The Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Northern Irishman, who finished ahead of Ducati rider Chaz Davies and Aprilia rider Eugene Laverty,thereby takes a splendid double win for Kawasaki, accumulating an important advantage in the overall Championship standings.

For Pirelli, the Laguna Seca round was useful for obtaining confirmation on development operations of the new and larger 200/65 size rear tyre which, although with different compound specifications, has already been on the track this year at the Phillip Island, Imola, Donington and Brno rounds, as well as here at Laguna Seca. In this round, the 200/65 tyre competed against the standard size tyre with the same compound and the riders tended to prefer using the larger solution.Pirelli proves once again to be an innovator, as already occurred in the past going from the 16.5 to 17 inch size and they are working to introduce a new size which could become the standard in motorcycle racing for the future.

In Race 2, in accordance with the rule that calls for the grid to be inverted with respect to Race 1, Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) started from the first spot. To his left on the starting grid were Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Xavi Forés (Barni Racing Team), whereas Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), winner of Race 1, started from ninth place.

When the red lights went off, Laverty started well, but it was Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) who made the best start, moving from fifth to second place behind Laverty and ahead of Melandri. In the meantime, Jonathan Rea clawed his way back up through the pack and was already third after overtaking Forés and Melandri.

During the fourth lap, an accident for Marco Melandri forced the Italian to abandon the race while Rea overtook Michael Van Der Mark as well, moving into second place, a second and three tenths behind Laverty.

On the eighth lap, Jonathan Rea's Kawasaki managed to catch up Eugene Laverty and his Aprilia, overtaking him to move into the race lead.

At the mid-race point, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) also managed to overtake Michael Van Der Mark, thereby moving into third behind Laverty, who he was then able to get past on the seventeenth lap to move into second place. Behind Laverty came the Yamahas ridden by Van Der Mark and Lowes. In the meantime, American rider Patrick Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team) took a tumble on the “Corkscrew”, ending his race early.

Jonathan Rea was first under the chequered flag once again, giving Kawasaki a splendid double win, followed by Chaz Davies with Ducati and Eugene Lavertywith an outstanding third place finish on his Aprilia.

WorldSBK Race 2 standings:

1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
3) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia)
4) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
5) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
6) X. Forés (Barni Racing Team)
7) J. Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
8) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
9) J. Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)
10) L. Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team)
11) L. Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)
12) R. Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)
13) L. Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)
14) K. Hanika (Guandalini Racing)
15) Y. Hernandez (Team Pedercini Racing)
16) J. Herrin (Attack 2Wheel Legal Yamaha)
RT) P. Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team)
RT) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia)
RT) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

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

In Race 2, most of the riders substantially confirmed the choices they had made yesterday for Race 1. At the front, the V0952 SC1 development tyre (option C) was still the most used, but it lost a few votes to the W0657 SC1 development solution (option A) which had already been chosen in Race 1 with outstanding results by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). In Race 2, switching to solution A were Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Josh Herrin (Attack 2Wheel Legal Yamaha).

Also on the rear, the W1002 SC0 development tyre (option B) in the larger 200/65 sizeremained the most used solution, although the W1050 (option A) earned the trust of 7 out of the 19 riders on the grid.

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK),in 1'23.480 at the 5^th lap

• Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952 (10 out of 19 riders)

• Most used rear solution: development SC0 W1002 (12 out of 19 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 257 km/h, achieved by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the 3^rd lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 5 front and 5 rear

• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 65, including 34 front and 31 rear

• Air temperature: 20° C

• Asphalt temperature: 46° C

For Pirelli, confirmation arrived in Race 2 especially in terms of the solutions already used yesterday in Race 1, particularly concerning the new soft compound X0175 solution in the innovative larger 200/65 size on which the Italian tyre manufacturer is conducting various tests and which could become the standard rear size in the future.

After its double win in the previous Donington Park round with Michael Van der Mark, the Japanese manufacturer has now confirmed that they are increasingly competitive in the top class and that they are keen to play a prominent role in the Championship this year, now joining in as a third contender in the battle for the title between Ducati Kawasaki.

Thanks to the win by Alex Lowes, his first in the factory derivatives Championship, and the second place by Van der Mark, Yamaha narrows the gap in the Manufacturer Championship overall standings, but they also now have Van der Mark al lying third in the overall rider standings behind Rea and Davies and ahead of Sykes and Melandri.

In Race 2, Yamaha rider Michael Van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) started from pole position with teammate Alex Lowes on his right and Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) occupying the third spot.

Van der Mark started well, but at the end of the first lap, he was overtaken by Lowes and then by Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), the latter with an excellent start from the eighth spot on the grid.

During the third lap, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Race 1 winner and therefore ninth on the starting grid, slid out, ending up in the gravel and forced to retire. During the fifth lap, the same fate awaited Marco Melandri who had been lying second, but fortunately for the Italian rider, he was able to re-enter the race in last place.

