Provisional 2012 World Superbike Championship Entry List Released
The International Motorcycling Federation has released a preliminary entry list for the 2012 World Superbike Championship.
The preliminary list includes 24 entries representing six manufacturers: Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki. Noticeably absent is Yamaha which announced last summer it would pull out of WSBK racing.
Also noticeably absent is Noriyuki Haga, a veteran of the series bearing the unenviable title of winningest WSBK rider without a championship title. Haga was one of the most dominant WSBK racers of the last decade, finishing no worse than fourth from 2000-2009. His results since then have been less impressive, finishing sixth in 2010 with the Ducati factory team and eighth last season for the PATA Racing team. PATA will field Lorenzo Zanetti this season while switching from the Aprilia RSV4 to the Ducati 1098R.
Reigning WSBK Champion Carlos Checa is listed as wearing #7 for this season instead of the customary #1 plate. He will defend his title with the Althea Racing team on the Ducati 1098R.
John Hopkins is the lone American racer on the preliminary entry list. He will race his customary #21 with the blessing of another famous #21, Troy Bayliss.
| Provisional 2012 WSBK Entry List | |||
| Rider | Motorcycle | Team | |
| 3 – Max Biaggi | Aprilia RSV4 1000 Factory | Aprilia Racing Team | |
| 58 – Eugene Laverty | Aprilia RSV4 1000 Factory | Aprilia Racing Team | |
| 7 – Carlos Checa | Ducati 1098R | Althea Racing | |
| 34 – Davide Giugliano | Ducati 1098R | Althea Racing | |
| 50 – Sylvain Guintoli | Ducati 1098R | Team Effenbert Liberty Racing | |
| 96 – Jakub Smrz | Ducati 1098R | Team Effenbert Liberty Racing | |
| 33 – Marco Melandri | BMW S1000RR | BMW Motorrad Motorsport | |
| 91 – Leon Haslam | BMW S1000RR | BMW Motorrad Motorsport | |
| 4 – Hiroshi Aoyama | Honda CBR1000RR | Honda World Superbike Team | |
| 65 – Jonathan Rea | Honda CBR1000RR | Honda World Superbike Team | |
| 84 – Michel Fabrizio | BMW S1000RR | BMW Motorrad Italia GOLDBET SBK Team | |
| 86 – Ayrton Badovini | BMW S1000RR | BMW Motorrad Italia GOLDBET SBK Team | |
| 78 – Lorenzo Zanetti | Ducati 1098R | PATA Racing Team | |
| 17 – Joan Lascorz | Kawasaki ZX-10R | Kawasaki Racing Team | |
| 66 – Tom Sykes | Kawasaki ZX-10R | Kawasaki Racing Team | |
| 36 – Leandro Mercado | Kawasaki ZX-10R | Team Pedercini | |
| 44 – David Salom | Kawasaki ZX-10R | Team Pedercini | |
| 21 – John Hopkins | Suzuki GSX-R1000 | Crescent Suzuki | |
| TBA – Leon Camier | Suzuki GSX-R1000 | Crescent Suzuki | |
| TBA – Mark Aitchison | BMW S1000RR | Grillini Progea Superbike Team | |
| 121 – Maxime Berger | Ducati 1098R | Liberty Racing – Team Effenbert | |
| 19 – Chaz Davies | Aprilia RSV4 1000 Factory | ParkinGO Aprilia Racing Team | |
| 35 – Raffaele De Rosa | Honda CBR1000RR | Pro Ride Motorsports | |
| 59 – Niccolò Canepa | Ducati 1098R | Team Ducati Roma | |
[Source: FIM]
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