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Good day for the Aussies on Saturday at Oulton Park

2020 British Superbike Championship Round Four
Oulton Park Saturday wrap

Images Dave Yeomans


Jason O’Halloran scored pole position then went on to win the opening Superbike race of the Oulton Park weekend – Image Dave Yeomans

O’Halloran had been on the pace throughout free practice, claiming pole position for the race on the McAMS Yamaha, but it was a hard-fought victory for the Australian as he faced some serious competition in his quest to return to the top step for the first time since 2016.

Oulton Park BSB

At the start of the race, Glenn Irwin had hit the front of the pack ahead of brother Andrew and O’Halloran, as disaster struck Silverstone race-winner Kyle Ryde as he crashed out unhurt on the opening lap.

Oulton Park BSB

O’Halloran had taken the lead on the second lap, but in a frantic battle for the win, just four laps later Christian Iddon had taken the advantage at the front, after carving his way up the order.

O’Halloran, Iddon

As the VisionTrack Ducati rider led the freight train of riders, Andrew Irwin was also eager to fight his way though and he had moved into second place.

By the tenth lap O’Halloran had dropped back to fourth, as Iddon started coming under fire from the Honda Racing pairing with Andrew and Glenn holding second and third place.

Iddon and Irwin

O’Halloran wasn’t defeated though and he moved ahead of the championship leader and then into second place with three laps remaining as he began his fightback to the front.

Jason O’Halloran had to fight his way back through for the win – Image Dave Yeomans

Iddon was defending hard but it wasn’t enough on the final lap as O’Halloran was able to grab the advantage and hold off the Snetterton race winner, to claim victory by 0.358s for McAMS Yamaha.

The race also proved to be a highlight for the Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki team as Danny Buchan claimed his first podium finish of the season; moving into third place with two laps to go as he pushed the Honda Racing pairing for the final spot in the top three.

The third place for Buchan means that five different manufacturers have now finished on the podium this season as he became the ninth different rider to celebrate a podium result.

Andrew Irwin held off brother Glenn for fourth place at the chequered flag, as his lead in the championship standings was reduced by five points as O’Halloran leapt up to second in the standings ahead of tomorrow’s two races.

Lee Jackson was sixth after getting ahead of Bradley Ray and Josh Brookes in the closing stages of Round 10 with Tarran Mackenzie and Gino Rea completing the top ten.

Jason O’Halloran – P1

“I got a pretty good start and I got into the lead in the early to the middle part of the race, and thought ‘I might try and have a bit of a break’. I saw +0.4 on the board early on and then I didn’t get the opportunity to go again, and in the early part of the races Andrew and Glenn (Irwin) were quite strong, but we were strong in different places of the track. I am sure when they were behind me they struggled and when I was behind them they struggled! I had to bide my time and figure out a couple of places where I was stronger and where I could make some passes. I need to get past Christian (Iddon) with a couple to go as I didn’t want to leave it right until the last minute, so when I got in front, I put my head down, set the fastest lap of the race on the last lap and managed to get the win. It has been a long time between wins. We have had four race in the row now where I have been on the podium. We were so close at Silverstone and even back at Donington we had the speed to win, we just didn’t manage to get there. A huge thanks to McAMS and the whole McAMS Yamaha team they have given me a great bike this weekend, they have given me a great bike all year and we have been fast from the very beginning. It is thanks to them and I am looking forward to two races tomorrow.”

Oulton Park BSB Race One Podium
Christian Iddon – P2

“I made a great start from seventh on the grid and just picked them off one by one in the first few laps; the bike felt really strong, particularly on the brakes and I felt really comfortable. At the same time, I didn’t really want to take the lead when I did so I tried to set a manageable pace and hit all my markers particularly when I realised I wasn’t able to make the break. Jason had shadowed me for a long time and when he came by, I was more than a match for him on the brakes, but his mid-corner speed was a lot better than mine. We both set our fastest laps of the race at the end which shows how hard we were trying but second is a good start to the weekend.”

Oulton Park BSB Race One Podium
Andrew Irwin – P4

“It was nice to battle again and be back to where I feel like we should be, we started the weekend steady I would say and we took steps throughout practice and qualifying. I think as the weekend progresses and with another two races hopefully we can keep taking some small steps. Fourth is a really good result for me at the minute, it was above my expectations so I’m happy with that, we’ll try to improve tomorrow and do a good job in the two races. ”

Glenn Irwin – P5

“That result was probably our lot, at the halfway stage I had saved my rear tyre quite a lot and felt strong for a podium, I was behind Andrew and he was riding so well and proving difficult to pass, I made a move at passing but lost my rhythm. We have some things to improve on for tomorrow, it’s probably been our most frustrating race so far, but to come away with a fifth in a race where I wasn’t so content probably isn’t so bad. I’m aware there’s a group of guys who weren’t so far behind, so with two more races we need to do our homework tonight and come back stronger.”

Josh Brookes – P8

“I’m smiling through gritted teeth but deep down I’m very disappointed. There’s Josh Brookesnothing I can say to make the result any better but eighth is not where I nor the team need to be. We need to improve in Sunday’s two races, that’s for sure and Christian has proved the bike is capable of challenging for a win so it’s down to me. I’m not going to say any more other than tomorrow’s another day and we’ll come out fighting.”

Race One Results

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Jason O’HALLORAN Yamaha 25m34.442
2 Christian IDDON Ducati +0.358
3 Danny BUCHAN Kawasak +0.804
4 Andrew IRWIN Honda +3.959
5 Glenn IRWIN Honda +4.069
6 Lee JACKSON Kawasaki +4.119
7 Bradley RAY BMW +4.359
8 Josh BROOKES Ducati +4.476
9 Tarran MACKENZIE Yamaha +5.884
10 Gino REA Suzuki +14.324
11 Luke MOSSEY BMW +14.773
12 Peter HICKMAN BMW +15.806
13 Ryan VICKERS Kawasaki +22.051
14 Tommy BRIDEWELL Ducati +22.672
15 Keith FARMER Suzuki +25.931
16 Taylor MACKENZIE BMW +32.379
17 Storm STACEY Kawasaki +41.226
18 Héctor BARBERÁ BMW +42.599
19 Josh OWENS Kawasaki +50.846
20 Graeme IRWIN Kawasaki +1m01.915
21 Bjorn ESTMENT BMW +1m15.762
22 Brian McCORMACK BMW m35.374
Not Classified
DNF Joe FRANCIS BMW 3 Laps
DNF Jack KENNEDY Kawasaki 7 Laps
DNF Kyle RYDE Suzuki /
DNF Tom WARD Kawasaki /

British Superbike Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Glenn IRWIN (Honda) 168
2 Jason O’HALLORAN (Yamaha) 138
3 Josh BROOKES (Ducati) 130
4 Christian IDDON (Ducati) 126
5 Tommy BRIDEWELL (Ducati) 124
6 Kyle RYDE (Suzuki) 114
7 Tarran MACKENZIE (Yamaha) 108
8 Andrew IRWIN (Honda) 96
9 Lee JACKSON (Kawasaki) 88
10 Danny BUCHAN (Kawasaki) 63
11 Bradley RAY (BMW) 57
12 Luke MOSSEY (BMW) 44
13 Ryan VICKERS (Kawasaki) 31
14 Peter HICKMAN (BMW) 29
15 Héctor BARBERÁ (BMW) 28
16 Gino REA (Suzuki) 28
17 Alex OLSEN (BMW) 8
18 Joe FRANCIS (BMW) 8
19 Jack KENNEDY (Yamaha) 7
20 Dan LINFOOT (Yamaha) 2
21 Taylor MACKENZIE (BMW) 1
22 Storm STACEY (Kawasaki) 1
23 Keith FARMER (Suzuki) 1

British Supersport Championship & British GP2 Cup

Brad Jones took his first win of the season in the Quattro British Supersport class, ending team mate Rory Skinner’s dominance. Skinner grabbed the holeshot ahead of his teammate Brad Jones, Lee Johnston and Jamie Perrin. Unable to break away like he has in previous races, Skinner was under constant pressure from Jones, with the leading four covered by less than 0.4s.

Setting the fastest lap of the race, Jones was able to move past on lap five as Perrin moved up to third. Skinner moved straight back into the lead on lap six though, as Harry Truelove closed up in fifth to make it a five rider battle for the win. As the pack came round to complete the end of lap nine, Jones moved back into the lead as Johnston and Trulove found a way past Perrin.

Skinner moved back into the lead as they began the penultimate lap, but he was unable to escape Jones, who moved into the lead as they started the final lap. Fending off a last lap challenge from Skinner, Jones was able to hold on to take his first win of the season with Skinner taking second and Truelove third. Johnston was fourth with Perrin fifth and James Westmoreland sixth. Mason Law was the leading GP2 machine in seventh.

Ben Currie unfortunately recorded a DNF, going down a lap before the end of the 12-lap race.

Race Results

Pos CL RIder ENTRY Time/Gap
1 Brad JONES Yamaha 19m51.618
2 Rory SKINNER Yamaha  +0.055
3 Harry TRUELOVE Yamaha +1.720
4 Lee JOHNSTON Yamaha +1.775
5 Jamie PERRIN Yamaha +2.992
6 James WESTMORELAND Kawasaki +7.912
7 GP2 Mason LAW Spirit +8.170
8 Bradley PERIE Yamaha +8.287
9 GP2 Jack SCOTT Harris  +8.469
10 GP2 Tom OLIVER Chassis +9.100
11 GP2 Alastair SEELEY ABM Quattro +11.048
12 GP2 Charlie NESBITT ABM Quattro +16.264
13 Richard KERR Triumph +18.014
14 Ross PATTERSON Yamaha +18.224
15 GP2 Jake ARCHER Kalex +27.622
16 James ROSE Kawasaki +27.770
17 Rob HARTOG MV Agusta +28.094
18 Kurt WIGLEY Yamaha +28.175
19 GP2 Cameron HORSMAN Chassis Factory +28.941
20 Michael DUNLOP Yamaha +36.143
21 GP2 Jorel BOERBOOM Honda +36.909
22 GP2 Dan JONES FTR +40.812
23 GP2 Cameron FRASER Chassis Factory  +40.901
24 Phil WAKEFIELD Yamaha +41.274
25 Mike NORBURY Kawasaki +51.657
26 Joseph LOUGHLIN Yamaha +56.074
27 Ricky TARREN Yamaha +1m05.297
28 Alan NAYLOR Yamaha +1m36.250
29 Grant McINTOSH Yamaha 1 Lap
30 GP2 Joey THOMPSON Spirit 1 Lap
Not Classified
DNF Ben CURRIE Kawasaki 1 Lap

Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Rory SKINNER (Yamaha) 170
2 Brad JONES (Yamaha) 102
3 James WESTMORELAND (Kawasaki) 94
4 Bradley PERIE (Yamaha) 82
5 Lee JOHNSTON (Yamaha) 72
6 Harry TRUELOVE (Yamaha) 70
7 Richard KERR (Triumph) 54
8 Jamie PERRIN (Yamaha) 43
9 Ben CURRIE (Kawasaki) 40
10 Rob HARTOG (MV Agusta) 38
11 Ross PATTERSON (Yamaha) 36
12 Korie McGREEVY (Yamaha) 32
13 Kurt WIGLEY (Yamaha) 27
14 Phil WAKEFIELD (Yamaha) 25
15 James ROSE (Kawasaki) 21
16 Scott SWANN (Yamaha) 12
17 Tom TOPARIS (Yamaha) 11
18 Ricky TARREN (Yamaha) 8
19 Keenan ARMSTRONG (Kawasaki) 6
20 Ben WOTTON (Triumph) 6
21 Grant McINTOSH (Yamaha) 5
22 Alan NAYLOR (Yamaha) 5
23 Michael DUNLOP (Yamaha) 3
24 Mike NORBURY (Kawasaki) 1

British Superstock 1000

Lewis Rollo claimed his opening victory of the season in the Superstock 1000 Championship at Oulton Park. It was Chrissy Rouse who grabbed the holeshot to lead the way over the opening few laps, before machine troubles saw him begin to slip back through the field. Taking over front running, Rollo was able to control the race from the front to take victory.

Lewis Rollo, Chrissy Rouse and Brayden Elliott on the Superstock 1000 Podium – Image Dave Yeomans

Behind him, Fraser Rogers was able to find his way past Rouse to claim second place, but Rouse was soon back on the pace, moving up to second again on lap 13. Brayden Elliott was hot on their tales, moving up into third place on lap 13. Coming down to the final lap, Rogers slipped through on the final corner but Elliott was able to get back past on the run to the line.

South Australian Billy McConnell finished seventh while Kiwi Shane Richardson and Damon Rees carded 13th and 17th place results respectively.

Race Results

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Lewis ROLLO Aprilia 22m55.464
2 Chrissy ROUSE BMW 4.838
3 Brayden ELLIOTT Suzuki 5.627
4 Fraser ROGERS Kawasaki 6.115
5 Tim NEAVE Suzuki 6.518
6 Luke HEDGER Kawasaki 7.430
7 Billy McCONNELL BMW 10.507
8 Danny KENT Kawasaki 11.072
9 Dan LINFOOT BMW 11.516
10 Tom NEAVE Honda 12.877
11 Jordan WEAVING Suzuki 15.889
12 David ALLINGHAM Suzuki 24.484
13 Shane RICHARDSON BMW 24.568
14 Ian HUTCHINSON BMW 28.843
15 Luke JONES Aprilia 29.044
16 Davey TODD Honda 33.907
17 Damon REES BMW 34.129
18 Luke HOPKINS Kawasaki 34.256
19 Michael DUNLOP Suzuki 35.175
20 Lee WILLIAMS Kawasaki 38.632
21 Daniel COOPER BMW 38.718
22 Barry TEASDALE Kawasaki 39.367
23 Craig NEVE BMW 39.496
24 Sam WEST BMW 58.246
25 Dani SAEZ GUTERREZ Kawasaki 58.437
26 Tom TUNSTALL Suzuki 58.748
27 Josh WOOD Kawasaki 1:11.424
28 Dave MACKAY Suzuki 1:42.020
29 Nico CIPRIANO Kawasaki 1:47.645
30 Harry JACKSON Suzuki 1 Lap
Not Classified
DNF Shaun WINFIELD Yamaha 1 Lap
DNF Joe SHELDON-SHAW Suzuki 1 Lap
DNF Matt TRUELOVE BMW 2 Laps
DNF Stephen SMITH BMW 7 Laps
DNF Dean HARRISON Kawasaki 12 Laps

Championship Points

Pos Rider Points
1 Chrissy ROUSE (BMW) 116
2 Tom NEAVE (Honda) 108
3 Tim NEAVE (Suzuki) 69
4 Lewis ROLLO (Aprilia) 69
5 Damon REES (BMW) 66
6 Billy McCONNELL (BMW) 65
7 Danny KENT (Kawasaki) 55
8 Fraser ROGERS (Kawasaki) 48
9 Davey TODD (Honda) 33
10 Luke HEDGER (Kawasaki) 27
11 Ian HUTCHINSON (BMW) 24
12 Jordan WEAVING (Suzuki) 24
13 Matt TRUELOVE (BMW) 23
14 Joe COLLIER (Suzuki) 23
15 Brayden ELLIOTT (Suzuki) 21
16 Dan LINFOOT (BMW) 20
17 Shane RICHARDSON (BMW) 14
18 Richard COOPER (BMW) 9
19 Leon JEACOCK (Suzuki) 8
20 Shaun WINFIELD (Yamaha) 6
21 David ALLINGHAM (Suzuki) 6
22 Joe SHELDON-SHAW (Suzuki) 3
23 Luke HOPKINS (Kawasaki) 2
24 Luke JONES (Aprilia) 1

British Junior Supersport Championship

Brody Crockford claimed his maiden win of the season in an action-packed opening Hel Performance British Junior Supersport race at Oulton Park. The scheduled ten lap race saw a constant change of places at the front, as Adon Davie, Owen Jenner and Crockford all took turns leading the way.

Set to come down to a final lap challenge, a crash at the final corner saw four of the leading six riders tumble out of contention. Crockford eventually took the win ahead of Seth Crump and Andy Smyth, who claimed his maiden British Junior Supersport podium.

Junior Supersport Race One podium – Crockford, Crump and Smyth

Race Results

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Brody CROCKFORD Yamaha 17m02.081
2 Seth CRUMP Kawasaki +0.519
3 Andrew SMYTH Kawasaki +12.281
4 James McMANUS Kawasaki +14.453
5 Zak SHELTON Kawasaki +14.780
6 Oscar PINSON Kawasaki +14.961
7 Kam DIXON Kawasaki +15.192
8 Jake HOPPER Kawasaki +15.344
9 Joseph THOMAS Kawasaki +15.492
10 Lewis JONES Kawasaki +15.773
11 Kier ARMSTRONG KTM +21.007
12 Lucca ALLEN Kawasaki +21.797
13 Lewis JONES KTM +21.884
14 Cameron HALL Kawasaki +22.178
15 Lynden LEATHERLAND Kawasaki +23.093
16 Declan CONNELL Kawasaki +23.720
17 Chloe JONES Yamaha +23.949
18 Christopher JOHNSON Kawasaki +36.576
19 Finn SMART Kawasaki +36.852
20 Kai DICKINSON Kawasaki +36.983
21 Bradley WILSON Kawasaki +41.002
22 Connor SELLORS Kawasaki +57.508
23 Reece COYNE Yamaha +57.691
24 Mcauley LONGMORE Kawasaki +57.797
25 Samuel LAIDLOW Kawasaki +58.073
26 Ben TAYLOR Kawasaki +1m07.362
27 Luke GILBY Kawasaki +1 Lap
Not Classified
DNF Adon DAVIE Kawasaki 0.000
DNF Owen JENNER Kawasaki 0.081
DNF Osian JONES Kawasaki 0.239
DNF Ash BARNES Kawasaki 0.336
DNF Alessandro VALENTE KTM 6 Laps
DNF Cameron DAWSON Kawasaki 7 Laps
DNF Rossi BANHAM Yamaha 8 Laps
DNF Kevin COYNE Kawasaki 8 Laps
DNF James ROSE Kawasaki 8 Laps

Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Owen JENNER (Kawasaki) 131
2 Seth CRUMP (Kawasaki) 100
3 Brody CROCKFORD (Yamaha) 85
4 Zak SHELTON (Kawasaki) 66
5 Cameron DAWSON (Kawasaki) 60
6 Osian JONES (Kawasaki) 59
7 Adon DAVIE (Kawasaki) 49
8 Oscar PINSON (Kawasaki) 48
9 James McMANUS (Kawasaki) 43
10 Ash BARNES (Kawasaki) 41
11 Joseph THOMAS (Kawasaki) 36
12 Kier ARMSTRONG (KTM) 33
13 Lewis JONES #25 (KTM) 33
14 Kam  DIXON (Kawasaki) 31
15 Cameron HALL (Kawasaki) 27
16 Lynden LEATHERLAND (Kawasaki) 26
17 Jake HOPPER (Kawasaki) 20
18 Andrew SMYTH (Kawasaki) 16
19 Chloe JONES (Yamaha) 13
20 Christopher JOHNSON (Kawasaki) 11
21 Lewis JONES #3 (Kawasaki) 11
22 Finn SMART (Kawasaki) 8
23 Kai DICKINSON (Kawasaki) 7
24 Harris BEECH (Yamaha) 7
25 Lucca ALLEN (Kawasaki) 5
26 Mcauley LONGMORE (Kawasaki) 4
27 Alessandro VALENTE (KTM) 4

Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup

Levi Day built on his success at Silverstone by taking the opening race victory at Oulton Park. Josh Day grabbed the holeshot, before Levi Day was soon able to find his way through on lap two. Maintaining his lead at the front, Elliot Pinson had moved up to second but an incident between him and Josh Day saw Pinson crash out, leaving it a two way battle for the win.

Levi came under increasing pressure in the closing stages from reigning champion Josh Day, however Levi was able to respond to claim victory ahead of Josh Day. David Shoubridge eventually secured third place, ahead of John McGuinness who took his best finish of the season so far. Sam Cox was fifth, ahead of Carl Stevens, Neve, Tustin, Jones and Devonport.

