Pirelli satisfied in Aragón: the weekend comes to an end with four different manufacturers on the SBK podium and new race records in all three classes

The PROSECCO DOC Aragón Round, the fourth of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship, came to an end with great satisfaction in the Pirelli camp because of their standard tyres which allowed new race records to be set in all three classes. In addition, in the premier class, four different manufacturers finished on the podium, three different manufacturers on each podium, as a testament to the extreme versatility and the high performance levels achieved by the Pirelli tyres.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) was the protagonist this Sunday and, thanks to an outstanding pace and race strategy, he won the Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2. Rounding out the Tissot Superpole podium were Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1). In Race 2, on the other hand, Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) finished second and the podium was completed by Álvaro Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR), who gave Team Honda HRC its first WorldSBK podium.

Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) continues to dominate in the WorldSSP class: he took his seventh win in a row for the season, maintaining his leadership in the Championship with the most possible points.

On the tyres front, the Pirelli standard DIABLO^TM Superbike slicks allowed new race records to be set throughout the entire weekend. In the premier class, Rea broke the record in both qualifying and in the Tissot Superpole Race. In the WorldSSP class, on the other hand, Italian rider Andrea Locatelli set the new race record on Saturday and then broke it straight away again in Race 2. In the WorldSSP300 class, the race record set by Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300 / Yamaha YZF-R3) in Race 1 was broken again today in Race 2 by Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300 / Kawasaki Ninja 400).

In the WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race, the solutions used by the vast majority of the riders on the grid were the standard soft SC1 solution (option A) on the front and the standard super soft SCX on the rear (option A).

In WorldSBK Race 2, even more riders confirmed the choice of the standard SC1 (option A) on the front. On the rear, most of the riders maintained the standard SC0 (option B), with three riders on the standard super soft (option A).

In WorldSSP Race 2, for the rear, all the riders chose the standard soft SC0 (option A), whereas for the front, the majority raced on the standard soft SC1 (option A).

WorldSBK Superpole Race:

Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1) had an outstanding start, but it was Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) who moved into the lead, immediately trying to pull the pin and create a gap, whilst Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMWS1000 RR) went off track on turn nine and, when re-entering, collided with Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R), who crashed and was forced to retire. The five-time world champion maintained an outstanding pace, doing the fastest lap of the race at 1’49.620, while behind him was Race 1 winner, Ducati rider Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1), who both managed to gain the upper hand against Baz to clinch the podium positions. In the meantime, Álvaro Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR), who had started from the seventh spot on the grid and had an excellent race pace, overtook first the Yamahas ridden by Baz and Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1), before engaging in a duel with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), snatching fourth from him. In the race lead, Rea continued to increase the gap. He finished ahead of Scott Redding and Michael van der Mark, remaining the only rider to have won the Tissot Superpole Race this season.

WorldSBK Superpole Race 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. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
5. C. Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
6. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
7. T. Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
8. M. R. Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
9. L. Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
10. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
11. F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
12. X. Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
13. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
14. M. Scheib (ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
15. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMWS1000 RR)
16. E. Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
17. M. Melandri (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
18. S. Barrier (Brixx Performance / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
19. R. Ramos (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
20. T. Takahashi (MIE Racing Althea HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
21. L. Gabellini (MIE Racing Althea HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR)

• RT. C. Ponsson (Nuova M2 Racing / Aprilia RSV4 1000)
• RT. L. Mercado (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)

WorldSBK Race 2:

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) started extremely well, locking in the lead and trying to increase his gap ahead of the rest of the group from the very first corners. Behind him were Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1), Álvaro Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1), who had already gained two positions straight off the grid. As Redding dropped back two positions, Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), who had started from the seventh spot, gained as many, moving in behind his teammate. Bautista also drew close to the group and a heated battle for second ensued between the Spaniard, the Dutchman and the Englishman as Rea consistently increased the gap. Davies came out on top and the chase for the top step of the podium began, followed by Bautista and Redding. Behind him, Michael van der Mark was busy fending off the attacks of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R) who, with an outstanding pace, had managed to climb up through the ranks. Three laps from the end, Rea lost valuable ground after making a mistake, coming into the Welshman’s sights. After momentarily losing the race lead, he immediately took it back, holding onto it until the chequered flag to reap the fruits of an excellent race strategy. Chaz Davies finished second ahead of Bautista, who took his first podium on a Honda.

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

• RT. L. Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
• RT. M. Melandri (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
• RT. R. Ramos (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)

WorldSSP Race 2:

The rider with the best start was Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R), moving into the race lead for a few corners until Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) snatched it from him. Behind the Kawasaki were Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6), Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R), Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6) and Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675). Locatelli did the fastest time on the fifth lap at 1’54.034 and set the new race record, although the group of six riders behind him remained hot on his heels. Cluzel managed to gain the upper hand against Mahias, but the latter was having none of it, trying to come back several times, engaging in a heated battle for second, as did Oettl and de Rosa for fourth. The Italian on his MV Agusta came out on top in this battle, also becoming a threat to Cluzel down to the final lap. At the end of the race, Locatelli finished first for his seventh Championship win in a row ahead of Cluzel and De Rosa.

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings:

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

• RT. A. Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing / Yamaha YZF R6)
• RT. H. Soomer (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
• RT. L. Epis (MPM Routz Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)

WorldSSP300 Race 2:

Race 2 of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship closed out the second day of the weekend at Motorland Aragón with an all-green podium. Taking the win for the second time this weekend was Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT / Kawasaki Ninja 400), ahead of the Kawasakis ridden by Italian Thomas Brianti (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300 / Kawasaki Ninja 400) and compatriot Thomas Brianti (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300 / Kawasaki Ninja 400). Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300 / Kawasaki Ninja 400) finished the race sixth, maintaining her lead in the overall Championship standings.

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

The standard solutions also dominated the Tissot Superpole this weekend. In fact, in the sprint race, on the front, the riders chose to race with the standard soft SC1 solution (option A) and on the rear with the standard super soft SCX solution (option A). Going against the flow were Chaz Davies, who preferred the standard SC0 on the rear (option B), and Takahashi, who opted for the medium standard SC2 on the front (option C).

In WorldSBK Race 2, all the riders except Takahashi raced with the standard soft SC1 (option A) on the front, including Rea and Baz, who had used the X1118 SC1 development solution (option B) in Race 1. As for the rear, most of the riders raced on the standard soft SC0 (option B). There were three riders on the standard super soft SCX (option A): Bautista, who confirmed his choice after using it in Race 1 as well, Melandri and Ramos, who had used the SC0 yesterday.

In WorldSSP Race 2, for the rear, all the riders on the grid chose to rely on the standard soft SC0 (option A), whereas for the front, the majority of the riders raced on the standard soft SC1 (option A). Five riders preferred the standard medium SC2 (option B): Yamaha riders Viñales, Odendaal and Epis, Honda rider Okubo and Kawasaki rider Gonzalez.

Pirelli statistics for Tissot Superpole Race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) in 1’49.620 on the 2nd lap (New Race Record)

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (22 out of 23 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SCX (22 out of 23 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: 19° C

• Asphalt temperature: 23° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) in 1’50.102 on the 2nd lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (21 out of 22 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (19 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: 21° C

• Asphalt temperature: 35° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: A. Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) in 1’54.034 on the 5th lap (New Race Record)

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (20 out of 25 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (25 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: 42, including 21 front and 21 rear

• Air temperature: 20° C

• Asphalt temperature: 30° C