In WorldSBK Race 1 in Argentina, won by Bautista on Ducati, the riders used mainly the larger size standard Pirelli tyres
The Panigale Ducati V4R ridden by the Spaniard was uncatchable in the first race of the weekend, ahead of the Kawasakis ridden by Rea and Razgatlioglu. Six riders refused to race in protest of the track conditions
At the San Juan El Villicum circuit in Argentina, which hosted the penultimate round of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship season, Spaniard Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) won Race 1, riding his Ducati Panigale V4 R to the top step of the podium.
The Ducati rider finished ahead of five-time World Champion Jonathan Rea on Kawasaki and young Turkish talent Toprak Razgatlioglu, third across the line. Fourth place went to Michael Van Der Mark on Yamaha.
From Friday morning, it was immediately clear that the Argentinian track conditions were not the best. After the problems that arose last year, this year about 70% of the track had been resurfaced, but it did not improve the grip due to the vast amount of sand on the asphalt.
For this reason, riders Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1), Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1), Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team / Honda CBR1000RR), Riucki Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team / Honda CBR1000RR) and Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven / Ducati Panigale V4 R) decided not to participate in the race as a form of protest.
The remaining twelve riders who lined up on the grid rode the race regularly over a distance of 21 laps. Most of them opted for larger-size standard Pirelli tyres in the SC0 compound for the rear, whereas on the front, preferences were split equally between the standard SC1 and the X1071 SC2 development solution, maintaining a rather consistent race pace from start to finish, as also demonstrated by the fastest lap time, done by Álvaro Bautista on the tenth lap.
After taking pole position in the Superpole® session held in the late morning, in Race 1, Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) maintained the race lead from start to finish. At the start, both Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) managed to get past Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1), moving in behind the Ducati-riding Spaniard.
In the opening laps, the first four riders were within a gap of less than six tenths of one another. On the seventh lap, Rea had a go at overtaking the race leader, but the Ducati rider was able to fend off the attack. The Northern Irishman made another attempt on the following lap and it seemed as if he would be able to overtake Bautista, but the Spaniard maintained the upper hand, once again staying ahead of the reigning World Champion. From about the mid-race point, the gaps between the riders increased and the positions stayed the same until the end. Therefore, Álvaro Bautista(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) won the race, finishing ahead of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), third.
WorldSBK Race 1:
1) Á. Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
2) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
3) T. Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
4) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
5) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
6) L. Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
7) T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
8) J. Torres (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
9) L. Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
10) A. Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
11) M. Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
12) M. Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
NS) E. Laverty (Team Goeleven / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
NS) M. Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
NS) R. Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
NS) S. Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
NS) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
NS) L. Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
The Pirelli solutions chosen by the WorldSBK riders for Race 1:
In Race 1, the majority of the twelve riders who lined up regularly on the grid and participated in the race used the standard SC0 200/65 tyre (option C) on the rear, whereas on the front, preferences were split equally between the standard SC1 125/70 (option A) and the X1071 SC2 development solution (option B). Kawasaki riders Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu, for example, used the X1071 SC2 development tyre (option B) for the front and the X1351 SC0 development solution (option B) for the rear. Bautista, Lowes, Delbianco and Haslam also preferred the X1071 SC2 development tyre (option B) on the front.
Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 1:
• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in 1'40.919 at the 10th lap
• Most used front solution: standard SC1 125/70 and development SC2 X1071 (6 out of 12 riders for each option)
• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 200/65 (10 out of 12 riders)
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 310.3 km/h, achieved by Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in the 17th lap
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 4 front and 8 rear
• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 66, including 29 front and 37 rear
• Air temperature: 31° C
• Asphalt temperature: 49° C