Team Guandalini Racing - Sudafrica – Kyalami - Race Preview - 13 May 2009
Good news comes from the Principality of Monaco where Brendan Roberts is slowly making a recovery and getting the care needed after the terrible accident involving Makoto Tamada and Max Neukirchner on the track of Monza. The conditions of the rider are discrete and the suspected fractures were large hematoma and a lot of contusions on the body. When Brendan is lying down and motionless, he is able to endure the pain pretty well but when he tries to stand up the the return of the pain is very strong and he will certainly need a little more time before getting into good shape.
While Brendan is focused on rehabilitation and recovery, the whole team headed towards Kyalami. After an absence of six years, the World Superbike returns to the South African Circuit, which saw in 2002 the official Ducati rider Troy Bayliss win both races with his 998. All factory teams have already made the two-day test in December and will have sufficient data and references to start to work with on Friday, while all other teams will have to familiarize themselves with the track and, turn after turn, adjust the settings of their bikes.
As already anticipated in the press release after the second race in Monza, as a result of injury suffered, the Guandalini Team has replaced Brendan Roberts with Spanish rider Gregorio Lavilla. Lavilla returns to racing after some months of inactivity forced by the retirement of Pro Ride Team with whom he entered the championship this year. The Spanish rider has made a test with Ducati 1198 at the CIV last April on the circuit of Misano Adriatico. On Friday and Saturday he seemed to be at ease with the bike and his times were significantly lower than those made with the Ventaxia Honda Team during the World Superbike Championship last year. The extensive experience of the riders, the innate affinity with the bikes of Borgo Panigale, and the knowledge of the South African Circuit will be significant assets for Team Guandalini.
South Africa is a new circuit for Jakub Smrz, who after taking points in both rounds on the track in Monza with twelfth and eighth place, will seek to capitalize other important points for the final ranking of the championship.
“Guandalini Racing Team, which races in the World Superbike championship with a private Ducati, has called me to take Brendan Roberts' bike, damaged in a bad crash at Monza last weekend. A few weeks ago I tested the bike for the Misano round of the CIV, and even though we could not race due to a problem in the track on Sunday, my times in practice and warmup were quite promising."
"I am going to do the South African round and maybe the USA round in two weeks if Brendan does not recover from his injuries. I will do my best to prove I can get good results with this bike, which Kuba Smrz has already shown is a good bike. I would like to thank you all for your support during these last several months, and the best way to show my appreciation is to get two good results at Kyalami. Also, I would like to wish a speedy and complete recovery to Brendan from his injuries.”
Gregorio Lavilla