Despite KTM Group’s boss saying sales were up during the pandemic, the Austrian company has suffered a one-third sales slump as it offers two rare RC16 race bikes for sale.
In the first six months of 2020, sales of KTM Group motorcycles, which also includes Husqvarna and Gas Gas, were down 33% from 135,711 to 90,331.
This is despite several reports that CEO Stefan Pierer said they were not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and had hired more people.
Meanwhile, KTM Motorsports is selling two race-prepared KTM RC16 factory MotoGP bikes from last year’s season.
This is a very rare opportunity.
The only other time we can recall MotoGP bikes being sold was in 2012 when Ducati sold Casey Stoner’s 800cc Desmosedici for about $A455,000 and Valentino Rossi’s bike for $A444,000.
They were sold because the series moved from 800cc to 1 000ccc.
The unspecified 2019 KTM race bikes will come with a Pol Espargaro’s racing leathers and helmet, other merchandise and a VIP MotoGP hospitality weekend in 2021.
KTM is asking about $A475,000 each for the bikes.
If you’ve got that sort of money after raiding your superannuation, send an email to [email protected].
KTM will compile a list of buyers and make a final decision on the lucky buyers.
Video has emerged of a 2m snake attacking a motorcycle rider in Lampang, Thailand, that will send shivers down your spine!
Many riders will have experienced the same sort thing where a snake stands up to attack as you ride past.
This Viral Hog video shows the rider lifting his feet up to avoid being bitten.
Obviously long leather boots would be too hot in Thailand, but they certainly would protect from snake bite.
It is not known what type of snake it is, but there is a wide variety of snakes in Thailand and some of them are not dangerous to humans.
However, they can still inflict a painful bite that can become infected.
The video also includes an incident in India where a cobra was found in a scooter.
Snake tales
We have published several articles, photos and videos of snakes hitching a ride on motorcycles and even one where it hitched in the rider’s helmet without him knowing.
Watch: A red sand boa, a non-venomous snake, slithering under the rear seat of a moving Royal Enfield motorbike at Virar (east). The rider was alerted by another biker who saw the moving snake. pic.twitter.com/hMWf4vcoyp
In Brisbane, a rider reported he once had a tree snake crawl across his handlebars and up his arm.
He didn’t know which end he was grabbing, but he picked it up and threw it off as he rode 100km/h along the M1 without falling off.
He did get a fright, but says he wasn’t too worried as he suspected it was only a tree snake as they climb (like the cat snake) while deadly brown snakes don’t.
Snakes are attracted to the warmth of the engine as well as the dark and warmth of the cavity under the seat.
The reptile usually boards the bike while it is parked somewhere.
We have run over many snakes while riding and none has been flicked up on to the bike.
They also like to climb up into cars as this Gladstone driver recently found.
Spiders are also common unwelcome hitchhikers.
I once rode almost 500km from Bateman’s Bay to Mudgee with a big spider on my jacket which I had stupidly placed on the ground while I drank my coffee.
Never, ever put your helmet or jacket on the ground! Lesson learnt.
On another occasion I had a hornet in my jacket that repeatedly bit me for several kilometres until I could find it and kill it.
Medical advice
If you are bitten by a snake, spider or other venomous creature, obviously seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service has a Fast First Aid booklet with advice for people with no medical training on how to manage first-aid situations. It includes managing a heart attack, snake bites, choking, burns and severe bleeding.
It is free in NSW and ACT only. To receive your copy text ‘NOW’ to 0428 044 444.
There are about 3000 reported snakebites each year resulting in between 200 and 500 requiring anti-venom and an average of one or two fatalities.
Tar snakes … not to be confused with real snakes!
RFDS guide on snake bites
Do try to note the colour, size, distinctive markings and patterns of the snake without putting yourself at risk. A positive identification will help medics get the correct anti-‐venom into the patient more quickly.
Do NOT wash the area of the bite or try to suck out the venom. It is extremely important to retain traces of venom for use with venom identification kits.
Do NOT incise or cut the bite, or apply a high tourniquet. Cutting or incising the bite won’t help. High tourniquets are ineffective and can be fatal if released.
Do stop the spread of venom – bandage firmly, splint and immobilise. All the major medical associations recommend slowing the spread of venom by placing a folded pad over the bite area and then applying a firm bandage. It should not stop blood flow to the limb or congest the veins. Only remove the bandage in a medical facility, as the release of pressure will cause a rapid flow of venom through the bloodstream.
Do NOT allow the victim to walk or move their limbs.
Use a splint or sling to minimise all limb movement. Put the patient on a stretcher or bring transportation to the patient.
Do seek medical help immediately as the venom can cause severe damage to health or even death within a few hours.
Have you ever had a snake, spider or other unwelcome guest on your motorcycle? How did you deal with it? Leave your comments below.
(Contributed article for our North American readers)
People love motorcycles because of their low purchase cost, ease of maintenance, fun and adventure. These machines, though, pose an extra risk to riders. Riders are more susceptible to injury and death due to the lack of protection in the event of an accident.
People involved in motorcycle traffic collisions can sustain long-term injuries such as a damaged spinal cord, fractured or amputated limbs and, in worst cases, death.
Below are some of the statistics you should know about motorcycle collisions.
In Australia, motorcycle registrations account for 4.5% of vehicle registration and 0.9% of total distancecovered by vehicles. The low registration doesn’t correlate with the number of motorcycle accidents. Motorcycle collisions are responsible for 15% of fatalities and an even higher percentage of injuries.
So, despite the low numbers of motorcycles on the roads, the risk factors are high. Riders are also more susceptible to injuries and death than in any other category.
2 Helmet Use and Related Susceptibility Rate
Helmets and other safety gear offer additional protection and safety measures to riders. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the appropriate use of helmets reduces fatal injuries by 42%.Helmets also prevent head injuries by a further 69%.
Data from NHTSA estimates that economic loss amounting to USD$3.5billion was prevented and other related costs amounting to USD$21 billion were saved. These amounts and a further USD$1.5 billion could’ve been saved if every rider wore a helmet.
The total fatalities that were prevented by wearing helmetsamounted to 1,872, and the other 750 could have been saved if they wore helmets.
3 Statistics of Other Causes of Motorcycle Traffic Collision
One significant factor in motorcycle traffic collisions is the age of riders. In 2016, the majority of crashes and fatalities involved riders more than 40 years old. Also, in 2017, a third of the riders involved in road crashes were more than 43 years old.
In a report commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure, the contributing factors of crash fatalities are excessive speeding at 70%, alcohol and drug abuse at 46%, and learner riders at 8%. Sometimes, up to three factors are related to a single crash.
It’s important to note that it’s advisable to seek compensation for injuries resulting from these accidents. Consulting a motorcycle personal injury lawyer can help you investigate the causes, negligence, gather evidence, and negotiate with insurance firms or lobby for fair compensation in courts.
