INDIA in F1

Tag: Jonathan Rea

  • 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

  • WorldSBK 800th race sees Razgatlioglu taking his first WorldSBK victory ahead of Rea and Sykes

    WorldSBK 800th race sees Razgatlioglu taking his first WorldSBK victory ahead of Rea and Sykes

    Toprak becomes first Turkish winner of WorldSBK

    First Turkish winner in WorldSBK history as Razgatlioglu charges from 16th on the grid to deny Rea on the last lap. A WorldSBK image

    Magny Cours, 28 Sept 2019: The Pirelli French Round produced one of the races of the WorldSBK season so far as five different riders lead at various stages, before Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) crashed out of the lead three laps from home, seemingly handing victory to Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), before a stunning final lap saw Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) take the spoils, despite starting from the sixth row.

    As the race got underway, Jonathan Rea came under immediate pressure from Michael van der Mark with two almost colliding into the Adelaide hairpin on lap one. Their duel allowed Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) to storm through from sixth on the grid to second by the end of lap one.

    Sykes’ progress continued on Lap 2 as he used the corner speed of the BMW to overtake Rea at Estoril, although the leading group was growing and growing with Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) joining the action from 11th on the grid, while a remarkable early charge brought Toprak Razgatlioglu into play, despite starting down in 16th.

    On Lap 3, Davies became the third different leader in as many laps but the Welshman’s challenge came to a dramatic end moments later with a crash into Turn 15. Davies’ lost the front end of his machine with second-placed Toprak Razgatlioglu fortunate to stay upright despite slight contact from the errant Ducati. The chaos allowed Sykes a moment of breathing space but the BMW rider was quickly reeled in, losing the lead to Michael van der Mark on Lap 6.

    With the battle continuing to rage in the leading group, van der Mark was able to open up a slight advantage while Jonathan Rea came under intense pressure following a moment at the Nurburgring chicane. Toprak Razgatlioglu was able to edge ahead, setting the fastest lap in the process, but Rea ultimately regained P2 from the Turkish rider shortly after half-distance, allowing him to give chase after van der Mark who was 1.2 seconds to the good.

    Behind the leading trio, Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) had established himself in an excellent fourth with Tom Sykes settling in fifth after an all-action start. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was holding sixth but the Briton was coming under increasing pressure from Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) as the Spaniard chased valuable championship points. Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was also in the thick of the action but a highside at the final chicane eliminated him five laps from home.

    With clear track in front, Jonathan Rea began his relentless chase of Michael van der Mark, wiping out his advantage heading into the closing stages. With three laps remaining, the leading pair were together but van der Mark’s hopes of a second victory of 2019 were extinguished when the front end of his Yamaha folded into the Adelaide hairpin, the pressure proving too much.

    Rea seemed on course for a 12th victory of the season, beginning the final lap one second clear of Razgatlioglu but a stunning final lap from the Turkish rider brought him right into the tail of the Ulsterman entering the last sector. Under braking for Turn 15, Toprak dived up the inside with Rea keen to avoid a costly collision, opting to settle for second.

    The fight for the final podium spot also went down to the wire with Tom Sykes rallying in the latter stages to overhaul Loris Baz, securing BMW’s fourth podium of the season. Baz held on to fourth while Alvaro Bautista recovered up to fifth in the end.

    Alex Lowes faded to finish a distant sixth while Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) marked his return from injury with a sensational ride to seventh, Honda’s best result of the 2019 season so far. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) finished eighth, his best result since Misano, with Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) and Sandro Cortese completing the top ten.

    In the end, van der Mark remounted to finish 13th to secure three points which may prove valuable in the ever-tightening race for third in the championship standings. At the top, Jonathan Rea has extended his advantage to 100 points over Alvaro Bautista, and the possibility remains of a fifth title being clinched tomorrow.

    P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)

    “I am so happy! The last lap was so stressful for me because I knew I was faster. I tried to pass Johnny, but the front was sliding a lot. I pushed hard and tried to keep the bike straight, and I made it. It is my first victory, and I extremely pleased with this! I am crying! It has been my dream for this season, and I achieve that. Now we see what will happen next race. I don’t know how tomorrow will be. I hope it won’t be raining! Thanks to all my team because today that have done an incredible job”.

    P2 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

    “I was expecting a fight because with these conditions no ones had the chance to work on the bike setup, so today was the same for everybody. I was a little bit worried in the beginning because the conditions were not perfect and in the first ten laps, I felt like we were racing like kids, but it was a lot of fun! When the race settled down, Van Der Mark kept a good rhythm, he went away and slowly I could catch him. I put my head down in the last laps, but I made a big mistake in the last lap and gave a big opportunity to Toprak to come and make that move. I am a little bit frustrated but happy with the result because the podium is a good result. I want to congratulate Toprak because he deserves this win, but we will try to change the order tomorrow”.

