Final outing serves up thrilling finish at Phillip Island.
Image: Russell Colvin.
John Lytras (Yamaha) has captured the final Supersport 300 race victory of the weekend at Phillip Island’s Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) opener, while Max Stauffer broke through for the overall win.
In an incredibly close encounter that saw the top five cross the line within 0.139s of each other, it was Lytras who scraped through for the win, 0.037s ahead of Kawasaki-mounted Senna Agius.
A further 0.012s behind was third’s Luke Power (Yamaha), while Stauffer was just a mere 0.02s from grasping another podium finish after securing triumphs in races one and two.
The top five was rounded out by Hunter Ford (Yamaha), followed by Harry Khouri (Yamaha), Yannis Shaw (Kawasaki), Dylan Whiteside (Kawasaki), Seth Crump (KTM), and Travis Hall (Yamaha). Overall it was Stauffer from Lytras, Power, Agius and Khouri. The ASBK will now head to Wakefield Park in New South Wales on 22-24 March for round two of the seven-stop series.
Champion Rea runner-up in all three outings in new triple-header format.
Image: Supplied.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was unstoppable in today’s Superpole Race and race two of Phillip Island’s FIM Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) opener, earning victories in both outings to add to his dominant display in race one yesterday.
The first ever Tissot Superpole race saw Bautista creating one more bit of WorldSBK history while on debut, as thehe fast-paced 10-lap encounter was a thriller from lights-out to chequered flag – the perfect way to celebrate the start of a new WorldSBK era!
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) swept majestically into the lead at turn one, race one winner on Saturday, Bautista placed second but was glued to the rear end of the reigning world champion. By the end of the first lap, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) had come up to third position – briefly taking Bautista for second place, only for the Ducati Panigale V4 R to blast past.
Soon, it was the battle we had all waited to see, with Alvaro Bautista able to conquer Jonathan Rea and pass him down the Gardner Straight. However, unlike in race one on Saturday, the Spaniard was unable to make a break away from Rea, who stayed with him – a completely different story in comparison to the first race of the season yesterday.
Leon Haslam was pushed back briefly to fifth position by Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) but soon managed to retake fourth and then halfway into the Tissot Superpole Race, took back third place from Lowes.
With seven laps to go, Rea pushed ahead of Bautista at turn two, only for the championship leader to push back in front at Turn 4 – the gloves were off with the battle we had all waited to see. Rea briefly took the lead back, but Bautista’s Ducati power soon put him in front at the end of the lap. Rea put a bold move on the 34-year-old at turn one immediately after, like the breath-taking pass he put on Marco Melandri in race two last season.
The battle raged on behind after Haslam had broke away to secure third, as Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark, Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) and teammate Marco Melandri all battled hard. The quartet of Yamaha YZF R1s duked it out and tripped up over each other, ending any chance they had of mounting a top three charge.
On the final lap, Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) wiped out Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) at the infamous turn four.
At the flag, Alvaro Bautista held off Jonathan Rea’s onslaught to take the first ever win in the Tissot Superpole Race to start from pole position in race two. Rea secured second with teammate Leon Haslam completing the top three. Fourth and fifth was credited to Lowes and van der Mark. Australian wildcard Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing) was 16th.
The final race of the Yamaha Finance Australian round went the way of Bautista, who completed a dream WorldSBK debut. The Spaniard becomes the first rider to win both WorldSBK races on his debut weekend since John Kocinski – also for Ducati – at Misano in 1996.
Initially taking the lead at turn one, Bautista started putting time into Haslam, who managed to pass teammate Rea at Turn 4. van der Mark made a fast start and was fourth whilst Michael Ruben Rinaldi escalated from eighth on the grid into fifth, with Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) remaining sixth.
At turn one on lap two, Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) made a brief appearance into sixth, passing Melandri, only for the Italian to repay the compliment to his former WorldSBK teammate. Back in the fight for second position, Haslam began to pull away from Rea, the reigning Champion not having things his own way.
Marco Melandri got his way ahead of van der Mark and immediately set about closing down the KRT pairing of Haslam and Rea. Further up the road, Alvaro Bautista was building his own gap, setting the fastest lap to confirm his relentless pace. The gap between the two Kawasakis was now at 0.5s, with Haslam seemingly able to put distance between Rea. Behind Melandri and van der Mark, Lowes was back into sixth.
Further down the order, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was making good progress from 16th on the grid and was now ninth, almost passing Laverty at turn 10 but deciding to wait for another time.
Whilst throughout most of the weekend the rivalry between Bautista and Rea was headlining, Haslam and Rea started to get close on circuit too. From lap seven, the reigning world champ started to close his new teammate down and with just eight laps to go, the Northern Irishman made his move at turn one, only for Haslam to take him back at turn four with a traditional block pass.
This started a succession of nine passes between the pair. Haslam put an audacious Jonathan Rea-style pass on the four-time champion at turn one, with Rea responding immediately almost every time. Behind the squabbling Kawasaki riders, the Yamaha riders of Melandri and van der Mark decided to have their own fight, passing and re-passing, hindering their chances of taking the fight to Rea and Haslam, less than half-a-second up the road at times.
