2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship Round Two – Virginia
Images by Brian J. Nelson
Jake Gagne turned in a very Cameron Beaubier-esque performance in the first of two MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike races at VIRginia International Raceway, the rider leading from start to finish to earn his second win of the season and his second in a row.
Gagne, who broke five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Beaubier’s lap record earlier in the day during final qualifying, shot from pole position to the lead and was never headed, topping Mathew Scholtz by 11.8 seconds.
Third place for the third race in a row was Herrin on the second Fresh N’ Easy Attack Performance Yamaha – 15.478 seconds behind his teammate. Although he was third again, Herrin was happier with this one than the previous two at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
The battle for third was a good one with Herrin, Loris Baz and Cameron Petersen swapping the spot for the majority of the race. It came down to the final laps with Baz pushing Petersen wide in turn one and Herrin ultimately taking full advantage. The trio crossed the line in formation and with just .8 of a second separating Herrin from Petersen with Petersen just .006 of a second behind Baz.
Hector Barbera continued to show progress, the Spaniard having his best result of the young season with a sixth-place finish. Barbera led Kyle Wyman across the line by some five seconds.
Jayson Uribe, Jake Lewis and Travis Wyman rounded out the top-10 finishers. Lewis, who earlier won the Stock 1000 race, earned full Superbike Cup points for his top finish among those riding Stock 1000-spec motorcycles.
Bobby Fong, meanwhile, was knocked out of third place early on with a mechanical issue but managed to salvage 12th (and four championship points) at the conclusion of the 20-lap race.
HONOS Superbikes Race 2
Three races a championship does not make, but the performance of Yamaha’s Jake Gagne certainly makes sleeping a little rough for those who are racing against him.
Gagne won his third straight MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike race on Sunday and he did so in impressive fashion. Again. As he did Saturday, Gagne led into turn one and proceeded to lead every lap thereafter, crossing the finish line well clear of Loris Baz, the Frenchman earning his first career MotoAmerica podium.
Jake Gagne – P1
“Today was a little more comfortable for us. I think it was a little hotter today. I think the track temp was maybe a little hotter. So, I knew I needed to be a little easier on the tires because yesterday we roasted out here pretty good. After yesterday’s race, we really learned a lot, when you get a whole 20 laps underneath you in race conditions. So, we just made a couple minor tweaks, and the bike just came a lot easier for me to ride today. I was just having fun sliding around out there. It’s nice when you’ve got a little bit of a gap. I was keeping an eye on my pit board. But you can’t let up. These guys, I know they’re going to keep rolling and if you just back off a couple percent that’s when something can happen. So, I just kept riding and having fun. Hats off to the Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance crew. Even after a great day yesterday, they went back and worked hard last night to get a couple little improvements coming into today. This Yamaha came off the truck good on Friday. We changed the gearing for Atlanta, and she was rolling good. I’m really looking forward to Road America. I think that will be kind of a whole different track than these first two we dealt with, so it will be cool to switch it up a little bit. It’s good to get a win.”
Baz’s race was eventful early as he battled with a pack of four for second place, but once he got to the spot, he was able to pull clear and monitor his gap to third place. He knew there was no catching Gagne. In fact, he knew that before the race started based on Gagne’s race pace from Saturday.
Loris Baz – P2
“I’m enjoying it a lot since three months. We’ve been working so hard with the team to do good work. We knew that the test in Austin we were fast, but we knew we were coming to tracks where we struggle a bit more. I was surprised we struggled so much. Race one (at Road Atlanta where he crashed) we were able to win and race two the bike broke. It was hard to swallow that for three weeks. We came here with the same goal as Atlanta, but we just struggled more all weekend. We were so far off on Friday. We didn’t expect to put the bike in the top five. We were so far away. It was so hard to ride. The crew did an amazing job this Friday to improve the electronics and we made a decent qualifying. Unfortunately, we had trouble on the tire. I knew the track was killing the tread. It was a tough race yesterday before and today. I knew that the best we could do with our pace was P2. The target was to try to go behind Jake (Gagne) and follow him. I gave everything that I had and still could not do it. So, it was a lonely race, trying to increase the gap to the guys behind and just manage my tires because I didn’t know what to expect at the end. I was just managing the gap and had a couple of tenths. Just trying to bring it to the end because I was struggling with my rear tire. I’m really happy. I think one of the hardest parts of the Ducati we improved a lot. The target is still exactly the same as when I came. I know these guys are fast and I’m just ready to battle with them.”
Mathew Scholtz was roughed up in turn one off the start and finished the opening lap in 14th, but the South African didn’t give up and pushed his way through the pack, eventually making his way to the heels of those battling for third. When all was said and done, Scholtz had worked his to third to maintain his perfect season of podium finishes.
Mathew Scholtz – P3
“I just saw one of the M4 Suzuki bikes coming up the inside, so I gave him space,” Scholtz said. “I could have followed him, but I don’t know what happened from there. I think Cam (Petersen) ran off the track. I’m not sure if he got touched. It’s just one of those unfortunate things. I’m trying to get aggressive in the first corner trying to hang onto Jake (Gagne) because I knew if I could slot in behind Jake, he would pull me and I kind of had the pace over everyone else after about lap eight or 10.”
Scholtz’s fourth podium, including his win in race one at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, keeps him in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship lead with his 81 points, six more than the fast-closing Gagne. Josh Herrin is third with 61 points, the 2013 AMA Superbike Champion finishing off the podium for first time this season on Sunday at VIR.
Herrin, meanwhile, managed to hold off the advances of Bobby Fong for fourth with the latter bouncing back from mechanical issues that thwarted his progress on Saturday. Kyle Wyman had his strongest race of the 2021 season, the Ducati rider in the fight for second/third early on before slipping back to finish sixth.
Cameron Petersen was some two seconds adrift of Wyman and in seventh after having to fight through from well back after being involved in the melee in turn one. Hector Barbera was eighth, but he really deserved more. An off-track excursion cost him a shot at the podium as he was fighting for third when he couldn’t get the BMW stopped for turn one in the heat of battle and was forced to take to the grass.
Ninth went to Corey Alexander, the Stock 1000-spec Kawasaki ZX-10R mounted New Yorker ending the race as the top finishing Superbike Cup entry. Andrew Lee had his best result of the season thus far in 10th, some four seconds adrift of Alexander and only .001 of a second ahead of Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman.
2021 FIM Superbike World Championship
Round One – Aragon – Sunday
After a starting grid characterised by frenetic decisions between the intermediate or rain tyre, pole man Jonathan Rea took the race lead straight away ahead of team-mate Alex Lowes in Sunday’s Superpole race. Behind them were Ducati rider Chaz Davies and Yamaha’s Garrett Gerloff, battling it out for third.
The leading four riders decided to race on intermediate tyres, whereas the first rider on rain tyres was Scott Redding in fifth.