    P3 – Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)

    “I enjoyed riding today. I did a good start, and I settled in nicely. With the team with a made a small change to the bike between the last race and now that allowed me to ride with a little bit margin, so I really enjoyed riding my bike today. In the beginning, I swept positions with a few guys who were trying to get a better position, and we were able to fight. The chassis and the tyres stayed consistent throughout the race, sure we still to find some things in some area, but overall a podium is promising here giving that we are only tenth months now into the program. We are thrilled with our efforts, and hopefully, we can keep up the pace for tomorrow”.
    #FRAWorldSBK at Circuit de Nevers-Magny Cours: Race 1
    1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)
    2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.240
    3. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +6.839

  • Jonathan Rea takes 8th consecutive win: WorldSBK

    Portimao, 7 Sept 2019: The Acerbis Portuguese Round welcomed the first race of the weekend with World Superbike Race 1, with the sun still shining brightly and the WorldSBK grid ready for their return to action. With Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) starting from pole, the Ulsterman made it an eighth consecutive win at Portimao, with three different manufacturers on the Race 1 Portimao podium.

    With the race getting underway, it was Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) got the holeshot and took the lead into Turn 1 but there was drama behind. A lunge from Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) saw him barge his own teammate Alvaro Bautista out of the way, forcing Bautista right down to 18th place after the Spaniard tagged the back of Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team).

    By the end of Lap 1, it was Rea leading Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Chaz Davies was up to fourth and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) made a bright start in fifth.

    At the end of Lap 3, Davies and van der Mark had disposed of Leon Haslam, with the Kawasaki rider fading. But two laps later, and Davies had got ahead of Tom Sykes at Turn 1, with van der Mark taking advantage at Turn 3 before Haslam took the 2013 WorldSBK champion at Turn 6. On the front straight, Razgatlioglu got ahead of Sykes at the end of the lap, capping off a bad lap for the Huddersfield rider. Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) was the first crasher of the race at Turn 8 but remounted and was back racing.

    Further back, Bautista was caught up behind Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) in the battle for ninth, with the two veterans of motorcycle racing swapping paint between Turn 9 and 12. However, Bautista made it ahead at the end of the lap and soon, got ahead of Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK). Back in the fight for fourth, and it was Tom Sykes who crashed at Turn 13, not the way he wanted to celebrate a contract extension for 2020. Sykes re-joined and was back in the points by the halfway distance.

    Whilst they scrapped it out for the remaining podium positions, Jonathan Rea had already built up a lead of over three seconds and was well on his way for an eighth consecutive Portimao victory. Unrivalled, untouched and unbelievable dominant, Rea had come into his own in Portugal.

    With 11 laps to go and with tyre life now becoming a factor, Razgatlioglu made his move at Turn 3 and got ahead of Leon Haslam. The Independent rider was ahead of the factory rider and now, Razgatliolgu had two seconds ahead of him until the podium battle between Davies and van der Mark. In seventh place, Alvaro Bautista was beginning to close on Alex Lowes, who was having a quiet race in sixth position. Bautista was the fastest rider on track, in a race of ‘what could’ve been’.

    With nine laps to go, Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) came into the pits to end what had been a disappointing race. The Irishman was on pole at the Portimao venue in 2018 but that kind of success had been far away a year later. Back in the battle for fourth and Leon Haslam had got back ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu and began to edge clear with seven laps to go. But now, a new threat was very much in the fight: Alvaro Bautista was taking chunks out of the gap, lapping nearly a second a lap quicker.

    At Turn 5 with six to go, Bautista took advantage of Lowes’ error as the British rider ran in too deep; Bautista was now sixth. Further up, the battle for second had calmed, with Davies seemingly able to break away from van der Mark. Bautista cleared Razgatlioglu with three laps to go on the straight and tried to get ahead of Haslam at Turn 3, but the Brit held on and toughed it out through Turn 4, as the three battled hard. A lap later and Bautista used the top speed of the Ducati and took fourth from Haslam, where he would stay until the chequered flag.

    Across the line, it was Jonathan Rea who took the win and extended his championship lead to 94 points. Chaz Davies was a safe second from 12th on the grid and van der Mark a settled third. Bautista came home fourth ahead of Leon Haslam, whilst Toprak Razgatlioglu faded to finish in sixth, but all the way from 13th on the grid to finish as top Independent. Alex Lowes was seventh, ahead of Sandro Cortese, Marco Melandri and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team), just edging out Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) to complete the top ten.

    P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

    “The big thanks today goes to my team because surely this weekend we made the bike better especially in the hot condition. I worked really hard at the beginning of the race to try and find a gap, then when I got to five seconds I got really nervous so I just tried not to make any mistake and bring the bike home. Thanks to all the support that I got.
    I am looking forward to tomorrow. We can try to improve the bike a little bit, especially at the end of the race to make things more comfortable. We achieved our target today”.
    P2 – Chaz Davies (Aruba .it Racing – Ducati)
    “Honestly if you would have told me that I would be on the podium after that qualifying performance, I’d laughed to it. It wasn’t a good qualifying at all and the start it wasn’t brilliant, but then I just went in deep into Turn 1 and then did the same into Turn 3 and made up like eight places and just went forward. That was the strategy, but sometimes you don’t know if it works out that way. Being aggressive it paid off today, and I put myself into that good group earlier on. Otherwise, it would have been a hard race starting from twelfth. I am pleased, and I think my bike was solid, even I struggled just a little bit with the front in the latter laps. But I only had to manage the gap on Michael, and Johnny was too far. Thanks to my team, they worked hard. I think that the most important thing is that we were able to bring here our performance from Laguna. These are two completely different race tracks, and I generally struggled here in the past, but now we got a good result today”.

