Leon Haslam Archives - Page 7 of 8

Rumors

WSBK Silly Season: Haslam to BMW, Fabrizio to Alstare Suzuki, & Haga to an Aprilia [UPDATED]

By Jensen Beeler 09/21/2010 3 Comments

UPDATE 3: Michel Fabrizio has signed-on with Alstare Suzuki team for 2011.

UPDATE 2: Leon Haslam has signed with the BMW Factory Squad.

UPDATE: It’s being reported that Noriyuki Haga has agreed to ride with the DFX team on a factory Aprilia RSV4, with an announcement delayed out of deference to Biaggi’s impending WSBK crowning.

While the MotoGP silly season is just starting to wind down, the World Superbike shuffling of riders is apparently just getting underway. So far this silly season we’ve seen , confirming that he’d be with Ten Kate Honda next season, despite being only two years into a three year contract, which was a strange announcement at the very least.

After Ducati’s little spat with Infront Motor Sports last month, the Xerox Ducati Team will be no more in 2011, leaving factory riders Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki S.O.L. when it comes to gainful employment, which is where our fist batch of silly season rumors starts us. If Moto.it‘s Carlo Baldi is to be believed (he is the listed press officer for Althea Ducati after all), Haga will find himself on a satellite Aprilia ride, while Michel Fabrizio will go to Alstare Suzuki. If you’re a die-hard WSBK fan you may realize that means that current Alstare Suzuki star Leon Haslam must be finding work elsewhere, with Baldi putting the British rider in the factory BMW squad. Still with us?

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Aprilia Halts RSV4 WSBK Development

By Jensen Beeler 09/15/2010 3 Comments

Aprilia is either confident or cocky, because according to MCN, the Italian manufacturer’s racing department has halted development on the 2010 World Superbike spec RSV4 Factory race bike. Comfortable with Max Biaggi’s 58 point lead over Leon Haslam and his Alstare Suzuki, Aprilia wants Biaggi to focus on racing with his current setup, rather than risk having a prototype part breaking, and costing the team and Biaggi the World Superbike Championship.

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Haslam Looks for More Support from Suzuki Japan

By Jensen Beeler 07/01/2010 3 Comments

Trailing in the World Superbike Championship standings by 37 points, Leon Haslam has called on Suzuki Japan to lend him more support if they want to contend with Max Biaggi and Aprilia for the WSBK title. Losing the World Superbike lead at Miller Motorsports Park, Haslam and Suzuki have found the Aprilia of Biaggi slowly out-classing them at races.

Orginially favorited to win WSBK this year, Haslam says that unless Suzuki allocates more resources to his racing effort, the Japanese manufacturer will miss a golden opportunity to win a World Championship title, which is code for “Hey Suzuki, satellite bikes are beating your factory MotoGP team”.

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WSBK: Crutchlow Fastest at Imola Testing

By Jensen Beeler 06/30/2010 1 Comment

Cal Crutchlow was the fastest overall rider at World Superbike’s two-day testing session at Imola this week. Showing marked improvements over the course of the testing sessions, Crutchlow has his best times during Wednesday’s sessions, as did many of the riders.

Leading the pack on Tuesday was Leon Haslam. Haslam crashed twice on Wednesday though, with his last crash involving Shane Byrne. Bryne ended up cutting his hand during the incident, and it is expected that he broke his second metacarpal bone.

Noriyuki Haga looked to have regained his form, and finished fifth from the testing, while his teammate Michel Fabrizio showed impressive times, finishing second. Absent from the leader board tussle was Max Biaggi, who finished in just 9th place after the two days of testing. Full results after the jump.

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WSBK: Battle for Second Leaves Runaway Finish During Race 2 at Misano

By Jensen Beeler 06/28/2010 No Comments

Hot World Superbike racing continued under the Italian summer sun as Race 2 was underway at Misano on Sunday. The home track for Aprilia looked for Max Biaggi to try for another weekend double, but BMW and Troy Corser set themselves as the team to beat all weekend long. With Corser on the pole, The Emperor had his work cut out for himself, not to mention the fact that the majority of the top WSBK teams had tested at Misano, and brought their A-game this weekend. Check after the jump for all the spoilers, results, and video highlights.

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WSBK: Geriatrics Battle for Race 1 at Misano

By Jensen Beeler 06/27/2010 4 Comments

Max Biaggi turned a year older yesterday, making the Italian rider 39 years-old, but he isn’t the only rider on the World Superbike grid that’s whose a bit weathered with age. Battling for Race 1 at Misano this weekend, the old duffs came out of the woodwork, and showed that you can teach an old dog new tricks after all. Get out your walked, and check out all the race spoilers after the jump.

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WSBK: Race 2 at Monza Should be Called “The Crash, The Motor, & The Podium”

By Jensen Beeler 05/10/2010 1 Comment

With strong showings by familiar and unfamiliar faces this season, Race 2 at Monza proved to have some excitement up its sleeve. This anticipation proved to be worth it, as crashes took out victory hopefuls, leading to a comfortable finish for one rider, and nail biter for another. With a surprise podium in the mix, there’s a team still partying in Italy as we speak. Find out why after the jump.

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WSBK: Race 2 is Action-Packed in Assen

By Jensen Beeler 04/26/2010 2 Comments

With Race 1 seeing a number of worthy riders vying for the victory, there was little doubt that Race 2 would provide similar close-rider racing on the Dutch circuit. With each manufacturer with a horse in the race, Assen proved to be not only a venue where opportunities could be created, but it also seemed destined to shake up the World Superbike Championship Standings.

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WSBK: Landslide During Race 1 at Valencia

By Jensen Beeler 04/12/2010 No Comments

World Superbike headed to Valencia, Spain this weekend for the third round of the WSBK season. With a strong Superpole by Cal Crutchlow, all eyes were on the Sterilgarda Yamaha to see if a surprise victory would occur. With the Championship heating up as riders are vetted into place, Valenica would prove to be a battlefield this weekend with more than one rider firing a warning shot across the proverbial bows of their competitors, signaling their intention to compete.

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WSBK: Another Nail-Biter for Race 2 at Phillip Island

By Jensen Beeler 02/28/2010 9 Comments

Phillip Island served up another nail-biter for WSBK fans this Sunday. With the race winner making a last lap pass, no one could have guessed the top four finishers in this race. With a few familiar faces, along with a few new hopefuls, wrapping up the first stop on the World Superbike Championship only wets the appetite further for the rest of the WSBK season. Rider quotes, video highlights, and race standings after the jump.

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WBSK: Photo Finish for Race 1 at Phillip Island

By Jensen Beeler 02/28/2010 6 Comments

The wait is over, World Superbike racing action is back as Race 1 was underway at Phillip Island today. Perhaps a glimpse into the racing year, the action from down under did not disappoint race fans, and sets up WSBK to have a excitingly close season. Click past the jump for all the racing news of Race 1 at Phillip Island, including rider quotes, video highlights, and race standings.

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