Superbike: Pre fifth round press conference in Imola

The opening press conference of the fifth round of the season, scheduled for this weekend at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, featured Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam, Michael van der Mark, Ayrton Badovini and the returning Davide Giugliano.

A question came directly from the audience present to the top two riders in the standings, Rea and Haslam, who were asked if they expected such a performance in the first part of the season.
Rea, without thinking for a second, first respects with a simple but convinced “Yes!” only to then continue like this: “Having raced against the Kawasakis in the past, I knew well how competitive they were, but not even in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined proving myself to be so competitive. I want to do my best to get the most, because one day I might wake up outside the podium."

Haslam continued by stating that “we were competitive right from the first test and since then I have always had a smile on my face. It would be really important to finish ahead of Jonathan, I've only managed it once so far this season. In the past at Imola I did good and bad: in 2010 I lost the title to Max (Biaggi), while in 2012 I went to the podium twice. Even though we have raced there on several occasions, this track always gives us goosebumps."

Van der Mark joked that the difference between a Supersport bike and a Superbike is only speed, while Ayrton Badovini said he was obviously happy to be racing in front of his home crowd once again.

Davide Giugliano, expected to return after the long stop due to injury, was welcomed with incredible warmth by the Imola crowd: “It's really exciting for me to make my return here. It's been a difficult recovery process but I'm fine and I hope to achieve important results for myself and the team."

The on-track action for the fifth round will begin tomorrow with the first free practice sessions for all classes.