In Argentina Jonathan Rea wins the Superpole® Race and Race 2, Cluzel takes the WorldSSP race; satisfaction for Pirelli with the results achieved in difficult race conditions

Today on the Argentinian San Juan Villicum circuit, five-time World Champion and newly crowned 2019 World Champion, Jonathan Rea, did a fantastic double astride his Kawasaki ZX-10RR, winning both the Tissot Superpole^® Race and Race 2 in the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship.After his second place in Race 1 which allowed Ducati rider Álvaro Bautista to win the first race of the South American weekend, the Northern Irish champ showed his claws on Sunday, reminding everyone that he is the reigning World Champion.The WorldSSP race was much more heated, with Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6) winning for the second year in a row on this track, whereas the title favourites, the Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team riders, Federico Caricasulo and Randy Krummenacher, finished fifth and seventh respectively, leaving the world title battle open until can be decided in the final race, scheduled to be held in Qatar.

There was satisfaction in the Pirelli camp with the way both the standard and development solutions brought for this round performed. In fact, although the Argentinian circuit does not have a complex or demanding layout for the tyres, this year, even more than last year, the asphalt was rather dirty because of all the sand deposited and constantly blown in by the wind. These conditions, in addition to the high temperatures on Saturday, provided very poor natural grip and led to high tyre wear. In spite of these difficulties, all the solutions selected by the riders allowed them, not only to complete the races, but to do it spectacularly with passes that confirmed the reliability of all the options Pirelli chose to bring to this round.

WORLDSBK TISSOT SUPERPOLE^® RACE:

The Tissot Superpole^® Race was won by World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR). After choosing to change the rear tyre, switching from the X1351 SC0 development solution used in Race 1 to the standard SC0 tyre, the Northern Irishman started well straight away from the third spot on the grid and, already on the first lap, he moved into the race lead, managing to maintain the position all the way to the finish. Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), Race 1 winner, was unable to exploit his pole position start in the Tissot Superpole^® Race, finishing second with a gap of more than two seconds behind the winner. An outstanding third place went to Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) who repeated his result from Race 1. Finishing behind him were Chaz Davies on Ducati and the Yamahas ridden by Alex Lowes and Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1).

WorldSBK Tissot Superpole^® Race standings:

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

WORLDSBK RACE 2:

In Race 2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) started from pole position because of his victory in the Tissot Superpole^® Race. The Northern Irishman confirmed his tyre choice from the sprint race, riding a race in the lead until the seventh lap when Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), who had started from the second spot on the grid, momentarily managed to snatch the lead from him.However, Rea was having none of it and on the next lap he took back the position he had lost, maintaining it until the finish.In the meantime, from the mid-race point, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) settled in behind Rea and Bautista, but on the eleventh lap he managed to overtake his teammate to move in behind Rea.For a few laps it was a duel between the factory Ducati riders, but in the end, Bautista was unable to maintain Davies’ pace and he was overtaken by Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR).In the finale, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) increased the gap ahead of Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and the others, finishing with an advantage of more than 5 seconds ahead of the Ducati-riding Welshman. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) took yet another third-place finish, confirming his status as one of the best independent team riders.

WorldSBK Race 2 standings:

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

WORLDSSP RACE:

At 2:15 in the afternoon local time, before WorldSBK Race 2, the penultimate race of the FIM Supersport World Championship season was held.Frenchman Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6), after taking pole position on Saturday, rode a good race, finishing fourth, but he was unable to hold onto the race lead.In fact, as early as the second lap, Frenchman Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6), who is battling for the championship title, succeeded in taking the lead and then held onto it all the way to the chequered flag.Taking turns in second place behind him were Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6), Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R) and Federico Caricasulo (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6), who is also a contender for the title.There were some difficulties, on the other hand, for Randy Krummenacher (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6), who arrived in Argentina at the top of the overall standings with a 10-point lead over teammate Caricasulo and 38 ahead of Cluzel. The Swiss rider was unable to get into the thick of things in the race, finishing seventh. Third place went to Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6) whereas Federico Caricasulo had to settle for fifth.This gives Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6) his third win of the season and keeps him in the running for the championship title.

WorldSSP race standings:

1) J. Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
2) L. Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
3) I. Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
4) C. Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
5) F. Caricasulo (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
6) R. De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675)
7) R. Krummenacher (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
8) T. Gradinger (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
9) K. Smith (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
10) A. Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
11) P. Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda / Honda CBR600RR)
12) H. Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
13) C. Stange (GEMAR - Ciociaria Corse WorldSSP Team / Honda CBR600RR)
14) L. Cresson (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
15) H. Soomer (MPM WILSport Racedays / Honda CBR600RR)
16) J. Danilo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda / Honda CBR600RR)
17) J. Van Sikkelerus (MPM WILSport Racedays / Honda CBR600RR)
18) G. Van Straalen (EAB Racing Team/ Kawasaki ZX-6R)
19) D. Valle (MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
20) A. Coppola (Team Toth / Yamaha YZF R6)
21) R. Hartog (Team Hartog - Against Cancer / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
22) F. Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675)
23) G. Sconza (GEMAR - Ciociaria Corse WorldSSP Team / Honda CBR600RR)

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

In the Tissot Superpole^® Race, the riders made various changes with respect to Race 1, also for the purpose of trying solutions that were not used in Race 1. On the front, the standard SC1 tyre in 125/70 size (option A) remained the most utilised solution, chosen by 12 of the 19 riders on the grid. Choosing the X1071 SC2 development solution (option B) were Jonathan Rea, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Alessandro Delbianco, Leon Camier, Leon Haslam, Ryūichi Kiyonari and Markus Reiterberger. As for the rear, no less than 17 out of the 19 riders on the grid opted for the standard SC0 in 200/65 size (option C), with only Alessandro Delbianco and Jordi Torres making a different choice, preferring to use the X1351 SC0 development tyre (option B).

In Race 2, some riders made changes compared to Race 1, in some cases using the same solutions chosen for the Tissot Superpole^®Race. These included Jonathan Rea, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Alex Lowes, Michael Van Der Mark, Tom Sykes, Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger.

In the WorldSSP race, rider choice was unanimous for both the front and the rear. In fact, on the front, all the riders used the standard SC1 (option A), whereas on the rear, they used the standard SC0 (option A).

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Tissot Superpole^® Race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), in 1'37.462in the 3^rd lap 

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 125/70 (12 out of 19 riders) 

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 200/65 (17 out of 19 riders) 

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 313 km/h, achieved by Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in the 5^th lap 

• Air temperature: 19° C 

• Asphalt temperature: 30° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in 1'38.034 in the 13^th lap 

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 125/70 (11 out of 19 riders) 

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 200/65 (13 out of 19 riders) 

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 312.1 km/h, achieved by Chaz Davies and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in the 11^th and 4^th lap 

• Air temperature: 21° C 

• Asphalt temperature: 44° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R), in 1'42.606in the 10^th lap 

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (23 out of 23 riders) 

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (23 out of 23 riders) 

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 271.4 km/h, achieved by Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6) in the 13^th lap 

• Air temperature: 20° C 

• Asphalt temperature: 41°