INDIA in F1

Tag: Jonathan Rea

  • Jonathan Rea returns to the top on the final day of testing at Jerez: WorldSBK

    Jonathan Rea returns to the top on the final day of testing at Jerez: WorldSBK

    Busy two-day test comes to an end at Circuito de Jerez Ángel Nieto with reigning World Champion back at the top of the charts.

    Rea faced some stiff competition but he was able to return at the top of the timesheets at Jerez on Thursday. A WorldSBK image

    Jerez, 24 Jan 2019: 

    Sun shone down on the final day of testing at the Spanish circuit of Jerez, where the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship riders were able to continue their final arrangements ahead of the 2019 season opener that will be held in less than a month in Australia.
    With the temperature being warmer than yesterday day two around Circuito de Jerez Ángel Nieto saw many riders improving their paces and the top ten riders of day closing in less than a second at the front.Facing some stiff competition from the Yamaha and Ducati rivals, reigning World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took to the track early this morning working on the small 2019 updates for his ZX-10RR. The four-time world champion didn’t lose any time and, in the end, he was able to return at the top of the timesheets, thanks to a fastest lap time in 1’39.160, just a few seconds ahead of the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider Alex Lowes.Stunning with his consistency and overall pace during both the two days, the Yamaha rider closed second in 1’39.372 and he continued to make progress with his machine as he completed 102 laps around the Andalusian race track today. Working on improving the acceleration of his bike and testing new parts for the YZF R1 machine, his teammate Michael van der Mark closed in seventh position with a fastest lap time of 1’40.145.

    Focusing on getting more comfortable on his new bike, Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had a positive two-day test, as he closed also just 0.342 s off his teammate in third position. The British rider was able to be fast on both days, building on his confidence with the ZX-10RR.

    Making an important step forward, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) brought his Ducati Panigale V4 R in fourth position, closing 0.460 s off Rea’s lap time. The Spaniard had a busy day gathering as much information as possible to work on, and design the best base set-up for their all-new Ducati machine. On the other side of the garage, Chaz Davies sat out on the opening hours of the day and took to the track later in the afternoon putting in only a few laps, closing the day in tenth. As he was feeling some pain in his back after the crash he had yesterday, Davies decided to take it easy as he aims to be back at his full strength for the next pre-season test that will be held at the end of this week in Portimao.  Both independent team riders Michael Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) and Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven), who finished respectively ninth and twelfth, worked alongside their new teams producing valuable feedbacks that will be used also by the factory team to improve their Ducati beast.

    Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) continued to impress, stunning with his performance along the two days. The Turkish rider finished in fifth position, with a fastestlap time in 1’39.942.

    Continuing to work with the new team structure GRT Yamaha WorldSBK rider Marco Melandri had a busy day as he put in a total of 87 laps onboard his Yamaha finishing eighth overall, while his teammate Sandro Cortese had his progression slowed down by a small crash he suffered early in the morning. The German walked away from the accident on his feet but had to wait for his bike to be recovered and repaired before returning to the track in the afternoon and setting the sixth fastest time.

    Towards the end of the day, the BWM Motorrad WorldSBK riders Tom Sykes and Markus Reiterberger had their transponders finally recording a few of their lap times. Happy with the progresses made over the two day, they closed respectively in fourteenth and fifteenth position.

    Among the WorldSSPriders Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) continued to lead the way also on day two with Frenchman Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) closing second just 0.222 s behind him.
    Making her debut in the class, Maria Herrera was also out testing aboard the Yamaha YZF R6 of MS Racing. The Spaniard focused on getting acquainted with the new bike and finished her second day of testing with a fastest lap time in 1’46.957.

    Whilst the Jerez Test may have finished some of the WorldSBK and WorldSSP riders who attended the two days will now head down to Portugal for the final pre-season test on European soil from 27th-28th January at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve Portimao before the first round of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship season in Australia.