During the race, Michael Van der Mark made a comeback after starting from the fifteenth spot on the grid, he gambled on slicks and moved up to fifth place behind Davies. However, his performance was not quite enough to finish on the podium and, at the end of the ten lap sprint race, Jonathan Rea finished 3.5-seconds ahead of Lowes, while Gerloff rounded out the podium a further two-seconds behind.
WorldSBK SuperPole Race
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
Speed/Km/h
1
J. Rea
Kawasaki
/
308,6
2
A. Lowes
Kawasaki
+3.506
312,1
3
G. Gerloff
Yamaha
+5.051
311,2
4
C. Davies
Ducati
+8.908
311,2
5
M. Van Der Mark
BMW
+10.175
317,6
6
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha
+29.342
314,0
7
A. Bautista
Honda
+29.565
318,6
8
S. Redding
Ducati
+33.361
316,7
9
K. Nozane
Yamaha
+33.675
309,5
10
L. Haslam
Honda
+34.771
313,0
11
M. Rinaldi
Ducati
+36.451
313,0
12
A. Locatelli
Yamaha
+38.709
309,5
13
J. Folger
BMW
+41.188
310,3
14
T. Rabat
Ducati
+51.975
317,6
15
I. Vinales
Kawasaki
+52.644
305,9
16
E. Laverty
BMW
+52.912
315,8
17
A. Bassani
Ducati
+1m07.329
315,8
18
L. Mercado
Honda
+1m15.604
305,9
19
C. Ponsson
Yamaha
+1m16.459
306,8
20
L. Cresson
Kawasaki
+1m17.105
302,5
Not Classified
RET
66 T. Sykes
BMW
3 Laps
309,5
RET
76 S. Cavalieri
Kawasaki
7 Laps
300,0
RET
44 L. Mahias
Kawasaki
8 Laps
301,7
WorldSBK Race Two
The drama continued in the afternoon after a tyre gamble by Scott Redding saw the Brit respond to earlier disappointment and claim a sensational victory in Race Two, coming home almost ten seconds clear of his rivals.
An earlier rain shower meant the track was wet but drying throughout the day and, although there was a drying line appearing, most riders decided to race with the immediate tyres. As the track dried further, Redding was able to make his slick tyres work to move into the front and he did not look back, while Jonathan Rea came home in second ahead of teammate Alex Lowes.
The intermediate runners started off the race in the strongest position with six-time World Champion Rea and team-mate Lowes with American star Garrett Gerloff. Gerloff was able to make the move on Lowes for second place.
He soon had his eyes on Rea but it ended with Gerloff coming off his bike and Rea taking a trip through the gravel at Turn 14; an incident that cost both riders places and was placed under investigation by the FIM WorldSBK stewards, and Gerloff given a Long Lap Penalty; the first rider in WorldSBK to be given such a penalty.
The incident allowed Lowes, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark to jump ahead of Rea, with Razgatlioglu challenging Lowes for the lead of the race before van der Mark got by his former teammate to give the BMW M 1000 RR its first lap in the lead.
The mixed conditions meant different strategies on the grid with tyre selection with only Scott Redding and Jonas Folger starting from the grid, although Michael Ruben Rinaldi made the switch to slicks before the race started with the Italian starting from the pit lane.
While the intermediate runners had the advantage in the early stages of the races, the track soon came into favour for the slick-shod bikes, with Redding passing Razgatlioglu for the lead and soon pulling out a large gap to the chasing pack to take his first win of the 2021 season.
While Redding extended his lead out in front, the battle for second was hotting up between van der Mark, Rea, Lowes, Razgatlioglu and Tom Sykes, who managed his intermediate tyres to latch onto the battle for second place. Rea had briefly got ahead of van der Mark at the final corner, but the Dutchman was able to fight back, although Rea was able to make the same move work on Lap 10 until Turn 1 on the next lap, with van der Mark fighting back.
Sykes was able to pass Razgatlioglu on Lap 12 of 18 to move into fifth place as BMW searched for a strong result on their first weekend with the new BMW M 1000 RR, although the move cost both riders time. On Lap 13, Rea was able to make a move on van der Mark and make it stick to secure second place, before Lowes followed through a couple of laps later. Van der Mark tried to fight back but found himself sandwiched between teammate Sykes, who was on the kerbs at Turn 1, and Lowes on the inside, with van der Mark eventually falling down to fifth behind Lowes in third and Sykes fourth; the first time two BMWs have finished in the top five since 2013.
Drama was never far away in this race and that continued throughout the top ten with a three-way battle for sixth place between Razgatlioglu, Folger and Gerloff; the Turkish star just about holding on from Gerloff and Folger, who started on slick tyres. Andrea Locatelli was ninth with Lucas Mahias securing his first top-ten finish.
Alvaro Bautista came home in 11th place ahead of a trio of rookies as Kohta Nozane secured another points finish in his maiden WorldSBK weekend, Isaac Viñales in 13th and Axel Bassani in 14th on an impressive weekend for the youngest rider on the grid. Christophe Ponsson was the final points position with 15th, finishing ahead of Rinaldi.
Eugene Laverty was the only BMW rider outside the top ten, finish just clear of Leandro Mercado who was 18th. Chaz Davies was the first to fall victim to the difficult conditions as he came off his Ducati Panigale V4 R at Turn, forcing the Welshman to retire from Race 2 on the opening lap of the race. Leon Haslam’s race came to an end on Lap 5 after he came off his Honda at Turn 2, with the British rider retiring from the race. Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team) was another retirement after he crashed at Turn 1. Davies was able to finish the race in 19th despite the crash, ahead of TPR Team Pedercini Racing duo Loris Cresson and Samuele Cavalieri.
Scott Redding – P1
“Yes, it’s true, I took a big risk. In my career, however, the intermediate tires have betrayed me twice, both times when I was close to achieving a great result. For this reason, without hesitation, I asked my team to put on slicks. In the first few laps I tried not to make any mistake and then, obviously, it was not difficult to take the lead. For sure I would have preferred winning after having fought with the other guys, but it is still an important success, especially in light of what happened this weekend”.
Jonathan Rea – P2
“I am really content with the weekend because to win the first race of the season was 100 times better than last year, and also to claim my 100th victory was a real target of mine. Today, I never experienced conditions like this in my whole career, where it really is a big tyre choice by the minute. Every minute it changes. With three minutes to go in race two I was asking Pere if they still had slicks on the grid! The Superpole race was the first time I had ever raced the intermediate tyres so huge kudos to Pirelli. I decided after that experience to use that tyre choice in the final race as well. It was the safest option. It wasn’t the right one, but it was the safest one, for sure. The majority of the grid had that combination. I realised that I was going to race for second but second feels like a win. The only way we could have been more competitive is with the right tyre choice. From that point of view I am really happy and excited for Estoril next week.”