South Australian Levi Day won the Ducati TriOptions Cup opening race of the weekend

Race Results

Pos Rider Time/Gap
1 Levi DAY 16m59.281
2 Josh DAY +0.760
3 David SHOUBRIDGE +10.360
4 John McGUINNESS +19.333
5 Samuel COX +20.782
6 Carl STEVENS +21.209
7 Craig NEVE +22.996
8 Michael TUSTIN +23.454
9 Matthew JONES +46.342
10 Lee DEVONPORT +46.570
11 Ben FALLA +50.635
12 Ewan POTTER +55.158
13 Dijon COMPTON +57.850
14 Richard SPENCER-FLEET +58.018
15 Matt STEVENS +1m05.641
16 Hiro ARAZEKI +1m17.499
17 Craig KENNELLY +1m20.688
18 Andre COMPTON 1 Lap
19 Ian FLEETWOOD 1 Lap
20 Mark EVANS 1 Lap
21 Mike LONG 1 Lap
22 Peter HASLER 1 Lap
23 Jimmy BUCHANAN 1 Lap
24 Andy BOOTH 1 Lap
25 Andrew HOWE 1 Lap
Not Classified
DNF Matthew FLOWER 1 Lap
DNF Elliott PINSON 5 Laps
DNF Tom STEVENS 6 Laps
DNF David JONES 9 Laps

Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Glenn IRWIN (Honda) 168
2 Jason O’HALLORAN (Yamaha) 138
3 Josh BROOKES (Ducati) 130
4 Christian IDDON (Ducati) 126
5 Tommy BRIDEWELL (Ducati) 124
6 Kyle RYDE (Suzuki) 114
7 Tarran MACKENZIE (Yamaha) 108
8 Andrew IRWIN (Honda) 96
9 Lee JACKSON (Kawasaki) 88
10 Danny BUCHAN (Kawasaki) 63
11 Bradley RAY (BMW) 57
12 Luke MOSSEY (BMW) 44
13 Ryan VICKERS (Kawasaki) 31
14 Peter HICKMAN (BMW) 29
15 Héctor BARBERÁ (BMW) 28
16 Gino REA (Suzuki) 28
17 Alex OLSEN (BMW) 8
18 Joe FRANCIS (BMW) 8
19 Jack KENNEDY (Yamaha) 7
20 Dan LINFOOT (Yamaha) 2
21 Taylor MACKENZIE (BMW) 1
22 Storm STACEY (Kawasaki) 1
23 Keith FARMER (Suzuki) 1

Source: MCNews.com.au

Rea extends points lead after Catalunya race one victory

Verdoïa takes shock WorldSSP victory in red flagged race.

Image: Supplied.

Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK rider Jonathan Rea has won the opening race of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to extend his championship lead to 41 points.

Starting from pole position and full of confidence from going quickest in the morning Tissot Superpole session, Rea took the lead as the lights went out, building a gap on the rest of the field. “It was super-good to win here. I had a lot of motivation in this race. It is my team’s home race and Ana Carrasco could not be here in the WorldSSP300 class, so this win was for her – and also for my Grandfather, as it is the 27th anniversary of his death today,” explained an elated Rea. “I was using this to give me power in the race, to never rest and never give up. I am super-happy for my team and me, because, literally, our workshops are located just behind the main grandstand. It is a happy day and I just wish the fans and families could be here to celebrate with us. We also have a lot of information for tomorrow, and I am looking forward to that one because in the last lap today the front was moving quite a lot. In this temperature at this grip level we just need a little bit more for tomorrow.”

Importantly for the championship, Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) finished in second place with teammate Chaz Davies completed the podium. Both were made to work hard starting from seventh and eleventh respectively, with Redding taking advantage of an ambitious move between Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team) and teammate Michael van der Mark at turn one. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GoEleven) and Redding battled in the early stages of the race but they were unable to catch Rea, who eventually won by 2.6s. Redding now holds second in the championship, saying, “During the race, the feeling with the bike was pretty good compared to what happened in qualifying. I got off to a good start and this allowed me to stay in the front group right away. In the first laps, I fought with Rinaldi who had the soft tyre and I lost some contact with Rea. I tried to recover but it was not possible. It was still a good race, a good result also for the team. Unfortunately, Jonny arrived in front of me but I still want to congratulate him for the race he did.”

Chaz Davies battled his way through the field to finish in third, ahead of van der Mark in fourth. After qualifying in third, Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) finished in fifth place with Razgatlioglu in sixth after the incident with Van Der Mark at turn one.

After earlier battling with Redding, Rinaldi finished in seventh after being passed by Davies, van der Mark and Bautista in the final laps. He finished ahead of Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)  with Leon Haslam (Team HRC) completing the top ten. Wildcard Jonas Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing) battled his way through the field after not setting a time in qualifying, moving up from 21st to finish 12th.

In World Supersport Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) has become the first race winner from WorldSSP300 and also the youngest ever rider to win in World Supersport after taking out a red flagged race one due to a massive thunderstorm. As the rain pelted down, riders entered the pits but Verdoïa did not stop. He was the leader at the timing point the results were taken from and with more than two thirds race distance completed, full points were awarded. “It was incredible but I said keep calm, try to finish and maybe next lap there will be a Red Flag,” explained Verdoïa. “So, I continued, and I thought maybe I was in top ten but at the end it is a first place, I cannot believe it. It’s incredible.”

Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Kyle Smith (GMT94 Yamaha) completed the podium while Andrea Locatelli (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) finished in fourth after leading in dry conditions.

The track was still drying for the World Supersport 300 race but that didn’t stop Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) from claiming a dominant maiden victory by more than six seconds after starting from pole. In second was Frenchman Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) with 2017 champion Marc Garcia (2R Racing) in third.
Australian duo Tom Bramich (Carl Cox-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) and Tom Edwards (Kawasaki ParkinGo Team) both failed to advance from the Last Chance Race. With the top six making the main race, Bramich came home in a close seventh while Edwards failed to finish.

Detailed results

Image: WorldSBK

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Rea extends lead to 41-points after R1 victory at Catalunya

2020 WorldSBK – Round Six – Catalunya

WorldSBK Race One

The first ever MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was won by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) as the reigning Champion claimed victory in Race 1 for the inaugural Acerbis Catalunya Round; extending his Championship lead to 41 points.

#CatalanWorldSBK at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Race 1.

Rea started from pole position after going quickest in this morning’s Tissot Superpole session and held position off the line as the lights went out, maintaining and increasing a gap to his nearest rivals on track. Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) finished in second place after getting a superb launch off the grid after starting from seventh place; the British rider taking advantage of a close call between Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) and teammate and Michael van der Mark at Turn 1 with both able to stay on their bike.

Scott Redding

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) and Redding battled in the early stages of the race before trying to work together to close the gap to Rea but they were unable to do so with Rea extending his lead to eventually win by 2.6s. Redding came home to finish in second place while Rinaldi fell down the order in the latter stages, eventually finishing in seventh.

Chaz Davies

Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) battled his way through the field to finish in third place meaning British riders have now locked out the podium on 54 occasions in WorldSBK, with Davies finishing ahead of van der Mark in fourth. Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) lost ground compared to his starting position, finishing in fifth place with Razgatlioglu in sixth after the incident with his teammate at Turn 1. Bautista lost a position to Davies on Lap 15 of 20 when he went wide into Turn 1, allowing Davies to sweep around the outside of Bautista.

Michael van der Mark

Rinaldi finished in seventh place after losing lots of time in the final few laps, being passed by Davies, van der Mark and Bautista in three successive laps. He finished ahead of Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) as the American continued his strong performances in dry conditions in Barcelona.

Alvaro Bautista

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was in ninth place with Leon Haslam (Team HRC) completing the top ten. Eugene Laverty picked up points for his efforts with 11th place, just one tenth away from a top ten finish. Wildcard Jonas Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing) battled his way through the field after not setting a time in qualifying, moving up from 21st to finish 12th.

Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) completed the points paying positions by rounding out the top 15. Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) finished in 16th on his first appearance in 2020, ahead of last-minute call up Lorenzo Zanetti (Motocorsa Racing).

Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance), Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing HONDA Team) and Valentin Debise (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) were the rest of the finishers in the race with Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) retiring from the race in the early stages.

P1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

“I had a lot of motivation in this race. It’s my team home race. Obviously, Ana Carrasco can’t be here with us in the team, so this race win is for her and also for my grandfather. It is his anniversary today, 27 years ago he died so I was using that as a lot of power in the race to just never give up. I am super happy for me, my team. I wish the fans could be here, and their families to celebrate with us but lot of info for tomorrow. I am looking forward to that one because in the last laps, the front was moving quiet a lot. In this temperature with this grip level, we just need a bit more for tomorrow. So, looking forward to sleeping on that and coming back stronger tomorrow.”

Jonathan Rea
P2 Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)

“In qualifying I struggled a bit, I think the qualifying tyre was not so good so I started seventh on the grid which is not ideal but I got off to a mega start, then van der Mark came through and made some space for me so it made it a little bit easier. I was behind Rinaldi and I felt good. I needed to get passed him and I got by him, and I lost the rear in Turn 3. This is a corner where we suffer a lot and I tried to push and that’s what happened. He came back, passed me again. He tapped the seat so I thought he was a bit faster than me in some sectors, I tried to see something. I saw the tyre drop and I thought he needed to go and close the gap and had a good run to close the gap a little bit to Jonny, but it was just give and take all the time. So, from seventh to finish second, I am happy with that I must say. It’s a shame we couldn’t fight for the win but in this point of the Championship, we have to get the best results we can, when we can.”

P3 Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)

“Yes, a bit steady the first ten laps, I think. I was giving it everything, but I just didn’t seem to have the ability to get it hooked up in some of the longer corners in the early parts. And then it seems that everybody dropped, well the people I was riding with dropped to my sort of grip and then I was able to move forward, and I stayed maybe a bit more consistent than those who were around me. It is the first 10 laps where we are missing out. Start was good, I was in a good position, I was well placed to go forward but had a lack of traction.”

