catégorie par catégorie.

En moto 3, la course s’est déroulée sous des conditions climatiques clémentes et sera la seule course du week-end à aller jusqu’au bout. En tête se battent Cortese, en route pour le titre, et Khairuddin un pilote Malais espérant briller à domicile. Le premier gagne la course et le second termine 2^ème et monte sur le podium pour la première fois devant un public en folie. Nos pilotes ne terminent pas loin. Oliveira dans le deuxième groupe finit à une belle 5^ème place, Vazquez sera seul une bonne partie de la course et se classe 8^ème au final. Jack Miller prend les 3 points de la 13^ème place finissant au milieu d’un groupe se rendant coup pour coup dans le dernier tour. A deux courses de la fin Oliveira est 8^ème Vazquez 10^ème et Miller 22^ème au classement du championnat du monde.

En Moto 2, suite au violent orage qui s’est abattu sur la piste suite à la course moto3, les pilotes ont d’abord vu leur course retardée. Pour qualifier la course on a pu entendre de la part du vainqueur que « c’était complètement fou aujourd’hui » ou encore que « les conditions étaient complètement démentes aujourd’hui ». La course se finira d’ailleurs sur un drapeau rouge 5 tours avant la fin. Du fait des conditions, le podium est 100% inédit et on y retrouve les spécialistes de la pluie. Malheureusement certains de nos pilotes sont très bons sous la pluie mais n’ont pas trouvé la bonne porte ce week-end. Scott Redding finit 12^ème après avoir perdu place après place tour après tour. Johann Zarco pris dans une chute ne termine pas la course. Granado l’imite en rentrant en collision avec un autre pilote. Wilairot prend l’avant dernière et 22^ème place. Chute du leader du championnat du monde durant la course, le titre est donc toujours en jeu. Nos pilotes quant à eux sont 5^ème pour Redding, 11^ème pour Zarco et 27^ème pour Wilairot à 2 courses de la fin du championnat.

« Je ne suis pas content de ne pas avoir terminé la course, mais je n’y peux rien, il n’y avait rien que je puisse faire pour l’éviter. Un pilote a chuté devant moi et m’a emmené avec lui, c’est vraiment dommage. J’espérais disputer une bonne course dans des conditions sèches, mais j’étais également confiant sur le mouillé, je savais que je pouvais être très compétitif. Nous avions espéré quelque chose de mieux pour aujourd’hui.» Johann Zarco

En Moto GP, les conditions n’ont guère évolué après la course de moto2 et les pilotes Moto GP ont également connu une course dans des conditions très dures. La course sera également stoppée à l’issue du 13^ème tour, soit 7 tours avant la fin programmée après que 7 chutes aient eu lieu durant les 3 tours précédant l’arrêt. Malheureusement Randy de Puniet et Stefan Bradl font partie de ces 7 pilotes et ne finissent donc pas la course. C’est Aleix Espargaro qui réalise, en restant sur ses roues la meilleure performance SHARK en GP. Il finit 8^ème et marque des points très précieux dans la course au titre CRT. 12^ème, il devance maintenant Randy, 13^ème, de 10 points. Bradl en chutant perd des points importants et est 8^ème au championnat du monde. En réalisant des belles performances lors des 2 dernières courses il peut toujours espérer une 6^ème place finale.

« Je me sentais bien dans les premiers tour, mais lorsque la pluie a commencé à s’intensifier, j’ai perdu un peu confiance. Aleix Espargaro m’a passé et j’ai essayé de le suivre, mais il était plus rapide que moi. J’ai donc essayé de garder ma position coûte que coûte, même si je savais que ce serait difficile de le repasser. Vu les conditions de piste, il fallait essayer et prendre autant de points que possible. A cause de la pluie, je ne voyais plus rien et au dixième tour, dans le dernier virage, j’ai mis mes roues dans une grande flaque d’eau et j’ai perdu l’avant. C’est vraiment dommage. Aleix a maintenant une avance de 10 points, ça ne sera pas facile de revenir sur lui en deux courses, mais on ne va pas jeter l’éponge. » Randy de Puniet

