Alcañiz (Spain),
23
May
2021
|
09:08
Europe/Amsterdam

Pirelli Aragón Round: Redding gambles on slicks and takes Race 2, Rea wins Superpole Race and praises the Pirelli intermediate tyres

The second day of the Pirelli Aragón Round comes to an end, characterised by unpredictable weather and varying tyre choices. Steven Odendaal takes his second win of the season in WorldSSP, whereas in WorldSSP300 Booth-Amos triumphs.

The Pirelli Aragón Round, the first race weekend of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship, came to an end with great satisfaction in the Pirelli camp because of their slick, intermediate and rain tyres, which were all used in the race. In fact, race day was characterised by unpredictable weather and, both in the WorldSBK and the WorldSSP categories, tyre choices were divided, defining winning race strategies.

In Race 2, Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) took home his first win of the season thanks to the choice of using slick tyres. Rounding out the podium were Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), who praised Pirelli and the performance of their tyres in Parc Ferme, and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) who concludes an outstanding weekend, finishing on the podium for the third time in a row. It was also an extremely positive weekend for BMW, with both factory riders, Tom Sykes and Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR) finishing in the top five for Race 2, as well as German rider Jonas Folger with privateer team Bonovo MGM Racing (BMW M 1000 RR) finishing eighth.

 

Also on intermediate tyres, the six-time World Champion won the Tissot Superpole Race in the morning as well, finishing ahead of teammate Lowes and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1). Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) took his second win of the season in the WorldSSP class, leading in the Championship standings with the most possible points.

In the WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race, most of the riders on the grid chose to race on the rain tyre (option R), whereas some riders, including the top four (Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes, Garrett Gerloff and Chaz Davies) opted for intermediate tyres (option I) and Michael van der Mark went with slicks. In WorldSBK Race 2, the tyre used by most of the riders was the intermediate (option I), both on the front and on the rear. Some riders went with the wet solution (option R), whereas Scott Redding, Jonas Folger and Michael Ruben Rinaldi successfully gambled on slicks.

 

In WorldSSP Race 2, many riders also chose, both for the rear and for the front, the RAIN solution (option R), whereas others preferred the INTERMEDIATE solution (option I).

WorldSBK Superpole Race:

After a starting grid characterised by frenetic decisions between the intermediate or rain tyre, pole man Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) took the race lead straight away ahead of teammate Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR). Behind them were Ducati rider Chaz Davies (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and Yamaha rider Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1), battling it out for third. The leading four riders decided to race on intermediate tyres, whereas the first rider on rain tyres was Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in fifth. During the race, Michael Van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR) made a comeback. Starting from the fifteenth spot on the grid, he gambled on slicks and moved up to fifth place behind Davies. However, his performance was not quite enough to finish on the podium and, at the end of the ten laps of the sprint race, Jonathan Rea finished first ahead of Lowes and Gerloff.

 

WorldSBK Superpole Race Standings:

  1. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
  2. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
  3. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
  4. C. Davies (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
  5. M. van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
  6. T. Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
  7. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
  8. S. Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
  9. K. Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
  10. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
  11. M. Rinaldi (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
  12. A. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
  13. J. Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing / BMW M 1000 RR)
  14. T. Rabat (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
  15. I. Viñales (ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
  16. E. Laverty (RC Squadra Corse / BMW M 1000 RR)
  17. A. Bassani (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
  18. L. Mercado (MIE Racing HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
  19. C. Ponsson (Alstare Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
  20. L. Cresson (TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
  • RT. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
  • RT. L. Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
  • RT. S. Cavalieri (TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)

WorldSBK Race 2:

In Race 2, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) once again moved into the lead straight away ahead of teammate Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) and Yamaha riders Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1), Michael Van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1). Whilst attempting to overtake on the third lap, Gerloff made contact with the defending World Champion’s bike, which resulted in both the riders losing several positions. This gave Razgatlioglu the race lead, followed closely by BMW rider Michael van der Mark, but within a few laps, they were both overtaken by Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) who, gambling on slicks (SC1 at the front SC0 on the rear), set a good race pace and began to pull away from the rest of the riders. In the meantime, Rea also recovered the positions he had lost, locking horns with van der Mark and Lowes for second. Redding finished first ahead of Jonathan Rea and his teammate Alex Lowes.

