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WorldSBK heads to Qatar for finale under lights

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WorldSBK set for Qatar closer

After 34 races, 12 rounds, visits to ten countries across five continents, inspiring comebacks, shattered records, very public rivalries, controversy, the occasional inclement weather, laughs, tears and, most importantly, some phenomenal racing, we have arrived at the final destination. The Motul FIM Superbike World Championship lands in Qatar where fireworks are sure to fly once again between the top contenders, as they have done non-stop for the past eight months.

WorldSBK Argentina Day SBK Jonathan Rea Alvaro Bautista
Alvaro Bautista muscles in on Jonathan Rea

The fierce back-and-forth between Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) promises to continue for several years to come, but for now this will be the final time they face off in their current colours. Bautista will serve the new HRC squad from 2020 onwards, closing a brief yet intense and somewhat confusing chapter in red.

WorldSBK Argentina Day Bautista
Alvaro Bautista

While pure dominance led Rea to at least three of his previous four world titles, this one has undoubtedly been marked by his consistency, even in defeat. Yet the Northern Irishman still has a chance to match his total number of victories from 2018 – albeit in 37 races rather than 25 – and trump his nemesis in the process. Rea has won 14 races, Bautista 16: the rest is self-explanatory.

Jonathan Rea

“I can’t believe it’s the end of another season. While we were able to achieve the target we set at the beginning of the year at the Magny Cours round, there is still a lot to play for going into this weekend. We are trying to bring home the manufacturers’ title for Kawasaki. It is nice to have these targets going into the weekend at a circuit that I really, really love. I love everything about the race. Riding under the lights is something really special because you feel at one with the bike as there are no external distractions in your line of sight. After an amazing weekend in Argentina, where I felt really competitive with the bike and we worked really well as a team in the limited practice time, that will be the same target in Qatar. To work really well together to maximise the potential of the Ninja ZX-10RR. Our goal is simple – to go out and win some races and end the season on a high. It has been a real dream season and I am really looking forward to the Losail race weekend. Can’t wait to get there.”

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Jonathan Rea 2019 World Superbike Champion

It remains to be seen which bike takes best to the Losail International Circuit. 5.360km-long and with a kilometre-plus start-finish straight, one would think it would suit the Borgo Panigale rocket and therefore Bautista; but Rea, let’s not forget, is undefeated here since 2017.

WSBK Rnd France Magny Cours Sun Jonathan Rea
Jonathan Rea

Their respective teammates will also be looking to end the season on a high. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) will be sat on the V4 R next year and seems to be coming to terms with the package – what better way to solidify your claim as a title contender for next year than to win the closing races? It wouldn’t be the first time the Welshman sits atop of the Losail podium; nor would it be for Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who ended his previous full-time stint in WorldSBK with a victory in Qatar. Instrumental to KRT retaining the Teams Championship, a first win in green would be a fine finale to his Kawasaki comeback.

Leon Haslam

“I managed to do a wildcard race here a few years ago with the Pedercini Kawasaki team and I had a top five result. That was quite nice, especially with the level we arrived there at. Last time I was here in the full-time WorldSBK championship was in 2015, and I won the last race. So good memories! I think the long straight is going to be a little bit of a factor with a few of the bikes but I really enjoy the layout – and it is always nice racing at night. I am looking to finish the season strongly.”

WSBK Portimao Day Haslam Raz Cortese
Leon Haslam has not fired as hard as he had hoped in 2019

Honour is always on the line in the final showdown of the year, but for many riders the stakes are much, much higher than that. Just six points separate three riders in the battle for bronze: current Pata Yamaha duo Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark, and future Pata Yamaha star Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing). Two of them have won races this season; the other remains ahead in the standings. The two men in blue hold 15 podium finishes between them; Razgatlioglu has claimed 13 alone yet still trails them on points. It’s been a standout season for all three – but there’s only room for one on the highlight reel.

WSBK Rnd Magny Cours WorldSBK Saturday Race Ambience Razgatlioglu Parc Ferme
Toprak Razgatlioglu is off to Pata Yamaha next year

Early 2019 saw the birth of several new projects in WorldSBK; Round 13, accordingly, will be the moment to evaluate where they stand one year on. For Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), his first year after trading the green and black leathers for white ones can only be deemed a success. A win under the floodlights would cap off this first season quite nicely.

Shaun Muir – Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

“After a quite frustrating weekend at Argentina we now come to our final round of the season and we want to finish on a high. Overall, we had some good gains in straight-line speed at the last round in Argentina. We hope to carry that into the Qatar round where we know that we will need speed on the long straight. Equally, we feel the BMW S 1000 RR will be very strong on other parts of the circuit, with the fast and flowing aspects giving us some definite advantages over the competition. I think there’s an outside chance we can challenge for the podium. It would be a sweet finish to our first year in this partnership. The whole team has worked extremely hard and deserves a final bit of success before we focus on 2020.”

WSBK Rnd France Magny Cours Sun Tom Sykes
A win before season end would pump Team BMW up ahead of the off-season and next year

This has also been the first year of the triple-pronged Moriwaki-Althea-Honda project. A season somewhat marred by injuries and disappointing results has taken a slight up0turn in the last couple of rounds thanks to Leon Camier, who has managed to close the gap with the leading machines. Nonetheless Camier will leave Honda after the season finale and will join Barni Ducati, which will mark the sixth different brand the Briton has raced with in World Superbike.

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Leon Camier and Honda’s season has been almost completely without a highlight….

Qatar is also synonymous with chapters closing and new doors opening; the list of those who will be moving on in the New Year includes Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven), Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) or Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). But for one man the story itself is coming to an end. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) will write the final lines of his career as an active competitor at the Losail International Circuit. A World Champion and multiple race winner with a memorable personality, his presence in the paddock will be sorely missed. From Monday onwards, that is – on Friday and Saturday the diminutive Italian will be out to win, as he has done in every race for the past three decades.

Marco Melandri

“Qatar will be my last race weekend before retirement, which means I head there with mixed emotions. On one hand I’m a little sad because racing has been such a huge part of my life and I had hoped to bow out on a higher note, as the results this season don’t reflect my potential and are not how I want to be remembered. Conversely, I’m also happy to have made the decision to stop, especially after such a difficult season. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved in my racing career, but now it’s time to turn the page and start a new chapter in my life. Qatar is a beautiful place to race, especially under the floodlights, and I’ll have many friends around me this weekend as I race for the last time. The goal is to finish as I started, by giving it my all and pushing for the best result possible.”

WSBK Rnd Assen Day Melandri
Marco Melandri is set to sign off on a long and fortuitous career

World Superbike Standings

Pos. Rider Points
1 Jonathan Rea 601
2 Alvaro Bautista 460
3 Alex Lowes 305
4 Michael Van Der Mark 304
5 Toprak Razgatlioglu 299
6 Leon Haslam 257
7 Chaz Davies 249
8 Tom Sykes 219
9 Marco Melandri 173
10 Jordi Torres 132
11 Sandro Cortese 126
12 Loris Baz 118
13 Michael Ruben Rinaldi 118
14 Leandro Mercado 75
15 Markus Reiterberger 73
16 Eugene Laverty 63
17 Leon Camier 45
18 Alessandro Delbianco 28
19 Ryuichi Kiyonari 22
20 Lorenzo Zanetti 21
21 Peter Hickman 14
22 Thomas Bridewell 12
23 Yuki Takahashi 11
24 Michele Pirro 10
25 Samuele Cavalieri 6
26 Sylvain Barrier 3
27 Hector Barbera 3
28 Takumi Takahashi 1
 
WorldSSP: Three riders. One Champion
The final round of 2019 awaits WorldSSP!

After the rollercoaster season that has gripped the FIM Supersport World Championship in 2019, it goes down to the wire yet again. For a third consecutive year, the WorldSSP title fight will be sorted out under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit and Qatar. In what is the only visit to the Middle East, World Supersport has seen some of the closest finishes in its history occur in the ever-developing oil-rich country, and 2019 is going to be no exception.

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSSP FP Action Krummenacher
Randy Krummenacher

He’s led the Championship since Australia but Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) has seen his lead slashed from over 20 points to just eight. Mistakes in recent rounds have put the title celebrations on ice for the Swiss star and he’s not in the greatest of form either. Coming from his two worst weekends in 2019, Krummenacher knows that if there’s one race he needs to recapture form for, it’s this one. A win for his teammate Federico Caricasulo and a third place for Krummenacher swings the title to the Italian. After fraught comments following a disappointing Argentina, it is now or never for Krummenacher.

Federico Caricasulo Dosoli
Federico Caricasulo is off to the GRT Yamaha World Superbike Team next season

Having chased Krummenacher hard all year, Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) is the Swiss’ nearest rival in the standings. Eight points separate the two and with 25 up for grabs, this is a crucial round. Caricasulo has failed to take more than seven points out of Krummenacher in one go, something that he will need to fix during the last round. Three wins from 11 races and six other podiums, Caricasulo knows that he has a chance of victory this weekend; if he wins then Krummenacher must be second, but if Caricasulo is second, then Krummenacher must be somewhere else in the top four. It’s that simple.

WSBK Rnd Magny Cours WorldSSP Saturday Tissot Superpole Action Cluzel
Jules Cluzel

Against the odds, Jules Cluzel comes into the Motul Qatar Round with an outside hope of the title. 22 points back of Krummenacher, Cluzel must win to even stand a chance. Should he win, then Krummenacher must be 14th or lower and Federico Caricasulo outside the top four in the race. It’s unlikely, but just two rounds ago, both BARDAHL Yamaha riders crashed out. Cluzel hasn’t taken back-to-back wins in the class since Assen and Imola in 2018 and besides his title rivals, five other riders have outshone Cluzel on their day in 2019. He can still win however, and that is what counts. Expect the unexpected.

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Lucas Mahias – Jerez WorldSBK 2019

Out of the top three and with no mathematical chance of the Championship, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) heads to Losail with a new contract in his pocket for 2020; Remaining with the Puccetti outfit for 2020. Out of all the riders on the grid, Mahias has scored more points than anyone in the last six races and has been on the podium in the last five – the first time in his career that he’s achieved five consecutive podiums. A winner in Qatar in the last two seasons, Mahias could be the spoiler in the title race in 2019.

Hikari Okubo
Hikari Okubo

Mahias’ teammate Hikari Okubo has been one of just three riders to score points in every race this year, but he was somewhat out of position in Argentina. The 26-year-old Japanese star was down in 12th in the race, only his second finish outside the top ten all year. Heading to Losail, Okubo reaches a circuit that he’s failed to finish at in the last two seasons. But don’t count him out; Okubo needs a strong performance in the final race of the season to secure a 2020 ride. Could that elusive podium finally come his way?

Completing the top six in the standings is Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse), who is still without a WorldSSP win. He featured strongly at the end of the race in Argentina to finish in sixth place, meaning he is now just five points behind Okubo in the standings. Yet to feature inside the top ten at Losail, De Rosa knows that a strong result over Okubo could give him a best end-of-season finish – fifth overall. Can the 32-year-old Italian deliver?

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSSP FP Action De Rosa
Raffaele De Rosa

Outside of the top six, there’s plenty of riders to keep an eye on. Recent rounds has seen Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) on the podium and looking strong, whilst pole-sitter in Argentina Corentin Perolari (GMT94 YAMAHA) will be eager to achieve his first rostrum of his WorldSSP career. Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) is eager to recapture his early season form, with Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing) seeking the continuation of his top ten streak. Just behind him overall is the best Honda of Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda), who could beat Badovini to the top ten overall.

World Supersport Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Randy Krummenacher 202
2 Federico Caricasulo 194
3 Jules Cluzel 180
4 Lucas Mahias 143
5 Hikari Okubo 97
6 Raffaele De Rosa 92
7 Thomas Gradinger 86
8 Isaac Vinales 81
9 Corentin Perolari 81
10 Ayrton Badovini 59
11 Peter Sebestyen 54
12 Loris Cresson 41
13 Jules Danilo 36
14 Hannes Soomer 34
15 Kyle Smith 24
16 Hector Barbera 22
17 Federico Fuligni 13
18 Lorenzo Gabellini 10
19 Jack Kennedy 9
20 Glenn Van Straalen 9
21 Rob Hartog 9
22 Jaimie Van Sikkelerus 9
23 Kevin Manfredi 8
24 Brad Jones 7
25 Miquel Pons 6
26 Massimo Roccoli 6
27 Tom Toparis 5
28 Christian Stange 5
29 Maria Herrera 5
30 Gabriele Ruiu 4
31 Luca Ottaviani 4
32 Daniel Valle 3
33 Xavier Navand 1
34 Mattia Casadei 1

WorldSSP300

Losail to light-up remaining battles in WorldSSP300

The season finale of the World Supersport 300 Championship is approaching, as the class takes on its first visit outside of Europe to the Motul Qatar Round. The Losail International Circuit should lend itself perfectly to the WorldSSP300 field, with fast and flowing corners and a 1068m front straight. The Champion has already been crowned with Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) taking WorldSSP300 honours, but the battle behind him for second place is raging, with three riders in mathematic contention for runner-up spot in 2019.

WSBK Rnd France Magny Cours Sun WorldSSP Race Gonzales
Manuel González

It has been a stunning season for Manuel Gonzalez, having romped clear at the head of the field and wrapped the Championship up with a round to spare, making him the youngest ever FIM Road Racing World Champion. Like most of the WorldSSP300 class, it is the first visit to Losail for Gonzalez, and he will be out to reinforce the fact that he is Champion for a reason. He could be the first WorldSSP300 rider in history to achieve four race wins in one year.