Van der Mark was up to fourth at turn four with four laps to go, although Melandri got back ahead at turn 10. However, despite all of the fighting with the Kawasaki Racing Team and Yamaha riders, Alvaro Bautista was oblivious to the squabbling left in his wake. The 2006 World Champion crossed the line to become a WorldSBK winner for a second time, with the Tissot Superpole Race win also going to the Spanish sensation.
Rea eventually took second place ahead of Haslam, whilst van der Mark finished fourth ahead of teammate Alex Lowes, who put in a stunning late charge to demote Marco Melandri to sixth. Chaz Davies finished a fine seventh place and ended a poor weekend with his best result,
with reigning WorldSSP Champion Sandro Cortese completing the top eight once more. Laverty took ninth place and his joint-best finish of the weekend, whilst rounding out the top 10 was Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team). Herfoss retired from proceedings. The WorldSBK now heads to Thailand for round two on 15-17 March.
2019 WorldSBK Round One – Phillip Island Race Three
Alvaro Bautista again sprinted away from the field when the lights went out at 1500 on Sunday afternoon for the third and final World Superbike race of the opening round of the championship staged at Phillip Island over the last weekend in February.
KRT duo Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea gave chase, but a consistent string of 1m30s from Bautista across the opening laps proved too much for them to contend with.
Behind the Kawasaki Racing Team pair it was a battle for supremacy amongst the Yamaha riders. Melandri and Van Der Mark proving too quick for Lowes in this one as they tussled over fourth position.
Melandri won the battle for Yamaha supremacy, breaking away from Van Der Mark and as the race approached the halfway marker Melandri was starting to attack the KRT double-act. Up front Bautista was leading by eight-seconds, and in a different race…
Rea had followed Haslam for the first 15 laps before finally making his way past his team-mate, Haslam was having none of it though and pushed back through at turn four. That little tussle had allowed Melandri to really start nipping at their heels. Early on the next lap though Haslam ran in way too deep at turn one allowing Rea back through, it was a great recovery though and Haslam was back with him by the exit of Southern Loop. Bautista was halfway to the airport by this time…
The battle for the other spots on the rostrum though was really warming up. With four laps remaining nothing separated Rea, Haslam and Melandri while Michael Van der Mark has also joined that party.
Haslam and Rea responded to the Yamaha challenge though by pulling their finger out and gapping Melandri and Van der Mark.
As Rea and Haslam got the last lap board Bautista was boarding his plane home… In reality he led by almost 20-seconds, despite backing the pace right off in the closing laps, and rolling out of the throttle to cruise to the line and take the chequered flag still with a buffer of 12-seconds over the KRT duo.
Australian wildcard Toparis finishes an impressive 11th.
Image: Russell Colvin.
The 2019 FIM Supersport World Championship (WorldSSP) started with a bang at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, with thrilling overtakes, dramatic crashes and pit-stops all shaping the opening race of the year, but it was Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) who ultimately took out top honours.
With the starting lights turning to green, it was a lightening start by Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) from third on the grid, ahead of Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) and teammate Krummenacher.
By the end of lap one, Caricasulo slipstreamed his way into the lead and but not for long, as Swiss teammate Krummenacher did the same to Caricasulo. Cluzel relegated to third after leading for the opening lap. Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) and Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) rounded out the top five.
On lap three, Raffaele De Rosa suffered a big highside crash on the exit of turn two, ending his bid for a podium at the start of the year. He wasn’t the only crasher on the opening lap, as Estonian Hannes Soomer (MPM WILSport Racedays) crashed at turn six. Back at the front, Jules Cluzel began closing the leading duo of Krummenacher and Caricasulo down, making it a trio of Yamahas at the front of the field.
Caricasulo managed to fight his way past his teammate at turn one, where he stayed for just over a lap. Krummenacher managed to get his lead back at turn four, shaking his head at teammate Caricasulo as the two battled on circuit. Cluzel’s lap times dropped off, leaving him around a second adrift of the BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team Yamahas. Having taken the lead, Krummenacher pitted first for the mandatory tyre change at the first possible chance. Cluzel followed him in.
With Caricasulo out at the front, trying to make up as much time as possible with a clear circuit, it would all come down to which side of the BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team garage would be quicker. As Caricasulo pitted for the mandatory stop, the rear tyre jack was left attached to the YZF R6 Yamaha upon exit, costing the Italian a chance to fight with his teammate for the win. He exited in third place, once the pit stop phase was complete.
MV Agusta Reparto Corse’s day went from bad to worse as rookie, Federico Fuligni crashed at turn 10 on his WorldSSP debut. Fuligni and De Rosa will seek to fight back at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand.
As the race entered the final stages, Jules Cluzel was handed a 1.3s penalty, after his pit intervention time was too fast. With Caricasulo charging hard in third position, Cluzel had pressure to retain his second place.
