SportBiKeZ

Australian rider Russell Holland has proved to be fast and competitive since the start of his new experience in World Supersport, despite having to learn a new track every weekend in his rookie season. After three races and one test session in Vallelunga with the experienced HANNspree Honda Althea team, Russell Holland illustrates his season so far and what the future holds for this promising young Australian rider.

"This year is certainly an initiation for me... new tracks and a new lifestyle in living in Europe by myself on top of World Championship competition has been a real challenge but I'm trying to appreciate this experience as I know everyone here has had to go through it and in the future I'll be laughing about the challenges along the way".

Tell us about the latest round at Brands Hatch, England..

"Well, this was a weekend to forget in many ways. For our team it is incredible the bad luck we had. But the circuit was amazing and I can say I really enjoyed riding it although it's a track that takes some time to link the turns together and get a flow going. On Saturday afternoon we caught the worst of a small rain shower that interrupted qualifying. I was on my best lap when the rain came and then in the final 5 minutes when the track had dried we just couldn't find a gap in the traffic and couldn't improve. So on Sunday we were set to start from 15th but on the warm-up lap I had a clutch failure, just pure bad luck. This forced us to start from the spare bike and from the back of the grid in 37th place. We got a great start in the race but from the third lap it began to rain and got heavier in the next 5 laps. On the 8th lap the race leader Robbin Harms crashed then I crashed on the same turn whilst in 15th place... The race was red-flagged immediately after this, my bike was too badly damaged to return to the pits as the rule says you must. Because of this I could not restart even on my spare bike. A frustrating end really".

About the loss of Craig Jones

"After retiring from the race in Brands I witnessed Craig's crash and you cannot imagine a crash like that happening, it was very strange. I knew him reasonably well and he was one of the boys and a nice guy. It is sobering when something like this hits someone you know. My heart goes out for the family and close friends of Craig".

Back to business, how did the partnership with HANNspree Honda Althea come about?

"I started the year in the Superbike class and we achieved some promising results early on when we had a chance to test on the circuits. I'm proud that we finished in the top ten (9th) at the 2nd round, my home race in Australia. It was not so easy as the championship moved back to Europe but we did manage three more point scoring finishes before the mid-season (13th Valencia, 13th Monza, 15th Utah). I'm now really happy to be competing in the Supersport class with HANNspree Honda Althea. It was strange to change classes mid season but my superbike team's future was not clear and the Althea team needed a rider after Tommy Hill was injured. This change was a positive one for sure because I can continue with Honda and the Althea team has experience running at the front in Supersport".

What was your debut like? How did you feel about the new experience?

"I think the debut at Misano was a good lesson in Supersport. Launching straight into a race meet and learning a new bike is pretty exciting. I was riding with too much of a superbike style initially. We just kept chipping away and by the finish of qualifying we were 7th... ok for the first go. Unfortunately in the race I crashed out being too eager to catch the leaders after a bad start. I lost the front end on a turn we'd had trouble with all weekend. Had I been more patient we probably could have made a great result there as the race pace was not so fast".

What about the Vallelunga Test, how much did it help?

"Obviously every track this year is new to me and Vallelunga was a very challenging circuit so I'm glad we could test there. The first part of the track reminds me of Assen a little with fast change of directions. We achieved a lot there with me adjusting to the bike better and just general set-up too".

Let's talk about Brno, your best finish so far this season...

"This year has been full of 'frustrating Fridays' for me as I learn a new track every weekend whilst trying to give constructive feedback to the team. Brno was just like this so it was really good to finish the race and get a good result for the team and myself (7th place). I didn't really get a good feeling with the front there but we made a fairly smooth race and moved forward in the final laps, to finish 7th in the second race with HANNspree Honda Althea was fairly satisfying and I feel it has set us up to finish the year well".

What are your expectations for next year and the rest of this season?

"This year was always going to be a learning curve. The rest of the year will be no different but I believe I can continue to improve my performances and I will be working hard to get on the podium this year! I know I can make a strong championship next year whether in Supersport or Superbike. I have not made plans for next season yet. I have a great team right now and I'll do my best to use that to my advantage".

The good news for Ryuichi Kiyonari and his Hannspree Ten Kate Honda Team is that he will enter the Donington race on a wave of confidence after his double win last time out at Brands Hatch. The bad news for his rivals is that he actually thought he would stand more of a chance of his first World Superbike win at his most favoured UK racetrack, Donington Park!

