2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship Round 8 – New Jersey Motorsports Park
Images by Brian J. Nelson
Jake Gagne wrapped up the MotoAmerica Superbike championship at New Jersey Motorsports Park, winning three from three races, despite only needing two additional points after his first race win. The victories see him finish the round on 400-points, with Scholtz a comfortable second on 292, while Petersen is third overall.
Gagne winning his 16th race of the season matches the record held jointly by Josh Hayes and Cameron Beaubier for Superbike wins in a single season, while also tying three-time 500cc World Champion Wayne Rainey’s mark for career victories.
Sean Dylan Kelly also brought home the Supersport title, winning Race 1 by the smallest of margins, 0.001s, while Sam Lochoff took the Race 2 win. The result saw Dylan Kelly 70-points ahead of his next nearest rival, Escalante, with Lochoff third.
Jake Lewis won the single Stock 1000 race run, while Corey Ventura and Tommaso Marcon shared the Twin wins, with Kaleb De Keyrel bringing home the title in the Aprilia dominated class. Tyler Scott won both Junior races by a large margin, extending his lead over injured Gloddy.
Honos Superbike Race 1
In HONOS Superbike race one on Saturday afternoon, Gagne and his Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha again made a mockery of the rest of the field as he led all 20 laps in winning his 14th straight race by 7.6 seconds. After 15 races, Gagne leads the championship point standings by a whopping 98 points, needing just two points to claim the title.
Only a brave man would bet against Gagne winning his 15th and 16th straight races tomorrow and the Californian doesn’t seem to be willing to let someone else win. Second place on Saturday went to Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, the South African taking the runner-up spot for the fifth time on the season as he solidifies his stranglehold on second in the championship.
Toni Elias had his third outing on the Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha and he put it on the podium for the second time, the Spaniard ending up third, some four seconds adrift of Scholtz and just .132 of a second ahead of M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Loris Baz finished fifth and some 10 seconds behind Fong after topping the third Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha ridden by the returning Josh Herrin by just .051 of a second.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen was seventh, well clear of One Cure Ducati’s Kyle Wyman who was less than a second ahead of Superbike Cup winner Jake Lewis and his Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000. FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ Bradley Ward rounded out the top 10.
Honos Superbike Races 2 & 3
Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s Gagne won both HONOS Superbike races at NJMP on Sunday after winning the lone race on Saturday in MotoAmerica’s Superbike tripleheader. The two wins were his 15th and 16th on the season (those are also his career win marks in the class) and the first victory on Sunday morning is the one that earned him the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike crown.
Jake Gagne
“Even on the bad years, I’m racing motorcycles. It’s what I love to do. It’s fun. It’s sure a lot more fun when we’ve got a winning motorcycle, a winning team, and we can manage to get some wins. It’s been an incredible year. I wouldn’t have thought going in that we would be 15 wins deep. It’s pretty surreal. Again, hats off to this team because the guys are working so hard, and the bike has been super, super dialed in. We keep trying to go faster. These guys are always chasing us down and we’ve got no choice but to keep trying to go. But it’s amazing. We got another race today, so it hasn’t quite set in yet. We’ve got some work to do this afternoon because I know it’s not going to be easy, so we’ll roll on to race two.”
As he has done all year long, Gagne dominated and again led every single lap of both races en route to the two wins. Gagne has now led 273 consecutive laps in the 2021 season.
The two Superbike podiums on Sunday were identical with Gagne leading Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz and Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s Josh Herrin in both.
For Scholtz it was a solid day as he managed to keep Gagne in sight in both races, finishing 9.5 seconds behind in race two and 6.5 seconds behind in race three.
Herrin, meanwhile, was in his comeback weekend after suffering from COVID-19 that forced him out of two rounds of the series. If Herrin’s life wasn’t hectic enough in the past few months, his wife, Rachel, also gave birth to the couple’s first child this week. He put in a tough day’s work on Sunday, however, and came out on top of two hard-fought battles with Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Loris Baz.
With Baz finishing fourth in both races, it was M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen who finished fifth in both. Sixth place was different, however, with Scheibe Racing’s Hector Barbera earning the spot in race two and Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s Toni Elias besting the Spaniard for the spot in race three.
One Cure Ducati’s Kyle Wyman ended the day with seventh- and eighth-place finishes with Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis finishing eighth in race two.
Ninth place in race two went to Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates with M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong finishing ninth in race three. Michael Gilbert Racing’s Michael Gilbert was 10th in race two with Tecfil Racing Team’s Danilo Lewis 10th in race three.
2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Round 8 – Silverstone National
Images Dave Yeomans
Supersport Race One
Lee Johnston makes it two wins in three races in an action-packed Quattro Group British Supersport Sprint race. Storming off the line, Perie was the early race leader ahead of Currie, Johnston and Kennedy. However, disaster would strike series leader Jack Kennedy on lap four when he and Harry Truelove crashed out of action.
With no one able to break away, it came down to the final lap as Johnston, Charlie Nesbitt and Perie battled it out. Coming down to the run to the line, Johnston was able to claim his second win of the season by just 0.035s. Joining him on the podium was Bradley Perie and Rhys Irwin, who took his first podium.
Charlie Nesbitt was the first of the GP2 machines, second overall, while Mason Law was sixth overall, just one space ahead of Dan Jones.
British Supersport / GP2 Race One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Lee JOHNSTON
Yamaha
16m56.916
2
Charlie NESBITT
Kalex
+0.035
3
Bradley PERIE
Yamaha
+0.191
4
Rhys IRWIN
Yamaha
+0.415
5
Ben CURRIE
Kawasaki
+0.551
6
Mason LAW
Spirit
+0.668
7
Dan JONES
Spirit
+1.063
8
Cameron HORSMAN
Chassis Factory
+5.560
9
Scott SWANN
Yamaha
+12.204
10
Eunan McGLINCHEY
Kawasaki
+12.376
11
Jamie van SIKKELERUS
Yamaha
+12.515
12
Sam MUNRO
Yamaha
+12.734
13
Cameron FRASER
Chassis Factory
+18.267
14
James HIND
Yamaha
+18.477
15
Harvey CLARIDGE
Chassis Factory
+18.565
16
Daniel COOPER
Honda
+25.521
17
Harry ROWLINGS
ABM Evo
+25.691
18
Jake ARCHER
Kalex
+30.107
19
Phil WAKEFIELD
Yamaha
+33.927
20
Jodie FIELDHOUSE
Ariane
+2 Laps
Not Classified
DNF
Joe DUGGAN
Kawasaki
5 Laps
DNF
Jack KENNEDY
Kawasaki
15 Laps
DNF
Harry TRUELOVE
Yamaha
15 Laps
DNF
Michael DUNLOP
Triumph
17 Laps
Supersport Race Two
It was an action-packed Quattro group British Supersport race at Silverstone, with Charlie Nesbitt leading fellow GP2 rider Mason Law over the line. It was Ben Currie who grabbed the holeshot, but the opening stages saw a close battle of six riders.
Working his way forward, Nesbitt took over front running at the halfway point, with Mason Law following him through. As those two edge away at the front, it left a battle for the Supersport win, with Bradley Perie and Lee Johnston traded places.
Coming down to the final lap, Perie was able to take the win ahead of Johnston, with Rhys Irwin completing the Supersport podium.
British Supersport / GP2 Race Two Results
Pos
CL
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
GP2
Charlie NESBITT
Kalex
23m30.807
2
GP2
Mason LAW
Spirit
+0.119
3
SSP
Bradley PERIE
Yamaha
+1.171
4
SSP
Lee JOHNSTON
Yamaha
+2.163
5
GP2
Dan JONES
Spirit
+2.948
6
SSP
Rhys IRWIN
Yamaha
+3.124
7
SSP
Jack KENNEDY
Kawasaki
+3.213
8
GP2
Cameron HORSMAN
Chassis Factory
+3.770
9
SSP
Ben CURRIE
Kawasaki
+3.920
10
SSP
Harry TRUELOVE
Yamaha
+9.246
11
SSP
Jamie van SIKKELERUS
Yamaha
+11.153
12
SSP
Eunan McGLINCHEY
Kawasaki
+11.890
13
SSP
Scott SWANN
Yamaha
+23.819
14
GP2
Jake ARCHER
Kalex
+27.961
15
SSP
James HIND
Yamaha
+28.810
16
GP2
Cameron FRASER
Chassis Factory
+31.812
17
SSP
Michael DUNLOP
Triumph
+33.537
18
GP2
Harry ROWLINGS
ABM Evo
+38.444
19
SSP
Daniel COOPER
Honda
+39.229
20
SSP
Phil WAKEFIELD
Yamaha
+40.372
21
GP2
Harvey CLARIDGE
Chassis Factory
+54.585
22
SSP
Joe DUGGAN
Kawasaki
+1 Lap
Not Classified
DNF
GP2
Jamie PERRIN
Spirit
13 Laps
DNF
SSP
Sam MUNRO
Yamaha
15 Laps
Quattro Group British Supersport Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Ben CURRIE (Kawasaki)
240
2
Jack KENNEDY (Kawasaki)
236
3
Bradley PERIE (Yamaha)
235
4
Lee JOHNSTON (Yamaha)
224
5
Kyle SMITH (Triumph)
181
6
Harry TRUELOVE (Yamaha)
157
7
Eunan McGLINCHEY (Kawasaki)
155
8
Brandon PAASCH (Triumph)
104
9
Rhys IRWIN (Yamaha)
95
10
Jamie van SIKKELERUS (Yamaha)
90
11
James HIND (Yamaha)
86
12
Sam MUNRO (Yamaha)
73
13
Phil WAKEFIELD (Yamaha)
63
14
Scott SWANN (Yamaha)
56
15
Korie McGREEVY (Yamaha)
53
16
Joe DUGGAN (Kawasaki)
32
17
Cederic BLOCH (Kawasaki)
20
18
Ben TOLLIDAY (Yamaha)
18
19
Pete WRIGHT (Kawasaki)
11
20
Dan COOPER (Honda)
10
21
Joseph LOUGHLIN (Yamaha)
9
22
Stephen THOMAS (Triumph)
6
23
Michael DUNLOP (Triumph)
5
24
Dominic HERBERTSON (Kawasaki)
4
25
David KRAWIECKI (Yamaha)
4
26
Jody LEES (Kawasaki)
4
27
Charles HARDISTY (Yamaha)
4
28
Max WADSWORTH (Yamaha)
1
Quattro Group British GP2 Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Charlie NESBITT (Kalex)
385
2
Mason LAW (Spirit)
262
3
Cameron HORSMAN (Chassis Factory)
203
4
Jack SCOTT (Harris)
164
5
Cameron FRASER (Chassis Factory)
148
6
Dan JONES (Spirit)
144
7
Harry ROWLINGS (ABM Evo)
120
8
Jake ARCHER (Kalex)
119
9
Jamie PERRIN (Spirit)
103
10
Conor WHEELER (Harris)
103
11
Harvey CLARIDGE (Chassis Factory)
88
12
Aaron RIDEWOOD (TCR Yamaha)
37
13
Jodie FIELDHOUSE (Ariane)
7
Superstock 1000
New Zealand’s Damon Rees was involved in a large crash into Copse corner during the closing minutes of the Superstock 1000 Qualfying session and suffered a broken humerus in multiple places, four broken ribs, a bruised lung & two fractured vertebrae. Although the injuries are quite substantial, he is in good spirits and is already looking forward to starting the road to recovery.
Tim Neave narrowly took pole position, topping qualifying by just 0.042s. South Australia Billy McConnell was second, ahead of Fraser Rogers who completed the front row. Luke Mossey lead the second row with Taylor Mackenzie fifth and South Aussie Levi Day sixth.
Superstock 1000 Race One
Tim Neave converted his pole position in the Pirelli National Superstock class into a race win, narrowly beating Billy McConnell and Luke Mossey over the line. The 22 lap race was a thrilling battle with five riders fighting for the podium.
With Neave, McConnell and Mossey all taking their turn to lead the race, Neave was able to move into the lead on the penultimate circulation and hold on to take the win.
Alex Olsen was fourth, while series leader Tom Neave was fifth.
Road Racing star Ian Hutchinson claimed eighth ahead of Levi Day while Tom Ward rounded out the top ten.
Brayden Elliott finished 16th ahead of Kiwi Shane Richardson.
Pirelli National Superstock Championship Race One
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Tim NEAVE
Suzuki
20m14.597
2
Billy McCONNELL
BMW
+0.209
3
Luke MOSSEY
Kawasaki
+0.504
4
Alex OLSEN
BMW
+0.794
5
Tom NEAVE
Honda
+0.937
6
Fraser ROGERS
Aprilia
+2.552
7
Taylor MACKENZIE
BMW
+2.698
8
Ian HUTCHINSON
Yamaha
+3.778
9
Levi DAY
Suzuki
+7.815
10
Tom WARD
Suzuki
+9.098
11
Chrissy ROUSE
Kawasaki
+9.370
12
Davey TODD
Honda
+14.164
13
Tom OLIVER
Suzuki
+14.305
14
Brent HARRAN
Suzuki
+14.426
15
Ashley BEECH
Suzuki
+15.746
16
Brayden ELLIOTT
Suzuki
+17.958
17
Shane RICHARDSON
BMW
+18.259
18
Matt TRUELOVE
BMW
+19.548
19
TJ TOMS
Kawasaki
+21.171
20
Joe SHELDON-SHAW
Suzuki
+21.251
21
Shaun WINFIELD
Honda
+22.907
22
David ALLINGHAM
BMW
+26.867
23
Craig NEVE
BMW
+28.793
24
Connor CUMMINS
Honda
+29.021
25
Max STAINTON
BMW
+33.832
26
Rob McNEALY
BMW
+34.104
27
Jenny TINMOUTH
Honda
+34.371
28
Tom TUNSTALL
Suzuki
+42.464
29
Nathan HARRISON
Honda
+43.637
30
Milo WARD
Kawasaki
+45.220
31
Dave SELLERS
Suzuki
+51.631
32
David BROOK
Honda
+53.342
33
Anthony MOORE
Suzuki
+53.522
34
Max MORGAN
Kawasaki
+57.448
35
Ben BROADWAY
Aprilia
+1 Lap
Not Classified
DNF
Lewis ROLLO
Kawasaki
10 Laps
DNF
Leon JEACOCK
Suzuki
13 Laps
DNF
James EAST
Aprilia
13 Laps
DNF
Jordan WEAVING
Kawasaki
17 Laps
DNF
Richard KERR
Honda
19 Laps
Pirelli National Superstock Championship Race Two
Alex Olsen powered his way to a fourth victory of the season, beating series leader Tom Neave by 0.3s. It was Neave who led for the early stages, but Olsen was able to find his way through in the closing stages and edge away to take the win.
