All posts tagged castrol honda
Jonathan Rea's Portimao Superpole from another point of view
Of all the World Superbike teams Castrol Honda is probably the best in offering fans more videos and sneak peaks into how their team works than any other, so this recently released video isn’t that surprising, but it is slightly different as they fitted Daniel Postmus, their tallest mechanic (6’10″ -2.1 meters tall) with a Go Pro camera to capture Jonathan Rea’s Portimao Superpole from another view point.
That Saturday afternoon Rea whipped his Honda CBR1000RR around the beautiful Portoguese track in a stunning 1′41.712 and breaking the track record in the final Superpole session of the 2011 season that gave him his second pole victory of the season.
Rea who endured an injury fraught 2011 took two third place podiums at the Portimao round, also thanks to the new ride-by-wire system that the team was allowed to use from the Imola round.
Castrol Honda concludes positive three day test in Qatar
The Castrol Honda Superbike team has concluded their private three day test session at the Losail International circuit in Qatar. For Jonathan Rea and Superbike newbie Hiroshi Aoyama it was a positive test with both riders despite the broiling track temperatures were able to lap under the lap record.
Rea continued his work on chassis parts for the 2012 machine and on the ride-by-wire system that the team first introduced at the Imola round, while Aoyama spent the three days getting used to riding a superbike spec Honda and Pirelli tires, and according to team owner Ronald Ten Kate, the team will have to make him some specific parts due to the Japanese rider’s small size and weight.
Jonathan Rea: “We’ve got through a lot of work these three days and ended with two long runs today, which was pretty tough in the heat. We’ve tried heaps of stuff and, like the last couple of tests, we ended up running out of time. But it’s still been really productive and I’m looking forward to starting the next test on my favourite combination of components because we weren’t able to finish on that today. We’ve been making some quite big changes to the bike, just to feel the difference between the various set-ups and everyone has been working really well. It was good to be back at this circuit too; I like it here, and I’m really looking forward to getting back on the bike again in January.
Hiroshi Aoyama: “I got food poisoning before I left Spain to go for the test so I was a bit uncomfortable to start. Also, my leather suits didn’t arrive in time so I was forced to use an old one. But it was a very interesting test and a good opportunity for me to meet my new team and spend some time getting used to the new bike and the tyres. We still have some work to make the bike more comfortable for me to ride so I was not able to push really hard. I don’t know much about the bike yet and there is still a lot to discover, so I will continue to learn, little-by-little. But the test has been really good and I hope we’ll get some new materials for the next time I ride the bike.”
Castrol Honda will resume testing after January 15th when the testing ban is lifted and will be holding a private test at Phillip Island in Australia,
Jonathan Rea and Hiroshi Aoyama testing in Qatar
First thing, that is not Jonathan Rea on the Castrol Honda, but new team mate Hiroshi Aoyama who has decided to run the #4 plate that he used when he won the 2009 250cc World Championship title, while Rea has reverted back to his old #65.
The Castrol Honda team has gotten a head start on testing for the 2012 season and decided on the Losail track in Qatar this time for their testing sessions after being hit by constantly bad weather when they conducted their tests at Miller Motorsports Park, Portimao and Aragon last season.
Aoyama is getting his first taste of the CBR1000RR and Pirelli tires, while Rea is testing the 2011 Superbike with 2012 parts. Testing will continue tomorrow.
Photo source | CastrolHonda@twitter.com
Karl Muggeridge to replace Ruben Xaus at Portimao
Ruben Xaus will miss the last Superbike round of the season and probably his last race with Castrol Honda. The Spanish rider has been ruled out following the neck injury he sustained at Magny Cours two weeks ago that also ruled him out of the French round.
To replace Xaus, Castrol Honda has called on Karl Muggeridge, again. The Australian rider who just completed the German IDM Superbike championship, was supposed to sub for Xaus (who had fractured his vertebra at Brno) at Silverstone, but he injured himself in a training accident just days before the round and had to withdraw leaving the door open for Fabrizio Lai.
Karl Muggeridge: Obviously, I’m sorry for Ruben because it’s never good to miss out through injury, especially the last round of the season. However, I hope I can bring something positive to the team to help the guys finish the year on a good note. I’ve got no pre-conceived ideas on where I should be over the weekend, so we’ll just take each session as it comes and try to make some steps forward in each one. I haven’t ridden at Portimao since the first race here in 2008 and the CBR that I’ve been riding in the German championship is a quite different bike to the current Castrol Honda version. So it’s a big task but one that I’m determined to make the most of.
Castrol Honda should announce this weekend who they’ll field as their second rider will be for the 2012 season, with MotoGP rider Hiroshi Aoyama tipped to replace Xaus.
Jonathan Rea extends contract with Castrol Honda
Castrol Honda has announced via Twitter that Jonathan Rea has re-signed with them to compete in the 2012 World Superbike championship.
