Oli Bayliss crashed at Portimao’s turn five during his first day of testing for the 2022 World Supersport Championship overnight in Portugal. The tumble came only nine laps into his first session on the bike.
Oli Bayliss – Image 2snap
Oli was transported to the hospital of Portimao, where medical scans reveal a fracture of lateral malleolus on the right ankle.
Oli will try to recover for the next test scheduled for the 16th-17th March at Misano World Circuit.
The Barni Racing Ducati Panigale V2 of Oli Bayliss – Image 2snap
After the confirmation that the injury would have prevented Oliver to take part in the second day of test in Portimao, the team – in agreement with the Australian rider – decided to call Nicholas Spinelli to continue the development of the Panigale V2. Nicholas, who is already experienced with the bike having ridden the twin-cylinder of Borgo Panigale last year in National Trophy, will be on the saddle tomorrow in the second day of test at Portimao.
After an impressive debut season in Australian Superbike on the DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R, including a sensational race victory in Darwin, Oli Bayliss makes the move to Europe in 2022 to contest the new-look World Supersport Championship with Barni Ducati on a Panigale V2.
Oli Bayliss took a race victory in his debut season of Australian Superbike on the DesmoSport Ducati V4 R – Image RbMotoLens
Oli, along with his three-time World Superbike father Troy, will head to Europe in the New Year and set up their base for 2022 in the ancient city of Ravenna, just an hour up the road from the Ducati factory at Borgo Panigale.
Oli Bayliss with his dad, three-time World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss – Image RbMotoLens
Oli swapped his V4 R for a standard looking Panigale V2 on Monday at The Bend, as his focus now switches from Australian Superbike competition to taking on the new look World Supersport Championship in 2022.
Oli tried the V2 Panigale on for size at The Bend on Monday
The 18-year-old has a big task ahead of him with learning new circuits and joining a European competition for the first time, but his dad knows a thing or two, is dinkum Ducati royalty, and the pair have been training together for this next adventure for some years.
Oli rode the V2 Panigale at a public ride day at The Bend on Monday
Oli’s arrival in the WorldSSP Championship with the Ducati Panigale V2 comes exactly 20 years after Troy’s first World Championship title with another twin-cylinder Ducati in Superbike, the 996 R.
Troy is happy that Oli will get to race a Ducati Twin – Image RbMotoLens
Ducati is releasing a Panigale V2 Troy Bayliss 20th Anniversary Edition to commemorate that feat and celebrate their history with Troy, as they also usher in a new era of racing with this next generation of the Bayliss family.
Marco Barnabò’s successful Barni Racing Team will be involved in two championships for the first time in 2022 with 20-year-old Sammarinese rider Luca Bernardi in WorldSBK with the Ducati Panigale V4 R, and Oli Bayliss in the new look World Supersport Championship on the Panigale V2.
Oli Bayliss rode the Panigale V2 for the first time at The Bend on Monday during a public track-day
The World Supersport Championship has its biggest shake up ever coming in 2022 with the 955 cc Ducati V-Twin going up against, triple-cylinder 800 MVs and 765 Triumphs alongside the regular 600 cc four-cylinder machines that have long been the staple of the category.
There will be two Aussies on the World Supersport grid in 2022, as Ben Currie has also signed for Kawasaki – Image RbMotoLens
Organisers will use a control ECU package to torque-map the individual bikes and then restrict their power and torque at certain revs to try and establish a level playing field. No doubt it will be a bit of a messy affair at first, but this is the new way forward for the category now that so few people buy 600cc four-cylinder Supersport motorcycles, that most manufacturers have now ceased their production. We believe the 600 fours might also be allowed more modifications than they were permitted previously in order to help try and achieve some level of base parity when the season gets underway at Aragon in April.
Oli tried the V2 Panigale on for size at The Bend on Monday – Image RbMotoLens
Oli Bayliss
“The race weekend wasn’t exactly what I had pictured for my last race weekend before heading to Europe, but it was great to finally go racing again. Congratulations to Wayne for taking the championship and especially to Broc (Pearson) for taking the SuperSport Championship. We train together a lot, so I’m really happy for him. It was great to have Jack alongside us this weekend, it really lifted the event to have him on track and I picked up a few things from him along the way which was great. This year I’ve learnt so much and so I’m excited to take the next step in my career, but before I go, I really want to thank some people. Obviously Mum and Dad, they’re always behind me and I couldn’t do what I’m doing without them and I really appreciate it. Bryan (Hands) and Byron (Draper), these guys have basically been there for every step of my career with advice, support and hard work. They make me more motivated every time I ride the bike. And Ben. He puts in so much time, effort work behind the scenes that no one ever see’s and I’m sure he sometimes thinks no one notices, but we all do Benny, thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
Oli tried the V2 Panigale on for size at The Bend on Monday – Image RbMotoLensOli tried the V2 Panigale on for size at The Bend on Monday
After a few years without any permanent representation in the ranks of World Supersport Australia already has two riders signed up to take on the new look World Supersport Championship in 2022.
In the biggest shake-up in the history of the category, organisers will open the class up to 955 cc V-Twins and 765 triples in a quest to broaden the appeal of the category and open it up to more manufacturers.
Benjamin Currie is a rider with a double passport, German and Australian, born on May 17, 1995 in Würzburg – Germany. He has lived in the UK since he was 18, was national vice-champion in the Superstock 600, then moved up to the British Supersport 600 in 2017 finishing third. In the same class he finished second in 2018, while in 2019 he competed for Kawasaki Factory in the BSB. In 2021 he participated in the British Supersport 600, finishing second. 2022 will be the year of his debut in the Supersport 600 World Championship.
