WSBK: The Factory Teams on COVID-19 and the Future of the 2020 Season

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has put the World Superbikes championship on hold since its opening round in Australia with no clear indication as to where and when racing will get back underway again. We look at what the major players from the series have to say about the potential restart.

Both, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and Dorna’s WorldSBK Executive Director Gregorio Lavilla, have reassured plans to complete the championship and outlined prospects to resume racing as soon as it is safe to do so.

Speaking to WorldSBK, Lavilla said:

“These are not easy times for anyone but everyone in the company is giving their best to achieve the best outcome. We are working tirelessly as well as together with government officials, the FIM, and circuits to make sure that when the racing returns, it is suitable and safe for everyone. This is our priority and will come first. Given how close the first WorldSBK round was, the racing will be spectacular when we resume.”

Gregorio Lavilla

However, despite the outlook of returning to the track in 2020, teams and riders had to adapt to the enforced break that changed the way of working and limited the development done on the bikes.

With the possibility to race again in sight, here is a look at the factory teams’ takes on the current situation and their prospects for the 2020 season.

Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK

Having won the riders’ and manufacturers’ title every year since 2015, KRT’s sights are firmly set on continuing their success once the season resumes.

The Japanese outfit boasts two riders that are not only capable of winning races, but are clear title contenders, in reigning world champion Jonathan Rea and current championship leader Alex Lowes.

With the pressure of expectation, it is essential to keep the momentum going, during and after the break, and be prepared to perform to the maximum level again when racing gets back underway.

“Winning feels a bit like a responsibility because when we started the success, we did not have the pressure to keep winning all the time. Now, we have been winning for many years, so a podium but not winning can be a frustrating point. Sometimes we need to remember it is not possible to win every race. We need to accept sooner or later that we will not win. But in the meantime, we try not to lose momentum. It’s extra pressure for us but a proud situation.”

Guim Roda

Roda acknowledged that with the increased pressure coming from the other manufactures and the challenges posed by the pandemic, 2020 will be a difficult season but reassured that KRT’s aim remains to be on top:

“The competition is tough and I think it’s going to be a tough year. We saw that in Australia so we will need to work so hard to keep the momentum and winning. We will see if we can start again soon.”

Guim Roda

Aruba.it Racing – Ducati

The Aruba.it Racing team was one of the first line-ups to be hit hard by the pandemic with the stringent restrictions in Italy affecting the Ducati headquarters in Bologna.

Team Manager Serafino Foti said to WorldSBK:

“We had planned some tests to try some new components, but we must wait. Our factory is now closed and we are in smart work mode. But as you know it is not the same as being in the factory. Many of our suppliers are closed too and this slows down the development. In this case, at the moment, we have a bigger problem to solve and of course everyone is thinking about that.”

Serafino Foti

The team had a mixed start to the 2020 championship as WorldSBK rookie Scott Redding achieved three podiums at the season opener while Chaz Davies experienced a difficult weekend.

Once the season resumes, the focus will be for Redding to adapt further to the WorldSBK environment and fulfil his full potential and for Davies to return to form.

Before racing can get back underway, Foti emphasised the importance of adhering to restrictions to control the pandemic and return to normality:

“This is the most difficult race ever, if everybody respects the rules we can win this race and for sure we can come back soon.”

Serafino Foti

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team

The Pata Yamaha team had a positive start to the season with Toprak Razgatlıoğlu winning on his Yamaha debut and Michael van der Mark just narrowly missing out on a podium finish.

Due to the impact of COVID-19 though, the team were so far unable to build on the positive performance in Australia.

Speaking to WorldSBK, Team Manager Paul Denning stated:

“There is only so much time you can spend looking at the data from the winter tests and Phillip Island to formulate any potential improvements. We got the bikes back from Phillip Island to the team workshop in the UK 10 days after the race.

“We got everything ready in the workshop and then shortly after that, the UK government announced its lockdown on non-essential business and retail business and since then the bikes have been sat, polished, all dressed up with nowhere to go. Everyone has been working hard behind the scenes so that we can go back racing. We are in the best position we can be but aside from that there has been very little we can achieve.”

Paul Denning

Denning showed himself delighted with his rider duo of van der Mark and Razgatlıoğlu and the “very positive” atmosphere in the team.

The sharing of information and opinion has pushed the outfit forward and brought them in a very strong position for the anticipated remainder of the championship.

However, Denning admitted that completing the season will be a challenge:

“It is a real positive Dorna are working so hard with circuits and other stakeholders to retain a credible 2020 world championship and to continue the incredibly exciting WorldSBK Championship that started in Phillip Island. The schedule, if it is able to go ahead, will be very challenging but will be appreciated by stakeholders and fans, who are the lifeblood of WorldSBK. For teams and manufacturers, it needs to happen safely. It needs to respect advice and regulations out there but if it can happen, Pata Yamaha is fully behind it.”

Paul Denning

BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

With limited opportunities for further bike development, the BMW team is still benefitting from a testing programme carried out by their rider duo of Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty last winter.

The pairing has been working well together since sharing a garage and the transfer of information and data has led to significant improvements particularly in terms of the BMW S1000RR’s electronics.

The results provided by the analysis work and the partnership between the two experienced riders has lifted the outfit to new heights according to Team Principal Shaun Muir who believes that race wins are within reach once the season gets back on track.

Muir said to WorldSBK:

“We have got the ability to reach the top and that is what we are aiming for. Between the Motorrad development team and our team we feel we have made some giant steps forward and we just need to refine that now. It will not take long before we have got the complete package.”

Shaun Muir

Speaking about the future of the 2020 season, Muir admitted that completing the championship will be challenging but was appreciative of the efforts made by Dorna to resume racing once it is safe to do so:

“It is going to be a challenge no matter what calendar gets announced now. I think July is optimistic, but the fact we can target coming back and competing in 2020 is a real big positive for everybody. I think we need to be realistic and put a caveat that if it does not happen at Donington, then clearly the August dates are a second target, but Dorna, having rolled the dice and made an announcement, is a real positive view for everyone to work towards. Hopefully we can soon be back on track, put this behind us and be stronger and better and look forward to completing the 2020 championship.”

Shaun Muir

Team HRC

HRC made their long anticipated return to WorldSBK at the start of the 2020 season but now see crucial development work halted by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking to WorldSBK, Team Manager Jaume Colom said:

“The current situation affects us a lot because what we need are hours of training and being on the track. Work has continued in Japan, but with the bike and its development, we cannot do anything. In HRC the activity has continued, but working in the office is not the same as working on the track. All the data we got from Australia has been analysed – what would help us now is to keep on riding the bike.”

Jaume Colom

HRC’s experienced rider duo of Álvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam had a promising start to the season on Phillip Island with their lap times not being far off and the Honda CBR1000RR-R showing great performance particularly in terms of top speed and power.

Colom reassured that HRC’s ambition is to win races as soon as possible and, once racing returns, to be at the top end of what he expects to be close competition:

“I think we will continue to have the show we saw in Australia. The break affects us all, so when we return to compete we can expect many races like those we saw there. This would be good for the fans, if we could continue to see that level and that level of excitement in every race. Having six, seven or eight riders reaching the finish line in the same second is the best thing that can happen to motorcycling!”

Jaume Colom