One position that hasn’t looked in doubt throughout testing and the Yamaha Finance Australian round was first place. Randy Krummenacher celebrated his 29th birthday in style by starting the season as he did in 2016 – with a glorious victory – his third victory of his WorldSSP career! Cluzel fended off a charging Caricasulo as they completed the podium in that order.
Hector Barbera finished in fourth at the end of the race, having a great ride from seventh on the grid – the Spaniard’s experience coming to the fore. Thomas Gradinger completed the race in fifth place, as his quest to give Austria a first ever WorldSSP podium continues. Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was a superb sixth, ahead of Corentin Perolari (GMT94 YAMAHA),
Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) and his teammate Jules Danilo. Belgian rider Loris Cresson (Kallio Racing) completed the top 10, which subsequently featured eight different nationalities. Australian wildcard Tom Toparis (Landbridge Transport Yamaha) finished an impressive 11th. WorldSSP now heads to Thailand for round two on 15-17 March.
2019 WorldSBK Round One – Phillip Island World Supersport Results / Race Report
WorldSBK organisers and Pirelli had made a ruling that forced World Supersport riders to pit during the 16-lap race in order to change rear tyres. This mandate was made in the aim of safety off the back of the Supersport tyres failing to be able to withstand the rigours of Phillip Island.
Jules Cluzel was the early leader before being oversome by Randy Krummenacher and Federico Caricasulo. Raffaele De Rosa set a new fastest lap of the race before a vicous high-side out of turn 11.
As the race wore on team-mates Krummenacher and Caricasulo traded places regularly. While the Italian was running the A option Pirelli front and rear the Swiss rider was on the B option. It was Krummenacher that chose to pit first, on lap eight. Caricasulo came in on the next lap which left Thomas Gradinger in the lead from Okubo. Caricasulo’s exit from the pits was delayed when the rear stand got caught up on the YZF-R6 and dragged down pit-lane, forcing him to stop near the pit exit and wait for his mechanics to run up the pit-lane and remove the stand before he could rejoin the race.
After all the riders had stopped it was Randy Krummenacher in the lead from Cluzel and Mahias while Caricasulo had been shuffled back to fourth place.
Caricasulo got back past Mahias to secure himself a spot on the podium but his quest for a win was gone as race leader Krummenacher was nine-seconds in front of him.
Pit stop rules mandated a minimum period of time to be spent in the pits, to stop crews rushing and perhaps sending their riders back out on a machine without a properly secured wheel. Officials decreed that Cluzel, Van Straalen and Mahias had all stopped for less than the mandated time and would have time penalties added to their total race time at the end of the race.
Randy Krummenacher went on to win the race from Cluzel and Caricasulo.
Wildcard entrant Tom Toparis finished a highly creditable 11th place and earned five World Supersport Championship points.
Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy MotoGP) topped the first day of the Qatar Test, putting in a 1m55.051s to head the grid after a late charge for supremacy.
It was close though, with the Suzuki of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) just 0.108 back – and the two set those laps close together on track.
As always when action returns to Qatar, track conditions improve throughout the day and it was therefore fairly late on that a lot of the action took place – and the latter part of the day when Viñales blasted to the top.
That 1:55.051 to put Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP on top was one of 50 laps completed by Viñales on Day 1, and the signs look good for the factory – with teammate Valentino Rossi not far back as he completed the top five after 47 laps.
Maverick Viñales – P1
“I’m really happy, because I felt really good on the bike, especially my riding style. I felt comfortable on the bike and for me that’s the most important. This year at four different tracks I felt comfortable on the bike and we could push quite a lot. I’m happy about how we worked today. We haven’t done much testing, we tried just to focus on the main things and found a bit more grip and tried to understand which way to go. Now we have to make a plan for tomorrow.”
Maverick Viñales
Valentino Rossi – P5
“The first day of testing wasn’t too bad. We worked in a good way and in the end I finished with a P5, that’s quite good. We did different work here, we worked more for the Grand Prix, so we had to improve the setting of the bike and the first feelings are not so bad. Already the lap time is quite good. There are some place on track where I have to push more, to bring the bike to the limit, but the first impression is quite positive.”
Valentino Rossi
Team Director Massimo Meregalli confirmed the engine had already been decided and that focus was first on comparing data with that from Sepang. Aero, however, remains up in the air – with more to try for the Iwata marque at Losail.
Petronas Yamaha SRT, meanwhile, had more positives – first for rookie Fabio Quartararo. Quickest debutant by a stretch on Saturday, the Frenchman was a stunning seventh overall and less than two tenths off Rossi after 49 laps. Franco Morbidelli was a little further down after the first session, ending the day seven tenths further back in P14.
Fabio Quartararo – P7
“The first day here in Qatar has been very positive. We have managed a very fast lap time and our pace was good throughout. At Sepang we struggled a little to keep the pace on a used tyre but here we have taken a step forward in this area. We stayed out until the end of the session and I was able to practice my starts and also, for the first time, the bike swap. I am noticing some improvements with the starts. The objective tomorrow is to continue in the same way and try to follow some other riders on track and learn from them.”