Ben Currie
“I have been working for a long time to take the opportunity to compete in the Supersport 600 World Championship. For me it is a dream come true and I am looking forward to getting on track for the first tests. I will have the opportunity to continue my work with Kawasaki and this is certainly very positive. In these seasons I have always achieved great results in Supersport 600 with the Kawasaki ZX6R and I am sure that thanks to the support of Motozoo Racing by Puccetti I will have the opportunity to reap a lot of satisfaction.”
Ben Currie atop the British Supersport podium at Brands Hatch earlier this year – Image Dave Yeomans
Currie’s team-mate will be rising young Dutch star, Jeffrey Buis. Born in 2001, Buis was Supersport 300 World Champion in 2020, while he finished third in 2021 in the 300 class.
Jeffrey Buis
“I am really very happy to confirm already now my presence at the Supersport 600 World Championship in 2022. Continuing with Motozoo, the team with which I am competing in the last two races of the 2021 season, in Argentina and Indonesia, makes me happy. I got along well with them right from the debut, they are very professional and prepared. Already in my debut race we managed to reach the points zone. Having confirmed our collaboration also for 2022 will allow us to prepare ourselves in the best possible way for next season.“
The team, which will enjoy direct support from Kawasaki Motors Europe, will compete in its second full season in the World Championship in 2022.
Fabio Uccelli – Motozoo Racing by Puccetti Team Manager
“I am really happy to be able to announce our team’s participation in the Supersport 600 World Championship also in 2022. We have already defined the plans for next season, even before having finished. that of 2021. Next year we will enjoy the direct support of Kawasaki Motors Europe confirming that the work done this year, in our first world championship season, has been judged very positively by the European branch of the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer. It is the right reward for the professionalism shown this year and I am very proud of this. It was obviously a difficult season, we didn’t know the tracks and the bike. Having scored points in more races this season and winning race one in Navarra in the World Supersport Challenge with Hikari Okubo made us aware of our level and our potential. The support of Kawasaki Motor Europe – in addition to the technical support by the Puccetti organization – will allow us to grow even more. in 2022. We will have two excellent riders, Jeffrey Buis, already World Champion in the 300 class, with whom we are already gaining experience in the end of this season, and Benjamin Currie, protagonist in 2021 in the 600 class of the British Supersport, where he finished second. The ingredients to do well are all there, but now we aim to finish the current season well with Buis, with whom we will compete in the next and last race in Indonesia.”
Oli Bayliss broke through for his first Australian Superbike race and round win in Darwin back in June – Image Rb MotoLens
Oli recently turned 18 after breaking through for his maiden Superbike victory in the Australian Superbike Championship at Darwin earlier this year on the DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R.
A young Oli Bayliss on the podium with parents Troy and Kim at Portimao in 2008 – Image 2snap
Ducati recently released a 21st anniversary special edition V2 Panigale to commemorate the first of Troy’s three World Superbike Championship victories and it is on just such a machine that Oli will contest the new look World Supersport Championship with in 2022.
Oli Bayliss in action on the DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R at Hidden Valley earlier this year where he took his first Superbike victory – Image Half Light
The arrival in Europe of the youngest of the Bayliss clan will be eagerly watched, but Oli has his feet firmly on the ground, is very well liked amongst his peers here in Australia, and I am sure will prove just as popular as his dad was, and still is!
Oli will join Barni Racing’s new World Supersport effort as the long running Superbike team expands into the new look Supersport Championship. Oli’s team-mate will be 20-year-old Luca Bernardi.
Up until now the Supersport class has been bound by regulations to incorporate 600cc four-cylinder, 675cc three-cylinder and 750cc twin-cylinder machines. As the market has so significantly changed in recent years and moved away from the motorcycles that did make up the category, 2022 will see the Supersport class open up to include 955 cc twins and 765 cc triples.
A curious development unfolded overnight with Dorna releasing a statement, which we include at the bottom of the page, that details a decision to exclude all three MV Agusta riders, Raffaele De Rosa, Federico Fuligni and Randy Krummenacher, from the results of the opening Phillip Island round of the 2020 World Supersport Championship.
De Rosa had finished second in that opening round, Fuligni was ninth while Krummenacher crashed out early on in the race.
We reported early last month that Randy Krummenacher had walked away from his contract with MV Agusta Reparto Corse for what the 30-year-old alleged were ‘serious breaches on the part of the company that compromise both the rider‘s performance as well as his professionalism, reputation and personal integrity‘.
Krummenacher also stated that he ‘has also moved to inform the competent bodies, responsible for verifying any technical irregularities.’
MV Agusta put out a tersely worded statement in response to a seemingly snap decision by the Swiss rider to walk away from his contract with MV Agusta Reparto Corse after alleging ‘serious breaches on the part of the company that compromise both the rider‘s performance as well as his professionalism, reputation and personal integrity‘.
Krummenacher also stated that he ‘has also moved to inform the competent bodies, responsible for verifying any technical irregularities.’
Randy Krummenacher
“This is not a pleasant situation and I never wanted any of this. The aim was to fight for the world title once more but unfortunately, the foundations needed to move ahead with the project with MV Agusta Reparto Corse are not there. I have had to take this decision in order to preserve my moral and professional integrity, as well as my safety. Throughout my career, I have always tried to do the right thing, giving it my all in any situation, even the most challenging. But this time there was only one decision I could make. I cannot say more about my motives at this time, but further details will be communicated in due course.”
We mentioned when first publishing those remarks from Krummenacher that you could perhaps read into that what you would, but that reading between the lines one could surmise that Krummenacher was accusing the MV backed team of perhaps not following the rules…MV Agusta then put out the following terse statement, distancing themselves from the team organisation, and strongly denying any wrong-doing.
