2014 World Superbike Champion Sylvain Guintoli Signs with Team Pata Honda for 2015 Season

News    03.11.2014                 World Superbike champion Sylvain Guintoli joins Pata Honda The 2014 World Superbike champion Sylvain Guintoli has signed an agreement to ride for the Pata Honda team alongside Michael van der Mark in the 2015 championship aboard Honda’s CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machine.   Guintoli is one of the most widely experienced riders in the World Superbike paddock and won the 2014 title in yesterday’s final round at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. The French rider, who lives in the UK with his English wife Caroline and their four children, has also ridden at the highest level in MotoGP.   The 32-year-old has a total of nine World Superbike wins to his credit, five of which have come this season: at Phillip Island in Australia, Assen in the Netherlands, his home round of Magny-Cours in France last month, and a double race win in Qatar yesterday to end the season in some style. He boasts a total of 40 WSBK podium finishes.   Although the 2015 season will be Guintoli’s first ride for Honda, he has a strong historical relationship with the team’s title partner Pata, having ridden for a Pata-sponsored Ducati team in 2012, taking two race victories to finish seventh that season in the World Superbike standings.   The announcement of Guintoli’s appointment to the Pata Honda World Superbike team and his new partnership with 2014 World Supersport champion, Michael van der Mark, means that the team will bid farewell to both Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam. The entire Pata Honda team and Honda Motor Europe offer their very best wishes to both riders in the future careers.   Sylvain Guintoli - profile   Date of birth                                    24 June 1982 Height                                             179cm Weight                                             65kg Place of birth                                   Montélimar, France Home town                                      Market Bosworth, UK Race number                                  50 Race machine                                 Pata Honda CBR1000RR First race                                         2000 World Superbike debut                   2009 – Portimao, Portugal World Superbike races                   129 World Superbike pole positions      4 First World Superbike podium         2011 – Miller Motorsports Park, USA Total World Superbike podiums      40 First World Superbike win               2012 – Assen, the Netherlands Total World Superbike wins            9   Career Highlights   2000                        250cc French champion                                 3rd, 250cc European championship 2001                        14th, 250cc world championship 2002                        Test rider – Yamaha GP 2003                        10th, 250cc world championship - Aprilia 2004                        14th, 250cc world championship - Aprilia 2005                        10th, 250cc world championship - Aprilia 2006                        9th, 250cc world championship - Aprilia 2007                        16th, MotoGP world championship - Yamaha 2008                        13th, MotoGP world championship - Ducati 2009                        8th, British Superbike championship - Suzuki 2010                        7th, World Superbike championship - Suzuki 2011                        6th, World Superbike championship - Ducati 2012                        7th, World Superbike championship - Ducati 2013                        3rd, World Superbike championship - Aprilia 2014                        World Superbike champion – Aprilia   Sylvain Guintoli The events of this season and especially last night are still buzzing in my head, but I’m delighted to be joining the Honda family and to be reuniting with Pata. The last time we worked together was a very unexpected but successful partnership. I brought Pata their first victories and we have a strong relationship. I’m looking forward to tackling this new challenge and I can’t wait to get going. Johnny [Rea] has obviously been strong on the Honda all season, and sometimes he’s been very strong! So I think there is definitely a big potential with the bike and I think the new rules for next year will suit it. So for us this is good news and I can’t wait to understand how it works; but it looks like a really good package and I’m looking forward to getting the first impressions soon.</ em> Ronald ten Kate  - Pata Honda team manager In many ways it’s the end of an era, but it’s the start of a new one, too, and I think 2015 is going to be a really exciting season for us. I’m really delighted that we are able to welcome Sylvain to the Pata Honda team for his first ride with Honda. He has a great record in the World Superbike championship and has performed really well this season to come back from a big deficit and win the title yesterday in style. With Mikey [van der Mark] on the other side of the garage I believe we have that perfect blend of youth and experience that all team managers aim for. We have an intensive winter testing schedule planned and I honestly can’t wait for next season to start. Robert Watherston  - head of motorsport, HME First of all, congratulations to Sylvain on his title! This is a fantastic appointment for the team and I’m very happy that we have been able to secure the services of a rider who can bring so much top level experience to the team. Sylvain will be the perfect foil for Michael’s [van der Mark] aggression and raw speed so I see this as a great line-up for the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP’s ongoing development as we head into this new era of WSBK regulations. On behalf of the whole team, we wish Jonathan and Leon all the best for the future and thank them both enormously for their years of service with Honda. © 2014 Pata Honda.