Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam complete the only Official pre-season WorldSBK test in 18th and 10th respectively. Bautista limited to one-day of action due to MX training injury.
HRC riders Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam complete two-day private test alongside Kawasaki's Alex Lowes ahead of the first Official World Superbike test in Barcelona.
Honda team manager Jaume Colom concedes the unexpected pause to the 2020 World Supebike championship enforced by the coronavirus pandemic has triggered a negative effect on its development with the new CBR1000RR-R.
While the coronavirus pandemic has put the sporting world on hold, teams are doing what they can to prepare for the eventual resumption of the season which is keeping Leon Haslam and Honda’s World Superbike efforts busy.
Honda has officially launched its new World Superbike championship effort ahead of the 2020 season, revealing the team colours of the factory HRC squad and satellite team MIE Althea.
Leon Haslam is buoyed by confidence following the Portimao World Superbike test and feels in race trim the new Honda is already “within one or two tenths” of the front-runners despite being in its early stage of development.
Jonathan Rea believes he has numerous threats to his World Superbike championship crown in 2020 and is eager to assess his competition in race trim over the opening rounds.
Leon Haslam says HRC’s involvement in Honda’s new World Superbike challenger gives him faith the project will succeed as he finds a fresh start after being “on a bike that is already winning and is very fixed in its ways”.
Alvaro Bautista’s first official day on the new Honda might have been stalled by wet and windy conditions but the Spaniard is already clear he will have to adapt his riding style to suit the new CBR1000RR-R.
Wet conditions remain throughout the opening day of the two-day Jerez World Superbike pre-season test. Team HRC takes part in its first public test with Leon Haslam and Alvaro Bautista on the new CBR1000RR-R, having completed private tests at the end of 2019 in Japan and Spain.
After completing private tests both in Japan and Spain, the new-look Honda World Superbike team has made its public test debut at Jerez with Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam.
Leon Haslam says getting the new Honda CBR1000RR-R up to speed in the World Superbike championship will be “a big challenge” but has faith in HRC’s resources and ambitions for 2020.
World Superbike riders have openly slated track conditions at Circuito San Juan Villicum following Friday practice, with track inspections planned to assess safety conditions for the rest of the weekend.
Kawasaki has announced it will end its partnership with Leon Haslam in the factory team at the end of this World Superbike campaign, as Alex Lowes is expected to replace the British rider for 2020.
After going through the emotional roller coaster of crashing out of the lead at the Suzuka 8 Hours and accepting defeat, Jonathan Rea was overjoyed to hear Kawasaki’s appeal had been successful to give his team victory.
Leon Haslam feels he could have fought for the podium at Laguna Seca but his heavy opening race fall restrained him from extracting his own full potential for Kawasaki.
Leon Haslam maintained his perfect World Superbike Championship scoring record so far in 2019 with a trio of top ten finishes at Jerez, results that Briton admits he is ‘not too happy about’.
Toprak Razgtalioglu made another convincing pitch towards earning himself a factory-supported Kawasaki ride in 2020 with a second podium in as many events at Jerez.
Kawasaki has called upon its World Superbike factory team to run its Suzuka 8 Hour effort with Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam joined by Toprak Razgatlioglu for the 2019 race.