2019 WorldSBK

Round Eight – Donington Park

Friday Results / Report

Both sessions were held in relatively warm conditions at Donington Park on Friday, with the afternoon track temperature rising to an unusually high 43°C at this British circuit. The fastest 13 riders finished within a second of pace-setter Tom Syke after two 50-minute sessions at the relatively short 4.023 km track.

Tom Sykes has nine victories at Donington Park in WorldSBK and the Huddersfield rider showed why on Friday as he topped both practice sessions on home soil.

Tom Sykes – P1

“This has been coming, we’ve been building and building and in Misano I feel we didn’t get what we deserved because we had three podiums in us. Coming into Donington its really a circuit of two halves, there’s four sectors and the first two sectors you need one bike and in the last two you need a completely different one… but after the first run this morning I came in and said the boys they’ve done a great job in getting the bike well balanced to suit the track, so a big thanks to the whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. We made a few changes in FP2 in preparation and I didn’t really have to go chase a lap time which is positive. I feel sooner or later we will add to the “49 superpoles” tally and tomorrow we will have a good go at it”.

In second position was Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team), who was flying the Yamaha flag high inside the top three. The British rider put in a strong lap time at the end of the session to finish just 0.018s away from Tom Sykes at the top.

Alex Lowes – P2

“It’s great to be here and riding in front of my home crowd. I feel really good on the bike, even with the little tip off this morning. I say little, but you don’t have a small crash at Craner Curves. It was my mistake; I crashed on a cold tyre after a slow lap, so sorry to the guys for giving them some unexpected extra work today. This afternoon the bike felt good again, but I still want to improve the braking phase a bit more tomorrow, to give me a little more margin. It’s been a positive day, I’m happy with where we are and it’s also good to see Michael back on the bike so soon after his injury. It shows just how tough he is.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) showed strong single lap and race pace from the start today and was the top ranked Ninja ZX-10RR rider of all; third. This is the track he scored his first WorldSBK podium finish at last year and he has arrived ready for another strong weekend in the UK.

KRT riders Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam finished fourth and fifth fastest respectively after one day of track action at their home round at Donington Park.

Jonathan Rea – P4

“I was able to do a long run this afternoon and I felt great physically, which was a positive after the first day. The bike was more difficult to ride this morning and I struggled to get any weight onto the front to help the bike turn, especially in the fast areas. I also went back a little bit with my riding position, because I felt I had so much weight on the rear of the bike. I was getting traction but it was not finishing the corner in the best way. This afternoon I felt very comfortable, my rhythm was much faster and I was doing it comfortably – which is always nice here. We are not far away for the first day, really, so we will keep working.”

Leon Haslam – P5

“The track felt quite different because I don’t think I have ever been here when it was hot! I know this track so I know where I need to be and where I am struggling with the set-up. We made a positive step from this morning’s session in that area, so we are closing the gap. Getting the bike to stop and then squirt out of that last section was my main priority and we bridged the gap to the front to about a tenth. We made a good step from the morning to the afternoon.”

Championship leader Álvaro Bautista was sixth quickest with team-mate Chaz Davies ending the day in ninth.

Álvaro Bautista – P6

“For sure the memories I had with this track were much different, and with the Superbike it seems that all the track is narrower and there is not a lot of space to make a mistake. In any case I’m quite happy because in the morning I spent some time trying to understand the track better, gaining some reference markers with my Panigale V4 R and in the end it wasn’t too bad. Then in the afternoon we made a few modifications to improve the set-up because earlier I had struggled to make the bike turn well. We found something that gives me a good feeling and I improved our lap time and our pace. There is still margin to improve but it was a good first day.”

Chaz Davies – P9

“It was quite a good start, we made progress from the morning to the afternoon and I improved my lap time by almost one second. We are still clearly missing something in the feeling with the bike, but we are not as far behind with the race pace as the position looks in the standings. Donington is quite a different track to the previous one at Misano, but we seem to be suffering from similar problems in the same areas. For the moment we are about on par with expectations but hopefully we’ll improve tomorrow.”