    Jerez Day Two Unofficial Times:

    1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’39.160
    2. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 1’39.372 +0.212
    3. Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’39.502 +0.348
    4. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’39.620 +0.460
    5. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) 1’39.942 +0.782
    6. Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha Team) 1’40.075 +0.915
    7. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 1’40.145 +0.985
    8. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha Team) 1’40.469 +1.309
    9. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) 1’40.540 +1.380
    10. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’40.621 +1.461
    11. Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 1’40.794 +1.634
    12. Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) 1’40.879 +1.719
    13. Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) 1’41.066 +1.906
    14. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’41.206 +2.046
    15. Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’41.231 +2.071
    16. Alessandro Delbianco (Althea MIE Racing Team) 1’42.353 +3.192
  • Jonathan Rea wins fourth title in a row slicing past Tom Sykes

    Jonathan Rea wins fourth title in a row slicing past Tom Sykes

    Jonathan Rea celebrates after winning the fourth title on Saturday. A WorldSBK image

    Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) took the 2018 WorldSBK crown in style at the Acerbis French Round, slicing past teammate Tom Sykes in the early stages of Race One and imperious from there on in to take victory number 13 of the year. Unlucky for some, but far from it for the now four-time Champion. Sykes took second from his record-breaking pole, with Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) completing the podium after a three-way fight for third.

    It was Sykes who got the holeshot from pole, getting a lightning start and leaving teammate Rea to trail him in second – albeit in very close company. Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) kept his P3 from the front row as they shot off the line, with Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) slotting into fourth as the field made their way around Lap 1. But Rea remained threatening in second and feinted a number of moves, before the reigning Champion pounced for the lead not long after.

    Just off that fight at the front, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) took an early tumble, followed not long after by a DNF for Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team) in that same mid top ten group. Rea was then pulling away from Sykes and Sykes from those on the chase as Fores hustled past Savadori and took over in third, but the Italian stayed close and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was beginning to hone in on that battle.

    Rea crossed the line for win number 13 and his fourth crown in style, with Sykes just behind his teammate in another impressive 1-2 for Kawasaki. Fores was able to fight off Savadori, and both just stayed ahead of Davies by the flag. Davies needed to finish second to stop Rea taking the crown, but after a mid top ten qualifying and still recovering from a broken collarbone, it was a tall order. The Welshman nevertheless put together an impressive ride in difficult circumstances – much like his races in Portugal. His teammate Marco Melandri , after a tough qualifying, moved through from p12 on the grid to take sixth.

    Seventh went to Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) as he moved up from tenth on the grid, getting past Toprak Razgatliouglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) at mid-distance and steadily pulling away from the Turk, who came home in P8. Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW) had been fighting him in the latter stages but couldn’t make it stick, and just at the end was pipped to ninth by Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia).

    Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) took P11, ahead of Jordi Torres in P12 for MV Agusta Reparto Corse.

    Four titles in a row, 13 race wins this season and two rounds still to go make for another amazing season for Jonathan Rea. See him race as the 2018 champion for the first time on Sunday in Race Two from Magny-Cours.
    P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    “It’s absolutely incredible, I don’t have many words, we just played our cards perfectly this weekend with one lap pace and trying to be fast over the race but  feel so blessed and lucky right now. I was just a young kid with a dream from Northern Ireland and now I’m four times world champion and its beyond my wildest dreams. Thanks to everyone for believing in me over the years, I couldn’t have done it without you all. Thank you.”P2 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSK)
    “Not a bad but slightly disappointed, for whatever reason we struggled a little bit in the race, we struggled at the beginning and when I wanted to attack we missed it. I spoke with the boys and I think we know what it is, but I enjoyed the race and like I said, when I tried to push I lost the front a couple of times and couldn’t do what I wanted. I am happy with the race and for tomorrow I am very excited and motivated, starting from the third row tomorrow is all about aggression. But today is all about Jonathan Rea!”P3 – Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team)
    “It was a very hard race because the pace was so fast during all the race. At the beginning I was able to stay with Tom, but I felt a small drop on the front tyre and I decide to make my rhythm to the last part of the race. In the final laps I tried to defend my position and it was so good for me to be back on the podium after some hard races, and its good for me to have a good feeling for the rest of the season, and I am looking forward to tomorrow.”
  • Flawless Rea extends Portimao winning streak: WorldSBK Race 1

    Flawless Rea extends Portimao winning streak: WorldSBK Race 1

    Jonathan Rea wins Race 1 at Portimao. A WorldSBK image

    Portimao, 15 Sept. 2018: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) has extended his incredible winning streak at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve with another victory in Race One on Saturday, his sixth consecutive win at the Portuguese rollercoaster and his eleventh of the 2018 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season. The Northern Irishman was stunningly dominant at Portimao, taking the lead inside the first lap and crossing the line comfortably ahead of Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in second and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) in third.

