#USWorldSBK: “LAGUNA SECA IS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE FOR ME”

At the famous Laguna Seca Raceway, the 27-year-old German WorldSBK rider returns a venue where he celebrated one of his greatest success so far.

The last edition of the US Grand Prix back in 2013 is still in great memory when Stefan Bradl delivered his strongest weekend and achieved his best results racing in MotoGP™. In his second season at that time, he conquered the top spot on the grid and he also led the race till halfway point. On the line, he just was beaten by Marc Marquez with a 2 seconds margin. For this weekend, the WorldSBK rookie is looking forward to his comeback at the Californian circuit. Aboard his Honda Fireblade SP2 of the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team, Bradl expects a lot from the last race before the summer break. The Laguna Seca Raceway, close to the cities of Monterey and Carmel at the Pacific coast line, is also the home of one of the most famous corners of all racetracks worldwide, the Corkscrew.

The calendar of the FIM Superbike World Championship includes 13 events, each with one race on Saturday and Sunday. The bikes are based on 1000cc production superbikes. All race of the series will be broadcasted live on Austrian’s channel ServusTV. The programme can be viewed in the whole German-speaking area on free TV. Please note, however, that this weekend the time difference between Central Europe and California is nine hours. Therefore, the live coverage starts at 10:30 pm.

#6 Stefan BRADL (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team, Honda CBR1000RR SP2):

“I’m really looking forward to this weekend. Laguna Seca is a very special place for me, because I have that much nice memories from this track back in my time in MotoGP. I will never forget the US Grand Prix in 2013 when I started from pole position and finished the race in second. I still get goose bumps remembering these days. I like the track’s incomparable layout and I also like the good atmosphere here, which is very typical for this part of the world. California and the United States at all, are always worth for a trip. But this weekend will become as particular for us because of Nicky. Laguna Seca was, so to speak, his living room. He has won two times a MotoGP race here. As a tribute to him and his fans, we will definitely give our best. In addition, it is very important for all of us to achieve good results in order to head with a soothing feeling into the summer break. I would also like to welcome Jake (Gagne) as a new team mate for this weekend and I wish him all the best for his debut on World Superbike level.”

Laguna Seca Raceway – Circuit facts:
Length 3,610 Meters
Corner: 11 (7 left / 4 right)
Website: www.mazdaraceway.com
WorldSBK Best Superpole: 1´21.811 (2014)
WorldSBK Circuit Lap Record: 1´23.403 (2014)

Time Schedule (CET):
Friday, 7 July: 18:45 – 19:45 FP1
Friday, 7 July: 23:30 – 00:30 FP2
Saturday, 8 July: 18:15 – 18:40 FP3
Saturday, 8 July: 20:00 – 20:15 SP1
Saturday, 8 July: 20:25 – 20:40 SP2
Saturday, 8 July: 23:00 Race 1 (25 Laps – 90.250 km)
Sunday, 9 July: 19:30 – 19:45 Warm Up
Sunday, 9 July: 23:00 Race 2 (25 Laps – 90.250 km)

WorldSBK Standings 2017:
1 Jonathan REA / GBR / Kawasaki / 296
2 Tom SYKES / GBR / Kawasaki / 246
3 Chaz DAVIES / GBR / Ducati / 185
4 Marco MELANDRI / ITA / Ducati / 163
5 Alex LOWES / GBR / Yamaha / 141
6 Michael van der MARK / NED / Yamaha / 115
7 Xavi FORES / SPA / Ducati / 110
8 Leon CAMIER / GBR / MV Agusta / 89
9 Jordi TORRES / SPA / BMW / 85
10 Eugene LAVERTY / IRL / Aprilia / 79
11 Román RAMOS / SPA / Kawasaki / 65
12 #6 Stefan BRADL / GER / Honda / 54
13 Leandro MERCADO / ARG / Aprilia / 50
14 Lorenzo SAVADORI / ITA / Aprilia / 49
15 Randy KRUMMENACHER / SWI / Kawasaki / 44