Prado wins MX2 as Australia’s Evans secures top 10 result.
Image: Supplied.
Tim Gajser (Honda HRC) has earned his first victory of the season at Trentino’s fourth round of the 2019 MXGP World Championship in Italy.
The former world champion lodged a dominant 1-1 scorecard to defeat nine-time world champion and points leader Antonio Cairoli (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who wound up with a pair of second place finishes.
Gautier Paulin (Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha) closed out the podium in third, while Arnaud Tonus (Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha) and Ivo Monticelli (KTM) completed the first five.
In the MX2 category, reigning champion Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) reigned supreme with a pair of race wins, edging out Jago Geerts (Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha Official MX2) and teammate Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) on the podium.
Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Ben Watson was fourth ahead of points leader Thomas Kjer Olsen (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing), while Australians Mitch Evans (Team Honda 114 Motorsports) and Jed Beaton (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) concluded the day in positions seven and 12.
Fellow Australian Caleb Grothues (SDM Yamaha) contesting the EMX250 category of the European Motocross Championship was unable to qualify for both motos. The MXGP World Championship will head back to Italy on 12 May for the MXGP of Lombardia.
The bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup head to Broadford for Round 2 over the weekend, with Carter Thompson winning the round on a countback following three races. Carter Thompson, Agus Grenfell and Tom Drane all finished the weekend on 56-points, with Marianos Nikolis and Jacob Roulstone completing the top five, both on 42 points.
Carter Thompson, Angus Grenfell and Tom Drane claim top honours at Round 2
Saturday kicked off with Cros Francis topping qualifying with a 1:12.029 enough for pole, while Kiwi Cormac Buchanan and Jacob Roulstone completed the front row. Angus Grenfell head the second row from Carter Thompson and Jacob Hatch.
Oceania Junior Cup Race 1
Race 1 on Saturday saw Roulstone emerge in first position followed by Grenfell from the start, as Thompson made up two places to slot into third. Francis couldn’t capitalise on his pole position as he was bundled back to fourth, but in a perfect example of the hard-fought nature of the Oceania Junior Cup Francis had catapulted to the lead by the end of the second lap. Tom Drane also made his way up to the lead group of six.
Jacob Roulstone
The field largely held station until lap four where the arguing over the lead began, with the lead group of six going hammer-and-tongs into turns one and two, each rider fighting to be last of the late-brakers.
Jacob Roulstone, Cormac Buchanan and Angus Grenfell
Lap six and Wakefield Park winner Thompson had really hit his straps, passing Grenfell for the lead. The racing was tight right down through the order, with the field splitting into three major ‘trains’ of riders. The top six were really showing their class as the leaders built up a ten second lead from the chasing field.
Carter Thompson
As the leaders reached for the finish line the lead group of six was covered by just over half a second, with Drane taking the honours from Francis who backed up his overall second place from Wakefield Park admirably.
Glenn Nelson and Jacob Roulstone
Roulstone finished fourth and Thompson, looking dangerous in the closing laps, was bundled back to fifth. Glenn Nelson rounded out the top six.
Cros Francis
Race 1 Top 10
Tom DRANE
Cros Francis
Angus GRENFELL
Jacob ROULSTONE
Carter THOMPSON
Glenn NELSON
Jacob HATCH
Marianos NIKOLIS
Alex KENWORTHY-JONES
Zak PETTENDY
Oceania Junior Cup Race 2
The opening race of Sunday closely mirrored the day before, with a number of ‘trains’ forming and competition fierce all the way up and down the field. A lead group of four emerged off the start, with Jacob Roulstone, Cros Francis, Grenfell, and Glenn Nelson battling for the lead through most of the race.
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup at Broadford
The chasing pack was led by Saturday winner Tom Drane who settled into fifth off the start, ahead of Cormac Buchanan and Alex Kenworthy-Jones. By lap six Drane had broken away from the second group and was looking to tag onto the back of the leaders, building a gap over the chasing pack now led by Thompson.
Jacob Roulstone, Cormac Buchanan and Angus Grenfell
At the finish it was Roulstone a mere fifteen hundredths ahead of Francis, still looking for his maiden victory in the Oceania Junior Cup despite a second place overall at Wakefield Park. Grenfell also reprised his third place from Race 1, finishing three tenths off the win to round out the podium.
Angus Grenfell
Glenn Nelson in fourth just missed out on the podium by under a tenth of a second, while Drane in fifth couldn’t quite bridge the gap to the leaders by the time the chequered flag came out. Thompson led the rest of the field home in sixth, more than four seconds further back.
Cros Francis and Jacob Roulstone
Race 2 Top 10
Jacob Roulstone
Cros Francis +0.156
Angus Grenfell +0.312
Glenn Nelson +0.388
Tom Drane +0.708
Carter Thompson +5.515
Cormac Buchanan +5.675
Alex Kenworthy-Jones +5.981
Marianos Nikolas +6.335
Reece Oughtred +6.617
Oceania Junior Cup Race 3
Roulstone once again decided to put his stamp on the race early, leading the field across the line to begin lap one, with Buchanan in second and Grenfell completing the leading group of three, with Drane, Reece Oughtred and Nelson pursuing a second further back.
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Race 3
Buchanan’s running at the front didn’t last long, unfortunately, as he fell at turn two on lap two, bringing out the red flag.
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
The race was subsequently shortened from twelve to ten laps and the field lined up again to take the restart. After the restart Grenfell took the lead ahead of Nelson. Francis was the big benefactor from the red flag, making his way back to third ahead of Roulstone and Oughtred.
Reece Oughtred
The battle at the front of the field raged intensely as the riders tried to make the most of their second-chance opening laps, with the lead group expanding to include almost half the field in the first four laps. When the action did settle down a little, Roulstone worked his way back to the front, with Nelson hot on his heels. Francis managed to hold down third from Oughtred and Thompson.
Glenn Nelson
Lap six and the field had bunched back up at the front with Thompson overtaking for the lead ahead of Nelson, and Oughtred finding his way past Francis. Roulstone was back in fifth and Grenfell in sixth. Race 1 winner Drane was stuck back in ninth.
Jacob Roulstone
On lap nine the riders made their way down through the esses on the approach to the penultimate corner, and in the squeeze Francis and Thompson appeared to make contact.
Jacob Roulstone, Cormac Buchanan and Angus Grenfell
Francis was sent into a low-side and in the following chain reaction Roulstone and Nelson also crashed. The red flag went out once again and the race was declared, with Thompson awarded the victory ahead of Grenfell, Oughtred, Marianos Nikolis, Archie McDonald, and Drane.