    There was drama very early on at Portimao for polesitter Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia). The Irishman had started from the front for the first time since 2013, but a slow move off the blocks saw him get caught up in the field of riders behind at turn 1. A few seconds later, Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) misjudged his turn, clashing with Laverty and taking both men out early.

    Jonathan Rea took advantage of the early chaos, flying into the lead ahead of Melandri through the exit from turn 1, with Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia)  – in search of his first podium finish in WorldSBK – close behind, while Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) suddenly found the form that had evaded him since Friday, shooting up to fifth position inside one lap from fourteenth on the grid.

    While Rea was eventually beaten for the Superpole earlier in the day, the Northern Irishman’s strength at Portimao this weekend and at the official test three weeks ago is his unbelievable consistency. Coupled with the best overall pace on track – keeping his lap times under 1’43 for the entire first half of the race – there was no stopping Rea in Race One, as he swept away into a 2-3 second gap.

    There was the promise of a thrilling Tricolore battle behind for second, but it lasted just half the race: Savadori slid out at the end of the main straight in lap 12 and put an end to a miserable afternoon for the Milwaukee Aprilia team, just hours after their best qualifying performance of 2018.

    With one Italian out, the other, Melandri strolled to his best result since the Acerbis Czech Round in the second, turning good pace into a fantastic result. Michael van der Mark, completing a quiet yet professional race behind, took the remaining podium place, his eighth of the season; Davies followed with an incredibly valuable fourth place that takes him straight to P1 on tomorrow’s grid, in what had previously been a very difficult race weekend.

    Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) made it to the checkered flag in fifth, completing a solid points haul for the green machines. Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team) meanwhile finished Race One in the sixth, his best result since returning to WorldSBK this season.

    Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) celebrated his future debut in MotoGP™ with the seventh position at the Portuguese rollercoaster, which pushes him ahead of Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) in the championship standings, after a mechanical failure ended the Brit’s race early.

    Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was the best independent rider in Race One at Portimao, coming in eighth and just ahead of fellow 2018 debutant Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in ninth. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) completed the top ten after struggling through the early stages of the race.

    Race Two in Algarve kicks off at a later time tomorrow as the grand finale of the Nolan Portuguese Round.
    P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    “What a cool number to hit – 65! I want to thank all my team for a great bike this weekend. We hit the ground running at the test a few weeks ago and this weekend was all about finalising those few details. But the big thanks to all the travelling support out there from Northern Ireland, it really means a lot and it was nice to put on a nice race for those lads.”P2 – Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 
    “I knew Jonny had better pace than me so the first few laps I was pushing hard to stay with him, but I was dreaming that he slowed down a bit and I tried to follow him! But when the tyres dropped off I slowed down a bit, so second today is like a win and I cannot have something better. I will try to work on the bike and make it better for tomorrow.”

    P3 – Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 
    “For me, it was a big surprise as I struggled a lot with the bike from the start but anyway Jonny and Marco had a really good pace and Lorenzo was pushing really nicely. I was pushing a lot but I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike. At the end I must be happy with this podium, it’s really important for the championship so hopefully, we can improve for tomorrow and fight for the podium again.

    #PortimaoWorldSBK at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve: Race 1
    1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    2. Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.575
    3.  Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) +4.215

  • Jonathan Rea wins despite losing Superpole: WorldSBK

    Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had his Superpole snatched away in the closing seconds of Superpole, but that mattered little to the reigning champion by the time Race One rolled around. A fantastic start from the Kawasaki rider shot him ahead of Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at the lights, and with an open track ahead, Rea proved to be unbeatable once again. There was a stunning battle for the podium however as Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) completed the podium in the 21 lap race.