Fraser Rogers completed the podium in third, having set the fastest lap of the race, ahead of South Australian Billy McConnell.
Tim Neave was fith ahead of Ian Hutchinson and Lewis Rollo.
Levi Day unfortunately recorded a DNF while countryman Brayden Elliott carded a 21st place result.
Kiwi Shane Richardson crossed the line just outside the points in 18th place.
Pirelli National Superstock Championship Race Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Alex OLSEN
BMW
20m09.729
2
Tom NEAVE
Honda
+0.326
3
Fraser ROGERS
Aprilia
+3.579
4
Billy McCONNELL
BMW
+6.781
5
Tim NEAVE
Suzuki
+7.154
6
Ian HUTCHINSON
Yamaha
+7.229
7
Lewis ROLLO
Kawasaki
+7.467
8
Taylor MACKENZIE
BMW
+7.845
9
Chrissy ROUSE
Kawasaki
+8.189
10
Tom WARD
Suzuki
+9.079
11
Davey TODD
Honda
+9.987
12
Tom OLIVER
Suzuki
+10.222
13
Jordan WEAVING
Kawasaki
+13.956
14
Richard KERR
Honda
+14.079
15
Brent HARRAN
Suzuki
+14.132
16
James EAST
Aprilia
+15.934
17
Ashley BEECH
Suzuki
+17.835
18
Shane RICHARDSON
BMW
+18.544
19
Joe SHELDON-SHAW
Suzuki
+20.467
20
TJ TOMS
Kawasaki
+20.513
21
Brayden ELLIOTT
Suzuki
+21.514
22
Connor CUMMINS
Honda
+24.364
23
Shaun WINFIELD
Honda
+24.838
24
David ALLINGHAM
BMW
+25.613
25
Leon JEACOCK
Suzuki
+26.081
26
Craig NEVE
BMW
+26.586
27
Jenny TINMOUTH
Honda
+36.347
28
Max STAINTON
BMW
+39.002
29
Tom TUNSTALL
Suzuki
+41.072
30
Nathan HARRISON
Honda
+42.157
31
Milo WARD
Kawasaki
+44.413
32
Dave SELLERS
Suzuki
+46.879
33
David BROOK
Honda
+48.922
34
Ben BROADWAY
Aprilia
+1 Lap
Not Classified
DNF
Luke MOSSEY
Kawasaki
2 Laps
DNF
Rob McNEALY
BMW
6 Laps
DNF
Anthony MOORE
Suzuki
7 Laps
DNF
Matt TRUELOVE
BMW
12 Laps
DNF
Levi DAY
Suzuki
21 Laps
DNF
Max MORGAN
Kawasaki
/
Pirelli National Superstock Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Tom NEAVE (Honda)
194
2
Billy McCONNELL (BMW)
172
3
Alex OLSEN (BMW)
171
4
Fraser ROGERS (Aprilia)
157
5
Taylor MACKENZIE (BMW)
149
6
Luke MOSSEY (Kawasaki)
136
7
Chrissy ROUSE (Kawasaki)
117
8
Lewis ROLLO (Kawasaki)
100
9
Tim NEAVE (Suzuki)
90
10
Ian HUTCHINSON (Yamaha)
65
11
Levi DAY (Suzuki)
53
12
Tom OLIVER (Suzuki)
49
13
Keith FARMER (Kawasaki)
47
14
Luke STAPLEFORD (Suzuki)
46
15
Tom WARD (Suzuki)
46
16
Luke HEDGER (Suzuki)
40
17
Brayden ELLIOTT (Suzuki)
39
18
Richard KERR (Honda)
31
19
Jordan WEAVING (Kawasaki)
23
20
Damon REES (BMW)
20
21
Shane RICHARDSON (BMW)
18
22
David ALLINGHAM (BMW)
18
23
Davey TODD (Honda)
10
24
Brent HARRAN (Suzuki)
8
25
James EAST (Aprilia)
6
26
Joe SHELDON-SHAW (Suzuki)
5
27
Ashley BEECH (Suzuki)
4
28
Lee WILLIAMS (Kawasaki)
2
29
TJ TOMS (Kawasaki)
2
30
Callum GRIGOR (Kawasaki)
1
31
Matt TRUELOVE (BMW)
1
Pirelli National Junior Superstock
Jack Nixon cruised to victory in the Pirelli National Junior Superstock class, taking the win by over three seconds. The Santander Salt Yamaha rider was unchallenged on his way to victory, but it was a battle behind for the remaining podium positions as Asher Durham narrowly beat Joe Talbot by just 0.047s to claim second.
Eugene McManus was fourth ahead of Aaron Silvester, Franco Bourne and Charlie Farrer.
Pirelli National Junior Superstock Championship Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Jack NIXON
Yamaha
19m32.529
2
Asher DURHAM
Kawasaki
+3.190
3
Joe TALBOT
Kawasaki
+3.237
4
Eugene McMANUS
Kawasaki
+3.485
5
Aaron SILVESTER
Yamaha
+3.687
6
Franco BOURNE
Kawasaki
+4.171
7
Charlie FARRER
Yamaha
+4.255
8
George STANLEY
Kawasaki
+4.830
9
Zak CORDEROY
Yamaha
+4.896
10
Liam DELVES
Kawasaki
+6.027
11
Adam HARTGROVE
Yamaha
+7.489
12
Louis VALLELEY
Yamaha
+10.191
13
Cameron HALL
Kawasaki
+10.368
14
Daniel BROOKS
Kawasaki
+10.666
15
Max COOK
Kawasaki
+15.128
16
Harry FOWLE
Triumph
+21.442
17
Jack BEDNAREK
Yamaha
+21.850
18
Luke VERWEY
Kawasaki
+22.054
19
Seth CRUMP
Kawasaki
+26.928
20
Finley ARSCOTT
Kawasaki
+27.676
21
Taylor ROSE
Kawasaki
+34.173
22
Harry LEIGH
Kawasaki
+36.947
23
Kevin COYNE
Kawasaki
++41.195
24
Toby REYNOLDS
Yamaha
44.734
Not Classified
DNF
Kevin KEYES
Kawasaki
9 Laps
DNF
Lewis JONES
Kawasaki
9 Laps
DNF
Simon REID
Yamaha
12 Laps
DNF
Caolan IRWIN
Yamaha
13 Laps
DNF
Sam LAFFINS
Kawasaki
13 Laps
DNF
Owen JENNER
Kawasaki
14 Laps
DNF
Lynden LEATHERLAND
Yamaha
14 Laps
DNF
Nathan DRURY
Kawasaki
16 Laps
DNF
Kade VERWEY
Kawasaki
/
DNF
Ed BEST
Yamaha
/
DNF
Kier ARMSTRONG
Kawasaki
/
DNF
James BULL
MV Agusta
/
DNF
Jake CAMPBELL
Kawasaki
/
Pirelli National Junior Superstock Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Jack NIXON (Yamaha)
202
2
Joe TALBOT (Kawasaki)
190
3
Zak CORDEROY (Yamaha)
140
4
George STANLEY (Kawasaki)
139
5
Eugene McMANUS (Kawasaki)
98
6
Liam DELVES (Kawasaki)
90
7
Asher DURHAM (Kawasaki)
82
8
Louis VALLELEY (Yamaha)
59
9
Max COOK (Kawasaki)
56
10
Owen JENNER (Kawasaki)
48
11
Adam HARTGROVE (Yamaha)
47
12
Aaron SILVESTER (Yamaha)
45
13
Sam LAFFINS (Kawasaki)
45
14
Franco BOURNE (Kawasaki)
45
15
Charlie FARRER (Yamaha)
44
16
Daniel BROOKS (Kawasaki)
38
17
James ALDERSON (Triumph)
35
18
Kade VERWEY (Kawasaki)
34
19
Simon REID (Yamaha)
25
20
Caolan IRWIN (Yamaha)
18
21
Cameron HALL (Kawasaki)
16
22
Jack BEDNAREK (Yamaha)
13
23
Seth CRUMP (Kawasaki)
10
24
Matt BOWER (Kawasaki)
7
25
Harry FOWLE (Triumph)
5
26
Luke VERWEY (Kawasaki)
4
27
Kier ARMSTRONG (Kawasaki)
2
28
Adam McLEAN (Honda)
2
29
Lewis JONES (Kawasaki)
1
HEL Performance British Junior Supersport with Motocourse Race One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Cameron DAWSON
Kawasaki
16m04.394
2
Kam DIXON
Kawasaki
+5.136
3
Ash BARNES
Yamaha
+5.218
4
Joseph THOMAS
Kawasaki
+6.744
5
Adon DAVIE
Kawasaki
+6.819
6
James McMANUS
Kawasaki
+6.932
7
Joe FARRAGHER
Kawasaki
+7.349
8
Lewis JONES
Kawasaki
+8.055
9
Lucca ALLEN
Yamaha
+12.649
10
Finn SMART-WEEDEN
Kawasaki
+12.710
11
Mikey HARDIE
Kawasaki
+12.861
12
Annabel THOMAS
Kawasaki
+19.075
13
Charlie ATKINS
Kawasaki
+19.159
14
Harry COOK
Yamaha
+19.214
15
Kieran SMITH
Kawasaki
+19.715
16
Jacob STEPHENSON
Yamaha
+19.794
17
Calum BEACH
Kawasaki
+20.346
18
Kieran KENT
Kawasaki
+21.660
19
Charlotte MARCUZZO
Kawasaki
+25.978
20
Oscar PINSON
Kawasaki
+26.028
21
Christopher JOHNSON
Kawasaki
+28.829
22
Joe ELLIS
Kawasaki
+28.900
23
Cameron BROWN
Kawasaki
+28.958
24
Luke GILBY
Yamaha
+34.917
25
Bradley WILSON
Kawasaki
+36.849
26
Connor SELLORS
Kawasaki
+36.850
27
Jack SMITH
Kawasaki
+37.674
28
James ROSE
Kawasaki
+40.538
29
Mcauley LONGMORE
Kawasaki
+40.713
30
Lewis SMART
Kawasaki
+47.677
31
Kai DICKINSON
Kawasaki
+54.369
32
Scarlett ROBINSON
Kawasaki
+1 Lap
33
Declan CONNELL
Kawasak
+1 Lap
Not Classified
DNF
Chloe JONES
Yamaha
2 Laps
DNF
Christian SMITH
Kawasaki
2 Laps
DNF
Zak SHELTON
Kawasaki
4 Laps
NC
Oliver MORGAN-EDWARDS
Kawasaki
6 Laps
British Junior Supersport Race Two
Adon Davie grabbed a thrilling victory in the second HEL Performance British Junior Supersport race, clinching the win by just 0.037s. The action-packed race was initially red flagged on the opening lap, and on the restart it was race one winner Cameron Dawson who held the early lead, but it was a race long fight for the lead coming down to the final lap.
It was Davie who took victory on the final run to the line, with Dawson second and Lucca Allen third.
