Jonathan Rea is FIM Superbike World Champion for the fifth year in a row while Manuel Gonzalez takes the WorldSSP300 title. Satisfaction in the Pirelli camp with the larger size range of tyres

Today on the French Magny-Cours circuit in Nevers, Kawasaki rider Jonathan Rea was crowned FIM Superbike World Champion for the fifth year in a row, earning international motorcycle racing legendary status as the most victorious rider ever in the World Championship for factory derivative bikes. No one has ever done it like he did: in fact, with this fifth world title, the Northern Irishman has surpassed “King” Carl Fogarty, who won 4 titles in the ‘90s with Ducati, so now the sceptre of “King” of the FIM World Superbike Championship passes to him. But Rea was not the only one to achieve an important result this round. In fact, Spaniard Manuel Gonzalez with Kawasaki ParkinGO Team was crowned FIM Supersport 300 World Championat 17 years of age, becoming the youngest World Champion in the history of motorcycle road racing.

The final European round provided Pirelli with excellent feedback in terms of the solutions in the new larger size range. The front SC1 in 125/70 size and the rear SC0 in 200/65 size, already sold regularly on the market, were protagonists of the weekend, confirming the outstanding performance Pirelli has achieved with the new, larger size tyres, which have by now become the point of reference for the riders in the Superbike Championship. Pirelli’s goal is now to develop the entire range of compounds in these sizes in order to make them available to all motorcyclists around the world.

The weekend did not seem to start in the best of ways for Jonathan Rea, who did not have it easy at Magny-Cours and had to fend off attacks by the Dutch Yamaha rider, Michael Van Der Mark, and especially by the young Turkish talent, Toprak Razgatlioglu, who snatched first place from Rea both Saturday in Race 1 and on Sunday in the Tissot Superpole^® Race, proving that he will be one of the reigning World Champion’s most effective challengers for the 2020 Championship season. Ducati rider Álvaro Bautista was helpless against Rea. The Spaniard, who seemed quite capable of snatching the world title from Rea up to the mid-season point, did not demonstrate the same consistency as the Kawasaki-riding champ. In fact, despite having won 3 races more than Rea this year, at Magny-Cours, Bautista racked up only 10 points between Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole^®Race, retiring in Race 2 and thereby handing the title to the Northern Irish Kawasaki rider.

On the other hand, the title is still very much up for grabs in the FIM Supersport World Championship: in fact, the Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team riders, Randy Krummenacher and Federico Caricasulo, who are both contenders for the world title, both crashed in the race without earning any points. Exploiting the situation was Frenchman Lucas Mahias who, astride his Kawasaki, took his first victory of the season.

WORLDSBK SUPERPOLE^® TISSOT RACE:

In the Tissot Superpole^® Race, the riders substantially confirmed the Race 1 tyre choices, although the factory Kawasaki riders opted for the new front tyre in Y0772 specification already chosen by the factory Yamaha riders for Race 1.Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) started well from the first spot on the grid, but Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1) was immediately aggressive, managing to overtake the Championship leader as early as the first lap, only to return the position during the subsequent lap.In the meantime, on the second lap, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) set the new track record with a time of 1’37.018 and managed to move up to third behind Van Der Mark after overtaking Leon Haslam.The Turkish private team rider knew that he would be able to be competitive even over the 10-lap race distance, and on the fifth lap he was second across the final stretch after passing the Dutch Yamaha rider.Still not satisfied, Razgatlioglu set off after Rea and successfully overtook him on the seventh lap, then maintaining the lead all the way to the chequered flag.This gives Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) his second ever World Superbike race win, once again finishing ahead of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR). Third place went to Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1). Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) tried to limit the damage, taking home another fifth-place finish, as he had done yesterday in Race 1.

WorldSBK Tissot Superpole^® Race standings:

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

WORLDSBK RACE 2:

In Race 2, Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) started from pole position because of his victory in the Tissot Superpole^® Race.The Kawasaki private team rider started well, but better yet was Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) who overtook him already on the first lap. In his attempt to take back the lost position, Razgatlioglu went long on a turn and lost two more positions, slipping back to fourth. There to exploit the situation was Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1) who moved into the race lead, overtaking Rea as well. In the meantime, the other title contender, Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), managed to work his way into third place.The race was heating up and during the fourth lap, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Álvaro Bautista were forced to retire as a result of contact. Rea knew that he would need to win this race in order to be crowned World Champion this round, so he set off to chase down Michael Van Der Mark.On the sixth lap, the Northern Irishman successfully overtook the Dutch Yamaha rider, but two laps later he was forced to return the position.On the eleventh lap, Rea moved back into the lead and in the meantime, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1) moved into third place behind teammate Van Der Mark.On the next lap, Van Der Mark tried once again to block the path toward Jonathan Rea’s fifth World Title but in the end, from about the mid-race point, the Kawasaki champ was able to set his own pace for the race, maintaining the lead all the way to the chequered flag, thereby earning the title of World Champion for the fifth time.