    Rea was the only rider to make it into the 1’34s at the start of the race, opening a comfortable gap with the large group of pursuers. There was plenty movement behind inside the opening laps, with Laverty and Davies, who had blasted up the field at the lights from seventh on the grid, making quick work of Sykes, while Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) also put his name in contention for a rostrum spot with a stunning start from eleventh.

    With Rea flying away into the distance, Davies finally managed to catch the Aprilia by lap 16. Laverty went very wide going into Turn 16, a mistake that Davies welcomed going through the straight. It’s the Welshman’s third consecutive second position and yet another solid ride this season.

    While his teammate’s Aprila RSV4 RF suffered from performance issues in the final third of the race, there were no such problems for Laverty, who takes his second consecutive podium. After four years without a WorldSBK top three finish, this time it has only taken the Irish rider two weeks to claim a return to the rostrum.

    Van der Mark completed an excellent Race One with fourth position, less than five seconds off of Rea despite his row four start, and making it four manufacturers in the four top spots. He crossed the line ahead of Sykes and will start from pole tomorrow, with the Englishman only able to make it through in fifth after starting from the front of the grid.

    Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team), in special ‘tricolore’ livery for the Misano race, was the best independent rider in Race One, making his way to the line in sixth, ahead of the home duo of Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in seventh and Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) in eighth.

    Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) returned to the top ten after a disappointing GEICO US Round with ninth place on Saturday. Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) meanwhile scored only his fourth top ten finish of the season, coming in behind the Honda in tenth. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), who was until today the sole rider to score points in every race of 2018, crashed twice and was unable to finish.

    WorldSBK is back tomorrow with Race Two, live from Misano at 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT).
    P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    “It was super nice, I want to thank my team because they gave me a really good bike, we’ve been working well all weekend. I could ride well within my limits and really enjoy the race. I came out the last corner and picked up a cool wheelie, it was really fun, but I just want to thank all my mechanics.”

    P2 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
    “It was a hard faught battle  and we had a good start to make and we did that, I launched the bike off the line and got a good track position. The first few laps of the race I really felt the full fuel load and was pushing with some of the guys but then it started coming to me and I felt better towards the back end of the race. Overall I’m really happy, the team gave me a good bike.”

    P3 – Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia)
    “Its nice to back a Laguna podium up, to get the podium here as well as the front row; I was feeling so good in the middle of that race, I was reeling in Jonny, but we had a rear sensor break and that cost me, and cost me second as well, but a few rounds ago I’d have bitten your hand off for a podium so we’ll take that.”

    World Championship Standings after Race 1, Round 9
    1. Jonthan Rea (GBR) Kawasaki (345 points)
    2. Chaz Davies (GBR) Ducati  (265 points)
    3. Tom Sykes (GBR) Kawasaki (228 points)

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  • US World SBK Day 3 – Masterful Rea does a Laguna Seca double

    US World SBK Day 3 – Masterful Rea does a Laguna Seca double

    Jonathan Rea leading the pack in Race 2 on Sunday. A World SBK image

    Monterey, 25 June 2018: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) took his second win of the weekend at the WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca, becoming the most successful rider in MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship history at the US racetrack in the process. The Northern Irishman was again unstoppable in the GEICO US Round, flying to the lead in the opening eight laps despite having to start from the back of row three. Second went again to Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), with a sensational performance from Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) to complete the podium in third.

    Rea wasted no time at the lights. By the end of lap one he had managed to climb from ninth on the grid to fifth; three laps around Laguna Seca later, he was already up to second and chasing race leader Laverty. Sitting behind the leading group was Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who crashed out in the early stages of the race making it the third time in the last seven races that the Italian has failed to score any points.

    It didn’t take much longer for the Race 1 leader to pass Laverty either, picking off the Aprilia rider with ease through Lap eight. A similar story to yesterday: two thirds of the race left, an open track ahead, and an unbeatable race pace. When Rea finds his groove and is this confident, the three time champion is second to no one. Even Davies, who put in another stunning climb through the ranks and passed Laverty into second with eight laps to go, couldn’t close the gap and had to settle for second.