MV Agusta Statement
MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. had no knowledge of the rider Randy Krummenacher’s decision to terminate his contract with MVRC S.r.l. after only competing in the first race of the 2020 Supersport World Championship.
It being understood that this decision comes as a total surprise to MV Agusta Motor S.p.A., who learned about it through the media. MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. points out that MVRC S.r.l. is a completely independent company which participates in the Supersport World Championship as a private external team.
This apparently sudden decision by the rider was completely unexpected as the company had received no prior warning signs about a possible contentious situation from either Krummenacher nor from the MVRC team.
Following the very encouraging results obtained during the first race of the 2020 World Supersport Championship in Phillip Island, with a front row position on the race’s starting grid, as well as a second place finish by Raffaele De Rosa in the race, MV Agusta was entirely satisfied with the performance and competitiveness of the F3 Supersport bike. Since its inception the F3 Supersport project has brought MV Agusta several vice-World-Championship titles and numerous race wins and podium finishes.
Due to the fact that MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. has no direct contractual relationship with the rider, we will start a comprehensive investigation concerning this matter and reserve any and all rights to take all proper legal actions to protect our brand image and reputation.
2020 MV Agusta Reparto Corse WSSP – Fuligni & De Rosa
And then overnight we receive this statement from Dorna outlining the removal of the MV riders from the results of the opening round. The Dorna statement does not allege any intentional wrong doing by MV Agusta but instead mentions ‘an unintentional engine infringement.’
Decision of the FIM World Superbike Stewards Penalty notice for MV Agusta Reparto Corse team
Following an investigation, the MV Agusta Reparto Corse team’s results from Phillip Island will not stand due to an unintentional engine infringement.
On July 30th 2020, the FIM World Superbike Stewards received a report from the FIM Superbike World Championship Technical Director, stating that some engines belonging to the MV Agusta Reparto Corse team were unsealed without prior permission after the Yamaha Finance Australian Round. This is an infringement of the 2020 FIM Superbike, Supersport and Supersport 300 World Championships regulations and specifically, article 2.3.10 in general and paragraph d.
FIM WorldSBK Stewards understood that the team’s act didn’t occur with an intention to make an infringement nor to gain an advantage in any way. This was more of a visual mechanical check and the result of a miscommunication.
The team brought it upon themselves to contact the FIM about the issue. Nonetheless, the process was not performed as per the Championship regulations and therefore, article 2.3.10.d is very clear and must be applied in any case.
For the above reasons, the Stewards, in accordance to the FIM Disciplinary and Arbitration code, have decided to penalise the team with the disqualification from all events in which the below engines have been used 2 from Randy Krummenacher and 1 each from Raffaele De Rosa and Federico Fulligni.
A curious sequence of events indeed, and one that has changed the results of the Phillip Island season opener and thus the championship points standings. Jules Cluzel is promoted to second in the championship and the riders behind him also gain more points due to the removel of the MV Agusta riders from the results and move up the order.
MV Agusta has put out a tersely worded statement in response to a seemingly snap decision by the Swiss rider to walk away from his contract with MV Agusta Reparto Corse for what the 30-year-old alleges are ‘serious breaches on the part of the company that compromise both the rider‘s performance as well as his professionalism, reputation and personal integrity‘.
Krummenacher also stated that he ‘has also moved to inform the competent bodies, responsible for verifying any technical irregularities.’
Randy Krummenacher
“This is not a pleasant situation and I never wanted any of this. The aim was to fight for the world title once more but unfortunately, the foundations needed to move ahead with the project with MV Agusta Reparto Corse are not there. I have had to take this decision in order to preserve my moral and professional integrity, as well as my safety. Throughout my career, I have always tried to do the right thing, giving it my all in any situation, even the most challenging. But this time there was only one decision I could make. I cannot say more about my motives at this time, but further details will be communicated in due course.”
Randy Krummenacher
Read into that what you will but reading between the lines one could surmise that Krummenacher is accusing the MV team of perhaps not following the rules…MV Agusta then put out the following statement.
MV Agusta Statement
MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. had no knowledge of the rider Randy Krummenacher’s decision to terminate his contract with MVRC S.r.l. after only competing in the first race of the 2020 Supersport World Championship. It being understood that this decision comes as a total surprise to MV Agusta Motor S.p.A., who learned about it through the media. MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. points out that MVRC S.r.l. is a completely independent company which participates in the Supersport World Championship as a private external team.
This apparently sudden decision by the rider was completely unexpected as the company had received no prior warning signs about a possible contentious situation from either Krummenacher nor from the MVRC team.
Following the very encouraging results obtained during the first race of the 2020 World Supersport Championship in Phillip Island, with a front row position on the race’s starting grid, as well as a second place finish by Raffaele De Rosa in the race, MV Agusta was entirely satisfied with the performance and competitiveness of the F3 Supersport bike. Since its inception the F3 Supersport project has brought MV Agusta several vice-World-Championship titles and numerous race wins and podium finishes.
Due to the fact that MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. has no direct contractual relationship with the rider, we will start a comprehensive investigation concerning this matter and reserve any and all rights to take all proper legal actions to protect our brand image and reputation.
