INDIA in F1

Tag: Chaz Davies

  • Davies signs off from factory Ducati seat with thrilling Estoril Race 2 victory

    Davies signs off from factory Ducati seat with thrilling Estoril Race 2 victory

    Estoril 18 October 2020: The season-ending Race 2 at the Pirelli Estoril Round was full of drama at the Circuito Estoril as Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) claimed victory in his final race for the Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati outfit, taking a commanding win in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season finale.

    Davies had started the race from fourth place and was instantly in the fight for victory, moving into second place before passing Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) on Lap 2 before pulling away from the Turkish star, who had won two of the three races at Estoril prior to Race 2.

    The battle for second came to a premature end when Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) made contact with Razgatlioglu’s Yamaha machine at Turn 3 as he tried to pass the Turkish rider for second place. Rea was able to re-join the race and finished down in 14th place while Razgatlioglu was able to finish in third, after Scott Redding (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) managed to overhaul Razgatlioglu for second place; Redding ending the season with a Ducati 1-2 as Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati claimed the Teams’ Championship ahead of KRT. The 1-2 finish for Davies and Redding meant Ducati secured its 950th podium placement in WorldSBK.

    Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) ended his Yamaha career with a fourth-place finish, having lost out at the start of the race. He finished clear of Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) in fifth place as Honda secured another top-five finish, five seconds clear of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN).

    Rinaldi finished in sixth place after heading a four-way fight with Leon Haslam (Team HRC), Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) in seventh, eighth and ninth respectively; Fores’ eighth place meaning he was the highest-placed Kawasaki rider and therefore scored enough points for Kawasaki to beat Ducati to the Manufacturers’ Championship by just one point.

    Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) completed the top ten as he finished around 2.5 seconds away from Caricasulo, and finished 1.5 seconds clear of Jonas Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing); Folger finishing in the points despite following Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) off the track when Baz suffered a technical issue.

    Irish rider Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Official Team) finished in 12th place with Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) in 13th, Rea in 14th and Matteo Ferrari (Barni Racing Team) in 15th in his second appearance of the season. Eric Granado (MIE Racing HONDA Team) missed out on points by less than a second with teammate Takumi Takahashi just behind Brazilian Granado.

    Sheridan Morais (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) was 18th in his third race on his first appearance of the season, ahead of Loris Cresson (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) in 19th on his debut WorldSBK weekend. Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) crashed out of the race on Lap 3 at Turn 4 when he was running in the podium places; the American having a lowside crash at Turn 4 on the third lap as he looked for this third consecutive podium. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) also did not retire from the race after he crashed with just a few laps to go.

    P1 Chaz Davies (P1 Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati)

    “It was such a weird couple of hours. I was at on the grid and all my mechanics were in tears, they’ve all written personal messages on the tank. I was like ‘I’ve got to go concentrate right now; I’ve got to pull something out of the bag’ when I’m welling up. Here we are, 21 laps later and top of the podium. Just got to put things to the back of your mind sometimes and just send it. That I did and it paid off. My crew did a great job. Even yesterday I said not to touch my bike, I’ve got a bit in reserve and didn’t ride at my best. I felt like, even with the bike I had yesterday, it was good enough for a little bit better. They improved it again today and it was that one step better. It was such a pleasure to be out there today alone, by myself, for the time being in my last race. What a fairytale ending.”

    P2 Scott Redding (P1 Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati)

    “It was such a weird couple of hours. I was at on the grid and all my mechanics were in tears, they’ve all written personal messages on the tank. I was like ‘I’ve got to go concentrate right now; I’ve got to pull something out of the bag’ when I’m welling up. Here we are, 21 laps later and top of the podium. Just got to put things to the back of your mind sometimes and just send it. That I did and it paid off. My crew did a great job. Even yesterday I said not to touch my bike, I’ve got a bit in reserve and didn’t ride at my best. I felt like, even with the bike I had yesterday, it was good enough for a little bit better. They improved it again today and it was that one step better. It was such a pleasure to be out there today alone, by myself, for the time being in my last race. What a fairytale ending.”

    P3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team)

    “In the last race we tried but we didn’t have much grip on the rear, but I am happy with the podium in the last race. I am really happy because my team worked really well. Two wins and one third place, I am happy this weekend and also for the season finish.” Racing – Ducati)

    “I think that’s the best way for Chaz, leaving the team with a win. I’m probably happier for him to win that race than me. It was a really nice way for him that race. I really respect that a lot. I pushed a lot at the beginning, but a lot of riders change their front tyres on the grid, I hadn’t used it all weekend so stuck with what I had. I was just struggling a little bit to turn and get grip, the setting was not that great but I stuck with it. I had quite a lot of pain in my leg so I couldn’t really push in the corners. It’s nice to finish on the podium after a strong start, a big crash and then back at the grid, an engine failure. It just goes to show again we don’t give up the fight. I’m happy for Chaz, happy for the team to finish 2020 with a 1-2 at the end of the year.”