“ J’ai réussi à prendre un très bon départ depuis la 8ème place sur la grille mais les conditions étaient extrêmement piégeuses avec une piste totalement détrempée et glissante. Cela ne m’a pas empêché de rouler sur un bon rythme avec une vitesse constante en début de Grand Prix avant de devoir modifier la cartographie après quelques tours car nous avions trop de frein moteur. Dès cet instant j’ai bien senti une modification dans le comportement de la moto qui me poussait à l’extérieur sur les entrées de courbes et c’est la raison pour laquelle j’ai rétrogradé de deux positions car je ne maîtrisai plus totalement ce qui se passait. Je suis donc revenu à des réglages de frein moteur plus standards mais ça devenait périlleux dans ces conditions et j’ai dû me résoudre à baisser de rythme. Sous cette pluie battante il fallait redoubler de prudence pour rester sur ses roues mais j’ai soudainement perdu l’arrière avant de chuter. Je ne pense pas être complètement fautif à 100% et j’en suis pleinement navré pour l’ensemble de l’équipe.” Stefan Bradl

Si les résultats ne sont pas très probants ce week-end, nous pouvons toujours être contents de notre matériel car les retours des pilotes concernant les infiltrations d’eau et la buée sont bons. Notre Race-R Pro a répondu présent face aux conditions apocalyptiques. Ce n’est pas le cas de tous nos concurrents, on a même vu Valentino se plaindre en conférence de presse de la buée qui l’a gênée pendant toute la course…

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SHARK riders tackle difficult conditions in Malaysia

Posted by Becky on 22 octobre 2012 0 comments

This weekend the MotoGP championship neared the end of its season with the third from last round at Sepang, Malaysia. It was a difficult weekend for SHARK riders in challenging weather conditions in both the MotoGP and Moto2 races.

The MotoGP race got underway on a wet track, with rain steadily falling. Half-way round the 20-lap race, the rain got heavier and subsequently caused a series of crashes including SHARK-man Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda), who up until his fall had been going well in sixth place. Eventually on the 14th lap the decision to stop the race was taken, and results decided from lap 13. Bradl was not hurt in the fall, and is sitting eighth in the overall championship.

Meanwhile in Moto2, Scott Redding (Marc VDS) got off to a good start in second place on the grid – his best qualifying position of the season. However, the SHARK-man struggled with rear grip issues in the wet conditions and eventually finished just outside the points in 12th place. Johann Zarco (JiR Team), was also a victim of the conditions and crashed out of the running, unhurt.

All riders will be looking ahead to next weekends race at Philip Island, Australia to collect those last minute points.

Stefan Bradl: “First of all we must check the data to understand what happened. I took a very good start from eighth place, but it was pretty tough out there because of the wet and slippery surface. But I could lap with a good pace and constant speed but after some laps I had to change the map because we had too much engine-braking. Since that moment something changed and the engine was pushing me in the corner entries and I lost two positions because I did not know what was going on. After that I came back to the standard engine-brake setting, but it was too much in those difficult conditions and I started to be slower. In the heavy rain I was more careful but suddenly I lost the rear and crashed out. I do not think it was completely my fault and I feel sorry for me and the team.”

Scott Redding: « I found myself up at the front from the start, but only because everyone else was really steady from the off. I was struggling almost immediately for rear grip on corner entry, every time I closed the throttle to turn in the rear tried to come round on me. In the end I found the limit and tried to stay inside it but it wasn’t easy, just staying on the bike was difficult enough today. I’ve closed a little on Tom Lüthi in the championship, but after such a promising showing in the dry here in Malaysia, today’s wet race was something of a disappointment. »

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Les Pilotes SHARK au pays du soleil levant

Posted by Florian on 15 octobre 2012 0 comments

Ce week-end avait lieu à Motegi, au Japon, la quinzième manche du championnat du monde de MotoGP. Nos pilotes entament alors la première des trois courses hors Europe qui se succèdent. Ils ont donc tous pour but de bien figurer.

En Moto GP, alors que 2 pilotes se battent en tête du championnat pour la victoire finale, nos protégés tentent de paraître au mieux afin de faire briller la marque à l’international. C’est encore une fois Stefan Bradl qui finira premier SHARK de cette manche Japonaise. Il finit 6^ème à 4 secondes de Stoner. Aleix Espargaro se classe quant à lui 12^ème et 1^er CRT de la course. Randy de Puniet a connu un week-end noir avec 3 chutes durant les 3 jours de courses. Sa moto a même pris feu lors de sa première chute. En course il chute dès le premier virage à cause d’un problème de frein. Il tente de repartir mais les soucis mécaniques le forcent à abandonner dès le tour suivant. Au championnat du monde Stefan Bradl est 8^ème avec une 6^ème place toujours accessible. Aleix Espargaro suite à l’abandon de Randy reprend également la tête des CRT et est 12^ème. Randy est donc maintenant 13^ème à 2 points de son coéquipier Aleix Espargaro dans le leadership CRT.

