Labelling track conditions as dangerous, points leader Alvaro Bautista has placed his support behind Race Direction’s decision to cancel race two at Imola’s fifth round of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK).

Following the morning’s Superpole race, rain continued to fall on the Italian venue, prompting officials to declare the day’s racing as track conditions reached a hazardous level.

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rookie, who was undefeated up until the weekend, accepted his first losses of the season, scoring 2-3 finishes in race one and the Superpole outing.

“Unfortunately the bad weather affected the second race, and it was raining really hard,” Bautista explained. “The track conditions were dangerous, with a lot of water in some parts and streams crossing the track. It was too risky for the riders and it was the right decision to cancel the race.

“We feel really bad about that because we know that there are a lot of Superbike fans here, but rider safety is the most important aspect. Having the support of all the Ducatisti is incredible and even though I didn’t win a race, it was one of the best weekends in my entire career because I really felt their support. For this reason, I feel a bit sorry for them, but I think they will understand the situation.”

Bautista leads four-time defending champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) by 43 points in the championship rankings.

Image: Supplied.

Four-time reigning champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) has secured his first two victories of the season at Imola’s fifth round of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), while poor weather conditions prompted the cancellation of race two.

Rea blitzed the opposition in vintage fashion during race one, taking his first win of the season to end the run of victories by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

The Spaniard maintains a healthy championship lead with a second place finish, while in the battle for third, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) held on for his third WorldSBK podium. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) completed the top five.

At the front of the Tissot Superpole Race, Rea took the win commandingly – his first of the newly-added race for 2019. Aruba.it Racing – Ducati duo Chaz Davies and Bautista came home behind him, while van der Mark took his best Imola result of fourth ahead of teammate Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK).

It was an action-packed WorldSSP race at Imola, which had drama, intrigue and battles scattered right the way through the 17-lap encounter. In a race that saw a group of five whittled down to the leading duo in the championship of Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) and teammate Federico Caricasulo, it was an exciting race that went down to a vintage WorldSSP final lap.

The duo finished ahead of Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse), followed by Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing).

With the heavy rain failing to stop, conditions deteriorated and therefore Race Direction and the Safety Commission took the decision to cancel Sunday’s WorldSBK race two and WorldSSP300 race one to guarantee riders’ safety. The next stop on the WorldSBK calendar is scheduled for 7-9 June at Jerez in Spain.

Detailed results

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Yamaha Austria Racing Team’s pole position at the 8 Hours of Slovakia has reinstated Broc Parkes’ confidence after suffering a fall while testing this week.

Marking round three of the 2018/2019 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC), the Australian is hopeful of repeating the team’s success from last season as they endeavour to claw their way back into title contention.

“I’m happy with our pole position and our performance today,” said Parkes. “It’s helped me regain confidence after my crash during the private tests on Tuesday.

“This is a good track for us as we all have great pace. This year conditions are a lot different as it’s much cooler and the forecast for the weekend is not looking good. It’s the same for everyone and we can be good in all conditions. We want to win like last year and try claw back the points we lost in Le Mans.”

Fellow Australian Josh Hook, part of the reigning champion squad of F.C.C. TSR Honda France, qualified second for tomorrow’s race.

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Yet to race at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari venue in Imola, Italy, the circuit will serve up a new challenge for undefeated points leader Alvaro Bautista as the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) heads there this weekend.

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati contender tested at the track two weeks ago, granting him a head-start on set-up and familiarising himself with the 4.9km circuit, however the Spaniard acknowledges he needs to gain a greater understanding of lines ahead of the trio of races.

“Two weeks ago I had the chance to test at Imola, a circuit where I’ve never raced before,” Bautista explained. “It was very useful because now I have a few more markers for the weekend race. The track is a bit ‘old style’ – it’s very narrow, with a lot of hard braking points, but it’s got a nice combination of fast corners.

“All things considered, it’s a fun circuit, even though I still have to interpret the lines better. It’ll surely be a great weekend and we hope to arrive at the same competitive level we’ve had so far. For the Aruba team’s and the Ducati factory’s home race, we absolutely want to be and must be on the top of our form!”

Bautista leads the standings with a 53-point advantage over four-time defending champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team).

Image: Supplied.

Dorna Sports has announced Pramac and Generac will be the title sponsors for the 2019 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, with the companies taking top billing at one of the most spectacular events of the season on 25-27 October.

Generac and Pramac are world leaders in the production and supply of power generation systems and material handling equipment. Pramac has a long history in racing – including previous title sponsor agreements for grand prix in China, Germany and Australia – and first joined the MotoGP grid as a team in 2002, since becoming one of the most successful Independent Teams in the paddock with numerous podiums to their name.

With Australian Jack Miller currently riding for the squad – and already a podium finisher in 2019 – the timing could not be better for Pramac and Generac to title sponsor his home grand prix at Phillip Island.

“It makes us very proud to return to be the title sponsor a MotoGP event, and to do it in Australia is an even bigger source of satisfaction as we have great links to the country – evidenced by the fact that Mick Doohan is our global ambassador,” said Paolo Campinoti, Pramac CEO and Generac executive vice president.

“The Australian market is also a very important one for both Pramac and Generac, and we’re sure that Jack Miller will carry the Pramac Racing flag, and that of our companies, very high. It’s sure to be an exciting weekend!”

MotoGP will now race across Europe throughout the summer before the flyaways begin once again in October and the world’s fastest motorcycle Championship returns to stunning venues like Phillip island – this year for the Pramac Generac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.