Alcañiz, Spain,
07
April
2019
|
13:43
Europe/Amsterdam

Bautista and Ducati sweep the WorldSBK weekend, WorldSSP goes to Krummenacher on Yamaha and the first WorldSSP300 race goes to Gonzalez on Kawasaki

At MotorLand Aragón, the Spanish rider who won both the Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2, confirms his status as the man to beat for 2019 while defending World Champion Jonathan Rea is forced to follow

Nine wins out of nine races is the astonishing bounty that the duo of Álvaro Bautista and the new Ducati Panigale V4 R, both in their MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship season début, can boast after just three rounds.
On the MotorLand Aragón Spanish track, after winning Race 1 on Saturday, the Ducati once again finished on the top step of the podium Sunday in both the Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2, confirming, for anyone who may have still had any doubt, that he is the favourite for the 2019 title.
For his rivals, first and foremost of which is four-time World Champion Jonathan Rea on Kawasaki, the only battle left to fight was for the lower spots on the podium, spots which were occupied this weekend by, in addition to the Northern Irishman, the other Ducati rider, Chaz Davies, and Alex Lowes with Yamaha.

The FIM Supersport 600 and 300 World Championships were a bit more open, won respectively by Randy Krummenacher on Yamaha and Gonzalez on Kawasaki.This is the second win of the season for the Swiss 600 rider after his victory on Phillip Island, whereas this is the season opener of the 300 World Championship for Gonzalez.

The weekend that just came to an end at MotorLand Aragón was one of many satisfactions, not only for the manufacturer from Borgo Panigale and the riders who finished on the podium, but also for Pirelli who, precisely on this track, was able to verify the outstanding work done in terms of the development of new standard solutions in the larger size. In fact, the standard SC0 200/65 rear tyre and the standard SC1 125/70 front solution were the stars of the weekend, used with excellent results by almost all the Superbike riders. For this reason, Pirelli has decided that for the next round which will be held in Assen, they will once again be relying on these brand new larger size solutions.

WORLDSBK TISSOT SUPERPOLE RACE

In the Tissot Superpole Race, which lasts for a distance of 10 laps, the riders all used the standards soft tyre on the rear. At the start, Michael Van Der Mark and Michael Ruben Rinaldi ended up in on the asphalt due to contact, with the Dutchman able to rejoin, whereas the Italian was forced to retire. Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) got off the grid well, followed by Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1) and Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1), but as early as the second lap, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), starting from the tenth spot on the grid, moved into third place, overtaking the German. On the third lap, the Irishman also attacked Alex Lowes, managing to get past him to move into second place with a two-second gap behind Bautista. In the meantime, the Spaniard’s teammate, Chaz Davies, moved into fourth place.
During the sixth lap, Alex Lowes was able to overtake the defending World Champion to move into second place, relegating him to thirds, but before the end, Rea managed once again to get the better of the Yamaha rider.
This gives Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) his eighth straight win, finishing with an advantage of almost six seconds ahead of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1).

WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race standings:

1) Á. Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
2) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
3) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
4) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
5) T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
6) E. Laverty (Team Goeleven / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
7) L. Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
8) J. Torres (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
9) S. Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
10) T. Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
11) M. Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
12) L. Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
13) R. Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
14) A. Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
15) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
RT) M. Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
RT) M. Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
RT) E. Laverty (Team Goeleven / Ducati Panigale V4 R)

WORLDSBK RACE 2:

In Race 2, Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) made an excellent start and stayed in the lead. Behind him, the battle for second was between Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) and the other Ducati rider, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) who was already behind his teammate from the third lap. Just a few laps later, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1) also made his play for a step on the podium, overtaking the reigning World Champion, relegating him to fourth place ahead of his teammate, Leon Haslam. In the meantime, on the ninth lap, Toprak Razgatlioglu was forced to retire due to a technical problem. Two laps later, Markus Reiterberger fell back to last place due to a crash.
Two laps later, Markus Reiterberger fell back to last place due to a crash.With just five laps left in the race, Alex Lowes was overtaken by the factory Kawasaki riders, slipping back to fifth. Leon Haslam also managed to get past his teammate to occupy the spot behind the pair of Ducatis.
However, the defending World Champion was having none of it and in the final stages he managed to overtake both his teammate and Chaz Davies, killing any further hopes the Ducati riders may have had for making it the first one-two of the season.
Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) finished first with an advantage of almost seven seconds ahead of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), second, and more than seven seconds ahead of his teammate, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R).Fourth place went to the other Kawasaki rider, Leon Haslam.

