The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team heads back to Britain this weekend where Donington Park will host the 11th round of the 2008 World Superbike championship (5th-7th September).
The team will be seeking a repeat performance of James Toseland’s race one victory at Donington last year and Carlos Checa, currently fourth in the championship table with two wins to his credit, is already familiar with the sweeping curves and tight Melbourne section from his GP career.
Ryuichi Kiyonari returns to a circuit he visited several times during his victorious British Superbike championship campaigns and the Japanese ace is fresh after his stunning WSBK double win at Brands Hatch last month.
Kenan Sofuoglu, meanwhile, the team’s third superbike rider, will be seeking positive results after a difficult debut season. The Turkish rider won last year’s World Supersport race at Donington on his way to the 2007 title.
In the World Supersport championship, HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s Andrew Pitt and Jonathon Rea – currently lying first and second in the series – will enjoy a second 2008 visit to the four-kilometre Derbyshire circuit, having contested a British Supersport championship round earlier in the season.
Rea’s second successive 2008 victory last time out at Brands Hatch was overshadowed by the circumstances of Craig Jones’s accident. However, the team is determined to honour the memory of the popular British racer, who rode for the team in 2005, in its pursuit of a seventh consecutive World Supersport title.
Carlos Checa – Honda CBR1000RRI like Donington a lot – it’s a circuit that I have a good feeling for, even though I have never been on the podium there. The weather is always a little unpredictable, but I’m comfortable on the Honda CBR1000RR in the wet, so I’m not too worried. We have some work to do and the team and I will try to find a good setting as early as possible, rather than learning the track, which I had to do at Brands Hatch. But I’ve had a good rest since then, so I’m feeling relaxed, refreshed and ready to go back to work.
Ryuichi Kiyonari – Honda CBR1000RRBrands Hatch was fantastic for me, especially after winning the Suzuka 8-hour race the week before, but I felt very tired after! I went home to Japan for a rest and felt very relaxed. I like Donington, although it is quite a difficult circuit, with a very fast part followed by the very tight area around the hairpin. Before the season, I thought that Donington would be my strongest circuit but, after winning at Brands Hatch, I will be trying extra hard for another victory here.
Kenan Sofuoglu – Honda CBR1000RRIt has been a very difficult year for me emotionally, and the events of Brands Hatch brought back memories of my brother. But I have spent a month with my family in Turkey and my batteries are recharged and I feel full of energy now. I like Donington and will be trying very hard for some positive results in the last part of the season.
Andrew Pitt – Honda CBR600RR:Of course, since Brands Hatch, Craig Jones has been on everyone’s mind but I’ve spoken to his family a couple of times and I’ve received a lot of encouragement from his father. I haven’t had too much of a holiday but it feels like it’s been a long break and it’s time to get back on the bike again. I like Donington, but before we did the wildcard in the British Supersport championship this year, I hadn’t been there for about five years. But that test went pretty well and we were fast in practice, although the bike developed a slight electrical problem in the race. I’m looking forward this weekend and will be trying to focus on the championship again.
Jonathan Rea – Honda CBR600RR:After the events of Brands Hatch, I’ve had a good month off, just relaxing with friends and family, but I really cannot wait to get back on the bike. We had a good test at Donington earlier in the year and the team’s Honda CBR600RRs were on the pace straight away. My spirits and confidence are high right now and the points difference is still achievable. I need to throw caution to the wind slightly and do everything I can to win again.
Ronald ten Kate – team manager:The whole team has had a good break, which was well-deserved and couldn’t have come at a better time, for obvious reasons. In Supersport, we’re hoping for good results at Donington as we tested there in June and everything went according to plan. Come rain or shine, I believe we can do well with both riders in good form and in excellent championship positions. Although the Superbike season has so far been difficult, we believe that Brands Hatch was a turning point and therefore I expect solid results this weekend.
