#AragonWorldSBK🇪🇸 🏁 Aragon 🗓 Saturday 16 March
📋 Race 1
⌚ 14.00 (13.00 UK)
📺 Live Eurosport UK 2
☀ 14*C 🏍 18 Laps
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Category Archives: WSBK
World Superbike Championship
Four different brands in the top four at Aragon on Friday
Round Three – Aragon – Friday Report
Alvaro Bautista soon got down to work at Aragon to head the field once again as he edged towards the outright WorldSBK lap record at MotorLand Aragon. Rain started to fall towards the end of the session, meaning there were little improvements in the final two minutes.
Álvaro Bautista – P1
“The weekend here at Aragón has begun really well because I immediately found the right feeling with the bike, like in the first two rounds of the season. My confidence level with the Panigale V4 R continues to grow rapidly and here on my home circuit it all seems even easier. Today we did a good job but we have to keep one eye on the uncertain weather conditions for the weekend. I’ve never lapped with this bike in the wet and so in case of rain I will have to get used to the conditions very quickly. If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, I’m very confident I can do a good qualifying run to start on the front row for race 1.”
Ducati Team-mate Chaz Davies failed to improve on his time and finished in ninth position. The Welshman had a few on-track issues, so will hope that they are put to bed ahead of the races on Saturday and Sunday.
Chaz Davies – P9
“This morning’s session was quite decent, but then I had a frustrating second session in the afternoon. We played around with the bike a little but it felt like it changed quite a lot, and I got a bit more comfortable with it at the end of the second session then three-quarters of the way round my fast lap I hit a wall of rain so had to abort. I felt we made a bit of progress with some of the vibration issues we’ve been having but it changed the bike quite a bit so there are pros and cons. With a good run I think we shouldn’t be in too bad a shape with race pace so we’ll try again tomorrow.”
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) continued his strong start to the Motocard Aragon Round, improving his time to be just over half-a-second from Alvaro Bautista’s lap time. Lowes hasn’t achieved back-to-back front row starts since the Losail International Circuit in 2017 and looks set to put the record straight.
Alex Lowes – P2
“It was a good start to the weekend today. We stayed on the same tyres for this afternoon’s session and, while I couldn’t do a long run because I’m still struggling a little bit with my wrist and don’t want to work it too hard ahead of the race, my pace was quite strong and I felt good on the bike. It was certainly the best feeling I’ve had on this track, which is really positive, and now I’m looking forward to getting back to it tomorrow and trying to improve in a couple of areas.”
Team-mate Michael van der Mark however seemed subdued and was outside of the top ten for some of the session. In the final eight minutes, the Dutchman went tenth but would finish 12th overall.
Michael van der Mark – P12
“This morning wasn’t too bad; I felt quite good on the bike, the gap to Alex wasn’t so big and it was clear in which areas we needed to improve. This afternoon we had a small technical problem which meant I missed a few minutes at the start of the session, and after that I just struggled to feel comfortable on the bike. We reverted to a set-up closer to the one we ran this morning, which felt a little bit better and, together with a new set of tyres, allowed me to improve my lap time, but not as much as I expected. We have some work to do tonight, as I was struggling a bit mid-corner, but I’m confident we can find a solution ahead of qualifying.”
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) continued his pursuit at the front of the field, with the reigning four-time world champion putting a good lap in towards the end of the session to cement third position and just 0.023 from Alex Lowes’ Yamaha.
Jonathan Rea – P3
“Not too bad today but this morning I struggled with some things, on the bike and with myself in the way I was riding. Things were not happening naturally. This afternoon we made some changes and I felt immediately more at home. We were just evaluating and trying to make subtle changes because we do not have too much time anymore, with two sessions on Friday in 2019. You do not have another chance now to make a change. Pirelli have also brought some different front and rear tyres to test. On the front I tried the ‘C’ option tyre which is more like the SC2 family that I liked before. We are making progress.”
Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had a quiet session and remained towards the rear end of the top ten, placing seventh on combined times and improving his time at the end of the session.
Leon Haslam – P7
“I am not too worried about our position in the rankings today but I was struggling a little bit. Not so much with the track but with the feeling while getting the bike stopped. It is one of those circuits where you have to be in a good smooth rhythm and at the minute I am not too confident getting the bike into the corners. It is something we are going to work on. The times are pretty close for the majority of them, around mid 1’50s, to low 1’51s. Round here, you have to be at that rhythm to be in the fight. I feel that we will be there, that is not an issue. I just have to get my confidence set, especially on corner entry.”
It was an impressive FP2 for 2013 WorldSBK Champion Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who put in a blistering lap time at the end of the session to go fourth overall. Sykes has won twice at Aragon and is looking to push the BMW further towards the pointy end of the field, pushing hard enough to suffer a small crash at Turn 1, losing the front end of the S1000RR.
Tom Sykes – P4
“I am really enjoying riding my BMW S 1000 RR here in Aragon, again we are still losing a lot of time in the final sector along the back straight however we are very strong in the corners. The second session we ended up in fourth which is quite good really considering many things. Rather than trying out long runs during the day I opted in making a few chassis and electronic changes so we had quite a lot to do. I had a small crash in T1 which set us back a little, but I am happy with information from today, I am expecting we put this together into an ever better package for tomorrow.”
His teammate, Markus Reiterberger, had a much better session than in the morning. The German placed in eighth overall, as the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team continue to improve their bike’s aerodynamics, as well as dominating the sector times in sector three.
Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) had his best session of the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, improving to fifth overall. Top Independent rider, the Irishman has continued to build on the steps he and the team made in Thailand, making for a promising European stint of the season.
Fellow Independent team rival, Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) was just a fraction off the 2013 runner-up’s pace in sixth position.
Sandro Cortese – P6
“A very positive opening. We worked hard between FP1 and FP2 because I struggled a lot initially this morning, but throughout the day we managed to improve a lot by making some big changes to the set-up of the bike. Of course, it was made more difficult by the fact that this my first time here on the Superbike and, while I know the racetrack, it’s different on the bigger bike. In FP2 the pace was there and now we need to see tomorrow how the race will go.”
Italian rider Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) was impressive and broke into the top ten, whilst also placing top Italian, as Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) struggled in 11th position.
Marco Melandri – P11
“it’s been one of the most difficult days in the Yamaha R1 for me. I arrived with good expectations, as I have always had good results at this track, but today was very difficult. I was struggling to brake, to get the bike stopped, and getting the bike turned was also an issue, so it was not easy. We tried a lot of different things, but the result was the same. Tomorrow we will try to find a solution in the final free practice session by making some changes to the character of the bike, especially in the areas where, at the moment, I don’t feel very comfortable.”
It was a disappointing day for the Moriwaki Althea Honda Team, who were 16th and 17th with Leon Camier and Ryuichi Kiyonari respectively.
Leon Camier – P16
“Of course, I’m not fully fit yet. It will take some time to get back to normal, despite not having needed an operation. That said, we are not where we want to be with the bike’s set-up either. We made a change for the second session, but it didn’t take us in the right direction. The positive thing is that we understand where we need to go with the bike in order to be faster but at the same time it’s not so easy to achieve the right setting. It takes time. Hopefully we will be able to make some steps tomorrow if the weather stays fine”.
Ryuichi Kiyonari – P17
“This morning I rode the Aragon track for the first time, and I must say I enjoyed it, even if it was a challenge at first. There are a lot of blind corners and to find the references and good lines took some time. I was feeling quite good towards the end of the session anyway. The afternoon session was disappointing as we were not able to make an improvement in terms of bike set-up. Weather conditions did not help of course but this was the same for everyone. Tomorrow we will start again with a positive mentality and do our best to improve”.