    P3 – Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team)

    “I am really happy to be back on the podium. This weekend we have been struggling a lot with the bike, and I have never been happy with it, but today in the race I felt a lot better. I had a nice battle with Chaz, and I thought I could stay with him till the end by I continued to struggle all the way through. Anyway, even if I wasn’t comfortable on the bike I was still able to deliver a podium to my team so I am really pleased with today race”.
    #PRTWorldSBK at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve: Race 1
    1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    2. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.891
    3. Michael van der Mark (PATA Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +6.168
  • Jonathan Rea win opens up the WorldSBK title race

    Jonathan Rea win opens up the WorldSBK title race

    Jonathan Rea on way to Race 1 victory on Saturday. A WorldSBK image

    Monterey (California), 13 July 2019: The 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship title race took yet another twist and turn around the undulations of the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. In a dramatic opening few laps, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) led the ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati pairing of Chaz Davies and Alvaro Bautista, before another unthinkable error blew the championship wide open once again.

    Off the line, it was a strong start from Rea, and the reigning four-time WorldSBK Champion held the advantage from Bautista and Davies. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) made a blistering start and was fourth by Turn 5, whilst Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), despite an initially good start, was back in fifth. Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) held his own off the line. Into the penultimate corner on the opening lap, Davies got ahead of Bautista and went in pursuit of Jonathan Rea.

    New lap records came thick and fast, with Davies initially setting it on Lap 2 before his teammate bettered on Lap 3, becoming the first rider to set a 1.22s lap in race trim. One lap later and it was a disaster for Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), as the British rider hit the deck at the Corkscrew.

    At the beginning of Lap 5, Davies challenged Rea and through Turns 1 and 2, the Welshman took the lead but ran wide, with Rea slicing back through and sitting the Ducati rider up. Alvaro Bautista was right in the mix and beginning to get into the swing of things but then, a disaster. Bautista crashed once again in the early stages of the race on a full tank of fuel. The Spaniard tucked the front at Turn 5 and his Ducati Panigale V4 R was in the gravel once again.

    With Bautista re-joining but out of the leading group, Jonathan Rea edged clear of Chaz Davies, with the top two stabilising until the end of the race, with Rea taking his race lead up to five seconds. Toprak Razgatlioglu was up in third place and despite a mid-race charge from Sykes, he held on to complete the top three.

    Battles were strewn all the way through the field, starting with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) pipping Jordi Torres for fifth in the final few laps. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) put in a strong ride to seventh from 15th on the grid, getting ahead of Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha).

    Further back, Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) recovered from his worst Tissot Superpole in 17th to get to ninth. Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) was enjoying a good battle with Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) over 11th. The battle for 13th went the way of Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team), who pushed ahead of Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK).

    Back at the front, it was an eighth win of 2019 for Jonathan Rea, who romped home ahead of Davies and Razgatlioglu. Tom Sykes was fourth ahead of Alex Lowes, whilst Jordi Torres took his best result of the season in sixth, with two Independent riders inside the top six. Van der Mark and Baz were next up in seventh and eighth, whilst Marco Melandri and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) completed the top ten.

    The championship advantage now increases for Rea, with a 49-point lead over rival Alvaro Bautista.
    P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

    “I want to thank all my crew, they gave me such a good bike here, and I felt good. Physically I was just heading my points and I could have ridden the bike all day long because I was having so much fun. The tyre dropped a little towards the end, but I had the job done. As soon as I snapped the cord, I was able to focus on myself and hit the point. It is a massive privilege to be here in the U.S., racing here under the sun, and I love this track, so let’s see tomorrow if we can try to repeat this performance, but it is going to be tough for sure”.

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

    “We had a testing few rounds with a lot of difficulties, so it’s great to be back in parc fermé again. I missed this place! It was a tough race actually. I chose the soft rear tyre, which maybe wasn’t the best move, but it was a risk I wanted to take since I don’t have a lot to lose. So, I thought that I’d try to go away and try to use that tyre to the best effect in the early laps, but in the end, Johnny was in front, and I couldn’t see a way around. Then my tyre dropped, and I only had to try staying a little bit more constant. Nother than less, it was a good effort compared to the last few races, and I am really happy to be up here again”.

    P3 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)

    “I am extremely pleased with this result today. Last year I suffered a big crash here, and this year we are on the podium! I knew that today getting on the rostrum would not be easy to achieve, but we took advantage of Bautista’s mistake. I tried to follow Johnny and Chaz then, but my bike was moving and sliding a lot. Maybe for tomorrow, we will make some changes to the bike setup to improve the tyre consumption, but for today I am really happy”.
    #USAWorldSBK at Laguna Seca: Race 1
    1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    2. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +5.693
    3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) +12.721
    Championship Standings after Race 1, Round 9
    1.  Jonathan Rea (GBR) Kawasaki (401 points)
    2. Alvaro Bautista (ESP) Ducati (352 points)
    3. Michael van der Mark (NED) Yamaha (215 points)

  • Rea takes first triple treat of 2019 ahead of Razgatlioglu and Bautista

    In the final action of the weekend for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, it was yet another thrilling encounter from lights-out to the chequered flag. It was action right from the start, with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) coming out on top after another tough scrap with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing).