Nelson, Roulstone and Francis were all involved in the Race 3 crash
Race 3 Top 10
Carter Thompson
Angus Grenfell +0.235
Reece Oughtred +0.468
Marianos Nikolas +1.089
Archie McDonald +1.134
Tom Drane +1.559
Max Gibbons +12.020
Jai Russo +12.090
Hunter Diplock +12.208
Zakary Pettendy +12.559
Carter Thompson, Angus Grenfell and Tom Drane on the Round 2 podium
Oceania Junior Cup Round 2 Overall Top 10
Carter THOMPSON – 56
Angus GRENFELL – 56
Tom DRANE – 56
Marianos NIKOLIS – 42
Jacob ROULSTONE – 42
Cros FRANCIS – 40
Reece OUGHTRED – 39
Archie McDONALD – 34
Alex KENWORTHY-JONES – 33
Glenn NELSON – 32
Round 3 of the 2019 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup takes place at Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick, Queensland, 5-7 July 2019.
Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker claimed his third world title, with the 2019 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship crown his following the final round in Bilbao, Spain, where his main competition Cody Webb was able to claim the round win but not the title.
Colton Haaker – Image by Future7Media
The Maxxis FIM SuperEnduro World Champion was actually decided in the final seconds of the final race, making for an exciting if contentious end to the 2019 season. A few corners from the end of the race, with Webb on course to win his second race of the night, Haaker made another mistake and lost positions, leaving Webb with enough points to win the 2019 title.
However Alfredo Gomez, teammate of Haaker, played a considerable role in the outcome of the season. The Spanish rider, playing to team orders, allowed Colton Haaker to finish third in the final, claiming the SuperEnduro World Championship title he had worked hard towards all year. Gomez was later disqualified for this action, although it was not explicitly against the rules. In a final shocking twist, Haaker suffered a huge crash over the finish line and lost consciousness, waking to find his team around him, congratulating him.
Colton Haaker – Image by Future7Media
Colton Haaker – 2019 SuperEnduro World Champ
“I’m a little bit lost for words right now, it’s been an eventful night but to end it as the world champion is an incredible feeling. I can’t thank the guys at Husqvarna enough for the support they’ve given me, not just tonight but throughout the entire series. This title is very much a team effort as it is mine. Tonight was tough. I’m not quite sure yet what it was but it certainly wasn’t my best night on a bike. The track wasn’t good and I had some serious arm pump issues, which is something I never really get. I made so many mistakes in race one and was riding too tight. Then I got it together in race two and felt more like I should. It was all on the line for the final and I did what I needed to do on the first few laps. But then the arm pump kicked in again and I stalled my bike so many times. With about a lap to go I got things together again and put everything I had left into that lap and won the title. It wasn’t pretty, but it doesn’t matter, we’re world champions and it feels awesome.”
Colton Haaker – Image by Future7Media
SuperEnduro Round 5 – Bilbao, Spain
Entering the closing round of the series as the championship leader, Colton Haaker held a 12-point advantage over his closest rival, with just three races and superpole points remaining in the 2019 championship. Although feeling unsettled on the extremely slippery and inconsistent course, Haaker still managed to power his FX 350 to the second fastest time in superpole, securing two valuable points.
Colton Haaker – Image by Future7Media
In the opening race, a run of mistakes put the Husqvarna rider on the back foot early on. Finding his rhythm as the race progressed, Haaker worked his way up the leader board to secure a third-place finish. With the start order reversed for race two, he put in his best ride of the night, quickly taking control of the lead. Controlling the pace up front, he rode clear to claim victory.
With the outcome of this year’s championship fight coming down to the final moto, Haaker held the point’s advantage as they lined up at the start. A strong opening lap put him right where he needed to be, but a series of errors dramatically saw him slip back down the leader board. Putting in a fighting final lap, Haaker rode his way back into contention with help from Gomez and clinched the 2019 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship.
Colton Haaker – Image by Future7Media
On the tight and extremely technical track in the Bizkaia Arena, defending SuperEnduro champ Cody Webb put in a superb performance to take the overall round win meanwhile.
Cody got his night off to the perfect start by posting the fastest time in the Superpole qualification lap, earning himself first gate pick and three valuable championship points in the process. With the first final restarted following a problem with the track, which caused the initial running to be red flagged, Cody tamed the tight, log-strewn course to claim his first win of the night.
In the reverse-grid second final, traffic was once again an issue. Nevertheless, Webb deftly made his way through the pack to take second place and with it a chance of fighting for the title in the third heat.
Cody Webb – Image by Future7Media
After the gate dropped for the final race of the night, Webb immediately made his way to the front of the field and began to stretch the gap over the second-placed competitor. Riding consistently and without mistakes, Cody crossed the line comfortably ahead of second-placed Blazusiak.
Unfortunately, despite his dominant performance in the race and on the night, Cody’s points haul wasn’t enough to claim the 2019 championship title – placing just four points behind at the end of the five rounds.
Cody Webb
“Obviously I’m disappointed with the final championship result tonight, I felt I rode really good out there today and deserved the title. The night started off well with a good time in superpole and then in the restarted first final I took my time, rode smooth and took the win by a good margin. I am kicking myself now for the mistakes I made in the second final, I got caught up in traffic a few times, but still got second – I knew then I would have to really go for it in the last one. I got off the line well in the third final and set about catching Colton. After I got past him, I just stayed smooth and could see he was struggling. I’m happy because I did my best, won that third final and believe the championship should have been mine. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but I’ll learn from it, and come back even stronger next time.”
Cody Webb – Image by Future7Media
Also enjoying a strong night in Spain, multiple SuperEnduro World Champion Taddy Blazusiak claimed top-three positions in all of the night’s three finals with two runner-up and one third place finish. At the close of racing, the popular Polish rider missed out on the overall runner-up spot by just two points.
Coming into the final round 27 points down meant challenging for the SuperEnduro title was always a longshot, but Taddy continued to fight right to the final corner. Blazusiak ultimately placed third in the championship with a sizeable 79-point advantage over the fourth-placed finisher.
Taddy Blazusiak
“This was always going to be a tough one. I am happy with how I rode today and feel I did a good job. My pace over the whole season has been good, there have just been a few instances where luck simply hasn’t been on our side. I have had some amazing events this year, I obviously still have the speed – overall race wins in Hungary and Poland show that. The track here was tight and I feel the championship should be decided on more of a flowing track that lets us really race. But this is SuperEnduro, I know I can still improve in a couple of areas – Superpole for one is something I need to work on. I’ll come back swinging next year for the title, I would love to get a seventh!”
Taddy Blazusiak – Image by Future7Media
For Haaker’s teammate Alfredo Gomez the final round of the championship was an eventful one. Hoping to deliver his best in front of his home crowd, the Spaniard carded two fourth place results in the opening two races, and was later disqualified from the third race.