Randy de Puniet : « J’ai chuté deux fois aujourd’hui (warm up et course) pour la même raison : je n’arrive pas à ralentir suffisamment la moto et lorsque je relâche les freins, la roue avant se bloque. En plus, j’ai mal aux deux chevilles. C’était un bon week-end pourri que je vais vite oublier pour me concentrer sur la prochaine course, en Malaisie. »

En Moto 2, même si Scott Redding mène la course à l’issue du premier tour, le spectacle s’est passé sans les pilotes SHARK. Même si ceux-ci finissent tout de même à d’honorables positions. Scott Redding, très bien parti, laissera vite filer un groupe de 2 pilotes en tête et ne les reverra jamais. Il se classe tout de même beau 4^ème à 11 secondes du vainqueur. Johann Zarco, de retour sur le circuit qui a vu sa seule victoire dans le championnat du monde, prend la 8^ème place de cette manche. Wilairot et Granado finissent respectivement 21 et 28^ème. Dans la course au titre Redding est 4^ème, Zarco 9^ème et Wilairot 25^ème.

En Moto 3, nous avons assisté à une course très mouvementée. Les hommes de tête n’ont rien lâché jusqu’aux derniers virages. Certains chutant même alors qu’ils étaient potentiellement champion du monde ou victorieux quelques virages plus tard. Nos pilotes profitent de ces chutes du dernier tour pour refaire leurs retards et prendre de belles 7^ème et 9^ème positions. Oliveira est donc le pilote le mieux placé chez nous. Vazquez le suit deux positions derrière sur la ligne d’arrivée. Ils font également un rapprochement des places de têtes dans le classement mondial. Oliveira est maintenant 8^ème, Vazquez 10^ème et Miller 22^ème.

En France, durant toute la semaine avait lieu le Dark Dog Moto Tour. C’est encore une fois un pilote SHARK qui remporte cette dixième édition. Félicitation à Denis Bouan pour sa brillante domination sur les routes françaises et sa septième couronne.

Nous nous retrouvons dès le week-end prochain pour le Moto GP en direct de Sepang en Malaisie.

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SHARK Champion crowned as BSB draws to a close

Posted by Becky on 15 octobre 2012 0 comments

This weekend saw the British Superbike Championship and its support classes come to a close for the 2012 season, at Brands Hatch. SHARK riders celebrated a successful season with one Champion and high championship finishes throughout the classes. The MotoGP championship also continued from Motegi, Japan with last minute championship points collected.

In the Metzeler National Superstock 600 class Lee Bob Jackson (Chris Walker Race School), was crowned Champion. Jackson was fastest in all of the weekend sessions, started on pole, won the race and racked up the fastest lap time. Fellow SHARK supported James Rose (Moto-Breakers) finished the season third overall.

The Monster Energy British Motostar race and overall standings were dominated by SHARK riders; Bradley Ray (FAB-Racing) took the race win, and finished second in the championship. While, Joe Francis (Banks Racing) finished third in the race, fifth overall, Jordan Weaving (Jordan Racing) fifth, seventh overall, Kyle Ryde (Metmachex SHR Wilson Craig Honda) sixth in the race and overall, while Joe Irving (e3 motorsport) finished seventh and fourth.

SHARK riders were prominent again in the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 overall standings with five riders in the top-ten – Victor Cox (ILR Kawasaki) was in the top-three in third. Lee Costello (Halshall Racing Team) fifth, Howie Mainwaring (Buildbase BMW Motorrad) sixth, Dave Johnson (Carbontek Racing) eighth, and Danny Buchan tenth – who has been taking part in the superbike class for the last seven rounds.

The British Superbike races saw again SHARK riders in the high placings, Alex Lowes (WRF Honda) was fourth overall after a disappointing weekend of DNFs. Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) was fifth, James Westmoreland (WFR Honda) seventh and Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) just outside the top-ten in 11th.

There was further success in the Triumph Triple Challenge with Philip Atkinson (Jack Lily Triumph) finishing both races in second place, and the overall championship in third. Ben Wilson, completed his British Supersport campaign in fifth place after finishing in seventh and fifth at the weekend.

