In the Superpole race I made an OK start but then Loris Baz came on the inside, so I got a little bit flustered. I knew I had to keep the rhythm really fast in the beginning because it was a good opportunity. Using the softer SCX tyre for the sprint race has a lot of potential but we did not do so many laps on it in practice, and the conditions were not as hot. So, thanks to my team because Pere and all the guys gave me a really good set-up. In race two I went wide at one point and that gave Chaz the chance to attack in turn one but I wanted to attack him back straight away and set my own rhythm. I knew I could push and put my head down again. I did not expect the pace I had today in race two; I was so surprised. I knew I could be fast and the Superpole race gave me a lot of confidence. When I could really get stuck into the 1’50 laps, and keep that load going at the beginning of the race, it was easier to manage when the tyre would drop. I learned from race one yesterday. http://jonathan-rea.com/news/rea-scores-two-strong-wins
Jonathan Rea lifted both WorldSBK winners’ trophies at Motorland Aragon today to retake the championship lead and continue along his stro Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
For the second day in a row, FIM CEV Repsol took to the Jerez circuit for a new race day. The action rolled on as Round 4 got underway at the historic venue and in the Moto3™ Junior World Championship, Izan Guevara (Openbank Aspar Team) and Jose Julian Garcia (SIC 58 Squadra Corse) split the wins between them with both riders taking their first career victory in the class! Yari Montella (Team Ciatti – Speed Up) once again showed why he is the man to beat in the European Moto2™ Championship as he added another 25 points to his perfect tally in 2020. His 6 wins out of 6 races is a feat unmatched in the entire history of European Moto2™. Finally, in the Hawkers European Talent Cup, Zonta Van Den Goorbergh (Team Superb) would take his maiden HETC victory, after falling short of the win due to track limits at Round 3 yesterday.
The motorsports mecca of the greater Indianapolis area welcomed the third round of the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, from Crawfordsville’s Ironman Raceway. The Guaranteed Rate Ironman National featured partly cloudy skies and moderate temperatures, resulting in the most competitive afternoon of the championship thus far.
After a thrilling battle in the 450 Class reigning three-time champion Eli Tomac rebounded from the worst outing of his career one week ago to take his first overall victory of the season for Monster Energy Kawasaki.
In the 250 Class, GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin made it back-to-back wins to tighten up the early season title fight.
Up next the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will celebrate Labor Day weekend with its first-ever doubleheader from Michigan’s legendary RedBud MX, which will host the fourth and fifth rounds of the 2020 season. The Circle K RedBud I National will begin the holiday festivities on Friday, September 4. The second half of the doubleheader will take place on Labor Day, Monday, September 7, for the Circle K RedBud II National.
450
The opening 450 Class moto saw a pair of familiar rivals out front early as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin secured the MotoSport.com Holeshot just ahead of Tomac’s Kawasaki, with point leader Zach Osborne in third aboard his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing machine.
The top three asserted themselves at the front of the pack, while the rookies of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo and Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton gave pursuit to build a close fight amongst the top five. This group continued to trade momentum through the middle portion of the moto and at one point were collectively separated by just a handful of seconds. As the race wore on, the running order began to spread out, with Musquin and Tomac pulling away. Behind them, Osborne made a costly misjudgement trying to pass a lapped rider, resulting in contact that forced the point leader off his bike. That allowed both Cianciarulo and Sexton to get by, while Osborne continued in fifth. He then almost crashed again a short time later, which caused him to lose fifth to Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS rider Blake Baggett.
Musquin withstood one final push from Tomac to capture his first moto win since suffering a knee injury at this same track one year ago, taking the checkered flag by 2.2 seconds over the champ. Cianciarulo finished in third, just ahead of Sexton, while Baggett rounded out the top five. Osborne lost another position late to finish a season-worst seventh.
When the gate dropped on the second and deciding moto it was Osborne who prevailed to take the MotoSport.com Holeshot ahead of Cianciarulo, while Tomac and Musquin gave chase right behind them. Musquin and Tomac battled for third briefly, but Tomac got the upper hand to secure the position. With a clear track Osborne looked to pull away, but Cianciarulo responded to the torrid pace of the opening laps.
With Tomac closing in from third Cianciarulo put the pressure on Osborne for the lead and successfully made the pass stick, leaving Osborne to fight with the reigning champion. Meanwhile, Musquin lost additional ground after getting passed by Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia for fourth.
The top four maintained their positions throughout the middle of the moto, but with 10 minutes remaining this group had closed in on one another and were separated by just a couple seconds. As they encountered lapped traffic Osborne was slowed, which allowed both Tomac and Barcia to get around and drop the point leader off the podium. The lead trio still sat within less than two seconds of one another and Tomac went on the attack, successfully taking the lead away from his teammate. Barcia followed through into second, and then Osborne dropped Cianciarulo off the podium by moving up to third.
The closing stages of the moto turned into a compelling head-to-head battle between Tomac and Barcia, and while Barcia appeared to be faster in some areas of the track, Tomac excelled in different areas as well to keep the Yamaha at bay. In the end, Tomac charged to the finish line to take his first moto win of the season by 1.1 seconds over Barcia, while Osborne finished in a distant third.
By virtue of his 2-1 moto results Tomac was able to secure his 45th-career victory just one week after finishing a career-worst 16th overall. The win puts him in sole possession of fourth on the all-time wins list. Musquin finished in second (1-6), while Cianciarulo rounded out the overall podium in third (3-4). Osborne’s strong second moto helped him finish fifth overall (7-3).
“I just had a better feel . The track came to us all day. We had good starts in both motos and that pace was insane there in Moto 2,” explained Tomac. “I had pressure from Barcia for a while there and we were really pushing it at the end. He kept me honest, but I was able to keep it going and get us a win. We’ve got some good tracks for us coming up and hopefully we can keep putting work in to make up some ground in the championship.”
Osborne’s strong finish to the afternoon helped minimize the ground he lost in the championship standings. He now holds a 13-point lead over Musquin, while Barcia sits 26 points behind in third. Tomac vaulted from seventh to fourth, and now faces a 27-point deficit behind Osborne.
“The first moto was just really bad for me. I made some mistakes and it was just a mess, really,” said Osborne. “It was a disappointment, but we bounced back in the second moto. I didn’t have the pace to run up front with those guys, but still put in on the box and still have the red plate . We’ll look forward to RedBud.”