Fabio Quartararo
Franco Morbidelli – P14
“Let’s just say that this was a strange day for us. The feeling was good, like at Sepang, and we started well with medium compound completing many good lap times. In the second half of the session we were not able to make the most of the soft tyre, even though we improved the lap time. Then I crashed and didn’t manage to finish the session. Tomorrow we need to keep working to find the best setting for the first race of the season.”
Franco Morbidelli
Alex Rins showed more good form for Suzuki after threatening the top on the first days of the Sepang test too, and this time rookie teammate Joan Mir began the test further up the timesheets as he ended the day in P11.
Alex Rins – P2
“Day 1 has been very nice; my rhythm was good. We tried a few different things, as well as confirming what we worked on in Malaysia. The team and I are happy with the progress, but we’re still trying to improve further – in the electronics area and also on my fast lap. In general we haven’t changed anything drastically, but in every area we’ve made everything a little bit better. I tried a new exhaust, in terms of riding I didn’t feel too much difference but according to date it gives us a little improvement in top speed, which is always a good thing.”
Alex Rins
Joan Mir – P11
“I’m quite happy about today, I’ve improved a lot since my first outing on the bike. I feel confident and good. Today I focused on my riding style a bit more, and it’s nice to ride the MotoGP bike here in Qatar. In Malaysia I did a lot of work, trying a lot of parts, so here we mainly focused on confirming and retry, in order to finalise the best package. For that reason we’re turning our attention to building my confidence and my knowledge of the bike, as well as working on lap times.”
Joan Mir
Suzuki had a new exhaust on show and Team Manager Davide Brivio confirmed that the chassis is defined, the engine spec is decided and said that focus was now on fine tuning and the details – including some final aero checks and work on the suspension and settings.
Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager
“We had a good start here in Qatar. Alex did a good job and we were able to go through all of our programme today, he showed strong pace and good lap times. We also saw improvements from Joan, he put together some nice laps and he also checked some parts. We’re trying to fine tune everything to be fully prepared for the first race, so we checked the new fairing again, and the new exhaust, as well as some small parts. Now we’ll look at all the details and try to take the best out of every part of the bike. We hope to continue like this for the next two days.”
Alex Rins
Both Mission Winnow Ducatis, with Andrea Dovizioso leading teammate Danilo Petrucci by a mere 0.044 – although they were half a second back. Both put in less laps than some of their competitors, with Dovi doing 29 and Petrucci 37. The latter was only just ahead of Rossi, but 0.010 can make the difference in MotoGP. Team Manager Davide Tardozzi says, like many up and down pitlane, focus is now on the details – but the Borgo Panigale factory plan to make their final aero decision on Sunday.
Andrea Dovizioso – P3
“I’m happy with our progress on this opening day. We immediately found a good feeling with the track, which didn’t have much rubber on it but was quite clean, and we managed to post competitive lap times right from the start. We’re all quite close, so the rankings should not be taken into too much account, but what matters is that the feeling with the bike is good. We ticked all the boxes in our program, trying a couple of new solutions and giving a clear feedback to our engineers. Tomorrow we’ll evaluate different things, but in the meantime we can be happy with the work done today.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Danilo Petrucci – P4
“For sure we faced different conditions compared with the ones we had found in Malaysia. Here the humidity peaked after sundown, so we decided not to put on a new tyre for our last stints out on track. We focused on the medium compound, with which we found good pace. The track is still not in perfect conditions, but I felt comfortable riding the bike. We tried a few setup changes and we managed to be fast both with new and used tyres. I’m happy, we need to keep working in this direction and tomorrow we’ll try the soft tyre to improve also in terms of pure performance.”
Danilo Petrucci
Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) kept the good news rolling for Ducati machinery as he ended the day in P6 after 44 laps, happy there’s more room to improve, too, but Alma Pramac Racing, who starred in the Sepang test, were a little further back on Day 1 in Qatar.
Francesco Bagnaia was P15 after a 1:56.738, with teammate Jack Miller in P19. Miller said, however, he spent the session doing six to eight lap runs, testing different parts – and lacking the time to be able to put in a tyre to push for a hot lap.
Pecco Bagnaia – P15
“The day started very well but then I lost a bit of feeling because of a soft tyre that didn’t work at its best. In terms of set-up, we’re not in a bad way and we have to start tomorrow from the good things we did today in the first part of the test. I’m improving in braking phase and this is a positive aspect. This is a very different track from Sepang so we just have to adapt our set up”.
Pecco Bagnaia
Jack Miller – P19
“We’ve done a lot of work trying out a lot of technical solutions on the bike. It was a really intense day and in the end, we didn’t have time to put on the tyre to try out a time attack. We also worked on the race pace trying to save especially the front tyre and the indications are positive. There is still a lot to do in terms of set up but we still have two days to improve our speed”.
