2021 FIM Endurance World Championship 12 Hours of Estoril
12 Hours of Estoril
It was a busy start to the 12 Hours of Estoril as Gregg Black took the early lead on the SERT Suzuki ahead of Mike Di Meglio on the F.C.C. TSR Honda and the BMW mounted Javier Fores. YART had completely dominated qualifying but Marvin Fritz was slow out of the blocks in seventh.
12 Hours of Estoril
The leading trio of SERT, Honda and BMW immediately started to break away from the field and Di Meglio slid the Honda through to the lead on lap two. Fores then took the lead on the BMW after passing both Black and Di Meglio.
Honda, Suzuki, BMW
Fritz was slowly working his way forward and by the 15-minute mark had joined that leading trio. The YART entry passed the SERT bike, then the Honda after setting a new fastest lap on lap ten. Fores had a three-second lead on the BMW M1000RR and kept the YART YZF-R1M at bay until around the 50-minute mark where it became clear that the rear Dunlop on the BMW had nothing left to give.
Fritz reclaimed the ground he had lost at the start
YART entered the pits at 53 minutes for fuel and fresh rubber and Canpea took the controls of the YZF-R1M but the bike refused to fire at first which cost them a couple of extra seconds. The SERT Suzuki had caught and passed the BMW on track by the 55-minute mark.Honda then took their pit-stop followed by the BMW.SERT were the last to come in at the 59-minute mark where Black handed over to Xavier Simeon.
Canepa mounts the YART YZF-R1M
At the end of the second hour SERT led BMW by 47-seconds.That all changed in the next 30-minutes though as Foray fell on the BMW which promoted YART up into second place.
BMW spent more than four-minutes in the pit garage repairing the M1000RR before they rejoined the race in 19th position.
BMW lost a few minutes in the pits as the M 1000 RR was repaired
Karel Hanika on the YART YZF-R1M had started to close in on the SERT GSX-R1000R being ridden by Sylvain Guintoli. The pair were both riding brilliantly and navigating lapped traffic, the gap between them ebbing and flowing accordingly as they threaded their needles through the traffic. Then 2-hrs-45-mins into the race Guintoli lost the front while leading which handed the race lead over to Hanika and his YART squad then chose that moment to call him into the pits where he handed over to Marvin Fritz. Guintoli had picked up the GSX-R1000R and rode straight into the SERT pit garage for repairs.
Suzuki technicians replaced the right clip-on and various other components while the bike was in the garage, they lost around six-minutes in the pits before rejoining the race in 15th place.
SERT lost six-minutes in the pits
The track temperatures had been hotting up as the race progressed and riders were really starting to slide around towards the end of their stints as the tyres wore.
Just before the three-hour mark Josh Hook pitted the F.C.C. TSR bike to hand over to Mike Di Meglio. The Honda squad were in third place, 30-seconds behind the WeBike SRC Kawasaki squad while YART in-turn led the Kawasaki by just under 30-seconds.
Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda
Four-hours in and YART led F.C.C. TSR Honda by a lap and the WeBike SRC Kawasaki was now in third place, a further 35-seconds behind. SERT had worked their way back up to tenth place and Simeon was on the GSX-R1000R. Niccolo Canepa was on the leading YART bike, Takahashi was on the Honda while Nigon had the controls of the WeBike SRC Kawasaki.
F.C.C. TSR Honda led the race at the five hour mark by a lap over YART. SERT were back up to eighth while BMW Motorrad Endurance were recovering well from their early mishap and were now up to 11th place.
At the halfway mark Josh Hook had just completed his second stint on the F.C.C. TSR Honda and handed the reins over to Mike Di Meglio. That saw the Honda squad relegated back to third while YART led the WeBike SRC Kawasaki. SERT were now up to sixth and BMW in eighth.
Niccolo Canepa went down and with it the chances of victory for YART were gone
YART looked to be on course for victory but a mistake by Niccolo Canepa when struggling with worn tyres half-an-hour into the second half of the 12-hour race put himself and the YZF-R1M on the deck.
It took a few minutes for the bike to be transported back to the pits in a van. Once back to the garage it took the YART technicians anotherten-minutes or so before they eventually rejoined the race in 19th place.
Niccolo Canepa went down and with it the chances of victory for YART were gone
Then just after the seven-hour mark Xavier Simeon crashed the SERT bike, colliding with the then fourth placed Tati Team Beringer Kawasaki which put them out of the race.
Of the fast runners now only the WeBike SRC Kawasaki and the F.C.C. TSR Honda had not been down the road and the pair were now first and second while the VRD Igol Experiences entry was now the leading Yamaha in third place.
WeBike SRC Kawasaki
An important ten championship points are awarded to the team leading the race at the eighth hour and those vital points went to WeBike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar as at that juncture they led the race by a lap over the F.C.C. TSR entry and were now the new favourites for victory. BMW Motorrad had done a brilliant job to claw their way back up to fourth. YART were 14th and SERT down in 24th.
Mike Di Meglio
By the tenth hour F.C.C TSR Honda had reduced the gap to the WeBike SRC Kawasaki to less than six-seconds.The VRD Igol Yamaha was still holding down third place ahead of BMW while SERT were now 20th.
Then with just over 90-minutes left in the race Erwan Nigon ran out of fuel on the leading WeBike SRC Kawasaki and he was left to push the bike to a recovery point.
That handed the lead to Yuki Takahashi on the F.C.C. TSR Honda and while the Kawasaki was being returned to the WeBike SRC pit garage the VRD Igol swept through to second place. The Kawasaki did get back out in time to rejoin the race in fourth place, Davide Checa back out on the ZX-10R behind the BMW Motorrad entry.
YART
As the race entered its final hour the F.C.C. TSR Honda led the VRD Igol Yamaha by two-laps and the WeBike SRC Kawasaki was back up into third place ahead of BMW.The Moto Ain Yamaha was in fifth ahead of the leading Superstock entry of BMRT 3D Kawasaki. The ERC Ducati was in seventh place ahead of the Bolliger Switzerland Kawasaki and National Motos Honda.
ERC Ducati
Josh Hook took the controls of the F.C.C. TSR for the final 53-minutes of the race with a two-lap lead and the 28-year-old Aussie had the honour of taking the chequered flag and victory for the French squad. It had been a very trying start to the event for the team but they worked through their problems to become competitive and thus this victory will be very sweet indeed.
VRD Igol Experiences Yamaha were still in the reckoning for second place late in the race but a mistake a few laps from the end meant the Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Nico Terol triumvirate just missed out on a podium. Marino had been under increasing pressure from Guarnoni on the WeBike SRC Kawasaki towards the end of the race and that was what forced his mistake. The pair had been tussling at close-quarters as they un-lapped themselves from the leading Honda with ten-minutes left in the race. Marino then ran off with only four-minutes remaining while taking that battle for second place back up to Guarnoni and by the time he was back on track he had been relegated to fourth place as Markus Reiterberger swept past on the BMW.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France the victors
The WeBike SRC Kawasaki entry of Guarnoni, Nigon and Checa claimed second place, a lap behind the Honda entry while BMW claimed the final step on the rostrum. Again the German squad (Fores, Reiterberger, Foray) recovered from problems to climb back up the order to a good result just as they had done at the Le Mans 24 Hour which shows the strength of the squad. Reiterberger had the speed in that final stint to have put the team up to second place but he was held up while trying to un-lap himself from Hook which prevented him from getting on fighting terms with Guarnoni on the final lap.
WeBike SRC Kawasaki entry of Guarnoni, Nigon and Checa claimed second place
Moto Ain (Randy de Puniet, Robin Mulhauser and Roberto Rolfo) claimed fifth ahead of BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers Kawasaki (Guarnoni, Nigon, Checa) who along with scoring sixth outright also took the Superstock class victory ahead of the ERC Endurance Ducati EWC (Gines, Rossi, Masson) entry and Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki.
BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers Kawasaki were sixth outright and won the Superstock category with Guarnoni, Nigon and Checa
Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar go to the top of the 2021 FIM EWC standings with that second place finish while F.C.C TSR Honda move up to second place, five-points behind the Kawasaki squad. BMW Motorrad hold down third place, two-points behind Honda while SERT slip to fourth in the championship.
The next race of the FIM Endurance World Championship season will take place on the Paul Ricard circuit in France for the 84th edition of the Bol d’Or on September 18 and 19th.
Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“Everybody did such a great job, we didn’t make any mistakes, we focused on our pace and just keep it throughout the race. For sure that we were lucky today but at the end we won, we knew our potential, and consistency paid off. Huge thanks to the team for the great work during the whole week.”
Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
Mike Di Meglio – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“After a tough week, finishing in this way is a great reward. It’s all about endurance, you must never give up. I asked if I could attack in my last stint and that allowed us to put pressure on our opponents, some of whom made mistakes. We gave it all and we went all the way, it’s incredible.”
Mike Di Meglio
Yuki Takahashi – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“It was very hard for us since the beginning of the week but everyone has worked well to solve problems one step at a time. Today we gave it all and I am very happy for this victory.”