Alfredo Gomez – Image by Future7Media
Alfredo Gomez
“I wanted to put in a good performance for my home fans tonight, but we had a really difficult track to deal with and it was so easy to make a mistake. I had two good rides in the first races and was pleased with things. Race three was a bit chaotic and I could also see that my teammate Colton was struggling, so I did my best to protect him and keep his title hopes alive. In the end he is world champion and I’m happy for him and the team. For myself I’m pleased with certain elements of my championship. A race win in Poland was fantastic. Of course my elbow injury in Germany was tough to deal with but I came back to finish on the podium in Madrid and I’m delighted about that. I feel like after the injuries of the past 12 months I’m out of the woods now and can focus on making a fit and healthy start for the World Enduro Super Series. My target is to try and win the hard enduro races, starting with round one at Extreme Lagares next month.”
Alfredo Gomez – Image by Future7Media
Prestige Race 1
Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 7:14.362
Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 7:17.735 +3.373
Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 7:53.742 +39.380
Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 7:58.861 +44.499
Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 8:09.694 +55.332
Prestige Race 2
Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 6:55.578
Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 6:59.889 +4.311
Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 7:11.593 +16.015
Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 7:22.196 +26.618
Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 7:40.625 +45.047
Prestige Race 3
Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 7:10.740
Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 7:24.645 +13.905
Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 7:53.072 +42.332
Kevin Gallas (DEU), Husqvarna, 7:58.115 +47.375
Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 7:58.402 +47.662
Prestige Class – Super Pole Akrapovic
Cody WEBB
Colton HAAKER
Taddy BLAZUSIAK…
Colton Haaker & Alfredo Gomez – Image by Future7Media
Dungog’s fourth round of the 2019 Yamaha bLU cRU Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) in New South Wales has been hampered by a timing malfunction, resulting in a delay of official results from Sunday’s proceedings.
Motorcycling Australia issued a statement, explaining that satellite outages throughout the day saw variable times collected, with each individual result now requiring manual sorting to ensure the correct outcome.
It appears Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing) unofficially topped the Outright times for the first time year ahead of Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing) and Josh Green (Yamaha Yamalube Active8) on his way to victory in the E3 division, where he edged out Beau Ralston (Husqvarna) and Andrew Wilksch (Motul Pirelli Sherco Team)
Milner is understood to have claimed victory in the E2 class over Green and Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha), while Luke Styke (Yamaha Yamalube Active8) topped the E1 category over Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) and Michael Driscoll (Yamaha Yamalube Active8).
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac has broken through to claim victory at Nashville’s 14th round of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
The two-time Pro Motocross champion was forced to transfer to the main via the LCQ after suffering a DNF in his heat, overcoming the misfortune to take a stellar 11.644s victory over Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM).
Points leader Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) closed out the podium, while the top five was completed by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing duo Dean Wilson and Zach Osborne.
The 250SX East division saw points leader Austin Forkner (Pro Circuit Monster Energy Kawasaki) sit out the evening’s proceedings after suffering an injury during practice, leaving the championship wide open.
Martin Davalos (Pro Circuit Monster Energy Kawasaki) capitalised on a clash between Chase Sexton (Geico Honda) and Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Star Racing) to take his first win of the season, while the pair rebounded from the tangle to finish second and third respectively.
Kyle Peters (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing) finished off the podium fourth, followed by Brandon Hartranft (CycleTrader Rock River Yamaha) in fifth. The AMA Supercross championship heads to Denver next weekend for round 15.
Gradinger earns pole position in WorldSSP qualifying.
Image: Supplied.
An action-packed opening encounter saw Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) take a seventh win of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) season at Aragon’s third round in Spain.
It was a thrilling battle for second position though, as a seven-bike train soon began to frantically swap places, resulting in a thrilling final few laps.
Bautista got a dream start, blasting clear into the lead by turn on. However, there was drama behind as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) collided on the line, leaving the German rider on the floor in the middle of the pack. He was able to get up, but his race was certainly over.
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was able to give some positivity to the German manufacturer, as he got into second position, ahead of Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team). There was more carnage on the opening lap, as Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) and Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team) crashed at turn 12.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) was moving up the order very quickly, into fourth by lap two, racing up from eighth on the grid. Jonathan Rea had also made a great start, up to fifth position, whilst the rider who had suffered the most in the opening laps was German, Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), who was now down to seventh as Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) moved through on his Yamaha compatriot.
As the race progressed, a mistake from Alex Lowes at the final corner allowed Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes to come through, whilst Davies also got in on the action. Four riders, representing four manufacturers, side-by-side down the straight for second position. Meanwhile, way out in the lead, Bautista achieved a new lap record, with 1m49.755s cementing his position as the rider to beat in WorldSBK.
Sykes soon dropped back behind the main protagonists but Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) was right in the mix, picking up places and soon, was amongst the leading group. The Irishman made it into fifth position in the final third of the race, before also making a bold move with three laps to go on Lowes at turn 12. The Irishman was now fourth and looking good for a podium.
Completing the race without any such drama, Bautista took a seventh win, as Rea took a seventh second position and Chaz Davies in third place – his first podium of the 2019 season. Laverty’s crash promoted Alex Lowes to fourth and a resurgent Sykes, who picked off Cortese and van der Mark in the closing laps.
With Sykes fifth with the Dutch and German stars behind, eighth place was taken by Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), ahead of a disappointing Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in ninth and top Kawasaki after Tissot Superpole, Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) – the 31-year-old Spaniard taking his first back-to-back top 10s of the season.
Outside of the top 10, it was Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Racing) ahead of a dejected Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), with second-row starter Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) down in 13th. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Racing) and disappointed Eugene Laverty concluded the points.
A flurry of action at the end of WorldSSP qualifying saw Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) become the first Austrian to secure a pole position in the history of the championship. Second position on the grid went to Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team), whilst his teammate, Randy Krummenacher, completed the all-Yamaha front row.
Heading up row two, championship leader Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) will hope for a fast start in order to battle hard to retain his championship lead, with him and Krummenacher level on points. Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing) was fifth, with Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) in sixth, the first non-Yamaha on the grid.
Two frenetic WorldSSP300 Superpole sessions saw action and drama right the way through, with Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) qualifying on pole position from Group A.
Joining him on the front row also from Group A is Indonesian rider, Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) who is second, with fellow Group A rider Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno) completing the front row.
Australians Tom Edwards (ParkinGo Team Kawasaki) and Tom Bramich (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) qualified in positions 29 and 35, while Jack Hyde (2R Racing Team Kawasaki) was unable to make it through onto the grid.
Alvaro Bautista got a dream start, blasting clear into the lead by Turn 1. However, there was drama behind as Jonathan Rea and Markus Reiterberger collided on the line, leaving the German rider on the floor in the middle of the pack. He was able to get up, but his race was certainly over.