    In a similar performance to Sunday however, there was plenty of action for the remaining rostrum place. Laverty, who was now in third, was quickly hunted down by the two Pata Yamaha riders. But the pair battled amongst themselves for just enough laps for the Irishman to keep them both at bay, meaning he was able to clinch his first podium of the 2018 campaign, also a first since Sepang 2014.

    The battle between Round Six and Seven’s race winners van der Mark and Lowes, saw the Brit finally emerge victorious with two laps to go thanks to a brave pass in the run-up to the Corkscrew. A bit of magic from the Lincolnshire rider means he is able to close the gap to his teammate in the standings to just 32 points. Van der Mark meanwhile couldn’t make the best of a fantastic start, which saw the Dutchman rise to second at Turn One, and crossed the line in fifth.

    Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) repeated his Race One performance with sixth at the flag, a sign that the Spaniard is building back his form after two forgettable rounds. Behind him was fellow Spaniard Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in seventh, ahead of Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in eighth. Sykes is a three time winner at Laguna Seca, but on Sunday he found himself collapsing down the ranks from the start and it never quite worked out throughout the 25 laps for the Kawasaki rider, closing a disappointing weekend.

    Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) went one better than on Saturday, crossing the line in ninth and taking his personal best result in WorldSBK. A fantastic weekend at home for the Californian, who crossed the line ahead of Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team) in tenth and Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura). A special mention for Karel Hanika (Guandalini Racing), who crossed the line in a promising 14th, scoring points in both races at Laguna Seca on his WorldSBK debut.

    Rea said: “I’m super happy, I don’t know what to say, a massive hanks to Pere, they gave me an even better bike today, in the last five laps I took a step back and thought that I’m here in Laguna Seca, riding a ZX-10RR, I felt so cool to be riding out here. Thanks to all the fans, its certainly a case of California dreaming here.”

    Davies said: “That was an enjoyable race, its never easy coming from the third row of the grid but you’ve got to make the passes stick and some of those passes we’re certainly a little bit tight and thats the nature of this grid and with this grid rule. I just missed that but in the early stages to run with Jonny and then we got there and the damage was already done, its great to see Eugene back on the podium.”

    Laverty said: “It is so nice to get that podium we’ve been talking about for so long, it’s been getting closer and closer since my injury, its been getting back into the swing of things, I’m happy for myself but more happier for the team, its been a long time coming and its their first podium.”

  • Jonathan Rea’s big 60 puts him above the legendary Carl Fogarty

    Jonathan Rea’s big 60 puts him above the legendary Carl Fogarty

    Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) celebrates making history in style, after grabbing sweet sixtieth win
    Jonathan Rea celebrates after creating a record winning the first race on Saturday. A WorldSBK image

    Brno (Czech Republic), 09 June 2018: When the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship last graced the flowing hills of the Automotodrom Brno, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was a promising 25-year-old with 10 race wins to his name, no world championships. The contrast this Saturday, six years later, was startling: the KRT rider led a perfect race to take his sixth race win of the season, winning more WorldSBK races than any other rider in history, as the big 60 put him above the legendary Carl Fogarty.

    Around the longest track in the season, it was fitting for the action to be more extended than usual. Rea overtook teammate Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at the start, but crashes from Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team) forced a red flag and race restart – twice, due to technical issues on the grid.

    At the third time of asking, with the race length now down to 16 laps, Sykes defended his position at turn 1, but Rea was in front a couple of corners later, keeping Sykes behind and jetting off. The Northern Irishman was also helped by the action behind, with Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) putting Sykes under pressure. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) also joined the fight, swapping positions several times with his teammate in a thrilling battle.

    Rea went untroubled from this point forward, leading a composed ride to the finish line. He was the only rider managing laps times under two minutes, keeping a 4-5 second gap from his closest pursuers. The defending champion has now opened an 81 point gap over Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who took a top eight today, as his championship pursuit becomes even tougher.

    Behind the leader, Melandri finally got the best of Sykes in lap 4, taking his best result since Phillip Island in February with second. It’s the fifth podium for Melandri at Brno in WorldSBK, and a fantastic comeback after a difficult Donington weekend. Sykes crossed the line in third, two seconds off the Italian.

