Vinales doubles up for pole and lap record at Misano part two
Section: CompetitionPost: CycleOnline
Luca Marini on top in Moto2.
Image: Supplied.
Maverick Viñales and the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team have done it again, stealing pole position and a new lap record at the Gran Premio dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini – part two of the Misano MotoGP double header.
It was the third pole position of the season and three in a row at Misano for Viñales, who said he could feel the improvement from last weekend. “I struggled a lot on Friday and in FP3 especially in the first laps, but I was trying to work on race setup,” he commented. “I worked hard on race conditions and I hope it pays off tomorrow.”
Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) came within 0.076s of the factory Yamaha after having to fight his way into Q2 through Q1, with Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) taking third for the second week running.
Viñales slotted into top spot at the start of Q2, with Pecco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) close behind. Bagnaia eventually went faster and held provisional pole until Viñales once again broke the record, with Bagnaia having one last shot only to be penalised for exceeding track limits. Had it of been legal, that lap would have beaten Viñales for pole. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) improved this week to fourth, up from eleventh the week before. Bagnaia ultimately took fifth, one spot ahead of Brad Binder on the second KTM Factory machine.
Heading row three is Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) with last weeks winner Franco Morbidelli just behind him. Danillo Petrucci (Ducati Team) was the first of the factory Ducati machines, ahead of teammate Andrea Dovizioso who had also had to battle through Q1. Both Suzuki’s are out of the top ten with Joan Mir in 11th and Alex Rins back in 18th.
Image: Supplied.
In Moto2 it was last weeks race winner and ultimate pole sitter Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) who got the job done again, clinching pole and also setting a new lap record of 1m35.271s in the process. His teammate Marco Bezzecchi was 0.036s behind with Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) rounding out the front row. Last weeks top qualifier Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), this week without penalty, will head the second row. Australian Remy Gardner (OneXOX TKKR SAG Team) is sitting out this race as he is recovering from surgery on his broken thumb, sustained in Sunday morning warm up last weekend.
In Moto3 Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Raul Fernandez clinched his third pole position of the seaso, stealing the top spot with just 30 seconds remaining from local Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team). Italian Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) put in a late charge to complete the front row.
In MotoE World Cup action, Dominque Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) survived a last lap battle to take the victory in race one from Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) and Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE), with all three covered by a tenth at the flag. Ferrari had crossed the line second, but was demoted one position to P3 for exceeding track limits on the final lap.
Australian Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE) finished a credible eighth while frontrunner Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), having made his way past Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse) crashed out, taking out Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) with him at the tight turn four right-hander. With race one results determining the grid for race two, both will be starting from the back of the grid for tomorrow.
MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. has announced a new strategic partnership with Benelli owner QJ-Motor Co. for the distribution of the brand’s motorcycles in China. QJ Group is one of the largest and most prominent two wheeler manufacturers in China, with extensive commercial presence in the region.
The agreement will initially concern the distribution of MV Agusta models through a network of flagship stores across the country, providing the highest standards of service to Chinese customers. At a later stage the partnership will also have important developments on the industrial front, and collaboration in that sense is presently being defined.
Timur Sardarov, CEO MV Agusta Motor S.p.A.
“I am thrilled about this agreement with QJ for the second phase of our expansion into the Chinese market. It is a very ambitious long term partnership that will make MV Agusta the number one Italian premium motorcycle brand in China in the next 5 years. QJ is one of the leading global players in terms of scale, market presence and quality standards and I am confident that with such a solid partner we will reach, and possibly beat, all our commercial objectives very rapidly. We are also developing a further, important collaboration on the industrial front, which we will announce shortly.”
After the successful launch phase in collaboration with Fekon Co., who was instrumental in the introduction of MV Agusta motorcycles in China, QJ will now take over the 7 existing mono-brand stores and expand the sales network with an additional 21 stores within 12 months and service centres with the objective of rapidly and significantly incrementing MV Agusta’s presence and visibility on the Chinese market. QJ has an impressive track record and considerable experience in managing international prime brands.
Dongshao Guo, General Manager of Qianjiang Motor Co.
”We thank MV Agusta for choosing to establish a new strategic partnership with us. MV Agusta is a world-famous brand with a long history, and also an old friend and close partner of Qianjiang Motorcycle. This cooperation is not only a strong combination of the two sides’ business, but also a further recognition of the brands and ideas of each other. We hope that in the future we could work together to bring in for the Chinese customers more high-performance motorcycles that are fashionable, easy to handle, and fun to ride. We aim to make motorcycle travels freer, greener, and more passionate.”
It’s not often an athlete can claim they spent 25 years at the top of their sport across different disciplines, winning more than 70 Championship titles, including two titles in the same year across two classes in the Australian Superbike Championship and is still competitive today. That is unless you are Australian Superbike legend, Jamie Stauffer.