#CatalanWorldSBK at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Race 1.
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2. Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +2.625s
3. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +4.459s

WorldSBK Race One Results

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 J.  Rea Kawasaki ZX-10RR 0.000
2 S. Redding Ducati Panigale V4 R +2.625
3 C. Davies Ducati Panigale V4 R +4.459
4 M. Van Der Mark Yamaha YZF R1 +6.078
5 A. Bautista Honda CBR1000RR-R +6.989
6 T. Razgatlioglu Yamaha YZF R1 +8.770
7 M. Rinaldi Ducati Panigale V4 R +11.676
8 G. Gerloff Yamaha YZF R1 +15.639
9 A. Lowes Kawasaki ZX-10RR +18.128
10 L.  Haslam Honda CBR1000RR-R +22.344
11 E. Laverty BMW S1000 RR +22.460
12 J.  Folger Yamaha YZF R1 +22.934
13 X. Fores Kawasaki ZX-10RR +25.428
14 L.  Baz Yamaha YZF R1 26.083
15 F. Caricasulo Yamaha YZF R1 +31.880
16 S. Cavalieri Ducati Panigale V4 R +37.361
17 L.  Zanetti Ducati Panigale V4 R +40.668
18 S. Barrier Ducati Panigale V4 R +48.001
19 T. Takahashi Honda CBR1000RR-R +55.793
20 V. Debise Kawasaki ZX-10RR +1m02.531
Not Classified
RET 66 T. SYKES BMW S1000 RR

WorldSBK Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
 1  Jonathan Rea  268
 2  Scott Redding  227
 3  Toprak Razgatlioglu  157
 4  Chaz Davies  157
 5  Michael Van Der Mark  146
 6  Michael Ruben Rinaldi  140
 7  Alex Lowes  134
 8  Alvaro Bautista  94
 9  Leon Haslam  81
 10  Loris Baz  78
 11  Tom Sykes  58
 12  Garrett Gerloff  47
 13  Federico Caricasulo  37
 14  Eugene Laverty  36
 15  Xavi Fores  36
 16  Marco Melandri  23
 17  Sandro Cortese  14
 18  Leandro Mercado  12
 19  Maximilian Scheib  11
 20  Sylvain Barrier  5
 21  Jonas Folger  4
 22  Christophe Ponsson  4
 23  Roman Ramos  4
 24  Matteo Ferrari  4
 25  Takumi Takahashi  2

World Supersport

World Supersport

The weather played a massive role in the outcome of the first ever FIM Supersport World Championship race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) claimed a shock victory in a Red Flagged Race 1 for the Acerbis Catalunya Round as Championship leader Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) finished off the podium for the first time this season.

Andy Verdoïa

Verdoïa did not pit stop as the rain came down in Montmelo and was the leader at the timing point the results were taken from; with 11 laps of the 17 scheduled completed full race points awarded. Verdoïa becomes the first WorldSSP300 race winner to win in WorldSSP as well as the youngest WorldSSP winner as he claimed victory ahead of Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Kyle Smith (GMT94 Yamaha) who completed the podium; Smith replacing the injured Jules Cluzel for this round.

Smith and Mahias

Championship leader Locatelli finished in fourth place after losing time as the rain started to fall but had been leading in dry conditions. Although he had a poor start and fell into fourth place on Lap 2, a lap later into Turn 1 he passed Mahias, Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha).

Mahias, Smith and Locatelli were the last riders to come into the pits before the Red Flag was shown with all three just about to get back on track after changing tyres in the pits while Verdoïa was able to stay out without pitting, keeping his bike on track to claim victory.

Kevin Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team) secured a stunning top five finish and the lead rider out of the WorldSSP Challenge riders, finishing just ahead of Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) in sixth place and 2019 WorldSSP300 Champion Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) in seventh.

Oettl was in eighth place at the timing point the results were collected from with Miquel Pons (Dynavolt Honda) finished in ninth place; equalling his best finish in WorldSSP. Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) completed the top ten with a tenth-place finish, the Italian securing his best result of the 2020 season.

Loris Cresson (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) finished in 11th place with Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team), Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing), Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) completing the point-scoring positions. Perolari, who had been leading the race in the early stages, finished in 16th place while Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) finished in 18th after showing strong pace in the dry. Oscar Gutierrez (GMT94 Yamaha) had showed strong pace in the dry but lost out due to the timing of the red flag, finishing in 19th place on his debut.

Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) was taken to the medical centre following a crash in the early stages of the race, where he was diagnosed with a right-hand contusion. He will have further assessments following that diagnosis.

P1 Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing)

“I cannot believe it. It’s incredible. I said okay continue, keep calm, don’t crash because in second gear, I was spinning on the straight. It was incredible but I said keep calm, try to finish and maybe next lap there will be a Red Flag. So, I continued, and I thought maybe I was in top 10 so at the end it is a first place, I cannot believe it. It’s incredible.”

P2 Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)

“For sure it is great for the Championship, to secure third place and maybe pushing to come back to second. I am not really happy because one rider entered the pitlane after me and won the race. He was behind during the race, but it is better than to finish fourth or fifth. But when I saw the rain started, I ride a lot in endurance, and I know these conditions a lot. I know that when you have a bit of rain on the track, it’s possible to push for one more lap. I looked at Locatelli with the hand and I thought that it was okay to push one more lap. I got into first position and when I entered in the last corner, I saw the straight line with lot of water, I thought I made the wrong choice and finally it was the right one. I am a little bit lucky. But I hope for nice weather tomorrow for Race 2.”

P3 Kyle Smith (GMT94 Yamaha)

“It’s a really fun ending to the race to be honest. I am happy that in the dry I was riding in fourth position which is good. The rain helped me get on the podium but as well I don’t 100 percent agree with the rules, with how the Red Flag works. It is the way it is. I think that possibly we could have been more fighting more for the victory. Anyway, I am really happy for the GMT94 team which had bad luck when Jules injured himself. I am happy to keep the team on top, where it deserves to be so yes, I am happy.”

#CatalanWorldSBK WorldSSP at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Race 1
1.) Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing)
2.) Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
3.) Kyle Smith (GMT94 Yamaha)

World Supersport Race Results

Pos Rider Bike Race Time
1 A. Verdoia Yamaha 15m37’21.611
2 L.  Mahias Kawasaki 15m36’41.264
3 K. Smith Yamaha 15m36’41.812
4 A. Locatelli Yamaha 15m36’43.239
5 K. Manfredi Yamaha 15m37’02.361
6 S. Odendaal Yamaha 15m37’02.789
7 M. Gonzalez Kawasaki 15m37’03.351
8 P. Oettl Kawasaki 15m37’04.276
9 M. Pons Honda 15m37’21.174
10 A. Bassani Yamaha 15m37’25.694
11 L.  Cresson Yamaha 15m37’26.187
12 C. Oncu Kawasaki 15m37’14.373
13 H. Soomer Yamaha 15m37’21.382
14 R. De Rosa MV Agusta 15m37’27.419
15 I.  Vinales Yamaha 15m37’33.267
16 C. Perolari Yamaha 15m37’30.996
17 F. Fuligni MV Agusta 15m37’12.416
18 D. Webb Yamaha 15m37’30.975
19 O. Gutierrez Iglesias Yamaha 15m37’24.177
20 P. Sebestyen Yamaha 15m37’26.235
21 P. Hobelsberger Honda 15m37’09.981
22 G. Van Straalen Yamaha 15m37’30.457
23 A. Ruiz Carranza Yamaha 15m37’29.155
24 L.  Montella Yamaha 15m34’00.982
Not Classified
RET G. Erill Kawasaki 15m21’59.437
RET G. Hendra Pratama Yamaha 15m16’17.906

World Supersport Championship Standings

Pos Rider POINTS
 1  Andrea Locatelli  238
 2  Jules Cluzel  146
 3  Lucas Mahias  139
 4  Philipp Oettl  108
 5  Raffaele De Rosa  93
 6  Corentin Perolari  88
 7  Steven Odendaal  84
 8  Isaac Vinales  80
 9  Manuel Gonzalez  80
 10  Hannes Soomer  53
 11  Danny Webb  48
 12  Peter Sebestyen  37
 13  Can Alexander Oncu  34
 14  Andy Verdoia  31
 15  Alejandro Ruiz Carranza  25
 16  Federico Fuligni  21
 17  Kevin Manfredi  17
 18  Kyle Smith  16
 19  Miquel Pons  16
 20  Axel Bassani  14
 21  Loris Cresson  11
 22  Galang Hendra Pratama  9
 23  Patrick Hobelsberger  6
 24  Maria Herrera  2
 25  Jaimie Van Sikkelerus  2
 26  Hikari Okubo  1
 27  Luigi Montella  1

World Supersport 300

World Supersport 300

A wet but drying track made conditions tricky for all riders on the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship grid as the Championship hit the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the first time at the Acerbis Catalunya Round where Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) claimed a dominant maiden victory by more than six seconds.

Tom Booth-Amos

Booth-Amos started from pole position after going quickest in the Tissot Superpole session and led off the line to hold position despite a challenge from behind; Booth-Amos sweeping into Turn 1 into the lead and not looking back as he took his first WorldSSP300 victory. He was joined on the podium by Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo), with the Frenchman securing his first podium in WorldSSP300, and Marc Garcia (2R Racing) in third with the 2017 World Champion making his return to the Championship.

Samuel di Sora and Mika Perez

Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) finished the race in fourth place as Championship leader Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) finished in fifth; Buis looking like he was struggling in the first half of the race but recovered in the latter stages of the 10-lap race to finish in fifth and extend his Championship lead. Filippo Rovelli (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) claimed a sixth-place finish as he secured his best WorldSSP300 finish.

Garcia and Perez

Victor Rodriguez Nuñez (EAB Ten Kate Racing) finished in seventh in his first race for his new team, having switched to Ten Kate Racing from 2R Racing, with Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) in eighth place. Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) battled his way through the Last Chance Race to claim a top ten finish in ninth, ahead of Johan Gimbert (GP Project).

Ton Kawakami (Yamaha MS Racing) was another who had battled his way through the field, running in the top ten in the early stages, but dropped back in a mega battle for a top ten finish, the Brazilian claiming an 11th placed finish. Alfonso Coppola (Kawasaki GP Project) was 12th with Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) in 13th; Deroue also fighting through the Last Chance Race. Hugo de Cancellis (Team TRASIMENO) and Meikon Kawakami (Team Brasil AD 78) completed the points-paying positions in 15th.

It was an eventful race for Angel Heredia (DEZA-ISMABON Racing Team) who had multiple incidents throughout the race, though the wildcard was able to get back on his back after each one. Paolo Grassia (Team CHIODO Moto Racing) retired from the race after an incident on the opening lap as did Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Scuderia Maranga Racing) and Nick Kalinin (Battley RT-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki). Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) came off his bike and retired from the race although he did look to return to the track, while Kim Aloisi (ProGP Racing) had a similar accident at Turn 2.

P1 Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki)

“Finally, I get a win! It’s not been an easy year. After Portugal, when I had the big crash, it didn’t hurt but I hurt myself quite a lot, but I didn’t tell anyone. I just carried on through and in Aragon we struggled but our guys have worked hard in between, they only had one week but they´ve brought me a new package this weekend and it’s working really well. This is for them and I want to thank them. I’m a little bit far behind in the Championship but if we keep working and I keep winning races, it’s still possible.”

P2 Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo)

“It was a very difficult race. We didn’t know what the weather would be minutes before the start, but we made the right choice to put a good rain setup on the bike. I want to thank all the people that have brought me here.”

P3 Marc Garcia (2R Racing)

“It was amazing. Ten months without taking a bike and to come back into the Championship and get third position is amazing.”