    The rostrum was finally just not close enough for the Yamaha riders, with van der Mark beating Lowes to fourth place. Both men will sit at the front of the grid in Race 2, a fantastic opportunity to move their personal tussle to podium fighting positions tomorrow.

    A thrilling battle for sixth midway through the race saw Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) emerge triumphant and back into the top positions. He got the best of teammate Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia), who still managed to beat Davies in the final laps for seventh.

    Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) netted himself another top 10 finish. Still not 100%, the Brit has managed to come in ninth at the flag, ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in tenth, the first independent rider at Brno. Yonny Hernández (Team Pedercini Racing) confirmed his good form at the Czech circuit, returning to the WorldSBK paddock in eleventh after missing the UK Round.
    P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    “It was nice to take my 60th win in a race like that, I was so happy and my guys gave me an awesome bike. I want to say a big thanks to KRT for bringing us to the test here – that gave us a big advantage and meant this weekend was more calm, and we could understand our Pirelli tyres and base set-up. The race was perfect, they don’t come like that a lot and its incredible, 60 race wins is a huge story that I’ve had, each and every one is special and I couldn’t do it without my team.”P2 – Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
    “It was a very good race, as I expected it was difficult, as the track was warm and the grip was quite low after three to four laps. We had a lot of understeer and lost the grip, so it was hard to not push too much. But I had a look and I saw Jonny was gone, so I just tried to check my gap with Tom from my pit board. and tried not to make a mistake, it was a long race but I will try to do better tomorrow.”P3 – Tom Sykes (Kawaskai Racing Team WorldSBK)
    “Today is Jonathan’s day, it’s a fantastic achievement and I want to say a big congrats to him, to get 60 is some achievement! But unfortunately we didn’t have the pace to match him, and tomorrow is another day. We really struggled with understeer today, but we didn’t lost too much once the pace settled, but initially I couldn’t dig the front in. Third is the best I could do today, it’s great to have all the support in the Czech Republic, great to have the podium here and hopefully tomorroe we can have a lot to cheer about.”

  • Commanding Tom Sykes storms to Assen win to break Jonathan Rea’s Dutch streak: WorldSBK

    Assen, 22 April 2018: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) put in the most dominant performance in the 2018 season of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship so far, recording fastest lap after fastest lap to score his first win of the campaign, ending Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)’s Assen winning streak in the process. Behind the KRT riders, Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) recorded his second successive podium in front of his home crowd.

    Since Sylvain Guintoli in Race 1 of 2014, nobody had managed to question Rea’s authority at the Cathedral. That streak, eight successive wins here including Race 1 yesterday, was finally closed by Rea’s teammate, the only other rider on the grid who had previously won here (2013, Race 1).

    Yesterday Sykes stressed how fast his bike could be, with his issues only coming whenever he needed to overtake his rivals, particularly the Ducatis. This wasn’t a problem here: Sykes started from pole, didn’t allow Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) to squeeze forward at the start, and then pushed hard until opening a 5-6 gap with his closest pursuers, consistently riding two to three tenths of a second faster than Rea and van der Mark.

    The pair held an exciting duel yesterday for the win, and from the start they were paired together again: eighth and ninth on the grid, third and fourth after Lap 1, and competing for second for the latter two thirds of the race. Eventually, Rea managed to open a gap with his Yamaha rival, completing the first KRT one-two since Laguna Seca/R2 2017. He now leads the championship by 30 points, and despite not beating Carl Fogarty’s historic 12 Assen wins, the reigning champion will be pleased to have opened a gap here in the Netherlands.

    Van der Mark couldn’t fight for the win today, but pleased the home fans with a third place, his fifth Assen podium finish, and moves into fourth in the championship standings. The man he overtakes this weekend, Xavi Fores, came in just behind in fourth position, the first Ducati rider and, as in most races so far this season, the best independent rider.

    The Ducatis, in fact, struggled under the Assen heat, with both Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) encountering trouble at the start and moving back to 8th and 10threspectively. Eventually, Davies fought back to fifth, but will be frustrated at not being able to get closer to the podium.