Bautista cleared out and left the rest of the field to battle for the podium positions
Tom Sykes was able to give some positivity to the German manufacturer, as he got into second position, ahead of Alex Lowes. There was more carnage on the opening lap, as Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado and Alessandro Delbianco crashed at Turn 12.
Chaz Davies was moving up the order very quickly, into fourth by Lap 2, racing up from eighth on the grid. Jonathan Rea had also made a great start, up to fifth position, whilst the rider who had suffered the most in the opening laps was German, Sandro Cortese, who was now down to seventh as Michael van der Mark moved through on his Yamaha compatriot.
As the race progressed, a mistake from Alex Lowes at the final corner allowed Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes to come through, whilst Chaz Davies also got in on the action. Four riders, representing four manufacturers, side-by-side down the straight for second position. Meanwhile, way out in the lead, Bautista achieved a new lap record, with 1’49.755 cementing his position as the rider to beat in WorldSBK.
Davies, Rea, Lowes
Tom Sykes soon dropped back behind the main protagonists but Eugene Laverty was right in the mix, picking up places and soon, was amongst the leading group. The Irishman made it into fifth position in the final third of the race, before also making a bold move with three laps to go on Lowes at Turn 12. The Irishman was now fourth and looking good for a podium.
Jonathan Rea was looking good for second place and continuously hounded Chaz Davies through Turns 3, 4 and 5. Rea led the battle going on to the final lap, with Davies all over the rear-end of the reigning four-time champion. Eugene Laverty was able to make his way to the back of the duo, looking hard for a way ahead of Davies. Into Turn 14, Davies was lining Rea up for a move down the back straight before Eugene Laverty clipped him and crashed out. Davies stayed aboard but the damage had been done.
Davies, Rea, Lowes
Completing the race without any such drama, Alvaro Bautista took a seventh win, whilst Jonathan Rea took a seventh second position and Chaz Davies in third place – his first podium of the 2019 season. Laverty’s crash promoted Alex Lowes to fourth and a resurgent Tom Sykes, who picked off Cortese and van der Mark in the closing laps. Thus Sykes was fifth with the Dutch and German stars behind, eighth place was taken by Toprak Razgatlioglu, ahead of a disappointing Leon Haslam in ninth and top Kawasaki after Tissot Superpole, Jordi Torres; the 31-year-old Spaniard taking his first back-to-back top tens of the season.
Alvaro Bautista
Outside of the top ten, it was Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Racing) ahead of a dejected Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), with second-row starter Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) down in 13th. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Racing) and disappointed Eugene Laverty concluded the points.
Bautista’s win makes it 348 for Ducati, meaning an iconic 350 at Aragon this weekend can still happen. It is his seventh consecutive win and Spain’s first at a Spanish circuit since Ruben Xaus in Race 1, at Valencia in 2007 – also riding a Ducati. Chaz Davies’ podium means it is the first time two Ducati riders have been on the same podium in almost an entire year: MotorLand Aragon Race 2.
Alvaro Bautista – P1
“It’s a fantastic feeling to win a race but to do it in your home race is even more special, and I’m so happy for all the Spanish fans. I tried from the beginning to set my pace and get some advantage from lap 1, trying not to lose concentration. Although I had a comfortable lead on the others, I really enjoyed myself a lot with the bike today, sliding into and exiting the corners but I was always focussed on my riding. At the end to win the race and become the first Spanish rider to win in Aragón is truly a dream, especially with all my family and friends here!”
Alvaro Bautista – P1
Jonathan Rea – P2
“The race position today could not be any better and we achieved the maximum, even from tenth place on the grid. It was an eventful race for me and very exciting, with a lot of passes. All in all, we are very happy with the points and being on the podium, but still a little bit disappointed and bemused by the gap to the front, which is too big. In Superpole we made some mistakes as a team, both myself and the guys, from a time management side. We planned for two laps on the qualifying tyre but I was released a little bit too late then I made a mistake on my first lap and sat up in sector one, thinking to conserve the tyre for one last effort. But, when I came across the line, I realised my Superpole lap time was from the race tyre in the earlier laps.”
Jonathan Rea – P2
Chaz Davies – P3
“I’m really satisfied with today’s result, more so for my team and my side of the garage than me, because they’ve been working so hard all through the winter. It’s not easy when things are not going so well, but we’re always working hard looking for answers and trying our best whether its tenth or here on the podium. I had a nice battle with Johnny and Alex, I really enjoyed it. It felt like I probably had better pace but I wasn’t able to get out of the group. I had a couple of issues at the end of the race that kept me out of the fight for second otherwise things were quite solid with the guys running for the podium this season.”
Chaz Davies – P3
Alex Lowes – P4
“It was a good battle today. It’s a shame it wasn’t at the front; there was someone a bit too far up the road, but I felt with six or seven laps to go I could hold on to second place. Even when Johnny Rea came past me, I still felt like I had the pace to fight back but then, with just three laps to go, there was a big drop in rear grip and I couldn’t keep the same pace. It was a little disappointing at the end of the race but, apart from that, I enjoyed it and it was good to get a strong race under our belt to give the guys some information, because with the cooler weather this morning we’ve not had too much consistent track conditions this weekend. Now I’m looking forward to trying to improve the R1 a little bit more, ready for tomorrow.”
Alex Lowes – P4
Tom Sykes – P5
“I think for how early we are in the project, the programme has just started a few months ago, it is really impressive what the whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team has achieved so far. We’ve made small changes to the bike, of course now we are playing a bit with the electronics, but I think the biggest difference to the previous rounds is that we have a lot more corners here, I think it’s clear to see that we are consistent in the first sectors and we are only losing out in the last sector. In Superpole, I was a bit angry with myself going wide on the last corner as it could have been pole position but the target was front row and then top 5 for the race and we have achieved that. On the grid, as the temperatures were quite cool, I opted for the harder rear tyre. It wasn’t too bad but after a few laps I could see that the sun would come out and temperatures rose. But I enjoyed the race. I was battling with some guys who were on the softer tyre but the RR chassis is certainly working really well. I am enjoying riding the BMW S 1000 RR and I’m quite satisfied. It was my decision on the tyre and I just got caught out a bit with the rising temperature. But we definitely got some good information for tomorrow. I’m really excited what’s to come during the season and for now I still think we can make a better race tomorrow.”
Tom Sykes – P5
Michael van der Mark – P6
“We made some changes to the bike this morning, but we still didn’t find the right setting for me and that impacted on my Superpole performance. For the race we decided to take a bit of a gamble with the set-up and, even on the way to the grid, I knew it was one that would pay off. I got a good start, but then Reiterberger crashed right in front of me and I hit something, so I lost a bit of time there. Right from the start I had a better feeling with the bike and my pace was much better, but I was struggling on corner entry, with the rear locking and sliding a bit too much. It meant I could stay with the guys battling for second in front of me, but it was difficult to find somewhere to put in a pass. I tried a few times, but as soon as the grip dropped then I was struggling even more on corner entry and couldn’t maintain the pace. I lost a position at the end, which is a shame, but the positive is that we made a massive step with the bike and we’re in a much better position now for the two races tomorrow.”
