Airwaves Ducati aces Gregorio Lavilla and Leon Haslam
will be eager for more points as the fifth round of the British Superbike
Championship gets underway this weekend at Mondello Park. Following four
rounds of the series, the Airwaves pairing lie second and fourth in the
Championship and have both made excellent starts to their title bids. The
team will also be striving to continue a run of podiums stretching back to
the first race of the season with a dominant performance at the circuit in
County Kildare, Southern Ireland.
Leon is particularly confident following his race victory last time out at
Oulton Park, where a sensational performance in difficult circumstances
secured a dramatic triumph. The 21-year-old tamed the tricky weather and
track conditions to take the chequered flag, in the process confirming his
emergence as a potential contender for the Championship. With many of his
favourite circuits still to come this season, Leon will be aiming to
continue his recent run of excellent results and place himself firmly in the running for the title.
His teammate Gregorio is equally confident as he heads across the Irish Sea.
The Spaniard will be experiencing the demanding circuit for the first time
and will be aiming to learn the unique layout as quickly as possible.
However, with six podiums out of eight so far this season on unfamiliar
circuits, the 30-year-old has proved to be a fast learner and will not let
his lack of prior knowledge affect his pursuit for his first race victory of the season.
The 2.17-mile Mondello Park circuit is the newest on the BSB calendar,
offering the riders another difficult challenge as they strive for crucial
results. With recent resurfacing taking place, the team will hope that the
twisty circuit is a great deal smoother than in its two previous years
hosting BSB races. The venue is sure to welcome a fanatical crowd for the
weekend's action and the Airwaves team will be looking to give their fans
plenty to cheer.
Team Manager, Colin Wright, is confident the team can continue their early
season success in Southern Ireland: "The team have been buoyed by the
results at Oulton Park and our first race victory. We know that another good
weekend here will set us up brilliantly to challenge at the top of the
Championship. Our return to BSB has gone very well and it is now a case of
turning the regular podium finishes into race wins. That will be our main
aim here at Mondello and I'm hopeful that we can keep the pressure on our
rivals".
Leon was particularly upbeat following his recent race win: "I was
absolutely delighted with the reward for my efforts at Oulton Park. It was a
circuit that I knew I could do well at and I proved how comfortable I'm
feeling at the moment on the Airwaves-Ducati. I can't wait to get racing
again and now I've experienced my first race victory of the season, I'll be
aiming for more of the same at Mondello. I know the circuit a little bit
from previous races here and see no reason why we can't go well this
weekend".
Gregorio was also looking forward to racing again: "Mondello is another
track that I've never raced before but I will be aiming to learn the
contours and bends as quickly as possible so that we can spend time working
on various settings. I'm pleased with the way my season is shaping up but
very eager to take a race victory. I know it will be tough but there's no
reason why we can't succeed. I'll be putting every effort in to make sure we come away with a great set of results".
Free Practice for the fifth round of the BSB series begins at Mondello Park on Friday 13th May, with the two Superbike races taking place on Sunday 15th May.