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director
“Congratulations to the whole team on another fantastic performance. It was a real thriller and history repeated itself. It was similar to Le Mans: leading shortly after the start, then a setback, then moving up the field to finish on the podium. We weren’t quite able to race at our pace in the first stint with the cool track temperatures. Things went really well from the second stint and our pace was definitely good enough to win. Unfortunately, Kenny fell and we dropped down to P20. Everyone did a magnificent job in the ensuing race to catch up. Our pace was really good down to the wire, but realistically we wouldn’t have done better than P4 or P5. But the other teams also experienced a few dramas, so the battle for P2 to P4 was really close in the end. We had to change the brakes, which was planned, but the final two stints from Xavi and Markus were incredibly strong so we really piled the pressure on the rider in third place. To end up finishing in P3 less than one second behind second place – after the fall at the beginning – we have to be pleased with that result. We saw that we had the pace required to win. Now we are in a very good starting position for the rest of the season, and our motto for the Bol d’Or in September is ‘full attack’. After all, we are still in with a chance of winning the world championship. We still have some work to do, but have a very good team, a very good bike, and the potential to become even better. I’d like to thank the team, they did a fantastic job, were great in the pit stops, and I’m happy that we could mark Werner Daemen’s 50th birthday by gifting him this podium.”
BMW lost a few minutes in the pits
Mandy Kainz – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Team Manager
“What can I say? Life is unfair and sometimes racing is even more unfair! It was a crazy race from start to finish for everybody, we didn’t get the result we wanted but it is what it is. The conditions were really warm and pushed everybody to their limit. Eventually Honda won as they controlled their pace really well. Our plan was to win the race, unfortunately one mistake cost us the victory. We managed to finish the race, we were competitive, and we’ll look to return to winning ways in Bol d’Or.”
Damien Saulnier – SERT Team Manager
“This race has proven once again that in Endurance, nothing is ever decided in advance. We came here with points ahead, a lot of hope, a well-functioning team and three fast riders. At the start of the race, we showed our potential. And then, a few hours later the result is completely different. It’s racing, with its ups and downs. It’s up to us to reverse the trend at the Bol d’Or.”
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship 12 Hours of Estoril Final Qualifying
Yamaha’s Official EWC squad, Yamaha Austria Racing Team completely dominated the second and final qualifying session at Estoril overnight with all three riders topping their respective sessions to make for a combined team time that was almost a full-second ahead of Team BMW Motorrad World Endurance.
Karel Hanika was outright fastest
YART’s Karel Hanika set the outright individual benchmark and beat the record set in qualifying by Markus Reiterberger in 2020. The factory Yamaha’s Czech rider completed an impressive 1m37.674 fastest lap just ahead of his team-mate Marvin Fritz with a 1m37.857. They were the only two riders to come in under the 1m38 mark in the qualifying sessions.
Marvin Fritz was second fastest individual
The Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki team will start the 12 Hours of Estoril Endurance World Championship second round from third position on the starting grid tomorrow. Gregg Black was the first to set off in the morning session on the Portuguese track, under scorching sun and already high temperatures. Increasingly at ease with this new Bridgestone shod GSX-R1000R, Black improved his times from yesterday and finished third in his session with a time of 1m39.295. Xavier Simeon made his effort at the end of the session and recorded a 1m38.738. When the third team rider Sylvain Guintoli entered the track, the outside temperature had risen again but the Suzuki MotoGP test and development rider showed his talent in the very last lap with an exceptional time of 1m38.434. On the average of the three best times of the team (1.38.822), the Yoshimura SERT Motul squad ranked third on the timesheet.
YART lead Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki
F.C.C. TSR Honda France will start from fourth ahead of Tati Team Beringer Racing, who are among the leaders despite the absence of Alan Techer, with Tati followed by fellow independents VRD Igol Experiences, both privateer teams finished ahead of two factory teams, ERC Endurance-Ducati and Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar. The F.C.C. TSR squad had made big progress in their set-up to put them in a much stronger position for the gruielling 12-hour race ahead.
Mike Di Meglio – F.C.C. TSR Honda
In Superstock, a Kawasaki led the field. The first in class on the starting grid, BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers, will start from ninth ahead of Moto Ain, who held back by crashes. Other rivals for the Superstock win who are well placed on the grid are Team 33 Louit April Moto, Wójcik Racing Team and National Motos.
Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship 12 Hours of Estoril Final Qualifying Results
Pole man Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) pulled the pin form the off and rode a solitary race ahead of Garrett Gerloff while Leon Haslam (Honda) and Chaz Davies (Ducati) were also both in the mix early on.
Newly crowned 2020 World Champion Jonathan Rea (KRT) made an outstanding comeback, gaining no less than ten positions to move in behind Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha), and Scott Redding (Ducati), from the last spot on the grid to eighth place.
#EstorilWorldSBK at Circuito Estoril Tissot Superpole Race 1.) Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) 2.) Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) +1.928s 3.) Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) +2.940s
In the final laps, an intense battle raged between Davies and van der Mark for a podium finish, but it was the Dutchman who came out on top over the Ducati rider to finish third behind Gerloff and Razgatlioglu, who secured his second consecutive race win in the WorldSBK class in what was a Yamaha 1-2-3.
Yamaha 1-2-3 in the Superpole race
Superpole Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
1
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha
/
2
G. Gerloff
Yamaha
+1.928
3
M. Van Der Mark
Yamaha
+2.940
4
C. Davies
Ducati
+4.074
5
J. Rea
Kawasaki
+4.745
6
S. Redding
Ducati
+5.915
7
A. Bautista
Honda
+7.969
8
L. Haslam
Honda
+11.835
9
M. Rinaldi
Ducati
+12.293
10
X. Fores
Kawasaki
+12.342
11
T. Sykes
BMW
+12.643
12
F. Caricasulo
Yamaha
+12.714
13
J. Folger
Yamaha
+14.984
14
L. Mercado
Ducati
+22.177
15
M. Ferrari
Ducati
+22.349
16
E. Laverty
BMW
+22.581
17
T. Takahashi
Honda
+27.889
18
E. Granado
Honda
+29.975
19
S. Morais
Kawasaki
+30.067
20
L. Cresson
Kawasaki
+50.259
Not Classified
RET
L. Baz
Yamaha
8 Laps
RET
A. Lowes
Kawasaki
/
WorldSBK Race Two
The season-ending Race 2 at the Pirelli Estoril Round was full of drama at the Circuito Estoril as Chaz Davies (claimed victory in his final race for the ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati outfit, taking a commanding win in the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship season finale.
Tom Sykes, Loris Baz, Scott Redding
Davies had started the race from fourth place and was instantly in the fight for victory, moving into second place before passing Toprak Razgatlioglu on Lap 2 before pulling away from the Turkish star, who had won two of the three races at Estoril prior to Race 2.
Alex Lowes chasing the field
The battle for second came to a premature end when Jonathan Rea made contact with Razgatlioglu’s Yamaha machine at Turn 3 as he tried to pass the Turkish rider for second place. Rea was able to re-join the race and finished down in 14th place while Razgatlioglu was able to finish in third, after Scott Redding managed to overhaul Razgatlioglu for second place; Redding ending the season with a Ducati 1-2 as ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati claimed the Teams’ Championship ahead of KRT. The 1-2 finish for Davies and Redding meant Ducati secured its 950th podium placement in WorldSBK.
Michael van der Mark ended his Yamaha career with a fourth-place finish, having lost out at the start of the race. He finished clear of Alvaro Bautista in fifth place as Honda secured another top-five finish, five seconds clear of Michael Ruben Rinaldi.
Leon Haslam
Rinaldi finished in sixth place after heading a four-way fight with Leon Haslam, Xavi Fores and Federico Caricasulo in seventh, eighth and ninth respectively; Fores’ eighth place meaning he was the highest-placed Kawasaki rider and therefore scored enough points for Kawasaki to beat Ducati to the Manufacturers’ Championship by just one point.
Tom Sykes completed the top ten as he finished around 2.5 seconds away from Caricasulo, and finished 1.5 seconds clear of Jonas Folger who scored points despite following Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) off the track when Baz suffered a technical issue.
Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty
Irish rider Eugene Laverty finished in 12th place with Leandro Mercado in 13th, Rea in 14th and Matteo Ferrari (Barni Racing Team) in 15th in his second appearance of the season. Eric Granado (MIE Racing HONDA Team) missed out on points by less than a second with teammate Takumi Takahashi just behind Brazilian Granado.
Garrett Gerloff crashed out of the race on Lap 3 at Turn 4 when he was running in the podium places; the American having a lowside crash at Turn 4 on the third lap as he looked for this third consecutive podium. Alex Lowes crashed with just a few laps to go.
#EstorilWorldSBK at Circuito Estoril – Race 2. 1.) Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) 2.) Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +1.951s 3.) Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) +2.556s
WorldSBK Race Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
1
C. Davies
Ducati Panigale V4 R
/
2
S. Redding
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+1.951
3
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha YZF R1
+2.556
4
M. Van Der Mark
Yamaha YZF R1
+10.423
5
A. Bautista
Honda CBR1000RR-R
+15.473
6
M. Rinaldi
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+20.277
7
L. Haslam
Honda CBR1000RR-R
+21.074
8
X. Fores
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+21.291
9
F. Caricasulo
Yamaha YZF R1
+22.427
10
T. Sykes
BMW S1000 RR
+25.168
11
J. Folger
Yamaha YZF R1
+26.945
12
E. Laverty
BMW S1000 RR
+28.511
13
L. Mercado
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+32.281
14
J. Rea
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+38.800
15
M. Ferrari
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+46.083
16
E. Granado
Honda CBR1000RR-R
+47.000
17
T. Takahashi
Honda CBR1000RR-R
+47.295
18
S. Morais
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+1m01.053
19
L. Cresson
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+1m31.338
Not Classified
RET
A. Lowes
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
6 Laps
RET
L. Baz
Yamaha YZF R1
7 Laps
RET
G. Gerloff
Yamaha YZF R1
19 Laps
WorldSBK Quotes
Chaz Davies – P1
“It was a day full of emotions, first on the grid then at the Parc Ferme. My boys made me excited and I thank them for all the passion and commitment with which they have worked over the years. A big thank you to the whole Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team for what they have done for me and for what we have spent together. I think this is the best way to say goodbye to the team, a result that the whole team deserves and I am happy to have given them this satisfaction. It was a very nice race, I went on track with great determination and the feeling with the bike was absolutely extraordinary. And I’m happy to have celebrated with the whole team. Emotions that I will never forget“.