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Ironman Raceway – Crawfordsville, Indiana August 29, 2020 – 450 Class Overall Results
Pos
Rider
Motos
Bike
1
Eli Tomac
2 – 1
Kawasaki
2
Marvin Musquin
1 – 6
KTM
3
Adam Cianciarulo
3 – 4
Kawasaki
4
Justin Barcia
6 – 2
Yamaha
5
Zach Osborne
7 – 3
Husqvarna
6
Chase Sexton
4 – 5
Honda
7
Blake Baggett
5 – 7
KTM
8
Dean Wilson
8 – 8
Husqvarna
9
Broc Tickle
9 – 10
Yamaha
10
Christian Craig
11 – 12
Honda
11
Fredrik Noren
10 – 13
Suzuki
12
Henry Miller
12 – 14
KTM
13
John Short
13 – 16
Honda
14
Joey Savatgy
40 – 9
Suzuki
15
Benny Bloss
37 – 11
Husqvarna
16
Jake Masterpool
16 – 17
Husqvarna
17
Coty Schock
15 – 18
Honda
18
Max Anstie
14 – 37
Suzuki
19
Justin Bogle
34 – 15
KTM
20
Ben LaMay
17 – 38
KTM
21
Jeremy Smith
18 – 22
Honda
22
Tyler Bowers
38 – 19
Kawasaki
23
Grant Harlan
19 – 21
Honda
24
Justin Rodbell
21 – 20
Kawasaki
25
Jared Lesher
20 – 24
KTM
26
Tristan Lewis
26 – 23
Yamaha
27
Mcclellan Hile
22 – 28
KTM
28
Bryce Backaus
25 – 27
Yamaha
29
Scott Meshey
24 – 29
Husqvarna
30
Alex Ray
23 – 34
Kawasaki
31
Dalton Dyer
32 – 26
Kawasaki
32
Carson Tickle
27 – 31
Honda
33
Matthew Hubert
35 – 25
Honda
34
Adam Enticknap
33 – 30
Suzuki
35
Christopher Prebula
28 – 35
KTM
36
Tristan Lane
31 – 33
KTM
37
Luke Neese
30 – 36
Honda
38
Luke Renzland
39 – 39
Husqvarna
39
Chase Felong
29 – DNS
Husqvarna
40
Timothy Crosby
DNS – 32
Kawasaki
41
Jason Anderson
36 – DNS
Husqvarna
450 Class Points Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Zach Osborne
122
2
Marvin Musquin
109
3
Justin Barcia
96
4
Eli Tomac
95
5
Adam Cianciarulo
89
6
Blake Baggett
81
7
Chase Sexton
78
8
Broc Tickle
71
9
Christian Craig
59
10
Dean Wilson
58
11
Jason Anderson
58
12
Max Anstie
54
13
Joey Savatgy
48
14
Fredrik Noren
37
15
Henry Miller
37
16
Cooper Webb
29
17
Jake Masterpool
28
18
Coty Schock
23
19
Benny Bloss
21
20
Justin Bogle
21
21
Justin Rodbell
19
22
Jeremy Smith
16
23
John Short
13
24
Tyler Bowers
11
25
Luke Renzland
11
26
Matthew Hubert
9
27
Chase Felong
8
28
Justin Hoeft
7
29
Ben LaMay
6
30
Jeffrey Walker
4
31
Jared Lesher
3
32
Cory Carsten
3
33
Grant Harlan
2
250
The first 250 Class moto saw point leader Dylan Ferrandis grab the MotoSport.com Holeshot aboard his Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing machine, just edging out Martin. With the clear track Ferrandis was able to sprint out to an early lead over his Honda counterpart, while the field jockeyed for position behind them. Ferrandis quickly built a multi-second advantage over Martin, who soon was forced to contend with Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Brandon Hartranft from third. Martin responded and soon asserted himself into the runner-up spot, while Hartranft solidified his hold of third.
Out front Ferrandis continued to add to his advantage and eventually opened up a margin of more than 20 seconds on the rest of the field. He went wire-to-wire to earn his third moto win of the season in dominant fashion, crossing the finish line 26 seconds over Martin, followed by Hartranft in third. GEICO Honda’s Jett Lawrence finished in fourth, while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire completed the top five.
As the field emerged from the first turn to start Moto 2 it was Martin who surged to the head of the pack to secure the MotoSport.com Holeshot ahead of Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper. Behind them Ferrandis was on the ground after an incident with his Star Yamaha teammate Shane McElrath, with the Frenchman finally returning to action in dead last.
With Ferrandis forced to battle his way through the field of 40 riders the window of opportunity opened for Martin to take advantage. The Honda rider was able to put some space between he and Cooper early on and continued to build that lead into a multi-second advantage, with Hartranft once again asserting himself in third. As Martin continued to lead the way out front, Ferrandis was making an impressive climb up the running order. He needed just one lap to break into the top 20, and continued to charge his way into the top 10 before the halfway point of the moto. The Frenchman’s determined comeback didn’t end there. He continually picked off riders, one-by-one, and eventually fought his way back into podium position.
Martin went unchallenged en route to his second moto win of the season, taking the checkered flag 5.7 seconds over Cooper, while Ferrandis made the most of a moto that started with him in the worst possible position by finishing third.
Martin’s Moto 2 triumph gave him 2-1 finishes for the afternoon, which was enough to put him atop the overall standings for the second week in a row, and the 16th time in his career. Ferrandis’ impressive performance helped him secure the runner-up spot (1-3), while Hartranft earned the first overall podium finish of his career in third (3-4).
“Last week was a special moment , but I didn’t win a moto. It made it more special to get a good start and ride my own race to get a moto win,” said Martin. “Dylan was on it today, but I knew I needed to get a good start and that would put me in a position to win. I know Dylan didn’t get the start he wanted , but my GEICO Honda was working really well in these conditions and I’m just happy to be back on top of the podium. It’s going to be a fun battle .”
By virtue of his damage control in the final moto Ferrandis maintained his hold of the point lead, losing just two points to Martin. The top two are now separated by four points.
“I just ride as fast as I can and pass the most riders I can. I have nothing to lose,” said Ferrandis. “I wish there was more laps, but it is what it is. It’s a disappointment to lose out on the second moto, but this is racing and sometimes things like that happen. We’ll just keep fighting and try again next week.”
Jett Lawrence took fifth overall for the round after carding 4-5 results while older brother Hunter was unhappy with his efforts after taking 16th overall on the back of a 15-14 scorecard.
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will celebrate Labor Day weekend with its first-ever doubleheader from Michigan’s legendary RedBud MX, which will host the fourth and fifth rounds of the 2020 season. The Circle K RedBud I National will begin the holiday festivities on Friday, September 4. The second half of the doubleheader will take place on Labor Day, Monday, September 7, for the Circle K RedBud II National.
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Ironman Raceway – Crawfordsville, Indiana August 29, 2020 – 250 Class Overall Results
Andrea Locatelli makes it six from six in World Supersport – Edwards, Bramich disappointing result in World SSPT300.
Image: Supplied.
Scott Redding has taken his Aruba.it Racing Ducati to victory and an overall championship lead after race one at the Aragon round of the Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) on Saturday.
Earlier, Jonathon Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had taken pole position with a new lap record of 1m48.860 but failed to capitalise and fell down the order at the start. After several laps he was back in the lead, with Redding making his move on lap seven. The pair battled until a mistake by Rea on lap 14 saw him run wide, allowing Redding to take control.
Redding’s teammate Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) was then able to get past Rea a few laps later. He began to close the gap on Redding but at the finish line he fell 0.3s short, with Ducati still able to claim a 1-2 result. Rea completed the podium in third in what was his 150th start for Kawasaki.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GoEleven Ducati) secured fourth after the Italian was able to dispatch Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team) late in the race. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Official Team WorldSBK Official Team) fought his way back through the field as he finished in sixth place after qualifying in 11th.