Michael van der Mark – P6
Sandro Cortese – P7
“I think today was a good day. P2 was our best result in qualifying so far and in the race we closed the gap to the front guys a lot. In Race 2 in Thailand the gap to the podium was 25 seconds and here it was only eight seconds that separated me from Johnny Rea, who was on the podium. In both races I was seventh, but it was two different seventh places and it’s the gap to the front that is important. So far I think we’ve made a really good job, we learnt a lot about what we need to improve for and I’m looking forward to the two races tomorrow.”
Leon Haslam – P9
“We have been struggling to get the bike to stop and I think I chose the wrong tyre for the race, the hard one. We knew that it was a good 0.6 or 0.7 per lap slower initially but I have not had the laps to do a race run on a soft one. With the temperatures being cool we did not go for it – and it looks like everyone else did. So there was a little bit of a mistake there and I think it cost me a lot. I got a real bad initial start. I think my pace after that wasn’t that bad, even though I was on the harder tyre and it was maybe enough to battle with that group fighting for fifth, that sort of area. We need to re-think things for tomorrow.”
Leon Haslam – P9
WSBK Race 1
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
Rel.
1
19 A. BAUTISTA
Ducati Panigale V4 R
0.000
0.000
2
1 J. REA
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
15.170
15.170
3
7 C. DAVIES
Ducati Panigale V4 R
15.650
0.480
4
22 A. LOWES
Yamaha YZF R1
18.204
2.554
5
66 T. SYKES
BMW S1000 RR
20.165
1.961
6
60 M. VAN DER MARK
Yamaha YZF R1
22.419
2.254
7
11 S. CORTESE
Yamaha YZF R1
23.333
0.914
8
54 T. RAZGATLIOGLU
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
27.929
4.596
9
91 L. HASLAM
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
28.243
0.314
10
81 J. TORRES
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
28.411
0.168
11
2 L. CAMIER
Honda CBR1000RR
39.126
10.715
12
33 M. MELANDRI
Yamaha YZF R1
39.240
0.114
13
21 M. RINALDI
Ducati Panigale V4 R
47.782
8.542
14
23 R. KIYONARI
Honda CBR1000RR
59.879
12.097
15
50 E. LAVERTY
Ducati Panigale V4 R
1’37.121
37.242
Not Classified
RET
52 A. DELBIANCO
Honda CBR1000RR
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////
RET
36 L. MERCADO
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
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////
RET
28 M. REITERBERGER
BMW S1000 RR
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#AragonWorldSBK at MotorLand Aragon: Race 1 1. Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) 2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +15.170 3. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +15.650
WSBK Championship Points
Alvaro Bautista (ESP) Ducati (149 points)
Jonathan Rea (GBR) Kawasaki (118 points)
Alex Lowes (GBR)Yamaha (82 points)
World Supersport
The World Supersport championship returned to the MotorLand Aragon circuit in dry conditions for the Tissot Superpole session. A flurry of action at the end of the session saw Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) become the first Austrian to secure a pole position in the history of the WorldSSP championship.
The Austrian rider put in a great lap with a masterful last sector to secure Austria’s first pole position in WorldSSP history. Gradinger also becomes the first Austrian since Christian Zaiser at EuroSpeedway Lausitz in 2007 to start on the front row. Second position on the grid went to Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team), whilst his teammate, Randy Krummenacher, completed the all-Yamaha front row.
Federico Caricasulo
Heading up row two, championship leader Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) will hope for a fast start in order to battle hard to retain his championship lead, with him and Krummenacher level on points. Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) was fifth, with Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) in sixth, the first non-Yamaha on the grid.
Randy Krummenacher
Row three will see 2017 WorldSSP champion Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in seventh and less than half-a-second from pole position. Corentin Perolari (GMT94 YAMAHA) finished in eighth place despite a fast crash at Turn 16, with Japanese star Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in ninth. Completing the top ten was Hannes Soomer (MPM WILSport Racedays) for Honda, making it the second time in three Superpole sessions in 2019 that all four manufacturers have enjoyed top ten representation.
The leading Europe Supersport Cup rider was Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing), in 13th place, as he makes his return to the WorldSSP field.
Pole position – Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing)
“We had a very positive start to the weekend. This is not one of my favorite track but I like it a lot and we did a very good job. It was a pity that the second free practice was held in wet condition but we were able to find a good setup and this makes us very confident for the race”.
Thomas Gradinger
WSSP Superpole
Pos
No. Rider
Bike
Time
Gap
1
36 T. GRADINGER
Yamaha YZF R6
1’53.972
0.000
2
64 F. CARICASULO
Yamaha YZF R6
1’54.091
0.119
3
21 R. KRUMMENACHER
Yamaha YZF R6
1’54.227
0.255
4
16 J. CLUZEL
Yamaha YZF R6
1’54.361
0.389
5
32 I. VINALES
Yamaha YZF R6
1’54.392
0.420
6
3 R. DE ROSA
MV Agusta F3 675
1’54.436
0.464
7
44 L. MAHIAS
Kawasaki ZX-6R
1’54.446
0.474
8
94 C. PEROLARI
Yamaha YZF R6
1’54.774
0.802
9
78 H. OKUBO
Kawasaki ZX-6R
1’54.894
0.922
10
38 H. SOOMER
Honda CBR600RR
1’55.280
1.308
11
86 A. BADOVINI
Kawasaki ZX-6R
1’55.591
1.619
12
80 H. BARBERA
Yamaha YZF R6
1’55.604
1.632
13
11 K. SMITH
Kawasaki ZX-6R
1’55.639
1.667
14
22 F. FULIGNI
MV Agusta F3 675
1’55.690
1.718
15
56 P. SEBESTYEN
Honda CBR600RR
1’55.924
1.952
16
74 J. VAN SIKKELERUS
Honda CBR600RR
1’55.938
1.966
17
84 L. CRESSON
Yamaha YZF R6
1’56.311
2.339
18
95 J. DANILO
Honda CBR600RR
1’56.556
2.584
19
30 G. VAN STRAALEN
Kawasaki ZX-6R
1’56.631
2.659
20
6 M. HERRERA
Yamaha YZF R6
1’56.715
2.743
21
48 X. NAVAND
Yamaha YZF R6
1’56.775
2.803
22
10 N. CALERO
Kawasaki ZX-6R
1’57.066
3.094
23
4 C. STANGE
Honda CBR600RR
1’58.236
4.264
24
15 A. COPPOLA
Honda CBR600RR
1’58.254
4.282
25
67 G. MATERN
Kawasaki ZX-6R
2’01.101
7.129
World Supersport 300
Two frenetic WorldSSP300 Tissot Superpole sessions saw action and drama right the way through, with Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) qualifying on pole position from Group A.
