Superbike: The Pata Honda team presented in Italy

The 2015 rider line-up for the Pata Honda World Superbike Team was presented today at the MotorBike Expo motorcycle fair in Verona, in front of a large audience of enthusiasts and media.
The two standard bearers, both fresh from the title, tested the new version of the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP, which they will use this year, in the Portimao and Aragon tests.

Despite the bad weather conditions, both riders said they were satisfied with the development of the bike: Guintoli and van der Mark will return to Spain tomorrow for the last European test session scheduled in Jerez on Monday and Tuesday.

The upcoming season will be the third for Pata, a leading company in the production of crisps and snacks in Europe, as a partner of the Honda reference team in the Superbike World Championship: the president of Pata, Remo Gobbi, passionate about both two and four wheels, will was alongside the riders on stage when the 2015 bikes were revealed.

“Bringing the number 1 on the hull is no small feat, because it doesn't happen often” – he commented Sylvain Guintoli – “For me it's more of a symbolic thing, because this year I will try to win it back on another bike, the Honda CBR. He will still wear this number with pride. I am more motivated than ever for this new challenge and I have found a team that wants to win at all costs. The bike has changed a lot over the winter and the rules have had their effect. The team has worked hard and we know it will be tough, but that's the beauty of it! The 2015 engine is very similar to last year's and a little less abrupt, which is good news as the standard version adapts to the new rules. We are still working on a couple of things like weight distribution and geometry, but the bike itself is already very different from last year. I'm really happy with the work that was done over the winter, there's still more to do but the team is really competitive, you can feel the strength of a brand like Honda."

“I'm on the same team as last year but, after winning the WSS title, the move to WorldSBK was almost obligatory.” he added Michael van der Mark – “For me it's a decidedly simpler change because the team is the same, but I still have to adapt to the new CBR, the more advanced electronics and find a good set-up. At the moment the sensations are good, but I think we will be able to take stock of the situation after a few races. I have a lot to learn and I don't want to put excessive pressure on myself, I simply want to give my best, take steps forward and see where I can get. The weather didn't help us in the two previous tests, but in any case the sensations on the bike are decidedly better than at the end of last year. Sylvain and I make a good pair of riders, he brings the experience of being the reigning champion, but I think we can learn from each other and this is what we did in the latest tests."