    # EstorilWorldSBK at Circuito Estoril – Race 2 Top results:

    1) Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati)
    2.) Scott Redding (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) +1.951s
    3.) Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) +2.556s
    4.) Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) +10.423s
    5.) Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) +15.473s
    6.) Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) +20.277s

  • Davies pips van der Mark in titanic Catalunya battle

    Davies pips van der Mark in titanic Catalunya battle

    Chaz Davies became the seventh different winner of the 2020 WorldSBK season while American star Garrett Gerloff scores his first WorldSBK podium

    Catalunya, 20 Sept 2020: Race 2 from MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s was full of drama and intrigue at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT) Racing – Ducati) claimed his first win of the 2020 season and became the seventh different winner in 2020, while American rookie Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) claimed his maiden World Superbike podium at the Acerbis Catalunya Round.

    Davies was able to get to the front in the early stages of the races before taking the lead and controlling the race, withstanding pressure from Tissot Superpole Race winner Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) after the pair passed each other in the first half of the race. Van der Mark then fell into the clutches of Gerloff after the American made a sensational start from fifth place to run in the top three, putting pressure on van der Mark all race.

    Gerloff passed van der Mark for second place on the last lap but a mistake from Gerloff on Lap 10 allowed the Dutchman through for second; Gerloff coming home in third place. Davies held on to win his 31st race in his career, equalling Colin Edwards on the all-time list of winners. Gerloff’s podium means he becomes the first American to stand on the WorldSBK podium since Nicky Hayden in 2016.

    Championship leader Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) extended his lead at the top of the standings with fourth place, finishing five seconds clear of Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). Scott Redding (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) finished in sixth place after being passed by Sykes with just a couple of laps to go. Rea had lost ground at the start, but was able to regroup to finish in fourth place and take a 51 point lead into the next round at Magny-Cours.

    Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) secured his best result of the season with seventh place as he showed more impressive pace, ahead of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in eighth. Leon Haslam (Team HRC) was the sole Honda rider in Race 2 and finished in ninth, with Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in tenth after losing lots of ground at Turn 1 at the start.

    Jonas Folger’s (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing) impressive wildcard weekend continued as he battled his way from the back of the grid to 11th place; Folger not setting a time in Tissot Superpole and missing out on a top nine starting grid for Race 2 by the smallest of margins. Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) was 12th after starting from the back of the grid; Caricasulo penalised for irresponsible riding in the Superpole Race after a collision with Haslam

    Lorenzo Zanetti (Motocorsa Racing) scored points after being called up to the Championship on Friday evening with 13th place while Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing HONDA Team) and Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) completed the points-scoring positions.

    Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) did not start the race following a technical issue on the sighting lap; the Spanish rider, who was declared fit following his dramatic highside crash in the Tissot Superpole Race, pulling off the track shortly after leaving the pit lane. Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) crashed out in the early stages, while Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) and Valentin Debise (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) had a coming together on Lap 17 while battling for 15th place. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN), who had been running in the top four for the majority of the race, had a technical issue in the latter stages of the race forcing him to retire from the race on Lap 19.

    P1 Chaz Davies, Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati)
    “Amazing! What can I say? That was such a good race from start to finish. I had an amazing feeling with the bike. After yesterday and the Superpole Race a little bit, I was just constantly chasing something, and it was traction yesterday and it was zero. Today it was in my hands. It was a slippery track out there, but I think I had more grip out there than those around me and I was able to manage the tyre but go fast. Just so happy. First, win as a dad, so I think it’s only right to dedicate this to my beautiful baby daughter and my wife.”

    P2 Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team)
    “It’s been a fun Sunday, but I wanted to win this afternoon! I’m really happy with the race, I had a fantastic start and good speed straight away. I think Chaz and Rinaldi passed me, but I was just staying behind them, I didn’t want to destroy the tyres at the start. I had a good rhythm. I passed Rinaldi and tried to catch up with Chaz. I didn’t know it was Garrett who wanted to have a battle! I was a bit surprised by him and got passed again. I was trying to catch Chaz but in the middle part he was pulling away, in other parts I was closing in on him so we both had our strong points. At the end of the race, I was struggling so much with the front tyre and one lap before the end I made a massive mistake. On the last lap, it was Garrett again. I did everything to stay calm and into Turn 10 he ran a bit deep, so I got underneath. In the last three corners I had to be really smart and really stop the bike to finish on the podium again. Really happy with this second place and also an awesome race by Garrett, a well-deserved podium for him.”