WorldSBK Race 2 standings:

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

WORLDSSP RACE:

Between the Tissot Superpole^® Race and Race 2, the third-to-last race of the FIM Supersport World Championship season was held with Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R) in pole position.Shortly after the start, a bad accident involving Federico Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675), Maximilien Bau (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6) and Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura / Kawasaki ZX-6R) forced race direction to wave the red flag and stop the race.At the second start, the race was reduced to twelve laps. The first unexpected upset came on the first lap: Championship leader, Randy Krummenacher (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) had a high side on turn 11, crashing to the ground and ending his race early. In the meantime,Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6) led the race ahead of Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R) and Federico Caricasulo (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6), the latter a contender for the title. However, on the fourth lap, the second upset arrived: Federico Caricasulo, who had moved into first place in the meantime, also crashed, losing several positions before managing to get back on the track.It seemed like the Italian would be able to get back into the game, but on the sixth lap he crashed again on turn 3 and was forced to retire like his teammate before him.Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6) exploited the situation to move into the race lead while Jules Cluzel slipped back to sixth place.However, on the final lap, former World Champion Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R) managed to get past Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6), thereby winning the race ahead of the Spaniard, second, and Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R), third.

WorldSSP race standings:

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

WORLDSSP300 RACE:

The penultimate race of the year in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship was won by Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300 / Kawasaki Ninja 400), but it was not enough for the Spaniard to reconfirm her status as World Champion. In fact, her compatriot, Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team / Kawasaki Ninja 400), finishing fourth in the race, earned the world title.

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

In the Tissot Superpole^® Race, the riders made only four changes compared to Race 1. In particular, on the front, the standard SC1 in 125/70 (option B) remained the most used option, although the factory Kawasaki riders, Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) preferred going with the new Y0772 SC1 development tyre (option A) as Michael Van Der Mark had already done in Race 1. On the other hand, the other Yamaha rider, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1), preferred relying on the standard SC1.As for the rear, the standard SC0 in 200/65 size (option B)remained the choice of the vast majority, with the only rider making a change compared to Race 1 being Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance / Ducati Panigale V4 R), who preferred using the SCX solution (option X).

In Race 2, the riders substantially confirmed the solutions they had used Saturday in Race 1. Only the factory Yamaha riders, Michael Van Der Mark and Alex Lowes, made a change on the front, switching to the standard SC1 in 125/70 size (option B), which was also the most popular choice among the riders. On the rear, all the riders chose the standard SC0 in 200/65 size (option B)except for Alessandro Delbianco, who stayed on the SCX (option X).

In the WorldSSP race,rider choice was more or less equally divided for the front between the standard SC1 (option A) and the new Y0898 specification development solution (option B), with this latter option being chosen by just a few more riders than the former.On the rear, on the other hand, rider choice was almost unanimous for the Y0410 SC0 development tyre in the larger 190/60 size (option B).

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Tissot Superpole^® Race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), in 1'37.018in the 2^nd lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 125/70 (16 out of 20 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 200/65 (17 out of 20 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 294.3 km/h, achieved by Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in the 7^th lap and by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) in the 10^th and last lap

• Air temperature: 19° C

• Asphalt temperature: 22° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1) in 1'37.618 in the 5^th lap 

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 125/70 (19 out of 20 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 200/65 (18 out of 20 riders) 

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 294.3 km/h, achieved by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in the 13^th lap 

• Air temperature: 26° C 

• Asphalt temperature: 34° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6), in 1'41.991in the 10^th lap 

• Most used front solution: development SC1 Y0898 (14 out of 26 riders) 

• Most used rear solution: development SC0 Y0410 (24 out of 26 riders) 

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 262.1 km/h, achieved by Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675) in the 10^th lap 

• Air temperature: 23° C 

• Asphalt temperature: 28°