4 Motorcycle Injuries and Injury Rate
There have been oscillations between 2008 and 2018 injury rates in the United States–from a high of 96,000 in 2008 to a low of 89,000 in 2017. Also, there has been an outlier in that curve with 104,000 injuries in 2016 and 81,000 in 2011.
The trend is replicated in different metrics, like injuries per 100,000 vehicles registered, and miles travelled in millions and injury rate per 100m vehicle. The general observation is the general reduction in these trends.
For instance, the injury rate per 100,000 registered motorcycles reduced from 1,238 in 2008 to 1,018 in 2017, with a low of 965 in 2011.
In comparison with other fatality sections such as passengers, drivers and pedestrians, motorcycle-related fatalities have had an upward trend in the past decade. A report prepared by the ministry of infrastructure shows a continued rise from 10% in 1998 to 15% in 2007.
The driver death per billion kilometres travelled indicated that more motorcycle riders died. There were 116.4 rider deaths per billion kilometres compared withy 4.3 driver deaths per kilometre in 1998. In 2003, 116.9 deaths were reported compared with 3.9 driver deaths. By 2007, a 116.9 death rate represented an increase compared with a decrease of driver deaths to 3.9.
These figures indicate motorcycle fatalities haven’t reduced as compared with a 2.0% decrease in driver deaths in the last decade.
The Department of Transportation reports that in 100,000 registered vehicles, 59.34% of accidents related to deaths involved motorcycles, in comparison with 7.52% for light trucks and 10.05% for passenger cars.
Conclusion
Motorcycle traffic collisions are prevalent and more likely to occur than other classes of vehicles, even though motorcycles are fewer on the road. On a positive note, there was a reduced number of injuries in the United States between 2008 and 2017.
Some of the causes of motorcycle injuries include helmets, alcohol abuse, age factor, and excessive speed. World Health Organization (WHO) notes that correct helmet use reduces susceptibility to injuries.
This morning was very good and I felt that it was my chance to go from the very beginning. I did a 1’40.6 from a standing start which was unbelievable. I had a really good rhythm so I was able to cruise the last few laps and really enjoy the race. In race two it was hard because as soon as I got the bike on its side in turn three and accelerated towards four, it was not pushing the tyre in and going forward. I was frustrated with that. We had the same set-up as we had in the Superpole race and the set-up change from yesterday was minimal, so we need to look at the data. This circuit is the one I feared the most, especially in the high temperatures, so it is not a bad outcome. http://jonathan-rea.com/news/rea-wins-spanish-superpole-race Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Ducati’s Scott Redding claimed his second WorldSBK victory and his sixth consecutive podium on Sunday afternoon at Jerez while team-mate Chaz Davies came on strong to follow Redding home for Ducati’s first 1-2 finish since 2012.
Redding and Davies claim Ducati’s first 1-2 since 2012 at Jerez
The opening laps featured battles across the top six, with Redding making an early move to pass polesitter Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) on the second lap at the right-hander of Turn 1, while Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) fought his way up from 10th to run in the top five in the early stages of the race.
Redding checked out at the front of the field to extend his lead to two seconds to Rea before the Northern Irishman got passed by Redding’s Ducati teammate Davies. The Welshman and Razgatlioglu both were able to get by Rea temporarily before an ambitious move by Alex Lowes (Kawasaki) meant Lowes outbraked himself at Turn 6; allowing Rea to move back into third place.
Scott Redding – Image by Graeme Brown
Razgatlioglu eventually got by Rea again and held on to third place while Davies was running in second, behind teammate Redding with the pair able to hold on to take a Ducati one-two. Davies did start closing the gap as the race entered the second half but Redding responded to extend the gap back out to over two seconds, holding on to take his second WorldSBK victory.
Razgatlioglu also held on to claim a podium at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, rebounding from a technical issue in the Tissot Superpole Race, for third place in Race 2; pulling away from Rea and Lowes as they fought with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (GoEleven Ducati).
Toprak Razgatlioglu closed out the final podium position
Rinaldi passed Lowes at Turn 5 before setting his sights on five-time Champion Rea, making a move up the inside of the Turn 13 hairpin on Lap 13 on the brakes; moving into fourth place and securing his joint-best WorldSBK finish – which was claimed at Jerez in 2019.
Lowes and Rea came home in fifth and sixth place respectively ahead of Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) in seventh place, the Dutch rider just over a second behind the reigning World Champion. He had a gap of over four seconds to Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC), the highest placed Honda rider on the grid in eighth place. Marco Melandri’s (Barni Ducati) impressive race pace continued to show as he made up 10 places from 19th on the grid to finish ninth.
Alvaro Bautista was top Honda
American rider Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha) completed the top 10 with Tom Sykes the highest placed BMW rider in 11th place, finishing two seconds behind Gerloff. Leon Haslam (Team HRC) finished in 12th, around 10 seconds off his Honda team-mate.
Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti) finished in 13th place as he completed the 20-lap race just under a second behind Haslam, and also beating Sandro Cortese (OutDo Kawasaki TPR) by almost six seconds. Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado (Motocorsa Kawasaki) picked up the final point available for Race 2, almost pipping Cortese as the pair were separated by two tenths.
Scott Redding leads Jonathan Rea
Loris Baz (Ten Kate Yamaha) had been running in the lead group during the early stages of the race, but he came off his bike at Turn 13 on Lap 6 to take himself out of contention; the Frenchman eventually being classified in 17th place behind Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team).
Christophe Ponsson (Nuova M2 Racing) was not classified following a crash while Takumi Takahashi (MIE Althea Honda) suffered from a crash on Lap 6 at Turn 5. Eugene Laverty (BMW) and Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) were both also not classified in Race 2.
Redding’s Race 2 victory makes it six consecutive wins – Image by Graeme Brown
Scott Redding – P1 – (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #45)
“I’m very excited about this weekend. We had two wins, a pole position and a second place. It’s a great result, and for this, I want to thank the whole Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team for putting me in a position to be competitive. The feeling with the bike was great, and I was able to take a good advantage in the first laps. I am very satisfied”.
Scott Redding celebrates a successful weekend in Jerez – Image by Graeme Brown
Chaz Davies – P2 – (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7)
“I’m very happy to be back on the podium. My goal was to fight for the top three positions in all the races, but unfortunately, I couldn’t do it. I think the start was a key factor in getting this result. I want to thank my team for the great work they have done on the bike since Friday morning. Now we go to Portimao with great enthusiasm and conviction”.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P3 – (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team)
“I had a small crash on the out-lap which was a little bit crazy… but then in the race we had a really good start to be right near the front. 10th to third is really positive and we are happy with the performance of the R1, which allowed me to take a solid amount of points even if we could not quite match the winning pace. I’m looking forward to racing at Portimao next weekend, I know we can go well there, I like the circuit and I believe the Yamaha will too, so hopefully we can have a strong result.”
