WorldSBK: On and Off Track at Misano this weekend

Everything happening on the track and at the circuit during the Pirelli Riviera di Rimini Round…

WorldSBK is back in Italy once again for Round 8 of the 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, as Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli gets ready to host the second and final WorldSBK Round of 2016 to be held on Italian soil. Action on the Riviera di Rimini kicks off on Thursday 16th June with a pre-event on Piazzale Roma beach to test riders’ paddling skills in a few slippery competitions, before a Meet and Greet and autograph session on the beach. The pre-event will be from 11:00am to 12:00pm local time (GMT +2).

Later on Thursday sees the Open Paddock return, with access free to all spectators between 14:00 and 18:00 to get closer to their heroes and see behind the WorldSBK scenes as the paddock gears up to race – including an autograph session at 15:00.

Friday sees bikes on track for the first time, with first Free Practice sessions for STK1000 kicking off the weekend at 9:15, before WorldSBK and then WorldSSP take to the circuit to decide entry to Saturday’s Tissot-Superpole 2 qualifying sessions. Live commentary for all WorldSBK and WorldSSP sessions will take place from the Paddock Show for an in-depth guide to what’s happening on track, throughout the whole weekend.

At 12:45pm on Friday, there will be a minute of silence at the pit lane exit in honour of Luis Salom and Fabrizio Pirovano.

16:30 local time on Friday sees the Paddock Show take center stage, as the opening day show welcomes the fastest riders of the day from WorldSBK and WorldSSP to talk about the day’s action on track at the sun-drenched Misano World Circuit. Thereafter the Paddock Show hosts a show with Team Managers, before a STK1000 Meet and Greet ends the day’s activities.

Saturday dawns early for on-track thrills, with the World Superbike grid heading out for Free Practice 3 at 8:45am. WorldSSP are next on track, before grid positions are decided in the thrilling Tissot-Superpole qualifying shootouts. 10:30 is when WorldSBK Superpole 1 kicks off, with riders fighting to join Friday’s fastest in Superpole 2 as they duel for the top positions on the grid.

As well as Live Commentary at the Paddock Show, there are a host of other fan focused activities throughout the weekend. Saturday’s first Meet and Greet begins at 12:30 at the Paddock Show with stars of STK1000 and the European Junior Cup, ahead of WorldSBK Race 1, which sees lights out at 13:00. After the first victor of the weekend has been crowned, the Paddock Show then hosts the WorldSSP qualifying show at 15:45 as the first Pit Walk also gets underway at the same time, allowing fans a glimpse behind the scenes and into the garages of the world’s fastest production motorcycle racing Championship.

With the Pit Walk continuing, 16:00 sees the fastest WorldSBK riders of the day from Race 1 and Tissot-Superpole head to the Paddock Show to see the fans after their first showdown of the weekend, followed by STK1000 riders at 16:30. Later, there is also a one-off Misano Paddock Show special at 16:45 called “Italian Stars of the Future”, with the spotlight turned on the young guns racing at home in Misano.

Sunday Warm Up for WorldSSP and WorldSBK begins at 9am, before stars of World Supersport head to the Paddock Show for their Meet and Greet as the tension starts to build for the intermediate class. A host of local talents from the WorldSSP grid will be on stage at 9:45am to meet their home fans ahead of that latest showdown, as STK1000 riders take to the track for their Warm Up.

The second Pit Walk of the weekend begins at 10:15 on Sunday, providing another chance for fans to get closer to WorldSBK than ever, before at 11:00 the Paddock Show hosts a European Junior Cup Meet and Greet ahead of lights out on the track for the WorldSSP Race at 11:20am.

WorldSBK Race 2 begins at 13:00, with the grid lining up once again to fight for another 25 points after time overnight has reshuffled the pack a little. With another winner crowned and the podium decided, the STK1000 riders will then take over on the track, as WorldSBK MV Agusta rider Leon Camier heads to the Paddock Show for a MOTUL Race Chat. The crescendo builds from then on, with the WorldSSP Race Day show at 15:00, the WorldSBK Show at 15:15, and the final chance for fans to come closer to their heroes at 16:00 as STK1000 as the EJC fastest of the day close out the action at Misano World Circuit.

With such a packed schedule of fan-focused activities and on-track action, Round 8 of the 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is sure to deliver another thrilling weekend of racing from the 17th to 19th June.

Source: WorldSBK