2020 WorldSSP Championship Standings
Andrea Locatelli – Yamaha 25
Raffaele De Rosa – MV Agusta 20
Jules Cluzel – Yamaha 16
Corentin Perolari – Yamaha 13
Lucas Mahias – Kawasaki 11
2020 WorldSBK Calendar
March 1 – Phillip Island, Australia
August 2 – Jerez, Spain (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300)
August 9 – Portimao, Portugal (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300)
Aguust 30 – Aragon, Spain (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300)
September 6 – Aragon, Spain (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300)
September 18 – Catalunya, Spain (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300)
October 4 – Magny-Cours, France (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300)
October 11 – Circuito San Juan Villicum, Argentina (TBC) (WSBK-WSSP)
November 8 – Misano, Italy (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300) TBD – Donington Park, UK (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300) TBD – Assen, Netherlands (WSBK-WSSP-WSSP300) TBD – Losail, Qatar (WSBK-WSSP)
Ant West, who has raced in seven world championship series since 1998, announced his decision in a Facebook post over night:
Fuck FIM I’m done with this sport!!!! You will never see me on another motorcycle again in my life. You win FIM you dogs. Your really low shit people who should have nothing to do with the sport. FIM have pushed to make me lose my ride with Kawasaki here Brazil. FIM have destroyed my life many times and have put me into depression to point I wish I was dead. I’m done playing there bullshit political games. Fuck you FIM. Sorry to all my fans who have supported me all the way since 1999 when 1st went to world championship. I love you all!!!!
It follows a video post two days ago saying: “Last laps like this is why FIM don’t want me racing. Not meant to beat factory teams on a private bike.”
Doping scandal
The doping scandal started in 2012 when he was racing World Moto2 championship with the Qatar-based QMMF Racing Team.
Ant claims he skipped breakfast and had a “workout drink” which caused him to prove positive in a drug test later the same day at the Le Mans round.
The FIM claims they had changed the rules to add the drink, but Ant says it wasn’t on the doping list and is even used by Australian football players.
Several months later he was banned.
A legal wrangle followed, he was dope tested two more times, his team was disqualified over an engine technicality, he had a 2018 Asian championship win revoked and he lost his racing licence.
Ant claims this was FIM bullying because he challenged the original ban.
He switched to the Brazilian SBK Championship in 2019 to escape FIM rules, but now seems to have dropped out of that series.
If you are experiencing feelings of depression, contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline on 131114.
2019 WorldSBK Round Five – Imola Sunday Superpole Race
Jonathan Rea had broke the winning streak of Alvaro Bautista on Saturday afternoon with victory in race one at Imola and the Northern Irishman did it again Sunday morning with victory in the ten-lap Superpole race. Rain then stopped play ahead of the Sunday afternoon race.
On a damp but drying circuit, there was drama before the race even started, as Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) missed the warm up lap and was forced to start from pit lane. leaving the 2013 WorldSBK champion with plenty of work to do in the early stages.
2019 WorldSBK Round Five – Imola Sunday Superpole Race
With the race underway, Chaz Davies got the jump from pole position with Jonathan Rea side-by-side with the Welshman but it was the Ducati man that had his nose in front at turn two. Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) was third whilst Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) held fourth in the opening stages of the race.
2019 WorldSBK Round Five – Imola Sunday Superpole Race
With the race then settling down, a mistake from Chaz Davies at the final chicane allowed Rea and Bautista to push him back to third. Davies now had to put in the hard work all over again, as the reigning champion began to pull out an advantage.
2019 WorldSBK Round Five – Imola Sunday Superpole Race
A heady battle unfolded for fourth place, this time with Michael van der Mark leading the battle from Toprak Razgatlioglu, Alex Lowes and Haslam, who had once again dropped down the order after a combative couple of laps from the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team riders.
2019 WorldSBK Round Five – Imola Sunday Superpole Race
Toprak Razgatlioglu however wouldn’t stay in the fight long, as he began to drop back through the field, his Superpole Race tyre not able to go the distance.
Similarly, Alvaro Bautista, who had also opted for the same compound, began to drop back towards his team-mate and with just five laps to go at the second part of Rivazza, Davies squeezed down the inside.
2019 WorldSBK Round Five – Imola Sunday Superpole Race
Then, the two dominant forces of WorldSBK in the past four seasons – Rea and Davies – went head-to-head in terms of lap times, right on lap record pace and both having to keep that pace up right until the end.
The gap momentarily came down to below a second, but Davies was unable to get on terms with Jonathan Rea, whilst Bautista looked on from behind unable to run with the leading duo.
Jonathan Rea took the win with Davies and Bautista coming home behind him.
Jonathan Rea – P1
“It was a really positive weekend, to get my feeling with the bike here and be able to really get the maximum out of it. To pick up two race wins makes me really happy. I want to thank all the team for always believing and keeping on pushing. We never stopped believing that this weekend was a perfect opportunity for the chance to win. With our form here in the past, the way our bike works here and the way I ride – it was our chance. So we had to take it and I did, in both races. That was positive but unfortunately race three was cancelled because of the weather which came in. I completely understand and I am sure we will get our chance again.”
Chaz Davies – P2
“It’s a bit of a shame we never got the chance to do race 2 here at Imola but unfortunately in the wet this track has quite a few limits. Imola is not a normal circuit, and with these ups and downs you get a lot of standing water especially in the corners and these conditions meant that they had to cancel today’s race. It was the right decision, but I’m sorry for all the fans who stayed here in the rain all afternoon just to see us race. The positive thing is that we managed to do the sprint race, and judging by the result, it was a pity not to have been able to do the full-length second race. After a tough start to the season, I’m starting to see the light and my feeling with the Panigale V4 R is improving all the time. I go home from Imola knowing that I’ve made a lot of progress in view of the next races.”
Álvaro Bautista – P3
“Unfortunately the bad weather affected the second race, and it was raining really hard. The track conditions were dangerous, with a lot of water in some parts and streams crossing the track. It was too risky for the riders and it was the right decision to cancel the race. We feel really bad about that because we know that there are a lot of Superbike fans here, but rider safety is the most important aspect. Having the support of all the Ducatisti is incredible and even though I didn’t win a race, it was one of the best weekends in my entire career because I really felt their support. For this reason, I feel a bit sorry for them, but I think they will understand the situation.”