Chaz Davies and Scott Redding
Scott Redding – P2
“I am extremely happy with this result. It was not an easy race for me. In the first laps, I had some problems and I couldn’t be fast. However, I remained concentrated and from the middle of the race, the feeling grew and allowed me to push hard to get Toprak. I think it’s a great season finale for us and I’m happy to have shared the podium with Chaz. We did a great job this season and I want to thank Ducati for putting me in a position to fight for the title. I can say that the second place in the first year in Superbike is an acceptable result but we will have to do better next season. Thanks to the whole Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team for the great support and the extraordinary work of these months. Grazie Ragazzi!“
Stefano Cecconi – Team Principal Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“There could be no better way to close the season. We greet Chaz and thank him for the results, professionalism and commitment he has put in over the years. Today he made us excited once again, first on track and then at the Parc Fermé with his team. Thanks to the whole team, to the guys who gave their best in a very complicated season, making sacrifices and always working commendably. We didn’t manage to win the riders’ title, we missed the Manufacturer’s World Championship for one point and won the team classification. We should be proud of what we have managed to do this season. The 2021 season, however, begins tomorrow. We will only have one objective, that of improving ourselves further to achieve the results that we work so hard for every day”.
Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P3
“Today, the Superpole Race was again very good for me, it was a perfect way to win and the feeling was perfect, we were so fast. We worked hard for Race 2, as it was important to remain focused for the long race. I tried to win again, but it was not possible because my Yamaha R1 was sliding too much, which was very strange compared to the feeling I had in the previous races. But we’re happy to be on the podium again, it was a good weekend for me as I really need these podiums to help me push for more in the future. Thank you very much to my Yamaha team, they are amazing and worked so hard this weekend. It is was also Michael’s last race with us and I have enjoyed being his teammate this year – but, no problem, because he stays in the WorldSBK paddock and we will still be friends and also fight on the track!”
Michael van der Mark – P4
“It was a really good morning, in the Superpole Race I had a great battle with Chaz and finished third. Really happy with that, the bike felt amazing and I was ready for Race 2, but from the first lap I started to struggle with rear grip and I just couldn’t keep up with the guys in front of me, which was frustrating. Halfway through the race it started to feel better but then I started to struggle with the front. I wanted more in this last race, but in the end to finish fourth isn’t that bad and I think in general we had a good end to the season. You know, we always want more but it has been four fantastic years with this team and with Yamaha and I am really proud of all we have achieved. I want to thank everyone I have worked with over this time for all their efforts, because the progress we have made together has created some impressive results. I am thankful to everyone and will miss them.”
Paul Denning – Pata Yamah Team Principal
“A great end to the season here in Estoril with Toprak again showing his real credentials with a lights-to-flag victory in the historic Superpole Race – the first ever podium lock-out by Yamaha in WorldSBK as Garrett Gerloff and Mikey backed up Toprak’s superb win. It was a beautiful day today which was great, apart from the fact that the modified timing of Race 2 to 15:15 and the sunshine saw the track temperature rise well above 30 degrees, which didn’t work quite as well for us as we’d hoped. In addition, the pace of the race was a big step over yesterday’s opener. It would have been nice to win all the races, but Toprak absolutely maximised all he had by finishing a very close third and Mikey rode a controlled race to round off his Yamaha career with a fine fourth. We will make a “shakedown” test tomorrow with Andrea Locatelli, his first laps on the Yamaha R1 superbike, which we are all looking forward to. Everyone connected with this team wishes Michael all the very best for his future, having been such a great asset to the project over the last four years.”
Alvaro Bautista – P5
“The season has been challenging for us, considering we were a new team having to develop a new bike during what has been a shortened championship. We’ve had some good results but there have been teething problems, as you expect with a new project. As for today’s performance, after yesterday’s crash, I wanted to complete the final races of the season without any setbacks. Track conditions were a little trickier today, offering me less rear grip, but I focused on interpreting the track and riding at the limit, without exceeding it of course. In the end, top five is not our target as we want to win, but we have to take the positives when considering the season as a whole. When all is said and done, we have collated a lot of data this year and are very motivated to work hard this winter in order to be more competitive next season.”
Alvaro Bautista
Alvaro Bautista – P7
“Today’s racing was a little more difficult than yesterday. The first half of race 2 was not too bad but some vibration with the bike in the later stages made it hard for me to maintain my pace and hold on to seventh place. In the end, Alvaro and I round out the year with the same points, we’ve learned a lot throughout the season, and I feel we have a clear understanding in terms of the direction we’ll take with winter testing. So it’s been a challenging year, with everything that has happened, but we’re feeling very positive as we move forward. I personally cannot wait to start the winter tests.”
Tom Sykes – P10
“It was a pretty frustrating final weekend. Clearly we have some limitations with the package and saw already at the Barcelona test and here again that we come to a new circuit, arrive at a lap time and try a lot with big changes, we’ve had three different set-ups here this weekend, and we still arrive at that lap time and still have the same issues. The team have work to do and I am definitely looking forward to getting some new components. Now it’s time for closure on this year and hopefully the whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team can make some good steps forward as soon as possible in the winter break.”
Tom Sykes
Eugene Laverty – P12
“This weekend as a whole has been very difficult here at Estoril. From the first practice, it was clear that with so many slow corners it was not suited to our bike, but we never gave up and worked hard. The good thing was that we did make progress in today’s race as our pace was stronger than yesterday’s so we can be satisfied we moved forward. Throughout our season, we made progress, especially in the latter part of the year. Most notable was Magny-Cours with our pole position, but unfortunately the season has been short with only eight rounds as I would have liked to be longer on the bike. The season for us is now over and it’s time for me to start thinking about 2021.”
Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director
“Our results at the Estoril finale were not satisfactory. However, I am glad that we once had a weekend without technical issues and without any crashes. In terms of performance, we are not where we want to be. We are not far off the top five or top six, but we have to work on claiming these results consistently. I would like express my heartfelt thanks to Eugene. It was also a difficult season for him but we have still been able to benefit from his work and made progress with him for example in the electronics area. Now we have to focus on next season. That will start in just a few hours with preparations for tomorrow’s testing. We hope to find those few tenths of a second there that will help us to improve.”
Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty
Shaun Muir – Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“First of all, thanks to Eugene. It’s been a tough year for him and with the season cut short, it made his job even more difficult. We thank him for all his efforts and contributions to the team and wish him good luck for next year wherever he goes. On Tom’s side, this weekend has been a struggle. The grip levels have been difficult for us and it has taken us too long to overcome that and find an optimum setting that works. Finishing 20 seconds off the winner certainly isn’t where we want to be but we got a lot of data to move forward. Our new season starts now and we’ve got to put 2020 behind us for many reasons, Covid, difficult conditions at all rounds, we haven’t scored a podium once this year but, however, we remain confident that we can set the wheels turning very soon with the BMW M 1000 RR and overall, we will push hard to be further up the grid. I think it’s fair to say that it was a challenge for most teams. Congratulations to Kawasaki and Jonathan Rea and let’s hope that next year we can be close to those guys and be on the podium more regularly.”
Jonathan Rea – P14
“I had a great pace in the beginning of the second race. I gambled with a soft front tyre that some others used yesterday and I thought, with nothing to lose, let’s try it. I felt at that point in the race I had a better pace than Toprak, so I decided to try to pass but every time I tried he came around the outside or passed me in T1, where I was not so good. When the gap opened in T3 I put my bike there but there wasn’t much space. He closed the door and I tucked the front. When I got up my bars were pretty bent and the brake lever was bent down but I just wanted to finish the last race of the season. I knew I was not going to score big points but I just crossed my fingers that one of the Kawasaki guys was going to score enough points to retain the Manufacturers’ Championship and with Xavi Fores we did that. Massive thanks – and congratulations – to him. It proves that we still have a very good package with the Ninja ZX-10RR. I think it is a world-leading bike that inspires a lot of confidence. It has been a true big team effort this season. I know all the engineering staff of the factory will be super-proud.”
