2006 Superbike World Championship
Round 5 – Misano (Italy) – 23-25 May
Circuit: Misano (length 4.060 meters)
Race preview
WINSTON TEN KATE HONDA SQUAD READY FOR MISANO
After a recent test session at Brno the Winston Ten Kate
Honda Superbike squad approaches the halfway point of the
2006 season at Misano with spirits high at the prospect battling
for top placings once more. New electronics packages were
tested at Brno, and may be used at Misano, to help riders
James Toseland and Karl Muggeridge move further up the championship
table. A regular venue on the SBK calendar, Misano is a circuit
of contrasts, with ultra-fast left hand corners leading onto
the back straight, mixed in with a plethora of tighter corners
and two chicanes. Hot Adriatic weather is expected to add
to the intensity of the challenge, with track temperatures
often the highest encountered all season.
Ronald Ten Kate – Team Manager
“We had a very good Brno test where we played with
the new electronic system on the bike. We still have to decide
if we’ll use it for the first time in Misano but so
far it looks like we will, as the first impressions have been
quite positive. We also tested many news parts on the bike
to further improve chassis set up. We also tried out a lot
of tyres and all the work went very well. We proved to be
consistently fast, although we didn’t work too much
on qualifying tyres, mainly concentrated on full race settings
like we usually do during testing.”
James Toseland – Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider
“I like the Misano track although I’ve had some
bad results in the last couple of years there, so I’m
looking forward to erasing them with two strong results. It’s
a great race track in a great area. It’s going to be
a good weekend of racing, and my family will come along, so
I don’t want to disappoint them. Last year I could have
one win, but I didn’t qualify too well and that prevented
me from winning. After the Brno test, where we tried lots
of new things, I believe we are going to Italy even stronger
than before so we will try our best to bring home as many
points as possible.”
Karl Muggeridge – Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider
“I’m always happy to go to Misano, it’s
a beautiful place. The test in Brno was been quite successful
for me and I am sure we will carry all the things we learned
from the Czech republic to Italy. In the three days of work
at Brno we tried many new solutions and they have made us
confident for Misano; I am sure we’ll have a good couple
of rides. My physical condition has also improved and this
gives me even more hope for Sunday’s races.”
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