Razgatlioglu “Emperor” and the new Pirelli SC0 “Empress” of Most
The Turkish rider wins both the Superpole Race and Race 2, double win for Baldassarri in WorldSSP and victory in 300 for Victor Steeman
FOCUS ON THE SUPERPOLE RACE
(asphalt: 37°C / air: 25° C)
In the Superpole Race, half the riders on the grid opted for the SCX solution at the rear, which was chosen for this round to replace the SCQ. Those who didn't use the SCX decided to rely on the new B0624 specification SC0 development solution, whereas BMW riders Scott Redding and Peter Hickman (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) were the only ones to choose the standard SC0. The race was won by Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) who, starting from the second spot on the grid and after a heated duel, managed to gain the upper hand over pole man Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), giving Yamaha their 100th victory in WorldBK and setting the new race lap record with a time of 1’31.180. Third place went to Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.It Racing - Ducati), who had started from the fifth spot on the grid. All the riders on the podium used the SCX solution at the rear.
TYRES IN ACTION IN RACE 2
WorldSBK (asphalt: 41°C / air: 27° C)
Tyre choice for Race 2 was not very different from Race 1, especially in terms of the rear, where the new SC0 development solution was once again the preferred option for almost all the riders on the grid. The only three who used the standard SC0 were Scott Redding, Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), and Peter Hickman. At the front, the A0843 SC1 development tyre was the most popular tyre. After starting from pole position as winner of the Superpole Race, Toprak Razgatlioglu took part in an intense battle with Álvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea who, along with him, alternated in and out of the race lead. A few laps from the end, the Turkish rider moved back into the lead, managing to increase the gap ahead of his two closest pursuers and thereby taking his second win of the day. The race fast lap was his once again, done on the 20th of the 22 planned laps. Bautista and Rea swapped places on the podium with respect to the Superpole Race, finishing second and third respectively. Scott Redding had an outstanding fourth place on BMW.
WorldSSP (asphalt: 45°C / air: 27° C)
In Race 2, reigning World Champion Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was conspicuously absent, disqualified for unsporting behaviour after Race 1. As for the tyres, the riders unanimously confirmed the standard solutions chosen for Race 1: SC1 front and SCX rear. After winning Race 1 yesterday, Italian rider Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) took Race 2 as well, giving Yamaha a brilliant double win. Finishing second was Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team), whereas Stefano Manzi (Dynavolt Triumph) was once again on the podium occupying the third step. A noteworthy aspect is that all five participating manufacturers placed in the top five positions.
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 / aria: 28° C)
The second WorldSSP300 race was stopped when the red flag came out due to an accident on the final straight and at the second start it was reduced to 9 laps. After another red flag three laps from the end, Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki) was declared the winner. This is the Dutch rider’s second victory of the season.
GIORGIO BARBIER, MOTORCYCLE RACING DIRECTOR
“Today we had much higher temperatures than yesterday but the tyres performed just as well and they did so, we should remember, on a circuit that is extremely aggressive and that puts the tyres under particular stress. The new rear SC0 development solution was the undisputed protagonist of this weekend because it was used by almost all the riders in both Race 1 and Race 2. Likewise, the SCX played its role of qualifying tyre respectably and was chosen by several riders for the Superpole Race because of the good performance it was able to provide over a distance of 10 laps, which was the reason it replaced the SCQ this round which, being even softer, would not have been able to cover the race distance. Now we have five weeks of break and then we’ll be back on the track in September for the second half of the season and to finish the development work planned for this year.”