Michael Rinaldi – P4 – (Team GOELEVEN)
“What a race today! We went very fast on the race pace, I have to thank my team for this; we worked well all weekend! A bit of regret because when there are faster track conditions we cannot be so incisive and we had to start in the fourth row and in the Superpole Race we struggled a bit, too. Today’s race was spectacular, I went fast, I came up from behind and I did some good overtakings; I also fought with Rea, it never happened to me, and it’s a beautiful emotion! Let’s improve a little more in Portimao!”
Michael Rinaldi #21 – Image by Matteo Cavadini
Alex Lowes – P5 – (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
“It has not been an easy weekend for me but in the end we took some points so it was not bad. This weekend was quite difficult because this is the first time for me to ride the Kawasaki in these extreme temperatures. But every race at Jerez I have improved and I am looking forward to Portimao already. In the Superpole race it was good because I started 14th, so to arrive in P7 I had quite a lot of confidence for the final race. I was stronger today but I was bit behind in terms of track time. We will try to improve for next week.”
Jonathan Rea – P6 – (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
“This morning was very good and I felt that it was my chance to go from the very beginning. I did a 1’40.6 from a standing start which was unbelievable. I had a really good rhythm so I was able to cruise the last few laps and really enjoy the race. In race two it was hard because as soon as I got the bike on its side in turn three and accelerated towards four, it was not pushing the tyre in and going forward. I was frustrated with that. We had the same set-up as we had in the Superpole race and the set-up change from yesterday was minimal, so we need to look at the data. This circuit is the one I feared the most, especially in the high temperatures, so it is not a bad outcome.”
Despite a dominant Superpole Race performance, Rea was regulated to sixth in Race 2 – Image by Graeme Brown
Michael van der Mark – P7 – (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team)
“After missing out on the podium in Phillip Island and yesterday, it was good to be back inside the top three for the Superpole Race. I wasn’t really happy with the bike and we tried to sort it out for the second race of the day, but with the conditions being a lot warmer I struggled with the front end, which was not helped by being in a group and the tyre temperature going out of range. We scored some decent points, but now we need to focus on a better result at Portimao. It’s a track I enjoy and I think we’ll be able to challenge at the front.”
Race Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
1
S. Redding
Ducati Panigale V4 R
0.000
2
C. Davies
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+3.082
3
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha YZF R1
+5.472
4
M. Rinaldi
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+8.709
5
A. Lowes
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+10.772
6
J. Rea
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+12.501
7
M. Van Der Mark
Yamaha YZF R1
+13.760
8
A. Bautista
Honda CBR1000RR-R
+17.472
9
M. Melandri
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+19.938
10
G. Gerloff
Yamaha YZF R1
+21.375
11
T. Sykes
BMW S1000 RR
+23.555
12
L. Haslam
Honda CBR1000RR-R
+28.209
13
X. Fores
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+29.128
14
S. Cortese
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+35.062
15
L. Mercado
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+35.269
16
F. Caricasulo
Yamaha YZF R1
+38.450
17
L. Baz
Yamaha YZF R1
+44.444
18
M. Scheib
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+45.370
19
L. Gabellini
Honda CBR1000RR-R
+1m08.007
Not Classified
RET
S. Barrier
Ducati Panigale V4 R
3 Laps
RET
C. Ponsson
Aprilia RSV4 1000
6 Laps
RET
E. Laverty
BMW S1000 RR
9 Laps
RET
T. Takahashi
Honda CBR1000RR-R
14 Laps
Superbike Superpole Race Report
Sunday morning’s 10-lap Tissot Superpole Race was won by five-time Champion Jonathan Rea after the Northern Irishman made a superb start to jump from third on the grid straight to the race lead and lead all 10 laps.
Sunday’s Superpole Race proved Jonathan Rea’s time to shine – Image by Graeme Brown
It was a similar start to Saturday’s Race 1 with polesitter Scott Redding moving down to third at the start, losing out to Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu. The trio separated out at the start and Rea continued to lead throughout the 10-lap race, with Rea taking victory ahead of Redding; Rea’s 90th victory in WorldSBK.
A technical issue for Razgatlioglu as he was battling with Redding meant he did not finish the race; team-mate Michael van der Mark claiming a podium. It means the front row of Race 2 lined up with Rea ahead of Redding and van der Mark.
Jonathan Rea celebrates his Superpole Race win ahead of Redding and Van der Mark – Image by Graeme Brown
Loris Baz was once again the top Independent rider as the Frenchman claimed fourth on the grid for Race 2 ahead of Chaz Davies in fifth and Tom Sykes bouncing back from issues in Race 1 to claim sixth on the grid for Race 2; although he did drop three places from his starting position.
Alex Lowes finished in seventh place with American rider Garrett Gerloff in eighth, the first time an American rider has been on the front three rows of the WorldSBK since Nicky Hayden at Buriram in 2017. Leon Haslam claimed the final points-paying position in the Tissot Superpole Race.
Superbike Superpole Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
1
J. Rea
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
0.000
2
S. Redding
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+0.522
3
M. Van Der Mark
Yamaha YZF R1
+2.701
4
L. Baz
Yamaha YZF R1
+4.804
5
C. Davies
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+6.471
6
T. Sykes
BMW S1000 RR
+8.561
7
A. Lowes
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+11.951
8
G. Gerloff
Yamaha YZF R1
+14.122
9
L. Haslam
Honda CBR1000RR-R
+14.285
10
A. Bautista
Honda CBR1000RR-R
+14.554
11
M. Rinaldi
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+16.337
12
X. Fores
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+17.268
13
E. Laverty
BMW S1000 RR
+17.971
14
S. Cortese
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+18.741
15
M. Scheib
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+18.786
16
F. Caricasulo
Yamaha YZF R1
+19.902
17
L. Mercado
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+20.031
18
M. Melandri
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+25.819
19
C. Ponsson
Aprilia RSV4 1000
+26.219
20
L. Gabellini
Honda CBR1000RR-R
+36.568
21
S. Barrier
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+36.574
22
T. Takahashi
Honda CBR1000RR-R
+36.892
Not Classified
RET
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha YZF R1
4 Laps
WSBK Championship Points
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Scott Redding
98
2
Jonathan Rea
74
3
Alex Lowes
72
4
Toprak Razgatlioglu
66
5
Chaz Davies
57
6
Michael Van Der Mark
47
7
Loris Baz
37
8
Alvaro Bautista
37
9
Michael Ruben Rinaldi
30
10
Leon Haslam
28
11
Tom Sykes
26
12
Marco Melandri
15
13
Garrett Gerloff
15
14
Sandro Cortese
14
15
Xavi Fores
11
16
Maximilian Scheib
10
17
Eugene Laverty
6
18
Christophe Ponsson
4
19
Federico Caricasulo
4
20
Leandro Mercado
1
Supersport Race Two Report
The second race of Supersport World Championship was full of drama both during the race and the warm-up lap as Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) claimed his third victory in WorldSSP and his second of the Pirelli Spanish Round; maintaining his 100% win record since moving to the WorldSSP grid and making history: Locatelli is the first Italian rider to three consecutive WorldSSP races.
