Jonathan Rea and Hiroshi Aoyama will take different approaches to this weekend’s (7-9 September) 12th round of the 2012 World Superbike championship at the Nurburgring in Germany.
For Rea, the 5.137km circuit nestling in the Eifel mountains has been a happy hunting ground since his SBK debut in 2009 and the 25-year-old took three podiums, including two wins, in his first four races there. Last year marked Rea’s return to racing following a three-month injury layoff, but he still took a fourth place in atrocious conditions in race two.
This weekend’s World Superbike event follows a two-day test with the Repsol Honda MotoGP team as Rea embarks on a hectic five-week programme in which he will replace the injured Casey Stoner. Two MotoGP races at Misano and Aragon will be dovetailed with the final three rounds of the SBK season.
For Rea’s Honda World Superbike team-mate, Hiroshi Aoyama, the Nurburgring will be a new circuit. However, the 30-year-old Japanese rider was on the pace from day one at the last SBK round in Moscow – a brand-new circuit on the calendar.
Aoyama will therefore be looking to carry forward the speed he showed in Russia, together with a better feeling with his bike, on to a circuit where Honda’s CBR1000RR Fireblade has performed well in the past.
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