Pole, lap record and Race 1 for Bautista, excellent performance at the début of the Pirelli SCX development solutions

FOCUS ON SUPERPOLE

WorldSBK

Ducati had not taken pole position in Misano since 2009. Breaking this dry streak was Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who broke the track record with a time of 1'33.328, taking the fifth pole position of his career and the first spot on the grid for today’s race. The Spaniard was fast straight out of the gate but Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) weren’t standing around watching. The game was up five minutes before the end: Bautista finished first, doing the same time that earned him pole position ahead of Razgatlioglu and Rea. All used the SCQ tyre on the rear, and Bautista combined it with the front SC1 development tyre.

WorldSSP

Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) took his third consecutive pole position and his seventh in all in WorldSSP, also breaking the track record set seven years ago with a time of 1’37.173. Behind him on the starting grid were no fewer than four Italian riders: Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team), Macerata native Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team), Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing), and Yari Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing).

WorldSSP300

After doing the second best time in FP2 on Friday, Tuscan rider Matteo Vannucci, astride his team AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha Yamaha YZF-R3, set the track lap record in the factory derivatives cadet class, becoming the first Italian in this category to take pole position on the home track. Two Kawasaki riders rounded out the front row: Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki) and Iñigo Iglesias (SMW Racing).

TYRES IN ACTION IN RACE 1

WorldSBK (asphalt: 53°C / air: 26° C)

A weekend to remember for Álvaro Bautista and Ducati. After setting the new track record and taking pole position, the Spaniard won Race 1 with a tyre choice that went against the popular vote. Whilst most of the grid, including his closest rivals Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea, decided to count on the new rear SCX development solution in the B0452 specification, the Ducati rider opted instead for the other new alternative, the B0453 specification, as did his teammate, Michael Rinaldi. Both of the new SCX development tyres have the same compound but they differ in terms of the carcass. Front tyre choices also differed: SC1 development tyre for Bautista and Rea and standard SC1 for Razgatlioglu and Rinaldi. Overall, 17 riders out of 25 chose the SCX B452 spec development solution for the rear in Race 1, whereas 7 opted for the alternative B0453 spec tyre. Only Roberto Tamburini used the standard SCX. For the front, on the other hand, the SC1 development tyre was the favourite (16 out of 25 riders) as opposed to the standard tyre.

WorldSSP (asphalt: 51°C / air: 26° C)

Tyre choice for the WorldSSP riders couldn’t have been simpler. In Race 1, practically the entire grid opted for the soft standard solution at the front, the SC1, and the super soft standard tyre for the rear, the SCX. The race was a bitter pill to swallow for Lorenzo Baldassari (van Bros.WorldSSP Yamaha Team) who, although finishing first, had the win taken from him in favour of Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) for having exceeded the track limits at turn 15 on the last lap.

For more details on the tyres used in the race by the individual riders in the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes, please see the sheets attached to this press release.

WorldSSP300 (asphalt: 42°C / air: 26° C)

Race 1 of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship was won by pole man Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) who, after being overtaken on the first lap by Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki), then took back the race lead on the following lap, remaining in command to the chequered flag. Behind him were Spaniard Alvaro Diaz (Arco Motor University Team), also on Yamaha, and Frenchman Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) on Kawasaki.

GIORGIO BARBIER, MOTORCYCLE RACING DIRECTOR

“After the Free Practice sessions yesterday, which were not a very accurate representation because of the extremely low temperatures, we were back to a climate more in line with this period of the year in Misano today. This allowed the riders to test the limits of the two rear SCX development solutions we decided to début in this round better than they had been able to yesterday. The results are undoubtedly extremely encouraging. Practically all the riders on the grid opted for one of these two development solutions in Race 1, despite being new and the fact that the riders really only had two sessions to test them appropriately. Of the two, the B0452 specification seems to be the favourite for the moment, but Bautista won the race with the B0453 option, so it will be interesting to see the riders’ choices tomorrow and then we’ll take stock of the situation at the end of the weekend.”