    Melandri suffered more, however, falling back and never really escaping from the middle pack of five riders that closed the top-10 positions. He finishes seventh, behind the MV Agusta of Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) – best personal finish of the season – and only just ahead of Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW World Superbike Team) in eighth, his second successive top-ten finish. That group was closed by Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in ninth, followed by Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) in tenth.
    P1 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    “It feels incredible, I had a struggle and I’ve jsut got to say thanks to my team. I’m really happy for this win, the old Sykes is back. I got to the front and listened to what the Pirelli tyres were saying, the guys gave me a great set up. We had the bike fit for the win, it was nice controlling the race with my pit board. What a feeling, I’ve got that one off my back and it feels great.”P2 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    “I felt good, I enjoyed the race and felt good, what ruined the race for us was our track position, Tom got away and I was stuck in traffic. When I arrived I could keep the pace similar but I had used so much tyre, so second was the best I could do today, Tom did an incredible job and it’s great for the team, a 1-2 for Kawasaki is a great job.”

    P3 – Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK)
    “I am really happy with the double podium, I didn’t feel like I had the full pace today but I could follow Jonny and I had a feeling I could attack in the last few laps, but I had a problem as I couldn’t back shift. But I’m so happy, its been a great weekend with perfect weather, amazing fans and a double podium.”

    #DutchWorldSBK at TT Circuit Assen: Race 2
    1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +5.445
    3. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) +7.507
  • Jonathan Rea makes history with an eighth consecutive TT Assen win: WorldSBK

    Jonathan Rea makes history with an eighth consecutive TT Assen win: WorldSBK

    Jonathan Rea hold off the chasing pack to win Race 1 at Assen on Saturday. A WorldSBK image

    Assen, 21 April 2018: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) stormed to his third win of the season with a quintessential Assen performance, nailing his eighth consecutive Dutch win and twelfth in total, equalling Carl Fogarty’s historic dozen Assen triumphs along the way. It didn’t come easy for the Northern Irishman, however, forced to fend off strong attacks from Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), second and third respectively.

    The grid hinted towards a fascinating start, with five teams holding the first five positions. Rea made the move over poleman Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) at the first corner, although it was Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) who took the early lead with a flying start at the lights. However, by the end of Sector 1, it was Rea back on top. Behind him, van der Mark began his climb right off the bat, jumping from seventh to fourth.

    The crowd was ecstatic by the end of lap 8, as local boy van der Mark, astonishingly quick throughout the race, picked off Rea at the chicane and made his way into first. However, the championship leader took over two laps later, the same spot, the same move.

    By then Chaz Davies had quietly made his way to the top, once again making up for a poor Superpole with a scintillating race. A three-way battle ensued, with Davies merely centimeters off of Rea but unable to just quite make it past. With van der Mark and Davies then battling for second behind, Rea put some space between him and his pursuers for the final laps, although never more than a second.

    Behind the front three, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) showed the Kawasaki’s pace here after a poor weekend at MotorLand Aragon, coming in fourth and a mere two tenths off a first podium finish since Phillip Park Race 1.

    Xavi Fores, again the first independent rider, made it through the checkered flag in fifth, drifting off the front pace through the final laps. Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) made it to the line in sixth, untroubled but also unable to stay close to the lead.

    Loriz Baz (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team) followed in seventh place, with Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in eighth, season-best finishes for both riders. Top ten was closed by Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in ninth and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in tenth.

    Lowes, scoring his maiden WorldSBK pole just two hours earlier, had a nightmare race, falling quickly down the field after the early laps and just scraping in in twelfth, 33 seconds off the lead. Ditto for Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia), heading row 2 at the start but just making it to the line in fifteenth.
    P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 
    “It was a really fun race when Mikey came through I could see he had the pace where I didn’t and I tried to keep smooth out on the track. There was a point in the race when I wasn’t sure how to manage the pace. But then with a couple of laps to go squeezed back into low 36.s and I took the win. But it was difficult, this morning we looked good on paper but the rest stepped up, so we need to work tomorrow, but thanks to the team for giving me a great bike.”P2 – Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 
    “It was an amazing race, I had a good start and managed to stay calm in the beginning and made my way to the front. When I saw Jonny, he was not pushing as hard as I thought he would, and then I got to the fight for the front. I tried to stay as close as I could, in the end, I was able to catch Chaz, but wasn’t able to get Jonny, but I’m really happy with second place.”

