By Sports Reporter/Doha
With the Superbike World Championship title already decided, Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark head for the final round of the 2015 season this weekend at Losail International Circuit in Doha.
The two Pata Honda riders have enjoyed a strong upturn in results since the series returned from an extended summer break with Guintoli and van der Mark taking their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SPs to podium finishes in the last two rounds.
After qualifying in fifth place, Frenchman Guintoli, 33, finished third in a damp race one at his home race Magny-Cours in France two weeks ago, scoring his first podium of the season in front of an appreciative crowd.
Qatar will mark Guintoli’s final race with the Pata Honda team and he is looking forward to leaving on a high.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old World Superbike rookie van der Mark took his third podium of the season in the previous round at Jerez in Spain and followed that up with two impressive fourth place finishes at Magny-Cours having started from 15th place on the grid.
“Last year at Qatar were definitely the best racing moments of my career but even before then I really liked the layout of the track and I love racing under the lights there, which I also did while I was racing in MotoGP,” Sylvain Guintoli said.
“It’s a ‘big’ circuit, like Sepang, and it’s fast and flowing, which really suits my riding style. We had a really good weekend at Sepang earlier this season which is another ‘big’ circuit, so I am hopeful that we can aim for something similar.
“The last three rounds have been really positive with the results we’ve got and it was such a good feeling to finally step on the podium in Magny-Cours. It’s positive for the entire team because it’s what we’ve all been working so hard for during the whole season. I’m hoping we can take that positivity into Qatar and finish in a really strong way, which would be a great reward for everyone,” he said.
Michael van der Mark said: “It might be the end of the season but I’m already looking forward to 2016. It’s sometimes been a difficult learning year on the CBR and, if not for some recurring technical issues, I think we could have been fighting for the podium more often. I think we have shown in the last few races how strong we can be and I think going 4-4 in the last round at Magny-Cours was a really good result from a difficult qualifying position.”
“I like the circuit at Qatar, it suits my style and I think it suits the CBR since Johnny [Rea] was on the podium last year. I was also able to finish last season really nicely under the lights by winning my last World Supersport race. We’ll be working really hard to be at the front again this weekend to finish again in some style.”
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki ready for finale
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki prepares to bid farewell to the 2015 eni FIM Superbike World Championship with the season’s spectacular final race set under the floodlights of Qatar’s Losail International Circuit on Sunday 18th October.
Suzuki racers Alex Lowes and Randy de Puniet both have experience of the 5,380m desert circuit, with the former achieving two top-10 finishes and strong race-pace aboard his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R during last year’s visit.
De Puniet has raced at the Qatar track on 10 previous occasions on MotoGP™ and 250cc machinery but is determined to finish his first Superbike season with a strong race weekend on his Suzuki GSX-R1000.
“Qatar is always a great race and something a little more exciting due to it being the only night race! I’m really determined to finish my season strong for Suzuki and the team, as they have worked so hard all year, so I’m expecting a lot from the weekend,” Alex Lowes
said.
I know the track from last year; it’s a fun layout with a lot of really quick corners in the middle section which is my favourite part of the lap. I really can’t wait to get there, get out on my GSX-R and see what we can do for the last round,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion Randy de Puniet said: “I like the Qatar track, I have raced there many times and I especially like riding there at night. The lights give you consistent vision and the different schedule makes an interesting weekend – with more free time during the day and on track in the evening.”
“The three right corners, before the final left-hander at the end of the lap, is a very fast section which I really enjoy, the track can be a little slippery on the first day but the grip always improves as the weekend develops. I always have fun and enjoy Qatar so I’m looking forward to the weekend. It is the last race of the year and I would like to finish my season with a good weekend and enjoy riding the GSX-R.”
Pata Honda riders Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark.