Michael van der Mark made a brave return from injury and managed to finish the opening day of practice in P11.

Michael van der Mark – P11

“I think I was more nervous ahead of FP1 today than I am before a race. I was pretty confident the injury wouldn’t be a problem, but you never really know until you’re actually on the bike. I felt good on the bike from the start, with no pain, but I am missing a little bit of mobility, which means I can’t move around the bike quite so well. Every lap I was feeling a bit better but I’m not as smooth as normal and that made it a little difficult to get the bike set-up. In the afternoon we tried to improve the bike, to make it a little smoother and easier to ride and, while I didn’t manage to improve my lap time, this wasn’t really the goal. I did a lot more laps than I was expecting today; this morning before FP1 I would have been happy to pick up some points in the races, but now I think we can target the top ten.”

Alongside Tom Sykes in the BMW WorldSBK garage this weekend is Peter Hickman as the TT winner stands in for the injured Markus Reiterberger on the second of the Factory BMW machines. Hickman quickly adapted to the WSBK spec’ bike by lapping quicker than he has ever managed before around Donington Park, and did it in his first session.

Peter Hickman – P12

“I’m happy enough with today. It’s all new however the bike feels fairly similar to what I’m running in BSB. We have a lot more adjustability on this bike along with the electronics so it’s a lot different in some areas. I’m really happy to get into the 1’28’s this afternoon, it’s the fastest I’ve been around here with a 1’28.567, so half a second faster and I’m looking towards the top 6….so I’ve got to be happy with the progress on day 1. Tomorrow is a different day, I’ve not rode on the ‘Q’ tyre in a long time as we don’t run that in BSB so that’s going to be interesting, I don’t have an aim as such but I’m just going to keep chipping away and let’s see how our lap time goes and where we end up in the race”.

Other notable names outside the top ten included Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), who was only 13th, whilst Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) was down in 15th.

WorldSBK Friday Combined Times

World Supersport

In the final WorldSSP session of the day, it was once again a raging battle at the head of the field, with Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) maintaining his advantage ahead of the chasing pack. With the sun beating down, Cluzel was able to improve incrementally through the session before finding a third of a second in the final ten minutes of the day to maintain the first position ahead of Saturday.

Having looked the dominant force throughout the opening day, Jules Cluzel’s search for his second win of the season continues. The Frenchman was the only rider to dip into the 1’30 bracket on Friday, continuing to push on right the way through the session. Having dropped points in recent rounds, Donington Park acts as a make or break round for the Pirelli Thai Round winner. Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) was in second position, whilst Hannes Soomer (MPM WILSport Racedays) impressed once again in third.

Fourth position will have to be good enough for Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), as the Frenchman slipped a couple of positions, compared to his FP1 start. The 2017 WorldSSP champion proved his worth however and proved that he was back at the front of the championship, looking as competitive as ever. Fifth place may be an uncharacteristic position for Federico Caricasulo, as the Italian struggled to break into the top positions like he had done before. Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) was sixth.

Back in seventh place, it was Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing) will hope to be firmly inside the top ten for the rest of the weekend, as the veteran Italian gets better session-by-session. Wildcard Jack Kennedy (Appleyard Macadam Integro) was in eighth and consolidated his top ten pace, proving the strength of himself and the team at their home circuit. Ninth place belonged to Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) whilst Brad Jones (Appleyard Macadam Integro) completed the top ten, backing his teammate up with good pace – just over one second from top spot.

Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) was only 11th, whilst Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was down in 13th, with home-hero Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing) in 15th position.

Supersport 600 Friday Combined Times

World Supersport 300

Setting about his business from the green light, Gonzalez put in a lap time more than half-a-second quicker than the two groups combined. Behind him in the leading positions, Andy Verdoïa (BCD Yamaha MS Racing), who was top of the timesheets for some time and the top Yamaha at the end of day one. Dutchman Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT) was in third place, as he goes in search of reigniting his WorldSSP300 championship hopes.