2019 WSBK Aragon Friday Combined Practice Times
- Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’49.607
- Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.519
- Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.542
WorldSSP
The World Supersport championship was the final class to take to the track at MotorLand Aragon for the Motocard Aragon Round of the season. Unfortunately, the heavens opened at the end of the WorldSBK FP2, so the track was wet for the WorldSSP riders. With no improvement in the times, our best understanding of who has the pace going into the weekend comes from the morning session.
Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) topped the timesheets and beat a pack of Yamahas behind him. With 16 laps set, De Rosa will be hopeful of the track time in the morning helping him improve the settings of his machine. Behind him, championship leader, Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA). The Frenchman is hoping of extending his advantage over the field, after winning the WorldSSP race in Thailand. Completing the top three, Austrian rider Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing), who continues his quest to become the first ever Austrian on the WorldSSP podium.
Outside of the top three, it was Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team). The Italian rider was 0.416s from the top spot, whilst he had close company with Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) just 0.054s behind. Joint championship leader Randy Krummenacher was somewhat off the pace in FP1, down in sixth position and more than half-a-second from the leading MV Agusta F3 675 of Raffaele De Rosa.
Seventh was held by Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) who was top Spanish rider at the close of day one of WorldSSP action. 2017 WorldSSP champion Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was eighth and a second off of the pace set by De Rosa. Ninth position belonged to Corentin Perolari (GMT94 YAMAHA), as the Frenchman continued to progress through the session.
The top ten was completed by Dutch rider, Rob Hartog (Team Hartog – Against Cancer), however he will not be competing for the rest of the weekend because of an injury that had only being detected at Aragon, despite occurring at Phillip Island.
The top three at the end of the wet FP2 session were Lucas Mahias, ahead of Randy Krummenacher and Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing). Despite times being way down, it remains important to gather data, as wet practice may become useful should the weather take a turn for the worst on Sunday race-day.
2019 WSS Aragon Friday Combined Practice Times
- Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) 1’55.039
- Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.136
- Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) +0.313
WorldSSP300
The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship returned to action at the MotorLand Aragon circuit during the Motocard Aragon Round of the season. The curtain-raiser is set to be a thriller, with two groups vying for the top time.
In group A, it was 2018 MotorLand Aragon race winner Koen Meuffels (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) who led the way at the end of play on Friday. The young Dutch rider returning to a circuit which holds good memories for him. Behind him, Jan-Ole Jahnig (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) was close behind him, whilst popular Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) completed the top three. Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) and replacement rider Marc Bayen Luna (Kawasaki GP Project) were fourth and fifth respectively.
Group B featured some big names such as Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT), Maximilian Kappler (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) and Dorren Loureiro (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) making it just as competitive as Group A. At the top of the session was 18-year-old Dutch rider, Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team), with a time just 0.3s off the lap record; one that would’ve been good enough for second when combined with Group A. Behind him by 0.186s was Maximilian Kappler, whilst in third position was Scott Deroue, the Dutch rider starting his season positively.
Outside of the top positions in Group A, the reigning champion, Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP) in eighth, whilst in Group B, three-time podium finisher Borja Sanchez (Scuderia Maranga Racing) was 12th, whilst 2018 podium finisher at Imola, Kevin Sabatucci (Team Trasimeno) was 17th.
The quickest Australian was Jack Hyde in 29th ahead of Tom Edwards in 33rd and Tom Bramich in P40, in what is a huge 52-strong field of rders.
2019 WorldSSP300 Aragon Friday Combined Practice Times
- Koen Meuffels (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) 2’08.099
- Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) +0.104
- Jan-Ole Jahnig (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) +0.132
Source: MCNews.com.au
Top of the Town
Burger and a beer and Superbikes! I’d see you there but I’m a bit busy!
🏍🏍 W o r l d S u p e r b i k e s ! 🏍🏍 Join us this Saturday & Sunday to support one of our own in our Jonathan Rea Fanzone! 💪🏻 We even have an epic Jonny Rae Superbikes Burger!! 🤤🤤 Race Times: 1pm (Sat & Sun)
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🍔 Jonny Rea Superbikes Burger, Chips & Pint or Small Wine | £10
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
European Return For Rea And Kawasaki
It’s been a nice break since Buriram and Motorland is a good place to get back to business. I enjoy the track layout and we made some good progress last year during winter testing. We will continue to work on making more progress during Friday’s practice sessions. The layout is nice and flowing with lots of challenges during the lap, so finding a good set up for the race is crucial. It’s an important race for my team too, as their headquarters are just a few hours away in Granollers, near Barcelona. I expect lots of support and I’m excited to give it my all. http://jonathan-rea.com/news/european-return-rea-and-kawasaki
The 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship returns to Europe this weekend. Round three of the current campaign will take place
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Bautista in control as WSBK heads to his backyard, Aragon
2019 WSBK – Round Three – Aragon
Alvaro Bautista carries 26-point lead into Aragon
The first stop back in Europe for WorldSBK season 2019 sees the Spanish circuit of Aragon welcoming riders this weekend.
MotorLand Aragón has historically aggressive asphalt, especially harsh to rear tyres, in fact, the surface together with temperatures that are not too high in April, can cause many tyre problems. In addition, the sand that is sometimes carried by the wind and deposited on the asphalt can affect grip and drifts towards the centre of the curve.
The obvious favourite is a seemingly unstoppable Alvaro Bautista has recorded six wins out of six races in this beginning of the season, matching the rocket starts of Troy Bayliss in 2002 and Neil Hodgson in 2003: the latter went on to win the first nine races that year.
In Aragon Bautista will be already aiming for the second all-time string of wins, 9, recorded by Colin Edwards from Laguna Seca/2, 2002 to Imola/2, 2002, and repeated by Neil Hodgson in the aforementioned start of the 2003 season. The all-time record sequence was set by Jonathan Rea in the last 11 races of 2018.
However, funnily enough Spaniards do not have a great track record at Aragon. Carlos Checa is the only Spanish rider who achieved a pole, win or fastest lap in Aragon, he also recorded the fastest race lap in the very first race held here in 2011.
The last 12 wins in Aragon were all scored by British riders: since the first race in 2014 the winners have been Chaz Davies (7 times); Jonathan Rea (3); Tom Sykes (2). The Brits had taken over from Italy, which won the first four races at Aragon with Melandri (2) and Max Biaggi (2).
Ducati also has the first chance to reach the milestone of 350 WorldSBK wins during the Aragon race weekend.
It feels odd to be mentioning history-making opportunities and not be referring to one of Jonathan Rea’s latest exploits with the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK, but that has been the nature so far of the 2019 season.
Jonathan Rea
“It’s been a nice break since Buriram and Motorland is a good place to get back to business. I enjoy the track layout and we made some good progress last year during winter testing. We will continue to work on making more progress during Friday’s practice sessions. The layout is nice and flowing with lots of challenges during the lap, so finding a good set up for the race is crucial. It’s an important race for my team too, as their headquarters are just a few hours away in Granollers, near Barcelona. I expect lots of support and I’m excited to give it my all.”
But as they say, opportunity knocks at every man’s door, and the Northern Irishman has built much of his success on remaining cold and calculating through the toughest of times. MotorLand Aragon is not one of the four-time champion’s favourite tracks – in fact it’s one of just two on the 2019 calendar where he hasn’t achieved a double – but his focus will stay intact; Rea will be ready to pounce should the chance arise, as will team-mate Leon Haslam, who took pole position last time out in Aragon in 2015.
Leon Haslam
“Aragon is a circuit I last raced at in 2015 but I was on pole. I managed to score a podium there, so those are not bad memories. It has not been one of my favourite circuits but the lap times have been pretty competitive. My very first test with KRT was at Aragon last year, even though we lost some track time due to the weather. But the lap times still came pretty good. I am predicting that it is going to be a tough weekend this time. Jonathan’s record around there is really competitive. Chaz Davies goes pretty well there and Alvaro Bautista is going to be the man to beat, especially with the couple of big straights that there are at this circuit. I think it is going to be a big fight to get on that podium but obviously that is always my aim. My back is better, definitely ten times better, than it was in Thailand.”
