Exciting times ahead for the Superbike World Championship, which visits Russia for the first time in its 25 year history this coming weekend (24-26 August). With the Moscow Raceway hosting the eleventh round of the 2012 series, the competitors are all looking forwards to racing at this brand new venue as much as the Russian fans are looking forwards to playing host to the best Superbike riders from all over the world.

This intense and incredibly exciting phase of the current world championship sees Marco Melandri snapping at the heels of series leader Max Biaggi, with only a 10.5 points deficit on his fellow compatriot. With 200 points still up for grabs in the remaining four rounds, all results are still possible for any of the top six riders, which includes team-mate Leon Haslam.

Having won five of the last 12 races, Melandri is clearly in strong form on the S 1000 RR and with vast experience racing in various championships at circuits all over the world, is sure to adapt quickly to the 3.9 km Moscow Raceway, especially with an official test session taking place prior to the race weekend.

“It’s the first time I am going to be in Russia,” said Marco. “I have never been there before, so it’s going to be a new experience. It’s a brand new circuit, but I know a bit about it as I watched a car race on TV. The track looks very nice. There is a slow section, a very long straight and lots of braking. It looks like it is going be great fun and it seems to offer many chances for passing.

“We will use the test to learn the circuit and to work on the set-up. We will be 100 percent focused and work hard to make best use of the sessions on this new circuit before we go into Superpole and the races. Our goal is to fight for the top positions again in Moscow and to get as many points as possible.”

With seven different winners in the 19 races so far in 2012, Leon Haslam knows that he has as much chance as any other WSBK rider at this new track where no previous data can be relied upon. The three-time WSBK race winner has been on the podium several times already this year and is determined to make it to the top step in 2012, having previously led several races but for a variety of reasons not yet being able to convert this advantage into race wins.

“I have never been to Russia before and it is always exciting to go to new countries,” said Leon. “It is a good addition for the World Championship, as it is great to go to as many countries as possible. It is also exciting to race on a new circuit. We first have to learn the track, but we have a test there in the week before the race, which I am looking forward to. When you go to a new track, your pace is not so fast in the beginning as you first concentrate on getting used to the circuit without changing too much. As you get faster you can concentrate on the bike’s set-up.

“In Russia, we will know after the first few test sessions how much work we have to do. Every weekend we work hard for the wins and at Silverstone I felt that we were back to where we want to be. We had a front row start and were challenging for the race win but it was just another weekend with bad luck for me. So we will keep pushing on and then luck will hopefully be back on my side.”

With this exciting new round in Russia and an Indian race confirmed for 2013, the WSBK series is expanding to meet the needs of an ever increasing global audience. This is great news for all the teams and manufacturers participating, who are pleased to meet the logistical and technical challenges of travelling to race in Moscow this coming weekend.

“We are all looking forward to the next race. The Russian event is very important, not only for the Superbike World Championship but for motorsport in general,” commented Andrea Dosoli, Head of Race Operations for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team. “It is amazing that the Russians now have the chance to share with us the unique emotions that only motorsport can offer. The Superbike World Championship is growing and expanding its boundaries – and the upcoming Moscow race is a clear example for this. It will be a tough challenge from a sporting and logistical point of view – which has required lots of careful preparations from the teams and organizers – but we are sure that it is worth it.

“The riders and the crews will experience a new racetrack together, so we have to be 100% focused from the first day in order to learn the circuit and set up the bike in the best possible way. The Sunday races will be very important for the championship and we’d like to give the Russian BMW fans some great memories of their first World Superbike experience.”

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