In WorldSBK Rea paints the Portimão track Kawasaki green thanks to a fantastic hat trick while Locatelli dominates in WorldSSP Race 2

An uncatchable Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) took home two wins and thereby managed to overtake Scott Redding in the Championship standings, moving into the lead for the first time this year with a four-point advantage over the WorldSBK Rookie Ducati rider.

In the Tissot Superpole Race, the Northern Irish Kawasaki rider finished first, 2.9 seconds ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1) who finished second and 4.7 ahead of Frenchman Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1), who takes home his first podium on this circuit.

In WorldSBK Race 2, the reigning World Champion once again proved to be untouchable, winning the third race of the weekend with a significant gap. Finishing second was Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), after defending brilliantly against constant attacks by Yamaha rider Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1).

WorldSSP Race 2 confirmed the performance of Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) and his leadership in the Championship standings, while WorldSSP300 Race 2 was won by Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT / Kawasaki Ninja 400).

The Portimão race weekend once again afforded Pirelli engineers with the opportunity to gather important feedback on their standard tyres. In fact, the DIABLO™ Superbike Slicks in soft SC1 compound on the front, SC0 and SCX on the rear were used by almost all the World Superbike riders in both the sprint race and in Race 2, which is confirmation of the outstanding performance by these products even on very demanding circuits like the Autódromo Internacional Do Algarve of Portimão which subjects the tyres to particularly high stress.

In the Tissot Superpole Race, almost all the riders on the grid chose to race with the super soft standard SCX tyre (option A) on the rear, with the exception of Rinaldi. On the front, most of the riders opted instead for the soft standard SC1 solution (option B). In WorldSBK Race 2, the riders confirmed their choices from the day before on the front, with the standard SC1 solution (option B) mounted on all the bikes but one on the grid. For the rear, on the other hand, the grid was divided: half the riders went with the SCX (option A), and half chose the standard SC1 (option B).

In Race 2 of the World Supersport class, the standard SC0 rear solution (option A) was the unanimous choice on the starting grid. On the front, most of the riders chose to race with the soft standard SC1 (option A), whereas the remaining riders on the grid used the standard SC2 (option B).

Tissot Superpole Race:

Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) gained the upper hand at the start from pole position, taking the lead, followed closely by Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1), who proved to be a threat straight away on several occasions. Following at a distance in a group were four different manufacturers battling for third, with Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1), who earned three positions from the starting grid, Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMWS1000 RR), Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and Dutchman Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1). On turn five during the third lap, Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR) crashed following contact and, while the Irishman re-joined the race in last place, the Ducati riding Brit was forced to retire. In the meantime, Lowes and Scott managed to gain the upper hand against Sykes’ BMW, overtaking him in the second half of the race and respectively taking fourth and fifth place. Jonathan Rea finished first for his second win of the Portimão weekend, 2.9 seconds ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (second) and 4.7 ahead of Frenchman Loris Baz, who took home his first podium on this track.

Tissot Superpole Race Standings:

1. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
2. T. Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
3. L. Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
4. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
5. S. Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
6. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMWS1000 RR)
7. M. van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
8. M. R. Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
9. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
10. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
11. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
12. F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
13. X. Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
14. L. Mercado (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
15. M. Melandri (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
16. S. Barrier (Brixx Performance / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
17. C. Ponsson (Nuova M2 Racing / Aprilia RSV4 1000)
18. L. Gabellini (MIE Racing Althea HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
19. T. Takahashi (MIE Racing Althea HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
20. E. Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)

• RT. C. Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
• RT. M. Scheib (ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)

WorldSBK Race 2:

Jonathan Rea started extremely well, taking the race lead ahead of Scott Redding who, after starting from the fifth spot on the grid, moved immediately into third to then overtake Toprak Razgatlioglu on the second lap. Behind the Turkish rider were Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark and Leon Haslam on his Honda. Rea began to pull away from the group behind him, doing a series of flying laps, while Davies, who had started from the thirteenth spot on the grid, was constantly on Haslam’s pipes, finally managing to take sixth place. Toprak crashed on turn five during the sixth lap, leaving the podium position to his teammate and re-joining the race in fourteenth place, whereas Lowes, who made a mistake on that same treacherous part of the track a lap later, was forced to retire. Therefore, Davies, Rinaldi and Haslam battled for fourth, but the latter also lost control of his bike on turn five, leaving fifth place to his teammate, Alvaro Bautista, who, with an extremely fast pace, overtook Rinaldi. Seven laps from the end, Michael van der Mark managed to overtake Scott Redding’s Ducati, but not long afterwards, a mistake forced him to return the position and follow him closely, looking for his next opportunity to attack, but the Superbike rookie in his first race weekend on this circuit defended brilliantly. The chance to overtake never presented itself, so Michael van der Mark finished third behind Scott Redding. Jonathan Rea finished on the top step of the podium for the third time this weekend, snatching first place in the championship standings from Redding.