Finding opportunity in adversity is what separates the greats from the rest, and few have suffered more setbacks in recent months than Chaz Davies on the Ducati with Aruba.it Racing. Come Race 1 it will have been nearly a year since the Welshman’s last race win, which happened precisely at the Alcañiz circuit.
Davies has built up a treasure trove of performances in Aragon, with seven hard-fought race wins and an additional three podiums. It may arrive a bit early for the Brit in his personal adaptation to the V4 R, but expect him to make several steps forward on his own road to redemption.
There was a certain sense of dèja-vu in Thailand as Yamaha’s Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark crossed the line in Race 2 in third and fourth, respectively, for the third time in a row; the same applies to independent standings runaways Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese in sixth and seventh.
All four Yamaha riders have performed impeccably since Round One – in particular the Englishman, who has brought his superb pre-season form into the new season – but how much margin for growth is there? The first European showdown of the year could be an ideal moment to make that final step towards the top of the rostrum.
Alex Lowes
“I’m Looking forward to getting back to Europe and heading to Aragon this weekend. Normally when we arrive back to start the European phase of the championship it settles down a bit, but this year we have back-to-back races in Aragon and Assen, so it’s going to be a busy start. Aragon is a track that the majority of the riders enjoy; it’s a long lap, with quite a few changes in elevation and it’s quite technical, which means a lot of work with the guys on Friday to get the bike working really well. With the WorldSSP300 guys racing for the first time in Aragon the schedule is different compared to the two flyaway races, with less time between sessions, so we need to see how that works out. Thailand was a good weekend for us, with a podium finish in all three races, and I’m looking forward to carrying that momentum into the first European race weekend in Spain.”
Another manufacturer looking for the final piece to the puzzle is BMW, although Tom Sykes and Markus Reiterberger with the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team should find it in the form of an engine upgrade scheduled for later in the season. In the meantime, both men can look to the past to find inspiration: the former World Champion secured a dominant double here in 2014, while his partner emerged victorious last season from Spain on the road to the 2018 STK1000 title.
Perseverance will be key for the BMW riders and much of the same can be said for the Moriwaki Althea Honda Team. Still recovering from a blameless crash in Thailand, Leon Camier will simply aiming to be on the grid in Spain. If the 32-year-old gets the go-ahead to race, expect him to keep on pushing the Fireblade to its limits, as the HRC-backed outfit continues seeking answers to find its groove in 2019.
WorldSBK Championship Points Standings
| Pos | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1. | Bautista Alvaro | Ducati | 124 |
| 2. | Rea Jonathan | Kawasaki | 98 |
| 3. | Lowes Alex | Yamaha | 69 |
| 4. | Van Der Mark Michael | Yamaha | 61 |
| 5. | Melandri Marco | Yamaha | 54 |
| 6. | Haslam Leon | Kawasaki | 51 |
| 7. | Cortese Sandro | Yamaha | 40 |
| 8. | Rinaldi Michael Ruben | Ducati | 40 |
| 9. | Razgatlioglu Toprak | Kawasaki | 25 |
| 10. | Sykes Tom | BMW | 19 |
| 11. | Davies Chaz | Ducati | 18 |
| 12. | Tore Jordi | Kawasaki | 18 |
| 13. | Reirerberger Markus | BMW | 14 |
| 14 | Laverty Eugene | Ducati | 12 |
| 15 | Mercado Leandro | Kawasaki | 11 |
| 16 | Camier Leon | Honda | 9 |
| 17 | Kiyonnari Ryuichi | Honda | 5 |
| 18 | Delbianco Alessandro | Honda | 3 |
World Supersport
After two edge-of-your-seat races to kick off the year, MotorLand Aragon is ready to host the third race of the FIM Supersport World Championship. If the last few years are anything to go by, the Motocard Aragon Round could play a decisive role in the fate of this year’s championship race. The last four winners of the Spanish race have gone on to clinch the title later in the season – and in unfavourable news for the co-championship leaders, none of them entered Aragon at the top of the standings.
Two men have been the outstanding stars of the early stages of the World Supersport season. Randy Krummenacher proved to be utterly dominant in the first round at Phillip Island, following that up with a conquering comeback to second position at Buriram. But Krummenacher has always finished the second round at the top of the standings – can he keep up the pace at the third time of asking, after eventually falling back in both 2016 and 2018?
Jules Cluzel meanwhile has enjoyed his best start to a WorldSSP season, sitting on 45 points alongside Krummenacher. The Frenchman was unshakeable in Thailand, fending off countless attacks from the riders preceding him, and seems determined to take the crown this year after last year’s dramatic finale. But MotorLand Aragon is a bit of a bogey circuit for the Frenchman, with three DNFs and a solitary podium in six races. Could Cluzel’s luck change for the better in 2019?
The men following them in the standings will be hopeful of extending the WorldSSP Spanish streak, starting with the man sat third in the standings. After two consecutive third-place finishes, Federico Caricasulo finds himself 13 points adrift, nonetheless also consolidating his best start to a WorldSSP season. The young Italian finished runner-up in Spain in 2018 and is the only rider to have led in both races this year. Caricasulo will certainly be in contention in every session.
The home fans will also have two strong contenders to rally on. Héctor Barberà and Isaac Viñales have both finished a race in fourth position in 2019 and are guaranteed to fight for the rostrum positions at a track which both men know to perfection, albeit not on World Supersport machinery.
The switch over to Kawasaki machinery may not have worked out yet for 2017 world champion Lucas Mahias, but the Frenchman will remain spirited and combative, seeking inspiration from his 2017 Aragonese win. Teammate Hikari Okubo also with the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Team meanwhile will continue pushing the limits of his ZX-6R, after two strong performances in Australia and Thailand.
Raffaele De Rosa and MV Agusta Reparto Corse are seeking a first podium at the Spanish track, coming off a strong top-five performance in Thailand, while both CIA Landlord Insurance Honda representatives push to close the gap with their rival machinery.
The FIM European Supersport Cup riders will also make their first appearance on the calendar, with a former race winner in Kyle Smith joined by two French newcomers: Xavier Navand and Gaetan Matern.
The third round of the World Supersport season gets underway on Friday 5th with free practice, followed by the Superpole on Saturday.
World Supersport Championship Points Standings
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Points |
| 1 | Jules Cluzel | Yamaha | 45 |
| 2 | Randy Krummenacher | Yamaha | 45 |
| 3 | Federico Caricasulo | Yamaha | 32 |
| 4 | Hector Barbera | Yamaha | 22 |
| 5 | Hikari Okubo | Kawasaki | 20 |
| 6 | Corentin Perolari | Yamaha | 14 |
| 7 | Isaac Vinales | Yamaha | 13 |
| 8 | Loris Cresson | Yamaha | 13 |
| 9 | Lucas Mahias | Kawasaki | 12 |
| 10 | Peter Sebestyen | Honda | 12 |
| 11 | Raffaele De Rosa | MV | 11 |
| 12 | Thomas Gradinger | Yamaha | 11 |
| 13 | Jules Danilo | Honda | 7 |
| 14 | Hannes Soomer | Honda | 6 |
| 15 | Jaimie Van Sikkelerus | Honda | 6 |
| 16 | Tom Toparis | Yamaha | 5 |
| 17 | Rob Hartog | Kawasaki | 2 |
| 18 | Glenn Van Straalen | Kawasaki | 2 |
| 19 | Maria Herrera | Yamaha | 1 |
| 20 | Ayrton Badovini | Kawasaki | 1 |
World Supersport 300
Since 2017, the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship has been a very welcome addition to the WorldSBK paddock, with 10 race winners and a further nine podium finishers in just two seasons of racing. This year over 50 men and women from 16 different countries and five continents will challenge for the WorldSSP300 crown.