Alex Lowes – P3
“We had no chance of staying with Scott in race two because after two laps the track was completely dry. That was a shame but I felt good on the bike and at the end I played a bit with some settings to find a bit more grip. Three podiums to start the year, on a track I think I have had one podium at in a sprint race on another bike before, but nothing really special. So it is nice to start the season like this. It is just one weekend but I feel good on the bike, which helps. If you are in control on the bike then you can manage the situations a little bit better. This morning in the full wet conditions I felt good. In the dry I felt good. In the mixed conditions we did a good job. In all of these conditions with the bike we understand what is happening and that puts us in a good position going forward.”
Tom Sykes – P4
“A bittersweet day, really. We definitely had a Superpole race to forget which we won’t go into too much detail about. That meant that we compromised our start position in race two. For race two, I wanted to go with the slick tyre but after this morning we opted to play it safe on the intermediates. Overall, after a good start, it was a bit of a waiting game. I could see what the guys in front of me were doing but obviously considering the tyres we were on I tried a different strategy to feel where the BMW M 1000 RR was working and where we had to improve. Unfortunately, we just missed out on the podium today, but considering our results here last year it is a huge improvement.”
Michael van der Mark – P5
“This morning, we had a wet warm-up session which was my first time on the BMW M 1000 RR in the rain, and to be honest I had such a good feeling from the first lap. The Superpole race was in mixed conditions but I opted to go with the slick tyre and in the end was the right choice. It did however keep raining at times during the race which slowed me down in places but anyway it was a good result for us. This afternoon’s race two again was a gamble on tyre choice, and I knew I made the wrong choice going up to the start as the track was drying so quickly. Despite that we made a good start, had some incredible battles taking the lead but I knew I was asking too much of the tyres and in the end some guys got past me. But we have got to be happy with the two P5 positions and most importantly the experience I’ve gained with the BMW M 1000 RR.”
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P6
“In the Superpole Race, my strategy was to choose the wet tyre because I saw that it was starting to rain again on the grid – my target was to finish well and to start from a better grid position in Race 2. Sixth was good considering the conditions, the riders in front all chose the intermediate tyres so it was a hard fight to get this result. The second race, I tried hard again to fight for the podium and I was strong in the opening laps – taking the lead for some laps and enjoying fighting. The feeling was not good in the middle of the race and I had to manage some problems, but sixth position can still be important points for the championship. We will see next weekend in Estoril, I love the track, now my R1 is better than before and I have good memories from last year!”
Garrett Gerloff – P7
“Our Sunday started off really well with a third place in the Superpole Race. The team and I made a perfect decision to go with the intermediate tyre, and it worked. It was nice to be on the podium, even though I felt like I could have gotten second place. In Race 2, I felt really good from the start, and wanted to at least fight for the podium, so I’m very frustrated with the mistake I made. I was behind Johnny (Rea), but I couldn’t stop as quickly as he did, and my options were either to hit him in the back or to get to his inside and hopefully miss him, so that’s what I tried to do. Unfortunately, I still ran into him, but at least he was able to stay on two wheels. I crashed, but I managed to pick up the bike right away and keep going. It was a bit bent, but overall the bike was good, so I tried to give the team the best possible result despite the mistake. It was nice to be the top independent rider at the finish. Next week we go to Estoril, a track that both I and my Yamaha R1 really like.”
Jonas Folger – P8
“We are absolutely happy with eighth place in race two. It is class that we managed this at the end of what was a difficult weekend. The conditions were very difficult and we did not know for a long time whether wets or slicks were the best option. We opted for slicks in the end. Only very few others made the same decision, including the winner Scott Redding, and we set the same lap time as Scott. The weather obviously suited us, but we are very happy. Unfortunately, I went wide in the battle with Toprak Razgatlioglu at the end of the race, otherwise we could perhaps have finished sixth. However, eighth place was still the highlight compared to the rest of the weekend, so we are very happy.”
Andrea Locatelli – P9
“I am quite happy because in the end we finish P9. It is not easy on the first and second lap for me, so now we need to work on this but for sure today’s races were difficult in the wet conditions. In the middle of Race 2, I was able to go quite fast here and the feeling was good. Overall I learned a lot during the weekend, and with the guys on the team together we did a really good job. Today is one of those days where you can be unlucky or lucky. Because maybe if we tried to use the slick tyre, it could have been a good chance for us to do something – but okay, we lose this opportunity but it is only my first race weekend in WorldSBK. Now we go on to Estoril and hope to push much more because I have more confidence on the R1 and I think this track is a really good opportunity for us.”
Alvaro Bautista – P11
“Today in the Superpole race we opted for rain tyres and when the track started to dry out the riders who had chosen intermediates or slicks clearly had different pace. In the end we ended up seventh, the second fastest among those who’d opted for rain tyres. The positive thing is that I had good feeling with the bike in conditions where we have struggled in the past, and that means we’ve taken a step forward in that respect. In race 2, the track was wetter than in the morning and we opted for intermediates, but the asphalt dried quickly during the race. It was the first time I was using these tyres and with a setting that was a bit of a mix, I wasn’t perfectly comfortable. Then, towards the middle of the race I started to have the same electric problem as yesterday and kept struggling to change gear. I had to manage the situation, riding very carefully to avoid taking any risks. It’s a shame, because without this problem yesterday we would have been fighting for the podium, and at least for the top six today. Having said that, we have to stay focused on the positive things, on the fact that we have worked very well on the set-up, the geometry, the suspension, and also the electronics. This gives me a lot of positive energy for next weekend at Estoril.”
Kohta Nozane – P12
“The conditions were different today, so the tyre choice was a bit tricky. The track kept changing too, so, at the beginning of the race, I was too cautious and I lost positions. I still managed to finish the race and learn so many things. I also took note of so many different aspects in which I have to improve. The next race will be my first time in Estoril, so it will be tough for me, but I will try to be as prepared as possible to do my best for the team. They are working so well with me and helping me a lot, so I will try to get a good result for them in Portugal.”
Michael Rinaldi – P16
“In these circumstances, you have to know how to evaluate the situation and make the right choice. Today I made the wrong choice and, as a result, I had one of the worst races of my career. Last year I came away from Aragon with 3 podiums; this year with only 9 points. This means that we have to find the feeling that we have been missing. The motivation is not lacking and I will try, together with the team, to turn the page from the next race”.
Eugene Laverty – P17
“It was not a good day, unfortunately. We had some problems in all sessions. For the long race, I had the wet front tyre and the other riders had intermediates or slick tyres so there was no chance to move further forward. So it was really disappointing but I am looking forward to Estoril already. I said that Aragón and Estoril have been the toughest two tracks for our bike last year so we have a big challenge but we did a good job here yesterday during qualifying so that’s reason for optimism. In Estoril, we need to put our progress on paper because this weekend we weren’t able to get the results we wanted.”