Hugo De Cancellis
Joining him on the front row also from Group A is Indonesian rider, Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) who is second, with fellow Group A rider Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno) completing the front row. With a gap of just 0.020 between first and second, it really is going to be a hard race to call on Sunday.
Galang Hendra Pratama
Row two sees Marc Luna Bayen (Kawasaki GP Project) in fourth place, ahead of the first of the Group B riders, Andy Verdoia (BCD Yamaha MS Racing), as the 16-year-old placed well in his fourth WorldSSP300 race of his career. Completing the second row is Guillem Erill (DEZA – BOX 77 RACING), making it three Spanish riders on the front two rows at home in Aragon.
Reigning champion Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) will start 13th, whilst fellow title rival and 2018 3rd-placed overall Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT) is only 15th. Marc Garcia, the returning 2017 WorldSSP champion could only manage 24th at his home circuit on his come back, just ahead of young Australia Tom Edwards.
The first ever WorldSSP300 last chance race was a thrilling encounter, as we awaited the six riders to come through to join the main grid on Sunday. Winning the race for the first time, Dutchman Jeffrey Buis (MTM Racing Team) was able to hang on the leading group of three, which consisted of Italian Jacopo Facco (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) and Brazilian, Eliton Gohara Kawakami (BCD Yamaha MS Racing).
Behind the leading trio, a familiar name but a different rider: Bahattin Sofuoglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing by TSM) finished 10 seconds behind the winner but in fourth place, meaning he had done enough to get himself on the grid for the main race on Sunday. Joining him, Australian Tom Bramich (Carl Cox-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) and Frenchman, Joseph Foray (Prodina IRCOS Kawasaki).
Just missing out behind the second trio was French rider, Romain Dore (Team MHP Racing-Patrick Pons) and Portuguese rider, Tomas Alonso (Kawasaki GP Project).
With six different nationalities from this race going through to compete in tomorrow’s main WorldSSP300 race, it highlights the international mix to the championship, whilst also the parity that it can bring to the motorcycling world.
Pole Position – Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team)
“We worked a lot during the winter test and yesterday and today it was a good Tissot Superpole. My lap was not perfect but it was enough to get me into pole position. I am sure tomorrow we will be able to fight for the win or for the podium. Thanks to everybody and I am looking forward to tomorrow”.
In the late ’80s, rony Leibovitz robbed 21 banks in the suburbs of Tel Aviv for more than $400,000.
He successfully evaded capture for nearly two years, relying on a simple disguise and a clever strategy. Local media crowned him “Ofnobank,” a combination of two Hebrew words for “motorcycle” and “bank,” and his exploits made him a national celebrity, even after he was identified and caught. He served 20 years in prison for his crimes, but his unique fame has not faded. He’s since been a spokesman for motorsports brands and had his image featured on an Israeli postage stamp. This is the story of Ofnobank, in his words.
With my past, I have to be more kosher than the Pope. If I start to explain the whole story, it would take us two hours. I was in distress, at risk. It was tremendous pressure that led me to try to find an outlet, and I’m sorry to say it resulted in robbing 21 banks. I’d go into a branch, wearing a helmet with the visor down so that no one would recognize my face. They called me the Ofnobank, the Biker Bandit.
I’ve always loved motorcycles. The first time I saw one, I was 6 years old. Our neighbor had a Matchless. Sometimes I would skip breakfast before school and wait 20 minutes for him to start it up. It impressed me in a big way. Then I went to see The Great Escape with Steve McQueen. There’s a part where McQueen runs away from a Nazi camp in World War II, steals a motorcycle, and tries to cross the border with it. He jumps the motorcycle over one fence, but ultimately fails to jump it over the next fence—and then he’s caught. At that time, my mind was only on motorcycles. Why did I stick with the motorcycle? For me, it became the essence of freedom.
I would go into the bank, do what I did, go outside, and flee by motorcycle, right? Wrong. What actually happened—and I don’t want to ruin the legend because perhaps you won’t want to write this story—was that I never came to a bank on a motorcycle. Even today, out of fear, I don’t ride my motorcycle to the bank.
The second you commit a bank robbery, the police are already on their way. I didn’t want to be caught, so I walked outside—where there was never a motorcycle—slowly, as not to draw attention to myself. I took off my helmet and stuffed my windbreaker inside it, then placed them in an off-street alley where no one would find them. What then? Could I go home? Hardly. The police closed off the entire area. And where is the one place they’d never look for me? In the same bank that I had just robbed.
It was the hundreds of onlookers who started the rumors. That’s when the stories began. “He’d put his motorcycle on a getaway truck.” Have you ever seen a truck? How would I load a 190-kilogram motorcycle onto a truck? I’d just slip into the crowd. What did I do with the money I had robbed? There was nowhere to really hide it, so I’d go back inside with everyone else and reload a portion of the stolen money into a number of accounts that I had there. It really confused the bank. The money left, and then shortly after, it’s back?
I am sure that you have no idea what prison is like. It’s better that way. They tell you when to go to sleep, when to wake up, when to stand, when to eat. You aren’t a human being anymore. You change. Most importantly, you learn to appreciate better what freedom is. Only someone who has been imprisoned knows what freedom is. Until they take your freedom away from you, you don’t know what it’s like. I, on the other hand, know freedom, and I value it very much.
People recognize me, and not just in Israel. In New York. In Vanuatu! There isn’t anywhere on the world farther away. Sydney, Australia. New Zealand. Egypt—f—king Egypt! They know my face. I’m not proud of this. I didn’t receive the Nobel Prize in literature. I committed a serious act, and it will be with me all my life. Motorcycles are stopped much more often in Israel to check registration and other documents. You know how it is. Once or twice a week, I get stopped. It’s always the same reaction. Once the officer stops me, I already know what’s about to happen. Until I take off my helmet, there are no problems. Then the officer recognizes me immediately and is dying—dying—to find something wrong.
He finds that all of my documents are in order, returns them to me, and then yells into the walkie-talkie, “You’d never believe who I just stopped!” Then it doesn’t matter how old or how senior the officer is, it’s the same story: “Do you know how long we chased you? Do you know what problems you caused us?” In my head, I’m like, you’re 23. You weren’t even alive then. I wouldn’t dare say that out loud, out of respect. Then—as always—they ask to take a selfie. It’s fair to say that until my last day on Earth, they’ll recognize me. Nothing I can do about it. I use my fame to talk to at-risk kids, and they listen to me. I tell them the story of my life. I’ve done this almost twice a week for about 20 years now. Maybe I’ve had an influence on one of them. That’s my reward.
