Superbike: Sylvain Guintoli prepares his return to Germany

Sylvain Guintoli will return to the saddle of the YZF R1 of the PATA Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team when the championship resumes, from 16 to 18 September at the Lausitzring, in Germany, for the Pirelli German Round.
The French champion has not competed since May, when he broke his ankle during qualifying for the Acerbis Italian Round at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, in Imola.

Since that bad accident Guintoli has focused exclusively on full physical recovery and fortunately the forced inactivity is about to end.

“I'm much better” – the Yamaha rider told Worldsbk.com – “The injury is 100% recovered and I'm ready to get back on track. The next race is in September and now I'm eager to get back on the starting grid."

Upon returning to the production-derived World Championship, the PATA Yamaha team's road was not without obstacles, thanks to the development phase in which it was inevitably behind its rivals, and the adaptation of the bike to the new reality.
Despite this, Guintoli was able to show some of the potential of the Yamaha YZFR, with a fifth position as his best result, also obtaining good placings in qualifying.

“In the first part of the season, our results were quite consistent” – he said Sylvain Guintoli – “I showed that the bike is always fast in qualifying, but we had some limitations in the long distance. After my fall at the end of April, these problems seem to have continued. I'll see when I get back on the bike.

“The best moment for Yamaha so far this year was Race 2 at Phillip Island, where I finished in fifth place, just 2,5 seconds behind the winner. After that neither I, nor Alex, nor my replacements had a better result,” explained the Frenchman when asked about Yamaha's progress. “Since my first test in November, I have always said that the bike has a good chassis as a basis. We are missing something in speed and there is still a lot of work to do on the electronics, an area in which both Ducati and Kawasaki are ahead. I managed to do a few laps at Silverstone on the R1M to get a feel for it and my reflexes are always ready. Unfortunately, at the moment, the bike still doesn't allow us to fight for the victory."

Guintoli also comments on the sensational second consecutive success of the YZF R1 in the Suzuka 8 Hours at the end of July: “Championships are different. The level and regulations are not the same. Furthermore, it is important to understand that the Yamaha team that just won in Suzuka is directly supported by Japan, but it is no secret that the basis of the YZF R1 is very good and this has been demonstrated nationally and internationally."

While Kawasaki, Ducati and Honda have announced the riders for 2017, the PATA Yamaha team has not yet announced the details of next season, and on this point too Guintoli has clear ideas: “My goal for next season is to have a team and a bike that allow me to win. I won the title in 2014 and my level hasn't decreased – I feel strong."

“The Championship has been dominated by the British for the last two seasons and I want to see the French colors on the podium and on the top step again, that's my goal. I hope I can break this dominance of Great Britain and Kawasaki – that's why I need a bike and a team that will allow me to do that."