Leon Haslam – DNF
“The Superpole race did not go well unfortunately, after what was a positive (wet) warm-up. One of the issues was that we should have gone with the intermediate, but we also struggled a bit with throttle delivery. So a difficult race in which I took some risks on several occasions. Then in the final race we went with the intermediate solution, as did most riders, and the pace felt really good. I felt that we resolved the power delivery, as well as a few other things, it was only unfortunate that I then crashed. So even though the results overall have not been what we wanted, I do feel that we were able to make a good step in this final race, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do next weekend at Estoril.”
WorldSBK Race Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
Speed/Km/h
1
S. Redding
Ducati
/
316,7
2
J. Rea
Kawasaki
+9.856
310,3
3
A. Lowes
Kawasaki
+10.434
314,0
4
T. Sykes
BMW
+12.094
307,7
5
M. Van Der Mark
BMW
+16.234
307,7
6
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha
+20.191
311,2
7
G. Gerloff
Yamaha
+20.427
311,2
8
J. Folger
BMW
+20.587
314,0
9
A. Locatelli
Yamaha
+25.026
312,1
10
L. Mahias
Kawasaki
+28.855
302,5
11
A. Bautista
Honda
+35.644
312,1
12
K. Nozane
Yamaha
+38.275
303,4
13
I. Vinales
Kawasaki
+41.585
305,1
14
A. Bassani
Ducati
+44.922
313,0
15
C. Ponsson
Yamaha
+46.022
303,4
16
M. Rinaldi
Ducati
+1m08.072
314,9
17
E. Laverty
BMW
+1m13.998
312,1
18
L. Mercado
Honda
+1m14.859
306,8
19
C. Davies
Ducati
+1 Lap
316,7
20
L. Cresson
Kawasaki
+2 Laps
294,3
21
S. Cavalieri
Kawasaki
+3 Laps
291,9
Not Classified
RET
T. Rabat
Ducati
4 Laps
312,1
RET
L. Haslam
Honda
14 Laps
311,2
WorldSBK Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Jonathan Rea
57
2
Alex Lowes
45
3
Scott Redding
40
4
Toprak Razgatlioglu
30
5
Tom Sykes
23
6
Garrett Gerloff
23
7
Michael Van Der Mark
21
8
Chaz Davies
17
9
Andrea Locatelli
13
10
Michael Ruben Rinaldi
9
11
Jonas Folger
8
12
Leon Haslam
8
13
Alvaro Bautista
8
14
Lucas Mahias
7
15
Kohta Nozane
7
16
Axel Bassani
6
17
Isaac Vinales
6
18
Christophe Ponsson
1
WorldSSP
Tyre gambles were the order of the day as Steven Odendaal claimed a stunning FIM Supersport World Championship victory in difficult conditions at MotorLand Aragon for the Pirelli Aragon, while Jules Cluzel fought from last on the grid to claim a podium.
The drama kicked off before the race had started with Cluzel losing his pole position due to a tyre pressure infringement, meaning the Frenchman had to start from last of the 25-strong grid. This gave both Philipp Oettl and Odendaal a clean run at the start, although Oettl was unable to convert this into a strong result after coming off his bike at Turn 2 on Lap 1, being joined in the gravel by Federico Caricasulo in separate incidents. Both were able to remount although Oettl retired from the race while Caricasulo finished in 18th place.
This allowed Swede Christoffer Bergman to take the lead of the race ahead of rookie Marc Alcoba, with Bergman becoming the first Swedish rider to lead a race in WorldSSP. However, the race was defined by tyre selections with both Bergman and Alcoba on full rain tyres, falling down the order and finishing in sixth and seventh.
As the race progressed, riders on Pirelli’s intermediate tyres started to pick up the pace with Odendaal, Raffaele De Rosa, Hannes Soomer and Dominique Aegerter all jumping ahead of Bergman and Alcoba.
Cluzel’s race was compromised from the start with the tyre pressure infringement forcing him to start at the back of the grid, although he made light work of moving up the grid. The French rider had moved up to tenth in the early stages of the race and claimed the lead of the race with a handful of laps to go; his moves through the field including a double pass at Turn 1 to move up into fourth place on Vertti Takala and Manuel Gonzalez.
It had looked like the Frenchman would bounce back from yesterday’s disappointment, after being taken out from the lead of the race, but he was reeled in by Odendaal and De Rosa with just a few laps of the race left.
The battle for the win ended with a four-way scrap between Odendaal, De Rosa, Cluzel and Soomer with less than four tenths separating the four riders. De Rosa led on the final lap of the 15-lap race, aiming for his first ever win in WorldSSP, but lost out to Odendaal on the run to the final corner with the South African rider moving to the inside of the double left-hander to claim the lead of the race, with De Rosa unable to get the run out of the final corner to take victory; Odendaal making it two from two at MotorLand Aragon. Cluzel came home in third place despite starting at the back of the grid, holding off Soomer by 0.055s at the chequered flag.
Aegerter was some way back off the four-way scrap for the lead but came home in fifth place with Bergman finishing six, 12 seconds clear of early challenge Alcoba. Finnish rookie Takala came home in eighth place ahead of 2019 Champion Randy Krummenacher and Indonesian Galang Hendra Pratama.
Gonzalez secured 11th place, ahead of Kevin Manfredi who was the highest placed WorldSSP Challenge rider ahead of fellow competitor Maria Herrera in 13th place. Can Öncü came in in 14th place while Pawel Szkopek became the oldest rider to score points in WorldSSP at 45 years, nine months and 17 days old.
Niki Tuuli did not start Race 2 after he was declared unfit following yesterday with a concussion; an incident for which he has been penalised with a pit lane start for the next race he participates in. Thomas Gradinger was also declared unfit with a left foot contusion following a crash in Sunday’s Warm-Up session. After yesterday’s strong showing, Luca Bernardi had a technical issue in the early stages of Race 2 as he ran in the top five until the issue that forced him to retire.
P1 Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team)
“To be honest, it came as a huge surprise to me. I would’ve been happy on the podium today. The conditions were super difficult today. I’ve never even done a race, or practiced, with the intermediate tyres. The team on the grid said ‘no, we need to take the risk and go with the intermediates’, so I said I trust you guys. A big thanks to them because honestly, if it was my choice, maybe I would’ve gone with the wets.”
P2 Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)
“I’m really happy, for me this is incredible. This winter, I had a big injury on my shoulder. For this, I want to say this was a difficult winter. I had an operation. Now I want to say thank you to my team, all the Calero family. The race is incredible, it was difficult trying to understand the conditions. I started too slowly but again, it came better and better throughout the race. I’m really, really happy.”
P3 Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha)
“To be honest, I was thinking not to fight for the victory, but I was fighting for the victory, so it was a great achievement. I had a moment at the end, it was raining, and it was incredible how fast we can go with the nearly slick tyre. It was something that you can take a lot of risk with to win, but you can also lose a lot. I was in the middle to manage but 16 points is great. It’s a shame that yesterday I lost 25 but the season is long and it’s good to be on the podium now.”
