NEW ERA FOR KEVIN AND TEAM PENTA MOTORSPORT WITH HONDA

The first “Race Weekend” of the season took place at the Misano World Circuit, with Rounds 1 and 2 of the Italian Speed ​​Championship.

In the premier class, Superbike, riding the Honda CBR 1000RR of Team Penta Motorsport, Kevin Manfredi from La Spezia opened the championship in constant growth.

Since 2025, Penta has chosen to follow the direction taken by Kevin, who has linked himself to the Honda brand through Honda France in the Endurance World Championship.

Thus, after 17 years of collaboration with Suzuki, the Penta Motorsport Team manager has decided to turn the page, remaining faithful to the land of the Rising Sun and signing a collaboration agreement with one of the most iconic names in motorsport: Moriwaki, under the banner of MIE Racing.

The bikes, arriving directly from Japan, slowed down the initial program of the Team, which however worked intensely in a few weeks to allow the two-time European Supersport Champion to take to the track already on Friday, despite the absence of pre-season tests.

Thanks to the experience gained by Kevin in the Endurance World Championship and the collaboration with Andreani Group and Honda Italia, the number 34 was able to fight for the top positions in a grid composed of 33 riders, albeit with a wide margin for improvement.

Kevin: “This first weekend was complex. We only had three sessions, two of which were qualifying, to put together the best possible package. In race 2, however, we managed to make a good step forward.

In the first qualifying I worked on adapting the setup and exploring the characteristics of the Honda engine, which is very different from my Endurance bike, especially because of the MoTeC control unit.

In qualifying 2 I pushed a bit harder to gain a good position on the grid, but the very high level of the 2025 CIV meant I only finished in 15th place.

In race 1, after a good start, I recovered as much as possible, finishing with an excellent 6th place, but with a gap from the podium that did not satisfy me.

So, together with Honda Italia, Andreani Group and Team Penta Motorsport, we worked until late at night, revolutionizing several aspects of our CBR.

The work paid off: in race 2, with changed conditions and a more tough, I managed to stay glued to the leading group, the one on the podium. Unfortunately I lost contact slightly due to another rider crashing right in front of me, but I still finished 7th, significantly reducing the gap compared to race 1.”

Kevin is currently in 6th position in the overall standings, just a few points behind his direct rivals. The pace shown in race 2 bodes well for the next round at Mugello, where it will be essential to be competitive right from the first sessions.

Kevin would like to sincerely thank Honda Italia, Andreani Group, Team Penta Motorsport, the sponsors and all the technical partners for the 2025 season.