Meanwhile in Japan, the MotoGP championship continued nearer the end of its season. Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) continued his rookie year in style with another sixth place finish, he is sitting eighth overall. In Moto2, Scott Redding (Marc VDS) finished fourth, with fellow SHARK man Johann Zarco (jIR Team) in eighth – both riders are in the top-ten overall standings with Redding fifth and Zarco ninth.

The MotoGP Championship has three rounds left, before coming to and end in Valencia, Spain on 10-11 November.

Michael Laverty: « It was nice to be back up on the podium but it was a hard second race. I struggled to get passed Alex Lowes; I put a couple of moves on him and he shut the door quite aggressively and nearly took us both down. Once he was out of the way I got into a good rhythm, but the two safety cars did make it hard work, but we pushed hard. The crash in the last race was not the way I wanted to end the season. My pace was a bit stronger and I was able to catch the leaders but I didn’t want to do anything rash out of respect for their championship fight. I knew that Alex was close to me, but didn’t realise how close till I saw his front wheel and then his bike took me down; he apologised, he wanted the podium as much as I did. It was been a bit of frustrating weekend but that’s racing. »

Ben Wilson: “Things havent gone my way this year,” said Ben. “I would have liked to have ended the season with a win but it wasn’t to be. But I am happy with fifth place overall and also pleased I managed to win at least one race this season. My team has been fantastic all season and I have to thank Norma and Michael de Bidaph, my pit crew plus my personal sponsors and family and friends for their support.”

Scott Redding: « It was a hard race today, especially with my wrist, which took a bit of a beating with the hard braking here at Motegi. I couldn’t stay with Rabat and Espargaro when they went past me, as I was having a few problems getting my foot under the gear lever in the final sector and then the rear started spinning up. I thought I might be able to reel them back in, but then Elias started lunging up the inside at every turn and pushing us both wide on exit. It was inevitable that he was going to crash and then it was just a case of holding off Lüthi to the flag. It’s another fourth place, which is good for the championship, but I want to be back on the podium again, and soon. »

Johann Zarco: « We can say that there were many positive points from the race. Firstly, I had good start and was fighting for seventh position and my pace was not so bad but other riders in front were at a different pace and it was hard to stay behind them and they pulled a gap. When I wanted to recover this time on them, I made a mistake on a braking point and almost went off the track. With this, I lost quite a few positions and was 15th or 14th so from there I was almost alone with Anthony West, but I wanted to hit a good pace behind him and finally we came back on the leading group. Thankfully in the last two laps I could overtake four riders. This was good, but I wished I could stay with the front riders from the start of the race. We need to work on consistency during the race I think. To finish in eighth means I’m still in the top ten in the championship. I will never give up and will work hard to try and move up in the standings. »

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Carton plein à Magny-Cours

Posted by admin on 8 octobre 2012 0 comments

Magny-cours, le 7 octobre, date et lieu à retenir pour tous les pilotes SHARK comme pour les fans. En effet, lors de la finale du championnat du monde de Superbike nos pilotes ont porté nos couleurs sur toutes les plus hautes marches des podiums de ce week-end.

Dimanche 10:31, 1^ère course de la journée à Magny-cours. Tandis que les spectateurs, couverts de leurs imperméables ou protégés par leurs parapluies, se pressent nombreux sur les bords de la piste, les machines de la catégorie Superstock 1000cc prennent place sur la grille. C’est un pilote SHARK Français qui offre la première Marseillaise de la journée aux spectateurs. Jérémy Guarnoni remporte devant son public sa première course en Superstock 1000cc. Matthieu Lussiana finit quant à lui 4^ème. Jérémy Guarnoni grâce à sa victoire concrétise sa saison à une très belle 3^ème place au championnat.

12:00, les pilotes de World Superbike s’élancent pour leur première course de la journée. Il pleut, la piste est humide et tout reste à jouer pour le titre de champion du monde. Sylvain Guintoli domine la course et remporte la manche avec plus de 6 secs sur le 2^ème. Tom Sykes finit 3^ème et offre un doublé à SHARK sur le sol français. Loris Baz qui a connu un week-end difficile est 10^ème. Avec ce résultat Sykes est toujours en course pour le titre d’autant plus que Max Biaggi chute.