WorldSSP Race Two Results
Pos
No. Rider
Bike
Gap
Speed/Km/h
1
S. Odendaal
Yamaha
/
271,4
2
R. De Rosa
Kawasaki
+0.100
270,7
3
J. Cluzel
Yamaha
+0.334
271,4
4
H. Soomer
Yamaha
+0.389
271,4
5
D. Aegerter
Yamaha
+17.785
268,0
6
C. Bergman
Yamaha
+19.976
261,5
7
M. Alcoba
Yamaha
+31.984
259,6
8
V. Takala
Yamaha
+35.144
274,8
9
R. Krummenacher
Yamaha
+36.403
264,7
10
G. Hendra Pratama
Yamaha
+37.524
269,3
11
M. Gonzalez
Yamaha
+37.821
266,7
12
K. Manfredi
Yamaha
+50.606
265,4
13
M. Herrera
Yamaha
+56.884
266,0
14
C. Oncu
Kawasaki
+1’m04.895
268,0
15
P. Szkopek
Yamaha
+1m12.634
257,1
16
S. Frossard
Yamaha
+1m17.314
262,1
17
F. Fuligni
Yamaha
+1m17.560
265,4
18
F. Caricasulo
Yamaha
+1m33.617
264,7
19
L. Taccini
Kawasaki
+1m33.621
268,7
20
S. Kawasaki
Kawasaki
+1m53.310
262,1
21
M. Fabrizio
Kawasaki
1 Lap
265,4
Not Classified
RET
L. Montella
Yamaha
2 Laps
255,3
RET
D. Pizzoli
Yamaha
4 Laps
260,2
RET
L. Bernardi
Yamaha
5 Laps
268,7
RET
P. Oettl
Kawasaki
14 Laps
224,1
WorldSSP Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Steven Odendaal
50
2
Dominique Aegerter
31
3
Raffaele De Rosa
27
4
Hannes Soomer
22
5
Christoffer Bergman
18
6
Jules Cluzel
16
7
Philipp Oettl
16
8
Manuel Gonzalez
16
9
Luca Bernardi
13
10
Randy Krummenacher
12
11
Federico Caricasulo
10
12
Marc Alcoba
9
13
Vertti Takala
8
14
Can Alexander Oncu
8
15
Galang Hendra Pratama
7
16
Kevin Manfredi
7
17
Maria Herrera
7
18
Michel Fabrizio
2
19
Pawel Szkopek
1
WorldSSP300
The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship lived up to its reputation of unpredictability after a thrilling Race 2 at the Pirelli Aragon Round, where Tom Booth-Amos claimed a stunning first victory of 2021 at MotorLand Aragon.
As ever in WorldSSP300, drama was never far away throughout the 12-lap race with the lead ever-changing as well as battles throughout the field as the 43-strong field took part in Race 2. Booth-Amos claimed victory ahead of Unai Orradre, although the Spanish had crossed the line first he was penalised with a one-place penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap. It meant he was relegated to second place, ahead of compatriot Adrian Huertas in third, just 0.013s between them.
Huertas had been in the lead of the race but did not want to be ahead going onto the back straight on the final lap, although he was unable to use the slipstream to retake the lead. Yuta Okaya finished in fourth place, with Ana Carrasco in fifth after a strong comeback weekend following an injury sustained in testing in 2020.
Ton Kawakami finished in sixth place, just 0.020s away from Carrasco but also just 0.056s ahead of Hugo de Cancellis in seventh and fellow French rider Samuel di Sora in eighth; a late charge seeing di Sora move up the order. Bruno Ieraci finished in ninth place with Meikon Kawakami completing the top ten.
The returning Dorren Loureiro finished in 11th place ahead of reigning Champion Jeffrey Buis; the Dutchman holding the lead of the race throughout different stages of the race but being shuffled down into 12th in the latter stages.
He finished four seconds clear of Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez who came home as the first of four consecutive Spanish riders in a group. Stand-in rider Alex Millan Gomez, replacing Alejandro Carrion who was declared unfit, claimed 14th place despite his first action of the weekend being in Tissot Superpole. 2017 Champion Marc Garcia was in 15th and completed the points, just 0.025s ahead of Inigo Iglesias.
Turn 1 was a pinch point for the 43 riders taking place in Race 2, with rookie Harry Khouri, Oliver König, Victor Rodriguez Nuñez, Joel Romero and Miguel Santiago Duarte all having incidents on the opening lap; the latter taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash. One Event rider Stefano Raineri came off his bike on Lap 2 while Sylvain Marakarian crashed two laps later following his crash. Julian Giral Romero was also a retirement from Race 2.
Vicente Perez Selfa retired from the race after seven laps, shortly after he was given a double Long Lap Penalty by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards for irresponsible riding at Turn 1, while Bahattin Sofuoglu crashed out recovering after taking the first of his two Long Laps; the Turkish star given a double Long Lap Penalty for a jump start.
Kevin Sabatucci was the penultimate retirement of the race when he crashed at Turn 1 on Lap 9, while Koen Meuffels brought his Kawasaki back to the pits after 10 of the 12 scheduled laps.
P1 Tom Booth-Amos (Fusports – RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki)
“I didn’t really expect the win because I crossed the line in second but I’m obviously over the moon. I feel like this is my hardest round of the year so very happy to come away with a win and a second place and obviously the Championship lead. It’s a good way to start the season and we’ll continue like this.”
P2 Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing)
“I’m very happy with the race. During the race, I pushed a lot and fought with the Kawasaki. I’m very happy for me.”
P3 Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki)
“It has been a really good weekend. Today in the race, I gave my best but it wasn’t enough. I’m ready to fight for the Championship and I’m really with all the time, with the sensations.”
PRA No. – 2021/18985 Date published – 23 May 2021 Campaign number – TI 07_1870665
Supplier – Husqvarna Australia Traders who sold this product – Authorised Husqvarna Motorcycle dealers Where the product was sold – Nationally Dates available for sale – 28 April 2020 – 22 April 2021
The front fuel tank fuel lines may rub during operation, causing wear and damage to the fuel lines over time. Fuel may leak from damaged fuel lines.
What are the hazards?
If a fuel leak occurs, this may lead to a fire. A vehicle fire could increase the risk of an accident, serious injury or death to the rider, other road users and bystanders, and/or damage to property.
What should consumers do?
Consumers will be sent letters advising them of the recall and should contact an authorised dealer to arrange an appointment for inspection of their motorcycle and to have replacement fuel lines installed.