Final 2020 WorldSBK Championship Standings 1. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Kawasaki (360 points) 2. Scott Redding (GBR) Ducati (305 points) 3. Chaz Davies (GBR) Ducati (273 points)
Alex Lowes – DNF
“A disappointing day obviously, to have two crashes. In the final race of the day I felt really good for the first ten laps in sixth place, and then fifth when unfortunately Johnny fell. I had a good battle with Michael van der Mark. We tried the softer front tyre like Jonathan did but it was completely gone on the right hand side. I slowed the pace to try and manage the tyre and still ended up making a mistake, so this was really upsetting for me. But in general it has been a great year for Jonathan and Kawasaki so well done to them for winning the Riders’ Championship and the Manufacturers’ title. Unfortunately I couldn’t contribute like I wanted but it doesn’t really feel like the end of the season for me because I have a lot of work to do, and we have a test tomorrow. We need to work hard to improve and I am already looking forward to 2021. A massive thank you to all the guys in KRT. It has been a pleasure to join them this year.”
Kenji Nagahara – Managing Director, Kawasaki Motors Europe
“On behalf of Kawasaki Motors Europe, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and every Kawasaki Branch and Private Distributor across Europe I would like to congratulate the teams for winning the Manufacturer’s title. Jonathan is an ideal ambassador for the Kawasaki brand, giving 100% every time he rides his Ninja ZX-10RR on track or when practicing at home in Northern Ireland on his KX450 motocross machine. For someone who lives his life on two wheels, Jonathan has achieved things that many people would think unachievable and that is very closely aligned with the Kawasaki philosophy of making what seems impossible, possible. Kawasaki and Jonathan have dreamed, believed and achieved and the unique achievement of six consecutive WorldSBK titles secures Jonathan a place not just in World Superbike history but as landmark moments in the global Kawasaki story. Congratulations to Jonathan, KRT, and all Kawasaki riders and team staff in the WorldSBK paddock, you have all delivered a truly memorable season in particularly challenging times.”
Kawasaki won the Manufacturers’ Championship to add to the Riders’ Championship win scored by Jonathan Rea on his KRT Ninja ZX-10RR
WorldSBK Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Jonathan Rea
360
2
Scott Redding
305
3
Chaz Davies
273
4
Toprak Razgatlioglu
228
5
Michael Van Der Mark
223
6
Alex Lowes
189
7
Michael Ruben Rinaldi
186
8
Loris Baz
142
9
Alvaro Bautista
113
10
Leon Haslam
113
11
Garrett Gerloff
103
12
Tom Sykes
88
13
Xavi Fores
61
14
Federico Caricasulo
58
15
Eugene Laverty
55
16
Leandro Mercado
24
17
Marco Melandri
23
18
Jonas Folger
19
19
Sandro Cortese
14
20
Sylvain Barrier
12
21
Maximilian Scheib
11
22
Takumi Takahashi
6
23
Matteo Ferrari
5
24
Christophe Ponsson
4
25
Roman Ramos
4
26
Lorenzo Zanetti
3
27
Valentin Debise
2
28
Eric Granado
1
29
Xavier Pinsach
1
WorldSSP
There were 18 laps of drama, action and battles as the FIM Supersport World Championship came to a thrilling conclusion at the Circuito Estoril for the Pirelli Estoril Round. The race was eventually won by Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) despite pressure from, at various points, up to seven other riders throughout the race as the season ended in sensational style.
Andrea Locatelli (BARDHAL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) had started the race from pole position but soon found himself down in fourth place having been jumped on the opening lap by Mahias, teammate Philipp Oettl and Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse); a sense of what was to come throughout the race right from the start.
WorldSSP
Mahias had claimed the lead on the opening lap and looked as if he was going to pull out a gap but the chasing group were able to reel him in after five laps; with the Frenchman losing the lead to teammate Oettl at Turn 1. Mahias was able to fight back a lap later to regain the lead on Lap 6, but Italian De Rosa claimed the lead on Lap 7.
The lead changed once again on Lap 8 as Oettl passed De Rosa at the right-hander of Turn 2, but that would only last another lap as De Rosa reclaimed the lead ahead of Mahias and Oettl, with Locatelli lurking just behind – although the Italian faced pressure from South African Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing). Mahias took the lead with an aggressive move on Lap 9 at Turn 9 on De Rosa, with the battle continuing throughout the race.
De Rosa took the lead of the race at Turn 1 on Lap 14 but was unable to hold it for the rest of the race; Mahias taking the lead on the final lap from teammate Oettl after Oettl had taken the lead on Lap 17. It meant Mahias would take his second victory of the year ahead of Locatelli in second; the 2020 Champion moving ahead of De Rosa by just 0.002s on the line.
Odendaal finished the race ahead of Oettl after the German fell down to fifth in the latter stages of the race, with Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) finishing sixth as he almost pipped Oettl to a top five finish. Oettl’s fifth place was enough to overhaul Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) in the Championship for third place with Cluzel finishing in ninth; Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) in seventh and Estonian Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) in eighth.
British rider Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) secured a top ten finish in the James Toseland-run team with teammate and wildcard Karel Hanika in 11th as the team finished the season with two points finishes. Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) finished in 12th place but was not enough to claim the WorldSSP Challenge title as Kevin Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team) claimed that title despite a 18th place finish.
Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) was 13th with Turkish star Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) in 14th place and Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) completing the points-paying positions with 15th place.
Hikari Okubo (Dynavolt Honda) was an early retirement from the race as he pulled off the track on the opening lap; the Japanese’s rollercoaster season ending in disappointment as he was forced to retire from the race on the opening lap of the race. Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) and Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) were also retirements from the race, Indonesian rider Hendra Pratama crashing out of the race.
P1 Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
“It’s a big emotion for me. It’s my last race in Supersport, I love this category and winning my last race is very good for me. It’s a similar feeling when I won the World Championship. In these conditions, because Magny-Cours was different conditions with the rain and you have the big difference of the rider, but now it’s normal conditions and the long straight. My bike is not very fast in a straight line and I needed a lot of fight. I think it’s the best race of the year! Now I’m ready for the next challenge.”
P2 Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)
“I lost a little bit today as we had a small problem with the electronics on the bike. It’s normal. It’s the first time but I am very happy for the season. Every time we are very confident and very fast. We close with a podium and this is important and for my guys, it’s so good. Now we look forward for the new season.”
P3 Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
“For sure, it’s a nice race. After yesterday, after the crash, my first feeling was very down. Today was not easy to get up. I tried to do my best. This morning, after warm up, the team changed everything on the bike. For the race, I had a completely new bike. I want to say a big thank you to the team. Today, the bike was unbelievable.”
#EstorilWorldSBK at Circuito Estoril – Race 2 1.) Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 2.) Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) +0.886s 3.) Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.888s
WorldSSP Race Two
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
1
L. Mahias
Kawasaki ZX-6R
/
2
A. Locatelli
Yamaha YZF R6
+0.886
3
R. De Rosa
MV Agusta F3 675
+0.888
4
S. Odendaal
Yamaha YZF R6
+1.018
5
P. Oettl
Kawasaki ZX-6R
+1.465
6
I. Vinales
Yamaha YZF R6
+1.670
7
M. Gonzalez
Kawasaki ZX-6R
+3.566
8
H. Soomer
Yamaha YZF R6
+3.576
9
J. Cluzel
Yamaha YZF R6
+4.518
10
D. Webb
Yamaha YZF R6
+11.695
11
K. Hanika
Yamaha YZF R6
+12.553
12
A. Bassani
Yamaha YZF R6
+12.849
13
C. Perolari
Yamaha YZF R6
+15.531
14
C. Oncu
Kawasaki ZX-6R
+15.592
15
A. Verdoia
Yamaha YZF R6
+27.569
16
A. Ruiz Carranza
Yamaha YZF R6
+27.593
17
F. Fuligni
MV Agusta F3 675
+30.338
18
K. Manfredi
Yamaha YZF R6
+30.756
19
G. Van Straalen
Yamaha YZF R6
+38.461
20
P. Hobelsberger
Honda CBR600RR
+47.804
21
V. Falcone
Yamaha YZF R6
+1m16.817
22
V. Da Silva Barros
Yamaha YZF R6
+1 Lap
Not Classified
RET
P. Sebestyen
Yamaha YZF R6
11 Laps
RET
G. Hendra Pratama
Yamaha YZF R6
12 Laps
RET
H. Okubo
Honda CBR600RR
/
2020 FIM Supersport World Championship 1. Andrea Locatelli (ITA) Yamaha (333 points) 2. Lucas Mahias (FRA) Kawasaki (229 points) 3. Philipp Oettl (GER) Kawasaki (162 points)
WorldSSP Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Andrea Locatelli
333
2
Lucas Mahias
229
3
Philipp Oettl
162
4
Jules Cluzel
160
5
Steven Odendaal
136
6
Raffaele De Rosa
135
7
Manuel Gonzalez
126
8
Isaac Vinales
116
9
Hannes Soomer
115
10
Corentin Perolari
110
11
Danny Webb
80
12
Can Alexander Oncu
65
13
Peter Sebestyen
49
14
Kevin Manfredi
39
15
Kyle Smith
36
16
Andy Verdoia
35
17
Axel Bassani
33
18
Federico Fuligni
32
19
Alejandro Ruiz Carranza
25
20
Karel Hanika
16
21
Miquel Pons
16
22
Hikari Okubo
12
23
Loris Cresson
12
24
Galang Hendra Pratama
12
25
Patrick Hobelsberger
6
26
Glenn Van Straalen
4
27
Maria Herrera
2
28
Jaimie Van Sikkelerus
2
29
Luigi Montella
1
WorldSSP300 Race Two
The battle to win the final FIM Supersport 300 World Championship race went down to the line at the Pirelli Estoril Round as Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) claimed his first victory of 2020 after timing the race-winning move to perfection; running second on the run out of the final corner at the Circuito Estoril but using the slipstream to snatch victory from Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo).