Michael van der Mark took his best Imola result in fourth position while his Pata Yamaha team-mate Alex Lowes rounded out the top five after battling sickness all weekend.
Michael van der Mark – P4
“We changed quite a lot on the bike for the Superpole Race and I immediately felt that the bike was better, especially in the areas we identified for improvement after Race 1 yesterday. This gave me a lot of confidence and my pace was a lot quicker compared to yesterday. I got a good start and had a little battle in the beginning, but that meant I just lost contact with Alvaro, who managed to pull a gap that I didn’t have time to close. But I had a good lead over the guys behind me and, while it wasn’t the most exciting race I’ve ever had, I was really happy with the feeling of the bike and my pace in the race. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to take advantage of the improvements in Race 2 this afternoon, as it was cancelled due to the weather. It’s a shame because we wanted to race and everyone who’d braved the weather to be here wanted to see us race, but with so much standing water on the track it just wasn’t safe.”
Alex Lowes – P5
“The bike felt great in the Superpole race. I had a good battle with the Leon and Toprak in the early stages of the race, before pulling a bit of a gap on them. My best laps were near the end of the race and I felt that, maybe, if I’d have got clear sooner then I might have been able to have a good battle with Michael. But for us to finish fourth and fifth on what has previously been a tough track for us shows just how much we’ve improved. It gives me a lot of confidence going forward, now that we’ve been so competitive at what was probably our worst track last year. I’m really happy with the weekend; I’ve been up against it a bit with the sickness, but I’m quite proud of myself for how I’ve dealt with it and come out of it with some decent points. A big thank you to all the fans that turned out over the weekend, but especially today. Luckily, they got to see the Superpole race and then a thrilling Supersport race, but it was a shame they missed out on Race 2 because of the weather conditions. We had a lot of rain in a short space of time and there was a lot of standing water on track. This circuit has a couple of third and fourth gear kinks, which are really fast, and that’s exactly where the standing water was collecting. On a bike, surrounded by other riders at those speeds, it simply wasn’t safe enough to race this afternoon, unfortunately.”
After figuring more highly early on Leon Haslam eventually finished sixth.
Leon Haslam- P6
“I had exactly the same problem as in race one. I could not pass, could not follow the guys. When I had a gap I could go really fast. Compared to Jonathan we are losing under braking but on a positive note, in cornering, in the exits, and how I adapted my style in other areas, we made good steps. Jonathan is very good here and I knew it was going to be a tough weekend trying to adapt my style with the things I have struggled with, but it was a lot harder than I expected. We will take a fifth and a sixth.”
2019 WorldSBK Round Five – Imola Sunday Superpole Race
Razgatlioglu was caught but not passed by a charging Sykes that had started from pit-lane, they finished seventh and eighth respectively.
2019 WorldSBK Round Five – Imola Sunday Superpole Race
Jordi Torres was ninth while Markus Reiterberger completed the top ten.
2019 WorldSBK Round Five – Imola Sunday Superpole Race
Less than a second back, super-substitute Tommy Bridewell was 11th, a great ride from the Briton.
Wildcard Lorenzo Zanetti was in 12th, ahead of Sandro Cortese Hector Barbera and Michael Ruben Rinaldi completed the point scorers.
Shaun Muir, Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“The summary of the day is that we proved again that the BMW S 1000 RR is getting very quick now. We have a good pace and I was looking forward to a dry race. In the Superpole race, Tom unfortunately had to start from pit lane. He did the sighting lap to the grid on race tyres. Due to the low temperatures, the tyre pressure slightly dropped below the limit. We will adapt the procedures to avoid this in the future. Tom’s race then was very positive. With his lap times he could have been battling for fourth position which is a fantastic position to be in. Markus went with a different tyre scenario. He was one of only four riders to opt for the SCX tyre. It was a gamble and he would have been very, very good if that would have worked out but unfortunately he lost the tyre before the race was finished. But anyway, we are happy with the top ten for Markus. Overall we can say after this weekend that we are now showing that with its pace the bike can be fast now at many circuits. We can carry this forward and it’s also important that we will have a test at Misano before Jerez because we once again have many things to test.”
2019 WorldSBK Round Five – Imola Sunday Superpole Race
Race Two Cancelled
Following severe rain on Sunday afternoon in Imola, and after lengthy delays, the decision was finally made to cancel WorldSBK Race 2 and WorldSSP 300 races of the Pirelli Italian Round at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola.
2019 WorldSBK Round Five – Imola
With the heavy rain failing to stop, conditions deteriorated and therefore Race Direction and the Safety Commission took the difficult decision to cancel Sunday’s races in order to guarantee riders’ safety.
2019 WorldSBK Round Five – Imola
Unfortunately, that signalled an early end to the fifth WorldSBK round of the season, which currently sees Alvaro Bautista with 263 points leading the WorldSBK championship standings followed by Jonathan Rea in second position on a strong 220-points.
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship will return into action at Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto for the Acerbis Spanish Round from 7th June – 9th June 2019.
Off the line, it was a bright start for Rea, but he couldn’t get the better of Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) down into Tamburello. However, on the run to Acque Minerale, Davies suffered a problem and was forced to retire, handing Rea the lead whilst Davies’ team-mate Bautista had second.
2019 World Superbike Round Five – Imola
At the end of the opening lap, Rea and Bautista had the leading positions, whilst Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) occupied third and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was riding well from eighth on the grid to be in fourth.
Completing the top five, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) whilst Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Team) slipped to sixth. One of the biggest movers and shakers on the opening lap was Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), who was up four positions into seventh!
2019 World Superbike Round Five – Imola
As the race settled down, Rea built a comfortable lead and was extending his advantage over Bautista by around 0.7s per lap. Bautista in turn was escaping the attention of Sykes but the main battle through the race was for fourth, with van der Mark leading Lowes, whilst Razgatlioglu was now in sixth, ahead of Haslam.