For further information, consumers can contact Husqvarna on 1800 644 771 or find their nearest authorised dealer using the dealer search option at https://www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com/au/
In the last couple of laps disaster struck for Luciano once again. Heading off track for the second time, the Belgian rider shuffled way back down the order upon re-joining, with Kocourek able to take back second and secure himself a safer gap behind himself to boot. Phommara, meanwhile, had continued his charge and swept back round the outside of Hosciuc to lead the fight for the podium on the penultimate lap as well.
2021 FIM Superbike World Championship Round One – Aragon – Friday
The start of the 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season brought more history for the record books as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) claimed a stunning victory in Race 1 at MotorLand Aragon to claim his 100th race victory in WorldSBK, the first man to win 100 races in a single class of FIM road racing world championships.
Rea led a Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK 1-2 with Alex Lowes coming home in second place, four seconds away from Rea after challenging him in the early stages of the races. Lowes was under pressure from Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) and finished in second place by just 0.043s ahead of the Turkish rider, who had battled through from tenth on the grid.
Rea was able to retain the lead of the race but was immediately put under pressure by teammate Lowes – looking to be the one who would deny Rea his 100th WorldSBK victory for the time being.
Scott Redding (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) ran in third in the early stages of the race but was unable to keep up with the pace of the Kawasakis out in front, ensuring Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) and Razgatlioglu, who started tenth, were able to stay in podium contention but not challenge the Kawasakis in the early stages.
Razgatlioglu was the first rider to get by Redding on the inside of the left-hander of Turn 1, allowing the Turkish rider to start chasing down the Kawasakis out in front. Davies followed a lap later with a sensational overtake on Redding at Turn 2 with Davies looking to add to his win total at Aragon.
After getting past Redding, the Turkish star had his eyes set on Lowes who was his next target for second place, with Razgatlioglu able to get past Lowes before he started to move his target towards Rea. Razgatlioglu was unable to break away from Lowes and Davies but started lapping faster than Rea with around five laps to go, although not fast enough to put pressure on Rea in the closing stages of the race.
On Lap 16, Lowes tried to re-pass Razgatlioglu at Turn 4 and briefly got ahead but the Turkish rider was able to brake later on the brakes, a theme that ran throughout the last few laps of the race, keeping Davies in contention for second place. At the final corner, Lowes again briefly got ahead but Razgatlioglu was able to just about defend his position although the British rider finaly got by at Turn 1 on Lap 17. The battle was not over as the race came to a conclusion as the pair duelled it out, with Lowes winning out on a drag race to the line for a KRT 1-2; both Lowes and Razgatlioglu claiming their 25th WorldSBK podium.
The battle allowed Redding and Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) to close in on the battle for second, although Redding dropped Bautista as he approached the battle creating a four-way battle for second place; although Bautista crashed out of the race on the final lap at Turn 2, forcing the Spanish rider to retire. After losing out earlier in the race, Redding was able to get by former teammate Davies for fourth place as the final lap started, with Redding finishing fourth and Davies fifth.
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was unable to convert third on the grid to a podium finish but, after a difficult start, was able to manage his SCX tyre to come home in sixth place in the M 1000 RR’s first race. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) was another who managed the SCX tyre with seventh place, around two seconds clear of Leon Haslam (Team HRC).
American star Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed a top ten finish at MotorLand Aragon, seven seconds clear of factory Yamaha rider Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) who claimed a top ten finish in his first WorldSBK race. Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished 11th on his debut for BMW, with Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in 12th.
Three more rookies secured points finishes on their WorldSBK debut with Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) rounded out the top ten, with Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Action), Christophe Ponsson (Alstare Yamaha) and Loris Cresson (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) the last of the runners.
Rookie Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team) was the first to retire from the race with a technical issue in the early stages of the race after securing a top-12 starting grid spot, while Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) brought his Honda machine into the pitlane on Lap 8 with the Argentinean rider not finishing the race. Rookie Samuele Cavalieri (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) was another retirement from the race around the halfway stage, bringing his Kawasaki machine into the garage. Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corse) brought his BMW machine back to the garage on lap 14 of 18 with an issue after running close to the top ten for the majority of the race.
P1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
“We reached 100 race wins today and it was done with a lot of hard work. Over the off season Kawasaki really dug in with a new bike and we were able to make a step. Also in the off season I worked really hard on myself and I know I improved in all areas. I was born with the dream of racing motorbikes, and going with my parents to ride around Motocross tracks in 1993, ’94. The history is mad. Getting the opportunity to come to the world championship, in 2008 in Supersport, and straight away after my rookie season going to Superbike. Taking my first race win at Misano in 2009 as a rookie and now with 100 wins… It’s mad! Each and every race win is special, and I have never been a statistics guy, but when I was closing in on 100 wins that was a big goal. It is such a cool number and a career landmark. I am very proud of it. We had been a little bit unlucky in the winter tests with bad weather but my team have left no stone unturned and turned up at every test we could. They reorganised and rescheduled things so huge thanks to all the staff. Not only the management but all the mechanics and their families for making this sacrifice. We have been away from home so long this off season, often for no laps, but we are in a good position now. To win the first race starts our championship off 25 points better than last year! That was a good way to start.”
P2 Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
“I I felt good all weekend, I have been really strong and got lots of laps in. In the race, maybe on lap six or seven, I found some problems, struggling with the front of the bike. I did not expect that. I had two slides on the entry to turn five, then turn ten. I thought that as this is the first race of the year, if I crash now it is just for nothing. I thought to myself, find your rhythm, let Jonathan go, then when somebody passes you, try to fight. Then I realised it was Toprak and he is so good on the brakes! In this area, for some reason, I didn’t have the same feeling like I had in the practice sessions. Luckily Toprak used an SCX rear tyre and he started to slide a lot. I was quite smooth, managed well and started to battle with him again. The second part of the race was quite tough but with the difficulty I had I didn’t expect to be there at the end for second. The positive point was that qualifying was good, the start was good and I was riding well at the start, so we can try to improve for tomorrow.”
P3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK)
“I’m really happy with this first race because normally I’m not really strong at this track, but today also my team did a good job because we see I’m on the podium in the first race. This is important for me because now, tomorrow, I come in very strong because I see some problems in the race and today I’m happy.”