HEL Performance British Junior Supersport with Motocourse Race Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Adon DAVIE
Kawasaki
10m49.077
2
Cameron DAWSON
Kawasaki
+0.037
3
Lucca ALLEN
Yamaha
+0.347
4
Zak SHELTON
Kawasaki
+0.439
5
Charlie ATKINS
Kawasaki
+0.498
6
Kam DIXON
Kawasaki
+0.918
7
Joe FARRAGHER
Kawasaki
+1.530
8
Mikey HARDIE
Kawasaki
+1.744
9
Harry COOK
Yamaha
+1.796
10
Declan CONNELL
Kawasaki
+1.862
11
Cameron BROWN
Kawasaki
+3.830
12
Finn SMART-WEEDEN
Kawasaki
+6.311
13
Kieran SMITH
Kawasaki
+6.337
14
Kieran KENT
Kawasaki
+12.248
15
Calum BEACH
Kawasaki
+12.576
16
Christopher JOHNSON
Kawasaki
+12.732
17
Luke GILBY
Yamaha
+17.401
18
Jack SMITH
Kawasaki
+17.673
19
Mcauley LONGMORE
Kawasaki
+17.788
20
Connor SELLORS
Kawasaki
+18.135
21
Bradley WILSON
Kawasaki
+18.221
22
Lewis SMART
Kawasaki
+26.520
23
Christian SMITH
Kawasaki
+32.759
24
Kai DICKINSON
Kawasaki
+35.429
25
Scarlett ROBINSON
Kawasaki
+37.346
Not Classified
DNF
Lewis JONES
Kawasaki
4 Laps
DNF
Oscar PINSON
Kawasaki
4 Laps
DNF
Joe ELLIS
Kawasaki
6 Laps
DNF
Jacob STEPHENSON
Yamaha
7 Laps
DNF
Charlotte MARCUZZO
Kawasaki
8 Laps
DNF
Oliver MORGAN-EDWARDS
Kawasaki
8 Laps
DNF
Annabel THOMAS
Kawasaki
9 Laps
HEL Performance British Junior Supersport Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Cameron DAWSON (Kawasaki)
240
2
Kam DIXON (Kawasaki)
174
3
Ash BARNES (Yamaha)
168
4
Adon DAVIE (Kawasaki)
132
5
Lucca ALLEN (Yamaha)
128
6
Joseph THOMAS (Kawasaki)
96
7
Tom BOOTH-AMOS (Kawasaki)
95
8
Zak SHELTON (Kawasaki)
88
9
James McMANUS (Kawasaki)
79
10
Joe FARRAGHER (Kawasaki)
64
11
Mikey HARDIE (Kawasaki)
63
12
Declan CONNELL (Kawasaki)
56
13
Osian JONES (Kawasaki)
44
14
Lewis JONES (Kawasaki)
28
15
Chloe JONES (Yamaha)
28
16
Harry COOK (Yamaha)
26
17
Finn SMART-WEEDEN (Kawasaki)
26
18
Connor SELLORS (Kawasaki)
21
19
Cameron BROWN (Kawasaki)
19
20
Kieran SMITH (Kawasaki)
17
21
Annabel THOMAS (Kawasaki)
16
22
Charlie ATKINS (Kawasaki)
14
23
Elliot DUFTON (Kawasaki)
10
24
Jacob STEPHENSON (Yamaha)
9
25
Joe ELLIS (Kawasaki)
8
26
Jack FERRIS (Kawasaki)
7
27
Chris MOFFITT (Kawasaki)
7
28
Bradley WILSON (Kawasaki)
5
29
Christopher JOHNSON (Kawasaki)
5
30
Kieran KENT (Kawasaki)
4
31
Alessandro VALENTE (KTM)
2
32
Calum BEACH (Kawasaki)
1
Honda British Talent Cup Race One
The penultimate round of the Honda British Talent Cup promised it could be pivotal, and after a dramatic Race 1 at Silverstone that may already be proved half true. As drama hit for key contenders for the crown, it was Ollie Walker (Moto Rapido / SP125 Racing) who came through to take his first win, getting some deserved reward for running at the front after late heartbreak in a few recent rounds. Second was another first as Sullivan Mounsey (iForce Lloyd & Jones) stood on the rostrum for the first time after another standout ride, with Harrison Crosby (Banks Racing) taking his second podium in third place once the dust settled in the wake of the shake-up.
It started with what’s become the standard at lights out as Johnny Garness (City Lifting by RS Racing) took the holeshot from pole, with Casey O’Gorman (Microlise Cresswell Racing) slotting into second and an early breakaway forming as the duo were joined by Mounsey, points leader Evan Belford (City Lifting by RS Racing), Carter Brown (City Lifting by RS Racing), James Cook (Wilson Racing) and Jamie Lyons (C&M Motors Ltd / Tooltec Racing).
It didn’t take long for that first bout of huge drama though. Heading into Maggots, Lap 3 saw Belford suffer a moment and the points leader tagged closest competitor O’Gorman as, shockingly, both the top two in the standings went down. Riders ok, but the door suddenly wide open for those on the chase to capitalise.
So then there were five, with Garness leading with a small margin by the next lap around. But he wasn’t allowed to escape and the chasers soon closed in, with someone else closing in too: Walker. He and Crosby were on a charge and well in the mix in the front group by a third of race distance run.
On Lap 8, more drama. Cook overcooked it right after taking the lead, the number 34 sliding out and losing his shot at glory. The group that had gone from seven to five to seven again had become a six-rider freight train – with Mounsey in the lead.
Lap by lap, so it remained. A classic group battle between the six looked set to roll on right to the end and that it almost did, although Lyons and Crosby lost a little touch with the front four in the last few laps. but even more drama was to come, with Saturday delivering an absolute rollercoaster.
Heading over the line to start the final lap, it was Garness in the lead and Brown fighting off both Walker and Mounsey. But Brown was able to tag back onto the leader and by Luffield, he was close enough to attack – and went for the outside. Locked together initially, there was then contact as the number 74 tagged Garness and it was Garness was forced to sit it up and run on, the number 57 out of the race.
In the aftermath of that, Walker and Mounsey swept through to finish 1-2, both putting in their best races yet and hitting some impressive milestones – having been right there in the battle throughout. Brown crossed the line in third after that final drama of the race, seemingly having made some big gains, but the final final drama of the day was still to come for the number 74. For the incident with Garness, he was given the equivalent of a Long Lap penalty, a three-second time penalty, and drops to fifth – losing the chance to gain a much bigger chunk of points.
The duel between Crosby and Lyons went all the way to the wire and became the fight for third after the penalty for Brown, and the number 15 just took it by 0.075. So Lyons is forced to settle for fourth, and Brown completes the top five in the classification.
Sixth saw Troy Jeffrey (Stiggymotorsport) hold off Harley McCabe (MLav VisionTrack Academy) by half a second, but both impressing and Kiyano Veijer (Microlise Cresswell Racing) likewise as the Dutch rookie took P8. Josh Bannister (Dunsley Heat Racing) took his best finish by far in ninth, beating Harrison Dessoy (Thorneycroft56 Racing) by just 0.046 as he, in turn, held off Lucas Brown (Amphibian Scaffolding / SP125 Racing).
Honda British Talent Cup Race One
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Ollie WALKER
Honda
23m06.725
2
Sullivan MOUNSEY
Honda
+0.286
3
Harrison CROSBY
Honda
+2.036
4
Jamie LYONS
Honda
+2.111
5
Carter BROWN
Honda
+3.544
6
Troy JEFFREY
Honda
+11.355
7
Harley McCABE
Honda
+11.942
8
Kiyano VEIJER
Honda
+12.096
9
Josh BANNISTER
Honda
+12.524
10
Harrison DESSOY
Honda
+12.570
11
Lucas BROWN
Honda
+12.705
12
Julian CORREA
Honda
+16.359
13
Rossi BANHAM
Honda
+22.260
14
Luca HOPKINS
Honda
+22.689
15
Rhys STEPHENSON
Honda
+30.666
16
Alexander ROWAN
Honda
+31.461
17
Harrison MACKAY
Honda
+32.778
18
JJ CUNNINGHAM
Honda
+34.000
19
Rhys COATES
Honda
+34.054
20
Mason JOHNSON
Honda
+39.631
21
Lucas HILL
Honda
+52.224
22
Peter WILLIS
Honda
+52.513
23
Anthony EAGLE
Honda
+52.979
24
Daniel GOODMAN
Honda
+53.436
25
Holly HARRIS
Honda
+54.477
26
Ted WILKINSON
Honda
+2 Laps
Not Classified
DNF
Johnny GARNESS
Honda
1 Lap
DNF
James COOK
Honda
15 Laps
DNF
Casey O’GORMAN
Honda
20 Laps
DNF
Evan BELFORD
Honda
20 Laps
Honda British Talent Cup Race Two
Sunday saw Silverstone host another classic Honda British Talent Cup battle, with Carter Brown (City Lifting by RS Racing) coming out on top this time around – and taking the points lead with it. He struck late to take it and Jamie Lyons (C&M Motors Ltd / Tooltec Racing) followed him through to get back on the box at Silverstone, with the podium completed by Johnny Garness (City Lifting by RS Racing).
There was some drama from the off or rather before it for Race 1 podium finisher Sullivan Mounsey (iForce Lloyd & Jones), with problems on the grid forcing the number 4 to start from the very back of the grid. And after their drama on Saturday, both Casey O’Gorman (Microlise Cresswell Racing) and Evan Belford (City Lifting by RS Racing) were down in P18 and P20 for take two, making it quite a proposition for the duo heading in at the top of the standings as well.
At lights out it was Garness who got the best start, not from pole this time around but the number 57 still taking the holeshot in 57 style. Race 1 winner Ollie Walker (Moto Rapido / SP125 Racing) slotted into second with Brown in third, but it was a big group from the off as the three were joined by Lyons, Harrison Crosby (Banks Racing), Rhys Stephenson (Rocket Racing) and James Cook (Wilson Racing).
On comeback watch though, after only a handful of laps the three riders somewhat out of position had been absolutely storming through. By Lap 4, O’Gorman was at the head of the group chasing to catch the lead gaggle, up into eighth, and the 67 cut the gap quickly. Next it was the turn of Mounsey – up from 31st and the very back – as he led Belford and tucked in to push forward, both also managing to bridge that gap before long.
As the group gained three though, it started to lose one, with Cook beginning to fade by mid-race. However, the freight train fight for the lead was only hotting up, now nine-riders strong, with phase 1 of O’Gorman’s charge completed as he took over at the front.
Heading onto the final lap it was still the number 67 in the lead, with Brown threatening just behind and Lyons in third as Garness shadowed. And the key move came from Brown. The number 74 lined it up and made it stick, with that tiny door opening more than enough invitation for Lyons too. Both sliced past O’Gorman and crossed the line just ahead, but there was an extra kicker for the number 67 too: on the drag to the line, Garness managed to pip him by just 0.009.
The 25 points for the win put Brown on top as the number 74 bounces back after a ore contentious Saturday at Silverstone, with Lyons finding rostrum form again and Garness making his slipstream prowess work to perfection once again. From P18 on the grid though, a 14-place gain and still 11 points off the top of the table is a stunner from O’Gorman.
The battle for fifth was a couple of tenths further back by the line, but it was won by Mounsey as he gained a whopping 26 places. O’Gorman impressed from P18 to thousandths off the podium, but Mounsey, who has one podium and had a second best result this season season of fourth, stormed to fifth position from the very back of the grid – not only taking one of his biggest points hauls of the year, but keeping his head when pressure came knocking.
Crosby was a tenth and a half further back, with Stephenson’s impressive Sunday seeing him take P7, denied by just 0.047. In the end, Belford put together an impressive comeback from P20 but lost out in the group, taking P8 and losing the points lead to Brown. Walker completed the freight train, with Cook a bit further back and the number 34 completing the top ten.
Another day, another rollercoaster, and another shake-up. Sunday sees Brown head into the finale as the points leader, with six in hand over Belford, but O’Gorman is now only five further back too. Garness and Lyons remain in mathematical contention too. Who’ll take the crown in 2021? We’ll find out next time out as Donington Park Grand Prix layout puts the Honda British Talent Cup on the line in a few short weeks!
Honda British Talent Cup Race Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Carter BROWN
Honda
22m54.4
2
Jamie LYONS
Honda
+0.083
3
Johnny GARNESS
Honda
+0.065
4
Casey O’GORMAN
Honda
+0.009
5
Sullivan MOUNSEY
Honda
+0.347
6
Harrison CROSBY
Honda
+0.145
7
Rhys STEPHENSON
Honda
+0.047
8
Evan BELFORD
Honda
+0.131
9
Ollie WALKER
Honda
+0.258
10
James COOK
Honda
+7.26
11
Harley McCABE
Honda
+2.52
12
Kiyano VEIJER
Honda
+9.052
13
Julian CORREA
Honda
+0.148
14
Lucas BROWN
Honda
+0.012
15
Luca HOPKINS
Honda
+0.155
16
Rossi BANHAM
Honda
+0.225
17
Alexander ROWAN
Honda
+6.704
18
Mason JOHNSON
Honda
+0.034
19
Harrison MACKAY
Honda
+0.11
20
Peter WILLIS
Honda
+15.481
21
Lucas HILL
Honda
+0.163
22
Daniel GOODMAN
Honda
+14.142
23
Anthony EAGLE
Honda
+0.007
24
Ted WILKINSON
Honda
+0.438
25
Rhys COATES
Honda
+0.121
26
Holly HARRIS
Honda
+0.57
Not Classified
DNF
Josh BANNISTER
Honda
1 Lap
DNF
Troy JEFFREY
Honda
1 Lap
DNF
Harrison DESSOY
Honda
3 Laps
DNF
JJ CUNNINGHAM
Honda
12 Laps
Honda British Talent Cup Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Carter BROWN (Honda)
234
2
Evan BELFORD (Honda)
228
3
Casey O’GORMAN (Honda)
223
4
Johnny GARNESS (Honda)
195
5
Jamie LYONS (Honda)
191
6
Ollie WALKER (Honda)
138
7
James COOK (Honda)
135
8
Harrison CROSBY (Honda)
124
9
Sullivan MOUNSEY (Honda)
105
10
Kiyano VEIJER (Honda)
95
11
Cormac BUCHANAN (Honda)
84
12
Bailey STUART-CAMPBELL (Honda)
69
13
Rhys STEPHENSON (Honda)
57
14
Troy JEFFREY (Honda)
52
15
Ryan HITCHCOCK (Honda)
44
16
Corey TINKER (Honda)
39
17
Rossi BANHAM (Honda)
38
18
Harley McCABE (Honda)
34
19
Lucas BROWN (Honda)
32
20
Mason JOHNSON (Honda)
26
21
Luca HOPKINS (Honda)
21
22
Harrison DESSOY (Honda)
16
23
Rossi DOBSON (Honda)
15
24
Julian CORREA (Honda)
15
25
Josh BANNISTER (Honda)
10
26
Harrison MACKAY (Honda)
7
27
Alexander ROWAN (Honda)
5
28
Lucas HILL (Honda)
4
29
JJ CUNNINGHAM (Honda)
4
Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup Race One
Pos
Bike
Rider
Time/Gap
1
Elliott PINSON
Ducati
14m18.694
2
David SHOUBRIDGE
Ducati
+5.809
3
Chris WALKER
Ducati
+6.080
4
David JONES
Ducati
+10.354
5
Alberto SOLERA
Ducati
+12.519
6
John McGUINNESS
Ducati
+14.894
7
Sam COX
Ducati
+18.168
8
Max LOFTHOUSE
Ducati
+18.252
9
Carl STEVENS
Ducati
+19.462
10
Oliver SAVAGE
Ducati
+26.349
11
Michael TUSTIN
Ducati
+26.490
12
Ewan POTTER
Ducati
+26.699
13
Craig KENNELLY
Ducati
+27.183
14
Matthew JONES
Ducati
+27.417
15
Andre COMPTON
Ducati
+30.803
16
Daniel BOUCHER
Ducati
+31.843
17
Darren FRY
Ducati
+32.235
18
Ben FALLA
Ducati
+32.328
19
Lee DEVONPORT
Ducati
+39.431
20
Paul CURRAN
Ducati
+42.003
21
Matt BAINBRIDGE
Ducati
+46.730
22
Mike LONG
Ducati
+54.928
23
Peter HASLER
Ducati
+55.055
24
Simon BASTABLE
Ducati
+55.622
25
Stephen TAYLOR
Ducati
+56.186
26
Matt VENN
Ducati
+1 Lap
27
James BUCHANAN
Ducati
+1 Lap
Not Classified
DNF
Connor THOMSON
Ducati
3 Laps
DNF
Josh DAY
Ducati
6 Laps
DNF
Jacque FOLEY
Ducati
7 Laps
DNF
Craig NEVE
Ducati
7 Laps
Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup Race Two
Josh Day bounced back from his DNF on Saturday to take a narrow victory in the second race. Launching off the line, Day and Elliott Pinson were in close contention throughout the six laps. Coming down to the final corner, Day was able to out drag Pinson to line, taking the win by just 0.060s. Chris Walker took third, ahead of Shoubridge and Jones.
Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup Race Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Josh DAY
Ducati
5m40.899
2
Elliott PINSON
Ducati
+0.060
3
Chris WALKER
Ducati
+3.248
4
David SHOUBRIDGE
Ducati
+3.316
5
David JONES
Ducati
+4.634
6
Alberto SOLERA
Ducati
+6.123
7
Craig NEVE
Ducati
+6.530
8
John McGUINNESS
Ducati
+6.985
9
Max LOFTHOUSE
Ducati
+7.878
10
Oliver SAVAGE
Ducati
+8.275
11
Michael TUSTIN
Ducati
+9.644
12
Ewan POTTER
Ducati
+10.776
13
Matthew JONES
Ducati
+11.454
14
Carl STEVENS
Ducati
+12.276
15
Daniel BOUCHER
Ducati
+12.680
16
Ben FALLA
Ducati
+12.823
17
Darren FRY
Ducati
+15.158
18
Andre COMPTON
Ducati
+15.449
19
Craig KENNELLY
Ducati
+15.873
20
Matt BAINBRIDGE
Ducati
+17.263
21
Peter HASLER
Ducati
+17.405
22
Paul CURRAN
Ducati
+17.796
23
Mike LONG
Ducati
+22.768
24
Stephen TAYLOR
Ducati
+23.292
25
Simon BASTABLE
Ducati
+23.383
26
James BUCHANAN
Ducati
+23.716
Not Classified
DNF
Lee DEVONPORT
Ducati
3 Laps
Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup Championship Standings
2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship Round 13 – Aragon
Francesco Bagnaia – P1
“Today’s victory was really incredible. We knew we were strong, but also that Marc Márquez is particularly fast on this track. When I took the lead, I tried to push right away because I knew he was behind. The last four laps were tough, and I couldn’t wait for the race to finish because he kept passing me. In the end, we did it, and it is an indescribable emotion. Today’s win was not taken for granted: I came here with lots of questions, as I had never managed to be fast and finish the race in the points since 2019 until now at the MotorLand. Instead, this year, since FP1, everything has been perfect. I’m thrilled.”
Marc Marquez – P2
“I pushed hard all race but on the last three laps I really tried everything. Sometimes when you try like this you make a mistake, you crash and the result isn’t good. But I still tried and I think everyone watching it enjoyed a lot! I knew it would be really difficult, fighting against the Ducati is hard because they brake very late and accelerate very well plus today, Pecco was riding in a perfect way. It was a great battle with him, I enjoyed it a lot. After two crashes in a row, it’s not easy to give everything and put it on the line like in this race. In Turn 1 on the last lap I couldn’t stop well and I couldn’t make it happen at Turn 5 either. My last chance was Turn 12 but as soon as I went to the dirty part of the track, I knew it would be impossible and I ran wide. I’m happy because we were able to fight and our race pace was fast and also because this race provides extra motivation to me, to HRC and everyone in the box. Thanks to everyone for their hard work.”
Joan Mir – P3
“I’m a bit disappointed, despite the podium, because I wasn’t able to be as fast as I wanted. But the important thing was that I managed to be really consistent and feel comfortable on the bike. The team and I put in a lot of effort and that resulted in a third place finish, which was good, but I was hoping to have winning pace. The track was very hot and all weekend it was hard to get optimal grip and feeling, but I kept fighting and this podium brings us positivity and some nice points. We’ll keep pushing to improve for the remaining rounds. I’m not thinking of the title, I just want to get the best possible result at every race.”
Aleix Espargaro – P4
“In the race today, the pace was out of this world, especially at the front, and even physically I can’t remember too many Sundays that have been this demanding. I’m pleased with the position, but more than anything, with the consistency we’re demonstrating, which is still my primary goal for this season. Considering the fact that in the finale, since overtaking Mir for third was impossible and I had a good gap ahead of Miller, I increased the pace a bit, I was still able to keep up with the riders who were making the difference over the rest of the grid. This means that we can battle with anyone and on any track, which is a huge step forward for me and for Aprilia.”
Jack Miller – P5
“I have to admit, I have some mixed feelings after that one. Fifth after starting second … I’m not happy, but I’m not disappointed either. It’s kind of a level feeling, you could say. I’m rapt for my teammate Pecco (Bagnaia) to have his first win though, and to do it after a massive battle with Marc (Marquez) – he earned that one, so that’s great for him.
“For me, I would have liked to have joined him up there but I had some issues with my leg that were a bit weird with the lever as I was trying to shift gear. I kept making mistakes on the gearbox and while I could hang in there with Pecco and Marc early on, it just kept happening and I eventually ran long into the last corner and Joan (Mir) and Aleix (Espargaro) came past me, I gifted them the places really. I went out of the track at the last corner and kept going wide at Turn 1, so it was a strange one. My tyres went well and I felt good on the bike, but it just wasn’t to be today.
“Back to Pecco, I’m really happy for him and the team because he’s shown time after time that he has the speed, but it hadn’t happened for him for one reason or another. It’s been coming for a while, and he might have won at Mugello if he’d not crashed there because he had the speed. So, he has a win now this year, I have a couple, and let’s see if we can add a few more victories before the season ends.
“We came here with some confidence after the result at Silverstone, not so much the fourth place itself but more how I got it. It was really nice to be strong at the end of a race and really be able to push, be able to show that I could keep the tyre alive at Silverstone which is one of the most brutal tracks on tyres. So to be able to put in a solid second half of that race was key, and I enjoyed it a lot.
“Aragon’s a really fun track, but a lot of the corners lead into one another so if you don’t have a good feeling, it’s really hard to go fast. Last year we didn’t have that feeling but this year – a bit hotter, the bike is better, maybe the rider is doing a better job – that good feeling came back.
“Generally I’ve gone well here at Aragon before, I was on the podium with the Pramac boys in 2019, but last year was pretty shocking really. Two races, kind of nowhere in the first one and then got taken out by Brad (Binder) two corners into the second one. All us Ducati riders struggled here last year, to be honest. But the race – well, races – were so much later in the year last year than normal because of the changed calendar, so being here over a month earlier was always going to help. It gets pretty cold here in October, and we were doing FP1 sessions when the track was about 12 degrees, that’s way too cold for these bikes to work properly. It felt like a proper Aragon Grand Prix this time.
“I had a lot of fun here in 2019, but last year was a struggle the whole time. But right from when I rolled out of the box on Friday this weekend it immediately felt like something was up, it was fantastic. I’ve been on a Ducati for a while now and I’ve never had one that turns as good as this one does through the last corner. The corners like that one have caught us out in the past but us Ducatis owned the final sector all weekend, that one was ours. We could be calm on the tyre and be fast the whole time. Even in qualifying, it was the last sector that saved me because I struggled in sector one, but was able to use that last sector to pull something out of the bag and get onto the front row next to Pecco.
“Anyway, we have Misano next weekend, and I’m sure Pecco will be incredibly fast again, he was there last year. I feel good going there and I’m excited to be heading to the home Grand Prix for Ducati, so I’ll speak to you from there next week. “
Enea Bastianini – P6
“It was a very enjoyable race. At the beginning I struggled in the corners, but from the middle of the race onwards I improved and from then on I started my comeback. It’s a pity that I lost a bit of time fighting with Quartararo and Nakagami, because maybe I could have caught Miller as well. Anyway, it was a race that exceeded my expectations. I think we showed great pace throughout the weekend and we’ll go to Misano in really motivated.”
Brad Binder – P7
“It was a tough race for us, really difficult, I tried my absolute best at the beginning not to destroy my rear tire so that I would have something left for the end. Even though I nursed the left-hand side really well it gave me a very hard time on the last few laps. I need to say a huge thank you to the team because they worked so hard this weekend. The bike is working well, we just need a little bit more to be a bit more competitive. We are struggling more than we’d like to right now but it’s not for a lack of effort, that’s for sure. If we keep working then we are going to get there.”
Fabio Quartararo – P8
“I’m not happy, because it was strange today. I improved my pace this morning, but something strange happened during the race. These things can happen sometimes. It‘s a bit sad that this time it was during the race, but it‘s not a total disaster. We will work hard to analyse what happened, and next week we will be riding in Misano. That‘s a track that I really like, so we just need to turn over the page. I still think we did a great job. It‘s just a shame about the result at the end of this weekend.”
Jorge Martín – P9
“I am satisfied. I ended in the top ten and this is my objective for the season. I’m still suffering a bit physically and in tracks like this which require a lot of effort, I struggle more. Either way, I am happy. We have earned points and we are improving more and more each day.”
Takaaki Nakagami – P10
“We finished P10, the race was so tough, really difficult conditions as it was so warm. During the race, I was behind (Enea) Bastianini for a long time and it was difficult to manage the front tyre performance. But I tried my best during the race and over the last four laps we had a chance to finish P8, it was very close with Fabio (Quartararo) and Jorge Martin, but I wasn’t close enough and didn’t have a chance to attack or try to overtake. Anyway, we ended up P10, which is not the best result, but we had some positive feelings this weekend and we’ll keep working hard. We’re looking forward to the next one in Misano which is really important as it’s a home GP for the team and I’m excited to go there.”
Iker Lecuona – P11
“I’m happy on one side as I did a very good race. The pace was unbelievable! I made some mistakes and especially one in corner eight, where I lost many positions back to P11. I tried to recover but after I had hit my shoulder very hard in my crash on Friday it made me struggle on the last laps. I still kept pushing and recovered almost two seconds to come back to that group. I even tried to pass Nakagami to finish in the top 10, but it was impossible. It’s still ok. I’m very happy about this weekend, I worked well. Thanks to everybody, who believes in me; to my family, my manager and also thanks to the team, that always works very well.”
Alex Rins – P12
“It was a very, very difficult race. In the first part I overtook a lot of riders, but then when I went onto the long straight I was fast but I was also keen to maintain the condition of the tyre. I got up to 12th and then I started to feel quite strange with not much grip or feeling in general. I wanted to do the best job possible, but in the end I couldn’t gain any more places. I don’t feel so bad because I gained a lot of places compared with my grid position and I’m ready to move on to Misano and try again.”
Pol Espargaro – P13
“I wasn’t fast today, I did not have a good feeling with the bike in the hotter conditions and I struggled from the start. I was unable to ride as I wanted and I lost too many places at the start, there were points in the race where I felt better and I was able to make up some ground, but the group ahead had been lost. With just a little more grip I can really ride the bike with my style as I want, but when the conditions are like this I can’t ride the bike like I want to. Now we get ready for Misano where probably the conditions will be similar, so we have to keep working to see what’s possible and how to improve. Marc shows that the bike can be strong in these conditions, I just need more time on the bike to understand what to do.”
Miguel Oliveira – P14
“Tough race for me. After the bad qualifying yesterday we made a couple of positions but I didn’t have the best feedback from the front end to be able to ride at my best. The team is working hard, I’m working hard and I’m sure we’ll come up with a good solution. Misano is a challenging track but I like it. We’ll hope for a good result.”
Danilo Petrucci – P15
“In the end, we managed to score one point, even if the race was really difficult. It was impossible for me to overtake and even stay with the pack, as I couldn’t get past anyone and was slower into the corners. Twice I almost hit a rider in front of me then I started to push and push and push but I struggled all the race with the front tyre, as it was very hot. Unfortunately, I made some mistakes. At the end we scored that point, which is ok. We did our best.”