WorldSBK Race 2 standings:

1) Á. Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
2) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
3) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
4) L. Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
5) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
6) E. Laverty (Team Goeleven / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
7) J. Torres (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
8) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
9) M. Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
10) S. Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
11) M. Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
12) T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
13) L. Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
14) R. Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
15) M. Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
RT) A. Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
RT) T. Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)

WORLDSSP RACE:

Between the WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2, at 12:15 in the afternoon local time, the FIM Supersport World Championship race was held with Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6) starting from pole position. The Austrian rider got off the grid well, but Federico Caricasulo (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) who, started from the second spot on the grid, stayed hot on his pipes, overtaking him to move into the lead. Behind them were the Italian’s teammate, Randy Krummenacher (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) and Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675).
The order remained the same until the thirteenth lap, when De Rosa managed to move into second with a clean pass, overtaking both Krummenacher and Gradinger at one shot. However, the race was still long, and the battle was heated for the top four positions down to the final lap.
In the end, it was Randy Krummenacher (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) finishing first ahead of Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675) and teammate Federico Caricasulo (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6). Pole man, Thomas Gradinger, had to settle for fourth.

WorldSSP standings:

1) R. Krummenacher (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
2) R. De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675)
3) F. Caricasulo (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
4) T. Gradinger (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
5) J. Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
6) C. Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
7) L. Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
8) H. Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
9) K. Smith (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
10) I. Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
11) P. Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda / Honda CBR600RR)
12) J. Danilo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda / Honda CBR600RR)
13) F. Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675)
14) L. Cresson (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
15) M. Herrera (MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
16) G. Van Straalen (EAB Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
17) H. Soomer (MPM WILSport Racedays / Honda CBR600RR)
18) C. Stange(GEMAR - Ciociaria Corse WorldSSP Team / Honda CBR600RR)
19) A. Coppola (GEMAR - Ciociaria Corse WorldSSP Team / Honda CBR600RR)
RT) J. Van Sikkelerus (MPM WILSport Racedays / Honda CBR600RR)
RT) X. Navand (DK MOTORSPORT / Yamaha YZF R6)
RT) A. Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
RT) N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
RT) G. Matern (Flembbo Leader Team / Kawasaki ZX-6R)

WORLDSSP300 RACE:

At the end of the day, the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship season opener was held, with Spaniard Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkingGO Team / Kawasaki Ninja 400) starting from pole position.
During the fourth lap, Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing), after starting from the second spot on the grid, was forced to retire due to a crash. In the meantime, reigning World Champion, Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300 / Kawasaki Ninja 400) was battling to stay in the top-ten.
Behind Gonzalez were Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno / Yamaha YZF-R3) and Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team / KTM RC 390 R). At the mid-race point, it was precisely the latter who managed to move into the lead, followed by Gonzalez and Omar Bonoli (Team Trasimeno / Yamaha YZF-R3), who had managed to move up to third in the meantime. It was an extremely fiercely fought race, with Steeman and Bonoli trading places in the lead until Jan-Ole Jähnig (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team / KTM RC 390 R) also squeezed his way between the two.
However, WorldSSP 300 races are always heated and full of surprises down to the end and, in this case, it was Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkingGO Team / Kawasaki Ninja 400) who gained the upper hand, managing to take back the lead and finish first ahead of Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno / Yamaha YZF-R3) and Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT / Kawasaki Ninja 400). It was a race to forget for defending champion Ana Carrasco, forced to retire.

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for the WorldSBK and WorldSSP races:

In the Tissot Superpole Race, the riders made a few changes compared to Race 1. Specifically, on the rear everyone opted for the standard SC0 in the larger 200/65 size (option A), whereas on the front, the standard SC1 in the larger 125/70 size (option A) remained the most popular option. Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1), Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) were the only riders to make a change on the front.

In Race 2, the riders unanimously confirmed their choice for the rear of the standard 200/65 soft tyre (option A), whereas a few made some changes on the front compared to both Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race. In particular, the only riders who used the X1118 SC2 development solution (option C) were Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) and Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR).

In the WorldSSP race, the X0093 SC1 development tyre (option B) was the solution all the riders used on the rear, while at the front, most preferred the standard SC1 (option A).

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Tissot Superpole race:

  • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R),in 1'49.885in the 2nd lap
  • Most used front solution: standard SC1 125/70 (11 out of 17 riders)
  • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 200/65 (17 out of 17 riders)
  • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 324.3 km/h, achieved by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the 1st, 3rd and 10th lap
  • Air temperature: 10° C
  • Asphalt temperature: 14° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

  • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R),in 1'49.958 in the 2nd lap
  • Most used front solution: standard SC1 125/70 (13 out of 17 riders)
  • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 200/65 (17 out of 17 riders)
  • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 323.4 km/h, achieved by Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in the 2nd lap
  • Air temperature: 13° C
  • Asphalt temperature: 27° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race:

  • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675), in 1'55.033 in the 7th lap
  • Most used front solution: standard SC1 (19 out of 24 riders)
  • Most used rear solution: development SC1 X0093 (24 out of 24 riders)
  • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 285 km/h, achieved by Maria Herrera (MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6) in the 1st lap
  • Air temperature: 12° C
  • Asphalt temperature: 20°