Jack Miller
Another surprise on Saturday came from the fastest Honda: Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). The Japanese rider showed more top pace and put in 45 laps.
Takaaki Nakagami – P8
“For the first day we have had quite a good start. I had a small crash at turn two after 9.30pm, when the temperatures are really low. It was a minor mistake, but I am not injured and the bike was ok. In general the pace is not so bad, and we weren’t even really focusing on the lap times today. We were trying to find a base set-up, and it was going well. We still have another two days, so we will keep calm. We found quite a good solution today, but we need to improve it even further. We had a few problems with rear grip, but this was down to track conditions mainly. We have time, so we need to keep going like this and keep getting amongst those top ten positions.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Teammate Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) spent some time testing parts for HRC and finished the session in P18.
Cal Crutchlow – P18
“The first day here in Qatar has been a difficult day testing for us. We didn’t have a fantastic feeling with the new 2019 Honda on this circuit, but we are here for two more days testing and hope to improve the setting over that time. Hopefully then we can look forward to the race weekend in two weeks’ time. In terms of our work plan, we are going through the general HRC programme as well as making our own adjustments to the bike and the set-up. We just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.”
Reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), whose shoulder remains less than 100% after surgery, ended the day in tenth and, like in Sepang, put in only 34 laps. But he was positive and said he’s now back to riding in his more natural style, and he had his first crash of the season with no consequence.
Marc Marquez – P10
“Honestly today I’m happy with my physical condition compared to Malaysia, we’ve improved a lot. The power is there and I can ride more like myself now. Also, we still have two weeks until the first race and this is the focus. During the night the track got better but we need to keep trying to be closer to the other riders. Now we’ll go analyse everything because during the test here there is not much time.”
Marc Marquez
On the other side of the garage, the return of Jorge Lorenzo saw the ‘Spartan’ struggle in braking as he comes back from a broken scaphoid, and he focused on continuing to understand the bike. Despite not so many laps and not too many new things to try as yet, the five-time World Champion did mention his desire to modify the seat in an effort to make his new machine a little more ergonomic.
Jorge Lorenzo – P21
“The wrist is OK, obviously I’m struggling under braking but I am able to understand the bike. Time is the big limit, we only have maybe three hours each day because after nine the temperature drops a lot and it’s hard to learn when it’s like this. We didn’t try too many changes on the bike and focused mostly on the ergonomics. Tomorrow we will be closer, it’s still the first day.”
Jorge Lorenzo
Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig said work on engine and aero is continuing until the last moment for the team – because every possibility is something worth trying – and a new exhaust was one thing spotted.
Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) impressed on Day 1. The Spaniard, who took the Austrian factory’s first premier class podium at Valencia last season, was the trailblazer once again as he finished up Saturday’s action in P9 after 47 laps.
Pol Espargaro – P9
“It was quite successful and we were quite close to the lap-time we did here last year. For sure we are missing a bit to the top guys but this is not one of the best tracks for us however we are not so far. With better track conditions tomorrow everyone will improve so we need to make sure we do as well. We’ve been working well. We had a big plan and we still have to test some things that we didn’t have time for in Malaysia as well as confirm other ideas we had from Sepang, things like chassis modifications and some other big things that Mika had tried and we had to see. We are looking forward to continue the test tomorrow. Everything moved so fast today and we didn’t have many hours so tomorrow we’ll have more time and we have to plan.”
Pol Espargaro
KTM team-mate Johann Zarco put in 53 laps and was P16, around eight tenths back, and he was just 0.121 ahead of rookie KTM rider Miguel Oliveira on the Red Bull KTM Tech3.
Johann Zarco – P16
“We began at a better level than I expected, with a good pace and were improving step-by-step. We were sliding more here than in Malaysia and it was making the bike act differently; I was quite happy at the beginning but then we reached a point where we could not improve and I could not find a better feeling. I hope we can find the solution tomorrow and get faster and faster. We have a lot to test and not too many hours and I just want to feel good and improve. Tomorrow I will analyse and maybe see what I was doing wrong.”
Johann Zarco
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager Mike Leitner specified they’re working on confirming chassis and aerodynamic modifications, and said the goal was to first finish off the test program from Sepang and then find a base setting for the race – as you’d expect. He also added that the items on the agenda are now less, something that speaks of the scale of KTM’s development program given the amount of track time already gone in preseason.
Miguel Oliveira – P17
“The first day felt quite short, to be honest. We started a bit later because of the track conditions but finally we could manage to do some work on the bike. We tested two completely different settings looking for a little bit of stability on the rear and more drive out of the corners. So far, I’m happy with the work.”