Cal Crutchlow – P16
“I did enjoy it, and that‘s the main thing. Enjoying the race and getting the information for Yamaha was our aim for this weekend. I‘m disappointed with my position, but my position was severely hampered after the first lap contact with I think it was Alex Marquez. I had made a great start to eleventh already. I had the pace for a top 10 today I believe, but I ran off track, ran across the grass, came back on track, and then I hit another rider. I was back in 20th or something. I had to make up some positions, that was okay. I got held up by Marini after this, then I came across a 2s gap to the group in front of me. We struggled today, but it was good for information. I was pleased with my pace when I was not battling or something like that, which is positive. This means we can keep testing in a good way, because I will be testing here in two weeks’ time again.”
Johann Zarco – P17
“It was a difficult race; I am not satisfied. I am searching for that feeling I had with the bike at the beginning of the championship, but I am really struggling. I will rest for two days and we will try to improve at Misano.”
Maverick Vinales – P18
“I’m satisfied with the weekend overall. We knew that the position wouldn’t be our primary objective. In fact, I used a slightly different setup in order to continue experimenting with this new bike and gather information. I started well – that’s the first positive note – and in terms of tyre management, I must also admit that the situation is good. Maybe if we had started a bit farther forward, we’d be talking about a different race, but the flying lap in practice is a question of confidence and that will come with time and miles. We are at a point that requires great effort and work, but I know that we’ll be successful in the end.”
Valentino Rossi – P19
“It was a difficult day to end a difficult weekend at this track, but we know that this is not one of my best tracks. I was hoping to fight for some points today, because in Free Practice I was able to stay inside the top-15 at times, but racing with the soft rear tyre I needed to be very careful in the beginning to be smooth and not overstress the rear. We knew that on paper this tyre was faster than the medium and the hard, but the time we lost in the beginning being smooth was too great. I was able to keep a constant pace throughout the race though, but it was not enough to earn any points, which was our target. I’m now really looking forward to racing at home next weekend.”
Luca Marini – P20
“A very difficult race, I don’t have much more to say. A complicated weekend and a lot of work to do in order to make a step forward and be competitive for my home GP.”
Jake Dixon – DNF
“Everything had been going quite well during the weekend, up to the crash in the race. I felt like I didn’t have a bad first lap and I managed to stay with Rossi. I settled into it, but then had a moment coming out of Turn 3 on my first lap and that unsettled the bike. I went off the track on Turn 4 and Turn 5, re-joined about half a second behind everyone and tried to catch them. Looking at the data I didn’t do anything differently, but the hard front tyre wasn’t quite up to temperature. It’s something that experience obviously helps with, but it was my mistake and I want to apologise to the team. I want to thank the team and all the crew members for giving me this great opportunity to do two weekends on the Petronas Yamaha SRT; I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”
Álex Márquez – DNF
“It was unfortunate today, we made some steps during warm-up when I was feeling ok. In the race, on the first lap somebody in front of me had a touch and, ahead of me, I had Taka who braked to avoid the contact in front, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to avoid contact with him and his rear tyre. It was completely my fault and I’m sorry to the team, they did an amazing job today to give me the best bike for the race, so I’m sad for that. The positive thing is that in three or four days I’ll be back on the bike, I’ll to try to forget this weekend because, overall, it’s not been easy. We look forward to Misano where we’ll try harder.”
Team Managers
Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager
“It was an incredible race, and I’m so excited. Pecco was amazing! He really did a masterpiece, riding flawlessly and beating a Marc Márquez who showed his form today. This first win was crucial for Pecco, and he deserves it, as do all the guys at Ducati Corse who have worked so hard to achieve this victory. I’m really happy”.
Shinichi Sahara – Suzuki Project Leader and Team Director
“First of all I’d like to say ‘great job’ to Joan and his crew! During the weekend he was steady and consistent as usual and he made a good start from his grid position. He maintained everything very well, and he stayed very concentrated. I’m really happy for him to be back on the podium. We still need to find something more to fight for the title, but I believe we can do that. Alex achieved great lap times in Warm-Up this morning with a used tyre, but he lacked a bit of feeling with the bike during the race, despite this he recovered well. We’re already looking forward to Misano and hoping to see both our riders at the front.”
Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager
“We had high expectations here because last year we had fantastic results, but this year we are struggling a bit more. Despite this situation, Joan did a very good job to take a podium and I’m very happy. Alex improved in the race compared with his qualifying position, but he couldn’t achieve what he wanted today. We need to study the data again and try to find the solutions ahead of Misano next weekend.”
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, Team Director
“We knew we would struggle here, but we didn‘t expect the race to be this tough right from the start. We are still analysing what caused Fabio discomfort today. We haven’t found the answer yet. Whatever caused it, it was a real shame, because after Warm Up we were feeling confident that we could have done a completely different race than what ultimately happened today. We will definitely analyse the data carefully before next week’s race. But Fabio‘s fighting spirit and instinct to never give up resulted in eight championship points. It‘s definitely not as many as we wanted or could have scored here, but they are still crucial. Cal also didn‘t have the start of the race that he wanted. There was contact with other riders and he also lost some time battling with Marini, but overall he was riding well. He got into a solid rhythm and came really close to securing a championship point. Luckily, we can go back to ’normality‘ next week, riding at Misano where we‘re usually competitive. So the team are all looking forward to making a strong comeback there.”
Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM Race Manager
“It was hard for us to post a single fast, flying lap from Friday morning on this track. We knew we would be stronger in the race but from those grid positions we also knew it would be tough. To be fair Brad and Iker pushed so hard in the first half of the race and against strong competition. Iker made a mistake and Brad continued to make the maximum possible. It was difficult to manage the tires and Miguel had issues from the beginning with rear grip, which he’d had all weekend. We need to help him and all of our riders to overcome these obstacles and I hope we can again fight for the top five when we come to Misano next week.”
Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager
“I believe it was a really strong race from our two guys, for sure especially Iker. He had a great start and he was clearly inside the top 10. We were very proud to see him being the leading KTM rider for most of the race with Brad (Binder) just behind him. Unfortunately, when everything is so close, you can’t afford to do any mistake and he did a very small one, that cost him dearly. He went from P7 to P11, which was a shame. But still I would like to thank Iker, because he has been pushing all weekend long, he has been showing a positive attitude and a great fighting spirit. There is more to come in the next few races. Overall, it was a strong weekend. When he came to the garage, he was really pissed off, which is the sign of a champion, so just a few more days and we are in Misano and we can push again to try to do another strong race. Danilo didn’t get such a good start, but still kept his head down. He was doing interesting lap times, but unfortunately, the pace was very similar among the whole grid. He managed to pass quite a few riders, including Johann Zarco. He ended up in P15, which means our both riders are in the points. This is a satisfaction, but of course, both Iker and Danilo wish for more and we do as well. Anyway, let’s pack everything and move to Misano, where we can challenge again and hopefully have our two guys in the top 10.”
Razlan Razali – PETRONAS Yamaha SRT, Team Principal
“We saw a tough race for Valentino today and it was very hot out on track, which didn’t help. We know this is a track that he historically struggled a bit at, but I’m sure that Misano, which is a home race for him, will be better. It was an unfortunate crash for Jake, but I’m sure it’s just part of the learning process because the conditions were difficult. I’m sure he’s had a lot of fun being on the MotoGP bike.”
2021 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Round Seven – Motorland Aragón GP
The Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup season has wrapped up at the Aragon GP, with David Alonso claiming the title with a race to spare, his second-place finish in Race 1 enough to secure the top spot. David Munoz was runner up, with Daniel Holgado completing the championship podium.
New Zealand’s Cormac Buchanan also had exciting news to share, having secured a spot in the 2022 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, after wrapping up the 2021 season over the weekend with a 20-19 result.
Cormac Buchanan
“I am beyond proud to announce I have been confirmed as a Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup rider for 2022. To have another year in this incredible championship, riding the wicked KTM Factory Racing RC250 R machine, flying the New Zealand flag 🇳🇿 and striving to be the best racer I can be is just an unreal feeling. I want to thank everyone who has helped me get to this moment and the entire Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup for giving me this opportunity. To coaches Dani and Gustl, your wisdom and guidance this season has been invaluable and I can’t wait to work with you again. To my Rookies mechanic Aleix – thank you for your expertise and hard work. Full credit to my Squadra Mac Attack partners – I honestly could not have achieved this without you. And Steve Bagshaw for always believing it’s possible. Bring on 2022!”
Qualifying
Daniel Holgado put in a blistering Motorland Aragón lap early in Qualifying and no one could come close. The 16-year-old Spaniard has pole by over half a second for the final weekend of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup for 2021 with points leader David Alonso, the 15-year-old Colombian, on the other side of the grid in third.
Splitting the two is Diogo Moreira, the 17-year-old Brazilian while David Muñoz, the 15-year-old Spaniard, who is the only rider able to wrest the Cup from Alonso, will start from the fourth row after qualifying seventh on his KTM.
Race 1
Dani Holgado, David Muñoz and David Alonso flashed across the line at the end of a fabulously intense Race 1 at Aragon, while third place gave the 2021 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup to Alonso.
The Colombian 15-year-old had fought for the race win all the way in what distilled into a five-KTM lead battle, but 16-year-old Spaniard pole man Holgado, had the edge on the final lap.
Going into the penultimate race only Muñoz could challenge Alonso for the Cup and he put everything into it but Alonso only really needed a handful of points to take the title.
David Muñoz locked out second place in the title chase, the same position he finished last season. Holgado is secure in third, he was fifth last year and Alonso fourth.
Daniel Holgado – P1
“I am very happy for my race and my second victory of the season. I did a good job yesterday and today the race was amazing for me. It was a very fast race and I am happy to be the winner. Thanks to my team and to my family for the support. Congratulations to my team mate David (Alonso) for winning the Cup, thanks to all. Pole yesterday, a win today and I hope another one tomorrow, it’s possible.”
David Alonso – P2 (Championship winner)
“I feel so surprised, finally we did it. This second year, after one year of learning, this year to win the championship and that is what we did. About the race, it was a difficult race because all the weekend I was strong but today, maybe because of the pressure, I was a little bit less strong. I managed as best as I can and I could win the championship. It’s amazing, all the effort that I made and also winning it today is very good because tomorrow I can enjoy the race. Nothing much more to say really, I think that tonight I will be very happy.”
David Muñoz – P3
“Second place is very good for me. I am also second in the championship and that is also good. Thanks to the Rookies Cup and everyone who supports me. One more race tomorrow and I will go for the win.”
Cormach Buchanan finished in P20, after battling for 18th, while claiming a new PB.
Cormac Buchanan – P20
“Happy with the solid gains made in race one of @redbullrookiescup at @motorlandaragon, staying in the hunt for P18 at the flag. PB: 2.04.63 – nearly two-secs faster than qualifying and some fun battles out on track as a result. Congrats Alonso on clinching the 2021 Rookies Cup championship and an impressive season. As the final race of the season looms, I’m excited to see what we can do as the hard mahi continues tomorrow.”
Race 2
The final Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup race of the season went down to the line with Ivan Ortolá snatching the lead from Pole man and Saturday winner Daniel Holgado into the final corner as Cup winner David Alonso overlapped them in a seven KTM mass finish.
The winning margin was just 0.006 seconds for Ortolá the 17-year-old Spaniard over his 16-year-old fellow countryman Holgado. Alonso, the 15-year-old Colombian was 0.050 behind and 0.108 ahead of David Muñoz in fourth, less than half a second covered the top 7.
Ivan Ortolá – P1
“It was an amazing race today. Yesterday the clutch broke in the race and I was a little bit unlucky but I knew that I had the pace to battle for the win. Today I made a good start and got into first position in a few laps. The race was very difficult but I stayed in the group all the way and finally I could finish the Red Bull Rookies Cup championship with a first place. I have to thank my mechanic and everyone who supports me and for the Rookies Cup because this is an opportunity for two years at an amazing level and you learn a lot.”
Daniel Holgado – P2
“It was an incredible race for me. My last race here in the Cup was amazing and thanks to the Rookies Cup family for everything. It was a difficult race because of the track conditions, very hot, the back tyre was sliding but I had a good feeling with it this weekend. I am very happy with my last race, I did a good job here this weekend and I thank my supporters and family.”
David Alonso – P3
“It was a very positive race, it was a present for me because the championship was already won yesterday and so the only goal for me was to enjoy it a lot every lap and that is what I did. I enjoyed the bike, the overtaking. I was always on the front and the position is good but whatever the position it would be good. To finish on the podium in the last race is wonderful and it was an incredible season. I really appreciate the Colombian fans and I want to thank them for their support as well as everyone here.”
New Zealand’s Buchanan finished in P19.
Cormac Buchanan – P19
“Gotta admit today’s race wasn’t how I wanted to finish. I didn’t get my set up right for the conditions and paid the price for some poor decisions. Struggled throughout the race to keep pace. There’s plenty to reflect on from my debut season and I will enjoy taking the time to remember the gains we made, the incredible circuits we raced, the thrill of being part of the MotoGP paddock and the overall unbelievable experience it has been. Thank you everyone for your amazing support – it’s been unreal.”
2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Round Six – Hero Challenge – Poland
South African Wade Young claimed the win at the sixth round of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, the Hero Challenge in Poland.
Making his mark in the sandy terrain of Dąbrowa Górnicza, Wade Young led home Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler finishing in close contention for third. Securing the runner-up result, Bolt becomes the new championship leader with two rounds remaining.
Leading into Sunday’s feature event, it was home favourite Dominik Olszowy (KTM) who topped the Saturday morning qualifier, before Husqvarna mounted Alfredo Gomez won the evening SuperEnduro in downtown Dąbrowa Górnicza.