Before I went to prison, I had tons of friends. I had a big house, a villa, in a good neighborhood north of Tel Aviv. There were cars and a swimming pool, and it was amazing. Now I’m living at a level a little lower than that, but I’m free. And I have friends. My friends from back then just evaporated. They disappeared. My good friends now are here to stay as lifelong friends. I divorced, and now I have a new wife. I’m a totally new person. But the motorcycle remained throughout, because it equals freedom—for me, anyway.
When I ride, the motorcycle is not a means to get from one point to another. It’s not a car. When I’m on the motorcycle, I’m alive. I’m on vacation. I can get up at 3 a.m. and go to the beach, or go to the desert. It’s the essence of freedom.
Bacon and Gardiner score EJ and Women’s victories at round three.
Image: John Pearson.
Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team), Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) and Luke Styke (Yamaha Yamalube Active8) have opened Dungog’s third round of the 2019 Yamaha bLU cRU Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) with victories in their respective classes.
Riders encountered two tests in the Enduro format, the WR 450F Cross Test and the Off-Road Advantage Enduro Test, navigating each four times to make up round three in New South Wales.
Milner, who topped the Outright times ahead of Sanders and Josh Green (Yamaha Yamalube Active8), claimed a convincing victory in the E2 division, making it three wins from three rounds so far this season.
Image: John Pearson.
Green wound up in second – just under a minute shy of Milner – while the top five was rounded out by Scott Keegan (Kawasaki), Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha) and Stefan Granquist (Yamaha).
In the E3 division, it was all about Sanders as he stormed to a third consecutive triumph, comfortably defeating Beau Ralston (Husqvarna) and Jesse Lawton (Husqvarna). The top five was completed by Matt Murry (Husqvarna) and Daniel Middleton (KTM).
It was a tight battle in the highly-competitive E1 class, although it was Styke who reigned supreme in the Enduro format. Less than 50 seconds separated the top four contenders, consisting of Michael Driscoll (Yamaha Yamalube Active8) in second ahead of Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) and Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Racing Team). Jonte Reynders (Yamaha) was fifth.
Image: John Pearson.
Kyron Bacon took out top honours in EJ over Joshua Brierley (Husqvarna) and Korey McMahon (KTM), while the Women’s class saw Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha) emerge with victory ahead of Emelie Karlsson (Yamaha) and Emma Milesevic (Honda). Racing resumes tomorrow for round four of the series.
Alvaro Bautista soon got down to work at Aragon to head the field once again as he edged towards the outright WorldSBK lap record at MotorLand Aragon. Rain started to fall towards the end of the session, meaning there were little improvements in the final two minutes.
Álvaro Bautista – P1
“The weekend here at Aragón has begun really well because I immediately found the right feeling with the bike, like in the first two rounds of the season. My confidence level with the Panigale V4 R continues to grow rapidly and here on my home circuit it all seems even easier. Today we did a good job but we have to keep one eye on the uncertain weather conditions for the weekend. I’ve never lapped with this bike in the wet and so in case of rain I will have to get used to the conditions very quickly. If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, I’m very confident I can do a good qualifying run to start on the front row for race 1.”
Álvaro Bautista – P1
Ducati Team-mate Chaz Davies failed to improve on his time and finished in ninth position. The Welshman had a few on-track issues, so will hope that they are put to bed ahead of the races on Saturday and Sunday.
Chaz Davies – P9
“This morning’s session was quite decent, but then I had a frustrating second session in the afternoon. We played around with the bike a little but it felt like it changed quite a lot, and I got a bit more comfortable with it at the end of the second session then three-quarters of the way round my fast lap I hit a wall of rain so had to abort. I felt we made a bit of progress with some of the vibration issues we’ve been having but it changed the bike quite a bit so there are pros and cons. With a good run I think we shouldn’t be in too bad a shape with race pace so we’ll try again tomorrow.”
Chaz Davies – P9
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) continued his strong start to the Motocard Aragon Round, improving his time to be just over half-a-second from Alvaro Bautista’s lap time. Lowes hasn’t achieved back-to-back front row starts since the Losail International Circuit in 2017 and looks set to put the record straight.
Alex Lowes – P2
“It was a good start to the weekend today. We stayed on the same tyres for this afternoon’s session and, while I couldn’t do a long run because I’m still struggling a little bit with my wrist and don’t want to work it too hard ahead of the race, my pace was quite strong and I felt good on the bike. It was certainly the best feeling I’ve had on this track, which is really positive, and now I’m looking forward to getting back to it tomorrow and trying to improve in a couple of areas.”
Alex Lowes – P2
Team-mate Michael van der Mark however seemed subdued and was outside of the top ten for some of the session. In the final eight minutes, the Dutchman went tenth but would finish 12th overall.
Michael van der Mark – P12
“This morning wasn’t too bad; I felt quite good on the bike, the gap to Alex wasn’t so big and it was clear in which areas we needed to improve. This afternoon we had a small technical problem which meant I missed a few minutes at the start of the session, and after that I just struggled to feel comfortable on the bike. We reverted to a set-up closer to the one we ran this morning, which felt a little bit better and, together with a new set of tyres, allowed me to improve my lap time, but not as much as I expected. We have some work to do tonight, as I was struggling a bit mid-corner, but I’m confident we can find a solution ahead of qualifying.”
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) continued his pursuit at the front of the field, with the reigning four-time world champion putting a good lap in towards the end of the session to cement third position and just 0.023 from Alex Lowes’ Yamaha.
Jonathan Rea – P3
“Not too bad today but this morning I struggled with some things, on the bike and with myself in the way I was riding. Things were not happening naturally. This afternoon we made some changes and I felt immediately more at home. We were just evaluating and trying to make subtle changes because we do not have too much time anymore, with two sessions on Friday in 2019. You do not have another chance now to make a change. Pirelli have also brought some different front and rear tyres to test. On the front I tried the ‘C’ option tyre which is more like the SC2 family that I liked before. We are making progress.”
Jonathan Rea – P3
Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had a quiet session and remained towards the rear end of the top ten, placing seventh on combined times and improving his time at the end of the session.
Leon Haslam – P7
“I am not too worried about our position in the rankings today but I was struggling a little bit. Not so much with the track but with the feeling while getting the bike stopped. It is one of those circuits where you have to be in a good smooth rhythm and at the minute I am not too confident getting the bike into the corners. It is something we are going to work on. The times are pretty close for the majority of them, around mid 1’50s, to low 1’51s. Round here, you have to be at that rhythm to be in the fight. I feel that we will be there, that is not an issue. I just have to get my confidence set, especially on corner entry.”
