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848 Challenge heads to Holland

This weekend sees riders and teams heading across the North Sea to the famous Assen TT circuit for Round 2 of the Rapid Solicitors Ducati 848 Challenge. After two stunning opening races at Brands Hatch BSB three weeks ago, the expectation is that the racing will be similarly closely fought and exciting at the historical home of bike racing. Leon Morris left Brands with a double win, continuing his strong form from last season and will no doubt be the man to beat in Assen, while Darren Fry, the current Champion, will hope for better luck this weekend after breaking his coccyx at Brands Hatch in a heavy crash. But the Buildbase/JHP Ducati team-mates will be wary of the challenge from Mike’Spike’ Edwards (MSKWorks.com), who will be riding his upgraded Ducati 848EVO for the first time this weekend, and Mark Cheetham (Shorrocks Motorcycles) and Kenny Gilbertson (Art of Racing/Boast Plumbing) who were the main challengers for podium finishes three weeks ago.

Ben Spies to Ducati in 2013

Ducati has confirmed that Ben Spies will be riding for the Italian company in next year’s MotoGP championship. Joining Spies is Moto2 phenom Andrea Iannone. Apparently, Spies and Iannone will be competing on the Pramac Ducati team and “will be supplied with official equipment.” With Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso already confirmed for the factory Ducati Team, this announcement concretes a competitive, four-pronged attack for storming next year’s championship.

Rainy BSB tests are nothing new

THE combination of bad weather in the UK and a European testing ban means that most BSB teams will now start the season with very little track time. This sounds like a disaster for the top teams but history has proved this isn’t necessarily true and it sometimes doesn’t matter how much pre season preparation has taken place.  Back in 2002 Sean Emmett won on the IFC Ducati at the opening Silverstone round after first riding it in unofficial practice the same weekend. Steve Hislop took the other win on Pauls Bird’s well sorted Ducati. More recently in 2009, Leon Camier took an untested new model R1 Yamaha to victory at the Brands Hatch opener after GSE took delivery of the bike just the week before. Sylvain Guintoli won the other race on a well developed, well tested Crescent Suzuki. You could argue if no one has had testing then it is a level playing field but you have to feel for riders moving up to the superbike class in the world’s toughest national series.  Tyco Suzuki’s PJ Jacobson is one such rider but having spent some time with him over the past few weeks he seems to be taking it all in his stride. It may be the confidence of youth or maybe the fact he has won in every other class he has entered in his short BSB career, but I suspect he fancies at least standing on the Superbike podium at Brands (He also does a bit of ice racing which is not dissimilar to the this year’s UK testing).  The testing ban was implemented with all the best cost cutting intentions and if it had been any other year in the past decade all would be well. The teams may be feeling frustrated but the fans should be excited. With so many unknowns, the 2013 BSB opener at Brands Hatch could be the best ever!