There must be something in the water in the town of Kurri Kurri, NSW, where Stauffer was born, as the town has also produced Australian motorcycle royalty in Casey Stoner (MotoGP) and Chad Reed (Motocross and Supercross).
In fact, the wider Newcastle region could easily claim it has produced more recent world class motorcycle riders than any other region in Australia when you include Toby Price, Jason Doyle, Broc Parkes, Kevin Curtain, Craig Anderson, Rohan Tungate, and Phil Lovett, all who have lived in the region at some point in the early part of their careers before they went onto great success.
“It’s funny because when I look back at Kurri Kurri dirt track and the riders, the names I rode against at the time weren’t names and now they are people who have done really good stuff in all different disciplines across the world and we rode together and made each other better,” said Stauffer who runs the successful DoctorMak Engines in Maitland, NSW.
For Stauffer, now 41, the love affair with motorcycles still burns just as bright as the day he received his first motorcycle at the tender age of 4-years-old.
“It’s a way of life for me,” he said.
“I’ve got a little bit of property where I live and we’ve got a track in the back yard and even if I’m not riding or at a race track with Max, I’m prepping this track so others can ride or I’m at a dirt track or at Christmas at a speedway track and helping people in the pits.
“I’m a motorcycle racing fan in general, but if I’m not around motorbikes, I’m bored to be honest.”
Stauffer’s resume of success is why for many in the sport he is amongst Australia’s greatest riders. Between 1991 and 1999, Stauffer was the king of dirt track, winning 49 State and 16 National titles.
It was a phone call from current Motorcycling Australia President and former Champion, Peter Goddard that started Stauffer’s road to success in road racing.
“In 1996 Peter Goddard rang and said we; my brother and I, should get into road racing and he gave us contacts to get some Suzuki RGV 250s and we said alright we will give it a go and see what happens,” said Stauffer.
“I never knew anything about road racing at the time.
“My brother went full road racing earlier than me as I was doing a bit of speedway and dirt track.
“It came to a point where I said I better do one.”
As they say in the classics, the rest was history. Stauffer would go onto not only dominate Supersport and Superbike classes, but consistently finish in the top ten for the next 15 years.
From the get-go Stauffer impressed. Winning the Australian Aprilia Challenge, the Two Wheels 6 Hour Endurance race, and a win at the Daytona International Speedway in the Formula USA Aprilia Challenge.
2006 was a magical year for the Yamaha shod rider, winning both the Australian Superbike Championship and Supersport Championship.
The following year, he nearly claimed both championships again, but crashed at turn 9 at Sydney Motorsport Park, during the last round, last race and finished second in the Supersport class. Yet, he still won this Superbike class championship.
“2006 was a great year. I had had a few good years before that and a lot of good races and came close to some titles,” Stauffer said.
“When I signed with Yamaha everything just clicked. I was riding at my best. The bikes were good. The team was good and the first meeting I won all six races, scored two lap records and a pole.
“It was one of those times when you feel that confident that you jell with the bike that well and the team everything just fell into place. It was special.
“We had a really great time with Yamaha to be honest, the racing was so good, and the competition was tough.
“Over history there was always someone to step up and raise the bar that everyone had to catch up to, and I was lucky enough that, that was me.
“We had a great run and at the end of the day it made everyone else a better rider as they wanted to win and beat me.”
Stauffer fondly remembers dominating both Superbike and Supersport classes.
Check out this Yamaha advert featuring Jamie
I was there that day the on-track footage on the stock R1 was taken at Phillip Island in this video above. Jamie was asked to go out and pull a few slides so he just jumped on a stocker and had the thing completely sideways everywhere right from the off.
“Back then if you could win a 600 Supersport race, you were pretty confident you could win a Superbike race as well.
“I remember in 2006 or 2007 qualifying in the first round at Eastern Creek and I put it on pole in Superbikes and my qualifying time on a 600 would have put me second place on the superbike,” he said with a chuckle.
Stauffer also raced overseas in the AMA Superbike series after a USA based friend asked him to come and join him and they would get a couple of Yamaha R6’s to race.
“It’s quite a funny story. I went over there, picked up a couple of bikes and went from San Diego to Daytona.
“But the day before leaving, we were getting the bikes tuned, and on the way back, a car ran up the back of me in the truck I was driving.
“It hit me pretty hard and it broke bits of stuff off the brand new bike. So, we were a couple of days late leaving because we were fixing the bike.
“We finished 7th there but 10 of us went across the line side by side and I got the track record there and was lucky enough to get a call up from Yoshimura Suzuki who put me on the 600 over there for the rest of the year.”
