2012 Superbike grid takes shape
The 2012 Superbike World Championship kicks off in Australia on 26 February with some fresh talent to go up against the seasoned veterans
such as reigning world champion Carlos Checa.
The two biggest names joining the production-based championship next year are 2009 250 GP world champion and former MotoGP rider Hiroshi
Aoyama, who joins the factory Honda team alongside Jonathan Rea, and returning American John Hopkins, who came agonisingly close to claiming
the 2011 British Superbike title.
Hopkins will pair with Leon Camier at the new British-based Crescent Suzuki team, while another rookie squad is ParkinGo Aprilia, which
is bringing hard-charging 2011 world Supersport champion Chaz Davies into the premier class.
Of the remaining factory teams, Eugene Laverty and 2010 WSBK champion Max Biaggi at Alitalia Aprilia shape up as a golden partnership,
while Marco Melandri and Leon Haslam also form an extremely powerful line-up at BMW and Kawasaki has retained two of its three practitioners
from 2011 - Joan Lascorz and Tom Sykes.
Melandri is the reigning world No. 2, and was the only rider to keep the all-conquering Checa in his sights during the 2011 season.
Checa returns with Althea Ducati to defend his title, with the team expanding its roster by adding promising Italian Davide Giugliano –
the 2011 FIM Superstock 1000 champion. Checa blazed a trail through the 2011 WSBK title, setting the agenda early at Phillip Island with two
resounding victories.
Other strong privateer line-ups include Ayrton Badovini and Michel Fabrizio at Italia BMW; Jakub Smrz, Sylvain Guintoli and Maxime Berger
at Effenbert Ducati; and veteran Noriyuki Haga at DFX Ducati.
Of the 22 riders in the 2012 championship, nine are already WSBK race winners, and with an intriguing mix of battle-hardened WSBK
campaigners, ex-MotoGP stars and riders like Laverty and Davies who have made the progression from world Supersport, the fight for the
14-round 2012 championship will take a number of twists and turns.
Prior to the opening round of the championship at Phillip Island on 26 February, the final official pre-season test will also be held at
the Bass Straight circuit from 20-21 February, which normally provides a strong form guide for the following weekend’s action.
-MCNews-