Reigning champion Ana Carrasco is looking to kick off her title defense in fine style at her home circuit – the Spaniard looking to make more history and become the first rider ever to win back-to-back WorldSSP300 titles, as well as looking to become the first female solo rider to do so. Carrasco has yet to achieve a podium placing at MotorLand Aragon, so whatever the result after the opening race, the championship looks set to come alive.
Tough opposition is led in the form of Marc Garcia, who returns to the 2019 line-up, looking to take back his crown he earned in 2017. Garcia failed to finish in Aragon in 2017 so will be looking to start his season strongly.
Previous race winners at MotorLand Aragon, Scott Deroue in 2017 and Koen Meuffels in 2018, will also be part of the battle again in Spain, with both showing great potential towards the close of 2018. Meuffels is hoping to give KTM a win in the class again, whilst Deroue will hope to head to the Netherlands a week later in fine form.
2018 championship runner-up Mika Perez will be hoping to improve his championship position this year and kick-start his title-tilt from MotorLand Aragon, where he has finished third for the past two seasons. South African rider Dorren Loureiro had a strong end to 2018 and has been eighth in the past two seasons at MotorLand Aragon, making him a protagonist at the sharp end.
Popular Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama is leading the Yamaha charge and looking to secure a third class-victory in as many seasons. MotorLand Aragon will be a test for the 20-year-old, as he has never scored points at the venue before.
Other notable names include Borja Sanchez, who is without a win in his WorldSSP300 career but has gathered three podiums. Manuel Gonzalez also comes into the season as one of the potential front-runners, having ended his 2018 campaign with three third-places.
Riders will be split into two groups from Friday for Free Practice and Qualifying the following day, with the first-ever Last Chance Race taking place on Saturday afternoon.
Source: MCNews.com.au
Northern Ireland National Team
🙌🏻 There’s a long way to go but just look at this beautiful sight!! 👀👇🏻#GAWA
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Thai WSBK Sunday Races | Bautista continues unbeaten run
WorldSBK 2019 – Round Two
Chang International Circuit, Buriram
Superbike Superpole Sprint Race
A frenetic opening lap started Sunday’s 10-lap Tissot Superpole Race, with Rea bolting into the lead and Bautista slotting in behind.
It wasn’t long until the Spaniard made his way ahead but in a similar style to their collision at turn three yesterday, ran wide and Rea sliced back under him. Bautista got back ahead at turn four whilst Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) began closing in too. Lap one completed, the top five consisted of Bautista, Rea, Lowes, followed by Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).
Bautista started to pull away from the reigning four-time WorldSBK Champion, who had a lot on his hands with Alex Lowes’ pressure. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) retired from the Tissot Superpole Race, having retired from Race 1 yesterday. Leon Haslam was making moves and got into fourth position ahead of Marco Melandri at turn three.
Lap three and the race looked like it was coming alive, because whilst Bautista was pulling away, it was Jonathan Rea who set the fastest lap of the race, slashing the Spaniard’s initial gap down to under half-a-second.
On lap four, Van der Mark got his chance to get ahead of Melandri, as the Italian ran wide at turn eight and allowed the Dutch star through. Melandri then ran wide again at the final corner, allowing his teammate Sandro Cortese through. Melandri would take the place back a few laps later.
Whilst one Ducati was out front, Chaz Davies’ difficulties continued but he was able to close down Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) throughout the race and eventually got ahead of the Turk. Soon after, the red flag was shown after an incident at turn three, halting Davies’ charge ahead.
Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Racing) and Thitipong Warokorn (Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team) had a collision at turn three, bringing the red flag out and the race to a close. The Thai rider had been taken to the medical centre but has been sent to hospital for further assessments.
Bautista was declared winner ahead of Rea and Alex Lowes, who was just a fraction behind the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK rider. Michael van der Mark was arguably the biggest beneficiary, moving from tenth on the grid to fourth after finishing just outside the podium placings. Completing the top five was Leon Haslam.
Superbike Superpole Sprint Race Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | R Gap | Speed |
| 1 | A. Bautista | V4 R | 0.000 | 309,5 |
| 2 | J. Rea | ZX-10RR | 2.042 | 301,7 |
| 3 | A. Lowes | YZF R1 | 0.415 | 299,2 |
| 4 | M. Van Der Mark | YZF R1 | 2.661 | 301,7 |
| 5 | L. Haslam | ZX-10RR | 0.669 | 303,4 |
| 6 | M. Melandri | YZF R1 | 0.280 | 303,4 |
| 7 | S. Cortese | YZF R1 | 0.330 | 301,7 |
| 8 | C. Davies | Panigale V4 R | / | 309,5 |
| 9 | T. Razgatlioglu | ZX-10RR | 0.619 | 300,0 |
| 10 | T. Sykes | S1000 RR | 2.335 | 297,5 |
| 11 | M. Rinaldi | Panigale V4 R | 1.182 | 302,5 |
| 12 | L. Mercado | ZX-10RR | 2.071 | 295,1 |
| 13 | J. Torres | ZX-10RR | 0.534 | 301,7 |
| 14 | M. Reiterberger | S1000 RR | 1.691 | 296,7 |
| 15 | A. Delbianco | CBR1000RR | / | 284,2 |
| Not Classified | ||||
| RE | T. Warokorn | ZX-10RR | / | 300,0 |
| RE | L. Camier | CBR1000RR | / | 300,8 |
| RE | R. Kiyonari | CBR1000RR | / | 265,4 |
| NS | E. Laverty | V4 R | / | / |
WorldSBK 2019 – Round Two
Chang International Circuit, Buriram
Superbike Main Race Two
The third and final Superbike race of the Thai weekend saw Bautista lead from start to finish.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) couldn’t take a challenge to Bautista but had to deal with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in the early stages. At the end of the first lap the leading trio had a slight gap over Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK).
Soon, the big battle came from the scrap for fifth position, with Van der Mark, Melandri, Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) and Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati). Turn 3 was once again a prime overtaking area, with Melandri trying a move on van der Mark at Turn 3, with both running wide and allowing Chaz Davies to get a better drive down the straight and by Turn 4, the Welshman had got ahead of both Yamaha riders!
Melandri re-took Davies at Turn 8 but the race winner from Buriram in 2018 fought back at Turn 12. Cortese and van der Mark made the exact same succession of moves; a thrilling spectacle in the early stages.
Luck wasn’t going the way of Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who had to retire his S 1000 RR on lap four. Melandri and Davies had a close call on the same lap, with the Italian forcefully moving aside his former teammate at Turn 9, allowing van der Mark to go through, whilst Chaz Davies had to recover right at the back of the group. It wasn’t long however before Davies himself would suffer the same fate as Sykes. The 29-time WorldSBK race winner retired on lap eight, a wretched start to the season for the Welshman in contrast to the perfect run from his new team-mate.
Bautista dominated to take the victory by more than ten-seconds, ahead of Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes. Michael van der Mark was able to hold off a late charge by Leon Haslam, whilst Marco Melandri finished in sixth position for a fifth race in a row. Van der Mark’s fourth place means he stretches his finishing run to 21.
Behind the leading six, Sandro Cortese became the first German since Max Neukirchner in 2008 to finish six consecutive races inside the top eight, with his seventh position.
Eighth belonged to Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team), a great performance on his debut in Thailand. Razgatlioglu managed to hold off Jordi Torres as they completed the top ten.
Superbike Rider Quotes
Álvaro Bautista
“Three wins, three fastest laps and Superpole means that it has been a perfect weekend for me! We knew that it was going to be an important race because Kawasaki have won here so many times, but the whole team worked well with the bike over the weekend and it all came good. It wasn’t easy however because the Panigale V4 R is new everywhere we go and everything has to be discovered from scratch. Right from the beginning I had great confidence with the bike and only made small adjustments for the set-up we know. I just want to say thanks to my team and all the people in Ducati because they have done a fantastic job, I’m so happy! Now we have some time to rest before we go to my home race. I’m really looking forward to that and can’t wait to race at Aragón in front of my Spanish fans.”
