Looking to bounce back from a tough Round at TT Circuit Assen, Althea BMW Racing Team head to the iconic circuit of Imola full of anticipation ahead of their home round. Hoping to perform well in front of their home crowd at the renowned technically demanding circuit, they look to their performance in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as well as the European Superstock 1000 Championship. 

Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) is optimistic he can perform well around his team’s home circuit – in which he secured a podium at in 2015’s Race Two following a tense final lap battle. The Spanish rider currently sits in the top eight in the championship standings, and will hope to secure more top five finishes as the season gets into the full European leg.

Torres explains: “We had a good weekend at Imola last year and I hope we can do the same again this time, seeing as it’s our team’s first home round. Assen didn’t exactly go as we would have hoped, but I am confident that we can make up for that this weekend in Italy. We’re very motivated and ready to go.”  

In what will truly be a home round for Raffaele De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team), the Italian starts his second weekend in the WorldSBK class for 2017 meaning he is still learning how best to improve on the S 1000 RR.

Keen to get started at a circuit which has been harsh to De Rosa in the past, he adds:  “I can’t wait to get to Imola… the last race at Assen didn’t go as I expected and so I’m aiming to improve and achieve a good result. I’ve trained a lot these weeks and am keen to get back to work on track. We’re racing at home too – I’m really pleased to be back racing in Italy.”

At the helm of the STK1000 outfit, Marco Faccani (Althea BMW Racing Team) will be hoping to impress in the ever competitive class as he races in front of his home crowd. Unable to line up on the grid for the restarted race last time out at Assen, the Italian heads to Imola looking forward to making a fresh start.

Faccani explains: “I’ve recovered well after the Assen crash and am now focused on Imola... It’s the home round, at what is probably my favourite track of the entire championship. I feel 100% and am keen to fight for the positions that count. We’ll cancel out what happened last time and start over, doing our best to have a good weekend in front of our fans.”

Keep up with all the Althea BMW Racing Team’s progress at the Motul Italian Round on WorldSBK.com with the VideoPass, which can be found here.