WorldSSP300
Meuffels and di Sora were able to break away from the chasing group to make it a two-way battle for the top spot on the rostrum. Di Sora led on the final lap and out of the final corner but was outdragged to the line by Meuffels; the Dutchman’s victory meaning all four MTM Kawasaki riders have claimed victory in 2020. Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) claimed third place as he rounded out the season with another podium, his third podium of the year and his second at Estoril.
Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) had been in the battle for the lead until Lap 7 when he crashed at the final corner and retiring from the race; allowing Meuffels, di Sora and Perez to claim the podium positions. Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) claimed third in the Championship with a fourth-place finish in Race 2, beating Meikon Kawakami (Team Brasil AD 78) by just 0.005s.
Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) finished the race in sixth place as he held off the challenge of polesitter Nick Kalinin (Battley-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki); the Ukrainian finishing in seventh place ahead of Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project). Kalinin was just three tenths away from a podium spot as the season ended in style.
Newly-crowned World Champion Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) battled his way up from 18th place to finishing in ninth, once again showing his strong pace in race situations as he finished almost four tenths clear of Adrian Huertas (ProGP Racing) who rounded out the top ten; holding off the challenge from Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) by 0.050s.
2017 WorldSSP300 Champion Marc Garcia (2R Racing) finished in 12th place as his return ended to the Championship ended with a points finish, ahead of Spanish compatriot Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing). Three Yamaha MS Racing riders rounded out the points-paying positions with Ton Kawakami and Alan Kroh battling it out for 14th and 15th just behind Orradire.
Tom Bercot (ProGP Racing) and Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Machado Came SBK) clashed on Lap 1 at Turn 6 which forced both riders to retire from the race, while Alfonso Coppola (Kawasaki GP Project) retired after an incident with 2020 World Champion Buis. Filippo Rovelli (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) had a crash with Alejandro Carrion (ACCR SMRZ Racing by Blue Garage) at Turn 1 on Lap 3; Rovelli retiring from the race but Carrion was able to carry on. Victor Rodriguez Nuñez (EAB Ten Kate Racing) also retired from the race, along with Booth-Amos. Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) was a late retirement from the race as he crashed out on the final lap of the 10-lap race.
Australian duo Tom Bramich and Tom Edwards finished 19th and 23rd respectively.
P1 Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT)
“This is perfect. It’s so nice to end the year like this, especially yesterday after the second place. I wanted, so badly, to win. I planned the race in my head, I thought about it all night and everything just went perfectly.
P2 Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo)
“It was a very tough rough. The straight here is very long so it’s difficult to make the difference in this part of the circuit. It was a hard battle with Koen and I’m very happy to finish the season like that. We showed everybody our potential and it’s good for next season.”
P3 Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300)
“Today, it was a very hard race. There were a lot of people in the group and all the riders improved their lap times from yesterday, so it was a close race. Finally, I could do a good strategy with the slipstream and I’m so happy to finish the Championship on the podium. It was a really hard season but the team did an incredible job and we were able to finish fifth.”
#EstorilWorldSBK WorldSSP300 at Circuito Estoril – Race 2 1.) Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) 2.) Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) +0.219s 3.) Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) +1.749s
The records and the Championships keep coming for Jonathan Rea (KRT) as he secured his sixth consecutive Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, although the wait will go on for his 100th win as Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) took a stunning victory for the Pirelli Estoril Round at the Circuito Estoril, while challenge Scott Redding (Aruba Ducati) retired from the race with a technical issue.
WorldSBK Race One
Razgatlioglu made a good start from pole position and held first place as he converted his first career pole into his second win of the year; following on from his victory at the season-opening Australian Round. He was joined on the podium with Chaz Davies (Aruba Ducati) and American Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha) as they fought off Rea to secure a podium place.
Rea tussling with Van der Markl
Rea started from the middle of the grid following a crash in the Tissot Superpole session but soon found himself inside the top ten as he gained an impressive eight laps on the opening lap, and quickly improved his position on the follow lap as he passed teammate Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) at Turn 1 to move into the podium places.
Rea, Davies, Gerloff
He moved into second place as he made a move on Gerloff into Turn 1 but the American rookie was able to respond a few laps later, after Davies was able to make a move on Rea to move into second place. Rea and Gerloff engaged in a sensational battle for third during the remainder of the 21-lap race; allowing Razgatlioglu and Davies to pull away at the front as they finished first and second. Gerloff moved ahead at Turn 1 on Lap 14 and started pulling away from Rea as he secured his second career podium.
Rea, Rinaldi, Haslam
Rea finished the race in fourth place as he lost ground to the riders in front of him but had a large margin over fifth-placed Leon Haslam (Team HRC), who battled hard with Alex Lowes (KRT) and Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC); the Spanish rider had been fifth until Lap 20 before he crashed out of the race. Lowes finished in sixth place after being unable to catch Haslam on the last lap.
Davies, Rea
2021 Ducati rider Michael Ruben Rinaldi (GoEleven Ducati) finished in seventh place, just behind the Lowes-Haslam-Bautista battle but unable to take advantage of the trio battling each other, finishing ahead of Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti) in eighth and Frenchman Loris Baz (Ten Kate Yamaha) in ninth.
Rea, Rinaldi, Haslam
Tom Sykes (BMW) completed the top ten with the British rider finishing just behind Baz, but 2.5 seconds clear of Jonas Folger (Bonovo Action MGM) in 11th as the wildcard secured points in his second race of the season, finishing 10 seconds clear of Eugene Laverty (BMW).
Redding, Bautista, Sykes
Argentinean rider Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) finished in the points as he secured a 13th place finish ahead of Takumi Takahashi (MIE Honda) and teammate Eric Granado; the Brazilian finishing in the points in his first WorldSBK appearance of the season. Sheridan Morais (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) finished just outside the points with 16th, with Bautista being classified in 17th place ahead of Loris Cresson (OutDo Kawasaki TPR).
Razgatlioglu, Gerloff
Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha) did not finish the race after he crashed out in the second half of the race, with van der Mark not finishing the race after he came off his bike while battling for the podium. Redding retired from the race with a technical issue on Lap 6, effectively confirming Rea as a six-time World Champion as Redding had to win the race, while Matteo Ferrari (Barni Racing Team) did not finish the race.
WorldSBK Rider Quotes
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P1
“Well, I’m really happy because of qualifying, and getting pole position for the first time – and also I am surprised by the lap time. In the race, I had a really good start, I pushed hard and then I could race alone and control the gap – this is also the first start-to-finish win for me! The Yamaha R1 was really good today, I had a good feeling on the bike and was able to be fast for the first five laps and then ride easy to save the tyre. Thank you to my team, it is nice as well for them to win again. This season, we won the first race and have done it again in the last weekend. In the final races tomorrow I will try to get the victory but it will not be easy, especially in the Superpole Race where all the riders push hard. It is good for me and Yamaha to come back strong in this last race weekend of the season, I hope to do the same tomorrow.”
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu
Chaz Davies – P2
“Unfortunately I was not able to convert the best qualifying of the season with a good start. I immediately found myself in a rather difficult position but from the start, the feeling was excellent. I started to recover positions, chasing Van Der Mark (Yamaha) for the third place in the final standings. After his crash, I pushed even harder to get another podium. It’s a great result and I would like to thank the team for the work we have done in the last two months where we have made great progress. I will be back on track tomorrow with a little less pressure and this could help me to get other important results.”
Chaz Davies
Garrett Gerloff – P3
“I was definitely trying to be on my tiptoes around Jonny, I didn’t want to cause him any problems or anything like that! I am honestly a little frustrated with myself because in the beginning of the race I was making stupid mistakes and riding like an idiot. I’m not normally like that, I’m normally more consistent so I definitely need to work on that for tomorrow. Really happy to be on the podium again for the whole Yamaha crew and the GRT team. It’s been a really cool last few races and to be back on the podium is nice, but it’s not as nice as the first time! I’m going to have to move up some places to make it even sweeter.”
#EstorilWorldSBK at Circuito Estoril – Race 1. 1.) Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) 2.) Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +3.039s 3.) Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) +4.220s
Jonathan Rea – P4
“I have no feeling right now; I cannot even look back. It has been an incredible journey this season. I want to thank WorldSBK, Dorna, all the circuits and organisers to even get racing this year. In the middle of what everyone has experienced in 2020 sport always comes second – but we managed to race. I miss the fans here, I miss not having my family and friends here, and all my travelling support from back home in Northern Ireland; I really miss that. They cannot be here right now but it is for all of them and my Kawasaki Racing Team, for keeping pushing this season. We started behind like last year but never gave up. It has been a hell of a journey and I am so happy.”
Jonathan Rea crowned 2020 WorldSBK Champion
Leon Haslam – P5
“A good result in the end today. I was pleased to be on the front row of the grid but once the race got underway I didn’t have great feeling through the opening laps. I made a few mistakes, even running off track a couple of times which was a little frustrating. But by mid-race I had found good feeling and was able to catch up to both Alvaro and Alex (Lowes). And from there we had a good three-way battle, and ultimately I finished fifth. We made some good steps and were able to maintain strong pace throughout the race and I’m really happy to have another top five finish.”
