As the 2012 Superbike World Championship races into the second half of the 2012 season, Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport are looking forward to the upcoming round at the Motorland Aragón circuit, having recently completed a successful two-day test there.

Last year was the first time that the WSBK Championship raced at the 5.345 km circuit, which only opened in 2009. On that occasion, Marco Melandri secured pole position and won the first of the two races, so he is naturally looking forward to taking on the world’s best Superbike riders on his BMW S 1000 RR this time around.

“For me, Aragón is one of the best tracks on the calendar, I really like it,” said the Italian who is currently fourth in the 2012 WSBK points standings. “It is very fast and smooth and we can use the power of our BMW engine on the long straight. The circuit is very technical, and has a combination of everything – very slow corners, half corners, long bends, changes of direction and a long straight. And I think it is also a good track to overtake, so it has everything needed to produce good racing.

“We tested there last week and it went very well, so I am looking forward to racing there again. For sure, it will be no easy race for the tyres and for the riders because it is going to be quite hot. Our target is to get back onto the podium. For the rest of the season, we have to think race by race. We need to be as close to the podium as possible and to try to get some more wins.”

During the recent two-day test, Melandri and Leon Haslam were joined by the team’s test rider, Steve Martin, and they all focused mainly on preparing Marco’s and Leon’s RRs for the upcoming race weekend. New parts and settings were evaluated and the team also tested various electronics settings and several solutions for the braking system, which will be worked hard at the demanding Spanish circuit. Leon Haslam’s aim is to add to the five podium finishes he has already amassed this season, with his first BMW Motorrad Motorsport WSBK victory a main priority at Motorland Aragón.

“Aragón is a new racetrack and last year was the first time for everyone,” he said. “So for sure a lot of teams are now finding what they need on the bike and from the set-up. Many teams have tested there, like we did last week, where we found some good settings. Last year it was not the best of weekends for us: Troy broke his arm and I had pretty average results, but this time I am actually looking forward to going there. The track is very demanding; it has a lot of corners that hang on to you. It is not an aggressive riding style circuit; it is more fast and flowing, so you have to be very precise with your lines and your set-up but with these facts you have good racing.

“The first half of the season has been up and down for me – I already had many podiums and I should have had at least two or three wins. But it has been very tough, with breaking my leg at Phillip Island, crashing while in the lead at Assen and being taken out in the lead at Donington, as well as some other little issues. We lost many points but are still very close. So we are very confident building up for the second part of the season. We know we can win and we know we can fight for the podium every weekend, so we just need to concentrate on this target.”

Keeping the team on the right track as it enters this important stage of the season is Head of Race Operations Andrea Dosoli, who knows that less than 50 points separate second to sixth place in the championship, and with 350 points still available this season, anything can happen – and probably will!

“With Aragón we enter the second part of a season which has seen BMW Motorrad Motorsport as one of the most competitive teams,” said Dosoli. “We’ve already achieved nine podiums, including two wins, thanks to the great performances shown by both of our talented riders and the improved technical package. But we still have a significant amount of work in front of us and we must all stay very concentrated and motivated in order to be able to fight for the podium everywhere in any conditions.

“We chose Aragon as our selected test track mainly for its unique characteristics: it has a bit of everything – tight corners, fast and flowing sections, a long straight, extreme weather conditions and high tyre wear. It’s also very demanding for the riders, especially when the track temperature is over 50 degrees Celsius. After the last test we’re confident that we’ve already achieved a good base setting so we’re looking forward to Sunday’s races.

“Leon is very motivated after the important podium in Misano and the last test, so we all expect that he will perform well in Aragón. Marco likes this Spanish track where he has achieved important results in the past, so it will be the right place for him to forget the ‘less than perfect’ Misano races.”

.