Stauffer’s last full season of racing was in 2016 in ASBK, but he was given the opportunity by good friend Craig McMartin to race the last 2 rounds of the 2019 Australian Superbike Championship on what would become Wayne Maxwell‘s 2020 round 1 winning Ducati.
While he suffered bike issues at Phillip Island, Stauffer proved he was just as competitive at Sydney Motorsport Park despite qualifying poorly.
Stauffer managed to race with the front runners in both races scoring a 5th and 6th placing on a bike he had not ridden, showing there was still plenty of talent and fight in the former full-time racer.
“I don’t think anyone forgets how to ride but I struggled all weekend looking after Max’s bikes as well.
“I qualified way back but went out and I did really well over race distance.
“During qualifying I’d come in to make changes to my bike and I was there with the helmet on changing Max’s wheels. It was a hard weekend, too hard to ride and look after Max at the same time.
“The Ducati V4R is pretty damn good, easily the fastest bike I’ve ridden.”
While he could be competitive with ASBK front runners, Stauffer realised it was too hard to race and be crew chief mechanic and Dad to Max.
“I had my time and I realised it was time to give Max a go.
“I feel if I wanted to, I would have to get a lot fitter so I could go out and be competitive in Superbikes, but I love helping my young guy out and making him a better rider.”
Max, now competing in the Motorsports TV Supersport class came through the ASBK junior ranks with plenty of race wins and podium finishes in the YMI Supersport 300 class.
“It’s totally different being on this side of the pit garage, being the crew chief and trying to work out what the rider is trying to interpret is a different thing, but quite fun.”
Like many former racers now helping their children race, Stauffer gets nervous every time Max gets on the bike.
“It’s actually terrible, it is worse than being on the bike.
“It’s nerve racking to be honest and it’s with you the whole time he is out there, but it’s what he wants to do, so I help him.
“The moment he crosses the line you catch your breath and it’s all good.
“He’s definitely got a lot of talent. He is a better rider than I was at the same age.
“If he keeps progressing and learning I think he can move forward, and he seems to be doing all the right things.
“When he first started racing and even though I had a fair bit of experience, every time I would tell him something he would ignore it, but now he has realised pretty quickly that I do know what I’m talking about and now takes it all in and listens and learns.
“Each time he gets on the bike now he’s doing better and getting faster.”
So, what are Stauffer’s hopes for his son Max.
“COVID has changed it a bit this year. Originally, I wanted him to be winning races by the end of the year, I still want that.
“He has only had one race this year on the 600 so we will see how he goes and whether in the future he goes to Superbike here or overseas.
“On a Yamaha I won the Superbike Championship and I think it would good if Max could be the next person on a Yamaha to do that or a double on Yamaha.
“Yamaha have been fantastic and have helped us a lot.
“We all get along great and I’ve always had a good relationship with those guys, even when I went to Ducati and Honda.”
What does Stauffer think about ASBK today?
“I think now it’s more professional, the teams are making the bikes and pit areas more presentable and ASBK is doing a really good job with the series.
“When I started, we turned up with RGV white gel coated fairings and now all the bikes and teams look presentable and everyone has stepped it up.
“It would be good to see some more money in the paddock with more sponsorship available.”
What does Stauffer think of the current riders, some of whom he raced against and who is his tip to take out the 2020 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, in the Kawasaki Superbike class?
“It’s good to see guys like Wayne Maxwell still competitive, you need old people out there on track as well as young people.
“It’s good to see Wayne and Troy Herfoss there and going so good, shows you don’t need to be young if you still got and want it.
“If there was no stoppage this year, I would have said Wayne for sure and I think he still has got a pretty high chance of winning, I’d put my money on him.
“But Troy has a new Honda and it will be interesting to see how fast he is on that, as he was definitely not on the best bike out there.
“Troy is always strong competitor anytime he’s on the track and he is still winning races, so will be interesting to see how he goes.”
While Stauffer has ridden on Ducati, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha throughout his career, there is only one favourite bike.
“The Yamaha 2006 R1SP is definitely my favourite, it was a pretty special bike to ride and I’ve still got that bike, it’s the only one I have really.”
Some of Jamie Stauffer’s major achievements include
2000 – Winner of Australian Aprilia Challenge.
2000 – Winner of Two Wheels 6 Hour Endurance, teamed with Warwick Nowland and Mark Willis.
2005 – 3rd in Australian Superbike Championship.
2006 – Winner of both Australian Superbike and Supersport Championships.
2007 – 9th in Suzuka 8 Hour with Norick Abe.
2007 – Winner of the Australian Superbike Championship, 2nd in the Supersport Championship.
2008 – Winner of the Australian Supersport Championship, 2nd in the Superbike Championship.
2009 – 2nd in Australian Supersport Championship.
2010 – 5th in Australian Superbike Championship.
