Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike Di Meglio have claimed the 8 Hours of Oschersleben win in the Endurance World Championship for F.C.C. TSR Honda France, from Team SRC Kawasaki France (who now lead the FIM Endurance World Championship) and VRD Igol Pierret Expériences. With a 4th-place finish, Moto Ain claimed both the Superstock win and the FIM Endurance World Cup.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France topped the podium – 8 Hours of Oschersleben
The podium was starting to look like a done deal, with four of the favourites battling it out in the lead from the race start, when big drama shook things up an hour and a half before the finish at Oschersleben. YART Yamaha’s engine failure while they were locked in battle with F.C.C. TSR Honda France for the win caused Honda Endurance Racing, then in 4th place, to crash, throwing the end of the race wide open.
Broc Parkes – YART
“The Oschersleben 8 Hour ended for us about 1.5hrs from the end, Marvin was on the bike when it caught fire on track and they had to bring it back on the trailer. We were leading the race and had a good chance of the win. There’s nothing else we could have done today, we all rode great, no mistakes and consistent pace so its a shame it had to end early.”
F.C.C. TSR Honda France, the 2018 race winner, triumphed ahead of Team SRC Kawasaki France. The Kawasaki riders Jérémy Guarnoni, David Checa and Erwan Nigon made it to the second step of the podium. Most importantly, they lifted the factory Kawasaki to the top of the provisional standings in the run-up to the grand finale at Suzuka.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France – 8 Hours of Oschersleben
For VRD Igol Pierret Expériences (Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Xavier Siméon), their third-place podium finish was as good as a win. The Yamaha-supported team secured their first podium in their first Formula EWC season.
Fourth-place finishers Moto Ain also savoured victory. Roberto Rolfo, Robin Mulhauser and Stefan Hill led the Superstock class for 204 of the total 303 laps run. They secured the Superstock win at Oschersleben ahead of Wójcik Racing Team 2 and BMRT 3D Maccio Racing. Above all, they won Moto Ain’s first-ever FIM Endurance World Cup.
Their battle with GERT56 by GS Yuasa for the Cup was closely fought. The BMW-mounted German team, who were leading the world standings before Oschersleben, finished the race in 13th place after running out of fuel and experiencing electrical issues.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France – 8 Hours of Oschersleben
The Superstock teams were particularly competitive in Germany. Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers ran a solid race in 9th place to win the Anthony Delhalle EWC Spirit Trophy singling out the fighting spirit of an entire team. No Limits Motor Team and Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto, 11th and 12th at the finish, also delivered a noteworthy performance. Junior Team LMS Suzuki were a contender for the FIM World Cup early on in the race, but a crash relegated them to 17th at the finish line.
Like Junior Team LMS Suzuki, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team had a tough race with two crashes and finished 10th. The standings leader before the race in Germany, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team will get to Suzuka with a five-point lag behind Team SRC Kawasaki France.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France – 8 Hours of Oschersleben
Another of the favourites who got unlucky were ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance. They got off to a good start, but finished 19th after colliding with another bike.
These upsets should not overshadow two excellent performances at Oschersleben. Fany Gastro BMW Motorrad by Mercury Racing (Karel Hanika, Ondrej Jezek and Ladislav Chmelik) secured their finest result this season with a 5th-place finish. Likewise, Webike Tati Team Trick Star were 7th at the finish. Julien Enjolras and Kevin Denis had clearly got the measure of their new EWC Kawasaki with the help of Bastien Mackels at Oschersleben.
Alvaro Bautista claimed the Superpole Race victory to kick off Sunday in strong form, with Michael Van Der Mark proving consistent claiming the runner up position on the podium, with Marco Melandri closing out the podium. Rea who had to start from the back of the grid was fourth.
Alvaro Bautista – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Race 2 of the weekend saw disaster strike for Ducati, with Bautista and Davies both crashing out of contention, with Michael Van Der Mark claiming the win from Rea, with Razgatlioglu claiming the final podium position.
Alvaro Bautista leaves Jerez with 300 points to Jonathan Rea’s 259, while Michael Van Der Mark is third with 188-points.
Tissot Superpole Race
In the Tissot Superpole Race, the first of the Sunday, riders made various changes in terms of tyres. In particular, seven of them used the SCX solution, while Jonathan Rea started from the last spot on the grid because of a penalty for making contact with Alex Lowes in Race 1.
Jerez WorldSBK 2019
This moved all the other riders up one spot on the grid. Álvaro Bautista therefore started from pole position and led the entire race, managing his advantage over the direct followers and finishing first, as he had done in Race 1.
Behind him, various riders jockeyed for position, but in the end it was Michael Van Der Mark besting the rest, managing to finish on the second step of the podium for the second time this weekend, ahead of Marco Melandri who, after taking third in yesterday’s race due to the penalty levied against Jonathan Rea, took a well-deserved position on the bottom step of the podium today.
Alvaro Bautista – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Fourth place went to Jonathan Rea who rode a race from behind, making a truly astonishing comeback if you consider that there were only 10 laps in which to do it. Worth a mention is Alex Lowes’ crash on the fourth lap which gives him a pointless finish for this race as well, after the unfortunate result yesterday.
WSBK – Race 2
In what was a thrilling Race 2 at Jerez, an uncharacteristic error from Alvaro Bautista at the start of Lap 2 saw the Spaniard suffer his first racing crash in WorldSBK. The battle for the win came alive as Jonathan Rea and Michael van der Mark went head-to-head in the Spanish sun, resulting in the Dutchman taking his first win of 2019, while Razgatlioglu romped to third and yet another podium.
Race 2 – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Into Turn 1 on the opening lap, Marco Melandri took the initial advantage, while a disaster for his fellow Yamaha rider Alex Lowes, who crashed at Turn 2 on the opening lap. Bautista took the lead at Turn 5 and Michael van der Mark followed him through as Melandri went wide. Jonathan Rea took the pair of Yamaha riders at Turn 6, in a bid to pursue Bautista at the front.
However, it was a disaster for the Spaniard at the beginning of Lap 2 as he crashed out of the lead! The championship leader was on the floor at Turn 1, with his ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati tumbling through the gravel. Bautista remounted but retired soon after. The race was now on, as Jonathan Rea led van der Mark and Marco Melandri, ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu and Chaz Davies completing the top five.
Jonathan Rea – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
With 15 laps to go, the top five were covered by a second but disaster struck again, this time at Turn 5, as Marco Melandri attempted an ambitious pass on Davies, resulting in both riders crashing out. Davies was clearly frustrated with his former teammate, as both of them lost the chance to achieve a good result with Bautista out. Three of the main protagonists had suffered terrible results – Jonathan Rea was now looking like he was going to walk away from Jerez with a strong haul of points.
Michael van der Mark wasn’t prepared to let Rea have it all his own way, as the Dutchman took the lead with 14 laps to go at Turn 6. Jonathan Rea initially stayed with the Yamaha of van der Mark but couldn’t keep with the relentless pace of the 26-year-old out front, as 10 laps later, he had pulled out a two seconds lead. Alvaro Bautista had re-joined and was circulating in 16th position, ready to pick up the pieces in case anyone else was to crash out.
