WSB kicks off at Silverstone

The British round of the World Superbikes championship kicks off today at Silverstone, with Free Practice at 11.30am and Qualifying Practice at 3.30pm.

The season so far belongs to three men, Carlos Checa, Max Biaggi and Marco Melandri, who between them have taken 13 out of a possible 16 race wins. But if last year’s Silverstone round is anything to go by we can expect strong challenges from the British contingent all looking to shine on home turf.

The 2010 round saw Brits dominate the podium. Cal Crutchlow claimed an emphatic double – the first wins of his WSB career and he was pushed all the way by Jonathan Rea with Leon Haslam and Leon Camier on the podium in third place.

This time around, Crutchlow won’t be there after graduating to MotoGP, and Rea has been forced to sit out due to his serious wrist injury sustained in Misano seven weeks ago.

Toppling any of the ‘big three’ in the championship will be difficult but with home crowd support anything is possible.

MCN takes a look at the Brit rider’s season to date as Rea rates the chances of our home grown best in the WSB Silverstone Preview, free in this week’s issue of MCN (27 July) on sale now.

Entry to watch today’s WSB practice sessions at Silverstone is free and tickets are available for the weekend’s racing, children aged 15 and under go free* – for information visit silverstone.co.uk or call 0844 3728 260.