After a front row start and briefly leading, Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) eventually finished seventh following a battle with Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) finished in ninth place with Leon Haslam (Team HRC) completing the top ten.
Irishman Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Official Team) created some drama at the start after falling on the warm up lap. His team were able to repair the bike on the grid for an eventual 16thplace finish. Crashing out was Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) as well as Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) while Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) were two high profile retirees.
Image: Supplied.
Andrea Locatelli (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) continued his unbeaten run in the World Supersport Championship this year after battling with Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) for much of the race. Cluzel took second ahead of Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) while Australian Lachlan Epis (MPM Routz Racing Team) was forced to retire after 11 laps.
In World Supersport 300 Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki Motoport) claimed a massive victory by almost seven seconds. In contrast, the battle for the podium saw the next four riders separated by just four tenths. Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) took second with Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) completing the podium. It was a challenging day for the Australians with Tom Edwards (Kawasaki ParkinGo Team) retiring after qualifying in 19th. Tom Bramich (Carl Cox – RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) once again had the heartbreak of not qualifying for the main race, dipping out in ninth in the Last Chance Race.
A titanic battle between the two Championship leaders ended with Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) taking victory as well as the points lead in the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship after the sensational battle at the Prosecco DOC Aragon Round at MotorLand Aragon after holding off multiple challenges throughout.
Redding started the race from third place and held position in the early stages while polesitter Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) fought his way back through the field after a poor start, Rea back in the lead after just a couple of laps.
Rea was passed by Redding on Lap 7 of 18 but was able to keep with Redding after the overtake although not able to make the move; the Ducati’s straight-line speed helping keep Redding ahead.
As Rea continued to pressure Redding, the pair went side by side with Rea looking to make his way back into the lead but a mistake on Lap 14, where Rea went wide, allowed Redding to stay in front.
Davies was able to get by Rea just a few laps later and started to close in on Redding, finishing the race just three tenths behind Redding as they battled for the lead; the pair claiming a Ducati 1-2 finish after Davies battled through from ninth, with Rea claiming a podium on his 150th start for KRT. The result means Redding moves back into the Championship lead but with plenty of points still available to claim.
Scott Redding – P1
“I’m really happy because until this morning the feeling was certainly not the best one. Maybe something has changed in the Superpole, but the conditions were not ideal. I tried to stay focused, thinking only of not losing contact with the leading group to achieve a good result. During the race, the feeling with the bike grew, and I managed to take this great victory that I dedicate to the whole team that never gave up doing an extraordinary job“.
Chaz Davies – P2
“It is clear that the starting position did not help me, but I got off a good start, and in the first laps, I managed to keep a good pace to recover positions. The feeling was positive, and I closed the gap between the leading group and me. I tried to manage the tires then when I saw that Scott and Rea were gaining advantage I pushed to the maximum. I think if I had one more lap, I could have overtaken Scott, but he was still very good at defending himself without allowing me to attack him“.
Marco Zambenedetti (Ducati Corse Superbike Technical Coordinator)
“It was an excellent first race. We confirmed the good feelings we had already in the tests of two weeks ago with Chaz, while with Scott, we made a little more effort and still managed to find a solid base of set up. Also, the result obtained by Michael Rinaldi (P4) confirms the goodness of the work we are doing. This gives us great confidence ahead of the next five races that we will compete on this circuit, but it is clear that there is still room for improvement. We still have to work, and we will try from tomorrow to do it better than the others“.
Jonathan Rea – P3
“We were just lacking a little something today in the race but I was really happy with the Superpole qualifying session. We worked on a bit of a ‘time attack’ in the beginning, then when I put the Q rear tyre in I had some traffic behind – but I needed to find the rhythm and we took pole position. In the race I felt really good with the bike but I just could not fight. I had a really bad start but I tried to put my head down in the beginning and got to the front. When I got track position and Scott came through he did a really good job keeping up a good rhythm. I was just about there, but not close enough to go through. It was good in the first three sectors, and it was only two or three tenths of a difference, but when guys like Chaz and Scott are on it you cannot afford to lose that kind of time in a critical area. It was frustrating because at the start of the race I felt comfortable to let Scott lead and the pit-board gap was increasing to third place. We will put our heads together tonight and come back stronger tomorrow.”
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (GoEleven Ducati) once again secured a fourth-place finish in 2020 as his impressive form continued, with the Italian rider putting on a late-race move on Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) finishing in fifth place. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) was another rider who fought his way back through the field as he finished in sixth place, after starting outside the top 10, although finished ten seconds behind his team-mate.
Michael van der Mark – P5
“We made some changes this morning on the bike after yesterday, and I was feeling strong. In FP3 I felt really good with the bike and then in Superpole I was happy with my lap, but it was just not enough to be on the first two rows because the field was so close. Eighth was not ideal but I did at least have a decent start in the race, gaining a couple of places in the first few laps. I had good pace but I struggled in some areas to stay with the guys in front of me. That meant I had to play catch up every lap and at a certain point I was just a little bit slower and struggling more. I’m happy with the overall pace and unfortunately Rinaldi passed me at the end, but I think if we can improve the bike on some small areas, for sure we can fight for a podium tomorrow.”
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P6
“In the race, we made a good start but in the end the rear grip didn’t feel too great, similar to Portimao. Normally we would try a different set-up for this and usually that would work well, but in the race after five or six laps I felt the grip drop and then in the last few laps there was another big drop. Sixth position is OK, but I’m not happy because normally if there is a good feeling with the grip I can go with the front group. We will try maybe a different set-up to help this, and I will also try to improve – we will see tomorrow.”
Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was classified in seventh place despite starting on the front row and taking the lead at the start as Baz looked for another podium in 2020. There was a battle between Baz and Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) towards the end of the race with the pair separated by just a second at the end of the race. Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha) finished in ninth place with Leon Haslam (THRC) completing the top ten.
Leon Haslam – P10
“I made a good start but we had a small problem right from lap one which saw me drop three or four seconds through the central part of the race. In modifying my riding style, I was then able to set lap times that weren’t so bad, even catching one guy at the end. To be honest, I’m quite happy because I was able to understand a few things after thinking that I might have to come into the garage due to the problem. So in the final stages my times were not so bad and now we’ll fix the issue we had so that I’m set for tomorrow’s races.”
It was a strong race performance from Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) as the Argentinian rider claimed an 11th place finish, ahead of Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) in 12th. Roman Ramos (OutDO Kawasaki) marked his 100th WorldSBK start with a points finish as the Spaniard completed his first race since his return to the Championship, ahead of another mid-season returnee in Marco Melandri (Barni Racing Team). Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing Althea Honda) secured his first points finish of the season with 15th in Race 1 at MotorLand Aragon and also claimed the team’s first points of 2020.
Eugene Laverty (BMW) finished in 16th place after a dramatic rush to start the race; the Irish rider coming off his bike on the lap to the grid with the team fixing his machine on the grid. Laverty was given a ride-through penalty during the race but was able to finish ahead of Lorenzo Gabellini (MIE Racing Althea Honda).
