It has taken a long time but the final shape & size of the WorldSBK grid has finally arrived, with 24 regular Superbike entries including the once impossible reappearance of two Aprilia RSV4 machines
IodaRacing Team, recent MotoGP runners, will line up in the Superbike paddock after gaining enough budget and support to allow them to run a two-man team of Alex De Angelis (yet another MotoGP refugee) and last year’s Superstock 1000 Champion for Aprilia, Lorenzo Savadori.
Late arrivals Aprilia will make it seven manufacturers in all this year, and no small-scale companies among them.
Given that solid base from top to bottom the manufacturer least fancied for getting top results is maybe the once legendary MV Agusta, even though they run multiple podium-scorer and former BSB Champion Leon Camier. Not to mention an F4RR roadbike that puts out 200bhp in street trim.
The fact that a manufacturer with this degree of heft and such a proven rider on board is maybe the least likely to have a race-winning chance, in the early part of the year at least, points at a high level of even the middle ground that makes up the landscape of 2016.
This is significant in a year when Yamaha is back in officially with a potent new bike for the job, Honda has signed Nicky Hayden, Kawasaki has a new and more Sykes-friendly bike for their two world champions to use, Ducati has an even better race-winning Panigale and BMW plays a four-man running flush of endless possibilities…
Both Althea Racing and Milwaukee SMR teams are part of their overall BMW customer set-up, not official as such, but BMW is taking it all more seriously than they have done since their official exit a few years ago.
At the top of the new shop Jonathan Rea will indeed run number 1, as is his right as the 2015 champion.
The on-track elevation of the class is clear and about to start showing itself off very soon at Phillip Island, in its new ‘races on two days’ format.
In the WSS category a revamped (read reduced) set of technical rules and the eradication of the Superstock 600 class in the winter means a combined regular entry list at European races of 34, with 11 of them not doing the non-European rounds.
‘FIM Europe Supersport Cup’ entries will compete for the same points as the regulars in Europe, and among themselves too, as they will do not have the same number of points scoring opportunities as those who will do all 13 WSS rounds.
As well as the expected quantities on the WSS grid last year’s American star and race winner PJ Jacobsen has made the list with Honda despite losing their proposed 2016 sponsor.
The entry list for each class follows below…
WorldSBK
1 – 1 Jonathan Rea / GBR / Kawasaki ZX-10R / Kawasaki Racing Team
2 – 66 Tom Sykes / GBR / Kawasaki ZX-10R / Kawasaki Racing Team
3 – 7 Chaz Davies / GBR / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
4 – 34 Davide Giugliano / ITA / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
5 – 60 Michael van der Mark / NED / Honda CBR1000RR SP / Honda World Superbike Team
6 – 69 Nicky Hayden / USA / Honda CBR1000RR SP / Honda World Superbike Team
7 – 21 Markus Reiterberger / GER / BMW S1000 RR / Althea BMW Racing Team
8 – 81 Jordi Torres / ESP / BMW S1000 RR / Althea BMW Racing Team
9 – 22 Alex Lowes / GBR / Yamaha YZF R1 / Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team
