An eventful weekend at Montmeló: three different manufacturers win in WorldSBK; Razgatlioglu takes back the leadership in the championship standings

Race Sunday at the Barcelona – Catalunya Circuit finished out an extremely eventful weekend and therefore brought the first Hyundai N Catalunya Round of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship to a close. Three different manufacturers won in the three premier class races where the overall championship standings changed yet again: Razgatlioglu takes back the lead with 399 points, just one point ahead of Rea.

In the Tissot Superpole Race, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) rides his Kawasaki to the top step of the podium, with second place going to Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) and third to Álvaro Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R), who takes his first podium of the year.

In WorldSBK Race 2, on the other hand, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) takes home a well-deserved win after a solid weekend, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) finishing second and Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) third.

The race weekend in Montmeló gave Pirelli engineers a chance to gather important feedback on their standard tyres on this circuit both in dry and wet conditions, and to prepare as best as possible for next weekend’s races in the Andalusian city of Jerez.

WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race:

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) started well from the second spot on the grid, moving into the lead and followed closely by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), who launched multiple attacks during the early laps of the race, Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) in fourth place. During the third lap, an accident involving Chaz Davies (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) resulted in a red flag and temporary suspension. The riders lined up on the grid again at 11:20 to complete a short, five-lap race. At the second start, Rea and Razgatlioglu battled it out, with back-and-forth overtaking and contact. Álvaro Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R) managed to snatch second place, but found himself immediately under attack by the Yamaha rider who overtook him and then set off to chase down Rea. However, the reigning World Champion proved to be uncatchable, finishing first ahead of Razgatlioglu (second) and Bautista (third).

Tissot Superpole Race Standings:

1. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
2. T. Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
3. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
4. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
5. M. Rinaldi (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
6. A. Bassani (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
7. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
8. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
9. C. Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
10. L. Mercado (MIE Racing HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
11. S. Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
12. I. Viñales (ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
13. J. Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing / BMW M 1000 RR)
14. L. Cresson (TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
15. S. Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
16. L. Epis (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)

• Rt. A. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
• Rt. C. Davies (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
• Rt. K. Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
• Rt. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
• Rt. M. van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
• Rt. L. Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)

WorldSBK Race 2:

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) had the best start from the grid, moving easily into the lead ahead of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and pole man Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR). However, during the second lap, the race was red-flagged due to an accident involving Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) and Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR), so the riders returned to their garages on pit lane. Back on the grid, Toprak Razgatlioglu started extremely well once again, but the trio that also included Jonathan Rea and Michael Ruben Rinaldi engaged in a heated battle, with the podium positions changing hands constantly. The Ducati rider managed to gain the upper hand, keeping his rivals at bay with an advantage of more than half a second, whilst Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) managed to move up from the twelfth spot on the grid all the way to fourth place. After a thrilling battle with the six-time world champion, the rookie Yamaha rider managed to snatch the podium position, with Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and Álvaro Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R) advancing quickly and relegating Rea to sixth place. In the final part of the race, Rinaldi demonstrated an outstanding pace that let him snatch the race lead and finish first ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (second) and Scott Redding (third).

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings:

1. M. Rinaldi (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
2. T. Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
3. S. Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
4. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
5. A. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
6. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
7. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
8. A. Bassani (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
9. M. van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
10. K. Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
11. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
12. S. Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
13. C. Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
14. L. Mercado (MIE Racing HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
15. I. Viñales (ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
16. J. Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing / BMW M 1000 RR)

• Rt. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
• Rt. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
• Rt. L. Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
• Rt. L. Epis (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
• Rt. L. Cresson (TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)

WorldSSP Race 2:

From pole position, Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team / Yamaha YZF R6) had the best start, taking the race lead for the first laps of the race ahead of Randy Krummenacher (CM Racing / Yamaha YZF R6), Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R), and Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R). The Turkish rider, after starting from the tenth spot on the grid, demonstrated an outstanding pace, overtaking first Krummenacher and then Gonzalez for the race lead. Contact on the fourth lap cost him three positions, leaving the virtual podium to Raffaele de Rosa, and during the ninth lap, he made a mistake, crashing out in the gravel and ending his race early. The top three, Gonzalez, de Rosa and Krummenacher, continued to give fans a spectacular show with constant back-and-forth overtaking ahead of MV Agusta rider Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti / MV Agusta F3 675). Kawasaki rider de Rosa ended up setting the fastest pace, managing to create a gap of about a half a second ahead of his rivals. During the final lap, the race really heated up with Tuuli overtaking Krummenacher for the podium and a battle between the race leaders, de Rosa and Gonzalez. In the end, the Spanish gained the upper hand, thanks to a brilliant pass just a few curves before the chequered flag. The Italian Kawasaki rider finished second and third place went to MV Agusta rider, Tuuli.