That win from Gomez earned himself pole position for the three-hour race. But when the flag dropped, it was Lettenbichler who took the holeshot ahead of Gomez to claim an early lead in the race. As the 120 riders blasted off the start line, all the heavy hitters were quick to fight their way to the front.
Lettenbichler, Bolt, Olszowy, Gomez, and Jonny Walker (Beta) were soon joined by Young. A gamble by the South African to pit one lap later than his rivals paid off and the Sherco rider was soon out front. Clearly enjoying the rough conditions, Young put in a clinical second half of the race to claim victory at round six.
Bolt gave chase to Young but wasn’t quite able to match his pace as the track deteriorated. Knowing that by keeping ahead of Lettenbichler he would become the new championship leader, Bolt stayed on script and steered his Husqvarna home for the runner-up result. Lettenbichler came on strong during the final laps but wasn’t able to bridge the gap to Bolt and had to be content with third.
For Olszowy, hopes of a home podium didn’t quite materialise. Despite showing great pace, a broken clutch perch forced him to make an unscheduled pitstop to repair the damage. Digging deep, he ended his race just over 50 seconds behind Lettenbichler for fourth. Sherco’s Mario Roman completed the top five.
The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship now heads to Spain for the seventh and penultimate stop of the series, Hixpania Hard Enduro on October 1-3.
Wade Young (Sherco) – P1
“I’m so happy to pull off the win. I felt really comfortable out there today. My start wasn’t ideal – I got a bit boxed off – but I stayed relaxed because I knew my pace was good. Once I got with the guys, I settled in. I gambled on riding an extra lap before pitting and that gained me some time too. In the second half my flow was good. I was hitting my lines, putting in my times and took it home for the win. It’s been an awesome day.”
Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) – P2
“It was physical out there for the three hours, I don’t have much left in the tank now! I would have loved to take the win, but second place is great for the championship and now puts me in the lead by one point. I was battling with Wade at about mid distance. But I needed an extra pit stop and lost some ground. A crash then saw me lose sight of him, so I just tried to play it safe. I didn’t want to make any more mistakes and lose a position to Mani either. Hats off to Wade though, he deserved the win today.”
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) – P3
“I was stoked to get the holeshot. I felt pretty strong until about the fifth lap, but then began to fade a little. It was so tiring. My race was good. Towards the end I managed to get a bit closer to Billy, so I made a push on. But by that stage when I tried to up my pace I started making mistakes and wasn’t able to get on his wheel to battle. It’s been good to stay on the podium every round now and although I lost the points lead, there’s only one point in it, so it’s still all to play for.”
Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) – P7
“The SuperEnduro was definitely my best performance of the weekend. I really loved the track and the style of races. The eliminator heat races were very cool and with each run you learned the track more and more. I knew for the final that getting the holeshot would be key and I managed to do that on my TE 300i. Once in the lead I held my ground and took the win. The three-hour cross country on Sunday wasn’t really my style of racing. It was missing some really hard technical elements to play to my strengths. I did my best and got seventh. I’m excited for my home race at Hixpania now. I’ve won there and been on the podium many times, so I’ll be pushing for victory for sure.”
2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship Round 13 – Aragon
Aragon produced the MotoGP race of the season overnight after Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez went head-to-head over the final laps in a tense battle that was truly magnificent to watch.
Despite yet more crashes during practice the mental strength of Marc Marquez was on display as soon as the lights went out as he propelled himself into the battle for the lead with a daring display of other-worldly motorcycle control.
As the race wore on it was only Marquez that could take the battle for victory up to Bagnaia after the Italian had scored the holeshot from pole position and led every single lap of the race.
Over the final laps Bagnaia was a measure of calculated control as he fended off a flurry of thrusts and parries from Marquez that were simply breath-taking in both daring and volume.
Every time Marquez slotted his Honda up the inside or outside of the Ducati, Bagnaia answered with an amazing display of strategy and control that earned him his first ever MotoGP victory under what was immense pressure from the eight-time World Champion.
As Marquez said himself after the race, it was a Dovizioso-like display from Bagnaia, but with even more corner speed.
The win moves Bagnaia up to second place in the championship while series leader Fabio Quartararo still enjoys a 53-points lead despite a lack-lustre eighth place finish at Aragon.
Joan Mir took third place at Aragon and holds down third place in the championship, a slim four-points behind Mir.
With five rounds now remaining it is fair to say that Quartararo certainly has one hand on the championship trophy. Only a series of major disasters can prevent the 22-year-old from being crowned champion.
MotoGP Race Report
As the lights went out, polesitter Bagnaia got away well and held on for the holeshot, with team-mate Jack Miller going in a bit deep at Turn 1 and that allowing Marc Marquez to grab P2 after a lightning start for the number 93. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was up to P4, with Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) losing out and down to fifth 5th. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) then crashed at Turn 5, rider ok.
As Bagnaia and Marc Marquez led the train away, Quartararo was struggling. Both Mir and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) passed the Frenchman next as he slipped towards the clutches of eighth place Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), but nobody in the early stages was showing their cards, with only 2.2 seconds covering the top six.
Just outside that top six remained Quartararo, however. By now, the Frenchman had the rapid starting Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) climbing all over him, and at the end of Lap 6, the number 27 was through. A couple of laps later, another KTM was ahead as Binder followed Lecuona after the Spaniard had despatched him too, and Quartararo was suddenly down to P9.
With eight laps gone, the cards were beginning to appear on the table. Bagnaia and Marquez were just over a second clear of Miller in third, and that advantage was soon up to nearly two with 13 to go. Miller headed wide at Turn 16 not long after too, allowing Aleix Espargaro and Mir to cut through. The reigning World Champion then managed to despatch the Aprilia to take over in third, but the gap to Pecco and Marquez was now nearly three and a half seconds.
To compound the gap, the pace was far from slowing. The two leaders were exchanging 1:48s lap after lap, with the rest in the 1:49s and below. They’d carved out a 4.3s lead over Mir and Aleix Espargaro with nine laps to go, but then it was into tyre life territory. Would that play a role? With five to go though, there was no change, with both riders still in the 1:48s… and it seemed it was going to the finish.
With four laps left, the pressure from Marquez was ramping up. Getting closer and closer until he was glued on, a lap later the first move finally came. The Honda rider went for a lunge into Turn 5, but he was in a little hot and slightly wide, Pecco replying unflustered to get back into the lead. So Marquez next shoved his RC213V up the inside at Turn 15, but again, the Italian got the cutback and held P1. Two down, how many to go?
On the penultimate lap, another. An exact copy and paste at Turn 5, Marquez again lunged late and again got a quick reply. The exact same thing happened at Turn 15 too, and again, Bagnaia carved back past. And so it was going down to some final lap fireworks…
This time, Marquez tried his luck at Turn 1, but that didn’t stick either. So, of course, Turn 5 saw another lunge for the third lap in a row, with the exact same result. That made six attempts from the number 93, each of which had been on to try but each of which had been greeted with a swift reply.
Marquez is Marquez though, so a seventh attempt then came at Turn 12. The number 93 got a great run out of his own namesake Marc Marquez Corner and was up the inside at the downhill left-hander, not a move he’d tried yet but ultimately one that wasn’t going to work either. Struggling to get it hooked up to the apex, Marquez was wide and onto the green, and Pecco needed no second invitation to sweep back past, keep it pinned and finally gain a few metres of breathing space.
From there the Italian made no mistake and crossed the line to complete a perfect weekend: pole position to maiden MotoGP victory, the eighth winner of 2021, defeating Marc Marquez on his home turf.
His victory is also the 250th for Italy in the premier class, adding Francesco Bagnaia next to a little chapter of a rich history. Emotional in parc ferme, Bagnaia was just sublime on Sunday at Aragon.
Marquez threw absolutely everything at it as he sought that seventh win at MotorLand though, coming up just six tenths short. Still, it’s another podium and a leading role in an all-time classic, as well 20 points to add to his tally – and he’ll likely sleep rather well knowing he left it all out there, seven times.
Behind, Mir kept it tidy in third to take his fifth rostrum of 2021, in some space alone as he escaped Aleix Espargaro but couldn’t get onto terms with Bagnaia and Marquez.
Aleix Espargaro’s P4 is another excellent ride from the Spaniard though, and he’s the top Independent Team rider. Miller couldn’t recover ground later on and finished a lonely fifth.
Reigning Moto2 World Champion Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) claims sixth for his best premier class result, putting the cherry on top of an impressive weekend. The rookie beat Binder by just 0.3s, and both escaped Quartararo by a good margin. A tricky day at the office for the World Championship leader and his second worst result of the season sees his lead cut, but it’s still a healthy 53 points with five races to go.
Martin took P9 less than a tenth behind Quartararo too, with Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) 10th in the same pack as Bastianini, an earlier sparring partner, was able to break away from the Japanese rider. Lecuona made a mistake with a handful of laps to go that saw the Spaniard slip outside the top 10, but it was nevertheless a great ride from the 21-year-old and a stunning early charge.
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) pocketed P12 from P20 on the grid, gaining some ground, and it was a quieter day for Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) in P13, just ahead of Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and 15th place Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing).
Cal Crutchlow (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) were P16 and P17 respectively, with Maverick Viñales taking P18 on his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini debut. Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) were the final finishers, with Jake Dixon (Petronas Yamaha SRT) joining Alex Marquez in the DNFs, crashing out on Lap 2 and rider also ok.
So, a magnificent MotorLand battle sees Bagnaia finally claim that illustrious first MotoGP win. Next up: his home race at Misano. Remember that time he disappeared in the lead and then crashed? The Italian will be looking for a replay of the first half, and has never seemed less likely to recreate the second… save the date as MotoGP gets ready to take on the Riviera di Rimini.
MotoGP Aragon 2021 Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
41m44.422
2
Marc MARQUEZ
Honda
+0.673
3
Joan MIR
Suzuki
+3.911
4
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
+9.269
5
Jack MILLER
Ducati
+11.928
6
Enea BASTIANINI
Ducati
+13.757
7
Brad BINDER
KTM
+14.064
8
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
+16.575
9
Jorge MARTIN
Ducati
+16.615
10
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
+16.904
11
Iker LECUONA
KTM
+17.124
12
Alex RINS
Suzuki
+17.71
13
Pol ESPARGARO
Honda
+19.68
14
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
+22.703
15
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
+25.723
16
Cal CRUTCHLOW
Yamaha
+26.413
17
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
+26.62
18
Maverick VIÑALES
Aprilia
+27.128
19
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
+32.517
20
Luca MARINI
Ducati
+39.073
Francesco Bagnaia – P1
“A lot of emotion today. I’m so happy. We worked a lot to achieve this result, every time we were close, something happened and this dream to take my first victory, every time it was far. So to win today is a great liberation. I’m so happy, I have to say thanks to all the team, my family, my fantastic girlfriend, who are with me every day. It’s difficult to say something now, but it was not easy. I knew it wasn’t easy to stay in front of Marc at this track. His body isn’t at 100% but I think today with the hunger to win he was very, very competitive, and… I just tried to do my best and finish first. It’s a dream come true.”
2021 MotoGP Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
FRA
214
2
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
ITA
161
3
Joan MIR
Suzuki
SPA
157
4
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
FRA
137
5
Jack MILLER
Ducati
AUS
129
6
Brad BINDER
KTM
RSA
117
7
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
SPA
96
8
Maverick VIÑALES
Aprilia
SPA
95
9
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
POR
87
10
Marc MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
79
11
Jorge MARTIN
Ducati
SPA
71
12
Alex RINS
Suzuki
SPA
68
13
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
JPN
64
14
Pol ESPARGARO
Honda
SPA
55
15
Alex MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
49
16
Enea BASTIANINI
Ducati
ITA
45
17
Franco MORBIDELLI
Yamaha
ITA
40
18
Iker LECUONA
KTM
SPA
38
19
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
ITA
37
20
Luca MARINI
Ducati
ITA
28
21
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
ITA
28
22
Stefan BRADL
Honda
GER
11
23
Dani PEDROSA
KTM
SPA
6
24
Lorenzo SAVADORI
Aprilia
ITA
4
25
Michele PIRRO
Ducati
ITA
3
26
Tito RABAT
Ducati
SPA
1
Moto2
Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) pulled another sensational win out of the hat at Aragon, despite a crash at Silverstone leaving him on the back foot and a crash cycling for which he needed surgery on his hand just before the race weekend. Nevertheless, he dominated to equal Marc Marquez’ record of five wins as a Moto2 rookie, with teammate and Championship leader Remy Gardner taking second. With that, Red Bull KTM Ajo wrapped up the Teams’ Championship, and the win was also their hundredth too. Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) completed the podium for another rostrum finish as he shows more good 2021 form, storming through from 12th on the grid.
Off the line it was Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) who held firm from pole from Gardner and Raul Fernandez, opening up an advantage of 0.6 on the opening lap as Raul Fernandez then passed title rival Gardner for second at Turn 12. Just behind, Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) grabbed P4 from Hector Garzo (FlexBox HP 40). The fastest lap of the race on Lap 2 for Raul Fernandez saw him cut Lowes’ lead to just 0.2, with Gardner sitting twice that down on his teammate, in third.