Marc Garcia (DS Junior Team), was fourth come the end of the day, whilst another Dutchman was in fifth place, this time, Robert Schotman (Kawasaki MOTOPORT). He had topped Group A after the opening two sessions but slipped to fifth overall. Completing the top six was fellow countryman, Victor Steeman (KTM Freudenberg Junior Team), as Dutch riders accounted for 50% of the top six!

Other notable names outside of the top six included Galang Hendra Pratama in eighth (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing), whilst Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) had a difficult session, down in 17th. Top British rider was Eunan McGlinchley (Flemmbo Leader Team), one place higher.

Supersport 300  Friday Combined Times

Source: MCNews.com.au

Markus Reiterberger unable to compete due to illness

Markus Reiterberger has had to cancel his participation in this weekend’s Donington Park round of the World Superbike Championship at short notice due to a severe viral infection and a high fever. British BMW S 1000 RR rider Peter Hickman will stand in for him in the races at Donington Park.

Peter Hickman

“First of all, I’m sorry for Markus that he is unable to race at the weekend and I wish him a speedy recovery. At the same time, I am happy to step in and support the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team at Donington Park. I didn’t have to think long when I got the call from Shaun Muir. I want to thank the team for the trust and my Smiths Racing BMW team for allowing me to compete in WorldSBK this weekend. And a big thanks to Dunlop UK, as I should have been racing in the French Superbike Championship for them this weekend and they enabled me to do WorldSBK instead. It’s quite some years ago when I raced in this series but I know the BMW S 1000 RR and the track at Donington Park very well, so I am confident that I can do a proper job for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team.”

Reiterberger spent last night in hospital for observation. He will undergo further tests. The attending physicians have banned him from flying and working.

In Hickman, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team has found a replacement from the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family who is very familiar with the new BMW S 1000 RR. The 32-year-old represents Smiths Racing BMW in the British Superbike Championship as well as in international road racing. This year he has brought home wins with the new RR at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy and the North West 200.

Shaun Muir
Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

“We are very sorry to hear that Markus is sick, feels unwell and is not fit to ride this weekend. I thank him for letting us know as soon as possible to give us time to find a replacement. Obviously it was very important to us to have an existing BMW rider as a replacement rider and Peter Hickman is an ideal choice for us. He is already riding the current bike and he agreed to join us very quickly so we are very hopeful that he can do a good job for us at Donington Park and assist us with the development of the BMW S 1000 RR. At the same time, I want to thank his team, Smiths Racing BMW, for releasing him for this event and hopefully we can have a good, positive race this weekend before we go to Laguna Seca.”

Source: MCNews.com.au

Round Nine – Donington Park

This weekend the Donington Park Circuit will host the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship for the 26th time in its history. A land of firsts, from Carl Fogarty’s maiden win in 1992 to Michael van der Mark’s double victory last season and, let’s not forget, the very first Motul FIM Superbike World Championship event in 1988, where Davide Tardozzi won the maiden Superbike race on a Bimota. Where it all began, and where it all begins again.

Because a couple of months ago the winner of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship may have seemed a foregone conclusion, now we’re facing the closest title race in years, after the trials and tribulations of Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in the Riviera di Rimini.

Sometimes the longest way around is the shortest way home. Since Phillip Island, Rea has jumped from second place to second place, keeping calm and steady, even when outpaced on a race-to-race basis. The head to head between him and Bautista reads 14-5 in the Spaniard’s favour, but that’s not what counts. Neither do massive winning margins, not even overall race wins (14-4 to Ducati). The one deciding factor is points and Rea is a meagre 16 behind, despite all the above.