Eugene Laverty – DNF
“My first lap in Superpole was my fastest one and I wanted to build from there but unfortunately I had problems with the front when I wanted to go with the qualifying tyre at the end and I wasn’t able to get a lap in as I went off the track. So starting from way down the field is always going to be tough but unfortunately in the sighting lap, we had a brake issue so I had to jump off the bike. I managed to get the bike back to the grid and the guys worked fantastically to repair it just about on time to get me starting the race. But unfortunately we ended being given a ride-through penalty because we were still working on the bike after the three-minute mark. Then Christophe Ponsson had a massive crash in front of me and I had to go through the gravel to avoid him. So just everything that could go wrong did in a sense. I just have to forget today and work towards tomorrow.”
Christophe Ponsson (Nuova M2 Racing) had a crash during the race at the corkscrew section which put the Frenchman out of the race on his Aprilia while Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had a spectacular high-side that left the KRT stricken in danger over the crest of the hill, it was amazing that all the other riders managed to avoid him as he scrabbled to safety.
Alex Lowes – DNF
“I was working with a race setup at the start of Superpole in the cooler conditions, so when I used the Q tyre I knew I could do a good lap. It was a shame to just miss out on the front row but fourth place was good. I did a couple of race simulations in the recent Aragon test so I was confident of my pace. I wanted to get a good start, which I did, and then when Scott passed me on the back straight I thought, ‘OK, just sit here’. Then I crashed and I need to check the data because it was a strange one. It spun a lot, to the point where the traction control could not save me, and then it kicked back a lot. A strange crash in an unexpected area but the good thing is we have five more races here at Aragon and my pace is pretty strong.”
Tom Sykes (BMW) pitted in the early stages of the race with the British rider retiring while Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha) also suffered a crash in the first half of the race. Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) and Maximilian Scheib (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) both retired from the race after separate incidents on the same lap.
Alvaro Bautista – DNF
“It was a pity about the crash as we were running a strong race. The fact is that over the first laps I struggled to get into a rhythm because, at the moment, I must ride the bike in a certain way to be fast and have to force it a lot to make it turn for example. This doesn’t help when you are fighting with other riders. That was the case again today at first while I was part of the group. Once I had some space, I could ride much faster and was catching the fourth placed rider when I just lost the front. When you are pushing so hard it can happen. One good thing is that we were able to improve on our speed in the Superpole compared to the other rounds. As for tomorrow, we have some ideas to try and help us improve in the early stages, so let’s see how it goes tomorrow.”
Tom Sykes – DNF
“It was a pity as the BMW S 1000 RR is just so easy to manage and so enjoyable and it feels like what I expect from a race bike. Regarding my crash in Superpole, I think I was just a little bit caught out. I did not to anything stupid but obviously I ran over the edge of the tyre on the front. It was a little bit my mistake and was disappointing because today with the set-up that we got, I have to say credit to all the guys, things were coming to the right place. In Superpole I was on a potential pole position lap so obviously disappointment that I made a mistake. I left myself with a lot of work in the race but we made a good start and I was in a position where I felt comfortable, knowing that the lead is only a couple of seconds down the track. We had a very good race pace all weekend and today we were got to see if it was where it needed to be. But then we had a technical issue which was only a small oil leak but we had to pull out. Looking at the lap times I think we would have been able to be very strong. We’ll keep working and tomorrow is another day.”
Superbike Race One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
S. Redding
Ducati
0.000
2
C. Davies
Ducati
+0.304
3
J. Rea
Kawasaki
+2.123
4
M. Rinaldi
Ducati
+7.453
5
M. Van Der Mark
Yamaha
+8.365
6
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha
+18.851
7
L. Baz
Yamaha
+20.226
8
X. Fores
Kawasaki
+26.971
9
F. Caricasulo
Yamaha
+27.054
10
L. Haslam
Honda
+29.283
11
L. Mercado
Ducati
+30.270
12
S. Barrier
Ducati
+40.070
13
R. Ramos
Kawasaki
+42.267
14
M. Melandri
Ducati
+54.075
15
T. Takahashi
Honda
+57.737
16
E. Laverty
BMW
+59.805
17
L. Gabellini
Honda
+1m22.202
Not Classified
RET
M. Scheib
Kawasaki
5 Laps
RET
A. Bautista
Honda
6 Laps
RET
G. Gerloff
Yamaha
12 Laps
RET
A. Lowes
Kawasaki
14 Laps
RET
T. Sykes
BMW
14 Laps
RET
C. Ponsson
Aprilia
16 Laps
WSBK Championship Points
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Scott Redding
157
2
Jonathan Rea
152
3
Toprak Razgatlioglu
113
4
Chaz Davies
95
5
Michael Van Der Mark
93
6
Alex Lowes
91
7
Michael Ruben Rinaldi
66
8
Loris Baz
63
9
Alvaro Bautista
55
10
Tom Sykes
47
11
Leon Haslam
42
12
Xavi Fores
22
13
Garrett Gerloff
22
14
Marco Melandri
19
15
Federico Caricasulo
19
16
Eugene Laverty
16
17
Sandro Cortese
14
18
Leandro Mercado
12
19
Maximilian Scheib
10
20
Sylvain Barrier
5
21
Christophe Ponsson
4
22
Román Ramos
3
23
Takumi Takahashi
1
Supersport Race One
A familiar face stood on top of the FIM Supersport World Championship podium at MotorLand Aragon as Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team), the only rider to win a WorldSSP race in 2020, continued his streak with victory at the Prosecco DOC Aragon Round as he made it six race wins in his first six races.
The battle for the lead between Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha), Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team), Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and teammate Lucas Mahias reached a peak on Lap 2 as Cluzel went from fourth to first, passing both Oettl and Mahias, with Locatelli following him through into second place.
Both Cluzel and Locatelli were able to break away from the leading group as the duo engaged in a titanic battle until the third lap; Locatelli making a move on the inside of Turn 16 on Cluzel. It was a move he had tried a lap before but on that occasion Cluzel was able to respond into Turn 1 but was unable to the second time around. Locatelli then extended his lead throughout the race to claim victory, with Cluzel in second place as he secured another podium in 2020, finishing ahead of Oettl in third.
Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) secured a top four finish as three manufacturers finished in the first four places as Mahias, who had been in the lead group and involved in the epic battle in the opening laps, finished in fifth place. Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) and Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) had a titanic battle for sixth place which went down to the final lap; South African Odendaal regaining the place on the final lap to secure a top six finish with Viñales seventh.
Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) and Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) were also involved in a battle just behind Odendaal and Viñales, with Gonzalez holding on to finishing eighth with Webb in ninth. Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) looked to be fighting at the front but fell back throughout the race, eventually finishing the 15-lap race in tenth place.
Alejandro Carranza Ruiz (EMPERADOR Racing) was the highest place WorldSSP – Challenge rider with 11th place overall in the race, finishing just ahead of Federico Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Turkish star Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team). Maria Herrera (Altogoo Racing Team) secured her first points of the season with Patrick Hobelsberger (Dynavolt Honda) completing the points paying position.
Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) was unable to capitalise on his career-best result from Superpole as he retired from the race, along with Lachlan Epis (MPM Routz Racing Team), Stefano Valtulini (Blackflag Motorsport) and Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing).
P1 Andrea Locatelli (BARDHAL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)
“Six victories is incredible. The feeling is good every time. Today, we pushed but we stay calm because tomorrow is a harder day. We have another race but I’m confident and I’ll push again tomorrow.”
P2 Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha)
“I’m happy. It’s a strong race, it’s a difficult weekend because the length of the circuit is making a bigger gap compared to the bigger circuits. It’s nearly impossible to fight with him, it’s not possible to be honest. I tried to save what I can. In the other race, I’m the best of the others. We cannot explain what happened but I am happy to score 20 points and I’m focussed on tomorrow to make some improvements because Oettl rode really well, he pushed me the whole race and I need to improve a little bit for tomorrow.”
P3 Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
“I’m really happy to be on the podium again. It was a hard race, especially in the beginning until I found a good rhythm. After Lucas Mahias and Isaac Viñales had a small discussion at Turn 1, I thought now is the time to push and make a gap. That was exactly the right thing to do in that moment so I’m really happy for the team and tomorrow we can have another good race.”
Supersport Race One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
A. Locatelli
Yamaha
0
2
J. Cluzel
Yamaha
+3.221
3
P Oettl
Kawasaki
+5.206
4
R. De Rosa
MV Agusta
+6.387
5
L. Mahias
Kawasaki
+10.563
6
S. Odendaal
Yamaha
+14.968
7
I. Viñales
Yamaha
+14.980
8
M. Gonzalez
Kawasaki
+15.507
9
D. Webb
Yamaha
+15.622
10
C. Perolari
Yamah
+24.848
11
A. Ruiz Carranza
Yamaha
+28.292
12
F. Fuligni
MV Agusta
+28.639
13
C. Öncü
Kawasaki
+29.338
14
M. Herrera
Yamaha
+41.500
15
P. Hobelsberger
Honda
+41.565
16
G. Hendra Pratama
Yamaha
+42.531
17
H. Okubo
Honda
+42.566
18
A. Bassani
Yamaha
+46.602
19
L. Cresson
Yamaha
+54.928
20
A. Verdoïa
Yamaha
+59.339
21
L. Montella
Yamaha
+1m01.699
Not Classifieds
RET
H.Soomer
Yamaha
4 Laps
RET
43 S. Valtulini
Kawasaki
9 Laps
RET
83 L. Epis
Yamaha
11 Laps
RET
56 P. Sebestyen
Yamaha
12 Laps
Supersport Championship Points
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Andrea Locatelli
150
2
Jules Cluzel
110
3
Lucas Mahias
73
4
Philipp Oettl
65
5
Corentin Perolari
63
6
Steven Odendaal
59
7
Raffaele De Rosa
55
8
Isaac Viñales
53
9
Manuel Gonzalez
47
10
Hannes Soomer
39
11
Can Alexander Öncü
27
12
Danny Webb
27
13
Alejandro Ruiz Carranza
13
14
Peter Sebestyen
13
15
Miquel Pons
9
16
Federico Fuligni
9
17
Patrick Hobelsberger
6
18
Loris Cresson
6
19
Andy Verdoïa
4
20
Kevin Manfredi
3
21
Axel Bassani
3
22
Maria Herrera
2
23
Jaimie Van Sikkelerus
2
24
Galang Hendra Pratama
1
25
Luigi Montella
1
WorldSSP 300 Race One
In a race full of thrills and spills in FIM Supersport 300 World Championship, it was Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) who claimed victory by almost seven seconds the second largest margin of victory in WorldSSP300 history and the largest at MotorLand Aragon. While Buis was able to dominate out in front, there was a titanic battle for the podium with four riders separated by just four tenths.
Buis pulled away from the lead group after starting from pole position and completed the 10-lap race unchallenged as he claimed his first victory in dominant fashion; the second largest victory margin of all time. He finished ahead of Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) who moved into the Championship with another podium finish as well as Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki) not finished the race after a late-race clash with Hugo de Cancellis (Team TRASIMENO). Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) finished in third placed; the Spaniard claiming his first podium since Magny-Cours in 2018.
De Cancellis finished the race in fourth place despite the late-race collision with Deroue; the Frenchman able to continue and secure a strong result ahead of Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki) in fifth. It is the first time this season that Booth-Amos has not finished on the podium when he has finished the race, having scored three podiums and a retirement prior to the Prosecco DOC Aragon Round. Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) completed the top six after he fought his back from the back of the grid having been forced to start at the back of the grid with a tyre pressure infringement.
Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) finished in seventh place with Victor Rodriguez Nunez (2R Racing) in eighth place and Meikon Kawakami (Team Brasil AD 78) finished in the top nine but within 1.1 seconds of Carrasco in second place; showing how competitive the WorldSSP300 Championship is. Thomas Brianti (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) completed the top 10 as he held off the challenge from Alan Kroh (Yamaha MS Racing) by just 0.057s.
Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Scuderia Maranga Racing) finished in 12th place with Adrian Huertas (ProGP Racing), Alfonso Coppola (Kawasaki GP Project) and Oliver König (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) completed the points by finishing in the top 15.
It was a race of attrition with various riders suffering from retirements including Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing YamahaWSSP300); the Turkish rider still in contention in the Championship but is now 17 points back in the title race. Tom Edwards (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team), Kim Aloisi (ProGP Racing), Ton Kawakami (Yamaha MS Racing), Tom Bercot (ProGP Racing), Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project), Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT), Felipe Macan (Team Brasil AD 78), Gabriele Mastroluca (GP Project) and Sylvain Markarian (Yamaha MS Racing) all failing to finish the race following various incidents throughout. Aloisi was taken to the medical centre for a check up but has been declared fit since.
P1 Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT)
“The race was very difficult. At the beginning, I tried to make a gap but there was a lot of wind. They showed me the pit board and the gap was big enough, so it was okay for me.”
P2 Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300)
“The race was really difficult. In Tissot Superpole, I made some mistakes and we had to start towards the back, so it was difficult to fight at the front. With the wind it was really hard. I was trying to pull away from the group, but it was impossible. Jeffrey was very, very fast so he won but I’m very happy to be back on the podium. It was not easy, so it’s a good result for us. We have to focus on tomorrow’s race as it’ll be important to be back on the podium.”
P3 Mike Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300)
“I’m really happy. After one and a half years without a podium, it’s nice to be back! It was a good fight with the whole group. I am so happy and want to thank my team, my sponsors and all the people who trusted me after last season as this is for them.”
Resurgent Tomac rebounds with Indiana Pro Motocross win
Section: Competition
Second-straight 250MX overall won by Martin at Ironman.
Image: Octopi Media.
Defending 450MX champion Eli Tomac delivered Monster Energy Kawasaki a first victory of the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at Ironman Raceway.
Moto one was all about Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) as he rode to his first win of the year, remaining composed despite pressure from Tomac throughout.