 

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings:

  1. S. Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
  2. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
  3. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
  4. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
  5. M. van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
  6. T. Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
  7. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
  8. J. Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing / BMW M 1000 RR)
  9. A. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
  10. L. Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
  11. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
  12. K. Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
  13. I. Viñales (ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
  14. A. Bassani (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
  15. C. Ponsson (Alstare Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
  16. M. Rinaldi (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
  17. E. Laverty (RC Squadra Corse / BMW M 1000 RR)
  18. L. Mercado (MIE Racing HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
  19. C. Davies (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
  20. L. Cresson (TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
  21. S. Cavalieri (TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
  • RT. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
  • RT. T. Rabat (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)

 

WorldSSP Race 2:

Christoffer Bergman (Wójcik Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6) led the group in the first part of the race ahead of Marc M. Alcoba (Yamaha MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6), Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team / Yamaha YZF R6) and Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6) who, after starting from last place due to a problem on the starting grid, recovered to find a spot in the leading group. Three laps from the end, Cluzel, who had chosen to race on intermediate tyres, was in second place and battling with Odendaal for the top step of the podium. Behind them was Raffaele de Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura / Kawasaki ZX-6R) who did the best time on the fourteenth lap at 2’01.310. After an exciting battle involving the leading quartet, Steven Odendaal gained the upper hand, finishing first ahead of Kawasaki rider Raffaele de Rosa, and Yamaha riders Jules Cluzel and Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6 ).

 

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings:

  1. S. Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
  2. R. De Rosa (Orelac Racing Verdnatura / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
  3. J. Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
  4. H. Soomer (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
  5. D. Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
  6. C. Bergman (Wójcik Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
  7. M. Alcoba (Yamaha MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
  8. V. Takala (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
  9. R. Krummenacher (EAB Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
  10. H. Pratama (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
  11. M. Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
  12. K. Manfredi (Altogo Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
  13. M. Herrera (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing / Yamaha YZF R6)
  14. C. Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
  15. P. Szkopek (Yamaha MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
  16. S. Frossard (Moto Team Jura Vitesse / Yamaha YZF R6)
  17. D. Fuligni (VFT Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
  18. F. Caricasulo (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
  19. L. Taccini (Orelac Racing Verdnatura / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
  20. S. Kawasaki (Motozoo Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
  21. M. Fabrizio (Motozoo Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
  • RT. P. Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
  • RT. L. Bernardi (CM Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
  • RT. L. Montella (Chiodo Moto Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
  • RT. D. Pizzoli (VFT Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)

 

WorldSSP300 Race 2:

Race 2 of the FIM World Supersport 300 Championship closed out the second day of the weekend at Motorland Aragón with the triumph of Tom Booth-Amos (Fusport - RT Motorsports by SKM - Kawasaki / Kawasaki Ninja 400), followed by Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing / Yamaha YZF-R3) and Kawasaki rider Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki / Kawasaki Ninja 400).

 

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

In the WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race, sixteen of the riders on the grid chose to race on rain tyres (option R), whereas Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes, Chaz Davies, Garrett Gerloff, Lucas Mahias and Kohta Nozane opted for intermediate tyres (option I). Swimming against the current was Michael van der Mark, starting from the grid on slicks: the standard soft SC1 solution (option B) on the front and the standard super soft SCX on the rear (option A).

In WorldSBK Race 2, on the other hand, the tyre used by most of the riders was the intermediate (option I), both on the front and on the rear. Cavalieri (TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) and Cresson (TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) chose to race on rain tyres (option R), whereas Davies (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and Laverty (RC Squadra Corse / BMW M 1000 RR) preferred the rain tyre on the front and the intermediate tyre on the rear. Scott Redding, Jonas Folger and Michael Ruben Rinaldi, on the other hand, gambled on slicks.

In WorldSSP Race 2, fourteen riders on the grid chose to rely, both for the front and rear, on RAIN tyres (option R), whereas some riders preferred using the INTERMEDIATE tyres (option I), including the race winner, Odendaal. Going against the trend was Michel Fabrizio who opted for the intermediate front (option I) and the rear slick SC1 (option B).

 

Pirelli statistics for Tissot Superpole:

  • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 100 RR) in 1’56.261 on the 10th lap
  • Most used front solution: RAIN solution (16 out of 23 riders)
  • Most used rear solution: RAIN solution (16 out of 23 riders)
  • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 6 front and 6 rear
  • Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 73, including 38 front and 35 rear
  • Air temperature: 12° C
  • Asphalt temperature: 16° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

  • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in 1’53.006 on the 8th lap
  • Most used front solution: intermediate solution (17 out of 23 riders)
  • Most used rear solution: intermediate solution (18 out of 23 riders)
  • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 6 front and 6 rear
  • Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 73, including 38 front and 35 rear
  • Air temperature: 12° C
  • Asphalt temperature: 20° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP Race 2:

  • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: J. Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6) in 2’04.368 on the 8th lap
  • Most used front solution: RAIN solution (14 out of 25 riders)
  • Most used rear solution: RAIN solution (13 out of 25 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: 50, including 24 front and 26 rear
  • Air temperature: 12° C
  • Asphalt temperature: 16° C