Miguel Oliveira
Hafizh Syahrin – P23
“We were trying to improve on the last test in Sepang today. We didn’t experiment a lot on the bike, I just tried to further get used to the KTM, working on changing my style. I know, that I’m still a bit far from the front but we keep working on the feeling on the bike. I felt it has been already better than in Malaysia.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Aprilia, meanwhile, slotted into P12 and P13 with Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone respectively – despite crashes for both. Espargaro did 34 laps and confirmed the bike is a definite improvement on last year’s, and Iannone catapulted himself up the timesheets after struggling with illness and missing much of the Sepang test. The Italian managed 30 laps and was only 0.089 off Espargaro by the end of the day. One key thing the Noale factory were spotted trying was an aero fairing.
Aleix Espargaro – P12
“It was a classic first day of testing. At the beginning, I struggled to find those good sensations I had in Malaysia. I also had a harmless crash, but here in Qatar, the actual time of track use is rather low, so it is always a shame to lose time. Then, my confidence gradually increased, but we are only at the beginning, so we will move forward getting to know the 2019 bike, which is proving to be significantly better than the 2018. We are looking for a good setting, also thinking about the first race, so that’s why we’ll be working primarily on the electronics tomorrow and with used tyres, with the goal of being competitive in the second part of the race.”
Aleix Espargaro
Andrea Iannone – P13
“I am satisfied with the work done today in what is my first true day of 2019 tests. We are starting from a good base. The bike works well and I am convinced that there is still a lot of potential to explore. This is precisely our goal, to get to know the RS-GP and to keep improving, outing after outing. We have already succeeded with the front. I am braking harder and with better sensations. We also worked to reduce the chattering a bit that limited us on some turns, making steps in the right direction. But above all, we are a united group, with common goals and great harmony, and this is something that is very important for me.”
2019 WorldSBK Round One – Phillip Island Sunday Superpole Sprint Race
Jonathan Rea got the holeshot ahead of Alex Lowes and Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam. Tom Sykes had started strongly in sixth but ran wide late on the opening lap and lost a number of positions.
Bautista made short work of Lowes and then immediately started to make parrys and thrusts at race leader Jonathan Rea. It took him another lap to make a move stick but once through he dropped the hammer.
This time around though Rea had the confidence to also bang his gavel and the pair started trading places at the front of the field.
Bautista and Rea swapped positions numerous times per lap as the race continued as Leon Haslam tried to close the gap and join the party up front.
Haslam though did not have the pace as the race wore on to stick with that leading duo.
Up front it was Bautista that had the pace, and enough pace to pull away from Rea over the final two laps and go on to make it two-from-two. Will he make it three-from-three in the next full distance 22-lap race later this afternoon…?
Only half-points are awarded for this new shorter middle race that has been added to all rounds of the Superbike World Championship for season 2019.
Vinales edges Rins for fastest time in Qatar MotoGP testing
Australia’s Miller 19th on day one at Losail International Circuit.
Image: Supplied.
Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) topped the first day of the Qatar test, putting in a 1m55.051s to head the grid after a late charge for supremacy.
It was close though, with the Suzuki of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) just 0.108s back – and the two set those laps close together on track. As always when action returns to Qatar, track conditions need to improve throughout the day and it was therefore fairly late on that a lot of the action took place – and the latter part of the day when Vinales blasted to the top.
That 1m55.051s to put Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP on top was one of 50 laps completed by Vinales on day one, and the signs look good for the factory – with teammate Valentino Rossi not far back as he completed the top five after 47 laps.
Team director Massimo Meregalli confirmed the engine had already been decided and that focus was first on comparing data with that from Sepang. Aero, however, remains up in the air – with more to try for the Iwata marque at Losail.
Petronas Yamaha SRT, meanwhile, had more positives – first for rookie Fabio Quartararo. Quickest debutant by a stretch on Saturday, the Frenchman was a stunning seventh overall and less than two tenths off Rossi after 49 laps. Franco Morbidelli was a little further down after the first session, ending the day seven tenths further back in P14.
Alex Rins put in a similar lap count: 48. The Spaniard showed more good form for Hamamatsu factory Suzuki after threatening the top on the first days of the Sepang test too, and this time rookie teammate Joan Mir began the test further up the timesheets as he ended the day in P11.
Suzuki had a new exhaust on show and team manager Davide Brivio confirmed that the chassis is defined, the engine spec is decided and said that focus was now on fine tuning and the details – including some final aero checks and work on the suspension and settings.
So behind the duo at the top, who came next? Both Mission Winnow Ducatis, with Andrea Dovizioso leading teammate Danilo Petrucci by a mere 0.044s – although they were half a second back. Both put in less laps than some of their competitors, with Dovi doing 29 and Petrucci 37. The latter was only just ahead of Rossi, but 0.010s can make the difference in MotoGP.
Team manager Davide Tardozzi says, like many up and down pitlane, focus is now on the details – but the Borgo Panigale factory plan to make their final aero decision on Sunday.
Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) kept the good news rolling for Ducati machinery as he ended the day in P6 after 44 laps, happy there’s more room to improve, too, but Alma Pramac Racing, who starred in the Sepang test, were a little further back on day one in Qatar. Francesco Bagnaia was P15 after a 1m56.738s, with teammate Jack Miller in P19.
