First official training camp in Calafat

Hello all

In monday and tuesday we had the first official training camp for the EJC in Calafat, Spain. In the two days we worked a bit with the setup of the bike to get the new CBR650F working right for me. By the end of the second day we got the bike working pretty well and my speed was good. We have some small things that we have to try in Aragon in order to be quicker but the overall pace is fine. I had a small crash in the end of the day but I’m fine. In the weekend we have the first race in Aragon and after one week in Assen.


This year all the races can be seen live on worldsbk.com.

Sommu #38

Season preparations in Aragon

Hello

In end of February we had the first test of the year in Aragon. Our main goal there was to get my own speed up after winter break. For the bike we had a new rear suspension what we had never tested before so getting this to work was a challenge itself. In the first day the weather was very windy so it was hard to make a good laptime. We also worked on the suspension. Despite all the things I did a faster laptime, than I had done last year. The feeling was good but I knew I had places to improve and the time had to be faster. The second day was also very windy and quite cold. On the track there were some places on hills where the wind was horrible, and some places where there was next to wind at all. By the end of the second day we had the bike feeling quite comfortable to ride. In the third day the weather was the best, so we expected better laptimes. Before lunch we had some technical problems with the bike but in lunchtime we could fix it. After lunch I felt really good with the bike. We made some small changes more to the setup which made a big difference. By the end of the day we had gone 3 seconds quicker than last year and the feeling was great and controllable. Overall the  test was really good and I feel ready for the season. Now we look forward to the first training camp with EJC in 6-7th April.

 

Here is a onboard lap from this test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK6GLDs_LTE

2014 is finsihed

Hello,

Our season is over and we have already started preparing for the next one. The final result of the season is not what we were hoping for but it is also nothing too bad. I finished 8th overall and my best result was 5th in Assen.

The year started in Aragon where in the middle of the last lap I was 1st but with a little bit of bad luck and my own mistake, I finished 7th. The second race was in Assen which was wet. I managed to finish 5th there. To Imola we went with high hopes as I really like the track and I was fast there last year. I started from P2 and after a few laps I was first with a gap of 1.2s. I tried too hard and I crashed from the first place. It was very disappointing but my hunger for a good result was just growing. Donington was the first new track for me and it was really difficult to learn. I started from the second row but it had been raining before race and we made a wrong choice with tyres. I crashed in the second lap on a damp place and finished 11th eventually. Misano, Portimao and Jerez were also all new tracks for me and I had some trouble learning them fast enough. In Misano I finished 7th. In Portimao I fought in the first group but finally finished 8th losing just 0.5s to the winner. In Jerez I fought in the first group but finished 9th. Magny Cours was the season finale and It looked good to me as I was 1st in the first qualifying. In the end I started 5th. The race was very wet and after the first lap I was 3rd. In the end of second lap I crashed from the second place trying to catch the leader. In the end I finished 8. The race was a total crash-fest with half of the riders crashing and some of them twice.

Now I have the winter to train hard and prepare myself for next year.

Winter training bike from Speedline Racing.

Sommu #38

Summer break

Hi

The summer break is almost over and soon it's time to fly to Jerez to the next round of the EJC. During the break I have been to auto24ring as often as possible to drive and I feel very good and ready ahead of Jerez. The last races before the break didn't go so good for us so I'm very determined to prove myself in the last two rounds.

A wet lap around auto24ring https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzx7x_DHOOo&feature=youtu.be

Sommu #38

Imola

I'm at home from Imola and pretty disappointed. The weekend started ok as I got good feeling quite quick on the track and with bike. In the first qualifying I was third. It wasn't what I wanted but we had one more qualifying in saturday. In the beginning of saturdays qualifying I tried to go alone but it didn't work and I started to find some slipstream. It worked out and I got second place. This meant front row on the grid which was really good. My start was really good and after first corner I was first. Then started the normal EJC race with really close passings and many action. After about three laps I could make some gap to the second guy and felt comfortable with the pace. I pushed really hard to get away from the group and on the 6th lap I made a mistake in one left turn and went off the line a little bit. The grip wasn't as good there and I crashed out of the race. It was my mistake and I am really sorry for this for the team and fans but things like this happen in racing. It was disappointing but now I'm even more motivated for Donington after two weeks to make a good result there.

Hannes #38

Video of the race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zB2eihhog0

First race in Aragon

The Aragon round is over and we have mixed emotions. From the first practice I felt good with bike and track and did good laptimes so I was second in free practice. The qualifying was in really difficult conditions. There were black clouds so we believed that there was rain about to come. I tried to make my fast lap as soon as I can because when it started raining the qualifying would be over. I could do only two fast laps before it started raining but it was enough to put me second on the grid. After a pretty good start I could stay in the first group. The race was as always in European Junior Cup with 7 riders changing places all the time. Some laps before end I made a mistake and had to work extra hard to catch the front guys back. I could catch them and I went to the last lap second with only some thousands of seconds to first. I moved first but made a mistake before going to the long backstraight. I was passed from slipstream on the straight and when going out from the hairpin lost some time behind a lapped driver and couldn’t make my way back to front and I finished seventh. The final result is not what I wanted for but I got the fastest lap of the race so I know I have the speed to win. Now I’m looking forward to Assen after two weeks.

Alcarras training camp

Hi

The training camp in Alcarras is over and I am really happy with the result. I found my speed and could work a little bit with bike setup. We made some good changes which should help me in Aragon. I had a little crash in the end but nothing big. There are some really fast drivers in the serie so it should be a very interesting year. Now we have some days rest and then we go to Aragon for the first round of the year.

Photos from The Bike Insurer