Chaz Davies
“I’m obviously disappointed not to have been able to finish the race and see the true potential that we had today especially after the progress we made this morning. Regarding the technical problem, after feeling something was a little bit amiss when I lost some speed, I decided to save the engine and think about the season ahead. It was disappointing not to capitalize on our improvement, because today I had a good race pace and the feeling with the bike was much better. We’ve got some clear ideas on the direction to take and there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. Now we have the test at Aragon before the race, which is a good opportunity for us to make some more gains.”
Jonathan Rea
“The best we could hope for today was a brace of second places and we managed to achieve that, albeit with a lot of pressure from Alex in the final race. He kept really pushing, as he had in the sprint race, but I just had that little bit extra in the end of race three to go away. I want to thank my team for giving me a good bike this weekend and there is always some work to do to improve the package. I felt this weekend we struggled a little bit with front end stability, especially when the front was moving a little bit in that second part of the final race, in the sectors where I was strong. Behind my visor I was giving it 110% especially in those early laps to try and keep in the slipstream as long as I could. As soon as I lost that it was back to managing my own race. I am taking home 49 points again and we will try to build on that in Europe.”
Leon Haslam
“It was more consistent for me in the second race today. We were running the bigger brake discs, which I did not have the best of feelings with this weekend, but in general we made a big step with the bike. I can say now that I have been suffering with a tapped nerve in my back, which flared up just before I came here, and I have had to take painkilling injections. I struggled a lot this weekend and I am glad it is over, in some ways. I need some rest and then we can start again in Aragon. I had not been to Chang for four years. It was always going to be tough with just two 50-minute sessions and going straight into it. So to get three fifth places, I am quite happy.”
Alex Lowes
“I was really happy with Race 2 today. I felt really good for 12 or 13 laps and I thought I might be able to challenge Johnny for second with the pace I had, but then I started struggling a bit near the end and had to roll off a little and take advantage of the gap to the group behind. Overall, it’s been a great weekend, for me and for Michael. He pushed me really hard in the race yesterday and to come from tenth on the grid to finish fourth in the Superpole race was difficult for him. We’ve both done a really solid job for the team, but we need to continue working just as hard when we get back to Europe if we’re to close the gap to the front two guys.”
Michael van der Mark
“In warm-up this morning I felt good on the bike and when we made some small changes for the Superpole race I felt quite strong. The fourth place in the Superpole race was really important, because it meant I started this afternoon from the second row of the grid. I got a good launch from the start and then worked a bit with Alex, which was good, but already from the first lap I didn’t feel so comfortable with the front of the bike, maybe because the temperature was so much higher. I struggled a little, so couldn’t stay with Alex and then I made a small mistake and lost a lot of places. From there I had to work my way back to the front of the group, where I was able to maintain a consistent pace to finish fourth once again. I think we can be really proud about this weekend, with Alex’s three podiums and my three fourth place finishes. We’ve made some progress and, hopefully, we can make another step in Aragon.”
Marco Melandri
“It was a very difficult weekend for me, because from the first session we struggled a lot with the stability of the bike. Also I wasn’t confident, as I had a lot of trouble to make the bike turn in the very long corner and the bike was moving a lot everywhere. Coming back to Europe I think we need to refresh the mind and start from zero, because I understand what I need, but it will take us some time. What is important is to keep working and making improvements step-by-step.”
Sandro Cortese
“I’m happy about the work we’ve done today. Yesterday the gap to the group in P4, with Marco and Leon Haslam, was ten seconds. Today, until four laps from the end, I was with the group fighting for fourth place. Unfortunately, in the closing stages I had a big near high-side and lost contact with the group. But we made a very big step on the performance; it might be two seventh places on paper but in reality, the two results were completely different. I think our work paid off and for that I have to say thanks to my crew. Now I’m looking forward to the next race in Aragon.”
Tom Sykes
“After a couple of laps I felt that something was wrong. It’s a bit frustrating because we had made a change to the bike and it really felt good. On the positive side I’m really surprised to come here to this race circuit and to be inside the top ten with our disadvantage on the straight. So to be inside the top ten is really promising in my opinion. Honestly, in the approach and entry of many corners, the chassis and the set-up on the BMW S 1000 RR is really an advantage compared to our competition. So overall there are quite a lot of positives for me to take. The negative is obviously, as we saw in Phillip Island, that we are giving a lot away on the straights but hopefully that won’t be a problem anymore in the not so distant future.”
Markus Reiterberger
“In the Superpole Race, I had a great start and was right behind Tom after the first corner. I also had nice battles on the opening laps, but then another rider almost got me off the bike and I had to go straight. As a result, I lost six positions. When I then made a mistake, the race was more or less over for me. In the main race I struggled with the issue that has been causing us difficulties all weekend: that I could not delay the bike well enough and I had no feeling for the front of the bike. We tried to get a grip on that and improved things step by step, but unfortunately it just was not enough over the distance, especially when it got hotter and the grip level went down. Our gap towards the front mainly results from the time lost on the straights, but I’m not worried about that. Here I trust the guys in the factory that we get more power, and then the results will be better as well. But I have to continue to work on getting confidence in the front wheel when turning in and in the corners.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari
“Let’s start with the positive part of this weekend, which is the fact that we made a little progress both in terms of my feeling with the bike and my lap times. Not as much progress as we want of course, but we have been fairly consistent. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same feeling during the race and I felt very frustrated. I just kept trying and doing my best, but I cannot say I’m satisfied with my race weekend. I’ve felt great support over the weekend from our fans, everyone in the team and in Honda and I want to repay them all with more than this. I have understood more about certain aspects which I hope will allow me to improve both my riding style and my bike setup. I’ll continue working hard to improve”.
Leon Camier
“I think Warokorn hit Mercado in front of me. He went down and I literally had nowhere to go and unfortunately I hit him and crashed. He seemed out in that moment, so I tried to get the race stopped immediately. I just hope he is ok. I also damaged my knee in the crash and so could not take part in Race 2. I need to go back to Andorra, and have it checked by my doctor, then we will see what we need to do and make a plan for my recovery. As for the race, up until that moment, I was suffering with similar issues to yesterday to be honest, so I was struggling although I was trying to do the best I could.”