13:31, c’est au tour des pilotes Supersport de s’engager dans le premier virage pour leur dernière course de la saison. Le championnat étant joué, tous veulent l’emporter. C’est Jules Cluzel, pilote français et SHARK qui réalise cet exploit devant un autre pilote SHARK Sam Lowes. Cluzel signe sa 4^ème victoire de la saison et fait résonner pour la troisième fois de la matinée la marseillaise à moins de 90km de sa ville, Montluçon. Outre le second doublé de la matinée, Fabien Foret prend une belle 5^ème place et Gabor Talmacsi une prometteuse 9^ème place. Au final SHARK n’est pas champion du monde mais occupe les places d’honneur. Jules Cluzel finit vice champion du monde pour sa première saison en Supersport, Sam Lowes complète le podium mondial et est 3^ème, Fabien Foret se classe 4^ème.

15:30 dernière course de la saison en WSBK. Et tout reste à jouer. La piste est toujours humide au départ de la course, Tom Sykes qui joue le titre et qui n’a rien à perdre prend dès le départ les commandes. Il ne les lâchera pas jusqu’à la fin de la course pour s’imposer et prendre les 25 points de la victoire. Malheureusement cela ne suffit pas car Biaggi finit 5^ème et glane suffisamment de points pour être titré champion du monde WSBK 2012. Tom Sykes notre pilote SHARK échoue à 0,5 points du titre. Mythique mais malheureux dénouement donc pour Sykes. Mais il sera toujours en 2013 avec nous et sur la même Kawasaki officielle pour remporter en 2013 le titre. Durant la course Sylvain Guintoli finit encore une fois sur le podium en 3^ème position et offre donc le 3^ème doublé de la journée à SHARK. Loris Baz chute lourdement pendant la course et ne peut rallier l’arrivée. Le classement final de la saison 2012 de world Superbike voit donc Tom Sykes finir 2^ème, Sylvain Guintoli 7^ème et Loris Baz 13^ème.

Pour concrétiser la saison nous avons donc vécu un superbe week-end à Magny-cours avec 4 victoires, 7 podiums et 2 vices champion du monde. Vivement la saison 2013…

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SHARK-men riding high after the World Superbike Championship draws to a close

Posted by Becky on 8 octobre 2012 0 comments

This weekend the World Superbike and Supersport Championship’s drew to a close with the final races at Magny-Cours, France. It was spectacular weekend for SHARK supported riders, with podium finishes galore and high placings in the final championship points.

The World Supersport podium saw a SHARK 1-2 with Jules Cluzel (PTR Honda) and Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda) dominating proceedings. Cluzel made a break at the front of the field winning his home race by 1.591 seconds ahead of his PTR team-mate Lowes. Fellow SHARK supported Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step) finished the 22-lap race in fifth. With the final race standings in, the Championship was decided; Cluzel in second place with 210 points (just 21 behind the World Champion), Lowes in third with 172 points and Foret fourth, with 171 points.

Meanwhile in the World Superbike Championship, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing) finished third and won the second race at Magny-Cours but heartbreakingly lost out on the championship by half a point, the closest finish the series has seen in its 25 years. During race one, Sykes was given the opportunity to win the title when provisional leader Biaggi fell not scoring points. In the second instalment, Sykes led the whole race, but Biaggi finished in fifth, which was enough to pip Sykes to the top by just half a point. Sylvain Guintoli (PATA Racing Team), triumphed in the first race storming to victory, and finished third in the second – finishing the season in seventh place.

All riders will now take a well deserved winter break, before the 2013 season commences in February. Next weekend 13-14 October sees the final showdown round of the British Superbike Championship, while the MotoGP Championship continues from Japan.

Jules Cluzel: “I am really happy. I have won at home. I had nothing to prove today as the Championship was already finished so I just tried to enjoy myself. This morning my feeling with the bike was bad, but my PTR team did a great job with my bike so I was able to lead and control the race. It was great with my family and friends here. Thanks to my PTR team, it has been a great year for me. I finished the season strong. I need to learn more about the first five races for next year.”

Sam Lowes: “The conditions were not perfect, but I knew we had a good chance this weekend because I was quietly working for the race. We’ve been a little bit unlucky with the weather today as I had a really good pace in the dry, but the team did an awesome job and again gave me a great bike for the wet today. I’m very happy to get second in the race and third in the championship. Thanks to the team, as the whole squad worked fantastic all year long. We didn’t quite do the job we wanted to do this year, but we’ve managed to get third in the championship and I’m happy with that. »

Tom Sykes: “We were on pole, took a new circuit record, got a podium and then a win and pulled back 30 points on Max Biaggi. Not easy against a rider of his level. Yes, obviously there is a massive disappointment on one hand because we were only half a point from the world championship! But on the other hand, being realistic, we are very happy and we have – by far – overachieved on expectations this year. We have been very strong and I think this weekend we have been particularly strong; partly because of this Joan Lascorz replica helmet I am wearing. I have had massive support here from my family, friends and the Kawasaki fans so to sum up my year it has been fantastic. I really appreciate that Kawasaki, Provec; all the team our sponsors, Motocard, Leo Vince and all of them have put us in the situation of fighting for the world championship. Hopefully next year we can be very consistent from the start.”