Michael van der Mark – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Battles continued to develop down the field, as Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who rocketed through from 11th on the grid to be the top running Ducati in fourth position, ahead of a jostling Sandro Cortese and Leon Haslam, with the Brit getting ahead of the German in the closing stages at Turn 1.
A crash for Ryuichi Kiyonari at the fast Turn 11 resulted in gravel being put all over the circuit and a red flag coming out with two laps to go. Kiyonari walked away from the crash, although his bike was not so fortunate, having barrel rolled.
Michael van der Mark – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Michael van der Mark was a winner once again completing a faultless weekend, right the way through from FP1 to Race 2. Second position and closing the gap down to Bautista in the championship to 41 points, Jonathan Rea was happy to be back on the podium. It was another stunning ride from Toprak Razgatlioglu to complete the race in third position. Rinaldi took a career-best fourth, whilst Leon Haslam fought hard to complete the top five.
Just behind the Brit, Sandro Cortese took his best WorldSBK result. Seventh position belonged to Tom Sykes, who had a relatively quiet Acerbis Spanish Round, whilst Jordi Torres, Loris Baz and a superb Tommy Bridewell completed the top ten on a day where Independent teams took the majority of top ten placings.
Leandro Mercado had a good comeback in 11th, ahead of Markus Reiterberger, Yuki Takahashi and Alex Lowes in 14th place being the last of the point-scorers.
Michael van der Mark – P1
“What an amazing day! I was a bit upset with myself in the Sprint Race because I tried some optimistic overtakes that lost me a lot of time but in the end, I managed to finish second, which put me on the front row for Race 2. I got a good start but then Johnny passed me quite quickly and I was happy to sit behind him and conserve my tyres after Alvaro crashed out. But his pace wasn’t quite what I wanted to do and I could see the group behind were starting to catch us, so I decided to put in a pass and see if I could pull away, which I did. It’s been an incredible weekend and the bike has been great, with only very small changes required. I’m really happy with the progress made with the bike, so many thanks to the team and to Yamaha for all their hard work.”
Michael van der Mark – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Jonathan Rea – P2
“In the final race I did not have the pace of Mikey. I need to check the times but we definitely made a step with the bike set-up from yesterday afternoon to today, especially with the front end feeling in the faster corners. But over the lap there were some areas where I was very close, or even better than Michael, but in one crucial area I just lost too much. It is something we have been working on all weekend and today the bike was better. I needed a clean day today to finish both races strongly. This morning’s race took a lot out of me mentally and physically – coming from the back of the grid to try and make up all those positions in a short space of time. I am looking forward to Misano now.”
Jonathan Rea – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Toprak Razgatlioglu – P3
“Today I am really happy to take a second podium of the year. In this morning’s short race we tried a new set-up but I did not like it. We came back to the same set-up as we used earlier. Today I followed Michael van der Mark and Johnny, but I was on my limit. I watched Johnny as he has the same bike but my big problem was in turn 11 and 12. In the last eight laps my front tyre had started to slide and I reduced my pace because I was in a podium position.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Leon Haslam – P5
“Every session we were struggling with the front traction and we ran a bit more angle and corner speed compared to some of the other Kawasaki riders and I think that has been hindering me, especially as the temperatures have risen. I have tried to adapt my style and played around a little bit with set-up. I felt in that final race of the weekend I had good pace and could have challenged for that third place but I get stuck behind Tom for too many laps. Then when I got past him I was pushing too hard, like I was before, making too many mistakes. I was just lining Rinaldi up when the red flags came out. Another fifth place, so obviously I am not too happy about the result, but we have managed a lot of problems here this weekend.”
Leon Haslam – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Sandro Cortese – P6
“It was a good race this afternoon, which I finished with my best result of the season. The lap times increased a lot compared to Race 1 yesterday, which meant we didn’t quite have the set-up we needed to run with the front guys and challenge for maybe a fourth place finish today. But, we learned a lot and we know what we need to do for the next race, so I leave Jerez happy with the race result and with the progress we’ve made. Now I’m looking forward to the next race in Misano, where we will aim to fight once again with these guys and, hopefully, secure an even better result.”
Sandro Cortese – Image by GeeBee
Tom Sykes – P7
“All things considered, I really feel that we had a decent set of results. I’m a little bit disappointed with race two. I had a big moment in the fast last right hander. I lost the front with 170 km/h and the slide was over fifty metres so it was lucky that we were able to save it. I was able to catch up with the guys again but wasn’t able to pass. Overall, I think we had some decent results given where we are with the performance of the engine. We’re continuing to collect information for moving forward. So now my expectations are to keep the program developing towards the podium. That’s the ultimate target. When you look at the team, the manufacturer and the riders, we have high potential but obviously just for now we need to sit back and understand what we’ve got in this little gap and hopefully for Misano we can have another step forward.”
Tom Sykes – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Álvaro Bautista – DNF
“Today was a day of two halves, in the sense that first we won the Superpole Race and then I crashed on lap 2 of the second race. It was a pity because I did nothing strange, I just lost the front, but racing is like that sometimes. The Jerez weekend was amazing, not only because of my two wins but also for the atmosphere here in the paddock, and for all the fans who came to the circuit to witness the show. Now we have only to continue the great work we did this weekend and try and repeat the same sensations in the next round at Misano.”
Alvaro Bautista – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Chaz Davies – DNF
“I was quite aware that this was going to be a difficult weekend but I was hoping that with a good mind-set I could have got some decent results. On this type of circuit, with many longish corners, I was really far away with the set-up. I had a vibration issue with the bike in the Superpole Race, but then the guys did a great job to give me a good bike for the last race, where at least I could ride it OK. But then I got caught up in the incident with Melandri at Turn 5. I’m OK, I just picked up a big bruise on the hip and the side of the leg.”
Chaz Davies – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Marco Melandri – DNF
“It was a shame to finish the weekend with a crash, but when you think about where we were just two weeks ago and then how we were able to fight for the podium in all three races here in Jerez, it’s something so positive for us. It’s unfortunate that Chaz didn’t leave me the same amount of space I left him when the positions were reversed on the previous lap, but for me it was a racing incident and nothing more. Like I said, it’s a shame, because another podium finish was a real possibility today, even if fighting with Toprak was difficult because he’s so aggressive on the brakes. Anyway, I go home from here much more positive for the future.”
Alvaro Bautista has claimed his 12th win of the season, with massive crowds turning out to cheer on the Spaniard on his home turf, with a dominant performance in Race 1 putting the rider back on form in the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, with nearest challenger in the title race Jonathan Rea involved in a last lap-last corner fracas with Alex Lowes, that later saw penalties remove his podium placing.
Alvaro Bautista – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Taking the lead between Turn 4 and 5 on the opening lap, nobody challenged Alvaro Bautista for the rest of the race, as the Spaniard set a scorching pace. Getting into a rhythm early on, Bautista never looked in doubt of winning at Jerez for the first time since his first ever World Championship victory back in 2006 in 125cc Grand Prix.
World Superbike – Jerez 2019 – Race One
Becoming the first Spanish rider to win at Jerez, Bautista made it only the fifth occasion where a Spanish rider has won on Spanish soil – of which four have been achieved by Alvaro himself. Along with this, he faces more records, as one more win will level him overall in the wins table with Eugene Laverty and Aaron Slight, whilst winning the remaining two races will see him equal the number of wins by Scott Russell, John Kocinski and Ben Spies – all of which won championships.
