WSB preview Nine manufacturers, 28 races, six Brits – roll on WSB
Turn over for our test of Laverty’s new racer ➔
The contenders
WSB kicks off this month! PB’s fave World Superbike racer rates his title rivals
w
e can’t wait for the opening WSB race at Phillip Island on 23 February. New bikes, new riders, new teams and the new EVO class will make this season as hard-fought as ever. Tom Sykes will be looking to defend his WSB crown and six other Brits will be hunting for glory. And there are nine manufacturers bidding for glory. Erik Buell Racing is bringing a V-twin and Bimota is entering the EVO class with the BMW-powered BB3. There is also an entry from MV Agusta. But which riders have what it takes to win races in 2014 and put a title-winning season together? We asked title contender and PB subscriber Sylvain Guintoli, who’ll be back on a factory Aprilia this year, to name the riders that stand between him and the podium.
Sylvain on the men between him and the title
TOM SYKES Kawasaki racing team
MARCO MELANDRI Aprilia racing team
EUGENE LAVERTY voltcom crescent suzuki
‘It would be stupid of me to think that Tom won’t be competitive this year. He comes into corners very fast, muscling his Kawasaki past you. I wouldn’t say he is an aggressive rider, but he uses the full power of the bike and wrestles it around the track. He’s not scared – he just goes for it. I think this is why he’s so quick on the one-lap qualifying. He will definitely win races in 2014. ‘I’ve never ridden the Kawasaki but I don’t think you have to ride it aggressively to get the most out of it. Loris Baz, Tom’s team-mate, uses smoother lines than Tom. Baz looks aggressive, but that’s only because he’s tall and moves around a lot on the bike.’
‘With such clean, wide lines and smooth cornering, Marco is completely different in style to Tom. The Italian almost looks like he’s riding with no effort. He looks so composed, like he’s not even trying. But because he’s smaller than most of us at 5ft 5in, he doesn’t move around the bike as much. He and I probably ride in a similar way – we went to the same 125 and 250 school. ‘Marco will be very competitive on the Aprilia. It’s a top bike, well-balanced, enjoyable to ride and the electronics are great. He’s going to get to grips with it very quickly. The surgery he’s had on his ankle shouldn’t be an issue by the start of the racing.’
‘Eugene will be strong this year, for sure! He is the guy with the most modern riding style here. He gets off the bike quite a lot and when he picks it up, it feels like he wants you to know it. He was so efficient on the Aprilia last year and looked very similar to Stoner or Marquez. For my sake, I hope the Suzuki doesn’t support his riding style. ‘Eugene finished in a strong second last year. He was fast and put himself in a good position. But for 2014 he’s got a whole new team and a new bike so we don’t know how fast he will be. I have a feeling both he and BSB champion Alex Lowes will be very quick, especially in the first race at Phillip Island.’
Tom’s 2013 STATS
Marco’s 2013 STATS
Eugene’s 2013 STATS
Wins: 9 Podiums: 18 Position: 1
Wins: 3 Podiums: 12 Position: 4
Wins: 9 Podiums: 19 Position: 2
NEW RULES – NEW GAME New Alstare Bimota will be racing in the EVO class
ALEX LOWES voltcom crescent suzuki
SYLVAIN GUINTOLI Aprilia racing team ‘Last season I finished third in the series and was in the hunt right until the end, but somehow it ended up as a nightmare. I dislocated my collarbone just before the Moscow race. I was fighting for the championship before the injury, but for the rest of the season I was on the back foot. It would’ve been better to have broken the thing. Two weeks after a break, you’re fine. As it was, there wasn’t time for me to have surgery between races and there wasn’t a big enough gap for me to recover fully. ‘I’m probably one of the smooth riders, but I can definitely be aggressive as well. It just depends on how I feel physically. At Moscow I couldn’t actually hold onto the bars down the straight. Pressure from the wind was pushing me backwards down the seat and I just didn’t have the strength to hold on.
Performancebikes.co.uk | March 2014
After the race, we had to make a bigger fairing to protect me for the rest of the season. By the time we got to Jerez, I was fighting for the lead again, but I still wasn’t back to 100% confidence and strength. ‘My shoulder’s feeling much better after winter. The downside is that I haven’t ridden a bike since October. It feels like ages and I can’t wait to get back on the Aprilia. Injuries are part of the sport but at that first race at Phillip Island everyone will have recovered from last year’s troubles and be ready to dice.’
The Fastest Bike
‘All the factory bikes are really competitive. With such good bikes, the rider can do their job and make a difference to the
final result. But last year the Aprilia’s engine was phenomenal. When the tracks allowed us to stretch its legs, the top-end power was completely unbelievable. I’d say that the Aprilia is definitely the fastest bike out there. ‘The base bike will be the same as last year, but new rules are going to affect the engine and suspension set-ups of all WSB bikes. Because there were more engines available per rider last year, everyone was revving them very high. This year, only eight engines are allowed per rider. For us, this has worked out pretty well. On all sides, the Aprilia is a strong machine.’
‘At 23, Alex is very young, very talented and happens to be a BSB champion. I’ve seen him race, but I’ve never raced with him. I’m really interested in seeing what he’ll be able to do on the Suzuki. We don’t know how he is going to gel with the bike, but I’m looking forward to seeing how quickly he can go on the GSX-R1000. ‘What we know for sure is that Lowes and Laverty are both very good riders. They’ll have a good team and a good bike behind them. But in WSB there’s only a small difference between winning and finishing much lower down the rankings.’
sylvain’s 2013 STATS
Alex’s 2013 STATS
Wins: 1 Podiums: 14 Position: 3
BSB wins: 8 Podiums: 20 Position: 1
The FIM has launched a new set of regulations to cut costs and combat the dwindling entries on the WSB grid. Caps on the cost of brakes and suspension will come into effect for 2014. Only eight engines will be allowed for the season per rider and gear ratios will be restricted. These changes widen the performance gap to GP, which would also allow Dorna to slow down and reduce MotoGP costs. The new EVO class will follow FIM Superstock engine and electronics’ rules but with Superbike regs for the chassis, which allow extensive modifications. Only race kit ECUs up to 1.5 times the price of OE can be used and only six engines per season per rider. By 2015 all WSB machines must be EVO-class.
2014 WSB RACE DATES 23 February 13 April 27 April 11 May 25 May 08 June 22 June 06 July 13 July 07 September 21 September 05 October 19 October 02 November
Phillip Island, Australia Motorland Aragon, Spain Assen, Holland Imola, Italy Donington Park, UK Sepang International, Malaysia Misano, Italy Portimao, Portugal Laguna Seca, USA Jerez, Spain Moscow, Russia Magny-Cours, France Phakisa, South Africa TBC – PB’s bet: Losail, Qatar
March 2014 | Performancebikes.co.uk