    P3 Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team)
    “It doesn’t feel real! I’m trying to pinch myself. For a while, it didn’t feel like it would be possible this year, but to have it happen is just crazy. I don’t even have words! I’ve always dreamed of being on the podium in a World Championship and to have it happen, it’s like… it’s not real! I am kicking myself a little bit because if I wasn’t so stupid and just braked like I normally do into Turn 10 I probably would’ve made the corner and had second place. That’s something I’ll be thinking about for the next week and a half! I’m just so grateful that Yamaha gave me the opportunity to race in the World Championship, to Filippo in the GRT team for taking me on and being an awesome group of guys and girls, and for supporting me and always being positive. It’s been an amazing environment and I know I wouldn’t be here without them.”

    #CatalanWorldSBK at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Race 2.
     1.) Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati)
    2.) Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) +2.460s
    3.) Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) +2.559s
    4.) Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +8.040s
    5.) Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +13.196s
    6.) Scott Redding (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) +14.232s

  • Rea resists Davies pressure for Aragon Race 2 victory

    Rea resists Davies pressure for Aragon Race 2 victory

    Aragon, 30 August 2020: It was a thrilling battle for MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) reclaimed his Championship lead with a 10 point gap after Race 2 victory at MotorLand Aragon for the Prosecco DOC Aragon Round, despite a late-race mistake allowing his rivals to close in on the reigning Champion.

    Rea had started the race from pole position and, despite pressure from Scott Redding (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) in the early corners, was able to pull away from the chasing group. Rea led every lap throughout the race despite a mistake on Lap 14 which allowed Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) to close the gap from around two seconds to just two tenths. Despite Davies attempting a move into Turn 1 on Lap 15, Rea held on to take victory by over one second ahead of Davies. Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC), who started the race from fourth, got ahead of Redding in the early stages, claimed his first podium for Honda and Honda’s first podium since Magny-Cours in 2016; Bautista and Honda showing good pace throughout the weekend.

    Redding would finish the race in fourth place after being passed by Bautista and Davies, but the British rider also had to make a move on Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) on Lap 4 to help secure fourth place. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) made it three Ducati machines in the top five with fifth place as he also got by van der Mark, with the Dutchman finishing in sixth place.

    Leon Haslam (Team HRC) made it two Hondas in the top seven with a seventh-place finish after a titanic battle with a group of five riders. Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) claimed eighth place with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in ninth and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) completing the top 10. There was just one second separating Haslam, Razgatlioglu, Lowes and Gerloff.

    Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) had a strong result in 11th place, finishing less than a tenth of a second behind American rider Gerloff as part of the group of five riders fighting for seventh place. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was the lead BMW rider in 12th place as the final rider in that battle; Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) finishing around three seconds behind Sykes in 13th. Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Maximilian Scheib (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) completed the points with 15th.

    Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance), Christophe Ponsson (Nuova M2 Racing), Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing Althea Honda Team) and teammate Lorenzo Gabellini all finished the race while Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) retired from the race following a crash on Lap 4 of 18 at Turn 15; the French rider unable to re-join the race following the incident where he came off on his bike on his own. He was not the only non-finisher as Marco Melandri (Barni Racing) who retired with a technical issue and Roman Ramos (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) retired from the race on the penultimate lap.

    P1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    “I can’t believe the pace; I didn’t expect that. We kept the bike the same as yesterday, just changed the front tyre. We went for the SC1 front compound instead of the harder one and in this hotter temperature it seemed to work a little bit better. At the end, Chaz was coming, and I made a massive mistake in the last corner. I went in fourth gear and had no engine braking to stop me. I thought I was going to go down, but I just couldn’t get that last shift. I lost the position as Chaz came through, but I knew I needed to go straight back past and put my head down because I had a little bit extra.”

    P2 Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati)
    “I got a poor start and left myself with work to do. I was able to pull Jonny in and it was kind of similar to yesterday in that we didn’t have much tyre left at the end, front and rear. It seemed like Jonny was able to dig in during those last couple of laps. Full credit to him because he did a good job. I was on my limit; I couldn’t do anything more. I think I cooked everything coming through the pack and that’s all the bike had. I’m really happy with that, it was a solid weekend. The bike, in many ways, is feeling pretty solid and it’s a good base to start from for next weekend.”