WSBK Rnd France Magny Cours Sun Manuel Gonzalez
Manuel Gonzalez

The battle for second is the focus point and former Moto3 stars Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) and Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT) have an advantage over Andy Verdoïa (BCD Yamaha MS Racing), having been to the circuit before. However, back then, neither were able to score points, so it is more of a level playing field than it could’ve been. With both Deroue and Carrasco winning at Portimao and Magny-Cours respectively, the pressure is certainly on Verdoïa, who hasn’t been on the podium since Donington Park in July.

WSBK Rnd Portimao SSP Deroue
Scott Deroue

Mathematically, fourth is still possible for Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) but he is 20 points away. Moreover, he is leading the battle for the final position inside the top five in the standings. The Dutch rider’s consistency has seen him finish in the points in every single race this year, although his nearest rival is right behind him. Marc Garcia (DS Junior Team) is just one point behind Steeman, whilst seven points further back is Steeman’s teammate, Jan-Ole Jahnig, who was last on the podium at Assen.

There is then a six-point gap which sees Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) occupy eighth place, just 14 points from Steeman in fifth. He will be joined in the team this weekend by fellow Indonesian rider, Muhammad Faerozi. Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) is in the battle for fifth overall too, although he is 22 points behind Steeman. He is joint on points with an in-form Nick Kalinin (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki), with the Ukrainian rider completing the top ten. Fifth to tenth have a mathematical chance of the top five, but all eyes are on Steeman, Garcia and Jahnig.

Nick Kalinin

Other riders who are going to be eager to fight their way into the top ten overall include Kevin Sabatucci (Team Trasimeno Yamaha), who was victorious in dramatic fashion at Donington Park. The top Italian in the Championship lies 11th overall and with a strong result in Qatar, could break into the top ten placings. Fellow countryman Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) is still in search of his first podium and having been inside the top ten until Donington Park, he will be eager to make it back into those positions.

Making his debut in Qatar, as well as Muhammad Faerozi, will be Dallas Daniels, who is one of the next stars coming from the United States. At just 16, he has been a race winner in the Liqui Moly Junior Cup in MotoAmerica, on his way to finishing third. There is one other rider swap and that is Oliver König (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team), who replaces Koen Meuffels – the former race winner parted ways with the team ahead of Portimao.

Tom Edwards is the sole Australian entrant at the event across all categories, and will be hoping to make his mark and sign off season 2019 with a good result. 

World Supersport 300 Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Manuel Gonzalez 148
2 Ana Carrasco 106
3 Scott Deroue 106
4 Andy Verdoïa 89
5 Victor Steeman 69
6 Marc Garcia 68
7 Jan-Ole Jahnig 61
8 Galang Hendra Pratama 55
9 Hugo De Cancellis 47
10 Nick Kalinin 47
11 Kevin Sabatucci 39
12 Bruno Ieraci 30
13 Jeffrey Buis 21
14 Omar Bonoli 19
15 Koen Meuffels 16
16 Maximilian Kappler 16
17 Manuel Bastianelli 14
18 Tom Edwards 14
19 Beatriz Neila 12
20 Samuel Di Sora 11
21 Enzo De La Vega 11
22 Livio Loi 10
23 Dion Otten 10
24 Emanuele Vocino 10
25 Mika Perez 10
26 Dino Iozzo 10
27 Oliver König 9
28 Robert Schotman 9
29 Mateo Pedeneau 8
30 Tom Bramich 6
31 Ferran Hernandez Moyano 6
32 Unai Orradre 6
33 Ton Kawakami 4
34 Joel Damon Kelso 4
35 Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez 4
36 Dorren Loureiro 4
37 Paolo Giacomini 3
38 Filippo Rovelli 3
39 Borja Sanchez 2
40 Francisco Gomez 2
41 Yuta Okaya 1

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News, WSBK

Rea tops Race 2 from Yamaha duo | Sunday WSBK Report

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WorldSBK 2019
Round 11 – Magny Cours

Sunday Superpole Race & Race 2 Report

Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea ensured the 2019 Pirelli French Round will go down in the history books, after Sunday began with Turkey’s first ever winner Razgatlioglu claiming victory in the Superpole Race and culminating with Jonathan Rea winning Race 2 to become the championship’s first ever five-time champion following early misfortune for nearest rival Alvaro Bautista.

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Toprak Razgatlioglu – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours

In World Supersport Lucas Mahias took the win, with favourites Randy Krummenacher and Federico Caricasulo both crashing out, with 10-points separating the two crashers at the head of the standings.

Ana Carrasco claimed victory in the World Supersport 300 class, while Manuel González extended his championship lead to claim the 2019 title, becoming the youngest rider to ever do so.

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Manuel González – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours

Superpole Race

22-year-old Toprak Razgatlioglu made it two out of two at the Pirelli French Round, clinching a stunning Tissot Superpole Race victory after another battle with Jonathan Rea, who as a result created the mathematical possibility of securing a fifth WorldSBK crown in race two.

hi R Magny Cours WorldSBK Sunday Razgatlioglu GB
Toprak Razgatlioglu – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours

As the lights went out, Michael van der Mark launched into an early lead, slipping up the inside of Jonathan Rea into the first corner. Leon Haslam maintained third with Tom Sykes climbing two places to fourth. Chaz Davies and Toprak Razgatlioglu were both big movers, improving up to eighth and tenth respectively.

The Razgatlioglu roll continued on the second lap, gaining three places in an incredible move on the brakes into the Adelaide hairpin, overhauling Chaz Davies, Alex Lowes and Michael Ruben Rinaldi. In the meantime, Jonathan Rea had managed to wrestle control away from Michael van der Mark, easing up the inside at the Imola chicane.

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Alvaro Bautista – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours

Eleven places had been gained in the first two laps, and two more would follow for Razgatlioglu on lap three, as the remarkable prowess of the Turkish rider on the brakes took him past Tom Sykes at the Adelaide hairpin, before Leon Haslam relinquished third three corners later. When Michael van der Mark was overtaken at Adelaide shortly before half distance, the stage was set for a repeat of yesterday’s last lap battle for the lead in race one.

On lap seven, the comeback was complete with the Turkish Puccetti Racing rider storming up the inside of Rea into his favourite overtaking spot, the Adelaide hairpin. The world champion stayed in touch with Razgatlioglu, and even threatened a counter attack on the final lap, but the Ulsterman couldn’t quite get his Kawasaki stopped into turn five, opening the door for Toprak to ease past on the exit and claim his second victory in a row.

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Leon Haslam – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours

The fight for the final front row spot in race two went down to the last lap as well with Chaz Davies, who had earlier made light work of Leon Haslam and Tom Sykes, chasing down the Yamaha of Michael van der Mark.

The Dutchman held on for third in the end, with Davies ensuring he will head the second row of the grid this afternoon in fourth. Alvaro Bautista produced a strong recovery to finish fifth, setting similar lap times to the leaders at various points of the race, but the Spaniard must avoid any mistakes in race two to keep Jonathan Rea waiting for the title. Alex Lowes was sixth, and will complete row two on the grid for race two.

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Chaz Davies – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours

Loris Baz returned the favour after losing out to Tom Sykes in the latter stages of race one. The Frenchman delighted the home crowd by snatching seventh on the last lap with Leon Haslam falling back to ninth by the chequered flag, the last of the points scorers.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi rode a strong race to tenth as all 20 starters completed the Tissot Superpole Race at Magny Cours. By virtue of his strong performance in Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session, Rinaldi will head the fourth row for race two later this afternoon.

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Toprak Razgatlioglu topped the Superpole Race podium from Rea and Van Der Mark – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours

Race 2

Starting from pole position for the first time in WorldSBK, Toprak Razgatlioglu couldn’t make the same lightning start which saw him leap up the order in the two previous races. Rea edged up the inside into Turn 1 to grab the lead but he wouldn’t stay ahead for long, as Michael van der Mark used the slipstream to hit the front at the Adelaide hairpin.

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Jonathan Rea – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours

The moment which ultimately proved decisive came on Lap 2 as Razgatlioglu lost the rear of his Kawasaki on the exit of Turn 13. As the Turkish rider fought to control the slide, Alvaro Bautista was powerless to avoid the Race 1 winner and both riders were eliminated on the spot. With the words ‘BAUTISTA OUT’ displayed on his pit-board next time around, Rea now knew that a race victory would see him make history.

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Alvaro Bautista had his hopes dashed after being caught up in Razgatlioglu’s crash – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours

Michael van der Mark was keen to ensure that Rea didn’t have an unchallenged run to a fifth WorldSBK crown, keeping the Ulsterman at bay until the Imola chicane on Lap 6. The Dutchman didn’t trail for long with the Yamaha proving a formidable motorcycle down the back straight towards Turn 5, an advantage van der Mark utilised to power past on Lap 8.

As the race ticked over half distance, Rea mounted another attack on the leader with van der Mark going defensive into Adelaide. The championship leader was wise to this tactic though and drew alongside into the following Nurburgring chicane, making the move stick on Lap 13. With van der Mark no longer close enough to make use of the slipstream next time around, Rea had the margin he needed to ease clear.

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Alex Lowes – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours

Despite a valiant effort from van der Mark, the advantage grew to over one-second, allowing Rea to close out the final laps and claim his 12th victory of 2019. This one was the sweetest of all though as he completed one of the great WorldSBK comebacks. From 61 points behind, Rea now holds an unassailable 129-point advantage and a place in the history books as the first ever five-time WorldSBK champion.

Alex Lowes completed the team’s first double-podium of the season with a close third, consolidating third in the championship standings, while Chaz Davies, who was heavily delayed in the early collision between his team-mate Alvaro Bautista and Toprak Razgatlioglu, recovered to finish fourth, overtaking home favourite Loris Baz on Lap 14. Despite a late challenge from the Frenchman, he was forced to settle for fifth, completing a positive weekend at his home round as the Top Independent Rider in Race 2.

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Marco Melandri – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours

Marco Melandri closed out the final European round of his WorldSBK career with a strong charge from 15th on the grid to sixth, winning a close three-way fight on the last lap. The Italian finished just a tenth of a second clear of Leon Haslam with Tom Sykes right behind the pair in eighth.

Leon Camier capped off an impressive comeback to the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with ninth place, finishing a second clear of Jordi Torres. Elsewhere, there were points for French wildcard Sylvain Barrier in 13th but disappointment for Sandro Cortese who was forced to retire midway through the race while running in the top ten.

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Jonathan Rea topped the Race 2 podium from van der Mark and Lowes – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours
Jonathan Rea – P1

“I can quite believe it. It has been an incredible year so far, and a year I have never given up, I’ve kept believing in myself, believing in my bike, believing in my crew and believing in my effort. After the fourth race, it was so tough to keep turning up when you know that he is going to be so difficult to win, but in the mid-season, we turn things around. I don’t have so many words right now, because I did not expect this today. I had no idea what was going to happen. If I would win today, what was the point situation, but I knew when I got the sign that Bautista was out that I could mathematically have the chance. And I did it! Thanks to all my team, all my family and all the people who have been working with me, Kawasaki, the sponsors, all the people that made this possible. It’s a huge team effort, and I couldn’t be here without them.”

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Jonathan Rea – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours
Michael van der Mark – P2

“I tried everything today! We improved the bike a bit in some area but toward the end, we lost quite a lot from Johnny but I really enjoyed this race and we had a nice battle! Of course, I saw that Alvaro was out so I knew Rea wasn’t going to do any crazy thing. I tried to stay with him, I passed him a few times but in the end he was a bit stronger. I want to thank my team because we got another podium.”

WSBK Rnd France Magny Cours Sun Michael van der Mark
Michael van der Mark – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours
Alex Lowes – P3

“I have got a little bit of good luck at the start of the race with the accident that happened in front of me. But after that, I felt strong on the bike and I was able to ride in 1’37 and catch Jonathan and Michael. Unfortunately, I pushed a lot in the middle and when I got there my front tyre was worn out a lot, so I couldn’t fight with van der Mark in the end but I am pleased with the podium and it set us out nicely for the final two fly-aways of the year.”

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Alex Lowes – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours
Chaz Davies – P4

“In both races today I finished in fourth place, which in itself is not a bad result, but I feel I could have got a lot more. In race 2 I almost got caught up in the incident between Toprak and Álvaro so took avoiding action by going off the track. Unfortunately, I came off the grass at four seconds back and finished the race with the same gap that I was unable to make up. It was so frustrating not to get the chance to fight for the win, because the pace was there.”

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Chaz Davies – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours
Loris Baz – P5

“Every race we close the gap to the race winner, and the same was true this afternoon. I’m much happier than I was yesterday, because yesterday I was not so happy with the bike and how I rode the last laps, but today was much better. This morning was also strong, but we had a technical issue after five laps and I just had to ride the bike to the end, although I still managed to beat Leon and Tom. This afternoon I lost again time at the beginning with Michael Rinaldi and Leon, but once past them I was as quick as the top guys over the remaining 15 or so laps. I’m happy; we didn’t quite make the podium, but we need to remember where we’ve come from and that we’re now up there and fighting with the factory bikes. We’re doing our job and I’m sure we’ll be up there challenging for the podium really soon.”

WSBK Rnd France Magny Cours Sun Loris Baz
Loris Baz – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours
Álvaro Bautista – DNF

“Fortunately physically I’m OK after the crash, I’m just a bit disappointed because I think in race 2 I was able to fight for the win. For sure the weekend was tough, it was a new track that I’d never seen before and there was very little time to ride in dry conditions. Yesterday in the first race I managed to improve the feeling with the track and made up a lot of positions, while today in race 2 I made a good start and felt really good with the bike up at the front. Unfortunately, I was involved in Razgatlioglu’s crash at Turn 13 and his mistake caused my retirement. It’s a pity to finish in this way but it’s all part of racing. Congratulations to Jonathan Rea because he had a great season. During the championship Jonathan has always been able to get the best out of every situation, and for sure we didn’t lose the title because of this race.”