Andrea Locatelli – Image by WorldSBK
Italian rookie Locatelli held his lead off the start and pulled away by around six tenths before extending his lead throughout the duration of the shortened race; the race distance reduced from 17 laps to 11 following a bizarre warm-up clash between Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) and Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse); Bassani running into the back of de Rosa on the run to Turn 1. Bassani was unable to take the delayed race start but MV Agusta were able to repair de Rosa’s bike and the Italian joined the race, finishing in fifth.
Locatelli beat Jules Cluzel (GMT94) to claim his third consecutive race victory, with Cluzel having finished second in all three WorldSSP races in 2020 as both Locatelli and Cluzel are showing remarkable consistency in the early stages of the season. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) claimed the final podium spot during the shortened race.
Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished a comfortable fourth place, with a gap of 3.4 seconds to Mahias in third but finishing just shy of two seconds clear of de Rosa; the Italian fighting his way through the field after the warm-up lap crash. He had a battle with Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) for fifth place, the pair separated by just 0.152s.
Isaac Viñales – Image by WorldSBK
Spanish rider Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) was seventh, making up for a disappointing Saturday where he had to start from the back of the grid before a retirement in Race 1 as he finished just three tenths behind Perolari. South African rider Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) and Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) had a drag race to the line with Odendaal just holding on to ninth place by just 0.002s.
Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) completed the top ten with the Spanish rider finishing two seconds clear of Danny Web (WRP Wepol Racing) in eleventh. Turkish sensation Can Öncü, who was the youngest rider to win a World Championship race while competing in Moto3, scored points with twelth place.
Hannes Soomer – Image by WorldSBK
Alejandro Ruiz (EMPERADOR Racing Team), who battled from the back of the grid yesterday, finished thirteenth ahead of Federico Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) with Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) claiming the final point ahead of teammate Galang Hendra Pratama who finished in 16th place.
Australian Lachlan Epis was once again just outside the points, this time in 17th, four-seconds off sixteenth place, and finishing ahead of Cresson and Montella.
Lachlan Epis – Image by Graeme Brown
Dynavolt Honda duo Patrick Hobelsberger and Hikari Okubo both retired from the race with incidents; Okubo being taken to the medial centre following his crash on Lap 3 for a check-up. Bassani did not start the race following the warm-up crash with de Rosa, the only three riders who were not classified in the race.
Andrea Locatelli – P1 – (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)
“We did an incredible job today and I’m really, really happy. The conditions are so difficult, but we can push every time and the work of the team is good. Now we focus on Portimao and I look forward to the round.”
Jules Cluzel – P2 – (GMT94 Yamaha)
“The podium was a target, so job done. To be honest, I struggled because I was not able to follow Andrea or to pass him, but we knew before we came here that we thought it was our worst circuit so it’s good to score 40 points. We now go to Portimao with two podiums. We are not so far away. Between races, we need to improve a little bit and in Portimao, hopefully we can do it there.”
Lucas Mahias – P3 – (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
“For sure it’s a nice result. It’s good. Not the perfect race, I think if maybe I had maybe three or four laps more like a normal race, it’s possible to finish second. I think it’s not the time to crash in the last corner on the last lap, and I keep third position. It’s nice for the team and for me in the Championship.”
Supersport Race Two Results
Pos
No. Rider
Bike
Gap
1
A. Locatelli
Yamaha YZF R6
0.000
2
16 J. Cluzel
Yamaha YZF R6
+1.867
3
44 L. Mahias
Kawasaki ZX-6R
+2.146
4
P. Oettl
Kawasaki ZX-6R
+5.553
5
R. De Rosa
MV Agusta F3
+7.190
6
C. Perolari
Yamaha YZF R6
+7.342
7
I. Viñales
Yamaha YZF R6
+7.705
8
S. Odendaal
Yamaha YZF R6
+8.676
9
H. Soomer
Yamaha YZF R6
+8.678
10
M. Gonzalez
Kawasaki ZX-6R
+11.356
11
D. Webb
Yamaha YZF R6
+14.031
12
C. Öncü
Kawasaki ZX-6R
+14.326
13
A. Ruiz Carranza
Yamaha YZF R6
+17.715
14
F. Fuligni
MV Agusta F3 675
+23.282
15
A. Verdoïa
Yamaha YZF R6
+26.368
16
G. Hendra Pratama
Yamaha YZF R6
+29.415
17
L. Epis
Yamaha YZF R6
+33.596
18
L. Cresson
Yamaha YZF R6
+37.772
19
L. Montella
Yamaha YZF R6
+44.709
Not Classified
RET
H. Okubo
Honda CBR600RR
9 Laps
RET
P. Hobelsberger
Honda CBR600RR
10 Laps
RET
A. Bassani
Yamaha YZF R6
Supersport Championship Points
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Andrea Locatelli
75
2
Jules Cluzel
60
3
Lucas Mahias
42
4
Corentin Perolari
35
5
Philipp Oettl
29
6
Steven Odendaal
28
7
Hannes Soomer
24
8
Manuel Gonzalez
23
9
Raffaele De Rosa
22
10
Can Alexander Öncü
18
11
Isaac Viñales
17
12
Danny Webb
15
13
Alejandro Ruiz Carranza
8
14
Patrick Hobelsberger
5
15
Federico Fuligni
5
16
Peter Sebestyen
4
17
Andy Verdoïa
4
18
Loris Cresson
3
19
Jaimie Van Sikkelerus
2
20
Luigi Montella
1
WorldSSP 300 Race Two Report
Competitive track action at the Pirelli Spanish Round continued with the FIM Supersport 300 Championship as the class continued to deliver typically thrilling and chaotic racing with an 11-strong lead group during the early part of the race doing their best to all claim victory at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto.
Bahattin Sofuoglu – Image by WorldSBK
Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300 claimed victory after a battle at the front in of the field containing 36 riders, moving to the front of the field before a battle with Hugo de Cancellis (Team TRASIMENO) on the last lap with Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) also fighting for victory; making up seven tenths of a second on the final lap. De Cancellis was penalised with a five-second time penalty, promoting Carrasco to second place with Sofuoglu, the nephew of WorldSSP legend Kenan Sofuoglu, claiming his first victory.
With Carrasco second and de Cancellis penalised, Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) claimed third position for his second podium at Jerez; moving into the Championship leader after his first weekend in WorldSSP300. Booth-Amos started the race in 15th, moving up 12 places throughout the race.