Superbike Main Race Two Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Gap | Speed |
| 1 | A. Bautista | V4 R | 0.000 | 308,6 |
| 2 | J. Rea | ZX-10RR | 10.053 | 300,0 |
| 3 | A. Lowes | YZF R1 | 12.368 | 300,8 |
| 4 | M. Van Der Mark | YZF R1 | 17.378 | 302,5 |
| 5 | L. Haslam | ZX-10RR | 17.518 | 303,4 |
| 6 | M. Melandri | YZF R1 | 18.925 | 305,1 |
| 7 | S. Cortese | YZF R1 | 23.281 | 300,0 |
| 8 | M. Rinaldi | V4 R | 28.444 | 305,1 |
| 9 | T. Razgatlioglu | ZX-10RR | 33.156 | 299,2 |
| 10 | J. Torres | ZX-10RR | 33.224 | 302,5 |
| 11 | M. Reiterberger | S1000 RR | 40.164 | 297,5 |
| 12 | R. Kiyonari | CBR1000RR | 53.511 | 300,0 |
| 13 | A. Delbianco | CBR1000RR | 1’08.576 | 287,2 |
| Not Classified | ||||
| RET | 7 C. Davies | V4 R | 13 Laps | 305,9 |
| RET | 66 T. Sykes | S1000 RR | 17 Laps | 298,3 |
| RET | 36 L. Mercado | ZX-10RR | / | / |
| RET | 50 E. Laverty | V4 R | / | / |
WorldSBK Championship Points Standings
| Pos | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1. | Bautista Alvaro | Ducati | 124 |
| 2. | Rea Jonathan | Kawasaki | 98 |
| 3. | Lowes Alex | Yamaha | 69 |
| 4. | Van Der Mark Michael | Yamaha | 61 |
| 5. | Melandri Marco | Yamaha | 54 |
| 6. | Haslam Leon | Kawasaki | 51 |
| 7. | Cortese Sandro | Yamaha | 40 |
| 8. | Rinaldi Michael Ruben | Ducati | 40 |
| 9. | Razgatlioglu Toprak | Kawasaki | 25 |
| 10. | Sykes Tom | BMW | 19 |
| 11. | Davies Chaz | Ducati | 18 |
| 12. | Tore Jordi | Kawasaki | 18 |
| 13. | Reirerberger Markus | BMW | 14 |
| 14 | Laverty Eugene | Ducati | 12 |
| 15 | Mercado Leandro | Kawasaki | 11 |
| 16 | Camier Leon | Honda | 9 |
| 17 | Kiyonnari Ryuichi | Honda | 5 |
| 18 | Delbianco Alessandro | Honda | 3 |
World Supersport – Thailand
Jules Cluzel got a brilliant start from pole position but slotting in behind him at Turn 1 was Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing), who got a rapid start from sixth position. Federico Caricasulo remained third after the start initially before Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) pushed his way through into the leading three.
Isaac Viñales lost his initial advantage down the straight and by the end of the opening lap, was fourth, behind Cluzel, Caricasulo and Japanese sensation, Okubo. 2nd place starter, Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) had a terrible start and was down in eighth.
In the early stages of the race, two-seconds covered the leading eight riders. Austrian rider Thomas Gradinger was making good progress, lapping the fastest rider on track on lap two. However, just a few laps later, his Yamaha YZF R6 was forced to retire at Turn 3, after it began smoke began to emit from it.
Isaac Viñales was continuously impressing throughout the race, making a brilliant pass at Turn 4 ahead of Federico Caricasulo, before challenging Jules Cluzel at the final corner for the lead, before running wide and allowing Cluzel to take him back on the run down the front straight. Meanwhile, Randy Krummenacher began to recover from his bad start, fighting his way ahead of Hector Barbera (Team Toth by Willirace) and Raffaele de Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse).
As the race battle continued on, Turn 3 was a hub of overtaking activity, with little success making it a great spectacle, resulting in the eventual drag-race to Turn 4. With the leaders tripping themselves up, Hikari Okubo and Randy Krummenacher were able to close down the margin to the front. Krummenacher managed to get ahead of Okubo with five laps left.
Out front, hard moves were now being placed, with Jules Cluzel and Federico Caricasulo continuously swapping positions, resulting twice in Caricasulo being pushed wide at Turn 8 – both occasions seeing him lose more places. The top three battling was a fantastic spectacle, but Randy Krummenacher continued to close, in his quest to give Switzerland its first back-to-back WorldSSP wins.
On the penultimate lap, just 0.7s covered the leading four, with Hikari Okubo now being dropped in fifth. Caricasulo went for a move at Turn 3 for the lead, holding it until yet again being pushed wide at Turn 8. This allowed teammate Krummenacher to come through into second, with the battling behind Cluzel starting to pave the way for the Frenchman to have an easier final lap.
With the last lap, Caricasulo started to push in what was now just a battle for second place, taking his teammate at Turn 3, before Krummenacher took him back down the straight to Turn 4. Isaac Viñales wasn’t out of it yet either, as he tried at Turn 8, only with Caricasulo to fight back straight away at Turn 9.
Jules Cluzel took his 18th WorldSSP race win and Yamaha’s 80th in the class! Krummenacher fought back to finish second, with Caricasulo holding on for third. Viñales, De Rosa and Okubo were just behind, whilst completing the top ten was Hector Barbera, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) who started from the back of the grid, Loris Cresson (Kallio Racing) and Hannes Soomer (MPM WILSport Racedays) rounding out the top ten.
Jules Cluzel – P1
“There was no way I could pull away from the group because they are so strong, as we’ve seen since the start of the season, and I knew this was going to be the case today. The pace was a little slower than on the long run I did on Friday and even warm-up this morning; I was expecting many 1’37 laps in the race, but I didn’t manage this once. I believe we didn’t make the best tyre choice, but I still won the race, so I’m happy about that. I want to thank the GMT94 team and Yamaha for giving me a winning bike here. Obviously I’ll be looking for the same result in the future, but I know it will be difficult as everyone is so strong, but that’s the aim.”
Randy Krummenacher – P2
“It wasn’t the best start for me, as I got pushed wide, but that’s racing. Everyone was really fast in the first laps, all pushing hard, but then I found my rhythm and was able to start to move up through the field until I caught the leading group. To be honest, second was the maximum, as Jules was the best today, but I’m happy with second place; the season is long and we are on the right way.”
World Supersport Race Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Gap | Speed |
| 1 | J. Cluzel | YZF R6 | 0,000 | 263,4 |
| 2 | R. Krummenacher | YZF R6 | 0.939 | 268,0 |
| 3 | F. Caricasulo | YZF R6 | 1.496 | 270,7 |
| 4 | I. Vinales | YZF R6 | 1.572 | 266,0 |
| 5 | R. De Rosa | F3 675 | 2.861 | 267,3 |
| 6 | H. Okubo | ZX-6R | 4.599 | 260,9 |
| 7 | H. Barbera | YZF R6 | 9.047 | 266,7 |
| 8 | L. Mahias | ZX-6R | 15.821 | 260,2 |
| 9 | L. Cresson | YZF R6 | 16.933 | 270,0 |
| 10 | H. Soomer | CBR600RR | 17.220 | 263,4 |
| 11 | C. Perolari | YZF R6 | 18.160 | 262,8 |
| 12 | P. Sebestyen | CBR600RR | 24.255 | 260,2 |
| 13 | J. Van Sikkelerus | CBR600RR | 25.188 | 262,8 |
| 14 | R. Hartog | ZX-6R | 27.764 | 259,0 |
| 15 | M. Herrera | YZF R6 | 42.143 | 264,7 |
| 16 | G. Van Straalen | ZX-6R | 48.038 | 266,0 |
| 17 | A. Coppola | CBR600RR | 48.272 | 260,9 |
| 18 | N. Calero | ZX-6R | 52.497 | 259,6 |
| 19 | R. Nakcharoensri | YZF R6 | / | 252,9 |
World Supersport Championship Points Standings
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Points |
| 1 | Jules Cluzel | Yamaha | 45 |
| 2 | Randy Krummenacher | Yamaha | 45 |
| 3 | Federico Caricasulo | Yamaha | 32 |
| 4 | Hector Barbera | Yamaha | 22 |
| 5 | Hikari Okubo | Kawasaki | 20 |
| 6 | Corentin Perolari | Yamaha | 14 |
| 7 | Isaac Vinales | Yamaha | 13 |
| 8 | Loris Cresson | Yamaha | 13 |
| 9 | Lucas Mahias | Kawasaki | 12 |
| 10 | Peter Sebestyen | Honda | 12 |
| 11 | Raffaele De Rosa | MV | 11 |
| 12 | Thomas Gradinger | Yamaha | 11 |
| 13 | Jules Danilo | Honda | 7 |
| 14 | Hannes Soomer | Honda | 6 |
| 15 | Jaimie Van Sikkelerus | Honda | 6 |
| 16 | Tom Toparis | Yamaha | 5 |
| 17 | Rob Hartog | Kawasaki | 2 |
| 18 | Glenn Van Straalen | Kawasaki | 2 |
| 19 | Maria Herrera | Yamaha | 1 |
| 20 | Ayrton Badovini | Kawasaki | 1 |
Source: MCNews.com.au
Podiums For Rea In Thailand
The best we could hope for today was a brace of second places and we managed to achieve that, albeit with a lot of pressure from Alex in the final race. He kept really pushing, as he had in the sprint race, but I just had that little bit extra in the end of race three to go away. I want to thank my team for giving me a good bike this weekend and there is always some work to do to improve the package. I felt this weekend we struggled a little bit with front end stability, especially when the front was moving a little bit in that second part of the final race, in the sectors where I was strong. Behind my visor I was giving it 110% especially in those early laps to try and keep in the slipstream as long as I could. As soon as I lost that it was back to managing my own race. I am taking home 49 points again and we will try to build on that in Europe. http://jonathan-rea.com/news/podiums-rea-thailand
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
#THAWorldSBK 🏁 Buriram 🗓 Sunday 17 March 📋 Race 2 ⌚ 16.00 (09.00 UK) 📺 Live Eurosport UK…
#THAWorldSBK 🏁 Buriram
🗓 Sunday 17 March
📋 Race 2
⌚ 16.00 (09.00 UK)
📺 Live Eurosport UK 2
☀36*C
🏍 20 laps
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Bautista and Rea clash in Thailand but Ducati man victorious
WorldSBK 2019 – Round Two
Chang International Circuit, Buriram
Superbike Race One
An action-packed start saw Bautista originally get a flying start but Buriram specialist Jonathan Rea got ahead of the Spaniard through Turn 1 with Alex Lowes in behind (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team).