WorldSBK Race One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
1
J. Rea
Kawasaki
/
2
A. Lowes
Kawasaki
+3.965
3
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha
+4.008
4
S. Redding
Ducati
+4.242
5
C. Davies
Ducati
+4.615
6
T. Sykes
BMW
+6.784
7
M. Rinaldi
Ducati
+8.345
8
L. Haslam
Honda
+10.187
9
G. Gerloff
Yamaha
+10.326
10
A. Locatelli
Yamaha
+17.693
11
M. Van Der Mark
BMW
+21.154
12
A. Bassani
Ducati
+27.523
13
I. Vinales
Kawasaki
+30.963
14
K. Nozane
Yamaha
+36.769
15
L. Mahias
Kawasaki
+39.334
16
J. Folger
BMW
+41.544
17
C. Ponsson
Yamaha
+43.179
18
L. Cresson
Kawasaki
+1’21.460
Not Classified
RET
A. Bautista
Honda
1 Lap
RET
E. Laverty
BMW
5 Laps
RET
S. Cavalieri
Kawasaki
9 Laps
RET
L. Mercado
Honda
11 Laps
RET
T. Rabat
Ducati
16 Laps
WorldSBK Superpole
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
J. Rea
Kawasaki
1m48.458
2
S. Redding
Ducati
+0.275
3
T. Sykes
BMW
+0.382
4
A. Lowes
Kawasaki
+0.432
5
C. Davies
Ducati
+0.611
6
G. Gerloff
Yamaha
+0.727
7
L. Haslam
Honda
+0.788
8
A. Bautista
Honda
+0.880
9
M. Rinaldi
Ducati
+1.058
10
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha
+1.246
11
T. Rabat
Ducati
+1.303
12
E. Laverty
BMW
+1.309
13
L. Mahias
Kawasak
+1.493
14
A. Locatelli
Yamaha
+1.504
15
M. Van Der Mark
BMW
+1.731
16
K. Nozane
Yamaha
+1.977
17
C. Ponsson
Yamaha
+2.031
18
J. Folger
BMW
+2.170
19
I. Vinales
Kawasaki
+2.214
20
A. Bassani
Ducati
+2.649
21
S. Cavalieri
Kawasaki
+4.259
22
L. Mercado
Honda
+4.662
23
L. Cresson
Kawasaki
+5.191
WorldSBK Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Jonathan Rea
25
2
Alex Lowes
20
3
Toprak Razgatlioglu
16
4
Scott Redding
13
5
Chaz Davies
11
6
Tom Sykes
10
7
Michael Ruben Rinaldi
9
8
Leon Haslam
8
9
Garrett Gerloff
7
10
Andrea Locatelli
6
11
Michael Van Der Mark
5
12
Axel Bassani
4
13
Isaac Vinales
3
14
Kohta Nozane
2
15
Lucas Mahias
1
WorldSSP
The 2021 FIM Supersport World Championship started in dramatic fashion at MotorLand Aragon as Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. Yamaha WorldSSP Team) claimed a stunning maiden victory ahead at the Pirelli Aragon Round in Race 1 after taking advantage of a collision between early leaders Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) and Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti).
Odendaal suffered a highside crash at the Supported Test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya which resulted in a dislocated shoulder, with Odendaal responding to that in perfect fashion with victory at Aragon. Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) claimed a maiden podium on his WorldSSP debut with Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in third.
There was a contrast of starts from the front row as Cluzel was able to get a superb jump on the field from pole position, while Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) lost time and positions as he fell through the order. The Finnish rider was able to stem the flow before starting to fight his way back through the field.
After Tuuli had recovered from his poor start, he was able to pass race winner Odendaal, second-placed Aegerter and Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) to start chasing down Cluzel, as they battled for the first victory of the season.
Tuuli had fought back from his poor start to close down Cluzel for the lead but the pair collided in the braking area of Turn 12 with both forced to retire from the race, allowing Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) to engage in a three-way battle for the lead. Both Tuuli and Cluzel were taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the incident; Cluzel was declared fit while Tuuli was transported to hospital for further assessment after being declared unfit with a concussion. The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards.
Oettl and Aegerter swapped positions throughout Lap 12, with the German holding on to the lead, but allowed Odendaal to continue to close on the pair. As they approached the final corner, Aegerter was able to pass Oettl on the inside of the final corner, before Odendaal followed him through at Turn 1. Aegerter’s lead did not last long as Oettl passed him into Turn 1, but the Swiss rider moved back ahead at the double left-hander of Turns 4 and 5, with the pair switching positions throughout the last few laps; Aegerter faster in the first half of the lap with Oettl quicker in the second half leading to a thrilling battle for the win.
Luca Bernardi (CM Racing) secured San Marino’s best ever result in WorldSSP with a stunning fourth place finish on his WorldSSP debut, ahead of Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team); the Spaniard picking up his best ever WorldSSP result. Federico Caricasulo (GMT94 Yamaha) finished in the top six on his return to WorldSSP following his year in WorldSBK in 2020.
Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) finished in seventh place with Christoffer Bergman (Wojick Racing Team) in eighth place on his return to WorldSSP; his 2020 season being interrupted by injuries sustained away from WorldSSP. Italian Raffaele de Rosa was ninth with Turkish rider Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) completing the top ten.
Randy Krummenacher (EAB Racing Team) claimed 11th place on his return to WorldSSP, ahead of Maria Herrera (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing) who was the highest-placed WorldSSP Challenge rider, fending off the challenge from Kevin Manfredi (Altogo Racing Team) in 13th.
Michel Fabrizio’s (G.A.P MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti) scored points on his return to WorldSSP after 15 years away from the class, with Indonesian Galang Hendra Pratama (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha completing the points.
Stephane Frossard (Moto Team Jura Vitesse) was 16th place, just one second outside the points, with Pawel Szkopek (Yamaha MS Racing) in 17th place. Rookie Shogo Kawasaki (G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti) was in 18th place and the last of the runners on the lead lap.
Leonardo Taccini (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) came off at the chicane in the early stages, forcing the young Italian to finish the race four laps down. An action packed run through the chicane meant Marc Alcoba (Yamaha MS Racing) came off his bike although he was able to re-join; the Spaniard coming into the race on the back foot following a six-place grid penalty for an underweight bike in the Tissot Superpole session. Davide Pizolli (VFT Racing) was another retirement following a crash in the early stages of the race, alongside Austrian Thomas Gradinger (DK Motorsport).
P1 Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team)
“I’ve been working towards this moment for a long time. The team were excellent the whole weekend. We experienced some difficult conditions during this race because of the temperature.”
P2 Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)
“I’m very happy to be on the podium for the first time in Aragon in the WorldSSP class with the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha. They did a great job and it’s nice to already have one race on Saturday so tomorrow we can try to improve a little bit and I hope we can fight for the top position. To start the season like this is very good and I hope you enjoyed the race!”
P3 Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
“It was a really tough race; this afternoon was a lot hotter than I expected. It was a good race at the beginning. One time I lost a gear in Turn 15, so I lost some ground to Cluzel and in the end the tyre was completely finished. With the hotter condition, the Kawasaki seems to suffer a little bit. I think today, we did the best out of the situation and I’m happy to be om the podium again after half a year.”