This meant that behind Lowes and Van der Mark, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) moved into third. On the sixth lap, it was Tom Sykes's turn (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) to take a sliding crash while occupying fifth place but, unlike his teammate, he was able to get his bike back on the track. In the meantime, Eugene Laverty managed to hold onto fourth place, albeit at a significant gap behind the leaders.

At the end of the race, it was Alex Lowes who triumphed for his first time ever in the Championship after leading the race from start to finish. Finishing behind him was teammate and Donington Park winner, Michael Van der Mark, ahead of Chaz Davieson the third step of the podium.

WorldSBK Race 2 standings:

1) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
2) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
3) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
4) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia)
5) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia)
6) M. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team)
7) L. Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)
8) X. Forés (Barni Racing Team)
9) T. Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
10) R. Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)
11) L. Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team)
12) J. Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)
13) P. Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team)
14) Y. Hernandez (Team Pedercini Racing)
15) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
16) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
17) L. Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)
18) O. Jezek (Guandalini Racing)
RT) J. Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
RT) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

At 11:30 noon local time, the FIM Supersport World Championship race was held.The first row of the grid was once again the domain of Yamaha riders with Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing) in pole position followed by Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) and Jules Cluzel (NRT).

At the start, the team NRT Frenchman got off the line well, moving into the lead of a race which, on the third lap, lost Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) due to a crash.

Following closely behind Cluzel was Sandro Cortese with Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag) in third position. Reigning World Champion Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) was fourth ahead of Randy Krummenacher who, after starting from the second spot on the grid, lost a few positions and struggled to maintain the pace of the leading quartet.

At the end of the fifth lap, Cortese became threatening behind Cluzel, but the Frenchman managed to fend off the German's attacks. On the following lap there were two crashes, one for Sheridan Morais and another for Stefan Hill, both forced to abandon the rest of the race.

In the second half of the race, a leading trio was formed made up of Cluzel, Cortese and De Rosa, all within three tenths of one another. In the final four laps, De Rosa was unable to maintain the pace of the leading two, dropping back. Cortese kept the pressure on Jules Cluzel (NRT) without letting up and on the final lap he made several attacks which the Frenchman, however, was able to fend off, thereby crossing the line first after leading from flag to flag. Finishing behind him were Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing) who, thanks to this second place, manages to hold onto the Championship lead, and Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag).

WorldSSP standings:

1) J. Cluzel (NRT)
2) S. Cortese (Kallio Racing)
3) R. De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag)
4) L. Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team)
5) R. Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)
6) T. Gradinger (NRT)7) A. West (EAB antwest Racing)
8) K. Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini)
9) E. Lahti (Sterkman Motorsport by HRP)
10) L. Cresson (Kallio Racing)
11) R. Hartog (Team Hartog - Against Cancer)
12) H. Soomer (Racedays)
13) H. Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
14) A. Coppola (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Junior Team)
15) A. Baldolini (GEMAR Team Lorini)
16) A. Irwin (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda)
17) M. Canducci (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)
18) M. Enderlein (Freudenberg World SSP Team)
19) L. Stapleford (Profile Racing)
20) W. Tessels (Chromeburner Wayne's Racingteam MtM)
21) N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)
22) L. Morciano (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)
23) J. Iturrioz (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)
24) M. Chalupa (Czech Road Racing Team Chalupari)
25) P. Coppa (Motor Village 69 Racing)
RT) G. Molnar (VEPP Racing)
RT) S. Morais (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
RT) S. Hill (Profile Racing)
RT) A. Badovini (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag)
RT) F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team)

The third event of the day on Sunday was the Supersport 300 World Championship race, interrupted on the seventh out of the ten scheduled laps due to heavy rainfall on the Czech circuit. Victory went to Galang Hendra Pratama (BIBLION YAMAHA MOTOXRACING). Rounding out the podium were Dutchman Walid Khan (Nutec - Benjan – Kawasaki), second, and Spaniard Borja Sanchez (ETG Racing). Ana Carrasco (DS Junior Team) only finished eleventh, in any case still holding onto her lead in the overall standings.

The Superstock1000 European Championship race, the last of the day, was raced on rain tyres for all the riders due to the heavy rainfall. Victory went to Chilean rider Maximilian Scheib (Aprilia Racing Team) who finished ahead of Italian Alessandro Delbianco (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team) and Frenchman Florian Marino (URBIS Yamaha Motoxracing STK Team). German rider Markus Reiterberger (Alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW), the current Championship leader, finished fourth.

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

In Race 2, the riders made a few changes from Race 1, although the most used solutions remained the same. At the front, all the riders used the V0952 SC1 development tyre (option B) with the exception of Michael Van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) who preferred the standard SC1 (option A).

