WSBK News

Full WorldSBK FP1 results from Portimao

Following his dominant victory run heading into the summer break, Jonathan Rea can close in an historic fourth consecutive World Superbike title starting at Portimao this weekend.

Tom Sykes is confident of returning to World Superbike action without any lasting issues despite suffering an ankle injury just over three weeks ago.

Chaz Davies is eager for a ‘step by step’ mentality to the Portimao World Superbike round on his return from a collarbone fracture sustained last month in a training off.

World Superbike organisers have shaken-up the Portimao round schedule with Sunday’s race two moved by over three hours.

Chaz Davies will not require surgery after refracturing his right collarbone in a training accident at Aragon, his Aruba.it Racing Ducati has confirmed.

Chaz Davies has sustained a fractured right collarbone in a training accident at Aragon and faces a race against time to be fit for the return of the World Superbike championship at Portimao.

Alvaro Bautista has confirmed he will move to the factory Ducati squad in World Superbikes for next year, leaving the MotoGP grid after nine seasons, joining alongside Chaz Davies for 2019.

Honda’s WorldSBK operations manager Chris Pike is keen to see the Japanese manufacturer’s involvement in the series increase for 2019 while laying out the extensive development plan ahead.

Michael van der Mark says he faced the toughest race conditions he's encountered at the Suzuka 8 Hours during his stints helping the #21 Yamaha Factory Racing Team to a fourth consecutive victory, while securing his own fourth win at the event.

PJ Jacobsen gave an honest review of his steep learning curve having been a late call-up for the factory Honda team at the Suzuka 8 Hours having narrowly missed out on victory.

Jonathan Rea has been left frustrated by his Suzuka 8 Hours crash which dented his Kawasaki Team Green’s victory hopes but still feels positive having demonstrated the team’s strong pace at the iconic event.

The #21 Yamaha Factory Racing Team has survived a frantic Suzuka 8 Hours to defend its title with Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark sharing rider duties with the absence of injured team-mate Katsuyuki Nakasuga, creating history with a fourth consecutive victory for the team.

Bradley Ray feels his #12 Yoshimura Suzuki Motul squad can take the fight to the factory Honda efforts at the Suzuka 8 Hours but concedes fighting with the Kawasaki and Yamaha teams may prove difficult.

Jonathan Rea has followed up yesterday’s lap record at Suzuka by securing pole position for the #11 Kawasaki Team Green for this year’s iconic endurance race with #33 Red Bull Honda with Japan Post slotting into second in front of defending champions Yamaha.

Alex Lowes feels his #21 Yamaha Factory Racing Team’s gains in consistency with its race pace puts the team in a strong position to defend its Suzuka 8 Hours crown despite the lap record pace from Kawasaki on Friday.

Jonathan Rea says he wasn’t expecting to blow away the previous Suzuka qualifying lap record by almost a full second but feels the lap will ultimately not prove to be too important given the challenge of the eight-hour endurance race.

Jonathan Rea has smashed the Suzuka 8 Hours pole position lap record in his second qualifying session as Kawasaki sends out a warning to its factory rivals.

Defending Suzuka 8 Hour champions Yamaha Factory Racing Team has started quickest on the opening day fractionally ahead of the factory Kawasaki squad.

Kawasaki has officially announced that Leon Haslam will be team-mate to reigning World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea for the 2019 season. As rumoured, Haslam takes over from countryman and former champion Tom Sykes, who was recently confirmed as leaving the team.

The Pata Yamaha squad has re-signed both Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes for the 2019 World Superbike championship, confirming an unchanged line-up for next year.

PJ Jacobsen has been promoted to the Red Bull Honda with Japan Post rider line-up to replace the injured Leon Camier, while Randy de Puniet has taken the American’s vacant role at MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO Honda entry.

Kawasaki has confirmed Tom Sykes will leave the team at the end of the 2018 World Superbike championship after nine years at the Japanese manufacturer.

Leon Camier will miss the Suzuka 8 Hours after suffering a vertebra fracture during testing for the iconic endurance event with the factory Red Bull Honda with Japan Post squad.