    Heading towards Turn 1 for the first time, Jonathan Rea rocketed from pole position to grab the holeshot, ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), whilst Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) blasted into third. At the Old Hairpin however, Bautista was passed by home-hero Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Chaz Davies had a strong opening, running as high as fifth, right behind his teammate. It was a nightmare for Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) one lap later, as the Spaniard retired.

    With the race settling down, on Lap 3, Razgatlioglu took the lead at the circuit where he took his first WorldSBK career podium. With a strong out-braking manoeuvre at the Melbourne Loop, he was able to pinch the advantage. However, two laps later, Rea took the lead back and one lap further on, Haslam momentarily got ahead of the Turk at the Foggy Esses. At the Melbourne Loop, Razgatlioglu recovered and the 22-year-old was back in second.

    Razgatlioglu was able to retake the lead from Rea, with the two riders dancing side-by-side around the Donington Park circuit. Another late-braking move at the Melbourne Loop saw him retake the lead and then, putting the hammer down. Razgatlioglu and Rea broke clear of the fading Haslam in third place, whilst Alvaro Bautista was all over the rear-end of the five-time WorldSBK race winner.

    With 12 to go, it was a rare error at the Foggy Esses from Toprak, allowing Rea to cut through and take the lead back from the young Turk. A lap later, and the battle for third started to ignite with Bautista taking the final podium position from Leon Haslam. With all the swapping, slowly but surely, Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) was now closing down Leon Haslam, with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in sixth. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was seventh from tenth on the grid, whilst Davies had slipped to eighth.

    There was a change in the battle for fifth place, as Alex Lowes forced Baz wide at the Foggy Esses, with the British rider getting ahead into the Melbourne Loop. Even further back, double winner from Donington Park in 2018, Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team), got ahead of Davies for eighth place.

    In the closing stages, there were two battles: for first and second between Rea and Razgatlioglu, and for third place between Bautista, Lowes, Haslam and Baz – with Lowes getting ahead of Haslam with just three laps to go. Going into the final lap, half-a-second split the leading two, whilst Bautista had a small buffer for a safe third place.

    Coming to the line for the final time, Jonathan Rea completed a Donington Park hat-trick at home, the first triple he has achieved this season. Razgatlioglu took another podium with second and Alvaro Bautista took his first podium of the weekend, although he now trails the reigning WorldSBK champion by 24 points. Alex Lowes was fourth whilst Leon Haslam completed the top five, only just ahead Loris Baz.

    Tom Sykes was the best of the rest, with Michael van der Mark taking a hearty, hard-earnt eighth, ahead of Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), who completed the top ten after a disappointing Prosecco DOC UK Round. Peter Hickman (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was 11th, ahead of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team), with Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) and Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team) completing the points.
    P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

    “It was incredible, a similar story to Misano with Toprak in Race 2. It was really difficult, he was so strong on the brakes, but my team gave me a great bike and physically this weekend I felt really good, so I was able to extract the best potential from my ZX-10RR. In free practices, I was a little bit unhappy about the setup, and we were quite far away, 0.9 s from the fastest lap time, but step by step we arrived and three race wins, and back in the lead of the championship I can’t quite believe it. We will keep working like we are doing and we go to Laguna next week, which is another good track for us, but I enjoyed the atmosphere here. There were a lot of people here at Donington and now let’s see what happens”.

    P2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)

    “Yesterday with the wet conditions we didn’t go well. We tried a similar setup to Misano but I didn’t feel good on the bike and it was sliding a lot at the rear, so I was waiting for today because I was expecting a dry race and I felt really strong on those conditions. The Tissot Superpole Race was good but it wasn’t perfect. We focused on Race 2, which was more important for me. I did a good start, I followed Johnny and after I overtook him we had a small fight together but he was strong and fast. On the final two laps, I tried to attack him again but it was impossible. I am happy with another podium and now we see what will happen in the US”.

    P3 – Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)

    “Today was important for us to finish the race. We crashed in Misano Race 2 and yesterday again. I knew it was meant to be a tough weekend for us because we are struggling a lot in this kind of tracks that are bumpy and with have poor grip. In the Tissot Superpole Race, I tried to stay with the front group. I pushed as much as I could and physically I was destroyed at the end of the eight laps because the bike was moving a lot and I had to put so much energy in trying to keep the bike straight and not lose too much time exiting the corners. In Race 2, I tried to do the same. I did a good start and remained with the front group. I pushed hard and had to use double my energy, but I managed to finish on the podium, and I am happy because we struggled a lot this weekend. Now we have to improve the weak points of our bike, but I look forward to the next race”.

    #GBRWorldSBK at Donington Park: Race 2
    1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) +0.365
    3. Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +5.930

  • Jonathan Rea wins Race 1 and takes championship lead, as Bautista crashes again at Donington

    A wet Race 1 proved to be dramatic in the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, as Donington Park hosted yet another thrilling encounter. A frantic start saw Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) take the lead early on and never look back as he romped to a 76th career win to take the championship lead, as Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) crashed out in dramatic fashion.