WSBK Rnd France Magny Cours Sun Alvaro Bautista AP UC High
Alvaro Bautista – 2019 WorldSBK Round 11, Magny-Cours

WorldSBK Race 2 Results

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News, WSBK

Yamaha and Alex Lowes part ways after 2019 WSBK season

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Alex Lowes and Yamaha part ways

Yamaha Motor Europe have announced that they will part company with Alex Lowes after the final round of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship season in Qatar, with the rider not offered the same role into 2020.

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Action Lowes
Alex Lowes

Lowes has been part of Yamaha’s WorldSBK program since the Japanese manufacturer returned to the premier production racing series in 2016. In a partnership that has spanned four seasons, Lowes and Yamaha have completed 106 races, in which Lowes finished on the podium on 15 occasions.

The highlight of Lowes’ time with Yamaha undoubtedly came in 2018 at Brno in the Czech Republic, when the Briton got the better of his teammate in a closely-contested Race 2 to take his first WorldSBK race win.

Alex Lowes
Alex Lowes – Brno 2018

But the successful partnership between Yamaha and Lowes extended further than just the WorldSBK paddock. The 29-year-old was also a key member of the Yamaha Factory Racing Team that took three consecutive victories at the prestigious 8 Hours of Suzuka, only missing out on an unprecedented fourth win this year by the narrowest of margins.

Yamaha Motor Europe thanked Alex Lowes for his significant contribution to their racing achievements and wished him every success for the future, with the President of Yamaha Motor Europe Eric de Seynes thanking Lowes.

WSBK Rnd Jerez Sat Alex Lowes
Alex Lowes
Eric de Seynes – President, Yamaha Motor Europe

“I would like to start by saying thank you to Alex, not just for the success we have enjoyed together in WorldSBK and at Suzuka, but also for his commitment to Yamaha and our Superbike project, which he has been an integral part of from the beginning. It was a difficult decision not to continue with Alex in the same role for the 2020 season but it was also our sincere hope that he would remain within the Yamaha family. We knew there was a risk and, unfortunately, that risk has turned out to be real and Alex will not be on a Yamaha next season. Working with Alex these past four years has been a real pleasure for me and on behalf of both Yamaha and myself I wish Alex every success for the future.”

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News, WSBK

A wet and treacherous day one at Magny Cours | WorldSBK

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WorldSBK 2019
Round 11 – Magny Cours

Inclement weather wreaked havoc with the WorldSBK class as the second session at the Pirelli French Round began in torrential rain. As a result, the lap times were significantly slower as the riders searched for grip.

Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) left it late to finish fastest in the morning session but the Dutchman deemed the conditions too wet for any meaningful run in the afternoon and chose to sit FP2 out.

In van der Mark’s absence, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) proved the man to beat during FP2 but it wasn’t without a scare. Rounding the Estoril corner, the world champion suffered a huge moment as the rear of his Kawasaki stepped out. The Ulsterman maintained control and went on to top the session ahead of former team-mate Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), current team-mate Leon Haslam and surprise package Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) in fourth, although all riders were slower than they had gone in FP1.

Overall though it is Van der Mark quickest on Friday as he looks to chase down his team-mate Alex Lowes in the battle for third in the standings. Van der Mark has finished on the podium at Magny-Cours in each of the last three years and will fancy his chances of doing so again, whatever the weather.

Michael van der Mark

“It’s been a bit of a strange day. This morning the track was wet at the start but already starting to dry up a little, so we waited quite a long time before going out. At the end it wasn’t dry, it wasn’t wet, and the track conditions were less than perfect, but I had a good feeling with the bike straight away. I didn’t really push for a time, but ended up quickest, so it was a good start to the day. This afternoon it started to rain a lot before the session, and it continued throughout. We waited to see if the conditions would improve, but they didn’t so we decided to sit out the session as I have a good feeling with the bike already and, anyway, the forecast is for dry conditions from tomorrow onwards.”

Lowes ended the day in eighth overall, and much like his team-mate, took a safety-first approach during the afternoon downpour.

Alex Lowes

“Magny-Cours is one of those places where it’s sometimes a bit hit and miss with the weather, so the conditions today weren’t unexpected. It was good to get out on the track again this morning, even if the mixed conditions meant we weren’t able to learn much. But the feeling with the bike was good, which is one of the reasons why we opted to sit out the second session this afternoon, the other being that the weather looks set to improve ahead of FP3. Despite the limited track time today, we’ll be ready for qualifying and the first race tomorrow.”

Leading the Kawasaki challenge overall was Leon Haslam after a consistent day for the 36-year-old. Haslam was just two-tenths shy of the outright fastest time, indicating that both Kawasaki riders will be competitive tomorrow, wet or dry.

Leon Haslam

“It was slippery out there but it was OK in the end. This morning you just pushed as hard as you needed to. It was one of those sessions where if someone went fast, you went out and pushed a little bit harder. I think everyone was in the same boat. It was also just trying to gather information in case it is a wet race tomorrow. This morning was not fully wet in the end but this afternoon obviously was, so it was quite important for me to understand what the bike felt like in proper rain conditions. We also got to try the new rain tyre, which is very different. I feel we have had a positive day of collecting data and finishing inside the top three in each session.”

WSBK Rnd Magny Cours WorldSBK Friday Action Haslam
Leon Haslam

For Rea though a crash during FP1, followed by his near-highside in FP2, prove that nothing is yet completely certain in the championship.

Jonathan Rea

“Overall I am happy with the day because normally with the forecast to be clear tomorrow, and Sunday being even hotter, it is hard to be fully focused on building a set-up. We changed some things with the engine brake settings and we just needed to confirm them in the wet. This morning I was not so happy and this afternoon we worked to confirm something a bit better in the set-up. The bike is behaving a little bit different to how it has in the past in the wet, especially in how I am loading the front. If we should face any more wet weather over the weekend we need to work on stopping the bike in the last part of braking. But I was happy to be fast in full wet conditions. This morning there was a dry line coming up near the end so a lot of people went fast right at the end. It was a positive day.”

WSBK Rnd Magny Cours WorldSBK Friday Action Rea
Jonathan Rea

Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) earned the honour of top Independent rider with third spot, although four figured inside the top six as the heavy rain presented an opportunity for less fancied names.

Marco Melandri

“Very difficult weather here today at Magny-Cours, a track that is already very tricky in the wet because the grip is so unpredictable. This morning it was starting to dry a bit towards the end of the session and the track wasn’t so bad. This afternoon, with the onset of the rain, it was difficult to see and the bike was aquaplaning a lot, even in places where there didn’t look to be a lot of water. Luckily it looks like we’re going to have better weather tomorrow and Sunday and I hope we’ll get three dry races. It’s never easy here but this afternoon I wasn’t fast, but I felt better on the bike and this morning the feeling was even a bit better. But while I’m still not completely confident when it’s fully wet, the feeling is definitely better than it was in Misano.”

WSBK Rnd Magny Cours WorldSBK Friday Action Melandri
Marco Melandri

Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) held onto fourth with home favourite Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) demonstrating his wet-weather credentials, finishing fifth in both sessions.

Loris Baz

“The rain seems to be following me around at the moment! The grip here at Magny-Cours has always been limited in the wet, but it seems to get worse every year. We did a pretty good job this morning. Maybe as the track dried towards the end a slick may have been an option, but it would have also been a risk, which we preferred not to take as it will be dry from tomorrow onwards. This afternoon I didn’t do so many laps but we tried a few things in the fully wet conditions that could stand us in good stead if the weather forecast proves to be wrong, which is a distinct possibility here. It was good to finish the opening day in the top five, but we have a lot to do if we’re going to prepare the bike for dry qualifying tomorrow morning in the final 20-minute practice session, which we hope will be run in good conditions.”

WSBK Rnd Magny Cours WorldSBK Friday Action Baz
Loris Baz

Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team) is another rider to watch if the weather takes a turn for the worse, with the Italian an impressive sixth today on the leading Honda.

With Rea and Lowes completing the combined top eight, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) ends Friday as the fastest Ducati rider, narrowly ahead of Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven).

Ducati’s championship hopes still rest on the shoulders of Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) and the Spaniard wound up in 13th, one spot ahead of team-mate Chaz Davies with neither venturing out this afternoon.

Álvaro Bautista

“For sure it wasn’t the best day to make my debut on this track! This morning, on the wet track surface, I crashed after losing the rear at Turn 1 on the opening lap, but luckily I suffered no physical consequences. I quite like the Magny-Cours track and it doesn’t seem as difficult as Imola or Portimão. I could also see that in case of rain it doesn’t have much grip but it’s the same for everyone. In the second session the heavy rain made the situation even more difficult and because of my shoulder, which is still not at 100%, I preferred not to take any more risks and stayed in the box. Let’s hope that the weather improves for tomorrow and gives me a chance to increase my confidence with the track for the race.”

Moriwaki Althea Honda Team are boosted this weekend by the return of Leon Camier and the Briton showed promising pace in both sessions, ending up 11th overall. By contrast, Sandro Cortese found the going tough with 19th in FP1, followed by a heavy fall at the Adelaide hairpin later in the day which left him with a left shoulder contusion, plus a left elbow contusion and abrasion. 

WorldSBK Combined Friday Practice Times

Pos No. Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 M. Van Der Mark Yamaha YZF R1 1m51.852
2 L. Haslam Kawasaki ZX-10RR +0.223
3 M. Melandri Yamaha YZF R1 +0.795
4 L. Mercado Kawasaki ZX-10RR +0.868
5 L. Baz Yamaha YZF R1 +0.968
6 A. Delbianco Honda CBR1000RR +1.053
7 J. Rea Kawasaki ZX-10RR +1.074
8 A. Lowes Yamaha YZF R1 +1.093
9 M. Rinaldi Ducati Panigale V4 R +1.154
10 E. Laverty Ducati Panigale V4 R +1.372
11 L. Camier Honda CBR1000RR +1.657
12 T. Razgatlioglu Kawasaki ZX-10RR +2.177
13 A. Bautista Ducati Panigale V4 R +2.239
14 C. Davies Ducati Panigale V4 R +2.281
15 R. Kiyonari Honda CBR1000RR +2.289
16 J. Torres Kawasaki ZX-10RR +2.307
17 S. Barrier Ducati Panigale V4 R +2.455
18 T. Sykes BMW S1000 RR +2.592
19 S. Cortese Yamaha YZF R1 +4.764
20 M. Reiterberger BMW S1000 RR +5.109

WorldSSP600

The final WorldSSP session of the day was held in heavy rain ensuring that this morning’s lap times remained unbeaten. Given the risk attached with running in such conditions, FP1 pacesetter Corentin Perolari (GMT94 YAMAHA) chose to watch the second session from the garage, safe in the knowledge that he would finish the day fastest overall at his and the team’s home round.

WSBK Rnd Magny Cours WorldSSP Friday Action Perolari
Corentin Perolari

FP2 was largely dominated by Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing) who gradually improved his pace throughout the afternoon, despite the conditions showing know sign of significant improvement. The Briton was the only rider to drop underneath the two-minute barrier with Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 1.191s adrift in second. Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) was the man to fly the French flag this afternoon, edging out compatriot Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) while Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) ensured four Kawasaki riders broke into the top five in FP2.

WSBK Rnd Magny Cours WorldSSP Friday Action Mahias
Lucas Mahias

Overall, Perolari’s late dash in FP1 proved to be fastest of the day, with Mahias second overall ahead of Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing) who restricted his running to just three laps in FP2. Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing) was fourth with Jules Cluzel gearing up for a must-win weekend with the fifth fastest time, proving he will a rider to watch whatever the weather has in store this weekend. Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) rounded out the top six and will have high hopes of consolidating a top ten place in the championship standings.

WSBK Rnd Magny Cours WorldSSP Friday Action Sebestyan
Peter Sebestyen

Jules Danilo followed closely behind his team-mate in seventh ahead of Hikari Okubo who finishes the day in eighth overall, despite his impressive showing in FP2. Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) was a cautious ninth, a position he matched in FP2 as the Italian completed 16 laps, a total only bettered by wildcard Maximilien Bau (GMT94 YAMAHA). Loris Cresson (Kallio Racing) completed the top ten, although he was one of seven riders to spend the whole afternoon under shelter in the garage.

Of the riders that did brave the conditions in FP2, championship leader Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) was seventh, although that wasn’t enough to lift him from 18th in the combined standings. Elsewhere, Jaimie Van Sikkelerus (MPM WILSport Racedays) suffered his second crash of the day while ESS class runner Gaetan Matern fell at Estoril corner, an accident which left the Frenchman with a left humerus fracture, bringing an end to his weekend.

WorldSSP600 Combined Friday Practice Times

Pos No. Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 C. Perolari Yamaha YZF R6 1m44.802
2 L. Mahias Kawasaki ZX-6R +0.082
3 I.  Vinales Yamaha YZF R6 +0.385
4 A. Badovini Kawasaki ZX-6R +0.633
5 J. Cluzel Yamaha YZF R6 +1.215
6 P. Sebestyen Honda CBR600RR +2.198
7 J. Danilo Honda CBR600RR +2.244
8 H. Okubo Kawasaki ZX-6R +2.301
9 F. Caricasulo Yamaha YZF R6 +2.351
10 L. Cresson Yamaha YZF R6 +2.575
11 K. Smith Kawasaki ZX-6R +2.759
12 T. Gradinger Yamaha YZF R6 +3.439
13 H. Soomer Honda CBR600RR +3.902
14 R. Hartog Kawasaki ZX-6R +4.432
15 R. De Rosa MV Agusta F3 675 +4.450
16 G. Ruiu Yamaha YZF R6 +4.917
17 G. Van Straalen Kawasaki ZX-6R +5.198
18 R. Krummenacher Yamaha YZF R6 +5.422
19 F. Fuligni MV Agusta F3 675 +6.091
20 J. Van Sikkelerus Honda CBR600RR +6.660
21 N. Calero Kawasaki ZX-6R +7.030
22 G. Pot Yamaha YZF R6 +7.295
23 M. Bau Yamaha YZF R6 +8.835
24 X. Navand Yamaha YZF R6 +9.130
25 D. Valle Yamaha YZF R6 +11.704
26 G. Matern Kawasaki ZX-6R +11.709
27 C. Stange Honda CBR600RR +11.760
28 G. Sconza Honda CBR600RR +14.407

WorldSSP300

Wet weather dominated day one for the WorldSSP300 class at the Pirelli French Round, however Group A enjoyed a window of drier conditions earlier in the morning. With heavier rain then falling, Dion Otten (MTM Racing Team) saw his FP1 time remain unbeaten with many of the big hitters faced with tougher conditions in Group B.