    P3 Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC)
    “The test helped us to make a step forward, but everybody tested here so we’re all in the same condition. I’m so happy with this podium as this is the result of the hard work we are doing. We are on the way to our target, which is to win. We are still a bit far away, but I am so happy. I want to thank HRC, Honda and my team. My mechanics worked hard during the weekend because we had a lot of problems and they spent a lot of time working on my bike, so they deserve this podium.”

  • Jonathan Rea takes Race 2 victory ahead of Davies and Bautista

    Jonathan Rea takes Race 2 victory ahead of Davies and Bautista

    Unbeatable Rea scores third win of the weekend after a race-long tussle with Bautista!

    Jonathan Rea scores his third win. A WorldSBK image

    Losail, 26 Oct 2019: The final race of the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship took place under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit for the Motul Qatar Round. After a season of last lap battles, new rivalries, record-shattering performances and triumphant successes, the final race of the season saw yet more phenomenal World Superbike action. Relentless as ever, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) battled hard to beat Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it  Racing – Ducati) in a race to remember in Qatar.

    Powering off the line for the final time in 2019, Alvaro Bautista made the most of the Ducati power to lead the field to Turn 1, although the Spaniard went wide and allowed Jonathan Rea back ahead. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) slotted in behind them whilst Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was right in the mix in fourth, with Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in fifth. It was a disaster for Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha), who got Turn 1 all wrong and was plum last.

    On Lap 2, it was all action and drama as Rea and Bautista began to battle between Turn 6 and 9, swapping paint and scything under one and other, whilst Alex Lowes was also getting in on the act. At Turn 15, van der Mark took third from Lowes but both ran wide, allowing Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) to come through from nowhere, whilst Chaz Davies (Aruba.it  Racing – Ducati) also capitalised on the squabbles. Leon Haslam was a big loser in the battle and was down to seventh.

    After the frantic action had calmed down on Lap 4, Bautista began to close down Jonathan Rea for first, whilst Chaz Davies was now up to third. Bautista and then Davies set the fastest lap of the race, with just over a second covering the leading trio and less than half-a-second covering Rea and Bautista. Meanwhile, van der Mark and Lowes had pulled away from Razgatlioglu.

    With 13 laps to go, Bautista made a move on Rea at Turn 1 but ran wide, with Rea slicing back through. Two laps later and the 34-year-old Spaniard tried again, but the Kawasaki of Rea was too strong on the brakes. With the swapping and changing, Chaz Davies continued to edge closer and now, just 0.273s separated a tantalisingly close podium. Soon, the gloves were off, and Bautista hit the front on Lap 9 at Turn 1, but Rea fought back and barged his way down the inside at the Turn 6 hairpin. Davies was even closer now, and it was a three-way heavyweight fight.

    With seven to go, and outside the top six, Razgatlioglu had dropped behind Haslam, whilst Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) was riding strongly on his final appearance on the Ducati V4 R. Loris Baz had recovered well and was now inside the top ten in ninth place, lapping faster than everyone ahead of him up to Chaz Davies. Meanwhile, van der Mark got the better of Lowes for fourth at Turn 6, although Lowes still occupied third overall in the standings and fought back at Turn 1 a lap later.

    Out front, Jonathan Rea had pulled away and left the duelling Ducatis of Bautista and Davies to fight it out. At Turn 15 with four laps to go, Davies made his move and got ahead of his teammate; the last time the two will be in the same team. It would be a critical moment, as the podium places wouldn’t change from that moment on, despite Bautista’s best efforts.

    Across the line for the final time, Rea took a 17th win of the season with a thrilling victory, whilst Chaz Davies clung on for another second place, ahead of Bautista, who bows out of Ducati with a podium. Alex Lowes took fourth and was third overall in the standings, whilst Toprak Razgatlioglu stormed through in a last lap shuffle to take fifth, ahead of a scintillatingly fast Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) taking his best finish of the season. Van der Mark, Baz, Haslam and Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) completed the top ten, whilst Cortese’s teammate, Marco Melandri, failed to score points in his final race in the Championship.
    P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

    “I wanted that race victory so much. My nanny is not well, so I text her this morning and tell her to watch the race because I wanted to win for her. This gave me a lot of motivation to not take one lap of rest and go all in from the first lap. Thanks to my team for giving me an incredible bike. We have changed massively the bike race to race, so it looks like our it works in a huge window. I achieved my biggest target in my career, which was finishing every single race of this season. I am so proud of this”.

