As the halfway point of the season
approaches, the Airwaves Ducati team head to Knockhill for round seven of
the Bennetts British Superbike Championship this weekend eager for more
success. With riders Gregorio Lavilla and Leon Haslam lying 2nd and 5th in
the Championship and the team second in the manufacturers' standings, the
seventh round at the 1.29-mile, twisty, undulating Scottish circuit will
represent a fantastic opportunity to close the gap at the top of the points
tables.
The whole Airwaves Ducati camp will be particularly hopeful for this
weekend, following a successful test at Donington Park a week ago. Despite
being restricted to a solitary afternoon's testing in which to complete
their extensive aims, both riders were able to test out new TT25 Ohlins
front forks as well as a series of new tyres. The results were especially
positive with the riders praising the heightened consistency and feel
provided by the MotoGP-spec forks and determined to take the experiences
learnt at the Derbyshire circuit into this weekend's highly pressurized race
environment.
Airwaves Ducati Team Manager, Colin Wright, outlined his hopes for the
weekend: "Considering that we squeezed our aims for a two day test into a
single afternoon, we were delighted with how much we were able to achieve
and it gives us a lot of confidence for Knockhill. Our aims for this weekend
will be to ensure the guys build on what we've learnt in testing to secure
some excellent results. Both Leon and Gregorio are feeling very comfortable
on the bike at the moment and will be looking to challenge for victories".
Gregorio, who will be looking to record his third consecutive BSB win
following efforts at Mondello Park and Croft, was upbeat about his chances
this weekend: "I've said all year that I needed laps away from the race
meetings to discover the bike's full potential. At the races so far, we have
had to work quickly to make the best of the situation. At the test, we had
some clear aims of what we wanted to try, all the stuff we can't do during
the race weekends and are close to getting the best from the bike. This
obviously gives me a lot of confidence for Knockhill and I will be hoping
that the changes we've made can help me claim another good result".
Leon was upbeat about his own chances at the track: "I've raced Knockhill
before a few years back on a 600cc and I also claimed my first ever win on a
motorbike there so I'm hopeful I can do well. The forks we tried in testing
felt great and there's a marked improvement in feel from earlier rounds so
this should give me that extra bit of confidence I need to push for another
race victory. I'm looking forward to the remaining tracks more than the ones
we've raced already and if I can close the gap a little with two good
results here then it will provide a terrific boost for the second half of
the season".
The seventh round of the BSB Championship at Knockhill, near Fife, starts
with two free practice sessions on Friday 24th June, followed by two
qualifying sessions on Saturday 25th June and two 30-lap races on Sunday
26th June.