The GRT Yamaha WorldSBK riders of Sandro Cortese and Marco Melandri ran wide at the same turn, with Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) slicing under them and into fourth. At the end of lap one, the top four were covered by 1.1s. A lightening start from Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) saw him elevate from 10th on the grid to fifth by the end of the opening lap.
On lap three, Jonathan Rea led by a narrow margin ahead of championship leader Bautista, who has topped every session so far in Thailand this year. At Turn 3, Bautista made his move, only for Rea to cut back underneath him, colliding with his rival. Bautista made a miraculous save and whilst Alex Lowes came through, Bautista shook his head in disgust at Rea’s aggressive pass.
Whilst Rea led, towards the end of lap three, Bautista made a pass on Lowes at the final corner, only to run wide and Lowes to pass him back down the front straight. Soon enough though, on the fourth lap at Turn 1, Bautista made his way through on Lowes and then set off in his pursuit of the four-time champion.
Behind the leaders, the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team riders started to battle to form a battle for the final podium position. Van der Mark couldn’t make a move however and Lowes would maintain a strong pace right through the race. Behind them, Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was keeping a watching brief, whilst Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) began to reel in the battle for the podium.
With 12 laps to go, Bautista had regained the ground on Rea and set about trying to find a way ahead of the Kawasaki-mounted rider. On the run to the Turn 3, Bautista got ahead and this time, he was able to make the move stick and Jonathan Rea couldn’t fight back straight away. The two continued to romp away from the rest of the pack and whilst Rea didn’t lose too much time on Bautista initially, lap after lap, Bautista’s metronomic pace soon saw him break clear. That is how it would stay until the end of the race.
With the third place battle seemingly a stalemate between the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team riders, Leon Haslam was starting to feel the pressure of Marco Melandri. Melandri made his way ahead on lap 11, but the battle was far from over. With just five laps to go, a rough lap from Melandri allowed Haslam to close up and make a move at the final corner. Haslam ran wide and the wily Italian cut back under him, clashing on the start and finish straight. Yet another Kawasaki in a collision, but this time, eventually, Haslam would win the fight.
At the line, Bautista took the win by 8.2s ahead of Rea, whilst Lowes held on ahead of Michael van der Mark by 0.4s to take his third Buriram podium.
In fifth position, Leon Haslam clinched the place over Melandri after the Briton suffered some brake problems in the race, whilst Sandro Cortese took seventh after a late battle with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team).
Tom Sykes was ninth after being pushed back due to his top speed deficit, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) coming from 13th to 10th.
With battle between the Spaniard and the Ulsterman, Alvaro Bautista’s win makes him the first Ducati rider since Neil Hodgson in 2003 to win the opening four races of a WorldSBK season. He gives Ducati their 345th win in the World Superbike class, as well as their 587th WorldSBK podium. He also becomes the first non-British rider to win at the Chang International Circuit.
The win also extended Bautista’s advantage in the Championship to 18-points over Rea with the Spaniard on 87-points to the Northern Irishman’s 69-points and Alex Lows on 46-points.
P1 – Alvaro Bautista
“For sure for me this was a different race completely from Australia! It was fantastic to win after a great fight with Rea, especially at the beginning and then in the middle. We made contact in turn 3 because I overtook him on the line and suddenly he came in very fast and hit me and I was very lucky not to crash and damage the bike. After that I got my pace and caught Lowes and Rea. Today however I didn’t feel so comfortable with the bike: in the morning it was good but in the afternoon I had problems braking into the corners, and in acceleration I was suffering a bit as well. Despite this, I won again and I’m happy even though the feeling wasn’t perfect.”
P2 – Jonathan Rea
“I felt really good with the bike and we got the maximum form the package so I am looking forward for tomorrow. I was really proud of my effort and I enjoyed it. I love riding on that level but unfortunately the result did not reflect that effort. We can make a small improvement tomorrow but I feel we got the best out of our package today. At the end, there was no reason to keep pushing so I started to think about bringing back 20 points. Today second was the best that I could do and I was happy to bring it home. I am excited for tomorrow, especially for the sprint race because I feel like I can ride at that intensity for ten laps no problem, and maybe we can fight to the end.”
P3 – Alex Lowes
“It’s a really good result, but I didn’t feel as comfortable in the race as I thought I would; I think the conditions were slightly different for the race compared to this morning. It meant I struggled a little bit with the front, especially with a full fuel load, but then I saw the front two had pulled a gap and my pit board was saying I had a group of three behind me, so I didn’t want to make a mistake. I settled into a rhythm that I knew I could maintain to the end, and even have a little bit left over to fightback if someone passed me. In the end the pace was high enough to pull a slight gap on the group behind. While I’m happy to finish on the podium, it’s also a little disappointing to be so far from the win when I felt like I rode really well. When I was battling with Alvaro after he ran wide, the speed he came past me on the short straight was a bit frustrating because I couldn’t even stay in his slipstream. So, a shame to be so far off the winner, but I’m satisfied with the third place.”
P4 – Michael van der Mark
“It was a good race today. I got a fantastic start and had a bit of a battle with Tom Sykes in the beginning and, after I managed to get past him, it was a case of trying to chase down Alex in third place. I managed to close the gap and I was a little bit faster in a couple of places, but I felt like I just didn’t have the speed to put in a pass and pull away. So I sat behind him for most of the race, waiting for an opportunity in the closing stages, but he was a bit stronger on the brakes. We both had our strong points on the track, but he managed to get away to take a well-deserved podium and I’m happy to pick up the points for fourth after a strong race.”
P5 – Leon Haslam
“Honestly, I struggled in the race. We had a little problem with the brakes with about nine laps to go, which meant I was pushing the front quite hard. With about five or six to go the front tyre was really struggling. I am not happy with fifth, although we were close to a third, but we need to improve a little bit and make a few small changes. I got caught up with a few of the riders and I was not very confident in passing. We need to make a few little tweaks and then hopefully we can get on the podiums tomorrow.”
P6 – Marco Melandri
“It was difficult today. I didn’t get a good start but initially I managed to come back and make up places, but then I was struggling a lot with the stability issue on the straights. It meant I couldn’t sit on the seat on the straights but instead I had to keep weight on the footrests all the time, so there was no chance to breathe on the straights like normal. We made a set-up change to make the bike a bit more stable but the compromise was that we lost some rear grip, so I had to try and gain time under braking and by carrying more corner speed, but then the traction dropped off a lot after 10 laps.”