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings:

1. M. Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
2. R. De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
3. N. Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti / MV Agusta F3 675)
4. R. Krummenacher (CM Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
5. M. Brenner (VFT Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
6. F. Caricasulo (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing / Yamaha YZF R6)
7. S. Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
8. P. Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
9. G. van Straalen (EAB Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
10. P. Hobelsberger (Bonovo MGM Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
11. H. Soomer (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
12. M. Patacca (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing / Yamaha YZF R6)
13. L. Taccini (Orelac Racing VerdNatura / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
14. S. Jespersen (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
15. P. Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
16. F. Fuligni (VFT Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
17. D. Valle (Yamaha MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
18. U. Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
19. M. Alcoba (Yamaha MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
20. V. Takala (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
21. M. Fabrizio (G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
22. H. Pratama (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
23. D. Martinez (WRP Wepol Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
24. O. Vostatek (IXS-YART Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
25. S. Kawasaki (G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
26. B. Sahin (Altogo Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)

• Rt. L. Montella (Chiodo Moto Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
• Rt. L. Cauchi (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
• Rt. K. Manfredi (Altogo Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
• Rt. S. Frossard (Moto Team Jura Vitesse / Yamaha YZF R6)
• Rt. C. Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
• Rt. E. Montero (DK Motorsport / Yamaha YZF R6)
• Rt. C. Bergman (Wójcik Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
• Rt. L. Arbel (Andotrans Team Torrento / Yamaha YZF R6)

WorldSSP300 Race 2:

The penultimate event of the weekend was the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship race, with a photo-finish win going to Turkish rider Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing / Yamaha YZF-R3) ahead of wild card Alvaro Diaz Cebrian (Arco-Motor University Team / Yamaha YZF-R3) and Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo / Kawasaki Ninja 400), taking his fourth podium of the season.

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for the Tissot Superpole Race, WorldSBK Race 2 and WorldSSP Race 2:

For the Tissot Superpole Race, most of the riders on the grid chose to race with the soft standard SC1 tyre (option C) at the front, with the exception of Kawasaki riders Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes, Lucas Mahias, and Loris Cresson, who opted instead for the A0721 SC1 development solution (option A), and Lachlan Epis with the A0508 SC1 development tyre (option B). At the rear, the entire grid chose to race with the A0557 SCX development solution (option A), whereas Jonathan Rea and Leandro Mercado were the only riders to choose the standard SC0 solution (option B).

For the second start after the red flag, Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes changed tyres, both opting for the standard SC1 (option A) at the front and the SCX development tyre (option A) at the rear.

In WorldSBK Race 2, most of the riders confirmed their choices from the sprint race held in the morning. For the rear, the entire grid chose to race on the A0557 SCX development solution (option A), with the exception of Ducati riders Scott Redding and Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who were on the standard SC0 (option B). At the front, the most popular solution was the standard SC1 (option C), whereas the other riders preferred the A0721 SC1 development solution (option A).

Last, but not least, for Race 2 in WorldSSP, at the front, twenty-four riders out of thirty-five riders decided to race on the standard SC1 solution (option B), whereas the remainder used the A0460 SC1 development solution (option B). For rear tyre choice, all the riders on the grid chose the standard SCX solution (option A).

Pirelli statistics for the WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) in 1'41.493 on the 5th lap (new race record)

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (19 out of 22 riders)

• Most used rear solution: A0557 SC1 development (21 out of 22 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 326.3 km/h, done by Álvaro Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R) on the 3rd and 4th lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 5 rear

• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 64, including 33 front and 31 rear

• Air temperature: 19° C

• Asphalt temperature: 29° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Michael Ruben Rinaldi (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in 1'42.566 on the 2nd lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (15 out of 21 riders)

• Most used rear solution: A0557 SC1 development (19 out of 21 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 327.3 km/h, done by Álvaro Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R) on the 3rd lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 5 rear

• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 64, including 33 front and 31 rear

• Air temperature: 27° C

• Asphalt temperature: 38° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R) in 1'45.486 al 3rd lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (24 out of 35 riders)

• Most used rear solution: Standard SCX (35 out of 35 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 285.0 km/h, done by Matteo Patacca (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing / Yamaha YZF R6) on the 2nd and 13th lap and Daniel Valle (Yamaha MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6) on the 2nd lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Supersport class: 5 front and 4 rear

• Number of tyres available for each Supersport rider: 46, including 23 front and 23 rear

• Air temperature: 23° C

• Asphalt temperature: 38° C