The race started with a freight-train of riders fighting inside the top five, with Musquin leading Tomac, Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna), Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC).
A clash between points-leader Osborne and a lapped rider saw him drop behind Cianciarulo and Sexton, making another error soon afterwards and eventually finishing P7.
Up front, Musquin managed to hold on for the win over Tomac, who in turn was comfortably ahead of Cianciarulo and Sexton in battle, while Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS) completed the top five.
Sixth to 10th were Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha), Osborne, Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna), Broc Tickle (Monster Energy Yamaha) and Fredrik Noren (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki).
A heavy fall in the opening turns saw Justin Bogle (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS) escape injury for 34th, while a number of big-name non-finishers included Max Anstie (HEP Motorsports Suzuki) after late troubles while running eighth, as well as Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) and Joey Savatgy (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki).
A thrilling second 450MX moto saw Tomac rebound to capture his first win of the year, clinching him the overall in the process after fending off Barcia in the closing laps.
It was Osborne who took the hole-shot until Cianciarulo made a move soon afterwards and led all the way until within the final seven minutes when Tomac struck. Barcia soon followed him through and maintained pressure, but the difference remained at 1.103s at the finish despite a late charge.
Third was Osborne after Cianciarulo dropped from first to fourth, while Sexton ended up right there in fifth. Opening moto winner Musquin could only manage P6 this time out, joined in the top 10 by Baggett, Wilson, Savatgy and Tickle.
Anstie went down mid-moto and appeared injured, while Anderson didn’t line-up in race two due to pain in his previously-broken arm. Overall, Tomac won the round from Musquin and Cianciarulo. In the standings, Osborne leads, 13 points ahead of Musquin.
Image: Octopi Media.
Geico Honda’s Jeremy Martin has made it back-to-back 250MX round victories in Lucas Oil Pro Motocross after splitting the Ironman moto wins with Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha).
In moto one, a rare hole-shot saw Ferrandis lead from the outset and, from there, he was the dominant force, powering away to a 26.032s victory ahead of LL2 winner Martin.
First-time outdoor podium finisher Brandon Hartranft (TLD Red Bull KTM) scored P3, however, the race was spread out among the top five, with Jett Lawrence (Geico Honda) fourth and RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) fifth, who recovered from an early fall for position.
Top qualifier Shane McElrath (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) crossed the line in P6 and directly behind Hampshire, followed by Alex Martin (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki), Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha), Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) and Derek Drake (TLD Red Bull KTM).
Lining up despite dislocating his shoulder last weekend, Hunter Lawrence (Geico Honda) managed to score points in 19th position.
There was carnage at the beginning of 250MX moto one as Ferrandis was involved in a first turn pile-up, which also saw McElrath and McAdoo go down.
Starting from the rear of the pack, Ferrandis sliced his way to third by race’s end, but it was moto winner Jeremy Martin who earned back-to-back round victories via his 2-1 scorecard.
Martin’s first race win of the year was 5.792s ahead of Cooper, with Ferrandis third following late moves on Hartranft and Jett Lawrence. Alex Martin claimed sixth ahead of Shimoda, Harrison, Carson Mumford (Geico Honda) and McElrath.
Hunter Lawrence improved for 11th this time out, as McAdoo could only climb to 15th and problems caused Hampshire to finish 17th. Overall, Martin stood on top of the podium from Ferrandis, with Hartranft completing the top three.
The 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will now travel to RedBud for the series’ first-ever double-header, round four scheduled for this Friday, 4 September, backed up by round five on Monday, 7 September.
We were just lacking a little something today in the race but I was really happy with the Superpole qualifying session. We worked on a bit of a ‘time attack’ in the beginning, then when I put the Q rear tyre in I had some traffic behind – but I needed to find the rhythm and we took pole position. In the race I felt really good with the bike but I just could not fight. I had a really bad start but I tried to put my head down in the beginning and got to the front. When I got track position and Scott came through he did a really good job keeping up a good rhythm. I was just about there, but not close enough to go through. It was good in the first three sectors, and it was only two or three tenths of a difference, but when guys like Chaz and Scott are on it you cannot afford to lose that kind of time in a critical area. It was frustrating because at the start of the race I felt comfortable to let Scott lead and the pit-board gap was increasing to third place. We will put our heads together tonight and come back stronger tomorrow. http://jonathan-rea.com/news/third-rea-aragon-race-one
Kawasaki Racing Team rider Jonathan Rea scored a podium position today by finishing third in the opening 18-lap WorldSBK race at Motorlan Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
FIM CEV Repsol returned to action in Jerez after more than 6 weeks away from the track! In the Moto3™ Junior World Championship, Xavi Artigas (Leopard Impala Junior Team) was victorious, choosing the perfect time to pick up his second win of the season and capitalise on a late crash from Championship rival Pedro Acosta (Team MT-Foundation 77). In the European Moto2™ Championship, Yari Montella (Team Ciatti – Speed Up) once again showed that he was the class of the field, taking his 5th win in 5 races in 2020. In the Hawkers European Talent Cup, David Alonso (Openbank Aspar Team) was finally knocked off the top in 2020 after he finished 2nd in Race 2 to maiden winner Marco Morelli (Talent Team Estrella Galicia 0,0), but that was only after Alonso had won the first HETC race of the day earlier on.
YART Yamaha picked up pole position ahead of BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and Suzuki Endurance Racing Team. In Superstock, Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto beat Moto Ain by a whisker to the best starting position.
YART Yamaha claimed pole position thanks to a very consistent team. All three riders – Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Niccolò Canepa – came in under the 1:37 mark on a lap of the Bugatti circuit. The Austrian factory Yamaha has dominated the proceedings at Le Mans since yesterday, and will start the 24 Heures Motos from pole at midday on Saturday.
That said, the day’s best performance can be chalked up, not to YART Yamaha, but to BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. Markus Reiterberger posted the fastest qualifying lap, a 1:36.164. The BMW factory team (Kenny Foray, Ilya Mikhalchik and Markus Reiterberger) will take second position on the grid.
The leader of the provisional standings, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Etienne Masson, Gregg Black and Xavier Simeon), will start from 3rd just ahead of F.C.C. TSR Honda France’s Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike di Meglio.
It could be a tricky race for the Japanese Honda team, as Josh Hook was injured during practice but is expected to be allowed to race. The Honda #5 is ahead of ERC Endurance’s factory Ducati in the hands of Randy de Puniet, Julien da Costa and Louis Rossi.
VRD Igol Pierret Experiences once again managed to slip in among the favourites. In the saddle of the Yamaha #333, Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Mathieu Gines will start from 6th place on the grid ahead of reigning champions Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar. The Kawasaki squad are without their team manager Gilles Stafler, currently recovering after a heart attack, and still getting to grips with their new Michelin tyres.
Three ambitious teams make up the rest of the Top 10 after qualifying: Tati Team Beaujolais Racing, Wójcik Racing Team and National Motos. Australian Broc Parkes is part of the Wójcik Racing Team and reported that he was caught up in traffic while looking to set a time on soft tyres and will start from ninth on the grid.
Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto (Kawasaki), the fastest Superstock team, will start from 11th place ahead of Moto Ain (Yamaha), the provisional leader in class, and GERT56 by GS Yuasa (BMW).
Friday running for the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship continued with more ups, downs and surprises. Chaz Davies (Aruba Ducati) set a time of 1’50.543 in Free Practice 1 as he looked to make it eight or more wins at MotorLand Aragon, but the challengers are close behind as Friday showed a close and competitive field.
Davies’ time was set in the morning session and it was enough to top the timings for Friday running despite finishing sixth in Free Practice 2. Davies’ Ducati team-mate, Scott Redding, improved in Free Practice 2 to finish third in the afternoon but he was outside the top six in the overall classification, finishing in eighth place overall.
Chaz Davies – P1
“I’m very happy to have finished today in first position but especially for how we worked in both FP1 and FP2. We started this morning with the set up with which we ended the test two weeks ago and the feeling was positive since the first laps. This allowed us to immediately understand which was the right direction to follow. We must continue to work on the tires because we will have different solutions available and we will have to understand which will be the best one in view of the race“.
Scott Redding – P8
“We struggled a bit this morning but since the early laps of FP2, we have been able to make some improvements, step by step, working a lot with used tires. We still have to figure out how to solve some details but we will continue to work with great confidence. The weather conditions? Maybe they will be a bit different tomorrow but it will be the same for all riders. The important thing is that we have made important steps forward on the set up to improve ourselves“.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (GoEleven Ducati) continued his recent impressive form with second overall, less than a tenth away from Davies’ time as the pair made it a Ducati 1-2 after Friday running.
Reigning Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) was third onboard his machine while team-mate Alex Lowes (Kawasaki) had an eventful afternoon session, improving his time from Free Practice 1 to finish seventh in the combined classification for the day despite a crash at Turn 14 with around 10 minutes left to go in the session.
Jonathan Rea – P3
“I felt okay with the bike today because we had a test here a few weeks ago. We understood the base set-up. In the second session we made a big change with the wheelbase of the bike to understand how it is working in these hotter conditions. I think we will go back to what we had this morning and at the test. It seems like tomorrow is going to be a little bit cooler so we can understand the tyres in the morning FP3 session and make a final race plan from there. We have a good idea that our bike will work OK in the cooler conditions, so tomorrow’s target is to make a time attack in Superpole to get a good grid position and then make a solid 18 laps. I feel excited about it because there are a lot of guys in the front, quite close together, so we need to do our homework tonight and come back swinging tomorrow.”
Alex Lowes – P7
“We came here with the set-up we had at the test and I felt quite good on the bike. I had a little problem in the morning session so I did not do my first long run continuously but my lap times were quite good – when you put a full lap together. I stayed on the same tyre because I feel like the race is going to be more like this morning’s cooler temperatures and it looks like it is going to be like that on Saturday. In the afternoon I was fast, really, able to do 1’51 laps for the two longer runs and improve my time. I knew we should be fast because we worked really hard at the recent test here and we found some good stuff for the bike set-up. Then I got a bit excited at the end and fell during the last FP2 run, which was a shame. I had just put on a fresh tyre and went in a bit fast. But the bike is working well, especially in hot conditions, and that is what has come on most since the test.”
Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) was another who had an up and down day; his time in Free Practice 1 good enough for fourth overall but a crash and a technical issue in the morning session hampered the Spanish rider. Bautista did leave the pit lane during Free Practice 2 but did not set a lap time; instead doing out and in laps only.
Alvaro Bautista – P4
“This morning I felt very good on the bike right from the start. It’s true that we have tested here a few times, so we have a lot of references for this layout and a clear direction with the setup, but it is still good to have been able to ride strongly straight away. We just made some little adjustments in order to be consistently fast and then towards the end I suffered a small crash, but with no consequences. After that we had an issue with the engine which we are now checking. Being at a good point with the bike’s setup, this afternoon we wanted to focus on tyre choice but unfortunately some other issues during FP2 prevented us from executing our plan. We now have more time available to work on the bike and so we’ll use tomorrow’s FP3 for our final preparation ahead of Race 1.”
Leon Haslam (Team HRC) was classified in 11th for the day after showing some consistent pace across both sessions.
Leon Haslam – P11
“This morning was disappointing as we were only able to complete three or four fast laps because we had some small problems. But honestly the times came quite easily considering the limited number of laps made. In the afternoon session we were able to match our earlier lap times despite the hotter conditions. We didn’t do everything we had planned but it was good to get some laps under our belt, especially in those warmer conditions. We had a small crash right at the end, but it was nothing major and I’m looking forward to continuing our work tomorrow, in what should be cooler conditions.”
Tom Sykes (BMW) started the weekend with a new contract for 2021 and showed why the BMW outfit has kept him for next year with fifth overall in the standings despite a technical issue in Free Practice 1.
Tom Sykes – P5
“I am very happy and relaxed. We came here knowing already we had lost two days off track time to our competitors from the test, but I have the experience and spun a lot of laps here. Unfortunately, we had a few setbacks today which lost us a lot of time in Free Practice, but the whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team have responded accordingly, we were still able to get through a lot of information for tomorrow. So overall I am happy with the way day 1 finished and I am looking forward to Superpole and Race 1 tomorrow.”
Team-mate Eugene Laverty was down in 16th place, around 1.5 seconds off Davies’ pace after learning that he will lose his seat next year.
Eugene Laverty – P16
“Overall P16 this morning, I was pretty slow as I didn’t go for the fresh tyre in FP1 but the temperatures were hotter which means the tyre didn’t work as well. We did finish in P10 in FP2 which showed some signs of progress. We have been playing a little bit of catch up as the other guys have had a test here last week. Strangely I have been struggling with the feeling in the front, it kept closing a lot in final breaking so the key for tomorrow is to work on that and gain some confidence in that area. Portimao was good step forward for me in qualifying however I was still on that third row, my aim is to get up onto the second row. We have some work to do if we want to get there but being on those two rows gives you a chance to go with the boys at the front come the race.”
Loris Baz (Ten Kate Yamaha) was the fastest Yamaha rider in the field with sixth place overall, less than half a second away from the top time. Baz, who stood on the podium for the first time in six years in WorldSBK at Portimao, beat both factory Yamaha riders Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) and team-mate Toprak Razgatlioglu; the pair classified ninth and tenth respectively.
Michael van der Mark – P9
“We had a good test here but the bike feels a bit different than it did then, so we have worked to tweak the set-up a little bit. I think if you look back at today’s results, the position isn’t really an indication of where we are – our pace is really good and the feeling on the bike is too, so we just have to get everything together. The race pace is solid, so I’m not really worried about that, just some small things to find some extra grip and overall performance – then we are ready.”
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P10
“Today was not a bad start, we tried to find more grip with the bike because it is very important for this track and for the rear tyre life, and we want to fight for the win. Now we are ready with a good set-up and tomorrow morning we will try again to make another step forward. We will see if it is possible to fight for victory in Race 1. It’s not an easy track but I feel we are improving step-by-step.”
Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha) finished just outside the top ten with 12th overall after the two practice sessions, with the American rider showing his potential at points throughout the sessions but unable to break into the top ten. His GRT Yamaha teammate, Federico Caricasulo, was classified in 14th place with Maximilian Scheib (Orelac Kawasaki) separating the two Yamaha riders.
Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti) finished the day in 15th place, the first rider whose lap time was below the 1’52 mark. He was just over a tenth fastest than Marco Melandri (Barni Ducati) in 17th with Roman Ramos (OutDo Kawasaki) finishing 18th on his return to WorldSBK action.
Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance), and Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) were 19th and 20th respectively, just ahead of Christophe Ponsson (Nuova M2 Racing); Ponsson having a crash at Turn 16 during Free Practice 2. MIE Racing Althea Honda Team duo Takumi Takahashi and Lorenzo Gabellini completed the standings after Friday’s running.
WorldSBK Friday Combined Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
C. Davies
Ducati
1m50.543
2
M. Rinaldi
Ducati
+0.058
3
J. Rea
Kawasaki
+0.193
4
A. Bautista
Honda
+0.222
5
T. Sykes
BMW
+0.383
6
L. Baz
Yamaha
+0.436
7
A. Lowes
Kawasaki
+0.458
8
S. Redding
Ducati
+0.488
9
M. Van Der Mark
Yamaha
+0.517
10
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha
+0.554
11
L. Haslam
Honda
+0.648
12
G. Gerloff
Yamaha
+0.861
13
M. Scheib
Kawasaki
+0.907
14
F. Caricasulo
Yamaha
+1.444
15
X. Fores
Kawasaki
+1.470
16
E. Laverty
BMW
+1.485
17
M. Melandri
Ducati
+1.590
18
R. Ramos
Kawasaki
+1.987
19
S. Barrier
Ducati
+2.237
20
L. Mercado
Ducati
+2.452
21
C. Ponsson
Aprilia
+2.742
22
T. Takahashi
Honda
+3.114
23
L. Gabellini
Honda
+4.543
World Supersport
FIM Supersport World Championship action continued on Friday and there was a familiar name at the top of the timesheets as Andrea Locatelli (Bardahl Yamaha) topped the day’s running after two Free Practice sessions. The WorldSSP rookie’s time of 1’54.308, set in Free Practice 2, was enough to top the timesheets.
Locatelli was not the only rider to improve in the second practice session with Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) also making a step forward in terms of lap time as he finished second overall, but almost seven tenths down on Locatelli’s time. The Frenchman will be hoping he can challenge Locatelli in Tissot Superpole and both races as he did in the early stages of racing in Portimao. Cluzel’s teammate, Corentin Perolari, finished the day in tenth place.
Hannes Soomer’s (Kallio Racing) continued to show impressive pace on Friday and finished the day classified in third place; his time of 1’55.149 from Free Practice 1 enough to be third overall. Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) also showed strong pace with fourth overall as the team look to mount a challenge at the top of the field.
Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished the day in fifth place as he was ahead of Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse); the sole MV representative in the top 10 with his time of 1’55.774, the Italian looking to continue his form after picking up his first podium of the season in Portimao. Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) was seventh overall, just ahead of Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in eighth.
Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) finished in ninth after both practice sessions; Hikari Okubo (Dynavolt Honda) ending up just outside the top ten in 11th. Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) finished in 12th overall for the day with Hungarian rider Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) in 13th.
Alejandro Ruiz Carranza (EMPERADOR Racing Team) finished the day in 14th place; as the highest place WorldSSP Challenge rider, finishing just ahead of Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing). Turkish sensation Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) finished in 16th place while Aussie newcomer Lachlan Epis showed signs of improvement and made his way to P19 just ahead of Maria Herrera despite missing almost all of FP2 with more mechanical problems.
WorldSSP Friday Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
A. Locatelli
Yamaha
1m54.308
2
J. Cluzel
Yamaha
+0.679
3
H. Soomer
Yamaha
+0.841
4
I. Viñales
Yamaha
+0.921
5
P. Oettl
Kawasaki
+1.212
6
R. De Rosa
MV Agusta
+1.325
7
M. Gonzalez
Kawasaki
+1.691
8
L. Mahias
Kawasaki
+1.845
9
D. Webb
Yamaha
+2.023
10
C. Perolari
Yamaha
+2.047
11
H. Okubo
Honda
+2.122
12
S. Odendaal
Yamaha
+2.290
13
P. Sebestyen
Yamaha
+2.335
14
A. Ruiz Carranza
Yamaha
+2.421
15
A. Bassani
Yamaha
+2.545
16
C. Öncü
Kawasaki
+2.625
17
S. Valtulini
Kawasaki
+3.116
18
F. Fuligni
MV Agusta
+3.278
19
L. Epis
Yamaha
+3.516
20
M. Herrera
Yamaha
+3.846
21
P. Hobelsberger
Honda
+3.920
22
L. Cresson
Yamaha
+3.976
23
A. Verdoïa
Yamaha
+4.853
24
L. Montella
Yamaha
+5.838
25
G. Hendra Pratama
Yamaha
+14.794
WorldSSP300
As FIM Supersport 300 World Championship action got underway for the Prosecco DOC Aragon Round, it was Hugo de Cancellis (Trasimeno Yamaha) who topped the timesheets at MotorLand Aragon; but with little to separate the top six as the competitive Championship continued to show how unpredictable it is.
De Cancellis’ time of 2’07.623 was set in the morning Free Practice 1 session when track temperatures were lower; the French rider looking to assert his authority early on in the weekend. He was just ahead of Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki) with just 0.012s separating the top two; both de Cancellis and Deroue edging away from Deroue’s MTM Kawasaki teammate Jeffrey Buis; the Dutchman almost two tenths behind his team-mate.
2018 Champion Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec ) finished the day in fourth place, around three tenths off the pace of de Cancellis, with Jerez race winner Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS) in fifth place. It showed how competitive the Championship is with so many riders separated by not a lot and this continued with Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) in sixth place, also three tenths off the fastest time of the day.
Meikon Kawakami (Team Brasil AD 78) was classified in seventh place on combined times, around half a second back from de Cancellis, with Tom Bercot (ProGP Racing), Australia’s Tom Edwards (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) and Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki) rounding out the top ten. There were just six-tenths separating the top ten as everyone looked to show their pace ahead of two races at the Aragon Round.
Oliver König (MOVISIO by Freudenberg Jr Team) was classified in 11th place, ahead of Ton Kawakami (Yamaha MS Racing), Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT), Alfonso Coppola (Kawasaki GP Project) and Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Scuderia Maranga Racing) completing the top 15; the top 15 within a second of the fastest lap of the day.
Tom Bramich placed 41st on combined times on the Carl Cox RT Motorsports Kawasaki in what is a 52-rider field.
There were incidents throughout the afternoon for Matyas Cervenka (Smrz Racing – Willi Race), Gabrielle Mastroluca (GP Project) and Sylvain Markarian (Yamaha MS Racing), with the three classified in 48th, 33rd and 16th respectively.