Ana Carrasco – Image by WorldSBK
Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) claimed fourth place in the thrilling race, finishing a second behind Booth-Amos, but finishing just ahead of Meikon Kawakami (Team Brasil AD 78); a tenth between the pair. Kawakami had started from pole position but lost the lead early on but was unable to fight for the victory when the front four of Sofuoglu, Carrasco and de Cancellis broke away. Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) finished in sixth place with just two tenths between Deroue, Kawakami and Orradre.
Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) finished in seventh place after a tight battle with Ukrainian rider Nick Kalinin (Battley-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) and Thomas Brianti (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300), another group of riders separated by the smallest of margins. De Cancellis was classified in 10th place following his five-second penalty, having been in second place across the line.
Scott Deroue – Image by WorldSBK
Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) finished in 11th place, seven tenths behind de Cancellis and more than three seconds behind Brianti, who was the next rider ahead of him on track. There were three tenths separating Ton Kawakami (Yamaha MS Racing)and Sabatucci as they crossed the line.
Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) was also penalised with a five-second time penalty during the race which demoted him from a top-five battle to 13th place with Filippo Rovelli (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) and Alvaro Diaz (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) rounding out the points in the exciting race.
Meikon Kawakami – Image by WorldSBK
Tom Edwards bounced back from his DNF on Saturday to cross the line 11-seconds behind the race winner but such is the intensity of WorldSSP 300 competition that was only good enough for 25th place. Countryman Tom Bramich did not earn a spot on the start grid after the young Victorian was taken out in Saturday’s Last Chance Race that cost him his chance to make the Main.
Christian Stange (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) had an off in the early stages of the race which dropped him down to the back of the field and was eventually classified in 31st place. Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) had a crash which took him out of contention for the race victory while Oliver König (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) also had an off before retiring from the race. Other retirements included Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) and Alejandro Carrion (Smrz Racing – Willi Race).
WorldSSP 300 Race Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Class
Gap
1
B. Sofuoglu
Yamaha YZF-R3
B
0.000
2
A. Carrasco
Kawasaki Ninja 400
B
+0.161
3
T. Booth Amos
Kawasaki Ninja 400
B
+0.511
4
S. Deroue
Kawasaki Ninja 400
B
+1.598
5
M. Kawakami
Yamaha YZF-R3
B
+1.627
6
U. Orradre
Yamaha YZF-R3
A
+1.76
7
B. Ieraci
Kawasaki Ninja 400
A
+2.172
8
N. Kalinin
Kawasaki Ninja 400
A
+2.395
9
T.Brianti
Kawasaki Ninja 400
B
+2.401
10
H. De Cancellis
Yamaha YZF-R3
B
+5.03
11
K. Sabatucci
Kawasaki Ninja 400
B
+5.77
12
T.Kawakami
Yamaha YZF-R3
B
+6.095
13
J.Buis
Kawasaki Ninja 400
A
+6.707
14
F.Rovelli
Kawasaki Ninja 400
A
+7.449
15
A. Diaz
Yamaha YZF-R3
A
+7.477
16
K. Meuffels
Kawasaki Ninja 400
A
+7.808
17
25 A. Kroh
Yamaha YZF-R3
A
+7.815
18
I.Iglesias
Kawasaki Ninja 400
B
+7.927
19
S. Di Sora
Kawasaki Ninja 400
A
+8.62
20
G Van Straalen
Yamaha YZF-R3
A
+9.182
21
A. Coppola
Kawasaki Ninja 400
B
+9.297
22
J.Jahnig
KTM RC 390 R
A
+9.383
23
E. De La Vega
Yamaha YZF-R3
B
+10.927
24
G. Mastroluca
Kawasaki Ninja 400
B
+11.013
25
T.Edwards
Kawasaki Ninja 400
B
+11.463
26
F.Macan
Yamaha YZF-R3
A
+11.555
27
P.Grassia
Yamaha YZF-R3
A
+11.838
28
J.Gimbert
Kawasaki Ninja 400
A
+18.391
29
T.Bercot
Yamaha YZF-R3
B
+18.408
30
K. Aloisi
Yamaha YZF-R3
A
+23.79
31
C. Stange
KTM RC 390 R
A
+37.987
Not Classified
Ret
Y.Okaya
Kawasaki Ninja 400
B
2 Laps
Ret
M. Perez
Kawasaki Ninja 400
A
2 Laps
Ret
S. Markarian
Yamaha YZF-R3
B
4 Laps
Ret
O. König
KTM RC 390 R
B
5 Laps
Ret
A. Carrion
Kawasaki Ninja 400
A
WorldSSP 300 Championship Points
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Tom Booth-Amos
36
2
Bahattin Sofuoglu
35
3
Unai Orradre
35
4
Ana Carrasco
29
5
Scott Deroue
29
6
Thomas Brianti
18
7
Nick Kalinin
14
8
Yuta Okaya
13
9
Kevin Sabatucci
13
10
Meikon Kawakami
11
11
Bruno Ieraci
9
12
Ton Kawakami
9
13
Alvaro Diaz
8
14
Hugo De Cancellis
6
15
Samuel Di Sora
4
16
Jeffrey Buis
3
17
Kim Aloisi
3
18
Filippo Rovelli
2
19
Alejandro Carrion
2
20
Koen Meuffels
1
2020 WorldSBK calendar
March 1 – Phillip Island, Australia
August 2 – Jerez, Spain (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300)
August 9 – Portimao, Portugal (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300)
August 30 – Aragon, Spain (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300)
September 6 – Aragon, Spain (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300)
September 20 – Catalunya, Spain (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300)
October 4 – Magny-Cours, France (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300)
October 11 – Circuito San Juan Villicum, Argentina (TBC) (WSBK-WSSP)
Honda has doubled down on electric minibikes with a patent filing for their long-promised electric Super Cub and a trademark application for an electric Motocompacto.
The former has been around since Honda trotted out a prototype at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.
Electric minibikes
Honda said the EV-CUB electric scooter would be available from 2018, but that date has now long gone.
However, Honda has had a growing romance with the idea of electric power and especially electric minibikes.
In 2017, Honda signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hitachi to develop electric motors.
The following year, Honda said its self-balancing bike would also come in an electric version.
Reigning Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) made a good start from the front row to take the lead from polesitter Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) while Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) was also able to jump from fifth to move into second; pushing Redding down into third place.
Rea leads early on
Redding had to fight his way past Toprak Razgatlioglu on Lap 11 to move back into second place, passing Turkish rider into Turn 6 to move into second place before instantly starting to apply the pressure to Rea.
Redding had to fight his way past Toprak Razgatlioglu on Lap 11
It took just three more laps before Redding would make the move for the lead.
Redding leads from Rea
The race winning move came on Lap 14 out of 20 when Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) passed Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) down into Turn 6; using the power of his Ducati to get alongside before forcing the five-time WorldSBK Champion wide to claim the race lead and his first victory since moving to WorldSBK.
Rea came home in second place ahead of Razgatlioglu, who had to fend off a last-lap charge from Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) to hold on to third place. Davies tried to make moves at the right-hander of Turn 1 and around the outside of the Turn 6 hairpin, but he ran wide; Razgatlioglu holding on to take third place with Davies in fourth.