Jonathan Rea

“After spending a week in Italy by the beach with my family I’m ready for the next race. Donington is the closest thing I get to a ‘home race’ and I’m excited to go there and get stuck in. It’s a great circuit with a little bit of everything, and the first sector is one of my favourites of the season. It’s always a compromise with set up as we try to maximise both stability in the hard braking areas while making the bike agile in the faster and more flowing sections. With the race taking place in the UK summer I expect the weather to be great. Of course the target is to keep working with my team and maximising our potential with the Ninja ZX-10RR.”

How did we get here? Bautista cited over-confidence, track conditions and the added weight of a full fuel tank as potential explanations for his Misano, Race 2 crash, but little did that matter the moment the V4 R surrendered beneath him on lap 2, just like it had two weeks before. All the momentum that Bautista had has been lost in two flashes of the eye. One more and the championship lead will be lost too.

The gap could have been even shorter too, had it not been for van der Mark’s huge Jerez, Race 2 win; his first since that season-defining double in Donington last year. Unfortunately, the recovering Dutchman is in doubt to feature in this year’s Prosecco DOC UK Round but is still hoping to be fit enough to race. If he is not passed fit Tarran Mackenzie will ride the Pata Yamaha in his place.

Michael van der Mark

“I knew as soon as I’d had the surgery on the wrist that a return to racing at Donington Park was a possibility, so that’s what I’ve been working towards since. I haven’t lost any strength in the wrist, which was my main concern. The movement is still slightly restricted, but I’ve been having physiotherapy since Misano to improve this. It has hardly impacted on my training and I’ve been able to train with the same intensity as I did before the injury, so I hope to be passed fit to ride this weekend. It’s good to have Tarran there on standby, as the medical assessment and actually racing the bike are two very different things. I will only really know if I’m fit to race, rather than just fit to ride, after FP1 on Friday.”

His team-mate Alex Lowes was desperately unfortunate not to deliver another win for the Japanese manufacturer under the deluge in Italy.

Alex Lowes

“I’m excited about racing in front of my home fans at Donington Park this weekend. I only get one chance to do this in a season and I’m really looking forward to it. The Donington Park track is so much fun to ride, especially the section that takes in Craner Curves and the Old Hairpin, which is easily my favourite part of the circuit. While most of the track is fast and flowing, the last sector is more stop start but always brings close racing. The target has to be to win in front of my home crowd, especially after coming so close last time out in Misano.”

The Englishman, based just a few kilometres away from the Leicestershire track, will not be content with playing second fiddle to the championship frontrunners. Neither will Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), part of an ever-growing cast of threats to Rea and Bautista. He featured in an all-Kawasaki podium at Misano, but it was his performance in particular which caught the eye as Kenan Sofuoglu’s protégé sprang upon Rea in the last lap of Race 2.

After that race, Razgatlioglu repeated the same words he expressed in Jerez a fortnight earlier: He wants a race win and Donington Park is the place to do it. The 22-year-old’s second place in Misano was certainly a revelation, as was his out-of-the-blue podium in the UK last season. Is a win a matter of when rather than if? Razgatlioglu would certainly hope so, but even amongst the Kawasaki ranks he will face absolutely ruthless competition, with Rea and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) – who has perhaps recorded more laps around Donington than any other rider in the world since debuting in the 125cc World Championship there back in 1998 – not willing to back down against the valiant sophomore.

Leon Haslam

“What can I say about Donington Park, my home round? Racing in front of my home crowd – you can’t really explain how good that is. Especially at Donington, which is just down the road from my house. We have made some good steps after the Jerez tests and we have just come off the back of two podiums at Misano, so it could not come along at a better time. Kawasaki has a good record there, and I think, fundamentally, we should be on a strong package. It is never easy, but I am looking forward to it and hopefully we can have a good weekend at home.”

Razgatlioglu could do worse than follow the career path of Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who also took his first WorldSBK podium in a Race 2 at Donington Park – only in 2008, rather than 2018. As fate would have it, the Yorkshireman also made a huge breakthrough at Misano by handing BMW their best result in nearly six years, and just in time for his favourite race of the year. Those nine wins on the trot (Race 1, 2013 to Race 1, 2017) at Donington speak for themselves. It may still be early days for the new S 1000 RR, but in the UK it’s never wise to overlook the 2013 World Champion.