The number 25 then decided to attack for the lead at the beginning of Lap 4, with Gardner exchanging P3 with Ogura just behind. The Australian was having a scrappy opening handful of laps, wide at Turn 12 and once again conceding P3 to Ogura. Soon after, Garzo was also ahead of Gardner. It was a fascinating scrap the Aussie found himself in, but in getting caught up with the likes of Ogura and Garzo – who crashed at Turn 8 on Lap 5 – the gap to Lowes and Fernandez was up to 1.9s. By 10 laps down, Raul Fernandez was still holding Lowes at bay by just over a second and Gardner was over three seconds down on them, with Jorge Navarro (+EGO Speed Up) and Aron Canet (Kipin Energy Aspar Team) in hot pursuit.
On Lap 12, the first drama for a frontrunner: Marco Bezzecchi’s (Sky Racing Team VR46) quiet weekend came to a premature end at Turn 8, putting a dent in his standings. And then, after seeing Raul Fernandez stretch his lead to nearly one and a half seconds, a gift was handed to both Red Bull KTM Ajo riders as Lowes was the next to slide out. Rider ok, the Brit stacked it at Turn 7 with nine laps to go, leaving Raul Fernandez with a huge, six-second lead over Gardner.
Despite the pain barrier, the number 25 was unstoppable. Keeping that gap to the end, Raul Fernandez took his fifth win to take back to the top step in style, with the deficit to Gardner in the Championship down to 39-points as they swept the Teams’ title too.
In even more good news for Aki Ajo, future Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Augusto Fernandez took the final place on the podium. After starting 12th the Spaniard make good progress to slice his way up to the fight for the rostrum, with Navarro his final obstacle. The two had a good duel before the number 37 was able to just pull away to take that third.
Navarro nevertheless took another strong result in fourth, with Canet finishing three seconds down on the rostrum fight in P5. P6 went the way of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), as newly crowned Moto2 European Champion Fermin Aldeguer (+EGO Speed Up) claimed a stunning P7 – his best yet despite already having made quite an impression. Ogura faded slightly and took P8, with fellow rookie Tony Arbolino (Liqui Moly Intact GP) finishing P9 in a much improved race day for the Italian.
The experienced Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) rounded out the top 10, the Italian beating Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing), Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) and Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) as they locked out the remaining point scoring positions.
Moto2 Aragon 2021 Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Raul FERNANDEZ
Kalex
39m49.990
2
Remy GARDNER
Kalex
+5.408
3
Augusto FERNANDEZ
Kalex
+6.824
4
Jorge NAVARRO
Boscoscuro
+7.051
5
Aron CANET
Boscoscuro
+10.695
6
Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO
Kalex
+15.16
7
Fermín ALDEGUER
Boscoscuro
+16.73
8
Ai OGURA
Kalex
+17.085
9
Tony ARBOLINO
Kalex
+17.704
10
Simone CORSI
MV Agusta
+20.121
11
Marcel SCHROTTER
Kalex
+20.852
12
Marcos RAMIREZ
Kalex
+24.602
13
Joe ROBERTS
Kalex
+26.086
14
Cameron BEAUBIER
Kalex
+29.101
15
Celestino VIETTI
Kalex
+30.301
16
Barry BALTUS
NTS
+30.42
17
Manuel GONZALEZ
MV Agusta
+34.977
18
Stefano MANZI
Kalex
+35.789
19
Hafizh SYAHRIN
NTS
+36.036
20
John MCPHEE
Kalex
+47.756
21
Xavi CARDELUS
Kalex
+47.834
Not Classified
DNF
Somkiat CHANTRA
Kalex
4 Laps
DNF
Nicolò BULEGA
Kalex
5 Laps
DNF
Sam LOWES
Kalex
8 Laps
DNF
Bo BENDSNEYDER
Kalex
9 Laps
DNF
Marco BEZZECCHI
Kalex
9 Laps
DNF
Lorenzo DALLA PORTA
Kalex
14 Laps
DNF
Albert ARENAS
Boscoscuro
16 Laps
DNF
Hector GARZO
Kalex
17 Laps
DNF
Xavi VIERGE
Kalex
18 Laps
DNF
Thomas LUTHI
Kalex
18 Laps
DNF
Piotr BIESIEKIRSKI
Kalex
19 Laps
Raul Fernandez – P1
“It was really difficult race, all this weekend. At the end I’m really happy, the race was really strong, I couldn’t do more with my hand, I couldn’t brake the last five laps. It was really difficult for me but I’m really happy to be here. I want to thank Dr Mir, his team, the Clinica, Alpinestars, my team and family I’m here because of them. Thanks everyone, and this victory is special because it’s my first one here in Spain, with the fans here and my friends. But especially because Hugo Millan’s family is here, this is for him. I’m really happy and this is for his family.“
2021 Moto2 Standings
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Remy GARDNER
Kalex
AUS
251
2
Raul FERNANDEZ
Kalex
SPA
212
3
Marco BEZZECCHI
Kalex
ITA
179
4
Sam LOWES
Kalex
GBR
127
5
Augusto FERNANDEZ
Kalex
SPA
108
6
Aron CANET
Boscoscuro
SPA
103
7
Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO
Kalex
ITA
101
8
Ai OGURA
Kalex
JPN
95
9
Marcel SCHROTTER
Kalex
GER
80
10
Jorge NAVARRO
Boscoscuro
SPA
71
11
Xavi VIERGE
Kalex
SPA
67
12
Joe ROBERTS
Kalex
USA
59
13
Celestino VIETTI
Kalex
ITA
47
14
Tony ARBOLINO
Kalex
ITA
40
15
Bo BENDSNEYDER
Kalex
NED
40
16
Somkiat CHANTRA
Kalex
THA
35
17
Cameron BEAUBIER
Kalex
USA
28
18
Albert ARENAS
Boscoscuro
SPA
23
19
Jake DIXON
Kalex
GBR
21
20
Stefano MANZI
Kalex
ITA
20
21
Marcos RAMIREZ
Kalex
SPA
20
22
Thomas LUTHI
Kalex
SWI
16
23
Fermín ALDEGUER
Boscoscuro
SPA
13
24
Simone CORSI
MV Agusta
ITA
13
25
Hector GARZO
Kalex
SPA
12
26
Nicolò BULEGA
Kalex
ITA
12
27
Lorenzo DALLA PORTA
Kalex
ITA
10
28
Hafizh SYAHRIN
NTS
MAL
8
29
Alonso LOPEZ
Boscoscuro
SPA
4
30
Lorenzo BALDASSARRI
MV Agusta
ITA
3
31
Barry BALTUS
NTS
BEL
2
Moto3
Moto3 brought the serious drama at MotorLand, with three Championship contenders all finding bad luck or trouble on race day. The first was for Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) as he was forced into the gravel, then Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) crashed and, right as he seemed set to make huge gains, so did second overall Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team). But one contender held firm and avoided it all, with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) pulling off a tactical masterclass to take his third win of the year and move back into third overall.
The Italian just defeated another stunner from Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3), the Turkish rider impressing once again but forced to wait for that first win. Completing the podium was Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3), the Japanese rider digging deep and taking an emotional second rostrum after a difficult few months of injury, bad luck and more.
Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) kept the lead initially as the South African held on for the holeshot, but Garcia was quick to attack. As ever though, the moves came thick and fast and a leading freight train formed. Öncü took over at the front, with Acosta, Garcia and Binder shadowing in the early stages.
Drama hit on Lap 5 for Silverstone winner Fenati. Front row starter Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) suddenly crashed in front of the Italian, and he was forced to take avoiding action into the gravel – rejoining well down the order, a postcode off the points.
There was also an early touch between Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing) and Acosta but no harm done. Meanwhile Öncü rolled on at the front, able to stay ahead down the back straight too as a group of nine formed at the front followed by SIC58 Squadra Corse duo Lorenzo Fellon and Tatsuki Suzuki.
After chipping away at it, they tagged onto the back to make it 11 riders fighting for the win, but it was a costly push for Fellon as the French rookie then got a Long Lap penalty for track limits. Taking it dropped him back in behind the chasing trio of Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy), double 2020 winner at the track Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride).
Antonelli and Nepa were next to tag on, but then drama whittled the group down again… and key drama. After a season of history making, Acosta made his first big race day error of the year, heading up the inside of Artigas and then losing it, skittling both out. And he couldn’t rejoin, leaving Garcia with an open goal…
Starting the final lap, Foggia led Öncü led the two GASGAS machines of Garcia and Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team). Öncü then hit the front, the Turk digging in on the search for that elusive first victory, and even more drama soon hit just behind. Despite the huge chance to home in on Acosta, it just wasn’t to be. Garcia suddenly slid out as he fought to gain more ground, rider ok and able to rejoin but no points coming his way.
Meanwhile, Öncü remained ahead and the Turk led heading onto the back straight – as he had a good few times during the race, able each time to keep it too. But this time, Foggia had the legs and the incredible straight-line speed of the Leopard Honda struck, the number 7 slicing past. Öncü tried to reply on the drag to the line and almost did, but he’s forced to settle for another second, just 0.041 off the win.
After a weekend of more muted timesheets at times from Sasaki, the Japanese rider played his cards to perfection on race day. Making moves through the group late on, the number 71 took his second Grand Prix podium by just 0.064, denying Guevara as the Spanish rookie was forced to wait for that first podium once again, just as at Silverstone.
Antonelli stormed the latter stages the come home in fifth, able to pull out a few tenths on compatriot Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team), who nevertheless bounced back after a tough-to-take technical DNF at Silverstone. Binder took seventh nearly a second further back, with Nepa half a second behind him. Suzuki lost out to the Italian by 0.101 as he took ninth, with Masia completing the top ten a couple of seconds off the front group, not finding his 2020 MotorLand magic this time around.
Ryusei Yamanaka (CarXpert PrüstelGP) took P11 with a little breathing space ahead of Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), with Syarifuddin Azman (Petronas Sprinta Racing) only a tenth and a half off the number 31 by the flag. No mean feat, and the Malaysian impressively scores points on his Grand Prix debut.
Rather stunningly, behind him came Fenati. The veteran Italian dug in to try and gain ground back after being forced wide, and gain ground he did. Making up the gap to the next riders, passing them, and then rinsing and repeating, the number 55 took 2 points for 14th.
Riccardo Rossi (BOE Owlride) just pipped Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) to the final point, with a late crash seeing Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) and Fellon both fail to make the flag.
Moto3 Aragon 2021 Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Dennis FOGGIA
Honda
37m53.710
2
Deniz ÖNCÜ
KTM
+0.041
3
Ayumu SASAKI
KTM
+0.644
4
Izan GUEVARA
GASGAS
+0.708
5
Niccolò ANTONELLI
KTM
+0.878
6
Andrea MIGNO
Honda
+1.18
7
Darryn BINDER
Honda
+2.133
8
Stefano NEPA
KTM
+2.685
9
Tatsuki SUZUKI
Honda
+2.786
10
Jaume MASIA
KTM
+4.714
11
Ryusei YAMANAKA
KTM
+8.275
12
Adrian FERNANDEZ
Husqvarna
+9.499
13
Syarifuddin AZMAN
Honda
+9.645
14
Romano FENATI
Husqvarna
+14.797
15
Riccardo ROSSI
KTM
+18.88
16
Kaito TOBA
KTM
+18.894
17
Yuki KUNII
Honda
+19.272
18
Sergio GARCIA
GASGAS
+19.888
19
Maximilian KOFLER
KTM
+19.933
20
Andi Farid IZDIHAR
Honda
+38.64
21
Alberto SURRA
Honda
+38.744
Not Classified
DNF
Jeremy ALCOBA
Honda
1 Lap
DNF
Lorenzo FELLON
Honda
1 Lap
DNF
Xavier ARTIGAS
Honda
4 Laps
DNF
Pedro ACOSTA
KTM
4 Laps
DNF
Carlos TATAY
KTM
7 Laps
DNF
Gabriel RODRIGO
Honda
14 Laps
DNF
Filip SALAC
KTM
17 Laps
Dennis Foggia – P1
“It was incredible, specially the last lap with Deniz. He was so strong braking, but my bike was so fast on the straight. I wanted to win, but also to open up the Championship. On the last lap I saw on my dash that Acosta was out, and on the last lap Garcia crashed… winning is special. I’d like to thank my team for the bike, my family who support me and also my dad.”
2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Round 8 – Silverstone National
The eight Title Fighters who will battle to be crowned the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike champion were finalised at Silverstone on Sunday afternoon, as it went down to the wire in the final race of the Main Season as five riders duelled for the final three positions ahead of the Showdown.
After 24 races in the Main Season, which has seen seven different race winners and a total of 12 podium finishers, the leading contenders in Bennetts BSB battled to join Jason O’Halloran, Tarran Mackenzie, Christian Iddon and Tommy Bridewell at Silverstone.
Peter Hickman had guaranteed his position following Saturday’s opening race for the FHO Racing BMW team, whilst Glenn Irwin had edged closer to securing Title Fighter status with his first victory of the season in Saturday’s Race.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Standings ahead of the Showdown
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 1071
Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 1041
Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) 1026
Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 1024
Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) 1015
Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW 1014
Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) 1012
Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) 1002
Superbike Race One
Glenn Irwin became the seventh different race winner in the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship, scoring victory in a dramatic BikeSocial race at Silverstone, as the McAMS Yamaha team-mates crashed out of the two leading positions.
The race began with Tarran Mackenzie hitting the front of the pack after a rapid start from the front row. However as the pack streamed across the line for the first time, Tommy Bridewell had claimed the advantage on the Oxford Products Racing Ducati.
On the second lap the drama began; Peter Hickman had a high-speed crash at Becketts, but the FHO Racing BMW rider had his Title Fighter position confirmed in the Showdown, having a 70-point advantage over ninth place in the standings ahead of Sunday’s two races.
The battle for the Title Fighter positions continued to rage throughout the pack. On the same lap, Danny Buchan went for a move on the inside of Ryan Vickers at Woodcote and they collided sending them both crashing out of the action.