#CatalanWorldSBK WorldSSP300 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Race 1
1. Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki)
2. Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) +6.336s
3. Marc Garcia (2R Racing) +6.391s

WSSP300 Race Results

Pos Rider Bike Class Time/Gap
1 T. Booth-Amos Kawasaki B 0.000
2 S. Di Sora Kawasaki A +6.336
3 M. Garcia Kawasaki A +6.391
4 M. Perez Kawasaki A +6.596
5 J.  Buis Kawasaki A +15.200
6 F. Rovelli Kawasaki A +16.125
7 V. Rodriguez Nunez Yamaha A +16.388
8 K. Meuffels Kawasaki A +16.469
9 B. Sofuoglu Yamaha B +16.810
10 J.  Gimbert Kawasaki A +18.331
11 T.  Kawakami Yamaha B +20.798
12 A. Coppola Kawasaki B +26.823
13 S. Deroue Kawasaki B +31.150
14 H. De Cancellis Yamaha B +32.423
15 M. Kawakami Yamaha B +32.602
16 F. Macan Yamaha A +32.673
17 I.  Garcia Kawasaki A +32.701
18 K. Sabatucci Kawasaki B +34.500
19 F. Perez Casas Yamaha B +36.258
20 U. Orradre Yamaha A +36.545
21 M. Gennai Yamaha A +43.278
22 J.  Perez Gonzalez Yamaha B +44.121
23 T. Brianti Kawasaki B +47.697
24 A. Carrion Kawasaki A +1m01.569
25 D. Mogeda Kawasaki A +1m07.546
26 A. Kroh Yamaha A +1m07.923
27 G. Mastroluca Kawasaki B +1m12.357
28 Y. Okaya Kawasaki B +1m12.910
29 A. Huertas Yamaha B +1 Lap
30 A. Heredia Kawasaki B +3 Laps
Not Classified
RET K. Aloisi Yamaha A 5 Laps
RET B. Ieraci Kawasaki A 7 Laps
RET I.  Iglesias Bravo Kawasaki B 8 Laps
RET N. Kalinin Kawasaki A 9 Laps
RET P. Grassia Kawasaki A /

WSSP300 Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
 1  Jeffrey Buis  142
 2  Scott Deroue  122
 3  Bahattin Sofuoglu  105
 4  Unai Orradre  98
 5  Ana Carrasco  97
 6  Tom Booth-Amos  94
 7  Thomas Brianti  80
 8  Mika Perez  68
 9  Meikon Kawakami  47
 10  Samuel Di Sora  45
 11  Bruno Ieraci  44
 12  Koen Meuffels  41
 13  Ton Kawakami  31
 14  Yuta Okaya  29
 15  Hugo De Cancellis  29
 16  Kevin Sabatucci  24
 17  Nick Kalinin  21
 18  Marc Garcia  16
 19  Filippo Rovelli  15
 20  Adrian Huertas  15
 21  Alan Kroh  13
 22  Glenn Van Straalen  13
 23  Alvaro Diaz  10
 24  Victor Rodriguez Nunez  9
 25  Tom Edwards  9
 26  Alfonso Coppola  9
 27  Johan Gimbert  7
 28  Inigo Iglesias Bravo  5
 29  Oliver Konig  5
 30  Filip Salac  4
 31  Enzo De La Vega  4
 32  Alejandro Carrion  4
 33  Kim Aloisi  3
 34  Tom Bercot  1
 35  Mirko Gennai  1

Source: MCNews.com.au

Half-a-second covers Misano II MotoGP Grid Top Ten

2020 MotoGP Round Eight – Misano


MotoGP Qualifying Report

Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) has done it again. A week on from pole at the San Marino GP, the Spaniard slammed in 1:31.077 to set a new lap record in qualifying at the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini, taking his third pole of the season and third in succession at Misano when including 2019. It was still pretty close, however, with Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) cutting the gap to 0.076 as the Australian leapt up the time-sheets to take second on the grid, with Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) taking third to lock out the front row.

2020 Misano II MotoGP front row
1 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 1:31.077
2 Jack Miller – Pramac Racing – Ducati – +0.076
3 Fabio Quartararo – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +0.145

Sunny skies on the Riviera di Rimini since the paddock arrived have seen the times tumble and tumble, right down to another new lap record in Q2. On the way there though, there was Q1 to decide first and it was a real shootout. In the end, Miller was the man on top, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) in second as two of the key contenders moved through to fight it out for the top 12.

Once Q2 was underway, it was a familiar story for Viñales: two stops, three runs. He was the man on top first as Bagnaia slotted into P2, but then the Italian really got the hammer down on his second lap – a 1:31.313 handing the Pramac Racing rider provisional pole. Quartararo then slotted into P2 less than a tenth off ‘Pecco’, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder slotting into third ahead of Viñales and teammate Pol Espargaro.

Quartararo was right on the money again though, just 0.032 off Bagnaia coming through Sector 3, but the Frenchman made a mistake coming into Turn 16 – lap over. That was the first runs down for most but as the field filed in, Viñales was back out.

Already on his second run, ‘Top Gun’ was flying. The number 12 nailed the lap to the end but he still didn’t quite manage to beat Bagnaia, 0.073 off and forced to reload for another run at it. Next time around the Spaniard was a quarter of a second up through the first sector and it looked like this might be it, but he lost time in the middle of the lap – with just 0.013 covering him and Bagnaia into the final sector. Viñales was on rails through Sector 4 though and sure enough, a Yamaha was at the summit – a 1:31.268 was now the time to beat for pole position.

Maverick Viñales

Meanwhile Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) – one of the pre-race favourites – was lingering down in P10 after his opening few flying laps, one-lap pace still seemingly hampering the Spaniard and Suzuki on Saturday afternoons. Dovizioso was P8 heading into the final three minutes, and his nearest title rival Quartararo P3. With two minutes to go though, Dovizioso found some time and moved up into P6 – a provisional second row start.

Tucked in behind VR46 Academy protégé Bagnaia, Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) then improved from P9 to P5, shuffling Dovizioso onto Row 3, as Binder and Bagnaia lit the timing screens red. The South African moved into P3 with a great lap, but an even greater one (kind of) was coming in for Bagnaia. The Ducati rider rounded the final corner with Rossi and Miller in tow and it was a scintillating 1:30.973, the fastest ever lap round Misano, but it had looked outside track limits… and it ultimately was. Bagnaia’s record-breaker was cancelled for the infraction on the exit of Turn 16 – the same thing that had bitten Viñales earlier in the season.

Miller’s lap, meanwhile, put him second and then provisional pole as Bagnaia’s lap disappeared off the screen, but Viñales was still out on the hunt. The San Marino GP polesitter would take the chequered flag in P1 with another new Misano outright lap record, making it three poles in a row for Viñales, and Yamaha, at Misano as well as Viñales’ fourth overall at the venue. That, in turn, sees him equal Jorge Lorenzo for most MotoGP™ poles at the track.

Quartararo set a personal best on his last lap to claim P3, 0.069 off Miller, with Pol Espargaro just beating Bagnaia’s valid fastest time to give the KTM rider his second best qualifying result of the season. Bagnaia didn’t seem too disheartened in fifth, however.

Binder joins his KTM team-mate Pol Espargaro on Row 2 after qualifying in sixth, which is also the rookie’s best Saturday afternoon result of 2020. Rossi spearheads the third row in P7, The Doctor just three-tenths away from Viñales’ time, with the nine-time World Champion sitting ahead of San Marino GP winner Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT). It was P8 for Morbidelli this time around, who is nursing an illness this weekend.

Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) eventually got the better of teammate Dovizioso and the factory GP20 machines will line-up P9 and P10 for the Emilia Romagna GP. What can the title chase leader do from P10? And what can Mir do from P11 on the grid? The Suzuki rider has been one of the leading contenders throughout the weekend, but finishing outside the top 10 in Q2 wasn’t how the script was supposed to go – although it’s only 0.540 covering the leading 11 riders. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) will want more too, the Japanese rider having crashed at Turn 15 in the early stages. Rider ok, and P12.

The top six in Emilia Romagna GP Q2 were all faster than last week’s pole position, but it’s the same man emerging at the top. Viñales will again launch from pole at Misano, but he’ll be hoping the story of the race plays out a little different his time around.

2020 MotoGP Misano Qualifying Quotes

Maverick Vinales – P1

“We worked really hard today and we got the job done. We hope that tomorrow all the hard work will pay off as well. We are going to try the maximum. I’m very happy and comfortable with the bike. I was very relaxed in FP4 in conditions that are similar to tomorrow’s race, so we will see. Today I focused mainly on riding with a full fuel tank and the race set-up. Tomorrow is a new opportunity to improve. If we don’t, we will try again at the next race in Montmeló. We have good potential, and I think we can still do better. We’re going to try to be at the best level.”

Maverick Viñales is on pole for the third time this season, along with Austria and San Marino, which is as much as the whole of 2019. It’s his fourth pole at Misano, equalling Jorge Lorenzo as the riders with most poles here. This is Viñales’ 12th premier class pole, equalling Johnny Cecotto and one less than Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau.
Jack Miller – P2

“Very happy for the qualifying, I didn’t make the Q2 directly, but we have been working all the weekend, we tried many different tires combination, now we know very clear which tire and set up we are going to use. The most important thing will be do a good start,  and be in front row for sure will help.”

Passing through Q1, Jack Miller qualified second as the top Ducati. This equals best qualifying result from the Austrian GP, which is his only other front row start so far this season. This is Ducati’s best qualifying result at Misano since Jorge Lorenzo was on pole in 2018 ahead of Miller in second.
Fabio Quartararo – P3

“It was a tough qualifying and I didn’t feel that good on the bike. I was surprised with my lap because I made a mistake in Turn 14, but it was still good enough. I’m happy to be on the front row again, this was our main goal and also our pace is great. We tried many things in FP4 with the bike, so it was a little bit difficult for us, but we’ve shown that we have a good pace and I’m feeling strong. I think there are seven or eight riders who could fight for the victory tomorrow. It will be important to have a good start, which I have been working on this weekend to improve. I think it will be a fun race and hopefully we should be able to have a good result.”

Fabio Quartararo has qualified third for his 19th front row start in MotoGP. On his 18 previous front rows, he went on to finish on the podium nine times (50% rate), including two wins.
Pol Espargaro – P4

“I’m very happy because it was a crazy fast lap and it was difficult to put it all together. There was a lot of risk today. In the end the fast lap came through taking chances through those left corners and I ‘sent it’ through the last sector. I did not care so much about crashing, I wanted the lap. I’m happy we got the time, but we also had an amazing performance with our rhythm in FP4 and this is what matters for tomorrow’s race.”