WSBK Rnd Magny Cours WorldSSP Friday Action Otten
Dion Otten

Otten, who finished a strong sixth at Donington Park earlier this year, finished three-hundredths-of-a-second clear of Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) with Nick Kalinin (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) third as he goes in search of three consecutive top-six results this weekend.

Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300), who must win this weekend to have any chance of retaining her title, was fourth with Jan-Ole Jahnig (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) rounding out the top five.

WSBK Rnd Magny Cours WorldSSP Friday Action Hendra Pratama
Galang Hendra Pratama

With Group B running exclusively in wet conditions, precious few conclusions can be drawn by comparing lap times between the two groups.

Young Aussie Tom Bramich (Carl Cox- RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) suffered a crash in FP1, sustaining a concussion and fractured left elbow, and has been declared unfit. This opened the door for Mika Perez to step in, and the 2018 championship runner-up topped the overall times in Group B ahead of Adrien Quinet (TGP Racing) and Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) who suffered a crash in FP1.

WSBK Rnd Magny Cours WorldSSP Friday Action Perez
Mika Perez

Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) was fourth in Group B with Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (DS Junior Team) next up.

This weekend could see Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) crowned the 2019 WorldSSP300 champion and the Spaniard made a bright start, topping FP1 in Group B, closely followed by his nearest rival Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT). However limited running in FP2 for the championship leader saw him drop to 8th within his group, while Deroue sat out the second session completely.

WorldSSP300 Combined Friday Practice Times

Pos Rider Bike Class Gap
1 D. Otten Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 2m01.290
2 G. Hendra Pratama Yamaha YZF-R3 A +0.036
3 N. Kalinin Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +0.151
4 A. Carrasco Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +0.178
5 J. Jahnig KTM RC 390 R A +0.187
6 M. Bastianelli Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +0.199
7 T. Erhard KTM RC 390 R A +0.291
8 K. Meuffels Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +0.331
9 Y. Okaya Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +1.294
10 E. De La Vega Yamaha YZF-R3 A +1.724
11 T. Kawakami Yamaha YZF-R3 A +1.829
12 T. Edwards Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +1.830
13 L. Loi Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +1.845
14 T. Moreton Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +2.558
15 M. Hrava Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +2.924
16 D. Iozzo Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +2.976
17 K. Hartmann Yamaha YZF-R3 A +3.564
18 S. Markarian Yamaha YZF-R3 A +4.264
19 F. Rovelli Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +4.629
20 K. Sabatucci Yamaha YZF-R3 A +4.966
21 P. Giacomini Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +5.270
22 A. Longo Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +7.665
23 D. Delouvy Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +7.746
24 B. Molina Yamaha YZF-R3 A +8.976
25 M. Perez Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +9.868
26 K. Aloisi Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +9.896
27 A. Quinet Honda CBR500R B +10.816
28 V. Steeman KTM RC 390 R B +10.900
29 H. De Cancellis Yamaha YZF-R3 B +10.933
30 I.  Offer Kawasaki Ninja 400 A +11.493
31 J. Perez Gonzalez Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +12.358
32 B. Sofuoglu Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +12.441
33 B. Sanchez Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +12.679
34 M. Gonzalez Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +12.963
35 B. Ieraci Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +13.021
36 M. Kappler KTM RC 390 R B +13.234
37 J. Ioverno Yamaha YZF-R3 B +13.490
38 S. Di Sora Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +13.531
39 J. Foray Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +13.864
40 S. Deroue Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +13.914
41 J. Facco Yamaha YZF-R3 B +14.137
42 A. Pelikanova Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +16.016
43 M. Carusi Yamaha YZF-R3 A +16.110
44 E. Ceolotto Yamaha YZF-R3 B +16.123
45 M. Garcia Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +17.183
46 U. Orradre Yamaha YZF-R3 A +17.912
47 R. Dore Yamaha YZF-R3 B ++17.964
48 S. Naud Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +18.251
49 J. Stroud Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +18.265
50 S. Raineri Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +18.324
51 J. Buis Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +18.507
52 H. Girardet Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +20.295
53 V. Schwarz Kawasaki Ninja 400 B +22.594
54 F. De Bruin Yamaha YZF-R3 B +24.082
55 B. Neila Yamaha YZF-R3 B +34.570
56 M. Pedeneau Yamaha YZF-R3 B /
57 G. Carbonnel Yamaha YZF-R3 A /
58 A. Verdoïa Yamaha YZF-R3 B /

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News, WSBK

WorldSBK heads to France for Magny-Cours

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WorldSBK 2019
Round 11 – Magny Cours

This weekend the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship circus moves to Circuit Nevers Magny-Cour in France for the final European round of the year. Even if there are still three rounds to go before the end of the Championship, the French round could mark an important stage in the run-up to the world titles of the three classes.

In WorldSBK Jonathan Rea dominates the overall standings with a 91-points lead over Ducati rider Àlvaro Bautista. Rea could add a fifth World Superbike Championship title this weekend.

In WorldSSP it is an open challenge among the Yamaha riders of the Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team with Swiss native Randy Krummenacher enjoying a slim 10-point advantage over team-mate Federico Caricasulo.

The fight for the WorldSSP300 title is more open, albeit only among Kawasaki riders, but this class has only two races to be run since it will not race in Argentina. Spaniard Manuel Gonzalez leads the standings with a lead of 38-points over Dutchman Scott Deroue and 47 points over defending Champion Ana Carrasco.

Mangy Cours
Nevers Magny-Cours

Inaugurated almost 60 years ago in 1960, the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit is 4411 metres long and has nine right-handers and eight to the left. This track is characterised by sudden deceleration and re-acceleration changes, interspersed with medium length straights, with plenty of small altitude changes. In its default layout it also provides a hairpin (Adelaide) with one of the heaviest braking points present among the international circuits, arriving from a fast straight.

The asphalt has a smooth and regular surface and therefore offers little natural grip, especially in case of low temperatures or in the wet. Moreover, in some points the riders are called to brake in the downhill sections putting the front tyre under stress.

WorldSBK

Dogged determination and unrivalled resilience – Jonathan Rea would never have imagined wrapping the championship up at Magny-Cours after the first 11 races of the season. But that is the situation that the Northern Irishman finds himself in as he could secure title number five at the technical French track. Having achieved the double at the track in 2018, Rea’s form at Magny-Cours is good in recent years: three more wins, three further poles and four other podiums. Can anyone topple the championship-elect?

WSBK Rnd Portimao R Bautista Podium Rea Toprak
Race Two Podium at Portimao 2019

34-year-old Alvaro Bautista is Rea’s nearest and only mathematical challenger in the race to the crown in 2019. Having never been to the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Alvaro Bautista’s prospects of taking points away from Rea seem slim – although 2019 has already dealt the unforeseeable. “Until the mathematics say no, you have to fight” was what the Spaniard declared after his win at Portimao and it is that mentality that will keep the fight alive. Will he rock up to another new track and put Rea’s championship celebrations on ice?

WSBK Rnd Portimao Sykes Lowes Haslam
Tom Sykes, Alex Lowes, Leon Haslam

The battle for third place in the overall standings is still raging on behind the leading duo, as Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) heads team-mate Michael van der Mark by just five points. Lowes may be under threat from his Dutch team-mate if last year’s form is anything to go by.

Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) is fifth in the standings and has three podiums to his name at Magny-Cours, as well as his last pole position to-date coming at the circuit in 2015.

Behind Haslam by just six points is Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), with the 22-year-old Turkish rider aiming for a podium at a seventh different circuit of the season.

19 points further back is Chaz Davies will look to utilise his three wins at Magny-Cours in order to close in on the battle for third.

Tom Sykes was a double winner back in 2013 at Magny-Cours, although BMW as a manufacturer have never before achieved a victory at the French circuit.

WorldSBK Championship Points Standings

Pos Rider Total
1  Jonathan Rea  490
2  Alvaro Bautista  399
3  Alex Lowes  249
4  Michael Van Der Mark  244
5  Leon Haslam  229
6  Toprak Razgatlioglu  223
7  Chaz Davies  204
8  Tom Sykes  183
9  Marco Melandri  153
10  Sandro Cortese  116
11  Michael Ruben Rinaldi  107
12  Jordi Torres  106
13  Loris Baz  87
14  Markus Reiterberger  67
15  Leandro Mercado  51
16  Eugene Laverty  43
17  Leon Camier  26
18  Lorenzo Zanetti  21
19  Alessandro Delbianco  21
20  Ryuichi Kiyonari  20
21  Peter Hickman  14
22  Thomas Bridewell  12
23  Yuki Takahashi  11
24  Michele Pirro  10
25  Samuele Cavalieri  6
26  Hector Barbera  3
27  Takumi Takahashi  1

World Supersport

Heading to France as championship leader, Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) knows that he has no room for mistakes in this crucial time of the year. The Swiss rider has been leading the standings from the first round of the year at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. He missed the podium just once in the UK, and with four wins, eight podiums and three Superpoles he has used consistency as his key weapon against the opposition.

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSSP FP Action Krummenacher
Randy Krummenacher

But Krummenacher is not the only rider who has taken steady steps towards the title throughout all the season. His teammate Federico Caricasulo is only 10 points behind him with three wins, nine podiums and three pole positions.

Local hero Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) is currently third in the championship standings, 48 points behind Krummenacher, and is looking forward to putting on a strong performance at his home round.

Still chasing his first win onboard the Kawasaki ZX-6R, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) arrives at Magny Cours after having taken his third back-to-back podium for 2019 in Portugal. The 2017 WorldSSP World Champion seems to have finally found his feet with the green machine of the Italian team, and at his home round the Frenchman will look forward to proving it again. On the other side of the Puccetti’s garage, Japanese rider Hikari Okubo will continue to aim for his first WorldSSP podium in his career.

World Supersport Championship Points Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Randy Krumme 193
2 Federico Caricasulo 183
3 Jules Cluzel 145
4 Lucas Mahias 98
5  Hikari Okubo 82
6 Thomas Gradinger 70
7 Raffaele De Rosa 69
8 Corentin Perolari 59
9 Isaac Vinales 45
10 Peter Sebestyen 43
11 Ayrton Badovini 37
12 Loris Cresson 36
13 Jules Danilo 32
14 Hannes Soomer 28
15 Hector Barbera 22
16 Federico Fuligni 13
17 Lorenzo Gabellini 10
18 Kyle Smith 10
19 Jack Kennedy 9
20 Glenn Van Straalen 9
21 Rob Hartog 9
22 Jaimie Van Sikkelerus 9
23 Kevin Manfredi 8
24 Brad Jones 7
25 Miquel Pons 6
26 Massimo Roccoli 6
27 Tom Toparis 5
28 Maria Herrera 5
29 Gabriele Ruiu 4
30 Luca Ottaviani 4
31 Daniel Valle 3
32 Mattia Casadei 1

World Supersport 300

The championship is on the line for World Supersport 300, as three riders go into the Pirelli French Round with the chance of becoming champion. However, only one can win it this weekend: Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) has a 38-point advantage over Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT), and needs just a top four finish to secure the crown. However, this is WorldSSP300, where a top four finish is certainly easier said than done…

WorldSBK Rnd Aragon Sun WorldSSP Race GB Gonzalez GB
Manuel Gonzalez

He may have only taken his first win of the season at Portimao, but Scott Deroue won’t go down without a fight in WorldSSP300. The Dutchman has been twice-third in the standings at the end of the season and has been one of the more consistent riders in the class. However, bad luck in 2019 has seen Deroue on the back foot. Deroue must take more than 14-points or more from Gonzalez to take the fight to the floodlights of Losail.

WSBK Rnd Portimao SSP Podium Deroue Gonzalez Carrasco
SSP 300 Podium at Portimao – Scott Deroue P1 – Manuel Gonzalez P2 – Ana Carrasco P3

Defending champion Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) must win at Magny-Cours and hope that Gonzalez is 14th or lower. She cannot afford to have anything less than a win at Magny-Cours if she is to take the championship down the final round of the season. Just eight points from the opening the opening two races and not taking advantage of Gonzalez and Deroue’s Donington Park issues have been pivotal. Magny-Cours is where Ana claimed the World Championship #1 plate last year.

WSBK Magny Cours SSP Ana Carrasco DSC
Ana Carrasco – 2018 World Supersport 300 Champion

There’s no mathematic chance of Andy Verdoïa (BCD Yamaha MS Racing) winning the championship in 2019, so the Frenchman heads home to race for nothing but pride and glory. His two podiums of 2019 have come in the last three races, showing great improvement throughout the season. He leads the French charge as the field arrives at Magny-Cours, whilst also remaining in the battle for third place with Carrasco. Just 14 points behind Deroue, Verdoïa may even find himself improving to second, should events transpire against his rivals.