During this year’s WSBK silly season, Rea was linked to make the big switch to MotoGP to one Honda’s satellite teams (but that became a no go after budget cutbacks) and he was also rumored to be talking to Pramac Ducati to replace the soon to be retired Loris Capirossi, however the 24-year old Northern Irishman has elected to stay another year with Castrol Honda.
We started talking quite early this season and it was clear to me that everyone was aware that we were struggling with the bike in some areas. After four years with this team, and even more with Honda, it was refreshing and inspiring to see how intent everyone was on addressing the problems. These are difficult economic times everywhere, but Honda and the team have increased their commitment and ticked all the boxes for me, so I’m really, really happy. There’s no championship left to fight for this season, but that won’t stop us trying as hard as ever for race wins. And the fact that we’re not battling for a title means that we can also continue our development work for next year. I’d like to thank Honda for the continued support and the team for everything they do for me. Together, we all have unfinished business in the World Superbike championship.
Continue reading: Jonathan Rea extends contract with Castrol Honda
Jonathan Rea ready to return to WSBK action at Nurburgring
Jonathan Rea will finally be returning to action this weekend at Nurburgring after missing the last three World Superbike rounds (Misano, Brno, and Silverstone) due to fractures to his arm and collarbone, which he sustained during the warm-up practice crash at Misano and the subsequent surgery he had to undergo to repair the ligaments in his right wrist.
After completing the two-day test at Assen last week, the Northern Irishman seems to have finally recovered from this latest injury said, “I can’t wait to get back on the bike in a race weekend situation at Nurburgring. The test at Assen last week was great for me to ride and work with the team again, but I’m really looking forward to doing it for real again this weekend. Assen was also good from a confidence point of view, because the lap time was pretty good and I was able to complete a lot of laps without any pain from the wrist. Unfortunately, I’ve missed a few races because of the injury, but I’ve got a new target for the end of the season and I know what I need to do to achieve that. The good thing is that the guys have been working really hard back at base since I’ve been away, and there were some good new things to test last week. I’m really looking forward to using them this weekend.”
Costretto alla resa tra Brno e Silverstone per il doppio infortunio (polso e clavicola) rimediato nella brutta caduta del Warm Up di Misano Adriatico, Jonathan Rea questo fine settimana tornerà in pista nel Mondiale Superbike al Nurburgring, tracciato dove vinse due gare tra il 2009 e 2010.
Johnny, reduce da un positivo test al TT Circuit Van Drenthe di Assen, cercherà di riportare il team Castrol Honda nelle posizioni di vertice, pienamente recuperato dalle recenti disavventure ed infortuni.
“Non vedo l’ora di tornare a correre al Nurburgring“, spiega il talentuoso pilota nordirlandese. “Il test di settimana scorsa ad Assen è stato positivo per ritrovare la fiducia in sella, ma correre in un weekend di gara è un’altra cosa. So che la squadra ha lavorato molto e ci saranno delle novità per il Nurburgring: senza più traguardi in campionato per gli ultimi round mi sono posto un obiettivo che cercherò di raggiungere“.
Complice l’assenza forzata di Ruben Xaus, al Nurburgring accanto a Jonathan Rea correrà Makoto Tamada, di ritorno nel Mondiale Superbike dove ha vinto tre gare da wild card con Cabin Honda nel 2001-2002, correndo da pilota ufficiale Kawasaki nel biennio 2008-2009.
Makoto Tamada to sub for Ruben Xaus at Nurburgring
After testing at Assen last week Castrol Honda rider Ruben Xaus has decided that he’s not fit enough to race in this upcoming weekend’s World Superbike double-header at Nurburgring and will skip the round.
The Spaniard picked up a back injury during his crash in race 1 at Brno and is still suffering from the lingering effects of the injury. To replace the recovering Xaus, Castrol Honda has called on former MotoGP and WSBK rider
Makoto Tamada.
Tamada has been racing in Japan of late and this year took a third place podium at the Suzuka 8 Hours with the HARC-PRO Honda team. The Japanese rider’s last appearance on the World Superbike scene after two seasons (2008 and 2009) with Kawasaki, was as a replacement rider for Roland Resch in the now defunct Reitwagen BMW Team in 2010 at Portimao.
“It’s great to be back racing in the World Superbike series. I want to thank Castrol Honda for giving me this opportunity. I am looking forward to working with the team and Jonathan, and I’m also looking forward to meeting my European fans,” said Tamada.
Jonathan Rea talks about his Assen test (w/video)
Castrol Honda’s two-day test at Assen was more or less a fitness test for both Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus.
Rea has been out of action since Misano after breaking his arm and wrist and Xaus sustained back injuries after crashing in race 1 at Brno.
The Northern Irishman was happy with the test and confirmed via video he’ll be back for round ten of the World Superbike championship that takes place at Nurburgring, September 2-4. Xaus however, has yet to confirm if he’ll be riding in Germany as he’s still only at 80% speed and could only ride brief stints.
