SUNNYVALE, CA – October 21, 2020 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – The 2020 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will make its final stop at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend for the MotoAmerica Superbikes Speedfest at Monterey.
The optimism is high in the Ducati camp following Lorenzo Zanetti’s historic victory in race two of the previous round at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Italian sensation took full advantage of his Ducati Corse-supplied Panigale V4 R SBK in the vast expanses of The Brickyard, and will be looking to do the same in the very different surroundings of the tight and twisty Laguna Seca venue, nestled in the hill of Salinas, California.
Kyle Wyman will likewise be looking to build on the confidence he took from race three at Indy, where the Arizona resident scorched to his fastest ever lap of the track to take an encouraging fifth place. Wyman will be looking for three good results at Laguna Seca to try at stealing fifth in the championship chase for 2020.
Kyle Wyman (#33 Ducati Richmond/KWR Ducati Team) — Seventh (Superbike)
“We’re feeling good,” Kyle enthused. “Laguna is another track we have data from so we’re not going there blind. I think it should be a good track for our bike. The surface is similar to Indy so where we left off in terms of machine set-up should be close.
“I’m changing the mindset a little for this weekend. We’ve got three races, anything can happen, and we are 21 points off sealing fifth in the series. I want points in all three races—it’s crazy to see how close we are to the top five after a few zeros this year.
“We’ll be running our stock motor at Laguna. We ran it at Indy, and it was pretty amazing to see how fast that motor was, especially with the long straights that track has. It’s a testament to how good that motor is straight out of the box.”
Lorenzo Zanetti (#87 Celtic HSBK Racing Team)
“I’ve never been to Laguna Seca before, but I managed to get about 20 laps in last week on a Ducati streetbike, so it’s better than nothing,” Lorenzo laughs. “I’ve tried to memorize some corners so I am ready to go on Friday. From what I see, Laguna is an old-style track, and I like these kinds of tracks. I’m confident I can understand the track in the first session and then push in the second. Of course, the schedule is different than normal—you need to be fast immediately because you have qualifying on Friday. I will start with a very similar machine set-up to Indy, then we will see how it goes after the first session.”
Circuit Information
Circuit: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
2019 Fastest Lap: 1:23.286 (Garrett Gerloff)
Lap Record: 1:22.908 (Josh Herrin, 2018)
Track Length: 2.238 miles
Corners: 11 turns
Races: 3 x 20 laps (Superbike)
Rider Information
Kyle Wyman
Bike: 2020 Ducati Panigale V4 R
Number: 33
Age: 30
Residence: Tucson, Ariz.
First Pro Race: 2009
Lorenzo Zanetti
Bike: 2020 Ducati Panigale V4 R SBK
Number: 87
Age: 33
Residence: Brescia, Italy
First Pro Race: 2002
Source: Ducati Motor Holding SpA
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