WorldSBK – Hannes Soomer to join Granado for the Czech WorldSBK round
Ten days after the conclusion of the Imola round, the 2023 Superbike World Championship moves on to the Czech Republic, and the Autodrom Most, where round eight will play out this weekend.
The Imola round saw Italian rider Roberto Tamburini standing in for Hafizh Syahrin after the latter sustained injury while testing at Suzuka. Tamburini and Eric Granado gave it their all in the extreme Italian heat, making up a lot of ground in Sunday’s race 2, which ran on 60°C asphalt, and taking a small step forward overall. The Brazilian will want more this coming weekend, not least because this eighth round will be followed by the traditional summer break.
At the upcoming Most round, and with Syahrin still recovering, Eric Granado will be joined by Estonian rider Hannes Soomer. The 2017 FIM European Supersport Cup winner will make his debut in the Superbike category after being a regular points scorer in the WorldSSP Championship in recent seasons. 25-year old Soomer currently competes in the German IDM Championship.
While Granado has never competed at, or even seen, the Czech track before now, Soomer has recent experience of Most, having raced at the circuit last June while competing in the IDM Championship, a series in which he continues to compete this year aboard the Enos Motorsport team’s CBR1000RR-R.
The Autodrom Most was completed in the early 80s and has been used for a wide variety of two- and four-wheel competitions over the years. The circuit is located in the north-east of the country, close to the German border. It currently measures 4.212 km in length and comprises seven left-hand turns and fourteen right-handers.
Hannes Soomer
“I am happy to be making my debut in WorldSBK with the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team this weekend and I am looking forward to being back in the Superbike paddock. I know I will have to adapt to the bike quickly, but Most is a fun track and I am up for the challenge!”
Eric Granado
“I’ve finally had a weekend’s “break”, but I wanted to train as much as possible while home because I’ve had little time to focus on my physical preparation since my accident at Barcelona, with SBK and MotoE events almost every weekend. I’ve also done a little research, studying maps and videos of the Most track so that I feel I’m a little more familiar with it when I head out on Friday for FP1.”
Track information:
Country: Czech Republic
Name: Autodrom Most
Length: 4.212 km
Pole position: left
Corners: 7 left-hand, 14 right-hand
SBK RECORDS: Best lap: Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) 1’31.180 (2022). Superpole: Rea (Kawasaki) 1’30.947 (2022).
2022 RESULTS:
Race 1 – 1. Bautista (Ducati); 2. Razgatlioglu (Yamaha); 3. Redding (BMW).
Superpole race: 1. Razgatlioglu (Yamaha); 2. Rea (Kawasaki); 3. Bautista (Ducati).
Race 2 – 1. Razgatlioglu (Yamaha); 2. Bautista (Ducati); 3. Rea (Kawasaki).