13-points behind Verdoïa is 2017 WorldSSP300 champion Marc Garcia, who is leading the battle for fifth position overall. The Jerez Race 1 winner jumped to fifth in the championship at Portimao and now sets his sights on bridging the gap to those ahead of him. On his last appearance at Magny-Cours, Garcia took victory from 11th on the grid, highlighting that anything is possible. One point behind Garcia is Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) whilst his teammate, Jan-Ole Jahnig, is just one point further back.

World Supersport 300 Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Manuel Gonzalez 128
2 Scott Deroue 90
3 Ana Carrasco 81
4 Andy Verdoïa 76
5 Marc Garcia 63
6 Victor Steeman 62
7 Jan-Ole Jahnig 61
8  Hugo De Cancellis 47
9 Galang Hendra Pratama 44
10 Nick Kalinin 41
11 Kevin Sabatucci 39
12 Bruno Ieraci 21
13 Omar Bonoli 19
14 Koen Meuffels 16
15 Maximilian Kappler 15
16 Manuel Bastianelli 14
17 Tom Edwards 14
18 Jeffrey Buis 13
19 Beatriz Neila 12
20 Enzo De La Vega 11

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News, WSBK

Rea and Bautista share the Sunday WSBK spoils in Portugal

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2019 WorldSBK

Round 10 – Portimão

Summary

Jonathan Rea wins Superpole Race but Bautista bounces back to claim Race Two victory. Rea now has a 91-point buffer over Bautista in the championship chase. There are three rounds remaining with Magny-Cours hosting the next round late this month, September 27-29.  

In WorldSSP 600 Italian rider Federico Caricasulo won his third race of the season and is now just 10 points behind team-mate and championship leader, Randy Krummenacher.

WSBK Rnd Portimao SS Caricasulo Win
Federico Caricasulo

Dutchman Scott Deroue triumphed in the World Supersport 300 category for his first win of the season which moved him into second place in the overall championship standings. Manuel Gonzalez has one hand on the championship trophy with a handy 38-point lead in the series. 

WSBK Rnd Portimao SSP Derou Win
Scott Deroue

There are no Aussies in either the World Superbike or Supersport categories, but three Aussie youngsters contested the 300 Supersport category. 

Tom Edwards was the highest placed Aussie in WorldSSP 300 in 11th place, one position ahead of countryman Joel Kelso who put in an impressive weekend on what was a last-minute call-up to replace an injured rider in the Nutec RT-Motorsports squad. Tom Bramich had a troubled weekend and carded a 28th place result. 

Superpole Race

The 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship fired back into life on Sunday morning with the Tissot Superpole Race. After ten laps of action Jonathan Rea took his ninth win on the bounce at Portimao, whilst a relentless battle for the podium took hold behind the reigning four-time WorldSBK champion.

WSBK Rnd Portimao SPRace Start
Superpole Race Start

Lights out and it was another good get-away for Jonathan Rea, holding on to his first position from Tom Sykes and Leon Haslam.

Sandro Cortese had a better start and was fourth ahead of Alex Lowes and his team-mate Michael van der Mark, whilst Alvaro Bautista kept his nose clean and was seventh.

However, Bautista dropped positions and soon found himself in a battle with Marco Melandri, Toprak Razgatlioglu and team-mate, Chaz Davies. At the end of lap one, Rea hadn’t broken clear of Sykes, whilst Haslam was under pressure from the pursuing riders.

Lowes showed better pace than race one, now up to second ahead of Sykes and Haslam and soon, there’d be more problems for the British pair.

WSBK Rnd Portimao Sykes Haslam Bautista
Sykes, Haslam, Bautista

Bautista was picking his way through the pack, taking Razgatlioglu and capitalising on a Melandri error at turn 12. Next up, Cortese was dispatched and then it was two-for-one as the Spaniard eased ahead of Haslam and Sykes. All moves were completed on the front straight. Bautista’s teammate Davies was not having a strong race, down in tenth.

WSBK Rnd Portimao Davies Melandri Baz
Davies, Melandri, Baz

Sykes soon fell to the back of the battle for fourth, with Haslam and Razgatlioglu getting ahead – the Turkish rider taking both at turn five with five to go, whilst Michael van der Mark made his way ahead of Cortese. Two laps later, he would be ahead of Sykes – the 2013 WorldSBK champion now down in seventh and relinquishing his front row starting position.

Bautista was now chasing Lowes and on the final two laps, the two were head-to-head, with the Spaniard getting the better of Lowes on the front straight at the start of lap 10. Whilst Lowes stayed with him, there was nothing he could do about the Ducati rider. But there was nothing the pair could do about runaway leader, Rea, who took the victory and starts from pole once more in race two. Bautista will be elevated to the front row ahead of Lowes, who took his best result at Portimao.

Razgatlioglu leapt from 13th to fourth after he held of Haslam and van der Mark in the closing stages. The group were able to hold on ahead of Sykes and Cortese, whilst Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) took ninth to start from row three – the original row three all being replaced after the Tissot Superpole Race. Most notably, Chaz Davies finished outside of the top nine and will start from 14th.

Race Two

WSBK Rnd Portimao R Start
Race Two start

Off the line and it was a great start for Rea from pole position but a disaster for Bautista, who plunged down the order to sixth place after lap one. Toprak Razgatlioglu was a fast starter and up to second, ahead of Leon Haslam. Alex Lowes was fourth and team-mate Michael van der Mark was fifth, just ahead of Bautista who was right in the hunt.

WSBK Rnd Portimao R Starts
Race Two start

Bautista soon began his comeback, first picking off van der Mark down the front straight, before picking off Lowes two laps later. He hit third a lap later, before slicing ahead of Jonathan Rea to momentarily lead with 15 to go. But Razgatlioglu had other ideas, as the Turkish rider hit the front of the field.

WSBK Rnd Portimao Razgatlioglu Bautista Rea
Razgatlioglu, Bautista, Rea

With Razgatlioglu and Bautista leading, Rea had to try and find a way to react to the change of the guard at the front. Haslam was still in the mix with the two Pata Yamahas just behind; with the front six covered by just one second.

A lap later, the horsepower of the Ducati propelled Bautista back into the lead of a race for the first time since Misano, and the Spaniard soon began to put the hammer down.

WSBK Rnd Portimao R Rea Razgatlioglu
Rea, Razgatlioglu

Rea fought back on his fellow Kawasaki rider Razgatlioglu, but whilst he closed up on Bautista, he wasn’t able to make a move on the Spaniard.

Further back and at half race distance, isolation of the leading six began to set in. Lowes made his move on Haslam with 10 to go, after the ‘Pocket Rocket’ lost an entire second to his fellow Brit.

Loris Baz closed on the battle for fourth. Behind them, Tom Sykes and Jordi Torres were squabbling over ninth, just behind Marco Melandri.

With the gap between Bautista and Rea extending to over a second, and Razgatlioglu sat in a safe third place – barring acts of God – the big battle on track was for fourth, with Lowes and Haslam swapping places with five laps to go. At turn three, van der Mark parked his Yamaha in the way of Haslam, bringing Baz right into play. Haslam fought back however, and a lap later he was back in fifth place and chasing Lowes.

In the closing laps, the race began to come alive at the front, with Rea lapping quicker than Bautista and the gap coming down to less than a second, although with two laps left to run, it was beginning to look a little bit late for Rea to return to the front. However, his teammate Haslam, was climbing all over Lowes in the battle for fourth.

On the final lap, the gap at the front closed dramatically and Rea was right with the Spaniard, but on the run to the line Ducati power prevailed over Rea’s resilience.

Bautista was back on top and took the verdict, winning for the first time at Portimao. Rea was second and Razgatlioglu took a tenth career podium in third. Lowes held-off Haslam but Baz made it to sixth and beat van der Mark. Lowes therefore returns to the third overall.

WSBK Rnd Portimao R Bautista
Álvaro Bautista

Melandri putting in a hearty effort for eighth place, whilst Sykes was able to beat Sandro Cortese in the remaining places inside the top ten. Jordi Torres was eleventh and couldn’t return to the top ten, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Markus Reiterberger , Eugene Laverty and Leandro Mercado completing the points.

The 1-2 gap comes down to 91 points in the championship race, but the battle for third is well and truly alive, with 45 points covering third to seventh.

Riders Reflect on Portimao weekend

Jonathan Rea

“I felt strong with the bike. I was pushing in Race Two and where Alvaro was gaining time on the front straight and the top straight, coming out of T5 I almost felt that he was increasing the gap. But when we went into T14 I had already eaten up that advantage he had in the first sector. It was enough motivation to keep pushing. He was making a few mistakes and it was enough for me to keep the pressure on. You never know what can happen and I could see the gap to Toprak was increasing in those last six laps. Yesterday I ate too much tyre in the beginning but today on lap 19 I could set a 1’43.2. I enjoyed that final race; we had a fight. I am proud of myself because I had fight in me.”

WSBK Rnd Portimao SPRace Podium
Superpole Sprint Race Podium

Álvaro Bautista

“It has been a very tough weekend for me, especially physically because my shoulder is still not at 100%. I felt worse this morning after yesterday’s race so I tried to start well in the Superpole Race. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of positions and used up most of my energy, but I finished second which meant that I could start from the front row in race 2. In the afternoon I again made a bad start, lifting the front of the bike up and losing some positions but I was still in the leading group so was not too worried. Mid-race I felt my pace was stronger so I decided to go for the lead and push hard until the end. I could manage the advantage but in the last two laps I felt every drop of energy leave me, luckily it was the last lap because I didn’t have anything left. It was my first time here in Portimão and I’m happy to get a win again after more than two months.”

WSBK Rnd Portimao Bautista Ducati
Álvaro Bautista

Toprak Razgatlioglu

“This morning we tried a new and different electronics set-up, which gave me a good feeling. In the short race it was important to get a good starting position for the final long race, so fourth position was not bad. In the final race I followed Johnny and Bautista and after ten laps the tyre had a big drop. I know all the riders had the same but I am happy because again I got on the podium.”

WSBK Rnd Portimao R Bautista Podium Rea Toprak
Race Two Podium

Alex Lowes

“Yesterday I was a bit frustrated because a lack of grip in the latter stages meant I couldn’t really race, but it was the complete opposite today, with two really good races. The battle with Leon Haslam in Race 2 was fantastic and really good fun. He was struggling with the front and I was struggling more with the rear, so while he could get the run on me, he couldn’t get the bike stopped, which made for a really close race. To get a third and a fourth today, at a track where I’ve struggled a bit in the past when it’s hot, is fantastic. Good racing, I really enjoyed it and now I’m looking forward to Magny-Cours.”

Leon Haslam

“It was a good fight in the final race and I felt I should have got Alex Lowes, as I had more grip than him at the end. That said, from half distance I sort of lost the front grip on the right side, a little bit but I felt comfortable behind Johnny and Toprak. After about nine laps I lost my advantage with the front so I dropped off the pace quite a lot which put me in a battle with Alex. I was managing the front but I got in a bit of a scuffle with van der Mark, which lost me the tow. I managed to bridge that gap quite quickly but I was suffering just to get the thing to stop. I tried to pass several times into turn one. We made a lot of steps for that race with the bike balance but I am a little bit disappointed because I felt again we had the pace to go with the podium guys, especially in the first half, but just a few little niggles and mistakes just knocked me out of it. My pace in the Superpole race should have got me a better result.”

WSBK Rnd Portimao R Haslam
Leon Haslam

Chaz Davies

“After yesterday’s good result, we made a set-up change to try and improve even more, but it didn’t work the way we expected. Obviously starting from P14 also means it’s pretty hard work from there and for me the race was tough. The initial pace was not so bad even though I struggled in the early laps a little bit, then just when I thought I could make an impact on the race I started encountering some problems with the gear shifter and it wouldn’t let me ride in the right way. The podium here in Portimão was good, but I’m disappointed with the way things turned out today. Overall the weekend has given me optimism going forward and it just proves we’ve got a pretty good competitive window now, even on tracks that are usually unfavourable for us.”

WSBK Rnd Portimao Davies Baz
Chaz Davies

Michael van der Mark

“The Superpole race wasn’t easy, but our goal was to improve the feeling with the bike and secure a better grid position for Race 2 and we achieved that. We made a small change to the set up ahead of Race 2 and, as a result, I struggled a lot more than yesterday, unfortunately. Yesterday I could ride the bike exactly how I wanted, but today I simply didn’t have a good feeling from the start and wasn’t able to maintain a consistent pace. I lost a lot of time, which is a shame, but we know where we need to improve and I’m confident we’ll be back at the front in Magny-Cours, which is a track I really like.”

WSBK Rnd Portimao R Baz VanDerMark
Loris Baz and Michael Van der Mark

Loris Baz

“It was a hard day yesterday for me, as I made a mistake in qualifying and that had a huge impact on the weekend as a whole. In the Superpole race, the only goal was top nine to improve my grid position for Race 2 and I managed that, despite dropping back to 18th from the start. Race 2 was okay, other than another bad start which is something we need to work on, but I managed to come back. I lost a lot of time, around three seconds, behind Tom Sykes and that meant once I’d managed to pass him, I had a big gap to Michael van der Mark ahead of me. But I managed to close the gap without killing the tyre, which is where the race simulations we did at the test paid off, and I eventually passed him for sixth. I’m happy with the result; the guys worked really hard after my mistake yesterday, so big thanks to them. We enjoyed a strong weekend and we showed that we’re getting closer and closer to the podium.”

Tom Sykes

“It has been a bit difficult and obviously in race conditions we saw that we have some more work to do. Today we had some quite extreme race conditions and as a result collected some good data. In the last race we made a few changes to the BMW S 1000 RR, which helped us to move forward and the race itself has given us a lot of information and a clear point where we are lacking and where to try and improve. Having said that, we certainly have some positives to take away from this weekend in terms of track performance. A big thanks to the whole of the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team; we’ve had quite an intense few days testing here a few weeks back and here at the race weekend so credit to them, we will keep working and hopefully get to where we want to be in a few weeks’ time at Magny-Cours.”

