First podium in Assen

Hi

After thinking a lot about our mistakes in Aragon we changed a little bit our setup for the first practice in Assen. It paid off as I finished second in the first practice and first in the first qualifying later that day. Before second qualifying on Saturday we got new tyres. We knew that when we ride all of the 30 minutes in qualifying our tyres would be dead for the race. The plan was to go out later than others, do two fast laps alone and come back in, because new tyres help me more in the race, than pole position. I was able to put in a decent lap and luckily took the pole position. It wasn’t our main goal in the QP but it was good for the confidence. In the beginning of the race I tried to get away from the group as I knew I had the pace. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to do so and there was two guys more with me in the front. Before the last corner Orellana went to make a move so I knew I had to try to get a good exit to get second. It worked and I got second place. It was not a win but I’m still happy for my first podium. The win has to come another time. I want to thank my team, all my sponsors and supporters. The podium has been close many times but now we were able to finally do it. Thank you.

Sommu #38

Good points from Aragon

Hello all

This weekend we had the first race of the season in Motorland Aragon. After friday we still had some work to do with the setup of the bike so in saturday’s qualifying we worked the whole session with the setup of the bike and although I qualyfied 4th on the grid, I had used much of our rear tyre. In the race I had the pace to stay with the first group but I didn't have the speed to attack for first place. I was struggling on the exit of the corners which was a little bit due to our setup and a little bit due to the tyre. I did my best to secure fifth in the last corner. This result gives me 11 points for the season but we have to work hard in Assen to be competitive enough to go and fight for the win. Now we have a few days for resting and already in thursday we fly to Holland for round 2. I love the Assen track and hope for a good result there.

Sommu #38

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