While we’re on the topic of hopeful race winners, what about the first man to hit gold for BMW way back in 2012? That was Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) and the circuit, of course, was none other than Donington Park, where his teammate Sandro Cortese last won in the World Supersport class, just last year.

Marco Melandri

“I’m looking forward to Donington Park, after what was for me a good weekend last time out in Misano. Donington is a track I like and one that suits my riding style. Judging from Michael van der Mark’s double win there last season, it’s also a track at which the Yamaha works very well indeed. I need to work on qualifying, to improve my position on the grid for the races, but I think we have the potential to really make a good race this weekend. The weather is looking good, which I’m happy about, and now I can’t wait to get started.”

Leon Camier will sit out both his home round and the subsequent US round at Laguna Seca despite having continued to make good progress with his recovery in recent weeks.

Camier’s comeback is essentially delayed by a lack of strength in his left shoulder, something the Brit saw for himself when he tested with a Supermoto in Andorra to assess his physical condition when riding.

In agreement with the team, he will therefore sit out the back-to-back rounds, with the aim of returning for the Portimao (Portugal) testing session, set to take place on 24-25 August. Leon will not be replaced at the British and American events.

Leon Camier

“I’m really disappointed to have to miss two more rounds, despite having definitely made good progress, which my doctor is actually really happy with. I’ve now recovered full range of motion and have started to do strength exercises already. Unfortunately, this is where I’m still having some problems. I attempted to complete a few laps on a Supermoto but can see that I still don’t have enough strength or stability when braking, as well as still experiencing noticeable pain when doing so. As I said, it’s very frustrating, but at least the doctor is confident I will fully recover with no need for surgery. I look forward to being back for the Portimao test in August where we can take time to calmly work on bike development and set-up”.

Seven rounds down, six left, read it as zero hour or square one; either way, the UK Round promises to be anything but unremarkable.

WSBK Championship Standings

World Supersport

The 2019 WorldSSP season is proving to be one of the most intense in recent years, with Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team riders Randy Krummenacher and Federico Caricasulo literally going head-to-head for World Supersport supremacy. The championship lead at 22 points and other riders set to interfere, the final round at Donington Park before a lengthy Summer break will be pivotal in who carries confidence forward.

29-year-old Randy Krummenacher hasn’t put a foot wrong so far in 2019, as he continues to rack up big points. The Swiss rider has finished first or second in every WorldSSP race this season, with one of his best wins coming at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” last time out. Barging his way to victory with just two corners remaining, the WorldSSP title pendulum swung in favour of Krummenacher, but now he heads to a circuit of which he has just one podium at – back in 2016. Can he remount the rostrum in 2019?

Chasing his teammate as hard as possible, Federico Caricasulo came close to reducing the points gap at the top to just 12 points at Misano but was beaten in the dying moments of the WorldSSP encounter. Now, he turns his attention to Donington Park – a track at which the Italian has yet to feature highly at, with a best result of sixth coming in 2018, whilst he suffered a DNF in 2017. Caricasulo must take points away from Krummenacher, to go into the mid-season break with the momentum.

With another race passing without a win, Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) has seen his championship hopes decrease a little bit more, as the Frenchman has struggled to keep on the pace of Krummenacher and Caricasulo. Scheduled to make his 77th WorldSSP start, the 30-year-old has a stunning record at Donington Park despite having never won, with three second-place finishes and two third-places to his name. Just five races remain and Cluzel will be eager for a first Donington Park win to shrink the points gap to the top from 53 points.

It was another impressive performance by Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) at Misano, with the Japanese star taking fifth – his second-best result of the season. Okubo has finished every single race in 2019 and will look to see the streak carry on in the United Kingdom. Donington Park has yielded just one top ten for the 25-year-old, with ninth in 2017. The last Japanese WorldSSP podium came on British soil at Silverstone in 2007 with Katsuaki Fujiwara. Can Okubo end the 12-year wait for another Japanese rostrum?