Álvaro Bautista
“I’m really happy with this great win today. This morning we made a few small changes to the Panigale V4 R which allowed me to improve the feeling. In the Superpole we did a very fast time and managed to get onto the front row, which was our aim. In these conditions, because of the high temperature, I used up a lot of energy and also had to manage the tyre wear in the best way possible. On the opening lap I took the lead of the race and made my own pace, which I was able to administer until the chequered flag. I’m very happy to win again after Imola, and I’m proud to be the first Spanish rider to win an SBK race here at Jerez, in front of all my family, friends and fans. I want to dedicate this win to my grandfather, who passed away a few days ago, for sure he gave me extra motivation for this victory.”
Alvaro Bautista – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Unfortunately, his team-mate Chaz Davies was unable to get in amongst the fight for the leading positions. Starting from eleventh place on the grid, the 32-year-old Welshman struggled throughout the race, showing a scarce feeling with his bike, and as a result he was not able to go any higher than seventh place.
Chaz Davies
“Today’s race was a tough one. After not getting a particularly good start, in the early laps the feeling with the bike wasn’t very good and I struggled to get into the rhythm. Then, in the middle part of the race I found myself a bit behind the group that was fighting for fifth place, but I couldn’t catch them. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to say, for me it was complicated just to get to the end of the race. The only positive aspect is that it was useful to do 20 laps in these conditions which allowed us to get a lot of information. We’ll have a look at all the data with the engineers and hopefully can come up with something good for tomorrow.”
Chaz Davies – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
After his tangle with Alex Lowes, Jonathan Rea has been handed penalties as a consequence. The four-time WorldSBK champion made a rash move on the Yamaha man at the final corner on the final lap, meaning that he has been dropped one position in the overall classification.
Jonathan Rea – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Additionally, the Northern Irishman has been handed a back of the grid start for his on-track escapade in Race 1. This promotes Marco Melandri to the podium in Race 1 – his second of the season, whilst ironically, Alex Lowes will benefit from a front row start.
Jonathan Rea
“Our bike, with grip, was working incredibly well today, especially in the morning in the cooler conditions. I was able to build into that Superpole lap with a three stop strategy – first with a race tyre, then with a pre-qualifier and then at the end with the qualifying tyre. With the temperatures rising in the afternoon, maybe a combination of that, or what we changed on the rear of the bike a little, I really struggled right at the apex of the corners to turn around. It was putting so much stress on the front tyre. I tried to do the best I could, but when Alvaro came past it was on a completely different rhythm. I found myself on a similar pace to Alex. On the last lap I tried to be as close as possible to do something in the last corner. I saw him going wide on the racing line so I decided to do a cutback and go to the inside. Unfortunately at that point he was fully committed to the corner, I did not got through far enough, we had contact and he went down. I am really sorry for ending his race but it was a real racing accident; last lap, last corner battle.”
Jonathan Rea – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Both Pata Yamaha WorldSBK riders were involved in a race long battle for the podium in today’s opening WorldSBK encounter in Jerez. But while Michael van der Mark ended the day celebrating a superb run to second place, Alex Lowes was left battered and bruised.
Michael van der Mark
“The bike felt really good in Superpole, but I made a couple of mistakes than cost me a few tenths and that meant I started from the third row of the grid today. I got a good start, managed to make up quite a few places in the opening laps and then quickly settled into a good rhythm as I tried to conserve my tyres. When I passed Alex I was struggling a bit with the front and having to ride a bit differently, but I was still able to close on Johnny and then pass him for second. I tried to pull a gap straight away, but he managed to stay with me for a couple of laps before I could get away from him. The bike was really good today; the guys have done an amazing job and the package has improved, but we still need to find a little more improvement with the front ahead of the two races tomorrow.”
Michael van der Mark – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Alex Lowes
“Obviously I’m gutted with the eventual outcome of the race. I was struggling with the bike a little bit in the race, which meant I wasn’t able to stay with Michael, but I felt I could be consistent with the pace I had. It was a good battle with Johnny; I felt I was a bit stronger than him and with three laps to go managed to get in front. I put in a good, solid, clean last lap and I felt like I had the beating of Johnny but then he made a big error of judgement in the final corner and took me straight off the bike. It was a decent hit and I’m pretty sore right now. He’s been penalised for the move, but that doesn’t change the fact that I missed out on the podium and 16 really important points, which is a shame. Anyway, there are a few things we can improve on the bike; my pace has been strong all weekend and, luckily, we have two races tomorrow in which to try and make up for today’s loss. A disappointing result, but there are also plenty of positives we can take away from today.”
Alex Lowes – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Marco Melandri, who originally finished today in fourth place, was promoted to third five hours after the chequered flag due to the FIM’s subsequent 1-position penalty being imposed on Rea.Michael van der Mark
Marco Melandri
“Obviously it’s not the same getting a podium finish this way rather than being in a straight race for it, but I see this as like a present for the hard work of everyone in the team and at Yamaha that we did and are still doing. This result, even if it was a bit of a gift, will only motivate us further to make improvements so that, once again, we’re in a position to really fight for the podium on track.”
Day one at Jerez has concluded for the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, with Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) putting in a late lap in FP2 to go top. Despite a late red flag after a spectacular crash for Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) left gravel and debris on the track at Turn 4, a flurry of action concluded the session with many changes in positions.
Championship leader Alvaro Bautista was on top in FP2 for the majority of the session before being knocked off his familiar perch by Van der Mark for a brief moment. The Spanish rookie, who has raced at Jerez many times, went back on top in the closing stages with the fastest lap of the weekend. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) had a tough day at the office, but you can never discount the Welshman; the former WorldSBK runner-up finished eleventh overall.
Michael van der Mark continued his strong performance from the morning session, becoming the first rider to go into the 1’39s in FP2, improving in the final five minutes to consolidate his strong pace. His teammate, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was again a prominent figure at the sharp end, ending the day in fourth, with the Pata Yamaha pairing enjoying the return to Jerez.
The Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK strategy for Jonathan Rea looked to be to send him out and get him to dial laps in, with the reigning four-time WorldSBK Champion setting numerous consecutive fast laps. On his tenth lap, Rea improved his time before finally improving to third on the combined timesheets, improving his time in the latter part of the session but remaining in third. His teammate Leon Haslam completed the day in ninth in the session and overall.
2013 World Superbike Champion Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) didn’t improve his time overall until very late in the session, placing fifth overall, ahead of Tissot Superpole on Saturday. Whilst Sykes showed strong signs of improvement, Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was out on track for the first time. With no lap time set in FP1, FP2 proved crucial for the German rider, who finished 15th at the end of the day.
A strong start in FP1 for Melandri saw the Italian crash in FP2, albeit with himself being OK and riding the bike back to the pits. He finished sixth on combined times. Teammate Sandro Cortese improved his time and completed the day in seventh, with a strong end to FP2. It has been a strong start for Yamaha at the Acerbis Spanish Round, with four in the top seven.
