The word from Airwaves Ducati;

BLACK MINT AIRWAVES DUCATI READY FOR SEASON FINALE AT BRANDS HATCH

The Black Mint Airwaves Ducati team head to round 13 of the British Superbike championship at Brands Hatch this weekend lying first and third in the title race. The 2006 title will be decided in a double point’s header at the Kent circuit on Sunday.

In a dramatic penultimate round at Silverstone two weeks ago Gregorio Lavilla achieved two second places and former championship leader, Leon Haslam had a day of mixed results, failing to finish the first race but coming 3rd in the second. Those results mean that Greg goes into this weekend’s finale with 377 championship points and a slender 1 point lead over Kiyo, with team mate Leon only 8 points behind on 368.

The decision to award double points for this round was taken after persistent rain resulted in round 5 at Mondello being cancelled. With only 9 points separating the top 3 riders it will be a head to head battle between the two Ducati’s and Kiyo’s Honda for the 2006 BSB title.

This time last year the team headed to the final round first and fourth in the championship and after an outstanding display of top quality riding and a set of one-two finishes Gregorio Lavilla was crowned the 2005 British Superbike champion. Back then he made it clear how important it was to him to win the title saying, “It maybe British Superbikes but I am thinking of it as a World Superbike Championship…that’s how much this Championship means to me.” Both riders have similar sentiments about the title this year and are excited about what is sure to be a sensational finish to the season.

The defending champion Lavilla said, I am really looking forward to racing at Brands Hatch this weekend, leading the championship going into the last round is obviously a good place to be, even if it is by 1 point! It won’t affect my preparation though; I will go there to put in the best performance I can and hopefully regain the title, but I know it is going to be a very competitive weekend. I have great memories from this time last year when I took the title but I was much further ahead then and there are very different pressures on us all this year, especially with the double points, but I can’t wait to get started.

Making it clear that he has put the disappointment of his DNF at Silverstone behind him Leon Haslam commented, I made a mistake in the first race at Silverstone which cost me a finish and the championship lead but I have forgotten about that now and I am looking forward to Brands Hatch. It is going to be a really exciting weekend for the fans especially as the double points mean it will go down to the final race. There is going to be such a good atmosphere, I think it will definitely be the most exciting racing of the year.

The 2006 British Superbike title will be decided on October 1st at the Brands Hatch GP circuit.

(this article was taken from insidebikes.com)

The latest from the ACU;

Following problems with the track layout and Road Closure Orders for Olivers Mount, the British Supermoto Championships regret to announce that the meeting scheduled for the 23rd/24th September has been cancelled.

Unfortunately a suitable alternative date was not readily available at Olivers Mount.

The 6th Round of the Championship will now be held at Three Sisters in Wigan on the Saturday the 21st October and the 7th Round on Sunday the 22nd October. Also on this weekend we are honoured to be hosting a round of the World KTM Red Bull Cup, alongside our own British Supermoto Championship.

Qualifying will take place on Saturday and two races on the Sunday, with 28 riders from all over Europe including five of our own British riders.

We will all be cheering on the riders to gain a good result on home ground and it should be the most exciting racing this year on British soil. Come along and support our boys.

The 8th and final round will be held at Rowrah ( it’s in Cumbria - Geography O level holding Ed ) the following week on the 28th October, this date having been changed from the 4th/5th November as this would have meant that at least eight of our own riders would have been on International duty in Greece. This also now avoids a clash with NORA at Cadwell Park.

(this article was taken from insidebikes.com)

The latest from Honda Uk;

Completely new from stem to stern, Honda’s astounding new 2007 CBR600RR launches a blistering assault on the roads and tracks of Europe with a sleek and slippery new, aerodynamically designed race-ready form;

a lighter and more powerful new 600cc Dual Sequential Fuel Injected inline-4 engine with the smallest dimensions in its class;

a slimmer and lighter weight new Fine Die-Cast aluminium frame that realises both a shorter wheelbase and a longer swingarm;

and an impressive list of high-performance features which all come together to herald the arrival of the electrifying new champion of the mid-displacement Super Sports class.

Development Concept; A New Dimension in 600cc Super Sports Design

Setting out to create a more intensely competitive yet more widely enjoyable next-generation successor to the brilliant CBR600RR would be no mean feat. However, unhindered by the limitations of trying to improve on an existing machine, the CBR600RR’s development team were given the freedom to explore the vast possibilities and hidden potential of drastically new design innovations in the quest for even greater advances in performance and handling.

Thus, formulating their ideas for an all-new middleweight Super Sports leader around the main design concepts of Lighter Weight for Ultimate Control and New Dimensions in 600cc Super Sports Design, the team focused on achieving an even stronger power-to-weight ratio—with all its inherent benefits—through lighter weight and reduced drag everywhere. Engine, frame, bodywork, even the instrument panel; nothing was overlooked in quest for a lighter and faster CBR.

With a targeted 8 kilogramme reduction in overall weight, engine components were lightened by a combined total of over 2kg, the frame was trimmed by a remarkable 4.5kg, other chassis components took away a further 1.2kg, and even the CBR’s electronics were lightened by a small but significant 400g. The end result is lighter weight that translates to sharper acceleration and swifter, smoother handling.

The handling provides an almost fluid response that reacts smoothly and instantly to rider inputs, which has been achieved through a 22mm shorter wheelbase, enhanced mass centralisation and the addition of a new HESD (Honda Electronic Steering Damper) system.

The new CBR600RR’s stunning bodywork sets a new precedent in Super Sports design with a large gap of separation visible between the front upper cowl and the fairing’s side cowls. This design innovation is based on air management design borrowed from the wings and fins used on both fighter planes and Formula One racers to more efficiently direct air around and through its more compact form while giving visual expression to the aerodynamic functionality of its wind tunnel-tested fins.

For a start, the shape of the front upper cowl is now more compact, with its nose and surrounding form repositioned 30mm rearward and closer to the steering head for reduced inertial influence on turning and cornering response. The new lower cowl has also been made more compact, and now more closely surrounds the exhaust headers reaching down under the engine to direct airflow for more effective cooling while visually emphasising the CBR’s improved aerodynamics.

There’s no word yet on the price, but the new CBR600RR is expected to be in UK dealerships around Feb 2007.

(this article was taken from insidebikes.com)

Kawasaki have released a few more details about their new Versys all-rounder machine for 2007.

The company say that their first priority with the 650cc engine was making it responsive and torquey, with plenty of lowdown acceleration. There’s a balance pipe in the exhaust system to smooth the torque curve, whilst the top end has had work done to the inlet and exhaust cams to help boost low down pull from the motor.

The digital fuel injection has also been tweaked, again to promote immediate throttle response. The Versys is claimed to produce its peak power in the 3000-6000rpm range - almost like a V-twin motor, rather than the typical parallel twin engine.

There’s still no word on the UK list price for the new Versys model.

(this article was taken from insidebikes.com)