    It was a blistering opening lap from Jonathan Rea, who leaped of the line and took the lead at Turn 1, opening up a lead of over a second on the first lap. Pole-sitter Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) held second place, ahead of Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), with the Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha of Loris Baz in fourth. Alvaro Bautista was fifth in the early stages but losing time to Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team).

    As the race settled, Rea was setting a scorching pace, lapping two seconds a lap quicker than anybody else, whilst behind him, Loris Baz got his way into the podium positions and ahead of Leon Haslam at the Melbourne Loop on Lap 2. One of the bigger losers off the start was Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), who was down in ninth. It was a bright start for Argentine rider, Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), who was up to eighth from 14th, one place behind replacement rider, Peter Hickman (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).

    On Lap 4, Bautista began to respond to Lowes, as the Spaniard pulled clear and steadied the tide. Further down the order, Alessandro Delbianco (Mie Althea Racing Team) was showing his wet weather skills once again, as he was coming through the order. However, two laps later, it was a colossal moment for the Italian at Turn 2, with both legs off one side of his Honda, taking to the soaking wet grass at high-speed, yet somehow remaining upright.

    Back at the front, Jonathan Rea continued to pull away from the rest, although Tom Sykes was beginning to match his former teammate’s lap times. After eight laps, Rea had a seven second lead, setting a supreme pace but needing to remain focussed, as the rain became heavier and more water was laying on the track. Whilst Sykes was second, Haslam was back in third and ahead of Loris Baz.

    Then, a succession of accidents as Jordi Torres crashed on wet grass on the exit of Turn 6, whilst Sandro Cortese crashed at the same corner on the same lap, with the entry of the corner being the only difference. However, then there was huge drama, as Alvaro Bautista crashed out in spectacular style at the same point of the track, suffering his first back-to-back crashes of the season. The championship pendulum had now swung to Jonathan Rea, but with more than ten laps left, he still had to remain upright.

    As riders ahead fell, other riders took advantage, with Leandro Mercado now elevated into sixth place, Hickman seventh and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in eighth. Behind them, Alessandro Delbianco was on the move, up inside the top ten and wanting more, as he chased after those ahead of him.
    Jonathan Rea took a third career victory at Donington Park, his 76th in total. Tom Sykes was back on the podium for a second round running and on a third manufacturer at Donington Park, whilst Leon Haslam was third at his home venue. Once again proving his worth in the wet weather, Loris Baz was fourth, ahead of Alex Lowes, who had a relatively quiet race.

    A stunning ride for ‘Tati’ Mercado saw him take his joint-best result of his career and his best result of the 2019 season. Peter Hickman took a career-best seventh as a replacement rider, whilst behind him was Michael van der Mark, Alessandro Delbianco and Chaz Davies – the Italian getting the Welshman on the penultimate lap. It was a best result of the season for Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team), who took 11th.

    The championship lead now changes for the first time in 2019, with Jonathan Rea leading Alvaro Bautista by nine points, with the Northern Irishman being 61 points behind at one point. This remarkable comeback promises to give thrilling battles on Sunday at Donington Park.

     

     

     

  • Wet Race 1 sees Rea victorious as Sykes and Bautista completes podium

    Misano, 22 June 2019: With the rain continuing to fall by the bucket-load, it was a delayed start to WorldSBK Race 1 at Misano, Italy. After a 20-minute delay, racing got underway in treacherous conditions but after just two full laps, the red flag was brought back out as the remain intensified. After the restart, drama unfolded all through the field, but it was Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who made hay whilst the sun certainly did not shine!

    With the race getting underway nearly 25 minutes late, it was a frantic opening few laps before the red flag was waved. Alex Lowes was the race leader ahead of Jonathan Rea, whilst Tom Sykes and Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) were right behind. After the red flag came out, positions for the new restart would be made up by the order of the riders at their most recent timing point.

    As the race got underway for a second time for a reduce 18-lap distance, it was another great start for Jonathan Rea, who had the lead ahead of Lowes again, with Sykes third and Chaz Davies up to fourth, ahead of Bautista. Haslam was sixth but one of the biggest improvers was Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK). Thunder and lightening certainly made the opening laps very frightening, but the WorldSBK warriors continued to battle.

    Conditions began to deteriorate and soon, riders began to drop back accordingly, with some eventually dropping out. Lowes began to close on rival Rea and at Turn 8 with 12 laps left to go. Behind the leading duo, it was Loris Baz who had got himself up into seventh place and was now beginning to close down Alvaro Bautista. One lap later, it was Bautista’s teammate Chaz Davies who went head-to-head with Leon Haslam.

    However, with ten laps left to run, it was drama out front at Turn 12, as Alex Lowes crashed out of the lead to complete a miserable set of races for the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team rider. Now, it was Jonathan Rea who had the lead back. Behind Rea, Michele Pirro (BARNI Racing Team) crashed at the same corner. Tom Sykes was now second, and Leon Haslam was third, with Davies and Bautista behind.