Ruben Xaus: It was good to ride again, and my speed and lap times yesterday were not bad considering that I was really only able to ride at 80%. However, I could only do a few laps before my back became too uncomfortable to ride any more. I decided it would be too much to ride today as well and I don’t think I would have learned any more because it was too wet. My injuries have improved but there is still some more improvement to find.
With Castrol Honda’s regular riders still not completely in tip top physical condition, the Dutch based team also had Alex Lowes on track helping test new settings.
Castrol Honda two day test at Assen (w/video from Power 1 launch)
World Superbike Castrol Honda team began a two day test yesterday at their home track at Assen, following their very unlucky Silverstone round where both replacement riders Alex Lowes (for injured Jonathan Rea) and Fabrizio Lai (for injured Ruben Xaus and Karl Muggeridge) lucked out in race 1 and in race 2 only Lai made it to the finish line in 16th.
Both Rea and Xaus are testing at Assen to get back into shape after recovering from their incidents at Misano and Brno, as is 20-year old Lowes who is still on call.
The Castrol Honda duo spent last week in Mumbai, India, helping Castrol to re-launch its Power 1 brand to a market that is expected to produce 35 million new motorcycle customers over the next five years.
“It was amazing to be part of the Castrol India re-launch of Power 1 last week,” said Rea. “We took part in a couple of events with Bollywood star John Abraham, which was great, but seeing parts of Mumbai was also incredibly humbling. ” Check out the launch with the Indian star after the jump.
“Now it’s back to work,”said Rea who did 35 laps in yesterday’s morning session,“and I’ve been so excited about getting back on the bike again. My wrist has been feeling really good, but we’ll have to see how it stands up to the forces involved.”
Continue reading: Castrol Honda two day test at Assen (w/video from Power 1 launch)
Castrol Honda to get a 2012 Honda CBR1000RR
Rumors of a new Honda CBR1000RR have been floating around for awhile, with some pundits even going as so far as saying that Honda has been putting off the launch of the revamped motorcycle due to downtrodden superbike sales in the motorcycle market.
However, Ronald ten Kate whose team has taken a nose dive in this WSBK season, with only one win and one podium at their home track at Assen with both Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus out with injuries, in a recent interview confirmed that they will be using an upgraded Fireblade in 2012, which could mean that they may be getting a bunch of new electronics, but it could also mean that Honda will be finally ready to show us something slightly newer.
“We will have a new machine from Honda, an upgraded version of the Fireblade in 2012, though I can’t reveal too much because Honda hasn’t revealed the bike,” said the Castrol Honda team principal. “The FIM has also made the decision that we can introduce ride-by-wire to the machines for next year, which we already have but isn’t on the bikes yet. We are planning to use it in the private tests, so we will be ready for 2012. This season is virtually behind us, but when Jonathan returns, we will still be targeting podiums.”
Honda Europe signed a three-year agreement with Ten Kate back in October 2010 to continue their partnership, but it remains to be seen if Jonathan Rea will want to continue with Castrol Honda after an injury packed season, and if the team will want to keep Ruben Xaus whose best results this season have been two eighth places (Assen and Misano).
Karl Muggeridge out of Silverstone, in Fabrizio Lai
Does the Castrol Honda WSBK team have a curse on it? Their replacement rider Karl Muggeridge has been forced to withdraw from this weekend’s Silverstone World Superbike round.
Muggeridge was called in to replace injured regular rider Ruben Xaus, but the Australian rider sprained his wrist while training on a mountain bike on Tuesday, forcing the Ten Kates to call in a replacement rider for the replacement rider and have made a last minute decision to call in 32-year old Fabrizio Lai to take the helm of Xaus’ CBR1000RR.
Lai has raced in WSBKs when he took Broc Parkes place in the now defunct Echo CRS Honda WSBK team, and is currently racing in the CIV championship with same Echo Honda squad.
“We’re all very sorry for Karl, as we were really looking forward to working with him again this weekend. However, we understand that he needs to be fit for the next IDM round to fight again for the title. So, we have a replacement for Ruben’s replacement, and we will make Fabrizio welcome and work hard with him to get the best result possible at Silverstone,” said team boss Ronald Ten Kate.
Source | mcnnews.com.au
Ruben Xaus ruled out of Silverstone, Karl Muggeridge in as substitute
Castrol Honda rider Ruben Xaus has been ruled out of this upcoming World Superbike round at Silverstone and the team has called Australian Karl Muggeridge as his replacement rider.
This means that the WSBK team will have two replacement riders for the British round, Alex Lowes, who is continuing his duties for the team in place of recovering Jonathan Rea and recently completed a two day test with the team at Assen, and now Muggeridge for Xaus.
Xaus crashed out during race 1 at Brno and sat out race 2 because of some leg and back injuries, Although initial scans did not reveal any major injury, continual pain in his back took him back to his doctors to undergo another scan last week, which revealed a fracture to vertebra L3, however Xaus is expected to be fit enough to contest the 10th round of the season at Nurburgring in September.
Continue reading: Ruben Xaus ruled out of Silverstone, Karl Muggeridge in as substitute
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