Markus Chiodo is ready to compete in the final four rounds of the British Superbike Championship in the ultra-competitive Superstock 1000 class.
Markus Chiodo | Bound for BSB
By the time you read this I will have touched down in the UK and begun building a racebike, ready to compete in the final four rounds of the British Superbike Championship in the ultra-competitive Superstock 1000 class. This is something I’ve been working towards for the last couple of years, but it hasn’t worked out until now. Covid made it difficult to make any plans and the timing was always a problem, especially because I wanted to work with two of my regular crew from Australia.
With the two-month break between ASBK rounds, Stew Winton and ‘Tige’ will be able to travel with me, and their contacts and experience racing overseas are huge. They have been busy making up lists of parts that we will need and stripping off parts from my Yamaha here in Australia that we can take away. There is also that element of trust, working with people I know, especially if you start having crashes or see things going wrong. It means I’m going over with the same people and same bike that I’m used to here in Australia – the main variable is the change of scenery so I’m really confident in that respect. The tech who will be handling my electronics also works for McAMS Yamaha, so I’m confident we will have a good base map for the ECU straight away.
The four rounds I will race will be Snetterton, Oulton Park, Donington and Brands Hatch and the plan is to do some ride days and practice at all four circuits before the actual race weekend. The distance between circuits in England is not as far either, so that will make it easier to go racing.
I’ll be using AirBnb the whole time, staying in Birmingham close to Tamworth Yamaha – a bike store in the UK that will be helping us out. Stew knows the owner and they were keen to help out with sourcing a bike – plus the owner loves racing. I was planning on taking my own bike over, but now I’m just going to take over 60kg of bolt-on parts – suspension, electronics, that type of thing.
I’ve had a few setbacks this year, but it is difficult at the moment in ASBK with our ECU rules. I’ve been using a MoTeC ECU on my YZF-R1 and it is very complex, plus the amount of wet weather at testing this year hasn’t helped.
I also went in to hospital just after the Darwin round to have an operation to help with arm pump. Arm pump is something so many riders have to deal with throughout their careers and I think it started affecting me before I even knew what it was. Back when I was riding Supersport, I realise now it was a problem, but a Supersport bike is lighter and you can ride around the symptoms easier.
The surgery went well, it was all going okay and I was able to ride at the Morgan Park test, but then I noticed my arm starting to feel a bit different. I started getting some swelling and it was obvious it had become infected, so that put me back in hospital on an antibiotic drip for five days. It’s still not fully right but it has cleared up, so I think everything will be fine for this trip. Having confidence in my arm was a big thing before heading over to England – the race distances are a little bit longer and the tracks quite physical.
In a lot of ways, I’d be happy if ASBK was a summer series, it would mean riders are free to chase up international opportunities when the main European racing seasons are still running. Superstock 1000 in BSB is an easy choice for the next step in my racing career, the specification of the bikes are almost the same as here in ASBK. The main difference is that they use a control tyre and there are differences in what the MoTec ECU can do, such as no traction control allowed.
The plan is to be consistent, put some good results together and head back next year. Obviously, it is very competitive in the UK but I want to make the most of the opportunity we’ve created and make it a permanent thing. No excuses!