2011 World Superbike Prep
As the 2011 World Superbike Championship nears, many teams are conducting preparation tests before the official IMS sessions in Portimao at the end of January.
The big name in World Superbike that will be testing is the Castrol Honda World Superbike team with riders Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus. The team, which will have its title sponsor Castrol though it will still be run by Ten Kate, will be at Aragon this Thursday and Friday testing.
The newly-signed Xaus and Honda regular Rea will began preparation on the CBR1000RR Fireblade.
Rea, 23, of Northern Ireland, took two wins in 2009 WSBK, finishing fifth overall. In the 2010 World Superbike Championship, Rea took four wins, and finished fourth overall.
Xaus, who has competed in the World Superbike championship since 1998, joined the Honda team after the 2010 WSBK season. Xaus left the BMW Motorrad team to join Honda.
The 32-year-old Spaniard finished runner-up in 2003 before competing in MotoGP for two years. Xaus returned to World Superbike in 2006 with Ducati, then joined BMW in 2009. To date, he has 11 career wins, and a total of 35 podium finishes.
Joining the Castrol Honda World Superbike team at Aragon will be the Supersport World Championship wing of Ten Kate’s 2011 effort – the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team – with riders Fabien Foret and Florian Marino.
Another World Supersport team will also test this Thursday and Friday, but at Almeria in Spain. Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com Supersport World Championship riders Broc Parkes and David Salom will go through the latest of their winter tests.