In eighth place, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team) enjoyed a strong FP2 and maintained his top ten placing from FP1. The Italian was the second Ducati in the session and also, the third Independent team rider behind the GRT duo. Turkish Puccetti Racing rider Toprak Razgatlioglu finished tenth at the end of the day.
WorldSBK returnee Loris Baz was back with a bang, as he had a massive crash at Turn 4, although he was OK. His bike cartwheeled through the gravel trap, bringing out a momentary red flag for debris.
Álvaro Bautista – P1
“Today it was a very positive day, even though in the morning session we had a few problems with excessive tyre wear, probably because of the track conditions after the rain that fell overnight. In the afternoon therefore the work focussed on this aspect in particular. I really liked one of the new rear tyre solutions for its durability and consistency even though we used it over a distance that was longer than that of the race, at the same time also improving the feeling with the front over this morning. Tomorrow we’ll focus more on fine-tuning the chassis because I’m convinced we can make a further improvement and as a result another step forward.”
Alvaro Bautista
Michael van der Mark – P2
“It’s been a really positive opening day and I felt good with the bike from the start. The changes we tested in Misano really seem to have worked and that inspired a lot of confidence in the R1. We knew this afternoon would be interesting once the track temperature went up, so we wanted to see how the bike reacted to that. Again, I was quick from the start, but we still need to do a bit more work to improve on the brakes, as I’m still struggling a little to get the bike stopped. But, overall, I’m really happy with the first day here in Jerez.”
Michael van der Mark
Jonathan Rea – P3
“It was a really positive day in the end as we managed to turn things around. The biggest challenge was coming from riding the Endurance machine in Japan only a few days ago to this morning. I got a little bit lost with my feeling on the bike. Also, since they re-asphalted the surface here the grip is so, so high. It is an abnormal feeling to ride on it and you do not understand the limit because the grip is so high. So, I am just trying to acclimatise to that. I also tried all options of rear tyres to confirm our understand of which one to use. In the afternoon session we changed a few things to give me a bit more confidence on the brakes and we reconfirmed the step we made in a Misano test with my position on the bike. I was happy with where we were.”
Jonathan Rea
Alex Lowes – P4
“We made a good start in FP1 this morning, finishing the session second behind Michael. This afternoon I did just over race distance on a set of tyres, which dropped us down the times a little but the pace was still good. We’ve got some new parts that we weren’t able to test over a long run at the Misano test because of the weather but, after today, we have a much better understanding of the bike and where we’ve improved. I’ve always been fast here in Jerez, so I know I can do the times, but we just wanted to work on the bike on worn tyres and in the hotter temperatures this afternoon, to get a better feel for how it’s going to be in the race tomorrow. A good start to the weekend and one on which we can build for the race tomorrow. I’m happy.”
Alex Lowes
Marco Melandri – P6
“I’m feeling much better on the bike with a different riding position and that also gave me a better feeling with the tyres. Now we have to work in a slightly different way for the set-up but I’m happy, because for the first time I’m not so far from the front and it looks like we are going in a good way. I think our weekend here in Jerez can be different to the last few races.”
Marco Melandri
Sandro Cortese – P7
“It was a very positive start and we saw an improvement in both the base setting and the lap times between the two sessions today. The conditions were very special, very hot, but the second session was more or less the same time as the race tomorrow, so it gave us an opportunity to work on set-up in very similar conditions. We had a positive test in Misano and the updates we got from Yamaha are all working well, so I’m happy and confident for tomorrow.”
Sandro Cortese
Leon Haslam – P9
“This morning wasn’t too bad but we were suffering in the same areas as Imola to get the bike to stop. This afternoon it was harder and kept losing the front. We found a better way right at the end, and even on 15 lap-old tyres I set my best lap over the session. So there were some positives but it was a tough one. It looks like it will continue hot like it was this afternoon. So that is something we need to look at, make a bit of a plan and then see where we can get to tomorrow.”
Leon Haslam
Chaz Davies – P11
“Today has been a bit tricky and we struggled a little bit with the front overloading all the time. We need to rebalance the bike to give me better feeling and speed on entry, connect the dots in the middle of the corner and keep the corner speed. Despite these problems, I’m fairly confident of improving tomorrow, it’s just that we were a bit too wide of the mark today. Jerez is a different track to Imola, and what works there doesn’t work here so we’re going to have to make some changes.”
Chaz Davies
Loris Baz – P13
“it was an up and down first day, let’s say. I’m not really happy because I’ve given my guys a lot of work to do tonight with the fast crash at the end of FP2, which definitely wasn’t in the plan, but we also need to understand why I crashed because it was a bit strange. Apart from that the day was going well; we weren’t that far from the other four Yamaha riders and we managed to improve on the set-up we finished with at the Misano test. We need to continue working in this way tomorrow and then use the race as another opportunity to increase our understanding with the bike. I’m looking forward to tomorrow already.”
World Superbike Friday Combined Times
BAUTISTA Alvaro ARUBA Racing Ducati 1’39.428
VAN DER MARK Michael Pata Yamaha Team 0.226
REA Jonathan Kawasaki Racing Team 0.304
LOWES Alex Pata Yamaha Team 0.411
SYKES Tom 66 GBR BMW Motorrad Team 0.506
MELANDRI Marco GRT Yamaha WorldSBK 0.602
CORTESE Sandro GRT Yamaha WorldSBK 0.629
RINALDI Michael Ruben BARNI Racing Team 0.862
HASLAM Leon Kawasaki Racing Team 0.911
RAZGATLIOGLU Toprak Turkish Puccetti Racing 0.976
DAVIES Chaz ARUBA Racing Ducati 1.209
TORRES Jordi Team Pedercini 1.314
BAZ Loris Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha 1.427
MERCADO Leandro 3Orelac Racing VerdNatura 1.490
REITERBERGER Markus BMW Motorrad Team 1.614
DELBIANCO Alessandro Althea Mie Racing 2.300
TAKAHASHI Yuki Moriwaki Althea Honda 2.497
BRIDEWELL Tommy Team Goeleven 2.588
KIYONARI Ryuichi Moriwaki Althea Honda 2.744
World Supersport
The opening day of FIM Supersport World Championship action saw plenty of action throughout the two sessions. Come the end of play on the opening day, it was Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team duo of Federico Caricasulo and Randy Krummenacher that were on top, with Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) back in third. A brief red flag was shown earlier in the session for Glenn van Straalen, who crashed, leaving a lot of gravel on the circuit needing to be cleaned away.
Randy Krummenacher
It was a strong end to the day for Caricasulo, who just pipped his Swiss teammate overall by 0.048s. The duo has been battling all season, with the WorldSSP title pendulum swinging from one rider to the other. The end of day one at Jerez sees the Italian on top overall, at a track he won at from pole in 2017, whilst Krummenacher couldn’t improve his time. In third position, Jules Cluzel, who hadn’t featured at the front for the majority of the session, improved at the end of the session to consolidate his top three placing.
Federico Caricasulo
Fourth position belonged to Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusuta Reparto Corse) raced up the order late on, confirming his pace after his podium at Imola. Fifth place went to 2017 WorldSSP Champion Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). The Frenchman suffered a small tumble at Turn 2 but rounded the day off in fine style. In sixth position on combined times was Austrian rider, Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing). A track at which he has very little experience on, Gradinger has had a strong start to the weekend.