WorldSSP Race Results / Superpole
Pos
Rider
Bike
Race/Gap
Q
1
S. Odendaal
Yamaha
/
1m53.402
2
D. Aegerter
Yamaha
+0.099
1m53.553
3
P. Oettl
Kawasaki
+2.635
1m53.353
4
L. Bernardi
Yamaha
+3.956
1m54.323
5
M. Gonzalez
Yamaha
+4.738
1m54.374
6
F. Caricasulo
Yamaha
+4.817
1m53.650
7
H. Soomer
Yamaha
+6.121
1m54.106
8
C. Bergman
Yamaha
+7.212
1m54.185
9
R. De Rosa
Kawasaki
+8.352
1m54.388
10
C. Oncu
Kawasaki
+16.135
1m54.786
11
R. Krummenacher
Yamaha
+16.279
1m54.674
12
M. Herrera
Yamaha
+22.257
1m55.170
13
K. Manfredi
Yamaha
+22.296
1m55.000
14
M. Fabrizio
Kawasak
+34.274
1m55.697
15
G. Hendra Pratama
Yamaha
+37.978
1m56.512
16
S. Frossard
Yamaha
+39.308
1m56.458
17
P. Szkopek
Yamaha
+59.882
1m56.690
18
S. Kawasaki
Kawasaki
+1’04.435
1m58.983
19
L. Taccini
Kawasaki
+4 Laps
1m57.548
Not Classified
RET
J. Cluzel
Yamaha
7 Laps
1m52.937
RET
N. Tuuli
MV
7 Laps
1m53.225
RET
F. Fuligni
Yamaha
7 Laps
1m54.367
RET
M. Alcoba
Yamaha
12 Laps
1m54.033
RET
D. Pizzoli
Yamaha
13 Laps
1m54.584
RET
T. Gradinger
Yamaha
13 Laps
1m56.012
RET
L. Montella
Yamaha
14 Laps
1m55.252
RET
V. Takala
Yamaha
14 Laps
1m55.393
WorldSSPStandings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Steven Odendaal
25
2
Dominique Aegerter
20
3
Philipp Oettl
16
4
Luca Bernardi
13
5
Manuel Gonzalez
11
6
Federico Caricasulo
10
7
Hannes Soomer
9
8
Christoffer Bergman
8
9
Raffaele De Rosa
7
10
Can Alexander Oncu
6
11
Randy Krummenacher
5
12
Maria Herrera
4
13
Kevin Manfredi
3
14
Michel Fabrizio
2
15
Galang Hendra Pratama
1
WorldSSP300
The first race of the 2021 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship was shortened due to a late Red Flag but it was not enough to stop Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) claimed his first ever WorldSSP300 victory despite being penalised with a Long Lap Penalty, claiming the closest ever victory in the class history at MotorLand Aragon for the Pirelli Aragon Round.
Huertas secured his first victory in the shortened race after taking the lead of the race with Tom Booth-Amos (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki) finishing just 0.004s behind Huertas at the last timekeeping point the pair had crossed before the Red Flag was deployed, thanks to an incident between Meikon Kawakami and Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing. Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki) snuck onto the podium at the end of the race, with just 0.098s behind the top three, the fifth-closest podium of all time.
Ton Kawakami (AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing) immediately lost his starting grid advantage to Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) with the Spanish rider immediately getting the jump to take the lead of the 12-lap race. Further back in the pack, Sylvain Markarian (Leader Team Flembbo), wildcard Julian Giral Romero (Viñales Racing Team) and Thomas Brianti (Prodina Team WorldSSP300) were all caught up in a collision at Turn 12, forcing all three to retire from the race and Romero taken to the medical centre for a check-up. Victor Rodriguez Nuñez (Accolade Smrz Racing) was another early-race retiree after he went down at Turn 9.
Huertas kept within the front group throughout the early stages of the race but became the first WorldSSP300 to be penalized with a Long Lap Penalty, for track limits infringements, dropping down from first place down to tenth as well as losing time to the lead group. It meant Meikon Kawakami (AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing) would take the lead of the race although immediately lost it to Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) and Tom Booth-Amos (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki).
Booth-Amos took the lead just before the halfway stage of the race and remained comfortable up at the front despite having the disadvantage of not being in a slipstream, holding on to the lead throughout the middle stages of the race. With six laps to go, Meikon Kawakami swept around the outside of the final corner to briefly take the lead of the race, although Booth-Amos quickly regained the lead.
On lap nine of 12, Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki) had his brief moment of leading the race as he passed Booth-Amos, although the British rider was able to re-gain the lead. It was one of a number of battles throughout the lead group with less than three seconds separating
The race was ended on Lap 10 following an incident between Meikon Kawakami and Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing), who had fought into the lead group despite starting on the fifth row, but the incident at Turn 1 put both out of the race, with Sofuoglu taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash.
Orradre claimed fourth place from a front row start, just ahead of Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) completing the top five. Reigning Champion Buis finished in sixth place as his title defence started with a solid points finish at the venue his challenge kickstarted last season.
Polesitter Ton Kawakami finished in seventh place, ahead of Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki) while Australian debutant Harry Khouri (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki) claimed ninth place on his first start in WorldSSP300. The returning Bruno Ieraci (Machado CAME SBK) claimed a top ten finish, three tenths clear of 2018 Champion Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300); the Murcian rider signing off her comeback with a points finish.
French rider Hugo de Cancellis (Prodina Team WorldSSP300) claimed 12th place, ahead of 2017 Champion Marc Garcia (2R Racing), Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) and Dorren Loureiro (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki).
P1 Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki)
“Last year was a really hard year. This year we worked so hard throughout pre-season and we take the things off the tree and we are really happy.”
P2 Tom Booth-Amos (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki)
“It’s always nice to be on the podium, so obviously happy about this. A little bit frustrated because I led most of the laps and because of the Red Flag I finished second. This is my worst circuit of the year, by far, so obviously I’m happy to come away with second. Points mean prizes so obviously we push for the Championship.”
P3 Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki)
“My feeling is a little bit difficult because when I come to the parc ferme, I was first, but after I became third. I was a little bit confused myself but my pace is good and I am satisfied for the points, and we will be ready for Race 2.”
We reached 100 race wins today and it was done with a lot of hard work. Over the off season Kawasaki really dug in with a new bike and we were able to make a step. Also in the off season I worked really hard on myself and I know I improved in all areas. I was born with the dream of racing motorbikes, and going with my parents to ride around Motocross tracks in 1993, ’94. The history is mad. Getting the opportunity to come to the world championship, in 2008 in Supersport, and straight away after my rookie season going to Superbike. Taking my first race win at Misano in 2009 as a rookie and now with 100 wins… It’s mad! Each and every race win is special, and I have never been a statistics guy, but when I was closing in on 100 wins that was a big goal. It is such a cool number and a career landmark. I am very proud of it. We had been a little bit unlucky in the winter tests with bad weather but my team have left no stone unturned and turned up at every test we could. They reorganised and rescheduled things so huge thanks to all the staff. Not only the management but all the mechanics and their families for making this sacrifice. We have been away from home so long this off season, often for no laps, but we are in a good position now. To win the first race starts our championship off 25 points better than last year! That was a good way to start
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