Toprak Razgatliogl
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) was a rider making great progress too, all the way up into the top ten by the mid-point of the race from 17th on the grid. The Italian was putting in a fantastic performance for his and Ducati’s home fans. Fellow Italian and Independent rider Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) was also on the charge through the field.
British rider Alex Lowes began to slip back, having been ill all weekend. Soon, a traditional ‘Marco Melandri block-pass’ at the final corner by the Italian pushed Lowes back into eighth. However, he would soon be promoted as a disaster for Tom Sykes occurred, with the BMW S 1000 RR suffering more mechanical gremlins, robbing the 2013 WorldSBK champ of a certain podium.
2019 World Superbike Round Five – Imola
Sykes’ demise promoted a huge battle between van der Mark and Razgatlioglu for the final podium position.
Toprak Razgatliogl
The Turkish star made his move in the closing stages and got ahead of van der Mark. Then, a grandstand finish between the two, swapping paint and trading blows on the penultimate lap, colliding twice and bringing Leon Haslam back into the mix. Imola was once more providing thrilling action.
2019 World Superbike Round Five – Imola – Leon Haslam
Meanwhile, in a league of his own, Jonathan Rea blitzed the opposition in a vintage fashion, taking his first win of the season to end the run of victories by Alvaro Bautista. The Spaniard maintains a healthy championship lead with a second-place finish and then, in the battle for third, Toprak held on for his third WorldSBK podium! Michael van der Mark and Leon Haslam completed the top five!
2019 World Superbike Round Five – Imola
Inside the top six from a poor Tissot Superpole, Marco Melandri was ahead of Alex Lowes, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi eighth after his antics earlier on in the day. Lorenzo Zanetti (Motocorsa Racing) was an impressive ninth as his wildcard weekend unfolded. Completing the top ten, the sole-surviving BMW of Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
Outside of the top ten was Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) who had a disappointing ride, whilst a phenomenal performance for super-sub Tommy Bridewell (Team Goeleven) saw the British rider come home in 12th. Hector Barbera (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) and Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team) completed the points. Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) had a fast crash at Acque Minerale in the closing stages.
It is Jonathan Rea’s eighth win at Imola and his 72nd career victory in WorldSBK, ending his longest winless run since 2013. It is also the 128th win for Kawasaki in WorldSBK.
#ITAWorldSBK at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari Imola: Race 1 1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 2. Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +7.832 3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) +19.968
P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
“I am so happy that I finally got my first win this season, especially here in Imola where the fans are always incredible, the atmosphere is good, and I love the circuit. My team gave me a great bike, and since Assen I’ve been hard training, trying to visualize winning this race here, so I am glad I did it because I put a lot of pressure on myself. Now we can relax a little bit and enjoy this moment, but wake up tomorrow with the same target. Thanks to my team for never losing hope and continuing to push the bike. I am really satisfied with that victory ”.
P2 – Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – DUCATI)
“It was amazing to race here in front of all the Ducati fans. They made this moment special! It was not easy for me since it was my first time racing here. We all had a strong pace, and we even set a new lap time record which means that the level is high. I had been struggling here more than in other race track, but still, I am pleased. Today Jonathan was really strong, his pace was incredible, but I am happy I finished second on the podium in front of all our fans”.
P3 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)
“I am so happy to be back on the podium! My goal is to battle for it more often this season. Last year we didn’t make a good result here in Imola, so I am really pleased that we were able to make such a big step forward and even get to the podium”.
2019 World Superbike Round Five – Imola Friday Report
Quick times were coming thick and fast as day one at the Imola circuit as the final Friday session concluded with the sun beating down on Imola.
Four-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea continued his positive start to the Pirelli Italian Round, running at the front again in FP2. Despite not improving in his lap time from the morning until late on in the session, eventually nobody was able to challenge Rea at the front. Rea looked in fine form, stringing a run of fast laps together to continue Kawasaki’s good form in Ducati’s backyard.
Jonathan Rea – P1
“We tried to focus on understanding the different combinations of front and rear Pirelli tyres we have this weekend. We have some good information for tomorrow, especially looking through our split times. We still have a margin to improve in some splits where we are missing something, although we are not too far off. We will try not to compromise too much by looking for more in the other areas. At the end, I felt comfortable on the bike on used tyres and I tried hard, especially when I saw that my name was not on the top! It shows that it is there, the bike is there, and we will put everything together tomorrow. I feel comfortable with the bike making this rhythm.”
Jonathan Rea
His teammate, Leon Haslam, likewise did not improve his time in the second session until late on in the session but dropped overall, concluding the opening day in seventh position.
Leon Haslam – P7
“This morning I felt quite comfortable. This afternoon we did not have a good session because we tried a different tyre option that was not as good at the end. The lap times were not so great as a result but my feeling this morning was quite positive, so we will keep pushing overnight to be ready for tomorrow. The track is good, from what I remember of it, and there are a few areas I need to work on with my riding style. Generally, I love this circuit because it is fun to ride. Hopefully it will be good racing too.”
Leon Haslam
Ducati continued their strong start to the Pirelli Italian Round, as Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) marched his way into top position, at a circuit at which he has achieved four WorldSBK race wins at in his career. The Welshman blitzed into the lead with just a few minutes left in the session.
Chaz Davies – P2
“It’s been a while since I’ve ended Friday in the top 3 so that was pretty good and we made a big step forward. Honestly the momentum has been going the right way in the last couple of races and Imola is a good time to try and turn over the page a bit. Having said that, I’m not 100% happy with the feeling with my Panigale V4 R so I hope I can turn things around for tomorrow because I feel I’ve got some good margin to improve the lap time. If we can make the right changes, I don’t see why we can’t fight for the win tomorrow.”