Seventh position saw a solid start to proceedings for Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), as the Japanese rider goes in search of his first career podium. Behind him, the first of the home-heroes, Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing), who was just 0.3s off of a top three slot, whilst in ninth, Britain’s Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing) was reacquainting himself to the Jerez circuit. Tenth position went to Smith’s teammate, Ayrton Badovini.
Jules Cluzel
A brief red flag was brought out after a crash for Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) at the penultimate corner, with gravel on the circuit as a consequence. His fellow countryman, Jaimie van Sikkelerus, made a return to action after his surgery between rounds. They finished 18th and 25th respectively.
World Supersport Friday Combined Times
Caricasulo 1m41.948
Krummenacher 1m41.996
Cluzel 1m42.942
De Rosa 1m43.136
Mahias 1m43.142
Gradinger 1m43.162
Okubo 1m43.201
Vinales 1m43.242
Smith 1m43.588
Badovini 1m43.925
Sebestyen 1m44.002
Quero Martinez 1m44.242
Perolari 1m44.384
Danilo 1m44.600
Soomer 1m44.829
Fuligni 1m45.053
Cresson 1m45.082
Van Straalen 1m45.195
Calero 1m45.315
Hartog 1m45.665
Arbel 1m45.788
Canducci 1m45.924
Herrera 1m45.962
Stange 1m46.638
Van Sikkelerus 1m46.980
Gyorfi 1m47.766
Sconza 1m48.176
Matern 1m50.302
WorldSSP300
It was an exciting opening day for the WorldSSP300 Championship, as after the opening two Free Practice sessions, lap times were already under the existing lap records for the class at Jerez. Heading the timesheets on day one, championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team), aiming to keep his 100% record after the opening rounds of the season. Marc Garcia (DS Junior Team) and Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) were second and third respectively.
Manuel Gonzalez
Gonzalez set about his Friday looking to build on his positive start to the season, with the Spaniard coming to the circuit as championship leader and favourite for a home win. Heading the timesheets, he looks set to enjoy another great weekend. It was a positive start for Marc Garcia, who returns to the scene of his 2017 title win. The Spaniard made it a 1-2 for home-heroes, whilst Galang Hendra Pratama was flying the Indonesian flag high in third.
Marc Garcia
In fourth position, Tom Edwards (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) had a strong session and was in fourth place on the combined sheets. The Australian’s time was 0.779s from the top time but with plenty more track action, expect him to be strong throughout the remainder of the weekend. Fellow Australians Tom Bramich and Jack Hyde were 37th and 44th respectively.
Fifth position was the first of the Group B riders, with Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team), with Mika Perez (Scuderia Maranga Racing) in sixth.
Galang Hendra Pratama
Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) was only ninth in Group A in FP2, subsequently leaving her outside of the top ten overall, whilst Scott Deroue (Kawasaki Motoport) was also languishing down the order; both riders with work to do ahead of Saturday and Sunday.
After a disastrous start to TT race week with non-stop weather delays, Thursday had seen the clouds break long enough to run a massive five TT races, completely catching up on the race program with the most races ever run on a single day in TT history.
The following day weather was forecast to close in and turn downright ugly with expected falls of up to 50mm from Friday afternoon. Thus organisers moved the six-lap Senior TT ahead to an earlier 1000 start time, which was then pushed back a little to 1015 as marshalls helped clean small sections of the course. The sky though was the most welcoming seen across the whole TT fortnight which bode well for the coming Senior TT.
Peter Hickman and Dean Harrison proved a step above the competition last year and the pair carried that form into TT 2019. Hickman though did seem to have an edge on Harrison in the lead-up to the Senior and would enter the race as favourite.
David Johnson proved he is ready to pounce should either of that pair make any mistakes today. The South Australian scored his maiden podium yesterday in the Superstock TT, despite a demonstrably clear horsepower deficit. Today, with the extra 25 horsepower of the Superbike spec’ Fireblade beneath him, that gap should be less evident.
Michael Dunlop of course is always in with a strong chance of a win should he find a little more speed today. He added to his TT win tally late on Thursday evening with victory in the Lightweight TT. The likes of James Hillier and Conor Cummins can also never be discounted. Ian Hutchinson has failed to hit his straps this week but could also mount a last-minute surprise return to form if the planets aligned for the Bingley Bullett
Michael Rutter also showed his speed yesterday with the TT Zero win and new lap record on the Mugen electric bike, I think it is fair to say there is no more experienced road racer on any motorcycle grid in any series, anywhere in the world with as much experience as Rutter. For the Senior TT he is on the bespoke RC213V-S Honda and while many might suggest he is a long shot, I am one that thinks that shot might actually not be all that long…
The other elder statesman of the roads is of course John McGuinness. His return from injury is being made on the V4 Norton, a machine that has proved good enough to lap over 130mph with Josh Brookes at the controls in 2017. On the grid McGuinness remarked he hadn’t quite found his rhythm on the Norton yet, and that they had been chasing a small electrical problem.
Conor Cummins was to head down Glencrutchery Road first with the other riders waved off at ten-second intervals. After Cummins it was Harrison, McGuiness, Hutchinson and Hillier the first five away. They were followed by Dunlop, Gary Johnson, Michael Rutter, David Johnson and Peter Hickman.
They are away!
Dean Harrison was quick out of the blocks and had pulled more than four-seconds back on Conor Cummins by the first split at Glen Helen. Michael Dunlop was also away well along with Michael Rutter while David Johnson was sixth.
Dean Harrison
At Ballaugh Bridge for the first time there was nothing between Harrison and Hickman for the lead. There was eight-seconds back to Conor Cummins in third place, the Padgetts Honda being quickly caught by Michael Dunlop though while David Johnson had moved past Rutter to take fifth place.
At Bungalow for the first time Peter Hickman had a one-second lead over Harrison while Conor Cummins was managing to stave off the advances of Michael Dunlop to hold on to third place. David Johnson still fifth, seven-seconds behind Dunlop. John McGuinness stopped at Bungalow with some sort of problem.
134.28mph lap from standing start!
At the end of lap one Dean Harrison registered a 133.99mph lap from a standing start as we waited with baited breath for race leader Peter Hickman to cross the stripe… There he goes, 134.28mph lap from a standing start for Hicky. Cummins still third ahead of Dunlop with David Johnson in fifth after a 130.98mph opening lap.
Conor Cummins
At Ballaugh Bridge for the second time it was still Hickman in front but now with a gap out to two-seconds. Conor Cummins was looking to have the measure of Michael Dunlop, his advantage out to four-seconds now. David Johnson a further 12-seconds back in fifth.
Peter Hickman registered 192mph through the Sulby speed trap and by Ramsey had extended his lead over Harrison out to 3.4-seconds. Cummins a further 20-seconds back, with 5-seconds on Dunlop and 20-second on Johnson.
Hickman extended his lead out to 6.5-seconds by Bungalow, which was then 6.94-seconds by Cronk ny Mona.
In the pits!