    P2 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it  Racing – Ducati)

    “I am happy to end the year on that note. We started the season that I was barely able to finish into the top ten in Phillip Island and now we end with a double podium, so we have come a long way and it has been a big learning experience in many ways and it is all good for next year. I am ecstatic to finish the season like this. Thanks to my team”.

    P3 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

    “It is nice to finish the season on the podium. I am happy because today I was able to recover the feeling with the bike. Yesterday we lost the way, but we were able to get back to the right way for the Tissot Superpole Race, and we kept the same setting for Race 2. We didn’t know what to expect from the long race, and I did fell the tyre drop, especially in entering the corners. I had problems when I had to stop the bike, but we managed to finish the race in third place. Thanks to Ducati for their support during the season, I look forward to next year”.
    #QATWorldSBK at Losail International Circuit: Race 2
    1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    2. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.978
    3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it  Racing – Ducati) +3.100

  • Rea victorious in Race 1 ahead of Davies, Lowes

    With Rea 15th victory of the season, Kawasaki secures a fifth consecutive Manufacturers’ Championship

    Qatar, 25 Oct 2019: The 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship launched racing action at the Motul Qatar Round, with the first of three races getting underway on Friday night. With first and second in the title race already sorted out, the attention and all eyes were on the battle for third, with the three protagonists spread out across the top ten. Taking the win in convincing fashion, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) led from lights to flag, giving Kawasaki the Manufacturers’ Championship.

    Before the race even began, Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) crashed on the exit of Turn 1 on the Warm Up Lap. The Spaniard highsided all on his own accord in the middle of the pack was thankfully OK. However, his race was run before it started, as he retired to the pits after the eventual completion of his Warm Up Lap.

    Steaming off from pole position, Jonathan Rea took the holeshot down into Turn 1, fending off a fast-starting Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). However, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) got ahead of the BMW rider and the front four were as they were. Other good getaways came from Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT  Racing – Ducati), up from 12th to sixth and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), from tenth to seventh.

    At the beginning of Lap 2, there was drama for Sykes, as he clipped the back of Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at Turn 1, as the two outbroke themselves. Chaz Davies had now picked up the pieces and was up to fourth, whilst Haslam had slipped back into the clutches of Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.IT  Racing – Ducati) courtesy of his collision with Sykes, as both of them were seventh and eighth. By the end of Lap 2, Bautista was seventh and Haslam had dropped to eighth.

    It would be heartache for Cortese on Lap 6, as the German rider crashed out of fourth place at Turn 7, after just being passed by Davies. This promoted Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) to sixth, before the Dutchman scythed ahead of Razgatlioglu to pinch fifth. The battle for third however was looking like it would go the way of Alex Lowes, who was up in second, whilst teammate van der Mark and 2020 Pata Yamaha replacement Razgatliolgu were fifth and sixth. There was more despair downfield for Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), who suffered a technical problem on the front straight.

    Into the second half of the race, the gap at the front was still the same, with no move made from Lowes just yet. The duelling Brits at the front were running their own pace, whilst Lowes was getting the time to see where his rival was strong. Chaz Davies was still running a solid third, although he was incrementally closing the gap to the leaders.

    With eight laps to go, Haslam took sixth place from Razgatlioglu at Turn 1, using the slipstream to get the job done. The ‘Pocket Rocket’ now set his sights on van der Mark ahead of him, whilst Razgatlioglu had to keep his eyes open behind him, as Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) zeroed-in, just ahead of a revitalised Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).

    With six laps to go, Toprak Razgatlioglu got it all wrong going into Turn 6, with his bike snapping sideways in an aggressive manner. The Turkish rider took to the gravel and somehow kept it upright, but slipped from seventh to 13th, seriously hurting the 23-year-old’s chances of third overall in the Championship. In the battle for fifth, Leon Haslam was now ahead of van der Mark, passing the Dutchman at Turn 1 with five laps remaining.

    Five laps to go and Davies passed Lowes at the final corner, parking his Ducati down the inside and now, began to hunt down Jonathan Rea out front, immediately slicing the gap to under a second. Davies was particularly quicker in the middle sectors. All the time, Alvaro Bautista was having a lonely race in fourth place.

    Despite closing down the gap to Rea, Davies couldn’t get the better of the Northern Irishman’s metronomic consistency. Rea took another victory in 2019, his fourth at Losail and gave Kawasaki the Manufacturers’ Championship. Davies came from 12th to second in an impressive fightback, whilst Alex Lowes came home third. Alvaro Bautista was fourth in a quiet race for the Spaniard behind the all-British podium, whilst prevailing in the battle for fifth was Leon Haslam, seeing off Michael van der Mark on the run to the line.

