Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/295587
WORLD SUPERBIKE WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 2/APRIL 13, 2014 MOTORLAND ARAGON/ARAGON, SPAIN P88 Briefly... on their bikes - such as full racing front discs and other updates since the first round. The engine tune is not much higher than before, but many other chassis details have been improved after the mad scram- ble to get their bikes onto the grid in time in Australia. Both Aaron Yates (25th) and recently injured Geoff May (26th) missed the first Super- pole cut in practice. They were im- mediate and highly visible victims of the invisible Bimotas, as EBR had to pull out all the stops to get its bike homologated under the older, more stringent rules this winter - only to find themselves racing a BMW-en- gined Bimota that is not a produc- tion bike yet, and certainly not in the numbers needed or homologation. The paddock show in 2014 got high tech, with the open-sided arena erected to host the question and an- swer sessions with the public and then the media, now taking place in front of a multiple screen TV display, showing action and live timings at other times. Eugene Laverty was in some de- gree of trouble in terms of engine al- location in 2014 before the second round had even got underway. He lost an engine in spectacular fash- ion in race two at Phillip Island - after having won race one – and looked to have an engine go again on him in fi- nal timed free practice at Aragon. He said after the race it was not a blown engine but just some oil blowback, and he says he still has his seven en- gines to play with. QUICK CHAT: FRANCIS BATTA - ALSTARE BIMOTA TEAM PRINCIPAL You will create racing Bimotas for the factory at Al- stare, but how many this year? We have 20 cus- tomer bikes already. We have orders from Belgium, from the importer there, from Australia. For Evo bikes, not streetbikes. This is the start. Will there be enough bikes made to meet the World Superbike homologa- tion in the summer? The first BB3 is finished, but in the summer the homologation will be okay. From the homologa- tion they have to make 125 normal streetbikes at the end of July. Alstare will make 20 bikes [Evo] more. These are two separate programs." What about BMW? What will they supply and what has been ordered? The contract from BMW is for the engine, throttle body, airbox and electron- ics. This is the con- tract from Bimota and BMW. Last week the FIM went to Bimota, because the problem from the moment is not having the 125 engines. But there is the chassis complete and made now. From BMW the possibility is 20 engines per month. The investment from the new boss of Bimota is very high. Bimota team owner Francis Batta. World Champion Sykes ended up winning both races and he now leads the World Championship.