SBK Championship final results:

World Supersport:

Final Championship positions:

World Superbike, race one:

Race two:

Final Championship positions:

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Double win for SHARK’s Alex Lowes at Silverstone

Posted by Becky on 1 octobre 2012 0 comments

This weekend saw the penultimate round of the British Superbike Championship and its support classes take place at Silverstone, in Northamptionshire. While the MotoGP Championship continued from Aragon, Spain.

Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) dominated proceedings at Silverstone claiming a double victory on Sunday. Starting from pole, his third in four rounds, Lowes took the lead over fellow SHARK supported Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) on lap three, and held the position to cross the line, with Laverty in third. James Westmoreland (WFR Honda) finished fifth and Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) ninth.

In race two, Lowes started in third and quickly pushed his way up the pack, moving into second place on lap five. It was the final lap where Lowes made his move for the top-spot, squeezing past at the last moment to take his second victory of the day. Lowes double win puts him third in the championship showdown, and just 24 points behind the current leader. Laverty finished race two in fifth, with Westmoreland in ninth.

The second British Supersport race saw Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) claim another race win for SHARK and his first of the season. Starting from the second row, Wilson rocketed off the start and settled into third place by the first corner. Swapping places up the pack, Wilson eventually took the lead on lap seven, and held off other rider advances to take the win. In race one, Wilson finished in fifth.

Harry Stafford (Moto Strada) gave SHARK another win in the Monster Energy British Motostar race, fellow SHARK-man Joe Irving finished third overall and won the cup class – Irving is sitting in second place in the overall championship.

Another win in the Superstock 1000 class, saw Lee Costello (Hasall Racing Team) cross the line first. Victor Cox (ILR Kawasaki) came home in sixth and is third in the overall championship, with Costello in fifth. In the Superstock 600 race it was a SHARK 2-3 on the podium with Lee Jackson (Chris Walker Race School) and Alex Olsen (Team Haribo Starmix), James Rose (Moto-Breakers) was close behind in fourth.

The final round of the championship will take place on 13/14 October at Brands Hatch with the season finale and showdown.

Meanwhile in Aragon, Spain, Scott Redding (Marc VDS) took his fourth podium of the 2012 season in third place. Qualifying ninth fastest, Redding made up places in the first two turns and completed the first lap in sixth position. Matching the lap times of the front runners in the early stages of the race, Redding upped his pace at the halfway point moving up the field into a battle for second. Redding eventually crossed the line in third place.

Alex Lowes:

« I was happy enough with a win in the first race so to do the double is mega. I got into a rhythm and then I made a mistake onto the straight and I lost some time. On the last lap I knew I could turn in tight and I managed to get down the inside of Shakey and that was what we needed to do. We just scraped into the Showdown so I am still taking it one race at a time and we will see if we can do the same again at Brands Hatch. »

Ben Wilson:

“It’s been a long time coming, it’s been a difficult season for us but now we have our first win under our belts we want more. I have to give a massive thanks to my team, Gearlink Kawasaki have worked so hard to get the bike prepared for me this weekend. We have struggled all season for one reason or another but it all came together this weekend and we got the result we so desperately wanted.”

Scott Redding:

« It’s been a tough weekend, both with the weather and my right wrist. The wrist wasn’t causing me problems on the bike, but it was causing a lot of pain. I opted to go with painkillers for the race and I’m glad I did, but every lap was so busy I probably wouldn’t have even noticed the pain anyway. The battle with Marquez was a good one. I managed to pass him a couple of times only for him to pass me back on the straight. I didn’t want to slow us both down by continually passing him in the corners, as I wanted to catch Iannone, which we eventually did. Marquez managed to pull a gap, but Iannone couldn’t get away and I eventually managed to pass him for third with a bit of a risky move at the corkscrew. It’s a great result and I’d like to say a big thank you to the team and the guys in the Clinica Mobile for making it possible. »