    Loris Baz was a strong seventh place, whilst it was a classy eighth place for Markus Reiterberger, with his first top ten since the Tissot Superpole Race at Imola. Ninth place went to Ireland’s Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven), who had a strong ride into the top ten, whilst Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) made it all manufacturers represented inside the top ten. Toprak Razgatlioglu recovered to 11th.
    P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

    “It feels like we reached our target. It has been an incredible season so far and to wrap up the manufacturers’ title, which I know is really important for Kawasaki, is incredible. I felt really good with the bike today. I settled into a comfortable rhythm at the beginning and I was able to stay in high 1’57 and low 1’58 during all the race. I kept controlling my pit board and ride accordingly. Now we’ll save some energy for the rest of the weekend. Thanks to my team for making the bike a little bit better, and we will try to improve the front performance because I am sure is going to be a big fight tomorrow”.

    P2 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati)

    “My poor performance in qualifying left me with a little bit of work to do, but I got a good start and made some ground in the first corner. Obviously coming from behind I used up a bit of tyre, but same as San Juan I got to a point where I felt really good, but when I tried just to step up the pace a little bit more the tyre was already past its best. I am overall really happy! Finishing second its a good way to nearly finish the season and I look forward to tomorrow races”.

    P3 – Alex Lowes (PATA Yamaha WorldSBK Team)

    “Today was really good. The second part of the race I wasn’t too strong. I struggled a little bit with the front of the bike, but these guys have done a fantastic job all year and they have been improving the bike overnight. I am quite confident we can make a step forward for tomorrow. I am really proud of what we have done today and I look forward to tomorrow”.
    #QATWorldSBK at Losail International Circuit: Race 1
    1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    2. Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) +2.732
    3. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +5.423
  • Davies shines under the floodlights to end Day 1 on top in Qatar: #QATWorldSBK

    Davies shines under the floodlights to end Day 1 on top in Qatar: #QATWorldSBK

    The Ducati rider led the way, while the chasing pack have work to do for Friday

    Chaz Davies tops chart on Friday. A WorldSBK image

    Losail, 24 Oct 2019: The first day of action at the Losail International Circuit came to a close with the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship class taking to the circuit. The final session of the day for the WorldSBK class was one of the most important yet, with the first look of realistic race pace coming in the night time. Rocketing up the order, Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) hit the top spot, ahead of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).

    Chaz Davies has been twice a winner at Losail and looks like he could be on course to repeat that this weekend, topping the final session of Friday. Davies, who was in the top six for the entirety of the session, hit first with five minutes to go and headed his teammate. It was a strong session for Alvaro Bautista, as the Spaniard looks to finish his rookie season in World Superbike on a high. The 34-year-old was down in seventh after the first session but come to the end of FP2, he was up in third.

    Having led to the opening session of the weekend, Jonathan Rea was right back in the mix of things and ready for battle in FP2. The Northern Irishman was in second for the majority of the session and that is where he would finish coming to the end of proceedings, with the five-time World Superbike Champion working solidly on his race pace. After a difficult opening session, Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was left down on the 12th.

    After a top-three performance in FP1, Toprak Razgatliolgu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) set his sights on third place overall in the Championship in the best way possible. The 23-year-old from Alanya is in a strong position to overhaul those ahead of him in the Championship and completed the first day of Qatar action in fourth. There were plenty of other Independent riders inside the top ten, with Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) in ninth and Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) in tenth.

    Closely matched in the Championship and closely matched after Thursday action, the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team duo of Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark continue to squabble on their last weekend in the same team. Van der Mark had the upper hand and was up in fifth place, whilst Lowes was seventh when the chequered flag came out. Both are in a fierce battle for third with Toprak Razgatlioglu and will thus need to work together in order to bring Yamaha the bronze medal position.

    The BMW charge in Qatar was led by 2013 WorldSBK Champion Tom Sykes, who spent most of the session down in 15th place, before firing in good lap time with less than eight minutes to go, putting him in sixth. Teammate Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) came to the fore and was eighth after day one. The German rider, so far without a ride confirmed on the 2020 grid in WorldSBK, put himself in the shop window at the right time, reminding everyone what he is capable of.

    Outside of the top ten on his final weekend, Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) goes into the final two days of his WorldSBK career in 14th, whilst top Honda belonged to Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) in 17th, now confirmed at BARNI Ducati for 2020.

