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Race 2 in Misano ended in a compression fracture of the D12 vertebra for German rider Reiterberger, and the rookie headed back for Germany for further medical intervention ahead of an expected long period of recovery.

“I’m in contact with Markus almost every day,” says Bevilacqua of the German. “Clearly he took a big hit. Since the initial diagnosis further tests have also found another small fracture in another vertebra, which is a different diagnosis but the recovery remains more or less the same. We’re in constant contact with the medical team and it seems like there’s no more surprises. At least, we expect him to be able to return for his home Round at Lausitzring.”

In Laguna Seca for Round 9 of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Althea STK1000 rider Raffaele de Rosa will ride in place of injured Reiterberger.

“It was the most natural choice,” adds Bevilacqua. “He’s a very fast rider and he’s showing that in 2016. He’s had a lot of podiums and had great feelings with the bike, he’s won races and he’s leading the points table. He’s also very motivated and experienced, and although he’s never ridden at Laguna Seca, I don’t see anyone else who could have stepped in like this. Personally, I’m very happy to give an opportunity to Raffaele – I’m very curious to see what his potential is. Obviously you can`t see everything in a weekend, but nevertheless it’s an opportunity to see him ride something on another level.”

Rookie race winner Jordi Torres was another topic for Bevilacqua ahead of Laguna, having qualified third on the grid in his first appearance at Laguna, and proving a good benchmark for De Rosa. “With Jordi we know what we have to put in place to continue progressing in the way we have done until now. From Race to Race we are constantly improving and we hope we’ll get into podium contention – that’s our key goal now. Regarding De Rosa – he’s not a complete mystery and this Round is a good test for both the team and the rider, but we can expect good things because he’s experienced. He’s a rider that always goes well, and he also has a very good feeling with the bike – so I hope we can have 2 great Races and then after Laguna see if our and his expectations have been fulfilled.”

De Rosa has already tried the Althea WorldSBK machine, taking part in the on day Official Test at Misano after Round 8. “He went well,” says Bevilacqua. “You have to bear in mind that it was the first time he’d ever ridden a Superbike of this level. He had good laptimes in the 1:35s, only a few tenths away from his teammate. He took a direct approach. He took a lot of the time to work on the setup – for his riding style – but then progressed steadily and it was a very positive test.”

After 8 Rounds of the 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Bevilacqua offers his thoughts on the two categories in which his team competes. “In terms of Superbike, I’m very happy to have understood the things that are allowing us to improve more every time,” explained the Italian. “This isn’t easy, because we came from having worked with a very different bike in the Ducati. We had worked with BMW in 2013, and certainly it was necessary to reactivate a lot of things. The group was created, trained and informed. Now I think it’s fair to say that we have a bike that we understand more, and everything is a bit easier. Now we can focus on getting the results. The first step was investing a few months into getting the experience, and now we can look forward with more confidence.

“We have a rider who is seventh in the Championship – Torres – and we’ve had a few inconveniences and crashes, without which we could be even further up. In STK1000, we had hoped for a rider as good as Raffaele is proving he is, with a great feeling with the bike. He has some tough competition, beginning with Mercado and all the riders who are always on the podium. The level of competition has never been so high and we’re seeing less difference in laptimes between STK1000 and WorldSBK, which bodes well for a future closer to WorldSBK. Raffaele’s pace shows perfectly why we’ve chosen him to substitute for Markus at Laguna Seca.”

Round 9 of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca gets underway from the 8th-10th July as the paddock heads west to the legendary Corkscrew for the last Round ahead of the summer break.