10 – 50 Sylvain Guintoli / FRA / Yamaha YZF R1 / Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team
11 – 12 Xavi Forés / ESP / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / Barni Racing Team
12 – 11 Saeed Al Sulaiti / QAT / Kawasaki ZX-10R / Pedercini Racing
13 – 20 Sylvain Barrier / FRA / Kawasaki ZX-10R / Pedercini Racing
14 – 2 Leon Camier/ GBR / MV Agusta 1000 F4 / MV Agusta Reparto Corse
15 – 40 Román Ramos / ESP / Kawasaki ZX-10R / Team GOELEVEN
16 – 9 Dominic Schmitter / SUI / Kawasaki ZX-10R / Grillini Racing Team
17 – 16 Josh Hook / AUS / Kawasaki ZX-10R / Grillini Racing Team
18 – 10 Imre Toth / HUN / Yamaha YZF R1 / Team Toth
19 – 56 Peter Sebestyen / HUN / Yamaha YZF R1 / Team Toth
20 – 15 Alex De Angelis / RSM / Aprilia RSV4 1000 F / IodaRacing Team
21 – 32 Lorenzo Savadori / ITA / Aprilia RSV4 1000 F / IodaRacing Team
22 – 17 Karel Abraham / CZE / BMW S1000 RR / Milwaukee BMW
23 – 25 Joshua Brookes / AUS / BMW S1000 RR / Milwaukee BMW
24 – 61 Fabio Menghi / ITA / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / VFT Racing
WorldSSP
1 -1 Kenan Sofuoglu/ TUR/ Kawasaki ZX-6R/ Kawasaki Puccetti Racing
2- 21 Randy Krummenacher/ SUI/ Kawasaki ZX-6R/ Kawasaki Puccetti Racing
3 – 16 Jules Cluzel/ FRA/ MV Agusta F3 675/ MV Agusta Reparto Corse
4 – 87 Lorenzo Zanetti/ ITA/ MV Agusta F3 675/ MV Agusta Reparto Corse
5- 35 Stefan Hill/ GBR/ Honda CBR600RR/ CIA Landlord Insurance Honda
6 -78 Hikari Okubo/JPN/ Honda CBR600RR/ CIA Landlord Insurance Honda
7 – 81 Luke Stapleford/ GBR/ Honda CBR600RR/ CIA Landlord Insurance Honda
8 – 111 Kyle Smith/ GBR/Honda CBR600RR/ CIA Landlord Insurance Honda
9 – 2 Patrick Jacobsen/ USA/ Honda CBR600RR/ Honda World Supersport Team
10 – 11 Christian Gamarino/ ITA/ Kawasaki ZX-6R/ Team GOELEVEN
11 – 69 Ondrej Jezek/ CZE/ Kawasaki ZX-6R/ Team GOELEVEN
12 – 19 Kevin Wahr/ GER/ Honda CBR600RR/ GEMAR Ballons -Team Lorini
13 – 68 Glenn Scott/AUS/ Honda CBR600RR/ GEMAR Ballons -Team Lorini
14 – 25 Alex Baldolini / ITA/ MV Agusta F3 675/ Race Department ATK#25
15 – 12 Christopher Gobbi/ ITA/ Yamaha YZF R6/ VFT Racing *
16 – 10 Nacho Calero/ ESP/ Kawasaki ZX-6R/ Orelac Racing
17 – 63 Zulfahmi Khairuddin/ MAS/ Kawasaki ZX-6R/ Orelac Racing
18 – 64 Federico Caricasulo/ ITA/ Honda CBR600RR/ BARDAHL Evan Bros. Honda Racing
19 – 55 Ilya Mikhalchik/ UKR/ Kawasaki ZX-6R/ DS Junior Team *
20 – 6 Davide Stirpe/ ITA/ Honda CBR600RR/ FLORAMO Monaco Racing Team SM *
21 – 4 Gino Rea/ GBR/ MV Agusta F3 675/ GRT Racing Team
22 – 41 Aiden Wagner/ AUS/ MV Agusta F3 675/ GRT Racing Team
23 – 84 Loris Cresson/ BEL/ Kawasaki ZX-6R/ MTM / HM Kawasaki *
24 – 7 Angelo Licciardi/ BEL/ Kawasaki ZX-6R/ R2 MotorRacing Team *
25 – 77 Kyle Ryde/ GBR/ Yamaha YZF R6/ Ranieri Med – SC Racing
26 – 83 Lachlan Epis/ AUS/ Kawasaki ZX-6R/ Response RE Racing
27 – 47 Axel Bassani/ ITA/ Kawasaki ZX-6R/ San Carlo Team Italia *
28 – 61 Alessandro Zaccone/ ITA/ Kawasaki ZX-6R/ San Carlo Team Italia *
29 – 88 Nicolás Terol/ ESP/ MV Agusta F3 675/ Schmidt Racing
30 – 119 Janos Chrobak/ HUN/ MV Agusta F3 675/ Schmidt Racing *
31 – 44 Roberto Rolfo/ ITA/ MV Agusta F3 675/ Team Factory Vamag
32 – 50 Braeden Ortt/ CAN/ Honda CBR600RR/WILSport Racedays Honda *
33 – 96 Javier Orellana/ ESP/ Honda CBR600RR/ WILSport Racedays Honda *
34 – 23 Cedric Tangre/ FRA/ Suzuki GSX-R600/ Yohann Moto Sport *
*FIM Europe Supersport Cup