Chaz Davies
Alvaro Bautista continued to adapt to the tricky Imola circuit and was seemingly struggling, making various little mistakes that he has not displayed all season. The Spaniard completed the day in fourth, with 0.712s between him and Rea.
Álvaro Bautista – P4
“Today was a positive day because it’s the first time I have ever raced at Imola. Right away I found a good feeling with the track, while unlike the other races, I still have to improve the feeling with my bike, especially in corner turn-in, but in the afternoon we made some changes and the feeling was better. Today we always worked in view of the race and we did more than the total laps with quite a good pace. Probably we still have to improve the stability of the bike because on this track the bike is almost always leaning and you don’t have any breathing space.”
Álvaro Bautista
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had a relatively quiet session in comparison to those around him, making plenty of progress through the session. The 2013 WorldSBK champion is a double winner at the Imola circuit and looks primed for another strong showing, this time for the German manufacturer. Completing the session in third place, Sykes will be hoping to continue improving on Saturday. His teammate, Markus Reiterberger, struggled again and was only 13th.
Tom Sykes – P3
“We’ve again worked really consistently here in the Free Practises just trying various parameters with the chassis and also the tyres as we have more of a selection here. I have to say I’m really enjoying riding my BMW S 1000 RR at the moment, this track is always fantastic and the Italian fans are incredible so to be third fastest today makes me happy. I’m looking forward to tomorrow as I feel we can still improve, the target is certainly for front row and try and utilise the chassis of the S 1000 RR during the race.”
Tom Sykes
If Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) was rattled by not completing FP1 as top Independent, then he certainly made up for it in FP2 by rounding out the top five. The Turkish rider was pursuing Alvaro Bautista in the closing stages and made big gains, to end the opening day at Imola in a strong fifth place.
Toprak Razgatlioglu
Other Independent riders to feature inside the top ten after Friday included wildcard Lorenzo Zanetti (Motocorsa Racing), who was ninth and one place ahead of fellow countryman, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) in tenth. Zanetti ended the day as top Italian.
Sixth position went to Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team), who maintained his FP1 position whilst vastly improving his time. The Dutchman’s continuity through the opening day at the Pirelli Italian Round bodes well for the remainder of the weekend.
Michael van der Mark – P6
“A solid start today. Imola is always a difficult track at which to find a good set-up, especially coming from Assen, which is very different in character. This morning I felt quite strong from the start and we managed to improve the bike further during the session. This afternoon we initially went a little bit in the wrong direction, but we stayed calm, wound back the changes slightly and, at the end, I felt really strong on the bike again. We had an issue with getting the bike stopped but, again, we managed to find some improvements in this area. My time would have been better but for hitting traffic on my fastest lap, but I’m really happy with the bike now and I think we can still improve further tomorrow. Overall, it’s been one of my best days in Imola so far.”
Michael van der Mark
His teammate, Alex Lowes, also improved his time but was only eighth at the end of the day. The rider, who sits third in the championship behind Bautista and Rea, will have work to do overnight if he is to keep tabs on those ahead of him in the title race.
Alex Lowes – P8
“I’ve been struggling with a bit of a stomach bug since Wednesday, so I didn’t have too much energy today. On the bike I felt a little bit sick, so it was a case today of trying to learn as much as we can in the minimum number of laps. We actually got a lot more done that I thought possible; we’ve got a good direction and the bike feels good. Now I’m looking forward to having a bit more time to rest and recover and, hopefully, coming back a bit stronger tomorrow for the first race.”
Alex Lowes
Notable names outside the top ten included Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) who was 11th at the end of the day, with Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) in 12th whilst his teammate, Sandro Cortese, was 14th and suffered a crash.
Marco Melandri – P12
“I struggled a lot today with the same issues as before. There wasn’t one area in which I was feeling bad or feeling good, I just feel it’s everywhere, so I’m missing confidence. The guys are working so hard to find a solution to suit me and we will find a way, step-by-step, but it’s not so easy. We don’t need a big improvement; even a small improvement would allow me to build confidence, ride a bit more how I know and reduce the gap to the front but, at the moment, we haven’t found what we need. Here I was expecting much better, so I’m obviously disappointed, but we will keep working.”
Marco Melandri
Sandro Cortese – P14
“This morning wasn’t too bad and I was P12 while learning the track aboard the R1. This afternoon we wanted to try a long run on the hard front tyre but I think this was maybe a mistake on the opening day with my limited experience of this track. But we did it and I crashed, which wouldn’t have been an issue at any other track but with no service road here in Imola it’s impossible to get the bike back to the pit box before the end of the session, so that was the end of my first day. So, at the end, it was a bit of a tough day but it’s race day tomorrow and, in the race, anything can happen, so I’m staying positive.”
Sandro Cortese
The Moriwaki Althea Honda Team concluded day one at Imola with Leon Camier and Ryuichi Kiyonari in 15th and 16th respectively.
Leon Camier – P15
“To be honest we are not that far away from the group in front. I think there are still a couple of little things we can do to improve the bike’s setup. I just hope the others don’t make another big step so that we can get closer tomorrow. We made some small improvements already this afternoon and were able to lower our lap times a little bit. We know that the weather forecast is looking a little uncertain for the next couple of days, Sunday especially, but I look forward to riding the bike in the rain, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari – P16
“Before today, I had only ridden at Imola on one other occasion, around ten years ago, and to be honest today was more difficult than I expected. The track is very technical and demanding. It took both sessions to get used to it again, but finally things got better and at the end of FP2 I was much more comfortable. We tried some different tyre compounds and worked hard on the bike setup. Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to take another step forward.”
