A new WorldSBK circuit awaits Team HRC
Autodrom MostTeam HRC now heads into the sixth round of the Superbike World Championship, set to play out this coming weekend at the Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic.
At the last event, which concluded ten days ago at the Assen TT Circuit in The Netherlands, Alvaro Bautista did well to score a fifth-place finish in race 2, while Leon Haslam closed with a best of eighth. The Team HRC duo now want to take another demonstrable step up at what is a new track for them both, and not only them. As the majority of the SBK riders don’t have any experience of the track, it will be something of a level playing field as the event gets underway this Friday. Team HRC and its riders hope to hit the ground running in the opening practice sessions, working hard to learn and understand the intriguing layout the Czech circuit presents.
The Autodrom Most was constructed between 1978 and 1983 and has been used for a wide variety of car, bike and truck competitions. The circuit is located in the north-east of the country, close to the German border and roughly 100 km from Prague. It currently measures 4.212 km in length and comprises a total of 21 varied turns. A new addition to the WorldSBK calendar this year, the championship organisers have signed a five-year contract with the Czech circuit.
Weekend schedule (CET):
Friday
10.30 – 11.15 – SBK Free Practice 1
15.00 – 15.45 – SBK Free Practice 2
Saturday
9.00 – 9.30 – SBK Free Practice 3
11.10 – 11.25 – Superpole
14.00 – SBK Race 1
Sunday
9.00 – 9.15 – SBK Warm-up
11.00 – Superpole race
14.00 – SBK Race 2
"The last race weekend was something of an uphill climb, but we were gradually able to improve our performance and results by working well on the set-up of the bike, especially on the electronics side. We would like to start from where we left off there and place consistently in the top five right from Friday morning. Let's see; Most is a new track for the Superbikes and we will try to keep improving after Assen. I raced at Most many years ago, in the 125cc European Championship (2002), but I don't remember the track layout very well, just a few points like the first chicane, which is very fast. Anyway, we will all have to get to grips with the track and find our references, and I just hope to work well with my team, find good sensations, and have fun riding my CBR at this track."
"The last race weekend was something of an uphill climb, but we were gradually able to improve our performance and results by working well on the set-up of the bike, especially on the electronics side. We would like to start from where we left off there and place consistently in the top five right from Friday morning. Let's see; Most is a new track for the Superbikes and we will try to keep improving after Assen. I raced at Most many years ago, in the 125cc European Championship (2002), but I don't remember the track layout very well, just a few points like the first chicane, which is very fast. Anyway, we will all have to get to grips with the track and find our references, and I just hope to work well with my team, find good sensations, and have fun riding my CBR at this track."
“I’m very much looking forward to Most. I’ve seen many videos of the track on the internet and it’s always nice to go to a new circuit - I think it can be an exciting race. Not many riders have been here, so it’s very much a level playing field. We’ll continue our development work with the Honda and have some more things to try. So we’ll keep pushing as always and look forward to a new race in the Czech Republic.”
“I’m very much looking forward to Most. I’ve seen many videos of the track on the internet and it’s always nice to go to a new circuit - I think it can be an exciting race. Not many riders have been here, so it’s very much a level playing field. We’ll continue our development work with the Honda and have some more things to try. So we’ll keep pushing as always and look forward to a new race in the Czech Republic.”