With Razgatlioglu’s triumph in the Superpole Race and Redding’s in Race 2, the WorldSBK Tissot Czech Round reopens the race for the world title; victory for Aegerter in WorldSSP600 and Buis in WorldSS

The second day of the Tissot Czech Round came to an end after four action packed races where the protagonists were consistently the standard solutions brought by the Milan-based tyre manufacturer. The Czech weekend, the sixth round of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship and hosted for the first time by Autodrom Most, was dominated by Yamaha and Kawasaki victories.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) was the protagonist of an intense Tissot Superpole Race, characterised in the first half by the duel between the Yamaha rider and defending World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) who, in the final laps, found himself battling instead with Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R). The latter, on the other hand, took the top step of the podium in Race 2 ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu in second place and Jonathan Rea in third.

The race for the world title in the WSBK category is still wide open with Jonathan Rea leading with 266 points, the Turkish Yamaha rider just three points behind in second and Scott Redding bringing up third on his Ducati less than fifty points behind.

The Most race weekend allowed Pirelli to gather important feedback on their standard tyres at this circuit that is new to the factory derivatives series and they can be highly satisfied with their performance. The race weekend that has just ended provided fans on site and those watching from home with action packed races and plenty of upsets and surprises, as well as letting four manufacturers - two European and two Japanese - finish on the top step of the podium. In the Premier class, the performance of the super soft standard SCX tyres (option A) was confirmed both in the short Tissot Superpole Race, used by all the riders on the grid, and in Race 2, where it was used by twenty-one out of twenty-three riders.

WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race:

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) started well, moving into the race lead and trying to pull away from the rest of the group straight away. Behind him was a group that included Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) and Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) who attacked the rookie Yamaha rider on the final straight of the first lap, snatching the podium position from him. Race pace improved significantly as compared to Race 1 and Jonathan did the race fast lap (also the new circuit record) with a time of 1’31.996, hunting down Razgatlioglu and launching several attacks, but the Yamaha rider was able to defend well consistently. At the beginning of the eighth lap, a mistake cost Rea precious ground, as well as the gap that had been created ahead of Scott Redding who wasted no time exploiting the situation to move into second position. Razgatlioglu finished the sprint race in the lead, giving Yamaha a brilliant brace, with Redding second and Rea third, achieving the historic milestone of two hundred career podiums.

WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race Standings:

1. T. Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
2. S. Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
3. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
4. A. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
5. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
6. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
7. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
8. A. Bassani (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
9. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
10. M. Rinaldi (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
11. M. van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
12. M. Fritz (IXS-YART Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
13. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
14. C. Davies (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
15. K. Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
16. C. Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
17. I. Viñales (ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
18. J. Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing / BMW M 1000 RR)
19. L. Cresson (TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
20. J. Uribe (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)

• Rt. T. Rabat (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
• Rt. K. Hanika (IXS-YART Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
• Rt. A. Delbianco (MIE Racing HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR-R)

WorldSBK Race 2:

At 3:15 in the afternoon, the final race of the Czech weekend at Autodrom Most got underway and it was once again Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) gaining the upper hand, moving into the lead ahead of teammate Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1), Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) who closed out the leading quintet. Redding attempted to overtake Locatelli insistently, finally succeeding on the fourth lap before going on to attack Razgatlioglu for the race lead on the fifth lap. The defending World Champion also increased his race pace, managing to overtake the Italian rookie to clinch a podium position. In the meantime, it was a battle for sixth between four different manufacturers: Michael Ruben Rinaldi (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), BMW riders Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR) and Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR), Yamaha rider Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1) and Honda rider Leon Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R). At the front, the positions remained the same with, Jonathan Rea finishing third, Toprak Razgatlioglu second and Scott Redding first, who celebrated a marriage proposal to his girlfriend from the top step of the podium.

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings:

1. S. Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
2. T. Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
3. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
4. A. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
5. M. Rinaldi (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
6. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
7. M. van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
8. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
9. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
10. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
11. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
12. C. Davies (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
13. T. Rabat (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
14. K. Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
15. C. Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
16. J. Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing / BMW M 1000 RR)
17. I. Viñales (ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
18. K. Hanika (IXS-YART Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
19. M. Fritz (IXS-YART Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
20. L. Cresson (TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
21. J. Uribe (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)

• Rt. A. Bassani (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
• Rt. A. Delbianco (MIE Racing HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR-R)

WorldSSP Race 2:

At 12:30 in the afternoon local time, Race 2 of the FIM Supersport World Championship was held. The only Kawasaki rider on the first two rows of the grid was Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R) and he had the best start, moving into the lead, but he was immediately forced to reckon with championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6) who snatched the lead from him on the second lap. Behind them were Luca Bernardi (CM Racing / Yamaha YZF R6), Spaniard Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team / Yamaha YZF R6), Federico Caricasulo (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing / Yamaha YZF R6) and Kawasaki rider Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R), all within one second of one another. On the fifth lap, Gonzalez did the best race lap time and launched several unsuccessful attacks on the Swiss rider. On the other hand, Bernardi managed in the meantime to overtake Oettl for a podium position. In the second half of the race, Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team / Yamaha YZF R6) did the best race lap time and, with an outstanding pace, moved ahead of Bernardi. In the meantime, Gonzalez continued to stay on the pipes of race leader Aegerter, but in three laps, he conceded a position to the South African rider. When the chequered flag came out, it was an all-Yamaha podium: Dominique Aegerter first, Steven Odendaal second and Manuel Gonzalez third.

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings:

1. D. Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
2. S. Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
3. M. Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
4. P. Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
5. L. Bernardi (CM Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
6. F. Caricasulo (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing / Yamaha YZF R6)
7. V. Debise (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
8. N. Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti / MV Agusta F3 675)
9. C. Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
10. R. De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
11. M. Enderlein (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
12. M. Brenner (VFT Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
13. L. Grunwald (HRP Suzuki / Suzuki GSX-R600)
14. O. Vostatek (Compos Racing Team By YART / Yamaha YZF R6)
15. S. Morais (Wojcik Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
16. S. Frossard (Moto Team Jura Vitesse / Yamaha YZF R6)
17. F. Fuligni (VFT Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
18. P. Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
19. L. Ottaviani (G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
20. D. Webb (WRP Wepol Racing / Yamaha YZF R6 )
21. E. Montero (DK Motorsport / Yamaha YZF R6)
22. P. Szkopek (Yamaha MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)

• Rt. J. Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
• Rt. R. Krummenacher (EAB Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
• Rt. K. Manfredi (Altogo Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
• Rt. V. Takala (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
• Rt. M. Vugrinec (Ferquest - Unior Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
• Rt. L. Montella (Chiodo Moto Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
• Rt. M. Fabrizio (G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
• Rt. J. Mrkyvka (Maco Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
• Rt. L. Taccini (Orelac Racing VerdNatura / Kawasaki ZX-6R)

WorldSSP300 Race 2:

The penultimate event of the day on Sunday was the Supersport 300 World Championship race. With a heart-stopping finale, the win went to Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki / Kawasaki Ninja 400) and the all-Kawasaki-green podium was rounded out by Brit Tom Booth-Amos (Fusport - RT Motorsports by SKM - Kawasaki / Kawasaki Ninja 400) and Spaniard Alejandro Carrion (Kawasaki GP Project / Kawasaki Ninja 400).

The Pirelli solutions for WorldSBK Superpole Race:, WorldSBK and WorldSSP Race 2:

In the WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race, all the riders on the grid relied on the super soft standard SCX solution (option A) for the rear. As for the front choices, the most popular solution was the standard SC1 (option B), used by no fewer than sixteen riders on the grid. Preferring the front SC1 development solution (option A) were Tom Sykes, Leon Haslam, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Alex Lowes, Álvaro Bautista, Chaz Davies and Kohta Nozane.

In Race 2, the riders made some changes as compared to Race 1, primarily at the rear, where almost the entire grid chose to race on the SCX solution (option A), with the exception of Jonathan Rea and Jayson Uribe, who preferred instead the standard SC0 (option B). At the front, sixteen of the twenty-three riders on the grid confirmed, or switched from the solution chosen in Race 1, the soft standard SC1 solution (option B). Seven riders stuck with their choice of the A0508 SC1 development solution: Tom Sykes, Alex Lowes, Álvaro Bautista, Leon Haslam, Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Kohta Nozane.

In the WorldSSP race, front tyre selection fell unanimously to the STANDARD SC1 (option A), whereas at the rear, many preferred the standard SC0 (option B), twenty riders, to be precise, with the others using the standard SCX (option A).

Pirelli statistics for the WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) in 1'31.996 on the 3rd lap
• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (16 out of 23 riders)
• Most used rear solution: Standard SCX (23 out of 23 riders)
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 298.3 km/h, done by Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R) on the 2nd and 9th lap
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 4 front and 6 rear
• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 60, including 29 front and 31 rear
• Air temperature: 22° C
• Asphalt temperature: 33° 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 1'32.415 on the 10th lap
• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (16 out of 23 riders)
• Most used rear solution: Standard SCX (21 out of 23 riders)
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 295.1 km/h, done by Michael Ruben Rinaldi (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) on the 11th lap
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 4 front and 6 rear
• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 60, including 29 front and 31 rear
• Air temperature: 25° C
• