The Honda WorldSBK Team is set to return to action this weekend as the FIM Superbike World Championship resumes after the long summer break. Nicky Hayden and Michael van der Mark will take on the tenth round of the 2016 season at the Lausitzring racetrack in Germany, the same circuit where less than a month ago they had a fruitful two-day private test on board their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machines.

Located 110 km south of Germany’s capital city Berlin, the Lausitzring – also known as Eurospeedway Lausitz – last hosted a WorldSBK round back in 2007. The 4.255 km layout used for WorldSBK – which is a mix between parts from the oval and the infield – features seven left-handers, six right handers and little elevation change.

Round 10 of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship will follow the standard European time schedule, with the two races getting underway at 1pm on Saturday and Sunday.


Nicky Hayden 69

We’re going to kick back off in Lausitzring. We’ve been already and make some good laps while working on a bit of a setup. We improved the bike a little bit, like we’ve been doing consistently this year. The track itself reminds me of some American circuits but the infield has got quite a good layout, compared to the majority of tracks built inside an oval. It has some long corners and a couple of fun ones, along with a little bit of elevation. We tested there but we’re not really sure where we stack up in terms of pace because we were there with many other teams, but I’m sure we’re going to find out really quick on Friday morning. I’m looking forward to this part of the season: there are four rounds and eight individual races left, so it’ll be important for me to learn a few new tracks and try to have some fun.

Michael van der Mark 60

It's been a long summer break, so I’m really looking forward to go racing again! It’s only four rounds left in the season so every race will be crucial for our goal to achieve fourth place in the final championship standings. We had a good two-day test at the Lausitzring last month and that will allow us to start the weekend on the right foot, as we’ll only have to look for small improvements on the setup we have found already. Hopefully the weather will be on our side this weekend, so that we can enjoy some more dry track-time and push for some great results.

Pieter Breddels  - Technical Manager

Last month’s test at Lausitzring was really useful for us, because the track proved quite difficult to learn and - with regards to the setup - it wasn’t easy to find the right gearing. The weather was great and that helped Michael and especially Nicky – who had never ridden there before – to have a bit of an edge for the round. The track appears to suit the bike quite well and the times we set back then were quite encouraging. Hopefully we can put both riders in the right conditions to fight for the podium. There will be no updates for the moment on the bike, which I think is a well-developed and balanced machine now.