FUNCHAL (PORTUGAL), 16 April 2009 – Another season of FIM SuperMoto World Championship is starting this weekend at Viterbo with the Italian Grand Prix, a classic meeting for the many fans of the peninsula which is now held on a brand new race track.
Defending S1 Champion Hiemer is out due to a winter injury but last year’s third in the Championship Lazzarini will go for victory in front of his home crowd. In the S2 class the battle Chareyre vs Gozzini will be once again the main feature of the series but several other Superiders are expected to trouble last year’s leading duo.
The UEM SuperMoto Championships will also start from Viterbo with three exciting classes.
S1
Defending Champion Bernd Hiemer’s injury was a big blow for the KTM Italia Miglio Team. The German, who broke his left arm and right wrist one month ago, is currently recovering and his comeback date is not yet sure.
This hard fought Championship will take no prisoners and at his comeback the German will have a tough time to recover especially when his runners up in the 2008 series are in solid shape for the coming season despite the manufacturer change over the winter.
Multiple World Champion Van Den Bosch is now part of the 747 Motorsport TM Factory Racing’s family alongside young guns Occhini and Serafini. He aims at taking his fourth crown-the first for the Pesaro based manufacturer. VDB started the 2008 with victory onboard the factory Aprilia.
Lazzarini, who is now riding for HM Honda Racing together with a recovered Giraudo, had a successful start to the Italian series last weekend, when he took a clean sweep in the S1 class. The feeling in between the GP winner and the Honda seems strong as both look for their first World Championship Title.
Husqvarna CH Racing Azzalin’s Thomas Chareyre and Mauno Hermunen will be also a strong line up in this FIM SuperMoto World Championship. Chareyre took fourth last year but he showed his best only in the last part of the season. Hermunen will race his first full time season this year but several experts already point at him like a solid Title contender-he actually showed good form leading part of a wet European GP last year. The Husqvarna line up will be completed by the Motosupplies Husqvarna team mates Hodgson and Winstanley.
Onboard the Aprilia machine will be Marco Dondi (Accadueo Racing), last year’s Marcel Seurat Award winner Elia Sammartin (New Team SuperMoto), Massimo Beltrami and Christian Ravaglia (Magic Bike Evolution).
Gas Gas, entering the FIM SuperMoto World Championship this year, will have Xavier “Xavi” Rodriguez with the duo forming an all Spanish squad.
Other possible protagonists in Viterbo should be Rigo Racing’s Eddy Seel on the Suzuki, AGR Competition’s Guillaume Rigal on the Kawasaki, other Kawasaki Superider Max Testu of Team Nastedo, SBD Union Bike’s Giovanni Bussei on the Honda.
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| Lazzarini and Thomas Chareyre on the gas at the Italian Championship opener in Ottobiano (Copyright Team HM Honda Racing) |
More photos available at www.supermotos1.com/galleryinfo.aspx
S2
The S2 series starts with last year’s World Champion Adrien Chareyre on top form after taking his first season’s win at the Italian Championships last weekend. The Husqvarna CH Racing Azzalin’s Superider will now be at his second year in the class where he took four GP wins and the Championship at his stunning debut year.
747 Motorsport TM Factory Racing’s Davide Gozzini is out for revenge in 2009 after he lost the Title at the final round of last season at the end of a dogfight with Chareyre. The Italian won the first two rounds in 2008 and hopes in another winning performance at Viterbo.
Gerald Delepine, a two time SuperMoto World Champion, will again be onboard a factory Husqvarna but will ride with the colours of team Husqvarna Cross2R. The TM line up will be reinforced by experienced Lorenzo Mariani (Team MRC Racing) and Eric Bougelet (Alyence SuperMoto Academy).
Luca Minutilli, who collected his best Championship result last year with fifth, will aim for more in 2009 as he rides again for the Accadueo Racing team onboard the twin cylinder Aprilia.
His former team mate Iddon instead changed team and manufacturer. The GP winner from Great Britain has already got to grips with the Motoracing’s KTM and hopes in a strong season making up for an injury plagued 2008.
Iddo will be the leader of a young KTM pack made of last year’s European Championship stars Borella (KTM Italia Miglio) and Pope (Skyzone Racing), Deridder (Amacro Racing Team) and Blakeman (Skyzone Racing). On the other hand other KTM mounted Superider Hlad will try and stay ahead of this pack hungering for success.
Gaspardone will be also back to action in Viterbo onboard the powerful Husaberg of Team BRT.
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| Gozzini at the sky section |
More photos available at www.supermotos1.com/galleryinfo.aspx
UEM
The UEM SuperMoto European Championship will once again be held together with the FIM World Championship.
This year the continental series will have an exciting display of three classes including the well known S3 and Open, and also the new class dedicated to the big bore motorcycles.
THE GP OF ITALY – QUICK FACTS
Saturday (S1&S2): S2 Free Practice 1 12:00-12:30; S1 Free Practice 1 12:40-13:10; S2 Free Practice 2 14:00-14:30; S1 Free Practice 2 14:40-15:10; S2 Time Practice 16:00-16:40; S1 Time Practice 16:50-17:30
Sunday (S1&S2): S2 Warm-up 9:00-09:20 with S2 Superpole immediately after; S1 Warm-up 9:40-10:00 with S1 Superpole immediately after; S2 Race 1 12:25; S1 Race 1 13:25; S2 Race 2 15:25; S1 Race 2 16:25
LINKS
4/16/2009 5:20pm
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