WSBK Rnd Portimao Sykes Lowes Haslam
Tom Sykes, Alex Lowes, Leon Haslam

Marco Melandri

“It’s been a difficult round, but a positive is that for Race 2 we found the best set-up that we’ve had here this weekend in Portimão. Even so, it was still a tough race. My problem is clear, but finding a solution has so far proved tricky, despite the hard work of Yamaha and my team. I need a better start, because this is always better, but I also need to be more consistent in the race. It was really hard for me to use the same line every lap and I was working the tyre really hard. When the front grip dropped down then I was struggling a lot today. In the end I think everyone was struggling for rear grip, but we know we still have some work to do ahead of the next race in Magny-Cours.”

Sandro Cortese

“From the first lap in Race 2 this afternoon I had a big problem with the rear of the bike sliding around and I wasn’t able to stay with the second group. We don’t know what the cause was, because I felt pretty good in the Superpole race this morning and I had a good race. This afternoon I managed to finish top-ten but my expectations after this morning were much higher. But it was a weekend without a crash, my self-confidence is back, and I was happy with both Race 1 and the Superpole race. Race 2 this afternoon I felt much stronger in myself than was reflected in the result.”

Markus Reiterberger

“We tried a little modification in the warm up. It felt positive but we knew that we should not be fooled since in the cooler mornings the grip is always better and our bike works really well then.
Unfortunately, we struggle more and more the warmer it gets. We were able to use the soft tyre in the Superpole race but I finished only 14th so it was not a good race. For the second race, we made another change and the feeling was great. The start was good, but maybe I was a bit too cautious in the first two corners and lost a few places. But then I was able to set good lap times and keep in touch with the group but I just could not get past Michael Ruben Rinaldi. We are still lacking a bit of acceleration and power.”

WSBK Rnd Portimao Reiterberger
Markus Reiterberger

Takumi Takahashi

“I’m not satisfied with my results in today’s races. I lost too much time behind other riders over the first laps and ultimately my pace was not competitive enough. I wanted to do better. Generally speaking, the weekend was a good and exciting experience even if I’m sorry Leon is still recovering from his surgery. The three-race format is tough, but it was good to pair with Ryuichi again, and everything ran smoothly in the garage. I wish to thank the team for all their hard work”.

Ryuichi Kiyonari

“Today we were able to find better balance in terms of the bike set-up and this meant that we were able to use a softer front tyre spec with respect to our usual choice. That improved both my feeling with the front and my general confidence on the bike. I’m sorry that results are still far from good, but I’ll keep working hard with my team and trying my best to do better. I really enjoyed sharing the garage with Takumi this weekend, we get along very well but it will be good to have Leon back at the next round”.

WorldSBK Results/Championship Standings

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News, WSBK

Jonathan Rea scores eighth consecutive win at Portimao

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Supersport 600

In recent rounds, the momentum has been firmly with Caricasulo but Krummenacher still held the championship lead. Heading into the race tomorrow, it is Caricasulo who starts on pole.

WSBK Portimao Day SS Pole Caricasulo
Caricasulo

Randy Krummenacher was the rider who slotted in at the top spot, ahead of the surprise package of Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing), the Spaniard making his debut at the Algarve International Circuit. Kyle Smith’s strong weekend looked set to continue in the early stages, as the British rider was up as high as third once everyone had settled down with the opening times. There was a crash for Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) at Turn 14 but the Italian made it back to the pits. At Turn 11 in the final 10 minutes, Isaac Viñales crashed but was unscathed in the incident.

WSBK Portimao Day SS Caricasulo
Caricasulo

As the session came to an end, Caricasulo hit pole position, ahead of Krummenacher and Viñales. However, there was still plenty of opportunity for change, as the Kawasaki charge was strong, being led by Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), with Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini), Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Kyle Smith all lining up behind the trio of Yamahas at the front. Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) needed a strong lap in the closing stages, languishing down in eighth.

On his final lap, Federico Caricasulo blasted in a very quick time, storming to the fastest lap of the weekend and putting himself 0.4s clear of the chasing bunch and securing back-to-back poles for the first time this season. Krummenacher was only able to achieve second position as he is recovering from nagging injuries picked up from Friday, whilst Lucas Mahias was back on the front row again in third.

Leading the charge from row two, despite a crash, Isaac Viñales was fourth and impressive on his return to action after eight weeks off in the summer. Raffaele De Rosa’s issues earlier on in the session saw him elevate up the order to the middle of row two in fifth, whilst Ayrton Badovini made it three Italians in the top six and completed row two. Kawasaki and MV AGUSTA are certainly bringing the charge to Yamaha at the front of the grid.

Row three features Japanese star Hikari Okubo, who is yet to start from outside the top nine in 2019. Joining him on the third row, it was a disaster for Jules Cluzel who starts just eighth after winning last time out at Donington Park. Britain’s Kyle Smith was ninth, as he looks to secure the Europe Supersport Cup crown this weekend. Completing the top ten is Jules Danilo (CIA Landlord Insurance), making it all four manufacturers represented inside the top ten. Wildcard Miquel Pons (H43 Team NOBBY TALASUR-BLUMAQ) was 11th.

Supersport 600 Superpole

Pos Rider Bike Time
1 64   F.   Caricasulo Yamaha YZF R6 1m44.220
2 21   R.  Krummenacher Yamaha YZF R6 1m44.664
3 44   L.   Mahias Kawasaki ZX-6R 1m44.990
4 32   I.    Vinales Yamaha YZF R6 1m44.998
5 3   R.  De Rosa MV Agusta F3 675 1m45.156
6 86   A.  Badovini Kawasaki ZX-6R 1m45.201
7 78   H.  Okubo Kawasaki ZX-6R 1m45.349
8 16   J.   Cluzel Yamaha YZF R6 1m45.399
9 11   K.  Smith Kawasaki ZX-6R 1m45.538
10 95   J.   Danilo Honda CBR600RR 1m45.661
11 71   M. Pons Yamaha YZF R6 1m45.822
12 31   D.  Valle Yamaha YZF R6 1m45.944
13 61   G.  Ruiu Honda CBR600RR 1m46.020
14 94   C.  Perolari Yamaha YZF R6 1m46.210
15 84   L.   Cresson Yamaha YZF R6 1m46.233
16 56   P.   Sebestyen Honda CBR600RR 1m46.416
17 10   N.  Calero Kawasaki ZX-6R 1m46.780
18 4   C.  Stange Honda CBR600RR 1m46.848
19 30   G.  Van Straalen Kawasaki ZX-6R 1m46.913
20 74   J.   Van Sikkelerus Honda CBR600RR 1m47.001
21 6   M. Herrera Yamaha YZF R6 1m47.031
22 22   F.   Fuligni MV Agusta F3 675 1m47.097
23 47   R.  Hartog Kawasaki ZX-6R 1m47.240
24 65   M. Canducci Yamaha YZF R6 1m48.950
25 53   G.  Sconza Honda CBR600RR 1m49.726
26 40   A.  Gyorfi Yamaha YZF R6 1m50.040
27 67   G.  Matern Kawasaki ZX-6R 1m50.145

Supersport 300

After a lengthy break, it was time for the riders to dial themselves back in across both the groups in their 20-minute sessions. The top 30 would make it through to the main race on Sunday, whilst those outside of it would have to finish inside the top six of the Last Chance Race. Not needing to worry about that, it was Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) who stormed to pole position.

WSBK Portimao Day Gonzalez
Manuel Gonzalez

Group A saw two of the championship rivals clear at the top, with Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) topping the session ahead of Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300). The Indonesian riders lap time was an all-time lap record for the class at the circuit; Hendra Pratama had to give it his best shot, as he has a 12-place grid penalty to contend with for irresponsible riding at Donington Park. Manuel Bastianelli (Prodina IRCOS Kawasaki) was third ahead of Koen Meuffels (Kawasaki MOTOPORT), with four race winners in the top four after Group A Superpole.

WSBK Portimao Day Gonzalez Hendra Pratama
Galang Hendra Pratama

Group B soon took to the circuit and the times were immediately right on those of Hendra Pratama. Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) was getting quicker and quicker early on, straight away going into second on the grid. Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) was also quick straight away, whilst Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT) was also in the mix for pole position.

WSBK Portimao Day Steeman
Victor Steeman

With just under 12 minutes to go, championship leader Gonzalez hit top spot on combined times but there was plenty of time left to run. Victor Steeman, who had been lapping consistently fast and looks to have good pace, took pole position away from Gonzalez five minutes later, as he chases his second pole position of his 2019 WorldSSP300 campaign. It was a disaster further down the field for Beatriz Neila (BCD Yamaha MS Racing), as she suffered a flat rear tyre with less than five minutes to go.

WSBK Portimao Day Carrasco
Ana Carrasco

Manuel Gonzalez’ bid to become WorldSSP300 champion grew stronger as in the closing two minutes, he 17-year-old took pole position back from Steeman and remained ahead overall. Steeman took second place and Hendra Pratama was third from Group A but will start in 15th due to his 12-place grid penalty. This means that championship challenger Ana Carrasco will inherit a front row grid start. Scott Deroue finished fifth overall but will start from fourth, whilst Andy Verdoïa (BCD Yamaha MS Racing) will start from fifth after completing the session sixth, whilst Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) will move onto the row two due to Hendra Pratama’s penalty.

Marc Garcia (DS Junior Team) heads up the third row on the grid, ahead of Manuel Bastianelli and Beatriz Neila, who achieves her best grid position with tenth but will start ninth. Completing the top ten on the grid, Aragon 2018 race winner Koen Meuffels. It was a disaster for Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno Yamaha), who suffered two crashed and will start down in 29th position on Sunday.

Oliver König (ACCR Czech Talent Team – Willi Race) breezed clear to take the WorldSSP300 Last Chance Race win, as the battle ignited behind him. The Czech rider eased away in the early stages of the race and soon found himself away at the front of the field, whilst behind him, the positions from third back to sixth had not been sorted out. But who would come out on top?

With König away and running at the very front of the field, it would be Dion Otten (MTM Racing) who took second place, although he had little company in the closing stages of the race. Behind, however, the battle really had come alive in the closing stages. Mateo Pedeneau (Team MHP Racing – Patrick Pons) would get the better of his teammate Enzo De La Vega to take the final position in the top three, whilst both made it through to the main race tomorrow.

Bahattin Sofuoglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing by TSM), who ran fourth for most of the race was fifth in the end after a tricky final lap, but he held off Adrien Quinet (TGP Racing), who completely missed FP1 on Friday. Just missing out on racing action tomorrow was Marco Carusi (Team Trasimeno Yamaha), with the Italian coming home seventh.

Joel Kelso is impressing in his wildcard appearance and is the top qualifying Australia. Kelso will start from 14th on the grid while countrymen Tom Bramich and Tom Edwards will start from 25th and 27th positions respectively.

Supersport 300 Combined Superpole

Pos Rider Bike Class Time
1 M. Gonzalez Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m55.345
2 V.  Steeman KTM RC 390 R B 1m55.513
3 G. Hendra Pratama Yamaha YZF-R3 A 1m55.873
4 A.  Carrasco Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m56.116
5 S.  Deroue Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m56.235
6 A.  Verdoïa Yamaha YZF-R3 B 1m56.349
7 B.  Ieraci Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m56.354
8 M. Garcia Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m56.410
9 M. Bastianelli Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m56.471
10 B.  Neila Yamaha YZF-R3 B 1m56.576
11 K.  Meuffels Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m56.676
12 S.  Di Sora Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m56.834
13 J.  Buis Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m56.901
14 J.  Kelso Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m56.920
15 U. Orradre Yamaha YZF-R3 A 1m56.923
16 D. Blin Yamaha YZF-R3 B 1m56.971
17 B.  Sanchez Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m56.972
18 M. Kappler KTM RC 390 R B 1m56.994
19 L.  Loi Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m57.060
20 J.  Jahnig KTM RC 390 R A 1m57.095
21 N. Kalinin Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m57.120
22 K.  Sabatucci Yamaha YZF-R3 A 1m57.189
23 T.  Kawakami Yamaha YZF-R3 A 1m57.225
24 M. Perez Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m57.284
25 T.  Bramich Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m57.311
26 D. Iozzo Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m57.330
27 T.  Edwards Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m57.377
28 F.  Rovelli Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m57.492
29 H. De Cancellis Yamaha YZF-R3 B 1m57.528
30 P.  Giacomini Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m57.626
31 O. König Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m57.653
32 M. Carusi Yamaha YZF-R3 A 1m57.660
33 J.  Facco Yamaha YZF-R3 B 1m57.714
34 J.  Perez Gonzalez Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m57.734
35 B.  Sofuoglu Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m57.777
36 M. Pedeneau Yamaha YZF-R3 B 1m57.838
37 E.  De La Vega Yamaha YZF-R3 A 1m57.841
38 D. Otten Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m58.020
39 Y.  Okaya Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m58.033
40 A.  Quinet Honda CBR500R B 1m58.231
41 K.  Aloisi Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 1m58.287
42 R. Dore Yamaha YZF-R3 B 1m58.509
43 J.  Foray Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m58.773
44 F.  De Bruin Yamaha YZF-R3 B 1m59.082
45 B.  Molina Yamaha YZF-R3 A 1m59.086
46 V.  Schwarz Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m59.258
47 M. Hrava Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 1m59.471
48 A.  Pelikanova Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 2m00.112
49 K.  Hartmann Yamaha YZF-R3 A 2m00.203
50 P.  Fragoso Yamaha YZF-R3 A 2m01.109
51 D. Delouvy Kawasaki Ninja 400 A 2m01.294
52 V.  Correia Esturrado Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 2m01.897
53 S.  Naud Kawasaki Ninja 400 B 2m02.007
54 A.  Longo Kawasaki Ninja 400 A /

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News, WSBK

Jonathan Rea tops opening day in Portugal | WSBK

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2019 WorldSBK

Round 10 – Portimão

Jonathan Rea topped the opening day of practice for the tenth round of the Superbike World Championship overnight in Portugal. 