There was heartbreak for Lee Jackson too as a technical issues forced him to retire his FS-3 Racing Kawasaki; the three riders remain in a position to secure one of the final three places tomorrow.
As Keith Farmer and Takumi Takahashi crashed out, the BMW Safety Car was deployed on lap four. The pack formed up with Bridewell leading Jason O’Halloran, Gino Rea, Glenn Irwin and Andrew Irwin plus Christian Iddon. Mackenzie meanwhile had dropped to seventh ahead of Josh Brookes after the opening laps.
When the race resumed on lap seven, O’Halloran was instantly attacking; making a move at Copse to snatch the lead from Bridewell. The Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider responded instantly to regain the position at the front of the field, as Glenn Irwin moved into third.
Mackenzie was making up ground though, he was up to second by lap 21 and the McAMS Yamaha rider was pushing for a repeat of his Snetterton victories.
However on the penultimate lap, Mackenzie had taken the lead and was defending hard from his team-mate when he high-sided at Brooklands, collecting O’Halloran and bringing out the red flag.
Mackenzie sustained a fractured fifth metacarpal on his left hand and will not take part in the races tomorrow, whilst championship leader O’Halloran is expected to race.
That awarded the win to Glenn Irwin, who had been holding third ahead of Iddon before the incident, as the VisionTrack Ducati rider returned to the podium for the first time since Thruxton. Bridewell completed the podium, adding to his Podium Points.
A fourth place for Brookes promoted him up ninth in the standings, just six-points adrift of Bradley Ray who held the last place in the top-eight ahead of Sunday’s two races following his fifth place finish.
Gino Rea claimed sixth place, but both him and Andrew Irwin were now out of the running for the final Title Fighter positions. Rory Skinner, Kyle Ryde, Xavi Forés and Luke Stapleford completed the top ten.
Glenn Irwin – Race One Winner
“It was a chaotic race, but I wanted to be one of those not making lunges at the beginning. I had to play it quite safe as I know the place in the Showdown is what we need this weekend. I saw with about eight laps to go Jason [O’Halloran] was starting to push and I did feel okay. But we also have a bad sector, which is sector three – Brooklands. I lose a little bit of traction front and rear and I start to understeer a lot, so we’ll sit down and look and see if that’s something we can improve for tomorrow. But a win – what a way to kick-start this Showdown decider weekend. There is pressure; we put ourselves under the maximum, but I like that because I think that’s when I perform and I’m really happy with today. When the Fireblade is good like it is this weekend, I’m up to fight for the wins and podiums. I’ll be trying my best again tomorrow, I think now we can go really get stuck in. To lose a 32 point buffer in two races would be silly, so let’s go get stuck in!”
Christian Iddon – P2
“I’m really happy to be back on the podium as I’ve been off the pace recently and had a few tough rounds so it’s nice to get this feeling again. Even at the start of this weekend, I was only average, but we made some improvements during qualifying, and I kept moving forward the whole race. Gino Rea looked to have that bit more on the Suzuki, but I was confident I could get by Glenn Irwin although the crash changed everything, and we ended up second. I’m really strong in some parts of the track but weak in others so if we can get off the corners better, I think we’ll be in a really good position for tomorrow’s races.”
Josh Brookes – P4
“The wheel spin and lack of grip I’ve been encountering continues but I’ve almost learnt to live with it although it does make the races hard work. We only have a small window where the bike works and just the slightest movement out of that window leads to big mistakes which is why I’m up and down a bit during the races. I’m not known for making mistakes or for getting bad starts but that’s what’s happening although as the race goes on, the other riders come back to me. I can see them spinning up in the second half of the race but because I’ve had that from the start, I’m able to make up ground in the latter stages. It’s not ideal and it’s still frustrating but I’ll take the positives and the fourth place.”
Superbike Race One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Glenn IRWIN
Honda
21m02.781
2
Christian IDDON
Ducati
+0.229
3
Tommy BRIDEWELL
Ducati
+1.038
4
Josh BROOKES
Ducati
+1.272
5
Bradley RAY
BMW
+1.810
6
Gino REA
Suzuki
+2.906
7
Rory SKINNER
Kawasaki
+4.699
8
Kyle RYDE
BMW
+5.481
9
Xavi FORÉS
BMW
+5.742
10
Luke STAPLEFORD
Suzuki
+8.501
11
Andrew IRWIN
BMW
+9.619
12
Ryo MIZUNO
Honda
+9.714
13
Dan LINFOOT
Honda
+10.911
14
Bjorn ESTMENT
Suzuki
+1 Lap
15
Storm STACEY
Kawasaki
+1 Lap
16
Dean HARRISON
Kawasaki
+1 Lap
17
Luke HOPKINS
Honda
+1 Lap
18
Brian McCORMACK
BMW
+1 Lap
Not Classified
DNF
Jason O’HALLORAN
Yamaha
1 Lap
DNF
Tarran MACKENZIE
Yamaha
1 Lap
DNF
Sam COX
BMW
9 Laps
DNF
Lee JACKSON
Kawasaki
14 Laps
DNF
Takumi TAKAHASHI
Honda
21 Laps
DNF
Keith FARMER
BMW
21 Laps
DNF
Peter HICKMAN
BMW
22 Laps
DNF
Ryan VICKERS
Kawasaki
22 Laps
DNF
Danny BUCHAN
BMW
22 Laps
Superbike Race Two
In the second race of the weekend, Mackenzie claimed his fifth win of the season, bouncing back from his huge crash yesterday to snatch victory from a resurgent Brookes on the final lap.
Mackenzie had undergone further rigorous assessments by the BSB Medical Team this morning after sustaining a fractured fifth metacarpal on his left hand in yesterday’s crash, and was passed fit to ride.
At the start of race two, Gino Rea launched to the front of the pack from pole position, but a lap later Brookes had made up three positions to put the VisionTrack Ducati into the lead. Mackenzie was in the mix with the leading contenders as Bradley Ray moved into second to fight for his position in the Showdown.
Bridewell was soon on the move and he dived down the inside of Ray at Copse to claim second position for the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team. The pair traded blows for several laps in the battle for second, as the Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW rider fought to remain in the top eight.
Mackenzie though had moved back up the pack and into second place ahead of Ray and his teammate O’Halloran, who was also still battered and bruised after yesterday’s crash.
On the final lap Mackenzie lunged down the inside of Brookes at Copse to take the lead, but the defending champion also had O’Halloran for company, and he made his move at Luffield to push their VisionTrack Ducati rival back into third at the chequered flag.
Ray ended the race fourth to keep himself in contention ahead of the final race as Bridewell completed the top five, fending off the challenges from Rea and Iddon.
Superbike Race Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Tarran MACKENZIE
Yamaha
26m56.075
2
Jason O’HALLORAN
Yamaha
+0.083
3
Josh BROOKES
Ducati
+0.370
4
Bradley RAY
BMW
+0.456
5
Tommy BRIDEWELL
Ducati
+1.313
6
Gino REA
Suzuki
+1.469
7
Christian IDDON
Ducati
+5.908
8
Ryan VICKERS
Kawasaki
+6.330
9
Rory SKINNER
Kawasaki
+7.020
10
Peter HICKMAN
BMW
+7.589
11
Lee JACKSON
Kawasaki
+8.975
12
Danny BUCHAN
BMW
+10.245
13
Glenn IRWIN
Honda
+13.762
14
Luke STAPLEFORD
Suzuki
+14.033
15
Kyle RYDE
BMW
+15.584
16
Ryo MIZUNO
Honda
+16.347
17
Dan LINFOOT
Honda
+22.010
18
Xavi FORÉS
BMW
+22.172
19
Storm STACEY
Kawasaki
+37.589
20
Dean HARRISON
Kawasaki
+38.162
21
Bjorn ESTMENT
Suzuki
+38.379
22
Takumi TAKAHASHI
Honda
+38.549
23
Luke HOPKINS
Honda
+1m10.000
Not Classifed
DNF
Brian McCORMACK
BMW
9 Laps
DNF
Andrew IRWIN
BMW
12 Laps
DNF
Sam COX
BMW
21 Laps
Superbike Race Three
The final three Title Fighter positions would be decided in the final race and Glenn Irwin, Danny Buchan, Ray, Brookes and Jackson prepared for one last bid for Title Fighter status.
Whilst O’Halloran became the third different race winner of the weekend, Brookes battled to a hard-fought podium in race three to secure his positon in the Showdown by just four points, knocking Ray out of contention.
The race had earlier been red flagged due to track contamination when Luke Stapleford crashed out at Brooklands. At the stoppage, Brookes had been leading the pack from Bridewell, O’Halloran and Mackenzie ahead of an 11-lap restart.
On the restart, Brookes was determined to secure his position, firing himself to the front ahead of Rea, Bridewell and O’Halloran. However, there was disappointment on lap two when he crashed the Buildbase Suzuki out of second place.
O’Halloran had moved into second before grabbing the lead on the seventh lap as Mackenzie also pulled a pass on Brookes to push the defending champion into third.
By lap 12 the McAMS Yamaha pairing were dicing for the lead again with the pair trading blows until the chequered flag, with O’Halloran holding the advantage by just 0.124s following a last lap scrap.
Brookes held onto third following an intense last lap battle with Bridewell and Buchan, who also confirmed his position in the Showdown for SYNETIQ BMW with fourth place after getting the better of the Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider.
Iddon finished the final race of the Main Season in sixth place ahead of Ray, who dropped out of a Showdown position at the final stage. Jackson finished in eighth place, with Glenn Irwin in ninth to secure his Title Fighter status.
The Title Fighters are confirmed: O’Halloran, Mackenzie, Iddon, Bridewell, Hickman, Buchan, Glenn Irwin and Brookes.
Six different teams will line up to battle for the title over the final three round Showdown representing four different manufacturers, with the first round taking place at Oulton Park on 24-26 September.
Superbike Race Three Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Jason O’HALLORAN
Yamaha
13m28.557
2
Tarran MACKENZIE
Yamaha
+0.124
3
Josh BROOKES
Ducati
+2.188
4
Danny BUCHAN
BMW
+2.357
5
Tommy BRIDEWELL
Ducati
+2.713
6
Christian IDDON
Ducati
+2.749
7
Bradley RAY
BMW
+4.840
8
Lee JACKSON
Kawasaki
+5.062
9
Glenn IRWIN
Honda
+5.453
10
Ryan VICKERS
Kawasaki
+5.720
11
Andrew IRWIN
BMW
+5.769
12
Peter HICKMAN
BMW
+6.847
13
Dan LINFOOT
Honda
+8.304
14
Xavi FORÉS
BMW
+8.617
15
Ryo MIZUNO
Honda
+8.818
16
Rory SKINNER
Kawasaki
+8.981
17
Kyle RYDE
BMW
+9.178
18
Storm STACEY
Kawasaki
+15.976
19
Bjorn ESTMENT
Suzuki
+16.355
20
Luke HOPKINS
Honda
+25.280
21
Dean HARRISON
Kawasaki
+25.628
Not Classified
DNF
Gino REA
Suzuki
14 Laps
DNF
Sam COX
BMW
14 Laps
Jason O’Halloran
“After yesterday, to walk away with the same championship gap we had when we came here is a good result. To win in that final race means a lot, it wasn’t easy but I was determined to get to the front and keep out of the battles and that’s what we did. Taz tried at the end but we were straight back at him so I’m really happy with that as I’m quite second hand. Thanks to everyone at the medical centre and McAMS Yamaha. We’ve had a great year, so it would have been a shame to lose our advantage going into the Showdown so to stay ahead is really good. I can’t wait to get stuck in at Oulton Park.”
Josh Brookes
“That third race was a lot more hard fought so I’m proud of our efforts today. In the earlier race this afternoon, to get mugged at the end was a bit of a downer. I ended up in the same position in race three, but I feel a lot better about it. I raced from a position, we had the stoppage and then in the restart I got a good start for once! I had a good battle with Tommy as well. All around it’s been positive. I actually didn’t know Danny was there too on the last lap, I just saw Tommy come past and I didn’t want to give up the position. I didn’t know where other people were in the race and potentially losing another place would’ve meant I may have been out of the Showdown. I had a couple of motivating factors to be sure I got back. The point where I wanted to get back past him I couldn’t actually do the move. Tommy outbroke himself, so we eventually achieved the same result. I’m just pleased for the VisionTrack Ducati team, the sponsors and everyone that supports me. Last time we were at Oulton Park I had a lot of problems getting performance, but we seemed to make some good changes to get the bike up to the speed we’re at now, so if Silverstone is a gauge, this is a track we’ve normally, not sucked at, but not particularly gone good at. So if this is an example, then maybe we’ll go good at Oulton Park too. I’m as curious as anyone to find out so we’ll see what happens in the Showdown.” Mackenzie was victorious despite his huge crash yesterday
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Standings ahead of the Showdown
On comeback watch though, after only a handful of laps the three riders somewhat out of position had been absolutely storming through. By Lap 4, O’Gorman was at the head of the group chasing to catch the lead gaggle, up into eighth, and the 67 cut the gap quickly. Next it was the turn of Mounsey – up from 31st and the very back – as he led Belford and tucked in to push forward, both also managing to bridge that gap before long.
“It was an incredible race for me. My last race here in the Cup was amazing and thanks to the Rookies Cup family for everything. It was a difficult race because of the track conditions, very hot, the back tyre was sliding but I had a good feeling with it this weekend. I am very happy with my last race, I did a good job here this weekend and I thank my supporters and family.”
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