Leon Haslam – P7
It was an impressive FP2 for 2013 WorldSBK Champion Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who put in a blistering lap time at the end of the session to go fourth overall. Sykes has won twice at Aragon and is looking to push the BMW further towards the pointy end of the field, pushing hard enough to suffer a small crash at Turn 1, losing the front end of the S1000RR.
Tom Sykes – P4
“I am really enjoying riding my BMW S 1000 RR here in Aragon, again we are still losing a lot of time in the final sector along the back straight however we are very strong in the corners. The second session we ended up in fourth which is quite good really considering many things. Rather than trying out long runs during the day I opted in making a few chassis and electronic changes so we had quite a lot to do. I had a small crash in T1 which set us back a little, but I am happy with information from today, I am expecting we put this together into an ever better package for tomorrow.”
Tom Sykes – P4
His teammate, Markus Reiterberger, had a much better session than in the morning. The German placed in eighth overall, as the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team continue to improve their bike’s aerodynamics, as well as dominating the sector times in sector three.
Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) had his best session of the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, improving to fifth overall. Top Independent rider, the Irishman has continued to build on the steps he and the team made in Thailand, making for a promising European stint of the season.
Fellow Independent team rival, Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) was just a fraction off the 2013 runner-up’s pace in sixth position.
Sandro Cortese – P6
“A very positive opening. We worked hard between FP1 and FP2 because I struggled a lot initially this morning, but throughout the day we managed to improve a lot by making some big changes to the set-up of the bike. Of course, it was made more difficult by the fact that this my first time here on the Superbike and, while I know the racetrack, it’s different on the bigger bike. In FP2 the pace was there and now we need to see tomorrow how the race will go.”
Italian rider Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) was impressive and broke into the top ten, whilst also placing top Italian, as Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) struggled in 11th position.
Marco Melandri – P11
“it’s been one of the most difficult days in the Yamaha R1 for me. I arrived with good expectations, as I have always had good results at this track, but today was very difficult. I was struggling to brake, to get the bike stopped, and getting the bike turned was also an issue, so it was not easy. We tried a lot of different things, but the result was the same. Tomorrow we will try to find a solution in the final free practice session by making some changes to the character of the bike, especially in the areas where, at the moment, I don’t feel very comfortable.”
It was a disappointing day for the Moriwaki Althea Honda Team, who were 16th and 17th with Leon Camier and Ryuichi Kiyonari respectively.
Leon Camier – P16
“Of course, I’m not fully fit yet. It will take some time to get back to normal, despite not having needed an operation. That said, we are not where we want to be with the bike’s set-up either. We made a change for the second session, but it didn’t take us in the right direction. The positive thing is that we understand where we need to go with the bike in order to be faster but at the same time it’s not so easy to achieve the right setting. It takes time. Hopefully we will be able to make some steps tomorrow if the weather stays fine”.
Leon Camier – P16
Ryuichi Kiyonari – P17
“This morning I rode the Aragon track for the first time, and I must say I enjoyed it, even if it was a challenge at first. There are a lot of blind corners and to find the references and good lines took some time. I was feeling quite good towards the end of the session anyway. The afternoon session was disappointing as we were not able to make an improvement in terms of bike set-up. Weather conditions did not help of course but this was the same for everyone. Tomorrow we will start again with a positive mentality and do our best to improve”.
Ryuichi Kiyonari – P17
2019 WSBK Aragon Friday Combined Practice Times
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’49.607
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.519
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.542
2019 WSBK Aragon Friday Combined Practice Times
WorldSSP
The World Supersport championship was the final class to take to the track at MotorLand Aragon for the Motocard Aragon Round of the season. Unfortunately, the heavens opened at the end of the WorldSBK FP2, so the track was wet for the WorldSSP riders. With no improvement in the times, our best understanding of who has the pace going into the weekend comes from the morning session.
Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) topped the timesheets and beat a pack of Yamahas behind him. With 16 laps set, De Rosa will be hopeful of the track time in the morning helping him improve the settings of his machine. Behind him, championship leader, Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA). The Frenchman is hoping of extending his advantage over the field, after winning the WorldSSP race in Thailand. Completing the top three, Austrian rider Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing), who continues his quest to become the first ever Austrian on the WorldSSP podium.
Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse)
Outside of the top three, it was Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team). The Italian rider was 0.416s from the top spot, whilst he had close company with Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) just 0.054s behind. Joint championship leader Randy Krummenacher was somewhat off the pace in FP1, down in sixth position and more than half-a-second from the leading MV Agusta F3 675 of Raffaele De Rosa.
Seventh was held by Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) who was top Spanish rider at the close of day one of WorldSSP action. 2017 WorldSSP champion Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was eighth and a second off of the pace set by De Rosa. Ninth position belonged to Corentin Perolari (GMT94 YAMAHA), as the Frenchman continued to progress through the session.
The top ten was completed by Dutch rider, Rob Hartog (Team Hartog – Against Cancer), however he will not be competing for the rest of the weekend because of an injury that had only being detected at Aragon, despite occurring at Phillip Island.
The top three at the end of the wet FP2 session were Lucas Mahias, ahead of Randy Krummenacher and Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing). Despite times being way down, it remains important to gather data, as wet practice may become useful should the weather take a turn for the worst on Sunday race-day.
2019 WSS Aragon Friday Combined Practice Times
Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) 1’55.039
Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.136
Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) +0.313
2019 WSS Aragon Friday Combined Practice Times
WorldSSP300
The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship returned to action at the MotorLand Aragon circuit during the Motocard Aragon Round of the season. The curtain-raiser is set to be a thriller, with two groups vying for the top time.
In group A, it was 2018 MotorLand Aragon race winner Koen Meuffels (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) who led the way at the end of play on Friday. The young Dutch rider returning to a circuit which holds good memories for him. Behind him, Jan-Ole Jahnig (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) was close behind him, whilst popular Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) completed the top three. Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) and replacement rider Marc Bayen Luna (Kawasaki GP Project) were fourth and fifth respectively.
Koen Meuffels (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team)
Group B featured some big names such as Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT), Maximilian Kappler (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) and Dorren Loureiro (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) making it just as competitive as Group A. At the top of the session was 18-year-old Dutch rider, Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team), with a time just 0.3s off the lap record; one that would’ve been good enough for second when combined with Group A. Behind him by 0.186s was Maximilian Kappler, whilst in third position was Scott Deroue, the Dutch rider starting his season positively.
Outside of the top positions in Group A, the reigning champion, Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP) in eighth, whilst in Group B, three-time podium finisher Borja Sanchez (Scuderia Maranga Racing) was 12th, whilst 2018 podium finisher at Imola, Kevin Sabatucci (Team Trasimeno) was 17th.
The quickest Australian was Jack Hyde in 29th ahead of Tom Edwards in 33rd and Tom Bramich in P40, in what is a huge 52-strong field of rders.
2019 WorldSSP300 Aragon Friday Combined Practice Times
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