Sandro Cortese – P7
“It’s been a good Saturday here in Thailand. A good performance in Superpole meant I started the race today from P4 on the second row of the grid but, unfortunately, I couldn’t stay with the second group from about the halfway point onwards. From that point it was a long and tough race but we finished P7, which is my best result so far in WorldSBK. Tomorrow will be another hard day but I think we are working in a very good direction. Maybe after qualifying fourth people were expecting a bit more, but we need to be realistic. Top eight was our goal and we achieved that so, overall, I’m happy with today.”
P9 – Tom Sykes
“I think everyone saw today the potential of the BMW S 1000 RR. In the corners and in the braking areas, I think our potential is very high. It’s just a bit unfortunate that we are missing out on straight-line speed and losing positions on the straight. I was very happy with the performance in the corners, the corner speed and the general turning of the bike. Again: the first time I rode this bike was on 18th December. It is very early stage of the programme. I have a lot of experience and to just put things into perspective I think that we are doing a very, very good job. For now, we have a limitation on speed performance but in the areas of chassis, suspension and electronics everybody has done great job already and honestly the handling of the bike is impressive. Considering the nature of the track and to do these lap times was promising for me, considering what we are losing in the first two sectors. When I had battles on the track today I was actually surprised how strong we were in some areas. So we keep working!”
| Buriram WSBK Race One | |||||
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Gap | Best Lap | Speed |
| 1 | A. Bautista | Panigale V4 R | 0.000 | 1’32.724 | 309,5 |
| 2 | J. Rea | ZX-10RR | 8.217 | 1’32.763 | 302,5 |
| 3 | A. Lowes | YZF R1 | 14.155 | 1’33.167 | 304,2 |
| 4 | M. Van D M | YZF R1 | 14.623 | 1’33.493 | 298,3 |
| 5 | L. Haslam | ZX-10RR | 18.554 | 1’33.272 | 304,2 |
| 6 | M. Melandri | YZF R1 | 18.681 | 1’33.334 | 303,4 |
| 7 | S. Cortese | YZF R1 | 25.603 | 1’33.881 | 297,5 |
| 8 | M. Rinaldi | Panigale V4 R | 27.627 | 1’33.892 | 305,9 |
| 9 | T. Sykes | S1000 RR | 28.789 | 1’33.767 | 300,0 |
| 10 | T. Razgatlioglu | ZX-10RR | 32.153 | 1’34.364 | 300,8 |
| 11 | J. Torres | ZX-10RR | 33.033 | 1’34.226 | 302,5 |
| 12 | L. Mercado | ZX-10RR | 33.254 | 1’34.302 | 296,7 |
| 13 | L. Camier | CBR1000RR | 34.232 | 1’34.475 | 302,5 |
| 14 | M. Reiterberger | S1000 RR | 43.041 | 1’34.592 | 300,0 |
| 15 | C. Davies | Panigale V4 R | 54.495 | 1’33.801 | 306,8 |
| 16 | T. Warokorn | ZX-10RR | 1’15.758 | 1’34.684 | 305,1 |
| 17 | A. Delbianco | CBR1000RR | 1’25.108 | 1’36.626 | 287,2 |
| Not Classified | |||||
| RET | R. Kiyonari | CBR1000RR | 12 Laps | 1’35.111 | 300,8 |
| RET | E. Laverty | Panigale V4 R | 18 Laps | 1’34.173 | 304,2 |
Chang International Circuit, Buriram
Superbike Race One
WorldSSP
Jules Cluzel takes pole position in Buriram
Pirelli Thai Round saw the Tissot Superpole for the FIM Supersport World Championship take place, with Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) taking his first pole position of the season, his first since Donington Park in 2018. Joining him on the front row, the BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team pairing of Randy Krummenacher and Federico Caricasulo – a reversed front row from the opening round of the year.
Heading row two, Japanese star Hikari Okubo, who achieved his best Tissot Superpole grid position of fourth. His previous best was a fifth, also at Donington Park in 2018. Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) finished in fifth position and will look to stay aboard on Sunday, whilst completing row two was Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing), his first time in Thailand on a World Supersport bike not a being a poor showing at all.
Row three sees Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) with work to do, especially if he wants to give Austria their first ever podium finish. He lines up ahead of the likes of Hector Barbera (Team Toth by Willirace) and 2017 WorldSSP Champion, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Both Barbera and Mahias struggling throughout the session to set a lap time capable of challenging the front runners. Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing) completes the top ten, after his first experience of Thailand in WorldSSP.
Cluzel’s pole position means it is Yamaha’s 75th pole position in the class, whilst it is France’s 74th. Cluzel hasn’t won a race from pole position since Buriram in 2016 and has only won from pole position on four other occasions. Can he change that and give Yamaha their 80th win in WorldSSP?
Pole position – Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA)
“I am so pleased about this result. Our rivals have been very quick since the beginning of the season, but it seems that after Australia we have now found the pace to stay with them. I am really happy, and I want to thank my team because they did a good job in every session and I think we have worked well so far and that we are ready to fight for the win. Temperatures here are extremely high, and there are strong competitors, so I expect a hard battle in the race tomorrow”.
World Supersport Superpole
| Pos | No. Rider | Bike | Time | Gap | Max |
| 1 | J. Cluzel | YZF R6 | 1’36.826 | 0.000 | 264,1 |
| 2 | R. Krummenacher | YZF R6 | 1’36.855 | 0.029 | 268,0 |
| 3 | F. Caricasulo | YZF R6 | 1’36.915 | 0.089 | 268,7 |
| 4 | H. Okubo | ZX-6R | 1’37.106 | 0.280 | 260,9 |
| 5 | R. De Rosa | F3 675 | 1’37.225 | 0.399 | 264,1 |
| 6 | I. Vinales | YZF R6 | 1’37.423 | 0.597 | 266,7 |
| 7 | T. Gradinger | YZF R6 | 1’37.581 | 0.755 | 269,3 |
| 8 | H. Barbera | YZF R6 | 1’37.782 | 0.956 | 260,9 |
| 9 | L. Mahias | ZX-6R | 1’37.786 | 0.960 | 254,7 |
| 10 | A. Badovini | ZX-6R | 1’37.877 | 1.051 | 259,0 |
| 11 | H. Soomer | CBR600RR | 1’38.080 | 1.254 | 260,2 |
| 12 | J. Danilo | CBR600RR | 1’38.135 | 1.309 | 264,1 |
| 13 | L. Cresson | YZF R6 | 1’38.400 | 1.574 | 270,7 |
| 14 | J. Van Sikkelerus | CBR600RR | 1’38.430 | 1.604 | 262,1 |
| 15 | C. Perolari | YZF R6 | 1’38.545 | 1.719 | 262,8 |
| 16 | P. Sebestyen | CBR600RR | 1’38.698 | 1.872 | 259,6 |
| 17 | R. Hartog | ZX-6R | 1’39.009 | 2.183 | 264,1 |
| 18 | M. Herrera | YZF R6 | 1’39.076 | 2.250 | 262,8 |
| 19 | G. Van Straalen | ZX-6R | 1’39.381 | 2.555 | 260,2 |
| 20 | F. Fuligni | F3 675 | 1’39.531 | 2.705 | 258,4 |
| 21 | A. Coppola | CBR600RR | 1’39.839 | 3.013 | 261,5 |
| 22 | N. Calero | ZX-6R | 1’40.207 | 3.381 | 258,4 |
| 23 | C. Stange | CBR600RR | 1’42.675 | 5.849 | 259,0 |
| 24 | R. Nakcharoensri | YZF R6 | 1’43.044 | 6.218 | 251,7 |
Source: MCNews.com.au