Leon Haslam
Alex Lowes – P6
“First of all I am so happy for all the Kawasaki guys and Jonathan. For the whole of KRT, and especially for the guys on his side of the garage. It is so hard to win a world championship let alone six in a row, so big respect to them. I am proud to be part of the team and let’s hope next year we can get involved too and make it a bit harder for him. In Superpole I feel like I did not do a very good lap on the qualifying tyre. There are quite a few corners here that you are on the side of the tyre for a long time and with the Q it just upset the front a bit, which I did not expect. In the race I got a good start but I wasn’t fast enough in the first few laps. I got into a battle with the two Hondas and I felt I was faster than those guys but they kept passing me and I would get back onto them, but and then the same thing would happen again. It was a bit of a frustrating race because I could not find my own rhythm. I feel that if I could have done, I could have got away a little bit.”
Tom Sykes – P10
“We got a good start to today’s race one but I just got caught on the outside at T1. We then settled into a good rhythm and it was a shame as P5 was only a few seconds away, but I was at the wrong end of a big group. It’s clear to see that our bike is working really well in some areas, but I was just lacking a little bit today with mechanical grip and engine performance. But it is what is, the game is over for this year and now for me the aim is to get the best results possible and gather the information, blend that together going into the winter test and get to where we need to be next year.”
Tom Sykes
Eugene Laverty – P12
“This track is tough for us in general. These slow first gear corners are just not suited to our bike, but I did what I could today. We were slow but at least we were consistent and kept within three tenths of my lap time from the start. Regardless of that we gained some good information, I played around with my body position to try give the guys some direction to work in so again we will try something else for tomorrow’s final two races. Our problem is that we are struggling to get the bike stopped and have that punch out of the corners. But we have some ideas, it’s not going to be a miracle overnight but we must make progress.”
Eugene Laverty
Alvaro Bautista – P17
“Today I’m a little upset about the fall, really sorry actually, because at that moment I was feeling very good on the bike after making a strong comeback. We improved the race set-up of the bike a little compared to all the previous rounds, especially in terms of the electronics. The only thing is that we tend to identify the set-up a little late. Even today, I had to find all the references again during the race itself because the bike felt different from the practices, though it was better, in that I could push harder. I felt good, I could ride hard, especially when I had a free track ahead after moving up the field. I could lap with pace very close to that of the leaders. It was a shame about the crash at turn six. But we’ll try to take the positives, and make another step forward with the electronics, bearing in mind that tomorrow we have two more opportunities to run good races.”
Scott Redding – DNF
“As I said at the beginning of this weekend, I came to Portugal to give everything. I was the fastest in all the sessions and the feeling with the bike was excellent. Unfortunately, I crashed in Superpole: it was a very strange crash and we will have to understand why. It was a shame that the bike came back to the garage so late. My team did an incredible job but I missed a few more seconds to try at least one time attack. In the race, there was a technical problem but starting from the last position it was really difficult to do something important. I want to congratulate Jonathan. It was a great battle, with a lot of respect. I will try again next season. I know I can do it. I never give up”.
Michael van der Mark – DNF
“I’m really disappointed, we were struggling quite a lot yesterday but this morning we made a good step forward with the bike. In Superpole, I wasn’t completely happy with the lap, but sixth on the grid and only 0.1s from P2 wasn’t so bad. In the race I felt confident with the R1, we changed a few bits so I had to get used to it, but after a couple of laps I started to feel really comfortable. I had quite a good pace, I think I even set the fastest lap time so I was going well and catching Jonathan and Gerloff. I think I was quicker than them but I made a mistake and lost the front going into Turn 7, I’m not really sure why. It’s a shame because we had good pace, we could battle for the podium and it would have been nice to be on there with Toprak – he did a fantastic job. Tomorrow, we will try again and I’m even more determined to finish my four years with Yamaha on the podium.”
Michael van der Mark #60
WorldSBK Race One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
1
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha
/
2
C. Davies
Ducati
+3.039
3
G. Gerloff
Yamaha
+4.220
4
J. Rea
Kawasaki
+9.645
5
L. Haslam
Honda
+15.732
6
A. Lowes
Kawasaki
+15.926
7
M. Rinaldi
Ducati
+16.205
8
X. Fores
Kawasaki
+17.842
9
L. Baz
Yamaha
+18.035
10
T. Sykes
BMW
+18.404
11
J. Folger
Yamaha
+20.834
12
E. Laverty
BMW
+30.026
13
L. Mercado
Ducati
+31.886
14
T. Takahashi
Honda
+47.164
15
E. Granado
Honda
+48.801
16
S. Morais
Kawasaki
+56.970
17
A. Bautista
Honda
+1m32.677
18
L. Cresson
Kawasaki
1 Lap
Not Classified
RET
F. Caricasulo
Yamaha
9 Laps
RET
M. Van Der Mark
Yamaha
14 Laps
RET
S. Redding
Ducati
16 Laps
RET
M. Ferrari
Ducati
19 Laps
WorldSBK Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Jonathan Rea
353
2
Scott Redding
281
3
Chaz Davies
242
4
Michael Van Der Mark
203
5
Toprak Razgatlioglu
200
6
Alex Lowes
189
7
Michael Ruben Rinaldi
175
8
Loris Baz
142
9
Leon Haslam
102
10
Alvaro Bautista
99
11
Garrett Gerloff
94
12
Tom Sykes
82
13
Xavi Fores
53
14
Eugene Laverty
51
15
Federico Caricasulo
51
16
Marco Melandri
23
17
Leandro Mercado
21
18
Sandro Cortese
14
19
Jonas Folger
14
20
Sylvain Barrier
12
21
Maximilian Scheib
11
22
Takumi Takahashi
6
23
Christophe Ponsson
4
24
Roman Ramos
4
25
Matteo Ferrari
4
26
Lorenzo Zanetti
3
27
Valentin Debise
2
28
Eric Granado
1
29
Xavier Pinsach
1
World Supersport
There was plenty of action across Race 1 at the Pirelli Estoril Round for the FIM Supersport World Championship as Andrea Locatelli (BARADHAL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) claimed victory at the Circuito Estoril in a Red Flagged and restarted race in Portugal, with the second part of the race reduced to 12 laps.
FIM Supersport World Championship
The race was Red Flagged on Lap 3 when Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) crashed at Turn 13, the final corner at the Circuito Estoril, spraying gravel onto the track. The Red Flag was shown in order to give marshals a chance to clear the stones from the tarmac, with the new grid set by positions at the last timing point before the Red Flag was deployed.
FIM Supersport World Championship
The restarted race started dramatically when Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) collided at Turn 2 on Lap 1; with de Rosa retiring from the race on the spot while Mahias was able to return to the pitlane with his Kawasaki machine. It meant Locatelli was able to move clear at the front of the field to take victory; his 12th of the season after 14 races in 2020.
Italian rider Locatelli was joined on the podium by Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) as the German continued his impressive rookie season with his fourth podium of the season and his best result of 2020, having finished third on three occasions, while Estonian Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) took his third podium of the season and his third in a row.
There was a titanic four-way battle for fourth place that was won by Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing), finishing 1.5s clear of South African rider Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing). Odendaal fended off the challenge of Turkish star Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) and Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team); 2019 WorldSSP300 Champion Gonzalez finishing just 0.007s behind Öncü as they crossed the line.
Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) finished in eighth place as the highest-placed WorldSSP Challenge rider as he looks to snatch the title away from Kevin Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team); the Italian down in 14th place. Jules Cluzel’s (GMT94 Yamaha) return from injury culminated in points with ninth place, finishing ahead of teammate Corentin Perolari who completed the top ten.
Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) battled from the back of the grid in the restarted race after crashing at Turn 3 in the first part to finish in 11th place, holding off Hikari Okubo (Dynavolt Honda) who came home in 12th. Federico Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Manfredi and Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) completed the points in Race 1; with Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) just missing out on points with 16th place.
Glenn van Straalen (MPM Routz Racing Team) finished in 17th place with Patrick Hoblesberger (Dynavolt Honda) and Vincent Falcone (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) the last of the classified runners. Alejandro Ruiz Carranza (EMPERADOR Racing Team), De Rosa, Mahias and Victor Alexandre Da Silva Barros (Palkalgar Yamaha – Evan Bros), the first Angolan rider in WorldSSP, did not finish the race.
P1 Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)
“Another victory! Today was not so easy and the conditions here were a little bit crazy with the wind. We are stronger when it is time to race, we are ready, and this is important. Now we are working a little bit for tomorrow, but I am confident I can make another victory and I will try for this.”
P2 Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
“I’m really happy about this result. It as a really up and down race. I tried to close the gap to Andrea, but it was not possible. The track conditions were quite slippery and the front was sliding away all the time and also the rear was difficult to control and I tried my best to stay on the bike and take as many points as possible and now I’m really happy. The team did an amazing job from yesterday to today. It was an amazing race.”
P3 Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing)
“We had quite good speed, but I messed up the Superpole so had a really bad starting position. I had a good start and I could almost stay with Andrea. Unfortunately, there is the last sector where I am not so strong, but we will try to fix it for tomorrow and maybe we can fight for the victory.”
