WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
VOL. 51 ISSUE 25 JUNE 24, 2014 P81
Briefly...
The MV Agusta Reparto-Corse
team was just that at Misano as
their title sponsor and major partner
Yakhnich Motorsport parted com-
pany with them in the run-up to the
seventh round. Many factors, includ-
ing fading support from inside Rus-
sia for a team with no 'home' round
in Moscow to go to, and probably
international politics, contributed to
the no-show and now MV will run the
World Superbike and World Super-
sport show themselves. With Jules
Cluzel a top World Supersport rider
and lots of investment in the MV F4
used by Claudio Corti to be ready for
2015, MV will continue and added
long time World Supersport rider
Massimo Roccoli to the team to re-
place Yakhnich regular rider Vladimir
Leonov. "We have separated com-
pletely [from Yakhnich]," said Brian
Gillen from MV. "The racing team is
MV Agusta Reparto Corse, 100 per-
cent MV and it is all MV's budget, all
MV's decisions and all MV's direc-
tion. MV is going to be here for a
long time."
Vladimir Ivanov - who seriously in-
jured his left leg last year at Imola
when riding for the DMC Kawasaki
team in World Supersport, was in
the Misano paddock with his improv-
ing fitness levels in evidence. He still
has severely limited movement in his
left ankle, as his recovery is still on-
going.
A new 'Arena Flat Track' circuit,
which can be run in either an oval or
a longer multi-direction flat track was
launched at Misano, with Valentino
Rossi's father Graziano an integral
part of the operation. The circuit will
be a half-mile in length and is located
inside the Misano perimeter. It will
continued on next page
Kawasaki's Tom Sykes
(1) was in dominating
form in Misano, the
defending World
Superbike Champion
winning both races
despite the injuries he
suffered in Malaysia a
few weeks ago.
BY GORDON RITCHIE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
I
t may have looked easy, but Tom Sykes' two victories at Misano
on Sunday were anything but, given the fact that he came to Italy
bruised and battered from his crash in Sepang. Still, he left pole