Dean Harrison the first rider into the pits while Peter Hickman arrived eight-seconds later after clocking a 134.281mph despite having to slow for the pit entry. Michael Dunlop and Peter Hickman exited pit-lane together on the track but of course there was more than a 30-second gap separating them on the timing monitors, Dunlop appearing to give way to Hickman as they got back up to speed heading down Glencrutchery Road.
Honda Racing men retire
Ian Hutchinson retired after coming into the pits but David Johnson limped to a halt out on the circuit after his Fireblade had started coughing and spluttering earlier in the lap. A terrible blow after the promise Johnson showed yesterday as he raced to a podium finish in the Superstock TT.
At Glen Helen on lap three Hickman’s lead out to ten-seconds over Harrison as Conor Cummins extends his advantage over Michael Dunlop. The demise of David Johnson promoted Michael Rutter up into the top five, but 38-seconds behind fourth placed Dunlop.
On the run to Ballaugh Bridge Harrison clawed back half-a-second on Hickman but Hicky then made that up and more by Ramsey Hairpin to extend his lead back out to 10.494-seconds. Conor Cummins 35-seconds behind the race leader in third place but with 13-seconds over Dunlop.
Hickman pulled another two-seconds over Harrison by Bungalow to extend his lead to 12.198-seconds and by the start-finish line at The Grandstand that lead was 13.486-seconds. Conor Cummins 40.7-seconds behind the leader but with 16-seconds over Dunlop as they commenced lap four.
At Ramsey Hairpin on lap four the gap between Hickman and Harrison was 12.532-seconds after the Kawasaki man put in the faster sector time from Ballaugh Bridge to Ramsey. Conor Cummins 49-seconds behind the race leader but with a now comfortable 18-seconds over Michael Dunlop.
Hickman owns the next sector though, from Ramsey to Bungalow Hicky three-seconds quicker than Harrison to extend his lead out to 15.260-seconds. Hickman has displayed a huge advantage through that sector over Harrison all week and no doubt the Kawasaki man will study the post-race footage on how to narrow that gap at TT 2020.
Peter Hickman
Second Pit Stop
New rear tyres going in the bikes along with enough fuel to last the final two laps of the TT Mountain Course. When they came into the pits the gap on the timing monitors was 17.683-seconds but Hickman’s team helped him extend that by another 1.6-seconds in the pits.
Through the first split on lap five Hickman’s lead had been dramatically shortened by more than ten-seconds! Unsure if some sort of post pit-stop problem or he got held up somewhere on the circuit or made a mistake, but all of a sudden his lead has been more than halved…
Problems for Hickman…
At Ballaugh Bridge the gap now down to 1.1-seconds… Nothing in it… Hickman had some problems with the BMW Superbike spitting water at high rpm, and those gremlins had surfaced again and looked to possibly rob him the chance of a Senior TT win here today… Because of those problems encountered earlier this week, which had led the team to change engines, radiators, hoses, caps etc. but still yet to cure the problem, Hickman had favoured using the Superstock engine in today’s Senior TT. Scrutineers however had impounded that engine for post-race technical inspections, that choice was taken away from the Smiths Racing BMW squad. Even requests for the engine to be sealed and then inspected after the Senior were rejected by TT officials, thus Smiths BMW were forced to take the gamble on the Superbike…
Harrison into the lead..
Dean Harrison moved into the race lead at Ramsey Hairpin, the advantage to the Kawasaki man a significant 7.877-seconds and seemingly building at every split. Can Hickman keep it going to the flag or will his problems allow Conor Cummins and Michael Dunlop onto the podium…
By Cronk ny Mona Harrison’s lead was 18.157-seconds and by the start-finish line in front of The Grandstand that was 18.386-seconds. Hickman’s pits had been ready to receive him but Hickman instead blasted past them. Conor Cummins a further 33.208-seconds behind in third place but with 25-seconds over Michael Dunlop.
Last lap!
Peter Hickman was down to using only half-throttle and only 11,000 rpm as he tried to reduce the amount of coolant the BMW ejected. That had allowed Dean Harrison to extend his lead out to 31.471-seconds. Hickman was nine-seconds slower than third-placed Conor Cummins on the Grandstand to Glen Helen sector and the gap between the pair was down to 24.355-seconds.
Harrison’s lead out to 40.454-seconds at Ballaugh Bridge and the BMW six-seconds slower than third placed Conor Cummins through that last split, the gap between second and third place men now down to 17.740-seconds.
At Ramsey the gap between Hickman and Cummins was down to 12.842-seconds, at Bungalow it was then down to 8.923-seconds. Harrison’s lead was more than 50-seconds.
2019 Senior TT Results 1. Dean Harrison 2. Peter Hickman +53.062 3. Conor Cummins +58.879
Dean Harrison the clear winner ahead of a frustrated but ultimately still great scoring Peter Hickman after he managed to nurse that Smiths BMW home over the final two laps in order to get that second place ahead of Conor Cummins by a slender 5.817-seconds.
Dean Harrison – Senior TT Winner – 2019
Michael Dunlop had a comfortable fourth place and it was Hillier who got the verdict over Todd for fifth, the latter setting a personal best lap of 131.49mph on the sixth lap in just his second year at the TT.
Michael Rutter, Jamie Coward – who recorded his first 130mph lap – Brian McCormack and Dominic Herbertson completed the top ten.
The race results enabled Hickman to regain the Joey Dunlop TT Championship he last won in 2017 with 111 points, 13 ahead of Harrison (98) with Hillier in third (69). Hickman will receive a Bremont watch from the TT’s Official Timing Partner.
After twice previously finishing second, Coward won the TT Privateer’s Championship with the maximum 125 points after being the top privateer in all five of the races. McCormack (61) finished second with Paul Jordan (58) in third.
Kawasaki won the Manufacturer’s Award with Smiths Racing taking the Team Prize for the third year in a row.
2019 Senior TT Results
Dean Harrison
Peter Hickman +53.062
Conor Cummins +58.879
Michael Dunlop +1m26.709
James Hillier +2m30.352
Davey Todd +2m32.920
Michael Rutter +3m03.571
Jamie Coward +3m13.561
Brian McCormack +3m49.971
Dominic Herbertson +4m09.262
Gary Johnson +4m41.665
Shaun Anderson +5m58.740
Derek Sheils +6m07.744
Mike Booth +6m55.370
Michael Sweeney +7m14.207
Horst Saiger +7m15.358
Mark Parrett +7m55.596
Joe Akroyd +8m00.702
David Jackson +8m03.310
Frank Gallagher +8m05.124
Dean Harrison – Senior TT Winner – 2019The front of the Silicone Engineering Kawasaki after almost two hours of racing at the Senior TT
Peter Hickman joined a select group of riders to win two races in a day at the Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, when he dominated the RL360 Superstock race to win by 26.045s from Dean Harrison (Silicone Engineering Kawasaki).
South Australia’s David Johnson also joined a select band of riders in securing his first ever TT podium with a hard fought third place in today’s Superstock TT.
Hickman rider followed up his Monster Energy Supersport success from earlier in the day to take his fifth TT victory – and his third of the week – with David Johnson (Honda Racing) achieving his maiden TT podium in third as he got the better of Michael Dunlop on the final lap by just 0.208s.