#EstorilWorldSBK WorldSSP at Circuito Estoril – Race 1 1.) Andrea Locatelli (BARDHAL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) 2.) Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +1.591s 3.) Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) +1.968s
World Supersport Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
1
A. Locatelli
Yamaha
/
2
R. De Rosa
MV Agusta
+0.443
3
L. Mahias
Kawasaki
+1.106
4
P. Oettl
Kawasaki
+1.415
5
M. Gonzalez
Kawasaki
+2.259
6
I. Vinales
Yamaha
+2.685
7
H. Soomer
Yamaha
+2.998
8
S. Odendaal
Yamaha
+3.912
9
J. Cluzel
Yamaha
+4.346
10
C. Perolari
Yamaha
+5.525
11
C. Oncu
Kawasaki
+6.323
12
A. Bassani
Yamaha
+6.966
13
H. Okubo
Honda
+10.450
14
K. Manfredi
Yamaha
+10.702
15
G. Hendra Pratama
Yamaha
+11.060
16
A. Verdoia
Yamaha
+11.139
17
A. Ruiz Carranza
Yamaha
+11.471
18
F. Fuligni
MV Agusta
+12.008
19
G. Van Straalen
Yamaha
+13.226
20
P. Hobelsberger
Honda
+13.743
21
V. Falcone
Yamaha
1 Sec
22
V. Da Silva Barros
Yamaha
1 Sec
23
D. Webb
Yamaha
2 Sec
Not Classified
RET
P. Sebestyen
Yamaha
DNF
RET
K. Hanika
Yamaha
DNF
World Supersport Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Andrea Locatelli
313
2
Lucas Mahias
204
3
Jules Cluzel
153
4
Philipp Oettl
151
5
Steven Odendaal
123
6
Raffaele De Rosa
119
7
Manuel Gonzalez
117
8
Hannes Soomer
107
9
Corentin Perolari
107
10
Isaac Vinales
106
11
Danny Webb
74
12
Can Alexander Oncu
63
13
Peter Sebestyen
49
14
Kevin Manfredi
39
15
Kyle Smith
36
16
Andy Verdoia
34
17
Federico Fuligni
32
18
Axel Bassani
29
19
Alejandro Ruiz Carranza
25
20
Miquel Pons
16
21
Hikari Okubo
12
22
Loris Cresson
12
23
Galang Hendra Pratama
12
24
Karel Hanika
11
25
Patrick Hobelsberger
6
26
Glenn Van Straalen
4
27
Maria Herrera
2
28
Jaimie Van Sikkelerus
2
29
Luigi Montella
1
World Supersport 300
Action all the way through the race was the story of the day in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship as the World Championship was decided in Race 1 of the Pirelli Estoril Round at the Circuito Estoril as Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) took the Riders’ Championship as he finished in sixth place as Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) won the race.
FIM Supersport 300 World Championship
There was drama from the start as Alfonso Coppola (Kawasaki GP Project), Hugo de Cancellis (Team TRASIMENO) and Thomas Brianti (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) all crashed out in the same incident while Filippo Rovelli (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) pulled up with mechanical issues on the opening lap. De Cancellis was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the incident and later declared unfit with a facial trauma, a deep wound to his third finger on the left hand and a right thigh contusion.
A four-way battle for the lead broke out as Perez claimed the victory by just 0.013s ahead of Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) and Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) in third; Booth-Amos just 0.055s away from taking another win in the 2020 season. Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) finished in fourth place as part of that battle, two tenths back from Booth-Amos. Perez’s winning margin of 0.013s was the second-closest victory of all time in WorldSSP300, and it was the third-closest podium finish of all-time.
Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) leading
Victor Rodriguez Nuñez (EAB Ten Kate Racing) finished in fourth place as he held off a five-way battle for fifth place including the two Championship contenders, with Buis finishing in sixth place and Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) in seventh; Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT), who had looked like taking the Championship battle to the final race, finished in eighth. Buis finishing ahead of Deroue meant the teenager claimed his first World Championship and became the first non-Spanish Champion in WorldSSP300. Buis beat Deroue on a race to the line with the smallest margin separating the two teammates.
Meikon Kawakami (Team Brasil AD 78) finished just two tenths away from Rodriguez Nuñez but was down in ninth place, half a second away from his brother, Ton Kawakami (Yamaha MS Racing), who rounded out the top ten. Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) finished in 11th place, ahead of Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT).
Jeffrey Buis – FIM Supersport 300 World Champion
Marc Garcia (2R Racing) finished in 13th place ahead of ahead of Turkish star Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) in 14th and Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Machado Came SBK) completing the points-paying positions; fellow Spanish rider Adrian Huertas (ProGP Racing) missing out on points by less than half a tenth of a second.
Jeffrey Buis – FIM Supersport 300 World Champion
Tom Bramich (Carl Cox-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) and Tom Edwards (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) did not finish the race after suffering issues throughout the 10-lap contest, while Petr Svoboda (WRP Wepol Racing) crashed on Lap 6 of the race which forced him out of the battle.
Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) and polesitter Nick Kalinin (Battley-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) racing collided at the chicane in the latter stages of the race but both were able to get up of their own accord following the incident, although both were forced to retire. Alejandro Carrion (ACCR Smrz Racing by Blue Garage) retired from the race following his trip through the gravel at Turn 1.
P1 Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300)
“This is an unbelievable feeling after one and a half years struggling a lot where I had really bad luck. I am back on the podium and also winning is very nice. The team did an incredible job and I am so happy. Tomorrow we have to go for another win!”
P2 Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT)
“I’m really happy with this podium especially after the bad luck we had during the last races. It was a tough race but a fair fight but now I am focussed on tomorrow to end the season strongly.”
P3 Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki)
“It was not an easy race. Starting from ninth, it’s always going to be difficult. I would be lying if I said I’m not disappointed to win it. I felt like I had the race under control, but I made a little mistake at the chicane on the last lap and I guess the guys behind me had enough to slipstream me to the line. I’m a little bit disappointed but we’ve got some things to work on to fix for tomorrow. Happy to be back on the podium after a while.”
#EstorilWorldSBK WorldSSP300 at Circuito Estoril – Race 1 1.) Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) 2.) Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) +0.013s 3.) Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) +0.055s
For the first time in 27 years, the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship took to the track at the Circuito Estoril with two Free Practice sessions and it was Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) who topped the combined time-sheets as he used his experienced at the Portuguese circuit to his advantage in the early stages of the Pirelli Estoril Round.
Scott Redding – P1
“I am satisfied with what we have done today. In the afternoon we tried some solutions but they didn’t work as we hoped so we went back to the morning set up. The new circuit? It’s a normal situation this season. I could say that this weekend the other riders will also try this kind of experience that has been a constant for me throughout most of the season. My target for tomorrow? A good qualifying will be crucial for all races“.
Scott Redding
Redding had set the pace in the morning Free Practice 1 session and backed that up with the fastest time in Free Practice 2, posting a 1’36.886s in the last few seconds of the second session to pip Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA Yamaha ) to top spot; the Turkish rider finishing the day in second place. Frenchman Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) showed strong pace throughout the day and finished in third place despite a crash in Free Practice 2.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P2
“Today was my birthday but also I am happy with how it has gone at this new track. I have always liked the look of the circuit, but I’ve never ridden it! I like it because of the very hard braking layout and the flowing corners. Today we finished in second position, and I am really pleased to start this last race weekend of 2020 like this because I want to finish the season well – and I also need to score a podium again! We will keep working on some small areas to improve the feeling and, with it, the lap time. It feels good now, but we need to find a little bit extra for better turning and grip to improve the final result.”
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu
Baz went into Turn 1 as he tried to find the limit but lost the front end of his bike and was unable to bring the bike back to the garage himself after damaging a water hose on his Yamaha. The Ten Kate Racing team were able to repair his bike and the French rider returned to the track with around 10 minutes left in the session.
Loris Baz
Five-time World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) put in the fourth best time of the day as he looks to secure both his 100th win and six title across the Estoril Round weekend, edging out team-mate Alex Lowes by just a tenth of a second. American star Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) was sixth fastest despite an off in the second session; the third Yamaha rider in the top six of the combined times.
Jonathan Rea – P4
“The track is really nice; a big challenge because there are a lot of technical aspects. It is enjoyable and fun to ride. It is also quite ‘busy’ to ride on a more than 200 horsepower WorldSBK bike. It is day one and honestly I am still leaning the way around. Even in the last laps I felt I was doing different things on the bike and trying to understand the best way to attack it. We understood two rear tyre options and the track layout a little bit and we now need to improve the bike set-up for Saturday, especially during trail braking. My rhythm with used tyres is very strong so if I can find just a little bit more performance I can fight for the podium, and possibly even better. That is the target. I will try to forget about the championship as I have three chances to wrap that up but we are in a good position because in FP2 I felt a lot better than in FP1. Even on old tyres I set my fastest lap. All good for the opening day.”
Jonathan Rea
Alex Lowes – P5
“I like the layout here. It is quite a small track, the sections are all inside each other and the surface is quite good. I heard some reports that the track was quite bumpy, and there are corners with some bumps, but honestly it is not bad. To go to a new track is always good fun. It is a little bit different, and I am not sure which other circuit I can compare it to. It is a lot tighter and smaller than I expected but I enjoyed riding the track for the first time. I feel OK on the bike but we do not really know how things will turn out yet until we can get in a few more sessions and everything settles down a little bit more. I enjoyed it today.”
Alex Lowes
Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) finished the day in seventh places, less than a second away from team-mate Redding at the front of the field as he beat wildcard Jonas Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing) by just 0.002s; Folger making his second appearance of the season as a wildcard. He was around a tenth faster than Michael van der Mark (PATA Yamaha) and Leon Haslam (Team HRC), who completed the top ten.