WSBK Imola Day One Combined Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Combined Times
Gap
1
J. Rea
ZX-10RR
146.374
0.000
2
C. Davies
Panigale
146.529
0.155
3
T. Sykes
S1000 RR
146.766
0.392
4
A. Bautista
Panigale
147.086
0.712
5
T. Razgatlioglu
ZX-10RR
147.124
0.750
6
M. Van Der Mark
YZF-R1
147.214
0.840
7
L. Haslam
ZX-10RR
147.419
1.045
8
A. Lowes
YZF-R1
147.537
1.163
9
L. Zanetti
Panigale
147.587
1.213
10
M. Rinaldi
Panigale
147.638
1.264
11
J. Torres
ZX-10RR
147.870
1.496
12
M. Melandri
YZF-R1
147.973
1.599
13
M. Reiterberger
S1000 RR
148.113
1.739
14
S. Cortese
YZF-R1
148.457
2.083
15
L. Camier
CBR1000RR
148.528
2.154
16
R. Kiyonari
CBR1000RR
149.099
2.725
17
H. Barbera
ZX-10RR
149.274
2.900
18
A. Delbianco
CBR1000RR
150.063
3.689
19
E. Laverty
Panigale
151.747
5.373
World Supersport
The 2019 FIM Supersport World Championship roared back into life at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola. The Italian saw home-hero Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) who ended day one on top. In FP2, two red flags were shown; the first due to a crash between Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) and Corentin Perolari (GMT94 YAMAHA) at Acque Minerale and a second from Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) at the Variante Alta.
Federico Caricasulo
Federico Caricasulo will be hoping that topping day one at the Pirelli Italian Round was no fluke, as the Italian rider goes in a quest to win a second consecutive WorldSSP race. The Italian wasn’t able to improve on his time in FP2 and suffered a crash on the exit of Variante Alta in the final ten minutes. Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) was looking back to his old self and placed second overall but was on top in FP2, whilst Randy Krummenacher was third despite his crash and consequential problems.
Randy Krummenacher
In fourth overall, Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing) continued his good form at home and was top Kawasaki rider whilst being the first non-Yamaha rider too. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was in fifth place but suffered a crash in the closing stages. Sixth position belonged to Thomas Gradinger, who suffered a similar crash to Caricasulo at Turn 15. The Austrian rider, however, is in the mix for another podium challenge.
Jules Cluzel
Up next, a brace of Italians; Massimo Roccoli (Team Rossa Corsa) was seventh on his wildcard appearance and ahead of regular rider, Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse), who concluded the opening day in eighth overall, being pushed back at the end of FP2.
Japanese star Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was once again a frontrunner and placed well within the top ten overall, in ninth, but complete FP2 in seventh. In combined times, the top ten was rounded out by Federico Fuligni (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) as he made a welcome reappearance in the top ten.
World Supersport Imola Friday Times
Pos
No. Rider
Bike
Combined Times
Gap
1
F. Caricasulo
YZF R6
151.278
0.000
2
J. Cluzel
YZF R6
151.583
0.305
3
R. Krummenacher
YZF R6
151.811
0.533
4
A. Badovini
ZX-6R
152.003
0.725
5
L. Mahias
ZX-6R
152.058
0.780
6
T. Gradinger
YZF R6
152.158
0.880
7
M. Roccoli
YZF R6
152.247
0.969
8
R. De Rosa
F3 675
152.309
1.031
9
H. Okubo
ZX-6R
152.334
1.056
10
F. Fuligni
F3 675
153.346
2.068
11
L. Cresson
YZF R6
153.367
2.089
12
G. Ruiu
YZF R6
153.417
2.139
13
L. Ottaviani
YZF R6
153.425
2.147
14
H. Soomer
CBR600RR
153.494
2.216
15
P. Sebestyen
CBR600RR
153.582
2.304
16
I. Vinales
YZF R6
153.732
2.454
17
C. Perolari
YZF R6
153.842
2.564
18
J. Danilo
CBR600RR
154.028
2.750
19
M. Herrera
YZF R6
154.075
2.797
20
J. Van Sikkelerus
CBR600RR
154.577
3.299
21
R. Hartog
ZX-6R
154.638
3.360
22
G. Van Straalen
ZX-6R
154.859
3.581
23
N. Calero
ZX-6R
155.034
3.756
24
K. Smith
ZX-6R
155.067
3.789
25
A. Coppola
CBR600RR
155.221
3.943
26
C. Stange
CBR600RR
156.799
5.521
27
F. Massei
YZF R6
157.333
6.055
28
G. Matern
ZX-6R
205.423
14.145
World Supersport 300
WorldSSP300 was back on track at Imola for their 2019 campaign, returning after a four-week hiatus. From back-to-back rounds at a busy Aragon and a weather-affected Assen, the WorldSSP300 category now takes to the historic Imola circuit in Italy. After the first day of action, it was 2017 WorldSSP champion Marc Garcia (DS Junior Team) on top, but there’s plenty of time left for the others to catch up.
Marc Garcia
Having dipped below the existing lap record in FP2, Group A were once again dominant in the leading positions on combined times. Marc Garcia’s time of 2’07.028 placed him ahead of Mika Perez (Scuderia Maranga Racing) and Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno Yamaha). Garcia won at the Imola track back in 2017 and will be hoping that he can use this weekend as a platform to elevate himself up from a lowly 14th in the championship.
Hugo De Cancellis
Fourth on the time sheets was Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing), who led for the majority of the session. The Indonesian rider was 0.442s from the top time by Garcia.
In fifth place was the first of the Group B entrants, with Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) continuing his impressive form on from Assen. Kevin Sabatucci (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) made it a 1-2 in Group B for Italy and finished sixth overall, making for an exciting prospect for the rest of the weekend.
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