    It was drama with nine laps to go, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) crashing at Turn 13, completing a wretched day for the BARNI outfit. Then at Turn 8, more spills, this time with Leon Haslam at Turn 8. The British rider remounted but retired with too much damage done. Chaz Davies was now third, but a small error allowed Bautista through, whilst Loris Baz was now fifth and Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team) in sixth!

    A small error from Davies allowed Bautista through into third, whilst Baz eventually closed down Davies to get fourth and then, the Frenchman hunted down Bautista, albeit not being able to close him down enough to pass. The battle for sixth was raging, as Delbianco came under pressure from Melandri, with the veteran Italian getting ahead of his rookie compatriot on the front straight. Delbianco was then swallowed up at Turn 8, as Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) and Yuki Takahashi (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) moved ahead.

    Out front, it was Rea who took the win, his 74th win and 10 years and one day after his first at the same track. Tom Sykes gave BMW their first podium since 2013 at Jerez and Alvaro Bautista salvaged a podium after an eventful first wet race. Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) took the fourth place and was top Yamaha, ahead of Chaz Davies in fifth.

    Marco Melandri held on to sixth place from 13th on the grid, whilst Toprak Razgatlioglu suffered a huge crash in the final sector of the last lap. Cortese picked up seventh ahead of Yuki Takahashi, Lorenzo Zanetti (Team Goeleven) and Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) – the Argentine picking up his first top ten in almost a year. Delbianco was a career-best 11th at the flag.

    The championship gap is now down to 32 points as Jonathan Rea continues to make gains on Bautista. Tom Sykes, Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri were beneficiaries of Haslam’s crash, as they all close him down – Sykes moving up to eighth overall.
    P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

    “Today was so difficult to understand exactly the grip level. So I set my own rhythm at the beginning, which was pretty good, and Alex came past and he was on a different level! I wasn’t prepared to push that much to stay there but he was really unfortunate cause he went down and he was incredible at the beginning. That gave me the gap to the rest and I see my pit board and understood that I could minimize the risks and keep the lap time constant till the end. I am super happy and I want to thanks Kawasaki and all my team, our fans and all the people that were here today”.

    P2 – Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)

    “Very happy! It is just credit to all the guys of the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. We worked really hard and finally, we got the result which I feel we deserved! It has been a long time and a fantastic feeling to enjoy riding again in wet conditions. The bike is giving some fantastic feelings back today and what the best place to do it than here in Misano with these fantastic fans. We will try to keep that momentum together and try to get the result tomorrow. Thanks to all and we will try again.

    P3 – Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)

    “Conditions today were really tricky. After lining up on the grid we had to pull back into the garages, then we restarted and stopped again and keeping the concentration was difficult. It was my first race under the rain so I had a lot to understand. I used a lot of caution at the beginning and tried to understand the track conditions because there were times it was raining a lot and there was more water on track. Lap after lap I build up my confidence with the bike and the asphalt. I am happy because it was important to get some points and getting on the podium was really a good result for us today”.
    #RiminiWorldSBK at Misano World Circuit: Race 1
    1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    1. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +3.692
    3. Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +7.756

  • Jonathan Rea returns to the top step of the podium in Race 1

    Imola, 11 May 2019: It was a welcome return to the top step of the podium for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who put in an exhibition during Race 1 of the Pirelli Italian Round on Saturday. Off the line, it was a bright start for Rea, but he couldn’t get the better of Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) down into Tamburello. However, on the run to Acque Minerale, Davies suffered a problem and was forced to retire, handing Rea the lead whilst Davies’ teammate Bautista had second.

    At the end of the opening lap, Rea and Bautista had the leading positions, whilst Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) occupied third and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was riding well from eighth on the grid to be in fourth. Completing the top five, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) whilst Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Team) slipped to sixth. One of the biggest movers and shakers on the opening lap was Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), who was up four positions into seventh!

    As the race settled down, Rea built a comfortable lead and was extending his advantage over Bautista by around 0.7s per lap. Bautista in turn was escaping the attention of Sykes but the main battle through the race was for fourth, with van der Mark leading Lowes, whilst Razgatlioglu was now in sixth, ahead of Haslam.

    Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) was a rider making great progress too, all the way up into the top ten by the mid-point of the race from 17th on the grid. The Italian was putting in a fantastic performance for his and Ducati’s home fans. Fellow Italian and Independent rider Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) was also on the charge through the field.

    British rider Alex Lowes began to slip back, having been ill all weekend. Soon, a tradition ‘Marco Melandri block-pass’ at the final corner by the Italian pushed Lowes back into eighth. However, he would soon be promoted as a disaster for Tom Sykes occurred, with the BMW S 1000 RR suffering more mechanical gremlins, robbing the 2013 WorldSBK champ of a certain podium.

    Sykes’ demise promoted a huge battle between van der Mark and Razgatlioglu for the final podium position. The Turkish star made his move in the closing stages and got ahead of van der Mark. Then, a grandstand finish between the two, swapping paint and trading blows on the penultimate lap, colliding twice and bringing Leon Haslam back into the mix. Imola was once more providing thrilling action.

    Meanwhile, in a league of his own, Jonathan Rea blitzed the opposition in a vintage fashion, taking his first win of the season to end the run of victories by Alvaro Bautista. The Spaniard maintains a healthy championship lead with a second-place finish and then, in the battle for third, Toprak held on for his third WorldSBK podium! Michael van der Mark and Leon Haslam completed the top five!