Chaz Davies – P7
“All in all, things didn’t go wrong today. I raced here 15 years ago in the 250cc Championship but it is clear that the conditions with the Superbike are completely different. That’s why in Fp1 I tried to get familiar with the circuit to understand where it will be possible to attack and where it will be necessary to manage the tyres. In the FP2 the situation has improved but we will still have to work on the setup and electronics to take the step forward that we need to be competitive tomorrow“.
Chaz Davies
Michael van der Mark – P9
“It’s been a difficult day for us, obviously it’s a new track and this morning I had to try out some different gearing and find a good set-up, which isn’t that easy. We’re struggling quite a lot with the balance and the turning. I thought in the afternoon we could make a good step forward, but we are still not where we need it to be. We have quite a lot of work to do for tomorrow, the differences are really small but I feel like we have to make a big step in set-up so we can improve our potential result.”
Leon Haslam – P10
“Things went a better this afternoon I’d say. We have taken some small steps forward with the electronics and worked with a different tyre, the soft solution, which I felt was more effective. We’re not so far away from where we need to be, less than a tenth off through the first sectors in fact, but we’re losing a little time through the final sectors, so we need to analyse that and see what we can do to improve in that area tomorrow.”
Leon Haslam
Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) finished the day in 11th place as the Spanish rider looks to bounce back from a challenging Magny-Cours weekend; but the Spanish rider crashed in Free Practice 2 at Turn 7.
Alvaro Bautista – P11
“Today has provided us with track references for the CBR. This morning we had some problems with rear grip and having tried different solutions, we improved a little bit but not enough. In the afternoon we took a step forward with the electronics. We also used the SC0 Pirelli tyre for almost the entire second session. It’s not my usual favourite but I didn’t feel bad. For the last run, to make a direct comparison, we went back to the SCX, the tyre I usually feel better with, and I was actually making a good lap but then I fell in the third sector. I think we could have shaved off a few tenths because I felt like I had better contact, especially through the “esses”. Not a bad day anyway, and we will try to use all the information we gathered to further improve tomorrow.”
Alvaro Bautista
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was in 12th place, ahead of Ducati-bound Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) in 13th.
Tom Sykes – P12
“It’s early days. It is my first time at this track and I don’t want to be pushing the boundaries but gather relevant information. I certainly enjoy the track. It is a fantastic layout. I am just getting to know my way around the Estoril circuit and I have to say it’s just such a good and enjoyable place to ride. We’ve had a couple of little experiments today; we’ve tried the combination of the set-up with the tyres, we’ve gathered a lot of information and of the back of this, I have to be quite happy. Looking at the times, it seems at the moment that the V-configuration, the cross-plane cranks have a little bit of an advantage with the circuit layout and what grip it has to offer. So, we will have a good sit-down now and see if we can try and eat into this deficit that we’ve got. For now, it’s just day one and tomorrow, we will try to put the pieces in the jigsaw together.”
Spanish rider Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 14th as he marks his last weekend with the Kawasaki Puccetti outfit, finishing a tenth ahead of Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance). Italian Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) was 16th, ahead of the returning Matteo Ferrari (Barni Racing Team) in 17th and Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in 18th.
Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing), Eric Granado (MIE Racing HONDA Team), Sheridan Morais (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura), Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing HONDA Team) and Loris Cresson (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) rounded out the field; Granado, Morais and Cresson making their first WorldSBK appearance of the season.
WorldSBK Friday Combined Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
S. Redding
Ducati
1m36.886
2
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha
+0.089
3
L. Baz
Yamaha
+0.198
4
J. Rea
Kawasaki
+0.557
5
A. Lowes
Kawasaki
+0.677
6
G. Gerloff
Yamaha
+0.720
7
C. Davies
Ducati
+0.740
8
J. Folger
Yamaha
+0.742
9
M. Van Der Mark
Yamaha
+0.889
10
L. Haslam
Honda
+0.997
11
A. Bautista
Honda
+1.028
12
T. Sykes
BMW
+1.050
13
M. Rinaldi
Ducati
+1.355
14
X. Fores
Kawasaki
+1.380
15
S. Barrier
Ducati
+1.489
16
F. Caricasulo
Yamaha
+1.629
17
M. Ferrari
Ducati
+1.880
18
E. Laverty
BMW
+2.039
19
L. Mercado
Ducati
+2.215
20
E. Granado
Honda
+2.440
21
S. Morais
Kawasaki
+2.822
22
T. Takahashi
Honda
+2.901
23
L. Cresson
Kawasaki
+5.797
World Supersport
The FIM Supersport World Championship arrived at the Circuito Estoril for the season finale with two practice sessions throughout Friday with Italian rider Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) topping the times in the combined classification by almost two-tenths.
De Rosa had been strong in the morning Free Practice 1 session with third place and built on that throughout the second session as he became one of only two riders to lap the circuit in under 1’41. The Italian’s time of 1’40.745s was enough to beat Estonian rider Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) by half a tenth as WorldSBK-bound Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished the day in third place; with three manufacturers completing the top three as MV Agusta led Yamaha and Kawasaki.
Spanish rider Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) completed a strong day for the Kallio Racing outfit in fourth place, despite a crash in this morning’s session, as both Viñales and Soomer finished inside the top four, with South African Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) in fifth place and Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) in sixth; Cluzel returning to action for the first time since being injured earlier in the season in a crash at MotorLand Aragon.
Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) found himself well inside the top ten after a strong showing from the Hungarian rider put him seventh overall, ahead of 2020 WorldSSP Champion and 2021 factory Yamaha rider Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) in eighth with Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in ninth; the German rider just one of two who were unable to improve their time in the second practice session.
Czech wildcard Karel Hanika (WRP Wepol Racing) finished the day in 10th place with Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) in 11th; Perolari crashing at Turn 7 during the second Free Practice session. Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) was in 12th place ahead of lead WorldSSP Challenge rider Kevin Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team); Manfredi can win the WorldSSP Challenge title this weekend. Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) was 14th fastest overall after not improving his time during Free Practice 2 while Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) completed the top 15 after suffering a crash of his own during the second session.
WorldSSP Friday Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
L. Mahias
Kawasaki
1m41.193
2
I. Vinales
Yamaha
+0.054
3
R. De Rosa
Mv Agusta
+0.115
4
P. Oettl
Kawasaki
+0.283
5
C. Perolari
Yamaha
+0.540
6
C. Oncu
Kawasaki
+0.600
7
H. Soomer
Yamaha
+0.708
8
A. Locatelli
Yamaha
+0.754
9
J. Cluzel
Yamaha
+0.771
10
S. Odendaal
Yamaha
+0.944
11
D. Webb
Yamaha
+0.952
12
K. Hanika
Yamaha
+1.180
13
M. Gonzalez
Kawasaki
+1.539
14
A. Bassani
Yamaha
+1.577
15
P. Sebestyen
Yamaha
+1.693
16
A. Verdoia
Yamaha
+1.883
17
H. Okubo
Honda
+1.892
18
A. Ruiz Carranza
Yamaha
+2.098
19
K. Manfredi
Yamaha
+2.438
20
22 F. Fuligni
Mv Agusta
+2.748
21
52 P. Hobelsberger
Honda
+3.308
22
9 G. Hendra Pratama
Yamaha
+4.212
23
30 G. Van Straalen
Yamaha
+4.579
24
21 V. Falcone
Yamaha
+4.782
25
28 V. Da Silva Barros
Yamaha
+5.953
WorldSSP300
There was no shortage of action during the two Free Practice sessions for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship on Friday as Italian rider Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) set the pace at the Championship’s first ever visit to the Circuito Estoril as the season-closing Pirelli Estoril Round got underway with the Riders’ Championship still up for grabs.
Ieraci’s time of 1’51.514 from Free Practice 2 was enough to set the fastest time of the day as the Italian struck first ahead of two races across the Estoril Round, hoping he can end the season strongly. He finished ahead of Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) in second place as the Spanish rider showed strong pace, finishing ahead of Ukraine’s Nick Kalinin (Battley-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) who demonstrated impressive Friday pace.
Marc Garcia (2R Racing) finished the day fourth in the standings as he continued his impressive return to the Championship he won in 2017; finishing just ahead of Alvaro Diaz (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) and Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki); the top six separated by eight tenths of a second.
Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) was seventh overall after the two practice sessions on Friday, finishing 0.064s away from Booth-Amos to show just how competitive the Championship is. In eighth was Alejandro Carrion (ACCR Smrz Racing by Blue Garage) as the Spanish rider showed strong pace, ahead of Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Machado Came SBK) and Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) who completed the top ten.
Championship leader Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) finished the day in 15th place, over a second away from Ieraci’s time, with Championship leader and Deroue’s teammate Jeffrey Buis in 18th place; Buis leads Deroue by 28 points heading into the two final races of the season and will be looking to move up the order as the weekend progresses.
Luca de Vleeschauwer (RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) suffered a nasty highside crash as he went through the final corner at the Circuito Estoril with the Belgian unable to take any further part in the session; he was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash, before being declared fit. The Belgian rider finished the day in 33rd place following the crash. Sylvain Markarian (Yamaha MS Racing) and teammate Ton Kawakami both crashed out in the second Free Practice session with both able to get back to their feet following the crash; Markarian finishing the day in 44th place while Kawakami was 25th.
Tom Edwards was the leading Aussie in 20th with countryman Tom Bramich 28th.