    #QATWorldSBK at Losail International Circuit: Thursday
    1. Chaz Davies (Aruba. IT Racing Ducati) 1’57.449
    2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’57.722
    3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba. IT Racing Ducati) 1’57.767

    For full results from Day 1, click here

  • Davies takes first win of 2019 in Race 2: WorldSBK

    Ducati rider seals his 30th WorldSBK win in a frantic Race 2, ahead of Rea and Razgatlioglu

    Laguna Seca (California), 14 July 2019: The final race of the weekend for the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at Laguna Seca took place under predictably sunny skies, with Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) taking his first win of the season with a dominant lights-to-flag victory. His teammate, Alvaro Bautista, retired from the race with injury after crashing in the Tissot Superpole Race, meaning the gap extends between himself and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at the head of the field.

    Another lightening start from Chaz Davies from second on the grid meant the Welshman took the advantage at Turn 1 and held it at Turn 2. Racing into third place, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) made a brisk start whilst slotting in behind him, Tom Sykes aboard his BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team machine. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was ahead of Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), whilst Jordi Torres Team Pedercini Racing) was up in eighth.

    Jonathan Rea tried once to get ahead of Davies on Lap 2 on the entrance to Turn 5 but ran wide and allowed Davies to take the lead back. It would stay like this for the entire distance, with Jonathan Rea unable to match Chaz Davies, who was in a class of his own at the head of the field. Toprak Razgatlioglu was soon dropped but was lapping constantly quicker than those behind him, consolidating his podium pace.

    After Lap 2, Alvaro Bautista’s injured shoulder proved too much, and the Spaniard’s luckless weekend came to a premature end when he retired. Two laps later, third in the championship Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was out with a technical problem. The battle for third place in the championship was now really on.

    Battles were strewn throughout the field, with Alex Lowes mugging Sykes halfway through the race before clearing off into a safe fourth place, whilst Sykes and Haslam ran toe-to-toe for the remainder of the race, although it resulted in no change of order. Behind them, Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) had come through the order to get ahead of Jordi Torres. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) was strong too, up to ninth from a poor starting position.

    But back at the front, it was all about Chaz Davies as he pulled away from Rea and came home with a huge advantage to win his first race since Aragon Race 2 in 2018. Rea was up in second and extending his championship advantage to 81 points. Toprak Razgatlioglu was back on the rostrum yet again, consolidating his position as a real challenger for third overall in the championship. Alex Lowes and Tom Sykes completed the top five, whilst Leon Haslam was sixth.

    Loris Baz held off a resurgent Jordi Torres to come home seventh, whilst Marco Melandri had to make do with ninth, whilst fellow countryman Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) was inside the top ten yet again in tenth position, just pipping Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) who finished 11th.
    P1 – Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)

    “This means so much to me. It’s been a tough season for me. We’ve been trying so many things and not just really finding my feet. This year has been so so tough for many different reasons, but I want to say thanks to my team because they’ve been behind me the whole way and nobody threw the towel, and they kept trying to get more and more comfortable and this is the result. To win here on the U.S. soil is so amazing. I think it’s my fourth win here and I love Laguna, I love America, I love California and bringing home the victory today is the best way to going into the Summer Break. I am really happy with that, and it is dedicated to all my team”.

    P2 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

    “I am super satisfied with our weekend. We got two wins, a new lap record and also a second place! It is good for us. The team gave me a great bike and our ZX-10RR was working so good. We just made a small change between the Superpole Race and Race 2 that put my front in crisis a little bit, and I was struggling to finish the corner, but aside from that, I did the best I could so congratulation to Chaz and Ducati. I am looking forward to my Summer Break now”.

    P3 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)

    “I am happy to be on the podium again. This morning the Tissot Superpole Race didn’t go well because after the red flag we didn’t change tyres, and we were able to finish just fourth. But for Race 2 I knew that my feeling with the bike was good. I tried to follow the front guys but I couldn’t keep their pace as again, after 10 laps, tyres dropped their performance. Anyway, I am pleased about this second podium, and I now am looking forward to starting my holidays”
    #USAWorldSBK at Laguna Seca: Race 2
    1. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)
    2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +3.333
    3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) +11.658
  • Chaz Davies of Aruba.it Racing wins 2nd Race: WorldSBK

    Chaz Davies of Aruba.it Racing wins 2nd Race: WorldSBK

    Chaz Davies of Aruba.it racing wins 2nd race on Sunday at Buriram. Rnd2. Photo: WorldSBK

    Buriram: In an unpredictable second race in the Motul Thai Round, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) surged through the field to take a 28th career victory and a first around the Chang International Circuit, becoming a third different winner in the opening two weekends of the 2018 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship.  Davies produced a stunning ride with an average gain of a position per lap over a seven-lap period, hitting the front by the end of lap eight and controlling the race from there.

    Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 1st said: “It was a fantastic race, something special. To come away with a win here makes me so happy. At Buriram we’ve always struggled in the past, it’s been a long process to get into a race-winning position. I want to thank the whole team because they’ve given me such a great bike today. The Panigale R was working really well, we found a little bit more consistency and I could be more adaptable to the bike. It was quite hectic out there but, if you can get through it OK, it’s so much fun. Our package is competitive and in Europe, it will be like starting from zero. I’m looking forward to Aragon.”

    Taking advantage of the reverse grid format, it was the Pata Yamaha duo of Michael Van Der Mark and Alex Lowes who made the early break, but as they squabbled among themselves the remainder of the pack stayed in touch.  Lowes was the second of three riders to lead a lap on the Chang International Circuit as he passed teammate Van Der Mark on lap two, but the Dutchman came back through and led for the next five laps.  Eventually, both overhauled by Davies the Yamaha pair nonetheless did enough to secure second and third positions, the first double podium for Yamaha since 2016.  Lowes, in particular, was satisfied with an extra surge of pace in the seven closing laps that helped him to claim an eighth career podium.

    Kawasaki´s unbroken record of victories at the Motul Thai Round was finally ended on a day where neither of their top performers could make it on to the podium at all.  Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) failed to take advantage of his front row grid slot, dropping back to ninth by the end of the opening lap and eventually retiring from the race.

    Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), meanwhile, finished just three seconds from the podium places after an action-packed ride.  Following an excellent first lap that saw him surge through from ninth to fourth with a series of aggressive inside overtaking moves, Rea had put himself among the favourites for victory and threatened to make it back-to-back wins.  But the Race One victor struggled in handlebar-to-handlebar combat, making a series of errors that ruled him out of contention for the win.  His first duel was with Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), a shadow of the rider that looked in command in Philip Island, and the pair swapped positions on no less than five occasions before Rea eventually came out on top.

    By the time Rea passed Melandri on lap nine and then shook the Italian off, Xavi Forés (Barni Racing Team) had overhauled the pair of them to move clear in fourth.  But Rea in clear air was a different proposition to the rider who had struggled under side-by-side pressure earlier on, and he hunted down the lead independent rider before an overtake on lap eighteen.

    Upon reflection, despite not being the result he would have hoped for, Rea´s fightback to fourth could prove critical in the Championship Standings overall.  Marco Melandri, series leader coming into Race Two, had another disastrous race in which he was relegated to seventh and never looked comfortable on the bike.  And Xavi Fores, who had looked set to close on both Rea and Melandri in the Championship Standings and leave the three separated by just five points, conceded fourth place three laps from the finish to change the complexion of the series standings.  With the riders of him in the race well adrift of him overall, Rea becomes the Championship leader and the man with the momentum as the highest scorer of the series´ top three for the second race in succession.

    Meanwhile, three of the top ten in the points coming into Race Two failed to finish.  Tom Sykes retired with mechanical problems after seven completed laps and therefore drops 26-points back from the leader and down to seventh overall.  Retirement for Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was more spectacular, the pair coming together on lap five when dicing over the eighth place: both riders will now arrive in Europe next month out of the top ten in the Championship leaderboard.  Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was the rider to take advantage in Thailand, finishing best of the rest in eighth ahead of Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia), who did well to nurse his injured shoulder into the top ten in the race.

    The Championship resumes with the Pirelli Aragón Round in three weeks´ time.
    P1 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 
    “It was fantastic, what a race. For the first few laps it was absolute carnage but brilliant carnage. It was such good fun trying to figure out where you can make the pass and to be honest everyone has had such a good pace every weekend and its been so difficult to know who was fast where, so it was an exercise of patience. Just so happy with the win, its not been an easy few months but thanks to the team and Ducati for the fantastic package today.”P2 – Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
    “After yesterday I was not feeling that happy at all, and we made a few changes in warm up and I still wasn’t happy. But we made some changes back to Friday’s set up and changed the front tyre and and we made a podium, so I hope it’s the first of many.”P3 – Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
    “To be honest I was to slow in the first 12 laps, like yesterday, Michael just passed me and pulled away. It was a bit annoying I had to dig deep and kick on, it’s a bit frustrating so we need to work out what the issue is. But it’s fantastic for Yamaha and the whole team, and amazing to have such great racing.”