Toprak Razgatlioglu
Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was the top Independent rider in the race with fifth place, running in the lead quartet for the majority of the race before a late charge from Davies moved him down to fifth place. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) continued his impressive weekend with a sixth-place finish from a 10th place start.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi
Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) finished in seventh place, four seconds away from Rinaldi and almost in a race of his own in the latter stages as he finished eight seconds clear of eighth-placed Marco Melandri (Barni Racing); the Italian finishing an impressive eighth place after making up 11 places throughout the race. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who led the Championship coming into the race, finished in ninth after being passed by Melandri in the latter stages.
Marco Melandri
Bautista’s HRC team-mate, Leon Haslam, was 10th ahead of Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) and Christophe Ponsson (Nuova M2 Racing) scoring points on his return to the Championship as the privateer team brought Aprilia back to the Championship as part of a wildcard plan.
The WorldSBK leading pack early on in the race
Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished in 13th place with Sandro Cortese (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) and Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rounding out the points-paying positions. Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance), debutant Lorenzo Gabellini (MIE Racing Althea Honda Team) and team-mate Takumi Takahashi were the last classified runners.
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was running in the leading group but suffered a technical issue as he approached Turn 1 in the early stages of the race, ruling him out of contention in the early stages of the race. He was able to take the bike back to the pit lane despite the issue. Sykes was able to re-join the race on Lap 12; the issue not proving to be terminal.
Sykes’ issue was not the only issue during the race as Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) retired from the race on Lap 8, lots of smoke coming out the back of his bike forcing him to retire from Race 1 as he was running in the top 10. Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) suffered a high speed crash at Turn 4 but was able to ride the bike back to the pit lane, although it ended his race, while Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) also suffered a crash at Turn 6.
Scott Redding – P1
“It’s a great day for me: pole position and victory, couldn’t have done better. The race was very hard because of the temperature. In some moments I suffered a lot. I would like to thank the team for providing me with a bike that has worked very well. When did I start to suffer? Since I entered the pit lane. These are extreme conditions and tomorrow it will be even more difficult. But this is a problem all riders have to deal with.”
#ESPWorldSBK at Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto – Race 1. Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +1.147 Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) +2.252
Jonathan Rea – P2
“That is probably the best performance we have done in Jerez for a number of years now. We have got to be really happy with our effort but I am a little bit disappointed that I had nothing left at the end for Scott. I had a few front slides in turn two and it was enough just to knock my confidence a little bit to start thinking to bring it home. We are not loading the front enough so we have some areas to improve for tomorrow. The good thing is that the rear tyre was working really well all race and had a lot of traction. This is not the strongest circuit for us but I was right there in the mix until the last few laps.”
Jonathan Rea
Toprak Razgatlioglu – P3
“Today was very tough for all the riders, it was incredibly hot. I was fighting for the win, but it was just out of reach because in the closing stages the bike began to slide a lot. I tried my best and finishing third means we can take good points for the championship. I was fighting with Chaz Davies in the closing stages, but I managed to hold him off with some defensive riding. After practice I wasn’t completely happy, but it’s good to know that we can fight for wins even after a difficult Friday, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu
Chaz Davies – P4
“Unfortunately the start wasn’t the best and it compromised the possibility of fighting for the podium from the very first laps. During the race, however, the pace was good and allowed me to recover many positions. Satisfied? I would be if I raised a trophy. We have to work tomorrow morning to try and work out some small details that will allow me to be more incisive“.
Chaz Davies
Loris Baz – P5
“Not quite a podium yet, but I’m still happy. We have to take the most points we can without making mistakes, and fighting with factory guys is always good. The qualifying was OK, I felt there was a bit more left but it still wasn’t a bad position. In the race, I struggled at the beginning, it took me three laps or so to be on the pace. The bike was sliding a lot and I had to stop using the rear brake, which is unusual for me. Then I started to come back towards the front three, but I couldn’t find a way to pass. In the slipstream the tyres overheated quite a lot and I dropped to fifth, but overall I’m happy with the job we’ve done today.”
Loris Baz
Alvaro Bautista – P7
“I was hoping for better feeling during the race, similar to what I had during the practices. I’m not thinking to the race result here, I’m referring to my feeling with the bike because we’d worked well until this point of the weekend. My Superpole lap time was not so bad even though I didn’t exploit my qualifying tyre to its full potential. So we expected more from this race. Instead we struggled with front feeling and the bike’s turning, something that we had partially solved in the test in Aragon but that here, with higher temperatures and such a slippery track due to the extreme conditions, prevented us from pushing as we wanted during the race. So even though I’m not happy with the feeling I had today on the bike, on another hand I’m happy that we are very clear on where we need to work and the problem we have to solve.”
Bautista showed bursts of speed
Alex Lowes – P9
“I tucked the front in the first lap of Superpole, which was a shame, as it put pressure on for the one lap on the qualifying tyre. In the race I struggled a lot more than I expected. The SC2 front tyre worked really well for me on Friday afternoon and I did a lot of laps on it, but today it did not seem to work as well. I think I need a bit more experience of the Kawasaki in hot conditions to get the most out of it. It is easy to forget that this is my second proper ride on it. When you go around Jerez in the winter and the weather is cool you just ride around, can do loads of laps, and everything feels good. The you come here in these temperatures and everything feels a bit different. I had to just manage the race the best I could and we will try to improve a bit for tomorrow.”
Alex Lowes
Leon Haslam – P10
“It felt like a very long race to be honest. We suffered a similar problem to Australia, which began in the opening laps and gradually got worse throughout the race. I struggled to manage the front and the grip and essentially went backwards. So we need to make a new plan for tomorrow, hopefully rectifying some of these problems. I think our pace through the opening laps can see us up with the top five so I’m confident we can take a step forward tomorrow.”
Leon Haslam
Superbike Race One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
1
S. Redding
Ducati
0.000
2
J. Rea
Kawasaki
+1.147
3
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha
+2.252
4
C. Davies
Ducati
+2.699
5
L. Baz
Yamaha
+3.301
6
M. Rinaldi
Ducati
+6.367
7
A.Bautista
Honda
+10.228
8
M. Melandri
Ducati
+18.713
9
A. Lowes
Kawasaki
+20.421
10
L. Haslam
Honda
+24.361
11
G. Gerloff
Yamaha
+26.610
12
C. Ponsson
Aprilia
+34.651
13
X. Fores
Kawasaki
+34.709
14
S. Cortese
Kawasaki
+38.138
15
E. Laverty
BMW
+38.365
16
S. Barrier
Ducati
+49.601
17
L. Gabellini
Honda
+52.357
18
T. Takahashi
Honda
+53.802
WSBK Championship Points
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Scott Redding
64
2
Alex Lowes
58
3
Jonathan Rea
52
4
Toprak Razgatlioglu
50
5
Chaz Davies
32
6
Michael Van Der Mark
31
7
Loris Baz
31
8
Alvaro Bautista
29
9
Leon Haslam
23
10
Michael Ruben Rinaldi
17
11
Tom Sykes
17
12
Sandro Cortese
12
13
Maximilian Scheib
10
14
Marco Melandri
8
15
Xavi Fores
8
16
Garrett Gerloff
7
17
Eugene Laverty
6
18
Christophe Ponsson
4
19
Federico Caricasulo
4
Supersport Race One Report
With track temperatures hitting and exceeding 60°c during the FIM Supersport World Championship Race 1, the opening WorldSSP race from the Pirelli Spanish took place in sweltering conditions but that did not stop Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) taking victory despite an early-race battle with Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha).