As for the rear, as had already happened in Race 1, 17 out of the 20 riders on the starting grid chose the new X0175 SC0 development solution (option B). Making different choices were Loris Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team), Patrick Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team) and Ondřej Ježek (Guandalini Racing) who used the standard SC0 (option A).

In the WorldSSP race, for the front, the majority of the riders relied on the X0012 SC1 development solution (option B), whereas at the rear they went with the standard SC0 (option B), a tyre that proved to be more popular than the X0497 SC0 development tyre (option A).

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati),in 2'00.176 at the 3^rd lap

• Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952 (19 out of 20 riders)

• Most used rear solution: development SC0 X0175 (17 out of 20 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 290.3 km/h, achieved by Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the 2^nd lap and by Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) also in the 2^nd lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 6 front and 8 rear

Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 87, including 41 front and 46 rear

• Air temperature: 27° C

• Asphalt temperature: 44° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team), in 2'03.886in the 2^nd lap

• Most used front solution: development SC1 X0012 (21 out of 30 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (17 out of 30 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 254.1 km/h, achieved by Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing) in the 16^th and last lap and by Loris Cresson (Kallio Racing) in the 2^nd lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 6 front and 5 rear

Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 58, including 32 front and 26 rear

• Air temperature: 26° C

• Asphalt temperature: 38° C

The Thai event only features the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes. The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship made its debut on the Chang International Circuit in the 2015 season and this will be the fourth consecutive year that the Thai circuit will host the production based world championship series. Kawasaki has won all of the past editions, with five successes for Jonathan Rea and one for his team-mate Tom Sykes.

For this event, Pirelli brings almost 3000 tyres to the track, most of which are standard solutions, even if there will be no lack of development options. On the basis of the experience gained on this track in past editions, Pirelli focuses on soft rear solutions which, also due to the high asphalt temperatures that the circuit usually registers during this period, should offer the best performance.

The Chang International Circuit was inaugurated in October 2014 on a project by the famous architect Hermann Tilke and, to date, is the only Thai circuit to obtain the FIM homologation to host races of this category. The track is 4.554 kilometres long and features 12 corners, 5 on the left and 7 righthanders.

Historically, the circuit has never been very demanding for the tyres, but the high humidity index typical of the area and the usually very high asphalt temperatures can still represent important unknown factors.

The solutions for the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes

Again in Thailand, as happened in the first round in Australia, only the pilots of the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes will be taking to the track.

As always, both categories will have both dry, intermediate and wet tyres available for a total of 2878 tyres that Pirelli has brought to Buriram for this second round of the season.

In the WorldSBK class, riders will have six slicks, four front and two rear solutions available, three of which are standard and the same number are development options.

For the front, in addition to the standard SC1 and SC2, which are the soft and medium compound options, two more soft compound development solutions will be available: the W0746 specification, which was also present in the opening round in Australia which features an even softer compound than the standard SC1. This should guarantee a high level of grip at the front, and the V0952 specification, already used by the riders in 2017 in Aragón, Assen, Imola, Donington, Misano, Laguna Seca, Lausitzring, Portimão, Magny-Cours, Jerez and Losail and this year in Australia. This last option uses the same compound of the standard SC1 but has different structural properties.

At the rear, the riders will be able to choose between the new standard SC0, the softest solution, and the development SC0 W0576, in a soft compound, already brought by Pirelli to Laguna Seca, Magny-Cours and Jerez in 2017.

In the WorldSSP category, there are a total of five options for the dry; three front and two rear.

At the front the standard SC1 will be joined by two development SC1: the W0378, introduced in 2017 at Lausitzring and brought also to Australia this year, which uses the same compound of the standard SC1 but with a different construction process; and the V0533, used in 2017 at Phillip Island, Buriram, Imola and Losail and which, at the level of the compound, is positioned more or less halfway between the standard SC1 and the SC2.

For the rear Pirelli relies on the standard SC0 and SC1 solutions.

The 2017 Pirelli statistics for Chang

• Total number of tyres brought by Pirelli: 2594

• Number of solutions (including dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 5 rear

• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 33 front and 29 rear

• Number of solutions for the Supersport class (including dry, intermediate and wet): 4 front and 4 rear

• Number of tyres available for each Supersport rider: 21 front and 21 rear

• Superbike Best Lap Awards both won by: Jonathan Rea(Kawasaki Racing Team), in 1'33.436 (Race 1, 5^th lap) and Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in 1'33.644 (Race 2, 3^rd lap).

• Supersport Best Lap Award won by: Christian Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda

Racing), in 1'38.721 (2^nd lap).

• Temperature in Race 1: air 35° C, asphalt 57° C

• Temperature in Race 2: air 36° C, asphalt 60° C

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 306.8 km/h, in Race 1 by Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) at the 9^th lap.

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC tyres in Supersport race: 268.7 km/h, by Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing) at 6^th lap.