Said Kiyo, "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".

Britain's James Ellison will be lining up as a wild-card ride at this weekend's Donington Park round of the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship despite still feeling the effects of a recent wrist injury that forced him to sit out the last round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park.

The 27 year-old from Kendal had scored points in every round of the BSB championship on his Shaun Muir Racing 1000cc Honda Fireblade, but had to miss Cadwell, and is now looking forward to racing in World Superbike once again, after two years in MotoGP and a year in AMA Superbike.

"I'm so looking forward to racing at Donington, it's unreal!" declared Ellison. "I was so frustrated at Cadwell but my wrist is fine and I have no concerns about it at all now. All it needed was a little bit of rest and now I'm raring to go. We had a good run in the BSB races at Donington and I'm hopeful we can give a good account of ourselves once again. We know our bike is good, we have got the electronics working a lot better and I'm really up for this one. Top ten would be a great result, but I'm hoping for a top six if I'm being honest and despite it being probably the strongest field of the year what with all the British wild cards, I'm feeling very confident".

Ellison is familiar with the World Superbike paddock, having won the European Superstock Championship in 2000 and 2001, before embarking on a season in World Supersport in 2002. He scored his best WSB results in 2004, taking his Yamaha to fifth and sixth at Brands Hatch.

Now in its fifth year of production, the CBR600RR has firmly established itself as both a winner on the streets and a dominating force on the racetracks of the world. A mid-displacement Super Sports favourite renowned for its peerless combination of aggressive performance and comfortable riding ease, the CBR600RR and its immediate predecessor, the CBR600F Sport, have together garnered an astounding six consecutive World Supersport championships in the capable of hands of privateer team Ten Kate Racing and its extraordinary riders.

Over the years, the Ten Kate Racing team has enjoyed phenomenal success attained through hard work and steadfast determination, culminating this year in new rider Kenan Sofuoglu’s record-setting capture of the 2007 World Supersport crown at Brands Hatch circuit with three more races left in the season. This impressive victory has been especially significant as it was accomplished aboard the totally new third-generation CBR600RR, proving its dominating performance potential right out of the box.

Over the last six years and four generations of Honda CBR600 supremacy, the following Ten Kate riders have ridden to victory in the World Supersport championship for complete domination of the series:

1. 2002 — Fabien Foret (CBR600F Sport)


2. 2003 — Chris Vermeulen (CBR600RR)


3. 2004 — Karl Muggeridge (CBR600RR)


4. 2005 — Sébastien Charpentier (CBR600RR)


5. 2006 — Sébastian Charpentier (CBR600RR)


6. 2007 — Kenan Sofuoglu (CBR600RR)

Simultaneously, in this year’s exciting World Superbike championship, the same HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team is currently leading the series with the remarkable James Toseland powering his CBR1000RR Fireblade through wet and dry to take a commanding lead heading into the final stretch to the end of the season. Achieving a remarkable rate of success in hard-fought battles against formidable racing competition, rider, team and Honda CBR are setting the stage for even greater victories to come.

The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR Special Edition

In commemoration of the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team’s proud success this year, Honda is releasing a special replica edition of the CBR600RR in full HANNspree Ten Kate livery that evokes the winning spirit and passion for racing that have made such a mark on the World Supersport and Superbike racing circuit.

Giving streetbike riders the chance to feel like 2007 World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu and his team-mate—and 2005 and 2006 Supersport champion—Sébastian Charpentier as they dive through the corners and dice with the leaders, the new CBR600RR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda replica edition provides a breathtaking combination of aggressive motorsport looks and proven RR riding performance for full-blooded excitement that never grows old. This stunning replica’s outstanding distillation of Honda Racing DNA is readily apparent in its aggressive styling, in its race-based construction and in its blistering performance, all of which combine to create a worthy road-going offspring of Honda’s famed multi-time world champion. The exciting new HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR is where it all begins.

Colours

• HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Racing colours: Pearl Sunbeam White (with Graphite Black & Digital Silver Metallic)

New Features

• HANNspree Honda Ten Kate Honda racing replica colours, graphics and decals


• Distinctive green stripe on black wheel rims.