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings:

1. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
2. S. Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
3. M. van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
4. C. Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
5. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
6. M. R. Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
7. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMWS1000 RR)
8. T. Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
9. F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
10. L. Mercado (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
11. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
12. E. Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
13. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
14. M. Melandri (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
15. S. Barrier (Brixx Performance / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
16. C. Ponsson (Nuova M2 Racing / Aprilia RSV4 1000)
17. L. Gabellini (MIE Racing Althea HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
18. T. Takahashi (MIE Racing Althea HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR)

• RT. X. Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
• RT. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
• RT. L. Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
• RT. M. Scheib (ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)

WorldSSP Race 2:

From the third spot on the starting grid, Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6) started well, clinching the race leadership from the very first turn ahead of Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6), Frenchman Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6) and Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6). Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R), on the other hand, crashed on the second turn and, after attempting to re-join, was forced to retire. Cluzel make a confident attack straight away on Locatelli, forcing him to go wide and snatching second, then also overtaking Perolari early in the third lap for the race lead. Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675), after starting well from the ninth spot on the grid, demonstrated outstanding pace, getting close to Phillip Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R) and Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing / Yamaha YZF R6) for the battle for fifth, but the South African Yamaha rider managed to pull away and advance further thanks to an overtaking manoeuvre on Viñales. In the meantime, eight laps from the end, Locatelli closed the gap that Cluzel had created, taking back the race lead. The Italian continued his winning streak, finishing first for the fifth time in as many races ahead of Frenchman Cluzel and Viñales in third place for his first podium of the season.

WorldSSP Race 2 Standings:

1. A. Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
2. J. Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
3. I. Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
4. S. Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
5. P. Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
6. M. Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
7. C. Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
8. H. Soomer (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
9. M. Pons (H43 Team NOBBY / Yamaha YZF R6)
10. C. Öncü (Turkish Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
11. P. Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth / Yamaha YZF R6)
12. R. De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675)
13. K. Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
14. L. Cresson (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth / Yamaha YZF R6)
15. G. Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
16. F. Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675)
17. P. Hobelsberger (Dynavolt Honda / Honda CBR600RR)
18. M. Herrera (Dynavolt Honda / Honda CBR600RR)
19. A. Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing / Yamaha YZF R6)
20. A. Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
21. L. Montella (DK MOTORSPORT / Yamaha YZF R6)
22. D. Webb (WRP Wepol Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)

• RT. L. Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
• RT. L. Epis (MPM Routz Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)

WorldSSP300 Race 2:

At 3:15 in the afternoon local time, the fourth race in just eight days of the WorldSSP300 started. In this race as well, as in Race 1, there was a red flag on the last lap and the result reflects the rider positions at that moment: first place for Dutchman Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT / Kawasaki Ninja 400), who finished on the podium for the second time this season, second for Unai Orradre (MS Racing / Yamaha YZF-R3 Yamaha) and third for Japanese rider Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT / Kawasaki Ninja 400).

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

For the Tissot Superpole Race, all the riders on the grid chose to race with the soft standard SC1 tyre (option B) on the front, with the exception of Gabellini, Laverty, van der Mark and Razgatlioglu who preferred the Y1231 SC1 development solution (option A). On the other hand, for the rear, the standard SCX (option A) was the favourite, mounted on every bike on the grid with the exception of Rinaldi’s bike which was on the standard SC0 (option B).

In WorldSBK Race 2, the riders confirmed their choices from the day before on the front, with the standard SC1 solution (option B) mounted on all the bikes on the grid except for Gabellini’s, which mounted the Y1231 SC1 development tyre (option A). For the rear, the grid was divided and many of the riders replaced the standard SC1 used in Race 1 for the standard SCX: half the grid used the SCX (option A), and half went with the standard SC1 (option B).

Last, but not least, for Race 2 in WorldSSP, for the front, no fewer than sixteen riders out of twenty-four decided to race on the soft standard SC1 solution (option A), whereas the rest of the grid opted for the medium standard SC2 (option B). There was no disagreement on the rear tyre choice: all the riders on the grid chose the standard SC0 solution (option A).

Pirelli statistics for the Tissot Superpole Race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) in 1'41.371 on the 2nd lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (18 out of 22 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SCX (21 out of 22 riders)

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 8 rear

Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 67, including 31 front and 36 rear

• Air temperature: 29° C

• Asphalt temperature: 40° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) in 1'42.819 on the 3rd lap

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

• Most used rear solution: 11 riders on standard SC0 and 11 riders on standard SC0

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 8 rear

Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 67, including 31 front and 36 rear

• Air temperature: 32° C

• Asphalt temperature: 52° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) in 1'45.698 on the 3rd lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (16 out of 24 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (24 out of 24 riders)

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

• Number of tyres available for each Supersport rider: 43, including 21 front and 22 rear

• Air temperature: 31° C

• Asphalt temperature: 47° C