The Northern Irishman also displayed metronomic consistency as he headed championship rival Alvaro Bautista.

Jonathan Rea – P1

“This morning the track was a little bit green and the kerbs were a little bit slippery, but the track has now ‘rubbered-in’. I feel we have improved the bike a little bit from the tests we did recently, but we can still improve a little bit more for tomorrow. We have just a few areas to improve and this morning we worked on the different rear tyre options we have for the race. This afternoon I worked on finding a rhythm and putting some laps on a tyre. The consistency looked very good. For day one, I feel quite good with the bike.”

WSBK Portimao Day Rea
Jonathan Rea

Alvaro Bautista – P2

“Today was a very positive day because, as I had problems with my shoulder in the tests two weeks ago, it was important to verify my physical condition and luckily everything went OK as the pain was a lot less. In the afternoon we did more laps than in the morning because it was important to work on the setup and tyre choice in the hot conditions that for sure we will also find in the race. I’m optimistic, I’ve got a good feeling with my Panigale V4 R and physically I feel quite good.”

Third position was held by Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team), having topped the test at Portimao in August. The British rider, who won’t remain at the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team for 2020, was out to prove a point and ended the day just 0.120s adrift of top slot.

Alex Lowes – P3

“It’s always the same here in Portimão, with the track conditions changing as the temperature goes up. But today was the best I’ve felt here in the hotter conditions, so it was a good second practice session. We tried something right at the end that didn’t quite work as we were expecting, but it’s been really positive with plenty of laps on used tyres. There are still a couple of areas in which I’d like to improve, such as on corner exit where I need to be a bit smoother when the track temperature is higher and the surface is a little bit greasy. We’ll have a look through the data tonight to see if we can find some improvements, but I’m happy to be back on the bike and looking forward to tomorrow.”

WSBK Portimao Day Lowes
Alex Lowes

Pata Yamaha team-mate Michael van der Mark was also looking strong, finishing the day in fifth place to make it two Yamahas inside the top five.

Michael van der Mark – P5

“It’s been a solid opening day here in Portugal. The first session this morning was a good one for us, even if the track didn’t feel the same as it did at the test here last month. But that’s typical Portimão and not unexpected. I struggled a little bit with the front feeling on the bike, so it’s also been challenging, especially this afternoon with the increase in track temperature. We’re still working to improve our pace in the heat, but the best set-up for this is proving a little elusive at the moment. But we’re definitely going in the right direction because the feeling with the bike improved at the end this afternoon. We have a few ideas to try tomorrow, but we’ll be ready to race.”

WSBK Portimao Day Van der Mark
Michael van der Mark

Leading the Independent charge in fourth was Toprak Razgatlioglu.

Without a ride so far for 2020, Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) quietly reminded everyone of his capabilities with a sturdy seventh place overall. Reiterberger was just under three-tenths clear of his teammate Tom Sykes, who crashed in FP1. The 2013 WorldSBK champion was one of just five riders who improved their times in FP2, although he was still only 12th.

Markus Reiterberger – P7

“Today was a good day, overall P7 which is not so bad and just only +0.500 behind the front guys. This morning I enjoyed my riding and tested out the tyres which gave us a good direction to work in. This afternoon it was really hot which made It difficult continue the same lap times as this morning so we focused on getting the balance of the bike and the tyre wear. Tomorrow we will try to work on the brake stability but for sure I will be again pushing for the top 10.”

Tom Sykes – P12

“I think P12 is not where we are realistically, that result was from this morning where we didn’t push and obviously the conditions were better. This afternoon in race conditions I was very happy with the changes we made to the BMW S 1000 RR and gained some good information, so overall I’m feeling quite comfortable and confident in those hot conditions which for me is the real preparations for the race tomorrow.”

Day One WorldSBK Combined Times

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News, WSBK

Can Bautista get back on top as WSBK returns from summer break?

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2019 WorldSBK

Round 10 – Portimão

The title fight between Jonathan Rea and Alvaro Bautista will re-ignite this weekend after the European summer break.

Heading the championship standings with a comfortable lead, Jonathan Rea has completed a remarkable comeback. The Ulsterman, who was been as far as 61-points behind Alvaro Bautista earlier this season comes to a circuit of which he has regularly been dominant, in fact Rea has won the last seven races at the venue.

Jonathan Rea

“I am really excited to get back into racing again. It has been such a long time since the last WorldSBK races and I can’t wait for the Portimao weekend. I love the track and after the tests we have a clear direction of the base settings that we will start with on the Ninja ZX-10RR. We will work step-by-step through Friday, trying to get a race package, and then focus on our qualifying to make sure we have a good race. I am going to have a lot of travelling support over from Northern Ireland and I cannot wait to get back to business. That race weekend feeling is something I really enjoy, together with all my team.”

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Action Rea
Jonathan Rea – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test

Alvaro Bautista has endured a torrid couple of rounds and with his departure from the Aruba.It Racing – Ducati outfit confirmed, he has nothing to lose in the final four rounds of the season. Bautista has tested at Portimeo but has never raced at the undulating Portuguese circuit and will need to get back to the top of his game if he has any chance of taking the battle for the #1 plate up to Rea across the final rounds of the series. It has not been officially announced, but the fact that Bautista will spearhead an all-out assault on the 2020 series with Honda is public knowledge.  Scott Redding will take Bautista’s place at Ducati and join Chaz Davies in the Aruba.It Ducati Racing squad. 

Álvaro Bautista

“The two days of testing we did here last week were very useful, even though I preferred to rest my shoulder on the second day because it was the first time I had been back on the bike since my injury at Laguna Seca. I’ve had a few more days to recover, but during this weekend we might have to change our approach and try and rest the shoulder on Friday to be in a position to tackle the races in the best possible condition. Luckily, the two tests I’ve done at this circuit between January and now will be a great help, we have some markers, I know the track better and as a result it will all be a bit easier.”

WSBK Rnd Donington Sun Bautista Davies
Álvaro Bautista

Even though the gap to Rea is now 81 points, with four rounds still to be held (and a total of 248 points available) anything can still happen.

The battle for third place in the championship is well and truly alive and kicking, with six riders covered by 50 points. Alex Lowes arrives in Portugal off the back of finishing the Portimao test on top and is the leader of that sextet of riders that are vying for the #3 plate. It has also been confirmed that Lowes will not remain with the Pata Yamaha team for 2020 and where the Brit will end up next season is yet to be decided. There are possibilities that Lowes might join Bautista at the new look Honda squad, or could perhaps even join Kawasaki Racing Team in 2020 if KRT decide to demote Leon Haslam. 

Lowes has had a difficult time of things at Portimao in recent years, with just two top ten results from the last six races held there. 

Alex Lowes

“I’m really looking forward to getting back to racing. While it’s nice to have a bit of a break in the middle of the season, you do miss racing. I’m ready now for the second part of the season, where the challenge is going to be to hold on to third place in the championship, and I need to be fighting for the podium in every race at these last four rounds if I’m to do that. We were really strong at the recent test in Portimão, where I did my fastest ever lap at this track to finish on top of the timesheet, which shows the bike is working well. The conditions were quite hot at the test and I didn’t quite have the feeling I wanted in the afternoons when the track temperature went up, but we have some ideas to improve in this area and, hopefully, we will have similar temperatures on Friday to work on this. I’m feeling really positive and I’m raring to go this weekend.”

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Action Lowes
Alex Lowes – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test

On the other side of the garage, fortunes are different. Now back to full fitness and ready to go, Michael van der Mark will seek to build on his fourth place in the Portimao test. Three Portimao podiums in the last three races and all for Yamaha, can the 26-year-old return to winning ways?

Michael van der Mark

“It was a nice long summer break, which gave the wrist I fractured in Misano a chance to heal fully, but now I can’t wait to get back to racing. We head to Portimão for the race off the back of a really good two-day test at the circuit, in which I was really fast, and the aim is to rediscover the feeling I had before the crash in Misano, so that I can fight for podiums and race wins once again. I’ve enjoyed quite a bit of success in Portimão in the past, with three podium finishes in two years, and I hope we continue this trend this time around, to start the last part of the season in the strongest way possible.”

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Action VdMark
Michael Van der Mark

Chaz Davies returned to winning ways in emotional fashion at Laguna Seca, the Welshman will look to continue working in this way ahead of the remainder of the season. With his 2020 future confirmed, Davies will also want to gel further with the V4R Ducati and end the season strongly. A best result of second in Race 1 in 2017 is the highlight for him at Portimao. Can he win again?

Chaz Davies

“After the summer break and about two months after my win, I know it’s going to be a tough race here at Portimão, but the gains we made at Laguna Seca and the work we did in the test have really put a bit of a spring in my step. I feel like the bike is now a lot different to the one I’ve been racing this season and I’m looking forward to the race because I feel our pace is quite decent. Going on past results, for me this track is not the easiest one to get a win at, but I’m feeling optimistic because the Panigale V4 R is going better around here than the twin ever did. I’m feeling confident, even though Portimão is not an easy track and the bumps and undulations throw up a lot of different challenges.”

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Davies
Chaz Davies – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test

Leading the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team charge is Tom Sykes, who has been on pole three times at Portimao, whilst also achieving two wins at the rollercoaster Portuguese circuit. Sykes has achieved podiums at every WorldSBK round since Misano, highlighting the development of the new machine. The team themselves head into the round with optimism, having signed Eugene Laverty for the 2020 season. However Sykes did suffer a few tumbles at a recent test session which could have dented his confidence. 

Tom Sykes

“I am really looking forward to heading back to the Portimão circuit on the back of a successful two days of testing there recently. During the test, we certainly gathered a lot of information for the set-up of the BMW S 1000 RR. Overall at the test, we tried various bike set-ups that we’re not usually able to do during the race weekends due to the restricted time which proved very, very good. We got some positive results, so hopefully we can pick up where we left off and try to keep our run of podium places on the go. The podium is certainly the target for the remaining races.”

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Sykes
Tom Sykes

The Independent team charge continues to be led by Toprak Razgatlioglu and the 22-year-old relentlessly set the pace on the opening day of Portimao testing. Having visited the circuit just once in his WorldSBK career, 2018 yielded an eighth and a DNF. A podium during every round since Imola, will Razgatlioglu continue his form?

WSBK Rnd LagunaSeca Sunday Toprak Razgatlioglu
Toprak Razgatlioglu

Never discount other former Portimao winners who are in the Independent battle too, such as Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty.

Marco Melandri

“It’s a bit of a rollercoaster, but Portimão is a track I like a lot, it’s one that is fun to race at and I’ve always been fast there in the past. This weekend I head to Portugal in a different situation, as I’m still looking to improve my feeling with the bike even after the two days of testing at the circuit, but we will continue trying to improve during the weekend. The team has been working so hard, even over the summer break, so I am determined to pay them back with the best result possible in Portugal this weekend.”

WSBK Rnd Misano Sun Rea Melandri
Marco Melandri chasing Leon Haslam at Misano

Leon Haslam has taken four podiums at the venue for three different manufacturers: will Kawasaki be his fourth?

Leon Haslam

“I have had several podiums with various manufacturers over the years at Portimao, and enjoyed some really good racing. The recent test was really positive for our team and on race tyres I think we were ranked 1-2. I was only one or two tenths of a second off Jonathan’s best lap time with a race tyre. It has been a tough year in some ways with a few injuries and having to learn some circuits. But Portimao is a circuit we have tested at now and every time I have done that so far I have made the podium. Obviously that is the aim but also I feel we can be even more competitive and challenge the front guys. That is the main aim this weekend and I am really looking forward to it.”

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Action Haslam
Leon Haslam – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test

Loris Baz took a second for Kawasaki back in 2014 and also keep your eyes on Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Jordi Torres and Sandro Cortese, as they all go in search of their first podiums of 2019.

The Moriwaki Althea Honda Team challenge will see a new face, with Takumi Takahashi replacing Leon Camier, as the British rider continues to recover from a shoulder injury. He will join Ryuichi Kiyonari, who returns to the Autodromo Internacional Algarve for the first time in a decade.

WSBK Rnd Misano Sun Takahashi
Takumi Takahashi

Other riders to watch out for include Leandro Mercado, who has a best of seventh at Portimao and has been top ten finisher in the last three rounds. Markus Reiterberger will look to end the season on a high and secure himself a ride for 2020. Alessandro Delbianco will make his Portimao WorldSBK debut, although he was sixth in the FIM Superstock 1000 race last season. All of the regular riders will be joined by former FIM Superstock 1000 champion, Sylvain Barrier. The French rider will wildcard with the BRIXX Ducati outfit.

WorldSBK Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
1  Jonathan Rea  433
2  Alvaro Bautista  352
3  Alex Lowes  220
4  Michael Van Der Mark  215
5  Leon Haslam  202
6  Toprak Razgatlioglu  191
7  Chaz Davies  184
8  Tom Sykes  170
9  Marco Melandri  138
10  Sandro Cortese  100
11  Michael Ruben Rinaldi  97
12  Jordi Torres  96
13  Loris Baz  76
14  Markus Reiterberger  60
15  Leandro Mercado  48
16  Eugene Laverty  41
17  Leon Camier  26
18  Lorenzo Zanetti  21
19  Alessandro Delbianco  21
20  Ryuichi Kiyonari  20
21  Peter Hickman  14
22  Thomas Bridewell  12
23  Yuki Takahashi  11
24  Michele Pirro  10
25  Samuele Cavalieri  6
26  Hector Barbera  3

WorldSSP

Round 9 at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve – Portimao is set to become a crucial stage for the 2019 FIM Supersport World Championship. With just four race weekends remaining on the calendar, the battle for the championship title will reach new heights in Portugal.