Peter Hickman
A superb first sector saw Hickman lead through Glen Helen on the opening lap, – 1.68s ahead of Harrison with James Hillier a similar distance back in third. Dunlop slotted into fourth ahead of Michael Rutter and Davey Todd who was having a storming ride in sixth.
Hickman increased his lead by a further seven-tenths of a second at Ballaugh, while Dunlop moved ahead of Hillier for third. At Ramsey Hairpin the Burton upon Trent rider’s advantage had grown to 3.978s. Harrison was now almost five seconds clear of Dunlop with Hillier, Conor Cummins and Johnson occupying fourth to sixth positions.
Dean Harrison
A brilliant run over the Mountain and an opening lap of 132.02mph gave Hickman a 9.026s lead over Harrison as the riders all made their mandatory pit stop. Dunlop was just over four seconds behind Harrison but 6.7s ahead of Hillier although the Kawasaki rider picked up a 30s pit lane speeding penalty which dropped him down the order. Johnson was now in fifth having overhauled Cummins.
Hickman’s lead at Glen Helen had come down to 5.8s as Harrison made his bid to close the gap and it looked like it was now a two-horse race with Dunlop over eleven seconds in arrears in third. Johnson had moved up to fourth, courtesy of a superb pit stop, from Cummins and Rutter as Hillier went through in ninth.
David Johnson
As the lap unfolded, Hickman began to reassert his authority back on the race once more and the lead was up to nine-seconds at Ramsey with Dunlop having lost a further three-seconds on the west part of the circuit. Indeed, he was now coming under pressure from a charging Johnson on the Honda Racing machine.
Hickman’s second lap speed of 128.13mph gave him a healthy lead of 16.576s over Harrison as he headed into his third and final lap of the 37.73-mile course. Dunlop was now only 3.2s ahead of Johnson as Cummins and Rutter slotted into fifth and sixth. Hillier had fought his way back up to seventh.
Dean Harrison
At Glen Helen third time around, Hickman had extended his advantage over Harrison to 18.078s but Johnson had now moved up to third at the expense of Dunlop, although the gap between the pairing was only 0.784s.. Cummins and Rutter remained in fifth and sixth respectively but the battle for third was getting closer with Dunlop having closed to within 0.114s at Ballaugh.
Throughout the final lap, Hickman continually pressed home his advantage and with a final lap speed of 131.38mph, he took the chequered flag by 26.045s to move on to a career total of five TT wins.
Peter Hickman
Harrison took his second runner-up spot of the day, and third of the week, with Johnson getting the better of Dunlop for third by 0.208s as he overhauled the Ulsterman in the final sector.
Johnson’s hand-picked pit crew earned their stripes, they had got him out three-seconds quicker than Dunlop, in some part due to a perfect fuel strategy that allowed them less time in pit-lane, and Davo’s Fireblade spluttered after he crossed the line, so it was spot on to the final drop and that team work helped make the difference in helping Davo to get the Fireblade onto the podium for Honda Racing.
David Johnson
Cummins and Rutter took fifth and sixth with Hillier, Todd, Jamie Coward and Gary Johnson completing the top ten.
Dean Osborne was reported to be unhurt after coming off at Appledene.
Peter Hickman claimed his fourth TT Race victory at the Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy when he won Thursday’s two-lap Monster Energy Supersport TT Race, his first win in the 600cc category.
The Trooper Beer by Smiths Racing Triumph rider was locked in battle throughout the two laps with Dean Harrison (Silicone Engineering Kawasaki) but with his now customary charge over the Mountain on lap two, the Burton upon Trent rider edged to a win by 3.3s. James Hillier took third on the Quattro Plant Wicked Coatings Kawasaki.
Having originally been scheduled for 10.45am on Wednesday, the race, cut from four laps to two, eventually got underway at 12.55pm on Thursday and with dry conditions all round the Mountain Course, except for some sight damp patches at Laurel Bank, the Black Dub, Glen Helen, Kerromoar and Ramsey Hairpin, it was Hickman who led at Glen Helen on the opening lap.
Dean Harrison
However, his lead over Hillier was just 0.06s and it was close across the leaderboard with Harrison, Gary Johnson, Lee Johnston and Jamie Coward filling third to sixth place positions as just two and a half seconds covered the top six. Ian Hutchinson was in trouble though with the Honda Racing rider retiring at Quarter Bridge.
It was all change at Ballaugh as Harrison took over the lead from Hillier and Hickman with the trio separated by only half a second but by Ramsey Hickman moved back to the top of the leaderboard. The gap was only 0.038s as Hillier dropped back to third, one and a half seconds adrift of Harrison.
The trio remained close as they went up and over the Mountain for the first time but an opening lap of 127.21mph gave Hickman a 2.3s lead over Harrison with Hillier just under a second further back in third. Conor Cummins and Coward had moved up to fourth and fifth as Johnston slipped back to sixth.
With no pit stop on this occasion, the riders went on to their second and final lap but Harrison’s strength on the opening sector could again be seen as he turned his deficit into a half second advantage as the riders swept round the left hander at Glen Helen. It looked to be a two-horse race as well as Hillier was now three seconds in arrears of Hickman.
By Ballaugh, Hickman had edged ahead again but it remained extremely tight with Harrison only three tenths of a second behind. Hillier dropped another second but stayed in third over six seconds clear of Cummins as Coward and Johnson completed the top six.
James Hillier
As they arrived at Ramsey for the final time, the gap, amazingly, was almost exactly the same and, just like last year’s Senior race, it was all going to come down to the final run over the Mountain.
Through the Bungalow, Hickman had added another six tenths of a second to his lead and he’d increased it to 1.9s at Cronk ny Mona. Indeed, with the fastest lap of the race, 128.14mph, Hickman clinched victory by 3.302s for his first Supersport TT win.
Peter Hickman
Harrison had to settle for second with Hillier taking another 600cc podium in third as Cummins finished in a safe fourth. Coward took his best ever TT result in fifth ahead of Dunlop with Davey Todd also having his best ever TT finish in seventh. Gary Johnson, Lee Johnston and David Johnson rounded out the top ten.
Hickman’s victory saw him extend his lead at the top of the Joey Dunlop TT Championship to 13 points and he now leads the way on 66 from Harrison (53) and Hillier (49).
Coward took his third successive maximum haul of points in the race for the TT Privateers Championship and he’s moved onto 75 points ahead of Derek Sheils (47) and Paul Jordan (45) who took 12th and 11th respectively in today’s race.
Matt Stevenson was reported to be off at Greeba Castle and was treated at the scene for a wrist injury.
Ben and Tom Birchall matched the ten wins of TT legend Rob Fisher when they took their second victory of the week in the Locate.im Sidecar TT Race at the 2019 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy.
In a weather affected fortnight the race was moved forward from Friday’s scheduled start and reduced to 2 laps to complete a packed programme of races.
The Nottinghamshire brothers overcame the early challenge of John Holden/Lee Cain to win by more than twenty seconds with Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley sealing the final podium position in third.
The Birchalls led Holden/Cain by a second at Glen Helen on the first of the two laps with Alan Founds/Jake Lowther, Founds/Walmsley and Lewis Blackstock/Patrick Rosney slotting into third to fifth. Dave Molyneux/Harry Payne and Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes both got further than what they had done in the opening race but were back in sixth and seventh respectively.