P1 Andrea Locatelli
Locatelli held the lead off the line but French rider Cluzel made the move to take the lead on the opening lap of the race. He was able to hold the lead until lap five when Locatelli was able to make a move back to take the lead and promptly extended his lead to Cluzel to take the Italian rider out of range; eventually finishing the race three seconds clear of Cluzel.
Soomer
Cluzel finished a comfortable second, with a margin of almost five seconds, despite the lead group of three to break away along with Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing); Cluzel able to finish X seconds clear of German rider Oettl. Oettl also had a comfortable run to the podium on his Kawasaki ZX-6R, the top Kawasaki rider in Race 1 with both Locatelli and Cluzel both riding Yamaha YZF R6 machines.
Perolari
Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) claimed a hard-fought fourth place ahead of Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in Race 1; the pair fighting on the last lap with Mahias making a move through the fast right-handers towards the end of the lap to secure fourth place. De Rosa had been closing in on Mahias throughout the latter stages and passed him at Turn 6, the pair getting their elbows out as they made their way through the corner.
Locatelli leading earlier on
Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) finished in sixth place as he held off a challenge from Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha). The pair were separated by just three tenths of a second as they crossed the line with 2019 WorldSSP300 Champion Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) finishing in eighth. Spaniard Gonzalez had to fight off Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) and Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) who rounded out the top 10; the trio separated by seven tenths as they crossed the line.
Andrea Locatelli takes the win
Alejandro Ruiz (EMPERADOR Racing Team) finished an impressive 11th place after starting at the back of the grid following a penalty for incorrect tyre pressures; making up a number of positions throughout the 17-lap race to secure a points finish. Ruiz, the highest-placed finisher in the WorldSSP Challenge, finished two-and-a-half seconds clear of Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) in 12th.
Can Oncu
Federico Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) finished in 13th place, three seconds behind Webb but a comfortable nine seconds clear of Belgian rider Loris Cresson (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth). Cresson was 16 seconds clear of WorldSSP Challenge competitor Luigi Montella (DK MOTORSPORT), who claimed the final point to be awarded in the race with 15th.
Locatelli leading early on in the race
Australian newcomer Lachlan Epis as stand-in rider for the MPM Routz Racing Team was the last finisher home in 16th place, just missing out on a World Championship point after struggling with a lack of set-up time to make the tyres last in the hot conditions.
Lachlan Epis – GeeBee Image
Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) was running strongly in the points during his race but the WorldSSP Challenge competitor had a crash late in the race; the Italian taken to the medical centre for checks following the incident but was declared fit after the check-up. Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) and Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) had an incident at Turn 4 which meant Hungarian rider Sebestyen retired from the race and was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the incident; later being declared unfit due to concussion. Verdoïa was able to continue in the race but later had an issue which meant he temporarily stopped on track.
Other retirements in the race included Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing), Hikari Okubo (Dynavolt Honda), Patrick Hobelsberger (Dynavolt Honda) and Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing); the Spanish rider starting from the back of the grid following a stewards’ decision for incorrect tyre pressures.
P1 Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)
“It’s a fantastic day today, we did a good job, but the conditions are very crazy. It’s so hot and so difficult to push on the bike but we need to understand to take a bit more confidence in these conditions because it’s important for tomorrow and the second race. I think we did a really good job today and this is important for the Championship and also for me.”
#ESPWorldSBK WorldSSP at Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto – Race 1 Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) +3.052 Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +7.766
P2 Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha)
“I’m happy. It was the target after practice and qualifying. We knew we could not really follow the rider of the BARDAHL but I gave my best to be second. I tried my best, for sure, to be first but today was too difficult, too much risk. With the hot conditions I was sliding the front, sliding the rear. Actually, I’m happy, I’m proud because I trained hard for these hot conditions. I knew more or less the feeling and I tried to improve the bike in these conditions. It worked today so second is a good result. We still have a race tomorrow so we have to improve a little bit tomorrow and maybe I can fight with him.”
P3 Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
“I am very happy with my first WorldSSP podium. Manuel Puccetti gave me the opportunity to ride in this team and after one and a half difficult years before then it was a good sign that I can still ride a bike. At the first round in Phillip Island I had a good feeling with the bike and I thought I could be on the podium, but I threw it away. I thought today I could stay calm. I had a good start and immediately we were in front and the gap was already there. I said to myself to keep calm and do not throw it way again. The front was difficult in the race as we had 62°C on the asphalt. The heat was terrible but I am happy.”
Supersport Race One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
1
A. Locatelli
Yamaha
0.000
2
J. Cluzel
Yamaha
+3.052
3
p. Oettl
Yamaha
+7.766
4
L. Mahias
Yamaha
+10.908
5
R. De Rosa
MV Agusta
+11.979
6
S. Odendaal
Yamaha
+17.464
7
C. Perolari
Yamaha
+17.738
8
M. Gonzalez
Kawasaki
+23.083
9
C. Öncü
Kawasaki
+23.419
10
H. Soomer
Yamaha
+23.736
11
A. Ruiz Carranza
Yamaha
+28.948
12
D. Webb
Yamaha
+31.363
13
F. Fuligni
MV Agusta
+34.001
1+4
L. Cresson
Yamaha
+43.027
15
L. Montella
Yamaha
+59.311
16
L. Epis
Yamaha
+1m07.891
Not Classified
RET
A. Bassani
Yamaha
2 Laps
RET
A. Verdoïa
Yamaha
4 Laps
RET
P. Hobelsberger
Honda
5 Laps
RET
H. Okubo
Honda
6 Laps
RET
I. Viñales
Yamaha
11 Laps
RET
P. Sebestyen
Yamaha
12 Laps
RET
G. Hendra Pratama
Yamaha
15 Laps
Supersport Championship Points
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Andrea Locatelli
50
2
Jules Cluzel
40
3
Lucas Mahias
26
4
Corentin Perolari
25
5
Steven Odendaal
20
6
Hannes Soomer
17
7
Manuel Gonzalez
17
8
Philipp Oettl
16
9
Can Alexander Öncü
14
10
Raffaele De Rosa
11
11
Danny Webb
10
12
Isaac Viñales
8
13
Alejandro Ruiz Carranza
5
14
Patrick Hobelsberger
5
15
Peter Sebestyen
4
16
Federico Fuligni
3
17
Andy Verdoïa
3
18
Loris Cresson
3
19
Jaimie Van Sikkelerus
2
20
Luigi Montella
1
WorldSSP 300 Race One Report
Thrilling racing and scorching temperatures greeted FIM Supersport 300 World Championship riders for the start of the 2020 WorldSSP season at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, with the delayed season getting underway with a chaotic race, with Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) breaking away from the lead group at around half distance before going on to take victory.