    P3 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 
    “It was a good battle all race long, Mikey was breathing down my neck all race long and he eventually got past me. I thought about having a go straight back at him but then I thought he might have a better pace than me, so I’ll let him chase Jonny but in the end. I’m really happy, yesterday was really tough, in qualifying, we were better and in the race, I think we did a really good job so pretty happy. We’ll take that and make some improvements for tomorrow.”

    #DutchWorldSBK at TT Circuit Assen: Race 1
    1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    2. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) +0.981
    3.  Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.282
  • Reigning champ Jonathan Rea puts Kawasaki on top: #THAIWorldSBK– Day 2

    Reigning champ Jonathan Rea puts Kawasaki on top: #THAIWorldSBK– Day 2

    Rea wins Race1 in Buriram 24mar2018 Photo: WorldSBK
    Buriram: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took an excellent victory in Race One of the Motul Thai Round, continuing a dominant weekend that has now seen him take pole position, a race win and fastest lap.  The 3-times World Champion certainly didn´t have things all his own way, with Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who was narrowly pipped for pole position in Superpole 1, twice overhauling his teammate to hit the front.  But when Rea finally repaid the compliment he was able to stretch away and then manage his advantage to the finish.

    Sykes, meanwhile, dropped gradually backward as the race went on.  He was unfortunate to slip from third to first as Rea took command at the front of the peloton, Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) coming through and running second for some time, and Sykes eventually only able to manage sixth.

    Camier, meanwhile, was one of the stars of the show, as he put in a masterclass in defensive riding and for some time looked set to end a barren run with a first podium finish since 2013.  In the end, he lost out to Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who made a perfect block pass for his second podium of the campaign.  But Camier, with the fourth position, has the consolation of pole start when the grid positions are re-set for tomorrow´s Race Two.

    After a disappointing Tissot Superpole performance and fall, Australia´s double winner Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) rose to the fifth position by the end of the opening lap but steadily dropped back to eighth despite showing inconsistently strong pace.  Victory for Jonathan Rea means Melandri retains the Championship lead, but the Italian´s advantage is cut to just two points.

    Meanwhile, Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team), with an excellent runner-up result, moves above Tom Sykes and into the third position in the series overall.  The independent runner passed Sykes on the track into turn three for a provisional place on the race podium and picked off Leon Camier on lap twelve to secure his best result in 69 starts.  Meanwhile, the line-up´s other main Spaniard, Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), faded quickly after a strong qualifying, ran wide and off the circuit whilst seventh and was later passed on the penultimate lap for ninth by Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia).

    The same lap saw Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) take the fifth position from Tom Sykes, completing an excellent second half of the race in which he recovered from eighth.  Lowes had earlier enjoyed another side-by-side combat with his teammate Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), before the Dutchman slipped back to seventh.

    With the top ten separated by just eleven seconds in Race One, and plenty of change in the rankings compared to results last time out in Australia, Race Two promises to be a similarly entertaining affair.

    With the reversed grid format, lights go out for race two at 16.00LT (+7 GMT) for the Buriram Battle.

    P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    “I am so so happy, where we started the weekend was behind with the set-up but I had 100% faith in my team, so thanks to everyone. We are starting to head in the right direction, and my team have worked really hard all weekend, it was a long 40 minutes for me too, I think I deserve a cold bath after that!”P2 – Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) 
    “It was a really hard race with the weather and the battle with Leon at the beginning of the race, he was hard to overtake. When I got into my rhythm I was pushing hard to catch Jonny, but he was riding perfectly and I was not able to arrive with him, but this is like a victory for me. It’s like a victory for me and we will see what happens tomorrow.”

    P3 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 
    “I made it hard work for myself from the third row, it was a good scrap with Leon in the closing laps, I showed him the wheel a few times and he was so late on the brakes. I was able to bide my time and got past Leon, but then it was too late to do anything about Xavi and Jonny but we will see what we can do tomorrow.”

    #THAIWorldSBK at Chang International Circuit: Race 1
    1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    2. Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) +1.550
    3. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.118