Pol Espargaro has qualified fourth as the highest-placed KTM rider, which is the fifth time this year he starts from the front two rows (although he qualified seventh in Spain and started from sixth).
Pecco Bagnaia – P5

“Unfortunately I made a mistake and I touched the green area when the pole was mine, in T3 I had a big advantage and I didn’t have an advantage touching the green indeed I lost time but the rules are made to be respected and I made a mistake. I’m sorry because I would like to do my first pole position in MotoGP here in Misano. Our pace is one of the fastest, also Yamaha and Mir but we can play it.”

Francesco Bagnaia, who missed out on pole after exceeding track limits, has qualified fifth, which means he’s been on the front two rows for all the races he’s started this season (Spain, Andalucia, San Marino and Emilia Romagna). He will be aiming to take his second MotoGP podium following last Sunday.
Brad Binder – P6

“Much better. Much happier with qualifying today and to be in 6th place is fantastic. Not only is the rhythm better but also the lap-time: 1.2 seconds faster. In the second exit of FP2 we made some changes that gave me a little bit more feedback from the front tire as well as a little bit more support on the rear, so I felt stronger and it gave me the opportunity to push a bit harder. The more I pushed the better I felt, so it was good. I’m not really setting a goal on positions tomorrow. All I know is that starting in 6th position is going to be much nicer than last week. Starting in 16th was so tough. I’m happy with the steps we have made so hats-off to the boys for getting everything ready and we’ll try to have a solid race tomorrow.”

Brad Binder has qualified sixth for the best qualifying result of his rookie season in MotoGP so far. This is the second time there are two KTMs within the top six in MotoGP qualifying, along with Brno last year.
Valentino Rossi – P7

“Today was a good day for me, because during this second weekend in Misano everybody raised their level, but so did we. We were able to improve the setting of the bike and to be stronger. In the afternoon, in FP4, we made some modifications to the bike that give me more grip, so I feel good and I have a good pace. I’m not very happy about my position in the quali. It’s true that I’m only 0.3s off pole, but I had the potential to do better, because my bike was good and worked well. I didn’t ride fantastic on my hot lap, and I can do better. Anyway, I will start from seventh. A lot of riders have good pace, but we are also strong. Starting from the third row is a bit difficult: you have to do everything well from the start. But like I said, I feel stronger than last week, and we improved in some places where I was losing something last week. So, I hope I will be able to fight for the top positions.”

Heading the third row is Valentino Rossi, who is the most successful current rider in MotoGP at Misano with three wins. This is the fifth time so far this year he has failed to qualify within the top six on the grid.
Franco Morbidelli – P8

“Today was not too bad. I am feeling better than yesterday, but I am still not 100% so I had to manage this in today’s sessions. In qualifying I didn’t feel like I had the energy to be able to attack how I wanted, but I will try to rest some more to be as prepared as possible for the race. The pace doesn’t look too bad, but we do still need to decide which tyres we will use. I think tomorrow’s race will be more demanding compared to last Sunday. I have been sick all week, lost one day of testing and I don’t feel completely fit yet. The gap between a lot of riders is really tight so I think it will be a close race.”

Danilo Petrucci – P9

“Finally, we were able to find some solutions that have improved my feeling with the bike. Unfortunately, in qualifying, I wasn’t precise, and I made some mistakes that made me lose a few tenths. In general, I am satisfied because I’m back being fast and I’m happy with the steps forward that we’ve been able to make. Let’s see how tomorrow’s race will go: it will be crucial to know how to manage the tyres well.”

Andrea Dovizioso – P10

“It has been a difficult day. This morning we weren’t able to get through to Q2 directly, but luckily we found something in FP4 that improved my feeling with the bike, and that allowed me to set the second-fastest time in Q1. Unfortunately, in Q2, I wasn’t able to do a perfect lap. Tomorrow we will start the race quite from behind, but I hope this won’t penalise us too much”.

After passing through Q1, Andrea Dovizioso, who has finished on the podium twice at Misano in MotoGP including a win in 2018 (the last win for Ducati at the track to date), has qualified 10th, which is his worst qualifying result at Misano in MotoGP since he was 14th in 2008.
Joan Mir – P11

“I improved my pace today, which was good, but I still for found it hard to set a fast lap. My one-lap pace is something I’ve struggled with for a while; I actually perform better with less grip and on worn tyres. For that reason I’m confident with my race pace, because I feel good with my bike and I know I can do well over race distance. It’s not easy starting from further back on the grid but I will fight to be on the podium again and try to take as many points as possible.”

Joan Mir
Takaaki Nakagami – P12

“It was a tough day for us, especially this afternoon as in FP4 I had one crash, then in qualifying Q2 I had a crash again. After the session I was disappointed because we ended up in P12, so it will be difficult for tomorrow’s race as the starting grid is not the best. But, fortunately, I am ok after these two crashes, it was high speed and there is quite a lot of damage to the bike. I’ll try to stay positive and the team will work hard to prepare another bike for tomorrow and we’ll see what happens. We’ll concentrate on tomorrow and be ready for the race.”

Takaaki Nakagami
Iker Lecuona – P13

“In FP3 I struggled and found it difficult to improve my lap time but finally, in FP4 we worked really well with used and harder tires, which made me truly confident for the Qualifying. I was so close to the Q2. I have to say, that I’m very happy anyway. I have a good feeling for tomorrow, we have a good pace for the race, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Iker Lecuona
Miguel Oliveira – P15

“It was not the best Qualifying for us. After this morning’s crash I lost a bit of feeling and I also hurt my right shoulder. In any case, we went faster than the whole weekend, so we must be happy for that. We have a hard race ahead tomorrow. We know that we are going to suffer a bit, especially because we start from behind. We can only take what we can, score the maximum amount of points possible and make a clever race. It’s a shame because we improved our speed a lot from last weekend to this one.”

Aleix Espargaro – P16

“Today I gave everything I could, starting from FP3 this morning, but it wasn’t enough to get into the top 10. I am disappointed because the RS-GP is working well. I have an outstanding feeling and I’m having fun riding. The only thing lacking is acceleration. I was able to follow various bikes and I’m able to keep pace with them. The problem is coming out of corners where even the riders who are slower than me have an advantage. This factor limits us particularly on the flying lap, because we are unable to exploit the extra grip of the new tyre. In any case, I’ll start aggressively and focused tomorrow. The gaps are still narrow, especially in terms of pace.”

Aleix Espargaro
Alex Marquez – P17

“Again, our race pace is looking quite good and in both practice sessions we did a good job. Our rhythm is good but we can’t make a big step like the others with the soft tyre. Since Jerez we have improved this and even since last weekend we have found some time but everyone else has also made a step. I feel good on the bike but when we put new tyre in, the situation changes. It will be a hard fight tomorrow starting from where we are but if we can make some moves at the start we can make some progress.”

Alex Rins – P18

“It seems like a difficult weekend for us. I don’t know why but I can’t quite find the same feeling that I had during the test. I’ve been going faster this weekend compared to last weekend, but all the other riders have also taken a step forward. So let’s see how I can manage the race tomorrow, my aim will be to recover as many positions as possible and give my best. At the moment my shoulder is feeling OK, and I’m continuing with my physiotherapy.”

Bradley Smith – P19

“Undoubtedly a tricky day. I don’t know if it was because of the wind or our settings, but I struggled a lot in the third sector. That’s also where I crashed in the tests, so that obviously doesn’t help my confidence. The FP4 session started off in the worst possible way, with a crash, but I’m pleased to have done my best time of the weekend in qualifying, managing to get my focus back. At the moment, we’re struggling to find something that will let us make a decisive step forward, but we won’t stop looking and working.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“Overall, we had a positive day today. We have seen how high the level is in MotoGP and how much everyone has improved since last week, so we knew this Q2 was going to be a hard one. After a not-so-good Friday, Maverick found his way again. He is looking even stronger than he did last week, both in terms of one-lap and long-distance pace. He is comfortable with the bike again, also during the longer stints, so we are feeling positive about tomorrow. It’s a pity Valentino lost the second row by just 0.047s, especially because his ideal time, combining all his best sectors, was almost 0.2s quicker. But, anyway, his confidence on the bike is quite good, as shown in FP3, and we know that Valentino is always able to bring something extra to the table on a Sunday. For sure, it will be another tough race, especially at the end of two full-on weeks of riding, but we’ll go into battle with 100% determination to get top results.”


MotoGP Qualifying Results

Pos Rider Bike Q Time/Gap
1 Maverick VIÑALES YAMAHA Q2 1m31.077
2 Jack MILLER DUCATI Q2 +0.076
3 Fabio QUARTARARO YAMAHA Q2 +0.145
4 Pol ESPARGARO KTM Q2 +0.231
5 Francesco BAGNAIA DUCATI Q2 +0.236
6 Brad BINDER KTM Q2 +0.312
7 Valentino ROSSI YAMAHA Q2 +0.359
8 Franco MORBIDELLI YAMAHA Q2 +0.489
9 Danilo PETRUCCI DUCATI Q2 +0.497
10 Andrea DOVIZIOSO DUCATI Q2 +0.504
11 Joan MIR SUZUKI Q2 +0.540
12 Takaaki NAKAGAMI HONDA Q2 +1.207
13 Iker LECUONA KTM Q1 (*) 0.156
14 Johann ZARCO DUCATI Q1 (*) 0.205
15 Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM Q1 (*) 0.282
16 Aleix ESPARGARO APRILIA Q1 (*) 0.353
17 Alex MARQUEZ HONDA Q1 (*) 0.639
18 Alex RINS SUZUKI Q1 (*) 0.716
19 Bradley SMITH APRILIA Q1 (*) 0.927
20 Tito RABAT DUCATI Q1 (*) 1.291
21 Stefan BRADL HONDA FP1 1.663

Moto2 Qualifying Report

A 1:35.271 for Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) – and a new lap record to boot – hands the Italian a second consecutive pole position of the season as he beat team-mate Marco Bezzecchi by just 0.036 in Moto2 Q2 at the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini. Petronas Sprinta Racing’s Xavi Vierge completed the front row, 0.348 off pole position despite a late crash for the Spaniard.