    Inside the top six from a poor Tissot Superpole, Marco Melandri was ahead of Alex Lowes, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi eighth after his antics earlier on in the day. Lorenzo Zanetti (Motocorsa Racing) was an impressive ninth as his wildcard weekend unfolded. Completing the top ten, the sole-surviving BMW of Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).

    Outside of the top ten was Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) who had a disappointing ride, whilst a phenomenal performance for super-sub Tommy Bridewell (Team Goeleven) saw the British rider come home in 12th. Hector Barbera (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) and Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team) completed the points. Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) had a fast crash at Acque Minerale in the closing stages.

    It is Jonathan Rea’s eighth win at Imola and his 72nd career victory in WorldSBK, ending his longest winless run since 2013. It is the 128th win for Kawasaki in WorldSBK too.
    P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    “I am so happy that I finally got my first win this season, especially here in Imola where the fans are always incredible, the atmosphere is good, and I love the circuit. My team gave me a great bike, and since Assen I’ve been hard training, trying to visualize winning this race here, so I am glad I did it because I put a lot of pressure on myself. Now we can relax a little bit and enjoy this moment, but wake up tomorrow with the same target. Thanks to my team for never losing hope and continuing to push the bike. I am really satisfied with that victory ”.   

    P2 – Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – DUCATI)
    “It was amazing to race here in front of all the Ducati fans. They made this moment special! It was not easy for me since it was my first time racing here. We all had a strong pace, and we even set a new lap time record which means that the level is high. I had been struggling here more than in other race track, but still, I am pleased. Today Jonathan was really strong, his pace was incredible, but I am happy I finished second on the podium in front of all our fans”.

    P3 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)
    “I am so happy to be back on the podium! My goal is to battle for it more often this season. Last year we didn’t make a good result here in Imola, so I am really pleased that we were able to make such a big step forward and even get to the podium”

    #ITAWorldSBK at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari Imola: Race 1
    2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    1. Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +7.832
    3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) +19.968

  • 11 wins in a row, Bautista continues to make history winning again in Race 2: WorldSBK

    11 wins in a row for Bautista who continues to set new WorldSBK records, whilst van der Mark was second in front of a huge home crowd

    Assen, 14 April 2019: Once more, WorldSBK went to war on the famous TT Circuit Assen layout, with ten riders in the leading group in the early stages. However, after an incredible start, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) couldn’t hold off Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) any longer, as the Spaniard battled through to take an 11th race win of the year!

    Earlier in the morning, in Race 1, it was business as usual for Alvaro Bautista, who made history to take the win at Assen and become the first rider to win the opening ten races of a WorldSBK season. Jonathan Rea finished second once again in another damage limitation ride, whereas it home-hero Michael van der Mark who completed the podium – his first of the season. Alex Lowes put in the ride of his life with a determined fourth position, ahead of WorldSBK returnee Leon Haslam.

    Later in Race 2, a frantic first lap saw Jonathan Rea erupt through the grid from eighth and was already up to the lead by Turn 5, in what was an impressive opening few corners from the reigning four-time champion. Alvaro Bautista was placed in second but under some serious pressure from home-hero, Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team). Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) was also right in the mix during the opening laps, whilst Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) completed the top six.

    The race unfolded, and Jonathan Rea was putting in a fantastic effort to defend from Bautista, standing the bike up on the apex of Turn 5 in order to back Bautista up into the chasing pack. Chaz Davies was able to climb up the order and got as high as third, whilst Michael van der Mark was being pushed back down the order, to fifth.

    On lap six, Bautista, who had been continuously probing and searching for a way ahead of Rea, made his move at the fierce Turn 8, slamming his Ducati down the inside. The move rattled Rea, who needed to fight back straight away to get a hold of Bautista before he stretched away. The Northern Irishman was then passed by Chaz Davies at Turn 9 and Ducati were first and second at Assen.

    Rea was soon back into the second place, getting ahead of Davies at the final chicane. Alex Lowes was still ahead of his teammate, but Leon Haslam was the rider who looked rather ominous, lapping quicker than the two Yamaha riders ahead. Just behind, it was another solid ride from Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) who was seventh for the majority of the race.

    From the middle of the race, it was a phenomenal ride from Michael van der Mark, who was lapping far quicker than everyone ahead of him, including Bautista at one point. The Dutch rider was heroic, bridging a huge gap in short time to catch Jonathan Rea with just three laps remaining. At Turn 13, around the outside, a brave van der Mark roared ahead, with Rea now facing losing more points to Bautista. As Rea went backwards, it was his teammate Haslam who suffered a similar fate after looking so strong, sliding back behind the BMWs of Reiterberger and Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).

    With the last lap upon us, Bautista had secured enough of an advantage to secure another win, and despite a desperate attempt by Rea at Turn 10 to get ahead of van der Mark – where they collided – it wasn’t enough, with the crowd’s favourite battling hard to remain ahead. Bautista took the victory but on a run to the line, Rea got alongside van der Mark, but the Dutch star held on ahead of the reigning four-time WorldSBK Champion! Fourth position was secured by Alex Lowes ahead of Chaz Davies, whilst Markus Reiterberger held off Tom Sykes on a run to the line for his second consecutive sixth position.