WSBK Rnd Misano Sun WorldSSP Sunday Race Action Krummenacher
Randy Krummenacher

Just 15 points divide championship leader Randy Krummenacher from his teammate Federico Caricasulo. Also, Frenchman Jules Cluzel, now third in the standings 26 points behind Krummenacher, is back in contention after the outstanding victory taken in the UK before the summer break. For the three title contenders, there is no much time left before a champion will be decided. That is why Portimao leaves no space for mistakes. But, at the same time, it is when risks should be taken in order to make the difference.

For Krummenacher the ACERBIS Portuguese Round could represent a pivotal moment to extend his championship lead. But to do so, the Swiss rider knows that he has to finish at least better than Caricasulo, that this year has always shared the podium with Krummenacher apart from Donington Park.

Federico Caricasulo

“My first target from Portimão onwards must be to take points from my teammate in order to close the gap to the top of the standings. The second target is to win races. The two-day Portimão test was an important one for us. We were very fast, and it means we go into the first of the remaining four races in Portugal with some confidence. We have a lot of data from the test that we can refer back to, so I think we’ll be strong from the first free practice session at Portimão this weekend.”

WSBK Rnd Misano Sun WorldSSP Federico Caricasulo Lucas Mahias Randy Krummenacher
Federico Caricasulo

In the UK, it was Krummenacher himself to miss his regular visit to the parc fermé for the first time in 2019. On the other hand, the Italian has an excellent chance to remount on the championship leader. At the Official Test, that took place at the same Portimao racetrack in August, Caricasulo showed off a good pace setting the fastest lap time. But, once again, Krummenacher was close behind him, as second quickest. Will we see another head-to-head battle between the BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team riders in Portugal?

Although the battle for the World Title remains a matter between three men, we can’t say the same for the Portuguese race trophy fight. Fresh off the back of his two consecutive podiums in Misano and Donington Park, 2017 WorldSSP World Champion Lucas Mahias looks forward to keeping on with his momentum in Portugal. The Frenchman didn’t take part in the Official test but spent two useful days working with his team in Misano during the summer break. 2018 saw Mahias taking the pole position and the victory in Portugal. Will the French rider be able to do the same this year with the Kawasaki ZX-6R of the Puccetti Team?

WSBK Rnd Misano Sun WorldSSP Sunday Race Action Mahias
Lucas Mahias

For the Portuguese Round, an eye should also be kept on Japanese rider Hikari Okubo, and the MOTUL Dutch Round podium finisher Thomas Gradinger. The Japanese rider is still chasing his first WorldSSP podium, while the Austrian is currently sixth in the standings. Moreover, Raffaele De Rosa and Spanish rider Isaac Viñales both proved to be competitive with their packages around Portimao in the recent Official Test. If they can repeat the same performance over the race weekend, they won’t miss the chance to take part in the challenge.

WSBK Rnd Misano Fri WorldSSP De Rosa
Raffaele De Rosa

At the ACERBIS Portuguese Round, Dani Valle is set to make his WorldSSP debut with MS Racing as a substitute rider for Maria Herrera. Apart from the regular 26 entries, Miquel Pons will make a wild card appearance onboard the Yamaha YZF R6 of H43 Team NOBBY TALASUR-BLUMAQ.

With just two rounds more for the European FIM Supersport Cup, Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing) has his first chance to win the title in Portugal by extending his championship lead of at least 25 points on the second. Will the British rider be able to celebrate in Portugal?

WorldSSP Standings – Top 10

  1. Randy Krummenacher 173
  2. Federico Caricasulo 158
  3. Jules Cluzel 132
  4. Lucas Mahias 82
  5. Hikari Okubo 73
  6. Thomas Gradinger 70
  7. Raffaele De Rosa 69
  8. Corentin Perolari 49
  9. Isaac Vinales 45
  10. Peter Sebestyen 38

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News, WSBK

Alex Lowes tops two-day Portimao WorldSBK Test

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2019 WorldSBK

Portimao Official Test

Images courtesy of WSBK

WorldSBK riders completed their second and final day of Official Portimao Test around Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal. Sun shone down on both days, and scorching weather saw riders dealing with different track conditions between the two daily sessions, with the asphalt temperatures reaching nearly 50 degrees in the afternoon.

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Lowes
Alex Lowes – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test

With that bear in mind, riders hit the track early this morning again, putting in their best laps and continuing from where they left off yesterday before the temperatures soared once again.

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider Alex Lowes was the fastest rider at the end of Day 2, after setting the quickest lap time in 1’41.153 this morning with qualifying tyres. While trying new chassis components and different soft tyres, the British rider took time also to understand his physical condition.

During the break, Lowes had surgery to solve a tendinitis problem in his arms, but after two days of testing, he is now sure to be fit and ready for the round in September. On the other side of the garage, it was an eventful day for Michael van der Mark, who had a small crash in FP1 and experienced a technical problem twice in FP2. Despite that, the Dutchman cannot be disappointed with his results as he set the fourth fastest lap time with Q tyres.

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Action Lowes
Alex Lowes – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test

It was a stronger day also for the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK riders. Jonathan Rea closed again as second fastest just 0.218 s behind Lowes, with his best lap time improved of more than a second compared to the first day.

Jonathan Rea

“The test was really good and to be honest I needed to test. I was a little bit slow in waking up yesterday. I have had a great summer break but I was not only readjusting to riding again. With the momentum I had from the endurance spec bike in Suzuka, I felt really fast coming here. At a circuit I am really strong at, I did not really feel I had much more yesterday. But this morning I woke up and we found a better lap time and also more consistency. In the heat of the afternoon I was much better compared to the opening day. I feel really positive.”

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Action Rea
Jonathan Rea – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test

Teammate Leon Haslam was sixth, not far from the top of the time screens. While both riders spent Day 1 focusing on their overall package, today they worked mainly in preparation for the next WorldSBK round here in Portugal.

Leon Haslam

“We had a lot of things to evaluate and we ended up – on race tyres – the second quickest to Johnny. I was the only one who did not use a qualifier, an ‘SCX’ or a prototype tyre. So race tyre-to-race tyre we were just a couple of tenths off where Johnny was. We made a big step here and we were 0.7 seconds faster than we were in pre-season testing at Portimao, and in hotter conditions. I felt we got through all our items and it was a really positive test. It shows me as sixth on the time sheets but that is purely down to others using a qualifying tyre.”

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Action Haslam
Leon Haslam – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test

After feeling unwell overnight, Toprak Razgatlioglu had to cut short his final day of testing. Third quickest today after two positive days, the Turkish rider prepared for the race weekend and tried different qualifying strategies with the rest of the season in mind.

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Razgatlioglu
Toprak Razgatlioglu – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test

It was a shorter day also for Alvaro Bautista due to pain in his shoulder, after sustaining an injury at the U.S. round, who also decided to sit out from FP2. The Spaniard completed the Portimao Test ninth overall ahead of Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who had a small crash with no consequence at the end of FP2. The Italian preceded the other official Ducati of Chaz Davies, who had a different swingarm and other new items to test. Completing the group of Ducati riders, Eugene Laverty finished eighth.

Álvaro Bautista

“These two days of testing have been very positive even though on the second day we weren’t able to do many laps. Unfortunately, the shoulder is not yet in a perfect condition and I felt a bit of pain. We preferred to stop early so as not to make things worse and to be in the best condition in a couple of weeks’ time. In any case, yesterday we did a lot of laps and all things considered I’m happy because I found a good feeling again with my Panigale. This was the first test since the last round at Laguna Seca, now we’ve got a few more days to fully recover.”

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Bautista
Alvaro Bautista – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test
Chaz Davies

“It was a good two days and great to get back into the swing of things and actually just verify the progress that we have made since the test here in January. Coming here six months later, I felt like the bike responded pretty good all in all. Over the two days we worked on the chassis mainly, things felt good and the bike was working well. I go away from here pretty confident and can’t wait for the final part of the season to start.”

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Davies
Chaz Davies – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test

Loris Baz was the rider to put in the largest number of laps – 146 laps across the two days. Today the Frenchman found an improvement on his opening day pace as he set the fifth fastest lap time in 1’41.718. It was a busy test for Baz, as he was trying new tyres compounds and working on improving the weak points of his Yamaha YZF R1.

Continuing with his busy schedule, Sandro Cortese set the seventh fastest lap time, while teammate Marco Melandri closed thirteenth behind Tom Sykes. The latter had different items to test on his BMW S1000 RR but together with his teammate Markus Reiterberger (15th) they were able to gather enough information to work on for the next round.

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSBK FP Action Cortese
Sandro Cortese – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test

Kawasaki Independent Team riders Jordi Torres and Leandro Mercado closed 14th and 16th respectively, as they both worked to improve the overall package of their ZX-10RR machines across the two days.

Moriwaki Althea Honda Team riders Takumi Takahashi and Ryuichi Kiyonari finished seventeenth and nineteenth respectively as they both worked on the base setup of the Honda CBR1000RR, while Ducati wild card entry Silvain Barrier closed 18th overall.

Takumi Takahashi

“This track is quite difficult, and it is not easy to set good lap times. Having said that, I tried my best over these two days and ultimately, we were able to improve our settings and our lap times but honestly not by as much as we would have liked. Anyway, all in all, it has been a good experience.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari

“I really enjoyed these two days of testing. We tried many different settings and even if I did not make any really big improvements in terms of lap times, I feel that the potential is there to do a good job with the bike’s setup when the race weekend arrives. So, I look forward to coming back in September for the Portuguese round.”

Official Test Portimao – Two-Day Combined Superbike

  1. A. LOWES (GBR, Yamaha) 1’41.153
  2. J. REA (GBR, Kawasaki) 1’41.371 +0.218
  3. T. RAZGATLIOGLU (TUR, Kawasaki) 1’41.428 +0.275
  4. M. VAN DER MARK (NED, Yamaha) 1’41.489 +0.336
  5. L. BAZ (FRA, Yamaha) 1’41.718 0.565
  6. L. HASLAM (GBR, Kawasaki) 1’41.758 +0.605
  7. S. CORTESE (GER, Yamaha) 1’42.035 +0.882
  8. E. LAVERTY (IRL, Ducati) 1’42.055 +0.902
  9. A. BAUTISTA (ESP, Ducati) 1’42.087 +0.934
  10. M. RINALDI (ITA, Ducati) 1’42.124 +0.971
  11. C. DAVIES (GBR, Ducati) 1’42.161 +1.008
  12. T. SYKES (GBR, BMW) 1’42.172 +1.019
  13. M. MELANDRI (ITA, Yamaha) 1’42.212 +1.059
  14. J. TORRES (ESP, Kawasaki) 1’42.264 +1.111
  15. M. REITERBERGER (GER, BMW) 1’42.457 +1.304
  16. L. MERCADO (ARG, Kawasaki) +1’42.712 1.559
  17. T. TAKAHASHI (JPN, Honda) 1’43.544 +2.391
  18. S. BARRIER (FRA, Ducati) 1’44.111 +2.958
  19. R. KIYONARI (JPN, Honda) 1’44.474 +3.321

World Supersport

BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team rider Federico Caricasulo was the fastest among the WorldSSP riders. The Italian set the quickest lap time in 1’45.281 ahead of compatriot Raffaele De Rosa.

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSSP FP Action Caricasulo
Federico Caricasulo – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test

Race winners Jules Cluzel set the third fastest time despite a small crash in the afternoon today. The Frenchman closed ahead of the Yamaha of Spanish rider Isaac Viñales who worked well during both days.

Championship leader Randy Krummenacher was the fifth quickest around Portimao after having set the pace at the end of Day 1 yesterday. The Swiss worked on improving his feeling with the front end of his bike, testing also his physical conditions.

WorldSBK POR DWO Test Day WorldSSP FP Action Krummenacher
Randy Krummenacher – 2019 Portimao WorldSBK Test

Krummenacher returned to the tarmac at Portimao after suffering a slight knee injury at the beginning of the two-month summer break, but he looks now to have fully recuperated.

Official Test Portimao – Two-Day Combined Supersport

  1. F. CARICASULO (ITA, Yamaha) 1’45.281
  2. R. KRUMMENACHER (SUI, Yamaha) 1’45.392 +0.111
  3. R. DE ROSA (ITA, MV Agusta) 1’45.449 +0.168
  4. J. CLUZEL (FRA, Yamaha) 1’45.459 +0.178
  5. I. VINALES (ESP, Yamaha) 1’45.573 +0.292
  6. A. BADOVINI (ITA, Kawasaki) 1’45.836 +0.555
  7. K. SMITH (GBR, Kawasaki) 1’45.950 +0.669
  8. C. PEROLARI (FRA, Yamaha) 1’46.145 +0.864
  9. G. RUIU (ITA, Yamaha) 1’46.422 +1.141
  10. T. GRADINGER (AUT, Yamaha) 1’46.565 +1.284
  11. J. DANILO (FRA, Honda) 1’46.798 +1.517
  12. J. VAN SIKKELERUS (NED, Honda) 1’46.893 +1.612
  13. L. CRESSON (BEL, Yamaha) 1’47.241 +1.960
  14. N. CALERO (ESP, Kawasaki) 1’47.660 +2.379
  15. F. FULIGNI (ITA, MV Agusta) 1’47.743 +2.462
  16. H. SOOMER (EST, Honda) 1’47.925 +2.644
  17. D. VALLE (ESP, Yamaha) 1’47.934 +2.653
  18. R. HARTOG (NED, Kawasaki) 1’48.360 +3.079
  19. G. MATERN (FRA, Kawasaki) 1’51.829 +6.548

Source: MCNews.com.au