Miller said, however, he spent the session doing six to eight lap runs, testing different parts – and lacking the time to be able to put in a tyre to push for a hot lap.
Another surprise on Saturday came from the fastest Honda: Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). The Japanese rider showed more top pace and put in 45 laps. Teammate Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) spent some time testing parts for HRC and finished the session in P18.
Reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), whose shoulder remains less than 100 percent after surgery, ended the day in tenth and, like in Sepang, put in only 34 laps. But he was positive and said he’s now back to riding in his more natural style, and he had his first crash of the season with no consequence.
On the other side of the garage, the return of Jorge Lorenzo saw the ‘Spartan’ struggle in braking as he comes back from a broken scaphoid, and he focused on continuing to understand the bike. Despite not so many laps and not too many new things to try as yet, the five-time world champion did mention his desire to modify the seat in an effort to make his new machine a little more ergonomic.
Repsol Honda team manager Alberto Puig said work on engine and aero is continuing until the last moment for the team – because every possibility is something worth trying – and a new exhaust was one thing spotted.
Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) impressed on day one. The Spaniard, who took the Austrian factory’s first premier class podium at Valencia last season, was the trailblazer once again as he finished up Saturday’s action in P9 after 47 laps. Teammate Johann Zarco put in 53 laps and was P16, around eight tenths back, and he was just 0.121s ahead of rookie KTM rider Miguel Oliveira on the Red Bull KTM Tech3.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team manager Mike Leitner specified they’re working on confirming chassis and aerodynamic modifications, and said the goal was to first finish off the test program from Sepang and then find a base setting for the race – as you’d expect. He also added that the items on the agenda are now less, something that speaks of the scale of KTM’s development program given the amount of track time already gone in preseason.
Aprilia, meanwhile, slotted into P12 and P13 with Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone respectively – despite crashes for both. Espargaro did 34 laps and confirmed the bike is a definite improvement on last year’s, and Iannone catapulted himself up the timesheets after struggling with illness and missing much of the Sepang test.
The Italian managed 30 laps and was only 0.089 off Espargaro by the end of the day. One key thing the Noale factory were spotted trying was an aero fairing.
Halliday runner-up overall as Waters secures third in thrilling weekend.
Image: Russell Colvin.
On return to the series, Yamaha-mounted privateer has secured the overall victory at Phillip Island’s opening round of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) after charging to a thrilling win in race three.
A seven rider battle ensued for the top spot throughout the 12-lap encounter, with former champion Mike Jones (Kawasaki) showing his nose inside the top three, leading the field into the final lap after lodging a blistering time of 1m31.881s earlier in the outing.
Making the pass into turn two, Wagner laid down a flawless final lap to clinch victory by just 0.317s over Jones, who managed to fend off Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) by the narrowest of margins, the Supersport champion just 0.081s off runner-up honours.
The top six was under a second behind Wagner as they crossed the line, featuring Daniel Falzon (Yamaha Racing Team), Josh Waters (Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia) and Wayne Maxwell (Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia). The top 10 was completed by reigning champion Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing), Bryan Staring (BCperformance Kawasaki), Glenn Allerton (Maxima BMW) and Ted Collins (Maxima BMW).
Overall, Wagner captured the overall victory with 71 points to his name followed by Halliday, Waters, Jones and Staring. The ASBK will now head to Wakefield Park in New South Wales on 22-24 March for round two of the seven-stop series.
2019 ASBK Round One – Phillip Island Superbike Race Three
Aiden Wagner had certainly put a cat amongst the factory backed pigeons here at the ASBK 2019 season opener at Phillip Island. Pole position, second place in the opening 12-lap bout on Saturday morning (Race One Report Link), followed by a sensational last lap clash while battling Wayne Maxwell around turn 12 on the final lap of the second race (Race Two Report Link), had clearly put a target on his back as the man to beat come Sunday morning’s third and final 12-lap Australian Superbike race for the weekend.
ASBK Superbike 2019 – Race Three Start – Rob Mott Image
Poor start for Wagner
Terrible start for Aiden Wagner saw the provisional championship leader swamped before turn one while Josh Waters had got a stellar launch to lead the field through Southern Loop for the first time ahead of Daniel Falzon, the YRT man getting great starts all weekend that have failed to be converted in to a great result, no doubt the South Australia was out to change that fortune in this final bout of the opening round.
Josh Waters leads into turn one – Rob Mott Image
Aiden Wagner recovered from that poor launch to work his way past Allerton, Jones and Halliday before then getting Daniel Falzon by Siberia to move up to second place. Wagner then chased down Waters in quick fashion and was soon all over the back of the #21 Suzuki. Falzon was coming with him though and both him and Wagner got the better of Josh Waters early on lap three.
A new lap record to Mike Jones
Mike Jones had pulled out an awesome second lap, a new lap record of 1m31.881 in fact, to start closing on the leading group.