2020 Misano II Moto2 front row
1 Luca Marini – Sky Racing Team VR46 – Kalex 1:35.271
2 Marco Bezzecchi – Sky Racing Team VR46 – Kalex +0.036
3 Jake Dixon – Petronas Sprinta Racing – Kalex +0.348

The first laps were slammed in and it was Bezzecchi who led the way from Vierge, but Marini’s second lap was absolutely incredible. Enea Bastianini’s (Italtrans Racing Team) FP3 lap record was a 1:35.649 in the morning, but that was obliterated by Marini. The Championship leader set a 1:35.271 to lay down the gauntlet, with Bezzecchi going P2, 0.195 seconds off. Aron Canet (Inde Aspar Team Moto2) and Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) got themselves into the top four in the early stages. too.

Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) then jumped onto the provisional front row, 0.4 off, and went quicker on his next lap to get the gap down to 0.3, but the Brit remained P3. Meanwhile, Bezzecchi was on a charge and was right on Marini’s pace halfway around the lap. The Moto2 sophomore was then under his teammate’s blistering time by 0.032, but he couldn’t hold it to the line, ultimately missing out by 0.036. Just ahead of Bezzecchi was Vierge, who shot onto the front row in P3. That secured the position for Sunday although immediately after, the Spaniard tucked the front at Turn 1 – rider ok.

Lowes was then going great guns again and was less than a tenth away at the third checkpoint, but something went wrong in the fourth split and the British rider lost four tenths. Bezzecchi and Marini were again both setting a very similar pace to pole, but neither could maintain it to the line. Not that it mattered, as the Sky VR46 duo remained a class above in qualifying, the two Italians getting the business done on home turf once again on Saturday.

Despite his crash, Vierge kept P3 to secure his first front row start since the 2019 Dutch GP. Lowes threatened to displace the number 97 in the latter stages but couldn’t string a lap together, but the Brit will be pleased with P4, with a podium seemingly in sight for the rider who claimed P8 from pitlane last weekend. Bastianini will be hoping to challenge the leading Italians in the opening stages too in a bid to minimise the potential damage that could be caused with Marini and Bezzecchi on song.

Canet completes Row 2, the rookie sensation 0.532 from pole and having a much improved weekend at Misano second time around, but it was close as the Spaniard beat Jake Dixon by just 0.011. P7 is nevertheless Dixon’s best Moto2 qualifying result, and his first top ten since the 2019 Czech GP.

Beta Tools Speed Up’s Fabio Di Giannantonio lines up just behind Dixon in P8, and just ahead of teammate Jorge Navarro. Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) completed the top 10, the Italian seven tenths shy of compatriot Marini.

Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) suffered a big crash at Turn 5 in Q2 – rider ok but to be reviewed on Sunday morning.

Moto2 Qualifying Results

Pos Rider Bike Q Time/Gap
1 Luca MARINI KALEX Q2 1m35.271
2 Marco BEZZECCHI KALEX Q2 +0.036
3 Xavi VIERGE KALEX Q2 +0.348
4 Sam LOWES KALEX Q2 +0.469
5 Enea BASTIANINI KALEX Q2 +0.518
6 Aron CANET SPEED UP Q2 +0.532
7 Jake DIXON KALEX Q2 +0.543
8 Fabio DI GIANNANTONI   ITA SPEED UP Q2 +0.657
9 Jorge NAVARRO SPEED UP Q2 +0.681
10 Nicolò BULEGA KALEX Q2 +0.708
11 Marcel SCHROTTER KALEX Q2 +0.762
12 Augusto FERNANDEZ KALEX Q2 +0.783
13 Tetsuta NAGASHIMA KALEX Q2 +0.816
14 Mattia PASINI KALEX Q2 +0.883
15 Hector GARZO KALEX Q2 +0.939
16 Thomas LUTHI KALEX Q2 +0.971
17 Lorenzo DALLA PORTA   ITA KALEX Q2 +0.974
18 Joe ROBERTS KALEX Q2 +1.125
19 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI   ITA KALEX Q1 (*) 0.175
20 Marcos RAMIREZ KALEX Q1 (*) 0.206
21 Stefano MANZI MV AGUSTA Q1 (*) 0.213
22 Edgar PONS KALEX Q1 (*) 0.422
23 Bo BENDSNEYDER NTS Q1 (*) 0.440
24 Simone CORSI MV AGUSTA Q1 (*) 0.631
25 Hafizh SYAHRIN SPEED UP Q1 (*) 0.740
26 Somkiat CHANTRA KALEX Q1 (*) 0.915
27 Kasma DANIEL KALEX Q1 (*) 1.280
28 Andi Farid IZDIHAR KALEX Q1 (*) 1.683
29 Piotr BIESIEKIRSKI NTS Q1 (*) 3.284

Moto3

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Raul Fernandez clinched his third Moto3 pole position of the season at the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini, putting in a late dash to take to the top. With just 30 seconds remaining on the clock, the Spaniard snatched it away from home hero Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) by a tiny 0.088, with fellow Italian Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) putting in a late charge to lock out the front row, still within a tenth.

Moto3 front row
1 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM – 1:41.705
2 Tony Arbolino – Rivacold Snipers Team – Honda +0.088
3 Andrea Migno – Sky Racing Team VR46 – KTM – +0.092

There was some drama earlier in the afternoon before the final charge, with last weekend’s San Marino GP winner John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) failing to make it out of Q1 and, as a result, starting 20th on the grid. Instead, it was Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) the first through from Q1, joined by eventual front row man Arbolino, Kaito Toba (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Filip Salač (Rivacold Snipers Team).

Arbolino looked like he would be the star of the show too, with the Italian holding on to provisional pole heading into the final push of the session. A crash for Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) just ahead of him scuppered a chance to improve though, and Fernandez would go on to pounce. A late 1:41.705 from the Spaniard, despite being six tenths adrift of Celestino Vietti’s (Sky Racing Team VR46) new lap record set in FP3, was enough for Fernandez to take pole number three of the year.

The chequered flag came out not long after, with Vietti clinging on to the final front row place just behind Fernandez and Arbolino. His Sky Racing Team VR46 teammate Andrea Migno had other ideas, however, pushing him down to fourth before Albert Arenas (Gaviota Aspar Team Moto3) also pipped the number 13; the Championship leader making a valuable leap up from 16th to head the second row. Sterilgarda Max Racing Team’s Romano Fenati slots in just behind Vietti in sixth, meaning the number 55 has secured back-to-back slots on the front two rows of the grid for the first time since the Japanese and Australian Grands Prix back in 2017.

Fronting row three, meanwhile, is Q1 graduate Kaito Toba. He was set to be joined there by compatriot Suzuki, who was eighth quickest in the session, but the SIC58 rider was declared unfit for a broken wrist sustained in his crash, so Leopard Racing’s Jaume Masia moves up to start eighth. Reigning FIM Moto3 Junior World Champion Jeremy Alcoba (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) will therefore get a third row start as he gains a place too, tenth fastest in the session but starting ninth. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) will be the man completing the top ten on the grid.

As well as McPhee, who faces a fight back from 20th, there’s another name missing so far: Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia). The man second overall in the standings, and polesitter last week, was P12 in Q2 but will start 11th, leaving him a little more work to do to take the fight to Arenas and cut back his five-point deficit.

Moto3 Qualifying Results

Pos Rider Bike Q Time/Gap
1 Raul FERNANDEZ KTM Q2 1m41.705
2 Tony ARBOLINO HONDA Q2 +0.088
3 Andrea MIGNO KTM Q2 +0.092
4 Albert ARENAS KTM Q2 +0.146
5 Celestino VIETTI KTM Q2 +0.168
6 Romano FENATI HUSQVARNA Q2 +0.256
7 Kaito TOBA KTM Q2 +0.258
8 Tatsuki SUZUKI HONDA Q2 +0.266
9 Jaume MASIA HONDA Q2 +0.339
10 Jeremy ALCOBA HONDA Q2 +0.424
11 Dennis FOGGIA HONDA Q2 +0.591
12 Ai OGURA HONDA Q2 +0.609
13 Deniz ÖNCÜ KTM Q2 +0.670
14 Filip SALAC HONDA Q2 +0.755
15 Stefano NEPA KTM Q2 +1.037
16 Ayumu SASAKI KTM Q2 +1.150
17 Barry BALTUS KTM Q2 +1.428
18 Sergio GARCIA HONDA Q2 +1.966
19 Gabriel RODRIGO HONDA Q1 (*) 0.341
20 John MCPHEE HONDA Q1 (*) 0.481
21 Darryn BINDER KTM Q1 (*) 0.494
22 Niccolò ANTONELLI HONDA Q1 (*) 0.528
23 Alonso LOPEZ HUSQVARNA Q1 (*) 0.645
24 Riccardo ROSSI KTM Q1 (*) 0.829
25 Ryusei YAMANAKA HONDA Q1 (*) 0.851
26 Khairul Idham PAWI HONDA Q1 (*) 0.987
27 Yuki KUNII HONDA Q1 (*) 0.994
28 Maximilian KOFLER KTM Q1 (*) 1.165
29 Carlos TATAY KTM Q1 (*) 1.195
30 Jason DUPASQUIER KTM Q1 (*) 1.571
31 Davide PIZZOLI KTM Q1 (*) 1.627

MotoE Qualifying

Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) took his first ever E-Pole – and first pole position in the Grand Prix paddock – on Saturday, coming out on top in another classic shootout to beat Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) by just 0.011. Points leader Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) completed the front row for Race 1 of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup at the Emilia Romagna GP.

There were no track limit infractions and no crashes in the session, but there was a splash of drama for Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) as he suffered an issue with his transponder. Given another E-Pole slot later in the session, the Italian got a second chance at it but it led to some last minutes nerves for the men on for a provisional front row start. Casadei’s lap, right at the end, wouldn’t show on timing screens – it would just appear once he crossed the line…

Ultimately though, Torres, Ferrari and Aegerter held on to much relief and a slight drum roll, with Casadei taking P7 and a third row start. In between the top three and the Italian, Row 2 is Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) and Lukas Tulovic (Tech 3 E-Racing), the latter off the front row for the first time in 2020. Granado’s lap also merits a postscript, as the Brazilian was visibly cautious after falling foul of track limits in E-Pole last weekend.