Okubo isn’t the only Kawasaki who has shone in recent events, as Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) has been a strong contender for the leading positions. The Frenchman gave the manufacturer their first pole since 2017 at Misano before achieving his first podium of the season. Mahias’ form at Donington Park is mixed, with a fifth last season but a second in 2017. He will be hoping for a second consecutive podium of the season at the famed British venue.

Completing the top half-dozen in the championship is Austria’s Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing). It was a difficult Misano for Gradinger – who has been a revelation in 2019. Having only qualified in 12th, he salvaged a ninth-place finish; his worst finish in a race since he was 12th at Imola last year. Achieving an eighth place at Donington Park, the 22-year-old will be eager to return to the podium in WorldSSP and close the gap on those ahead of him.

There’s an array of other riders to keep an eye out for, with Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) eager to make up for his Misano mistake. Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) showed more promise in Misano until a crash ended his race prematurely, whilst Hannes Soomer (MPM WILSport Racedays) aims to repeat his top seven finish for a second consecutive race, not to mention wildcards from British Supersport; Jack Kennedy and Brad Jones, on their Appleyard Macadam Integro Yamahas.

WorldSSP600 Championship Standings

World Supersport 300

2019 is proving to be a vintage year for the WorldSSP300 championship, as new faces go in pursuit of the old guard. With the championship going to the United Kingdom for the next battleground, it promises to be an exciting spectacle, but who will come out on top this time around?

A 43-point lead sets aside Manuel Gonzalez from the rest of the WorldSSP300 grid, as the 16-year-old Spanish rider continues to set the world on fire. Having not claimed a win at Misano, it was the first round he had failed to stand on the top step of the podium. The opposition are starting to show their true colours as the season moves on, making Donington Park is crucial for the championship leader, who was only 12th at the circuit last year.

Second in the championship belongs to the reigning champion, Ana Carrasco. A superb win in sunny conditions on Sunday saw the Spaniard conquer the opposition for her fourth career victory. Now, the title race goes to the Donington Park, a track at which Carrasco was a winner at in 2018 with a huge 4.6s gap. With her first win of the 2019 season under her belt, has that opened the floodgates for more success to come before the Summer break?

Joint-second in the championship but third overall by virtue of no wins in 2019, Dutchman Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT) endured a torrid time at Misano. With just nine points from the last two races, the championship gap has opened massively. Deroue took a podium at Donington Park back in 2017 when he was third, whilst he was only able to finish sixth in 2018. A first win this season must come soon if he is to have any hope of an elusive first crown.

Marc Garcia’s (DS Junior Team) form in recent rounds has picked up and the 2017 WorldSSP champion is back in the leading group. Despite not scoring at Misano, the 19-year-old Spanish rider sits on 50 points, although some 58 behind fellow countryman Gonzalez at the top of the championship tree. Garcia has second in 2017 at the circuit, with just 0.067s separating him and race winner, Mika Perez (Scuderia Maranga Racing). Will Garcia go one better in 2019?

German rider Jan-Ole Jahnig (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) sits in fifth place in the championship, as his consistency in 2019 had seen him finish in the top seven at every round until his crash in Misano. 60 points back of the championship lead may seem like a fair way, but he is only 17 points behind second place. A seventh last year at Donington Park makes him one to watch in 2019.

Behind the leading quintet, keep an eye on French duo Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) and Andy Verdoïa (BCD Yamaha MS Racing). They are firmly in the battle for race wins and for top positions in the championship. Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) is still eager for his first podium of the season after being cruelly denied again in Misano, whilst Omar Bonoli (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) will hope to be back at the sharp end.

There are wildcards to keep an eye on too, so be sure not to miss any WorldSSP300 drama!

WorldSSP300 Championship Standings

Source: MCNews.com.au