Reigning Australian Superbike Champion Bryan Staring will today arrive in Italy in preparation for the 2011 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup following a promising debut for Pedercini Kawasaki at Phillip Island in WSBK last month.
The 23-year-old three-time Australian Champion is relocating with his partner Emma to Italy to be near the Pedercini Kawasaki squad and train for his Superstock 1000 season.
“We’re moving into an apartment at the base of the Alps called Sandra, a fantastic place for cycling and training and only 15 minutes from the team headquarters,” Staring commented.
“We’ll both be undertaking Italian lessons daily and I have access to a motocross track just five kilometers from our home so I will be there most days training.”
Staring enters the 2011 season as a rookie in his first full season overseas, but looks forward to the challenges that lie ahead.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity and will begin training tomorrow as soon as we unpack,” he said. “The area is fantastic, nice and quiet, and the team is near by so I can cycle there very quickly if required at any time.
“There is plenty of good cycling in The Alps and we will be central to all of the major Superstock rounds this year.”
Staring impressed the team Pedercini members with his outstanding display of pace, set-up skills and professionalism at round one of the WSBK series, where he was entered as a wildcard.
Consistently the fastest Pedercini rider across the weekend, Staring finished with a championship point in his debut race after scoring 15th in race one.
“The Phillip Island weekend was a steep learning curve but I did not feel out of place out there at all,” Staring added. “Given the pace at the front of our domestic Superbike races, this is not a surprise. What was a surprise was the pace of the front-runners.
“Those few seconds are hard to find and in many ways it was like learning all over again. In terms of gaining experience, it was a brilliant opportunity to spend some competitive time on the 2011 ZX-10R and I’ve learned a lot about the bike, which will be invaluable in the Superstock 1000 championship this year.”
Round one of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup Championship will be held at Assen, Netherlands, on 15-17 April.