    In eighth position, Leon Haslam struggled home, some 20 seconds behind race winner Bautista. He was only just ahead of the two Independent Kawasaki riders of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) and Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing), completing the top ten in that respective order.

    Outside of the top ten, it was Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) in 11th and Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) in 12th, whilst Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) could only manage 13th. Marco Melandri completed a miserable weekend in 14th after a fierce battle with those ahead of him, whilst Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) was the last point-scorer. Hector Barbera (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was 16th ahead of Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team). Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) retired.

    Bautista’s win is a new record in WorldSBK, having won the opening 11 WorldSBK races of a season. He gives Ducati their 352nd race win in WorldSBK and their 27that the TT Circuit Assen. It is also Spain’s 48th win in the WorldSBK class. With his 11th win, it puts him level with Jonathan Rea in terms of consecutive race wins, something the reigning champion only achieved last year! It also puts him level with Ruben Xaus, Regis Laconi and Stephane Mertens with number of wins in their WorldSBK career.
    P1 – Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)
    “It has been a perfect weekend. We were struggling with the cold temperatures this morning but in Race 2 the situation improved as it the track temperature increased, and I felt much better on the bike. I was surprised when I saw Jonathan in front of me in the early stages of the race. He was starting the race from sixth on the grid, and he came back really strong, and he did a good start. I saw that my race pace was faster than his, so I passed him and pushed to the limit to put some ground between us. I enjoying the race! I am so happy to have won 11th races in a row this season”.P2 – Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team)
    “It has been a different race compared to the first one. I did a good start, and I felt quite comfortable on the bike. I was in the front group, and when we started to battle, I lost so many positions. I had to stay calm, which was difficult but slowly and lap by lap I overtook some riders and catch up with Johnny. He was struggling a bit, and I was planning to overtake him in the last sector. But then I passed him and tried to push as much as I could, but I couldn’t get away. We even touched but we had such a nice battle, so I am delighted to be on the podium again and had finished second”.

    P3 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    “My team and I put so much effort into the weekend, so I can’t say that we are disappointed for missing the second position. They gave me a great bike, and I got the full potential! Unfortunately, we just decided to go with a harder tyre again. For me, it was working good, and I was going really fast, but in the last few laps, I ran out of grip. Van Der Mark could pass me on the faster section. The grip was just a little bit better, but I didn’t want to make a mistake. We touched at Turn 10, and luckily we both stayed upright. Now we move on to Imola! Thanks to all my team and the Dutch fans who came this weekend to see us”.

    #NLDWorldSBK at TT Circuit Assen: Race 2
    1. Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)
    2. Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +4.688
    3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +4.706

    #NLDWorldSBK at TT Circuit Assen: Race 1
    1. Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)
    2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +3.130
    3. Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +4.934

  • Bautista bags top spot as first day on ‘The Island’ concludes

    Philip Island, 22 Feb 2019: The final session of the opening day of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship concluded with Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) taking over at the top of combined times. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and teammate Leon Haslam finished in second and third positions.

    Bautista’s time was the fastest in the individual FP2 session. The Spaniard was once again quickest in the speed trap and was by far the fastest of the all-new Ducati Panigale V4 Rs. The Rookie set a blistering lap time of 1’30.327 to go ahead of Rea in the final minutes by just 0.014s! Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) had work to do in 14th position overall.

    From the front three, Haslam was the first to improve; the 35-year-old five-time race winner has been impressive since the Yamaha Finance Australian Round got underway. Spending some time on circuit with Alvaro Bautista, the British rider was able to go fractionally quicker, before making big in-roads with less than 15 minutes left on the clock, finishing third overall.

    Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) quietly went about his business, not troubling his lap time from FP1 in the session, remaining fourth overall. Teammate Markus Reiterberger also continued his development with the new BMW S 1000 RR but like Sykes, didn´t improve on his time with 20 minutes left, finishing in eighth overall and just over half a second off Bautista.

    Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) jumped up the order to fifth position, making amends for FP1. The Lincolnshire rider then continued to improve his lap times, consistently fast although he took a tumble in the middle of the session. Dutchman Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) also continued the theme of great improvement for Yamaha, although remained ninth.

    Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) continued as a revelation, closing the day seventh on combined times for much of the session. Cortese has started to understand the YZF R1 much better over the course of testing and subsequently is up at the sharp end. Teammate Marco Melandri continued to struggle, in 13th for most of the session.

    Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea HONDA Team) had a good session, consolidating his pace and moving up to sixth on the combined times. On the other side of the garage, Kiyonari was one of the first improvers as he continues to re-adapt to WorldSBK. The Japanese rider crashed towards the end of the session.

    Completing the top ten was Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), taking his Kawasaki to within 0.800s of the top time posted by Bautista.

    With day one done for WorldSBK, first-blood has gone to Alvaro Bautista! Jonathan Rea will look to strike back tomorrow, whilst Leon Haslam, Tom Sykes and Alex Lowes will also be in the mix for the top positions.

    #AUSWorldSBK at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit: Friday
    1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’30.327
    2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.014
    3. Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.155