Cru Halliday also had been quickening his pace and had managed to close on Waters and turn the leading group into a tightly packed band of four.
Then it was five!
Mike Jones joined the group with nine laps to run to make it a five-way affair up front. Leading that tussle was Wagner, from Waters, Falzon, Halliday and Jones. Less than half-a-second separated them.
More look to join the party!
Further back Wayne Maxwell and Troy Herfoss had started to edge towards the leading group and by half race distance Maxwell and Herfoss were on the back of Waters, making it now a seven-way affair up front.
Halliday takes the lead
Cru Halliday leads Aiden Wagner and Daniel Falzon – Rob Mott Image
After leading for the majority of the race and holding off his pursuers Wagner was finally gazumped by Halliday and Jones on the run to turn one with five laps remaining.
Mike Jones leads Cru Halliday – Rob Mott Image
Wagner’s determination though was very real and it was only a matter of turns before he was again leading the pack. Next time on to the main straight it was still Wagner in the lead but again Mike Jones swept past him at turn one, Wagner got him back at Southern Loop, the two changed places again on the run out of there before Wagner took the lead again at turn three. Jones though got him at Hayshed and led around Lukey Heights and into MG Hairpin. Wagner was on his tail as they wound the bikes up through turns 11 and 12, Waters was in third, Halliday fourth.
Mike Jones into the lead
Three laps to run and again Mike Jones gets Wagner at the end of the main straight. This time he holds on until turn four before Wagner again forces his way through, these two going at it hard, but another five riders were still right on their tail and ready to pounce should either make the slightest mistake.
Wagner makes a break
Aiden Wagner then got a great run around the back of the circuit to this time around sneak away a little from Jones, only a couple of bike lengths but enough to hold off the Kawasaki rider down the main straight and lead as they started the next lap. Jones though took the lead around the back of the circuit and led the pack down the main straight as they got the last lap board.
Last Lap
Aiden Wagner took the lead early on the last lap but was still closely followed by Jones, Halliday, Falzon and Waters. Wayne Maxwell and Troy Herfoss had now been dropped a little and looked out of the podium battle.
Wagner led around the back of the circuit and Jones ran in a little hot to MG and that was enough to allow Wagner to wind his privateer Yamaha up around turn 11 and 12 to take a brilliant and very hard fought win. Wagner now leads the championship on 71 points as the series heads north in a few weeks time for round two at Wakefield Park.
Aiden Wagner – Rob Mott Image
Mike Jones took second place over Cru Halliday. The YRT man tooks second place for the round on 55-points ahead of Josh Waters who earned 50-points and third place for the round.
Mike Jones and Aiden Wagner – Rob Mott Image
Well that ASBK season opening round had it all. It all played out in front of a very impressive WorldSBK crowd at Phillip Island. Somewhat surprisingly, the Australian round is actually one of the most well attended rounds of the entire World Superbike Championship, and that crowd were certainly wowed by the ASBK action this weekend and definitely got their money’s worth.
Wakefield Park might feel like a bit of a come down after the excitement at atmosphere of this event, but the on-track action will be just as epic and will play out on the weekend of March 24 at the 2.2-kilometre circuit situated on the outskirts of Goulburn. See you there!
ASBK Superbike Race Three Results
Aiden Wagner – Yamaha
Mike Jones – Kawasaki +0.317
Cru Halliday – Yamaha +0.398
Daniel Falzon – Yamaha +0.825
Josh Waters – Suzuki +0.848
Wayne Maxwell – Suzuki +0.933
Troy Herfoss – Honda +1.430
Bryan Staring – Kawasaki +1.958
Glenn Allerton – BMW +7.745
Ted Collins – BMW +12.164
Arthur Sissis – Suzuki +15.336
Mark Chiodo – Honda +15.383
Glenn Scott – Kawasaki +16.301
Max Croker – Suzuki +16.547
Matt Walters – Kawasaki +18.222
Alex Phillis – Suzuki +30.884
Sloan Frost – Suzuki +36.312
Phil Czaj – Aprilia +43.996
Lachlan Epis – Kawasaki +53.898
Ryan Yanko – Ducati +53.946
Brendan McIntyre – Suzuki +55.573
David Barker – Kawasaki +57.618
Matt Tooley – Yamaha +65.993
Simon Barbacetto – Yamaha +66.966
Evan Byles – Kawasaki +68.797
ASBK Superbike Championship Points Standings
Aiden Wagner 71
Cru Halliday 55
Josh Waters 50
Mike Jones 49
Bryan Staring 48
Troy Herfoss 41
Wayne Maxwell 40
Glenn Allerton 40
Daniel Falzon 32
Ted Collins 31
Matt Walters 30
Glenn Scott 28
Max Croker 267
Mark Chiodo 24
Alex Phillis 19
Arthur Sissis 18
Sloan Frost 12
Damon Rees 11
Lachlan Epis 10
Phil Czaj 8
Round 2 of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship heads to Wakefield Park in Goulburn (March 22-24).
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