Imola, Italy

After already having staged the first race, the World Superbike calendar has finally been updated and lost its provisional status. Today, the FIM issued an official, finalized version of the 2013 World Superbike calendar, confirming the changes we reported on yesterday.

The Silverstone race has been confirmed, and the Subject To Contract status has been removed from the Portimao and Imola rounds. The round originally scheduled for June 23rd has been scrapped, and a new round scheduled for Istanbul Park on September 15th. The replacement of Istanbul Park for the 23rd June round, for which Brno had originally been penciled in, means that the Superstock calendar is reduced by one round, from 10 races to just 9, while the World Superbike calendar now has 15 rounds planned, including two races in the UK, at Donington and Silverstone, and a trip across the Atlantic to Laguna Seca.

Below is the official press release issued by the FIM containing the updated and finalized calendar:

FIM Superbike, Supersport World Championships & FIM Superstock 1000cc Cup

New round on the 2013 calendar

The FIM today issued a press release confirming the news that the Indian round of World Superbikes has been moved to November 17th, as we reported earlier today. Below is the official press release:

FIM Superbike, Supersport World Championships & FIM Superstock 1000cc Cup

2013 Provisional calendar, updated 15 January (Change in bold)

The World Superbike race in India has been moved from the 10 March to the 17 November due to an insufficient period of time to properly finalise the training of the marshals and medical staff around the racetrack. FIM representatives will be at the Indian track on 19, 20 and 21 this January, in order to carry out the final racetrack homologation and provide the relevant seminars about the different aspects involved in the sporting organisation of the event.

FIM Superbike, Supersport World Championships & FIM Superstock 1000cc Cup

New round on the 2013 calendar

A new round will be included in the FIM Superbike & Supersport World Championships. It will be held on the circuit of Intercity Istanbul Park near Istanbul (Turkey) on September 15, 2013. The 2013 updated calendar is the following:

Kawasaki today issued an update on Joan Lascorz, and his recovery process:

Update: Joan Lascorz’ Medical Condition

Following Joan’s accident at Imola during official Superbike World Championship testing on Monday April 2nd, we would like to inform you of the following updates.

Joan Lascorz is conscious and remains hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit of Hospital de la Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona, and will remain so until a build-up of lung mucus is eradicated. The initial idea was to move Joan this past week into a specialist recovery centre within the hospital, but doctors will most likely wait until next week to make the move.

In relation to any spinal cord injury, the forecast is reserved until he leaves the ICU and starts working towards recovery.

Team Manager, personal manager and friend of Joan Lascorz, Guim Roda, spoke about Joan and his condition recently. He stated, “First of all we want to thank everyone for the interest and respect shown after Joan's accident, especially in his native Spain, but also from all over the world. Friends, industry professionals and journalists - many thanks for all the support.

When Suzuki announced that they would be pulling out of MotoGP at the end of the 2011 season, they were keen to emphasize that the withdrawal was only temporary, saying they were planning a return to MotoGP in 2014. Though many paddock regulars were sceptical about such a suggestion, Suzuki are sticking to their guns, it seems. In an interview with Italian website GPOne.com, Suzuki Racing's technical director Shinichi Sahara reaffirmed that they were still working towards a 2014 return to MotoGP, based on the motorcycle the factory had been developing before the decision was made to pull out.

"We already had our 1000cc bike ready when Suzuki's management decided to pull out of MotoGP," Sahara told GPOne.com. "The bike has already been tested at Ryuyo, and we were very satisfied with the results achieved. We still believe we will return in 2014 with a competitive bike," Sahara said. The Japanese engineer was also asked if Suzuki had switched to an in-line four, and though he said he could not give technical details, he did reveal that Suzuki had chose to "stay faithful to our engine layout," a hint that the bike will remain a V4.

Press releases from the WSBK teams and the WSBK press office after the one-day test at Imola:

Tragedy overshadowed the World Superbike test held on the day after the Imola round of WSBK. Kawasaki rider Joan Lascorz crashed heavily between Tosa and Piratella, breaking his collarbone and shoulder blade, and fracturing his T6 vertebra. Lascorz was airlifted to the local Bologna hospital, where he underwent surgery to treat his injuries. An official statement from the team said that Lascorz was still in serious danger, and that his condition would not be known until tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.

Lascorz' crash came at the end of the first session, and cast a pall over the day's proceedings, but riders still went out to test the new Pirelli tires the Italian manufacturer had brought to the track. The tires - and better weather - made a huge difference, Kawasaki's Tom Sykes smashing the outright lap record at the track using race tires, and beating his previous best set on qualifiers. Ten Kate Honda's Johnny Rea also made good strides forward, setting the 2nd fastest time, half a second behind Sykes, while Crescent Suzuki's Leon Camier tested a much-improved new engine from Yoshimura, taking 3rd fastest on the day, ahead of BMW's Leon Haslam.

A round-up of the weekends events at the Imola round of the World Superbike championship.

World Superbikes

Press releases and videos from the World Superbike and World Supersport teams after the races at Imola:

Results from the second World Superbike race at Imola.

Results of the World Supersport race at Imola, 2012.

Results from the first race of the World Superbikes at Imola.

We don't usually cover Superstock racing here, but due to the interest in Ducati's 1199 Panigale, we thought we'd better make an exception.