Holden/Cain
Founds/Lowther only made it up the hill and were reported to have stopped at Sarah’s Cottage where they were making adjustments while Monday’s sensational newcomers Ryan and Callum Crowe failed to make the start with machine issues but at the head of the field, it was extremely tight as Holden/Cain reduced the deficit by a tenth of a second as they took the jump at Ballaugh Bridge.
Through Ramsey Hairpin first time around, the Birchalls injected a sense of urgency and their lead had increased to 2.757s but with Alan Founds reported as stopped, brother Pete moved up to third albeit over 14 seconds adrift of Holden/Cain. Blackstock/Rosney were now fourth with Molyneux/Payne in fifth and Reeves/Wilkes up to sixth.
An opening lap of 118.38mph saw the Birchalls extend their lead over Holden/Cain to 10.602s while Founds/Lowther remained in third albeit now thirty seconds behind the leaders. Blackstock/Rosney, Molyneux/Payne and Reeves/Wilkes continued to occupy fourth to sixth.
The lead had stretched to 13 seconds at Glen Helen second time around and Holden/Cain were also extending their advantage over Founds/Walmsley, the gap now up to 24.636s. Blackstock/Rosney continued to hold on to fourth but they pulled into the car park by the commentary point to make adjustments before rejoining the race.
Founds/Walmsley
Former race winners Molyneux and Reeves were now split by only 0.2s as they circulated in fifth and sixth but by Ramsey for the second and final time, the Birchalls were almost 17s clear of Holden/Cain and with a lap speed of 118.609mph, they took their second win of the week, and tenth in total, by a commanding 20.511s.
Holden/Cain had to settle for second once more, the Blackburn driver’s 12th podium in a row, with Founds/Walmsley finishing in third and taking their first podium since 2016. Reeves/Wilkes came through to take fourth ahead of Gary Bryan/Phil Hyde with Estelle Leblond/Franck Claeys finishing in a fine sixth place after another 110mph+ lap for the French female driver.
The top ten was completed Blackstock/Rosney, Allan Schofield/Steve Thomas, John Lowther/Scott Hardie and a slowing Molyneux/Payne.
Passenger Julie Grosset-Bourbange was reported to have come out of the sidecar at Rhencullen and sustained an arm injury.
Michael Dunlop took a thrilling Bennetts Lightweight TT Race victory at the 2019 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, on Thursday evening when he beat Jamie Coward by just 1.299s at the end of the shortened two-lap race.
Dunlop (SC Corse Paton) and Coward (KTS Racing Kawasaki) swapped the race lead on a number of occasions and were never more than a few seconds apart but the Ulsterman just held off Coward for his 19th TT victory. Lee Johnston finished in third place on the KMR Kawasaki.
Dunlop led Coward at Glen Helen on the first lap by 2.68s with Gary Johnson only 0.676s adrift in third. Bonetti slotted into fourth ahead of Michael Rutter and Johnston with Peter Hickman the best of the Nortons in eighth.
Lee Johnston
Coward pulled two tenths of a second back on the run to Ballaugh but by Ramsey Dunlop had extended his lead to four seconds and although Johnson was still in third, he was now 5.8s behind Coward. He had his hands full with KMR Kawasaki team-mate Johnston who had closed to within 0.158s but John McGuinness was a retirement at Ballaugh.
Over the Mountain, Coward took 3.7s out of Dunlop’s lead to trail by just three tenths of a second at the Bungalow and he took the lead for the first time at Cronk ny Mona. His opening lap of 120.65mph gave him a slender 0.748s advantage over Dunlop but Johnston had made great progress to move up to third ahead of Stefano Bonetti, Johnson and Paul Jordan.
Davey Todd retired his Norton at the pits but at the head of the field, Dunlop cut Coward’s lead by three tenths of a second at Glen Helen second time around with just under half a second separating the duo. Johnston was only two seconds ahead of Bonetti as Jordan moved ahead of Johnson into fifth.
At Ballaugh, the gap had come down further still to 0.163s but at Ramsey Dunlop was back in front by 1.4s with just the final run over the Mountain to come. Coward wasn’t giving up without a fight though and he had the better run to the Bungalow as he brought the deficit down to 1.158s.
Jamie Coward
The Yorkshire rider took another four tenths out of Dunlop as they passed through Cronk ny Mona and as Dunlop flashed across the line at 122.746mph, three-hundredths of a second outside his own lap record, he had an agonising wait to see if he’d won.
Coward lapped at 122.52mph but fell 1.299s short although second place saw him claim his first ever TT podium.
Lee Johnston took third for former winner Ryan Farquhar with Paul Jordan taking an excellent fourth place finish in his third TT ahead of Michael Rutter and Stefano Bonetti.
Gary Johnson faded to seventh as Peter Hickman gave Norton something to cheer about in eighth with Dominic Herbertson and Horst Saiger completing the top ten.
Michael Rutter was in record breaking form in today’s SES TT Zero race for electric bikes at the 2019 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy.
Rutter clinched the race win with a new record lap from Bathams Mugen teammate John McGuinness. Another veteran competitor, Team Mirai’s Ian Lougher, took the final podium place.
Celebrating its 10th year this year, the TT Zero Race lap record has gone from an average speed of 96.82mph set by Mark Miller in the inaugural TT Zero Race, to Rutter’s new time of 121.909mph, just under a second inside his old record set last year.
The race has been dominated in recent years by the Mugen team, with John McGuinness, Michael Rutter and Bruce Anstey all winning races for the Japanese-based factory team and today’s win for Rutter’s – his fifth in the class -also extended his record of winning every TT Zero Race that he has participated in. He was also the first rider to break the prestigious 100mph mark for an electric bike in 2012.
Rutter was never headed in the race and his lead was over 4 seconds at the opening timing point at Glen Helen from Bathams Mugen teammate John McGuinness. Davey Todd, who replaced his Penz13.com teammate Daley Matheson – who was so tragically killed in the Superbike race earlier in the week – on the Nottingham University bike, was in third but was already almost eleven seconds off the leaders pace. Wales’s Ian Lougher and South African Allann Venter (Brunel University) completed the top five.
McGuinness closed the gap to just over three seconds at Ballaugh and set the fastest time through the Sulby speed trap – a remarkable 176.14 to Rutter’s 173.86 with Todd also flying through Sulby straight with 160.16 – all three times testament to the progress that these electric bikes have made.
Ian Lougher
However, Rutter again improved his lead back up to almost five seconds by the third check point at Ramsey Hairpin. By the Bungalow the main question on everyone’s lips was whether Rutter could break his own lap record and he answered the question at the Grandstand with a new lap record.
McGuinness comfortably held on to second place at the chequered flag but with Davey Todd stopping after Ramsey, Ian Lougher moved into the final podium place and duly came home in third with an average lap speed of 102.690mph.
With Todd retiring, it was left to Allann Venter to give Brunel University the honour of being the leading University.
The Duffy Motorsport pair – Mike Norbury and Shaun Anderson were next home with 83.289 and 72.026 respectively.
Matthew Rees, representing the University of Bath, was the final finisher, almost 13-minutes behind the winning Mugen of Rutter.