MotoE Qualifying Results

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Jordi TORRES Energica 1m43.154
2 Matteo FERRARI Energica +0.011
3 Dominique AEGERTER Energica +0.143
4 Eric GRANADO Energica +0.198
5 Xavier SIMEON Energica +0.263
6 Lukas TULOVIC Energica +0.278
7 Mattia CASADEI Energica +0.348
8 Mike DI MEGLIO Energica +0.691
9 Niki TUULI Energica +0.696
10 Alejandro MEDINA Energica +0.752
11 Alex DE ANGELIS Energica +0.836
12 Tommaso MARCON Energica +0.979
13 Niccolo CANEPA Energica +0.985
14 Xavi CARDELUS Energica +1.097
15 Josh HOOK Energica +1.348
16 Alessandro ZACCONE Energica +1.437
17 Maria HERRERA Energica +2.156
18 Jakub KORNFEIL Energica +2.811

MotoE Race One

Dominque Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) emerged victorious from a last lap FIM Enel MotoE World Cup battle in Race 1 at the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini, the Swiss rider beating title rivals Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) and Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) to the line as all three were covered by a tenth at the flag. To add some extra late drama, Ferrari crossed the line second but was demoted one position to P3 for exceeding track limits on the final lap.

It was Ferrari who got the holeshot into Turn 1 from second on the grid, with polesitter Torres slotting into P2. There was drama from the off though as Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) suffered a huge highside at Turn 2 in the middle of the pack, thankfully the riders avoided contact with Tulovic and the German rider headed to the medical centre for a check-up. Tech3 later confirmed Tulovic had suffered a broken third metacarpal bone in his right hand and he has some pain in his right ankle, but the doctors will decide tomorrow morning whether he is fit to ride in Race 2, which he wants to do.

After the shuffle at the start then, Ferrari was out front as a lead group of six formed by the end of Lap 1, with Aegerter grabbing second off Torres on Lap 2. Lap 3 then witnessed more drama – and it was big for both the race and standings. Free Practice pacesetter Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), having made his way past Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse) shortly before, went for an inside move on Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) at the tight Turn 4 right-hander. It looked like Granado had made the move stick but then the front of his Energica Ego Corsa suddenly washed away, with Simeon the unlucky party caught in the crossfire. Both riders were down and out of the race – thankfully ok – but that’s a disaster for their title hopes. It also means the duo will be starting from the back of the grid for Race 2 tomorrow…

That incident left a lead group of three riders up front, with Casadei 0.8 seconds adrift of Ferrari, Torres and Aegerter – the top quartet also the top four in the World Cup standings, making it a vital race. With three laps to go, Aegerter made his move on Torres at Turn 14 but the Spaniard was able to get the cutback – giving Ferrari a little bit of breathing space…

That was soon diminished though and at the start of the last lap, Aegerter again showed a wheel to Torres – and made a Turn 1 pass stick. Now, the top two in the standings were the top two in the race. Heading down the back straight into Turn 11, Ferrari remained ahead but you could tell what was coming: Aegerter was tucked into the slipstream of his rival and heading into Turn 14, the Swiss rider slammed up the inside of Ferrari and into the lead. Could the Italian hit back? Not quite, as Aegerter led through the final sector and held it into the final corner to claim a crucial Race 1 victory and his second win of the season.

In an attempt to beat Aegerter on the run to the line, Ferrari then exceeded track limits at Turn 16. Having crossed the line ahead of Torres, he was demoted one position and loses that chunk of points to boot, now back behind Torres overall. Nevertheless, the top three across the line were covered by just 0.103 seconds in whichever order!

Casadei took the chequered flag 2.5 seconds from victory to earn his fourth consecutive top five finish of 2020, with Tommaso Marcon (Tech3 E-Racing) completing the top five. Niccolo Canepa (LCR E-Team) finished P6, just over half a second ahead of a great gaggle of riders who battled it out for the remaining top 10 positions. Alejandro Medina (Openbank Aspar Team), Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE), Xavi Cardelus (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) and Alessandro Zaccone (Trentino Gresini MotoE) crossed the line covered by just half a second to round out the top 10.

Alex de Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE) and Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) crashed unhurt in Race 1, and Niki Tuulu (Avan Ajo MotoE) jumped the start, given two Long Lap Penalties for the infraction.

Aegerter extended his lead in the standings to 19 points over Torres, with Ferrari two adrift of the Spaniard in P3. The podium finishers secure front row starts for Race 2 on Sunday as Race 1 results now set the second grid.

MotoE Race One Results

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Dominique AEGERTER ENERGICA 0.000
2 Jordi TORRES ENERGICA 0.103
3 Matteo FERRARI ENERGICA 0.075
4 Mattia CASADEI ENERGICA 2.531
5 Tommaso MARCON ENERGICA 6.578
6 Niccolo CANEPA ENERGICA 7.695
7 Alejandro MEDINA ENERGICA 8.277
8 Josh HOOK ENERGICA 8.336
9 Xavi CARDELUS ENERGICA 8.553
10 Alessandro ZACCONE ENERGICA 8.640
11 Maria HERRERA ENERGICA 11.566
12 Jakub KORNFEIL ENERGICA 16.973
13 Niki TUULI ENERGICA 17.538
Not Classified
DNF Alex DE ANGELIS ENERGICA 4 laps
DNF Xavier SIMEON ENERGICA 5 laps
DNF Eric GRANADO ENERGICA 5 laps
DNF Lukas TULOVIC ENERGICA /
DNF Mike DI MEGLIO ENERGICA /

MotoE Championship Standing

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Dominique AEGERTER Energica 82
2 Jordi TORRES Energica 63
3 Matteo FERRARI Energica 61
4 Mattia CASADEI Energica 51
5 Xavier SIMEON Energica 35
6 Eric GRANADO Energica 34
7 Niccolo CANEPA Energica 29
8 Lukas TULOVIC Energica 27
9 Mike DI MEGLIO Energica 25
10 Josh HOOK Energica 23
11 Tommaso MARCON Energica 22
12 Alex DE ANGELIS Energica 21
13 Alejandro MEDINA Energica 21
14 Xavi CARDELUS Energica 17
15 Alessandro ZACCONE Energica 15
16 Maria HERRERA Energica 12
17 Niki TUULI Energica 8
18 Jakub KORNFEIL Energica 8

2020 MotoGP Calendar

Rnd Date Circuit
1 08 March (Moto2/Moto3) Losail International Circuit
2 19 July Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto
3 26 July Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto
4 09 August Automotodrom Brno
5 16 August Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
6 23 August Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
7 13 September Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
8 20 September Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
9 27 September Barcelona – Catalunya
10 11 October Le Mans
11 18 October MotorLand Aragón
12 25 October MotorLand Aragón
13 08 November Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
14 15 November Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
15 22 November Autodromo Internacional do Algarve

Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini Schedule

Time Class Session
1620 Moto3 WUP
1650 Moto2 WUP
1720 MotoGP WUP
1805 MotoE Race 2
1900 Moto3 Race
2020 Moto2 Race
2200 MotoGP Race

Source: MCNews.com.au

Former champion Dungey seeking comeback opportunities

News 20 Sep 2020

Former champion Dungey seeking comeback opportunities

Return to professional competition being considered ahead of 2021.

Image: Octopi Media.

Retired multiple-time Supercross and Pro Motocross champion Ryan Dungey has confirmed that he is seeking opportunities to make a comeback in 2021.

During the qualifying broadcast at Spring Creek today, Dungey addressed rumours that he was looking to return next season and said that it is a possibility.

The 31-year-old has been seen riding Honda machinery in recent months despite his split with the Geico Honda team, however, he is keeping his options open in a bid to make a shock return to competition.

“Strictly being transparent, I have been looking at some options here, knocking on some doors and seeing what’s available – I’m kind of getting that fire back,” Dungey revealed. “Obviously 2020 has been really interesting, budgets have changed and things are different.

“It’s not like there has been a lot of openings in our sport as it is… There are 450 guys fighting for spots as it is. If the right opportunity comes along and things look good, then we’ll seek it out. As of right now, things are calm and there are really not a lot of opportunities out there, so that is where we’re at.”

Dungey retired in 2017 after capturing a fourth-career 450SX crown (2010, 20015, 2016, 2017), one of those coming with Suzuki and the final three as part of the Red Bull KTM team. He also won the 450MX outdoor title in 2010, 2012 and 2015.


Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Rea Takes Front Running Victory

It was super-good to win here. I had a lot of motivation in this race. It is my team’s home race and Ana Carrasco could not be here in the WorldSSP300 class, so this win was for her – and also for my Grandfather, as it is the 27th anniversary of his death today. I was using this to give me power in the race, to never rest and never give up. I am super-happy for my team and me, because, literally, our workshops are located just behind the main grandstand. It is a happy day and I just wish the fans and families could be here to celebrate with us. We also have a lot of information for tomorrow, and I am looking forward to that one because in the last lap today the front was moving quite a lot. In this temperature at this grip level we just need a little bit more for tomorrow.

http://jonathan-rea.com/news/rea-takes-front-running-victory


Kawasaki Racing Team rider Jonathan Rea rode from pole position to victory in the first ever WorldSBK race at Circuit de Barcelona today.
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook

Who has the best race pace based on FP4 timesheets?

Finally, we’ll turn our attentions to Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT). After stringing together a marvellous race run in FP2, Quartararo also looked in good shape during FP4. The Frenchman comfortable lapped in the mid-1:32s on used tyres, the best in said run was a 1:32.295. Judging from FP4 and FP4 alone, El Diablo’s pace isn’t quite as impressive as Mir’s, for example. However, if Quartararo doesn’t face the troubles that hit him last Sunday, you can be sure he’s going to be challenging for his third victory of 2020.

Source: MotoGP.comRead Full Article Here

Turning up the wick: lap record-breaking Saturday at Misano

In MotoGP™, Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) went over three tenths quicker than he did seven days prior to earn another Misano pole. His 1:31.077 was beaten by Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia in Q2, but the Italian’s 1:30.973 getting chalked off for exceeding track limits. Either way, the MotoGP™ riders have found some serious pace. The top six in qualifying all beat Viñales’ old lap record, but the race is where it really matters.

Source: MotoGP.comRead Full Article Here

Make sure to tune in tomorrow to @worldsbk coverage on @eurosport. I ride and catch up with @gary7dunlop and we chat about the h…

Make sure to tune in tomorrow to @worldsbk coverage on @eurosport. I ride and catch up with @gary7dunlop and we chat about the heritage of road racing in Northern Ireland. Hope you enjoy it! Full edit coming soon on my YouTube Channel!
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🎥 @Chris tyndall28


Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook

Only three riders have won from Misano pole since 2007

4. Passing through Q1, Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) has qualified second as the top Ducati rider. This is his best qualifying result since he was also second this year in Austria, which is his only other front row start so far this season. This is Ducati’s best qualifying result at Misano since Jorge Lorenzo was on pole in 2018 ahead of Miller, the Australian second on that occasion.

Source: MotoGP.comRead Full Article Here