Orradare leads
Orradre took advantage of Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) running wide on Lap 5 to move into the lead before pulling out around half a second to break the slipstream effect, enabling the Spanish rider to control the race without pressure from the chasing pack. Until Carrasco ran wide, there had been a lead group of nine riders.
Ana Carrasco
The battle for second went down to the last corner of the last lap between Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT), Carrasco, Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) and Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT), Thomas Brianti (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) and Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WSSP300).
Nick Kalinin
Carrasco was second heading into the final corner after an aggressive move on Deroue on the final lap but the 2018 Champion ran wide at the final corner; moving her down to seventh place. Booth-Amos took advantage of this to move into second place while Deroue finished third, Okaya fourth and Brianti fifth; just 0.058s separating the trio at the line. Booth-Amos had a Margin of 0.087s ahead of Deroue.
WorldSSP 300
Behind Carrasco in seventh, Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) finished in eighth place around four seasons behind Carrasco but in a tight battle with Alvaro Diaz (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WSSP300) with the pair separated by 0.002s at the line. Sabatucci and Diaz were part of a second group of riders behind the leaders which also featured Nick Kalinin (Battley-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) and Ton Kawakami (Yamaha MS Racing); the pair finishing tenth and 11th respectively. The top 11 were separated by just 7.836s after the 10-lap race.
Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing)
Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) was 12th after making his way through the Last Chance Race to claim a point-scoring finish, finishing two tenths clear of Kim Aloisi (ProGP Racing). Alejandro Carrion (Smrz Racing – Willi Race) finished in 14th place with Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) claiming the final point. Like Di Sora, he had to fight his way through the Last Chance Race to make it onto the grid.
There was an incident involving Johan Gimbert (GP Project) and Hugo De Cancellis (Team TRASIMENO) in the race with a battle on track, with both riders retiring from the race following the crash after completing one lap. De Cancellis had been at the back of the grid following a penalty for a tyre pressure infringement and had made his way into 24th position before the incident. Other retirements include Tom Bercot (ProGP Racing) on the opening lap, Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) who had came off his bike of his own accord.
Tom Edwards had fought to earn his spot in the main WorldSSP300 race but ultimately failed to finish – GeeBee Image
Australian Tom Edwards (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) also failed to finish while countryman Tom Bramich did not make the WorldSSP300 Main after going out of the earlier Last Chance Race.
Tom Bramich did not make the WorldSSP300 Main after going out of the earlier Last Chance Race – GeeBee Image
P1 Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing)
“To take my first world championship win here today is an incredible feeling and I’m very happy. In the first part of the race I stayed in the lead group, but just after the halfway point I decided to try to go alone and I managed to pull a bit of a gap at the front. From then it was just a case of trying to maintain the advantage, but I actually managed to extend the gap over the final laps. To win today was amazing, but now we need to focus on Race 2 tomorrow, where I hope we can be in the lead group again and in a position to fight for another victory. Thank you to both the MS Racing Team and Yamaha for their incredible support.”
#ESPWorldSBK WorldSSP 300 at Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto – Race 1 Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) +2.341 Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) +2.428
P2 Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki)
“Obviously it’s nice to be on the podium but I had the pace to win today. Unfortunately in qualifying I was on my fast lap and the red flag came out, so I started 15th today. I made some mistakes but it was my first Supersport 300 race coming from GP. I made some mistakes, dropped back to 17th then pushed my way forwards and finally it worked. I think tomorrow we can get a better start and push for the win.”
P3 Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT)
“I had a good start from 13th position and my first lap was good too, then I was just looking at what was my pace, what was the pace of the others and it wasn’t too bad. But my bike was getting really hot and in the end, I was thinking “okay, I go first” but I didn’t have the pace to be first to be honest. Then Unai overtook me, I made a mistake, Unai had a gap and I made another mistake and then there was a gap. Second was the ideal to finish. On the last lap, Ana overtook me on the straight and the next corner she touched me, then we came together at the last corner. I took the inside; she went for the inside too and we touched again so I outbraked myself and finished third. I’m happy with that but I was hoping for second.”
This image from the Chinese Patent Office shows a Qianjiang QJ350 motorcycle with a parallel twin engine stamped with the words “Harley-Davidson Motor Company”.
Harley Revolution Max platform includes Pan America and Bronx Streetfighter
Significantly, there was no mention of this HD350 project with Chinese manufacturer Qianjiang Motorcycles.
The photos clearly show the bike is badged Qianjiang and that it bears littler resemblance to the previously issued images of the HD350 project bike in traditional Harley orange and black.
QJ350
HD350
Since it has missed the June deadline and now comes in a non-Harley look, perhaps the bike will not go aead.
Cold War
The D350 was supposed to be for Asian markets only as an entry bike to get people hooked on the Harley brand.
But with the heightening “cold war” between America and China, maybe Harley has decided to scale back its controversial collaboration.
Maybe China is one market from which they are even considering withdrawing.
It may be a huge market, but the company has had significant difficulty making its mark because its bikes are too big and are even banned in some jurisdictions.
I’ve had several conversations over the years with Harley executives who have expressed frustration dealing with China and the varied restrictions.
So perhaps the only Harley feature will be an engine in Qianjiang models as well as Benelli which the Chinese company also owns and builds.
Harley replies
I asked Harley-Davidson Australia and HQ in Milwaukee for clarification on the Chinese collaboration, which markets they would withdraw from and which “planned models” would be axed.
Harley Australia said:
I have passed on to the US and will share the response (if they don’t come back to you directly).
A senior marketing manager in Milwaukee said:
I was told you should work in country to get the best answers to these questions.
That is probably the best performance we have done in Jerez for a number of years now. We have got to be really happy with our effort but I am a little bit disappointed that I had nothing left at the end for Scott. I had a few front slides in turn two and it was enough just to knock my confidence a little bit to start thinking to bring it home. We are not loading the front enough so we have some areas to improve for tomorrow. The good thing is that the rear tyre was working really well all race and had a lot of traction. This is not the strongest circuit for us but I was right there in the mix until the last few laps. http://jonathan-rea.com/news/rea-second-hot-conditions
Kawasaki Racing Team rider Jonathan Rea led most of the 20-laps of the first race at Jerez and finished in second place by just over a se Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Bringing you the Best Motorcycle News from Around the Web!