2011 – 2nd in Australian Superbike Championship.
2012 – 3rd in Australian Superbike Championship.
2013 – 4th in Australian Superbike Championship.
2016 – 8th in the Australian Superbike Championship.
You will be able to catch father and son – Jamie and Max Stauffer – at the next round of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, round 2, to be held at The Bend Motorsport Park, South Australia, on November 20-22.
The ASBK Grand Finale for 2020 will be conducted as a double-header round, rounds 3 and 4 over 4-days, at Winton Motorway Raceway, December 3-6.
ASBK round 2 at The Bend and both rounds 3 and 4 at Winton Motor Raceway (Saturday and Sunday) will be broadcast live through our TV partners on SBSHD, Fox Sports Australia, Fox Sports Asia.
Pro Motocross tightens following Cianciarulo Spring Creek double
Section: Competition
Ferrandis edges Martin for 250 Class 1-1 result at Millville.
Image: Octopi Media.
Rookie Adam Cianciarulo has made it back-to-back round wins in the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship after rising to the occasion for a clean-sweep at Spring Creek to close in on the points-lead.
450MX moto one went down to the wire between Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS), but it was Cianciarulo who held on by just 1.758s across the line.
Cianciarulo jumped out front early and maintained his composure despite pressure, firstly from Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) and then from Baggett towards the end. A stall from Musquin while in P2 saw him drop to third, but comfortably ahead of points-leader Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) in fourth.
Late mishaps from both Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) and Joey Savatgy (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki) allowed Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha) into fifth, followed by defending champion Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – who started outside of the top 10 – and Christian Craig (Team Honda HRC), ahead of top qualifier Sexton and Savatgy. Finishing in 10th was Max Anstie (Twisted Tea Suzuki).
The race for the 450 Class crown tightened in a dramatic second moto at Millville, as Cianciarulo rode to his first-career double, while both Osborne and Musquin struck troubles. Osborne rode with a flat front tire for much of the moto to finish 16th and Musquin was left down in 10th after going down in the closing laps.
Out front, there was no stopping Cianciarulo as he led from the outset and went on to win by 2.760s from Baggett, with Sexton third.
Next were Barcia and Tomac, with Craig, Savatgy, Anstie, Fredrik Noren (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki) and Musquin the top 10. A major crash saw Broc Tickle (Monster Energy Yamaha) ruled out, but appeared to be uninjured in the incident.
Overall, Cianciarulo made it two in a row over Baggett and the consistent Barcia, while in the points, Osborne – 10th overall today – has a 15-point buffer over Cianciarulo and Musquin in a further five points in arrears.
Image: Octopi Media.
A perfect score at Spring Creek has seen Dylan Ferrandis return to the top of the 250MX standings in round six of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross following a spectacular showdown with title rival Jeremy Martin.
Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Ferrandis won the opening moto of the round in convincing fashion, overcoming early leader RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) to win by 4.160s.
Hampshire led the first half of the moto before Ferrandis struck and that’s how they would remain. Behind them, Jett Lawrence (Geico Honda) worked his way by top qualifier Alex Martin (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki) for the final moto podium during the latter stages, while red plate-holder Jeremy Martin (Geico Honda) completed the top five.
Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo kept Hunter Lawrence (Geico Honda) at bay for P6, as Derek Drake (TLD Red Bull KTM), Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) and Brandon Hartranft (TLD Red Bull KTM) filled positions seven through 10.
A showdown between Ferrandis and Jeremy Martin in the second encounter saw the Frenchman hold on by only 0.411s for the victory, taking the red plates back in the process with a 1-1 for the overall.
McElrath led the early laps before going down, handing the lead to teammate Cooper, who held on for some time until Ferrandis and Martin made their way to the front. From there, Martin stalked Ferrandis and made a charge on the final lap, but came up short in one of the races of the year.
Behind them in third was Cooper, followed by Alex Martin and the Lawrence brothers – Hunter ahead of Jett after he came from around P20 – in fifth and sixth. McElrath remounted to take seventh, joined in the top 10 by Jo Shimoda (Geico Honda), Mitchell Harrison (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) and Carson Mumford (Geico Honda).
Hampshire could only manage 11th this time out, while McAdoo was a notable non-finisher, exiting in the early stages with sickness. Overall for the round, Ferrandis won ahead of Jeremy Martin and Alex Martin, handing Ferrandis a three-point advantage in the standings with three rounds remaining.
The 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will continue with round seven at WW Motocross Park in Jacksonville, Florida, next Saturday, 26 September.
2020 British Superbike Championship Round Four Oulton Park Saturday wrap
Images 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 (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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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
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.
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.
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.”
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
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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”.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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
Former champion Dungey seeking comeback opportunities
Section: Competition
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.
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.
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
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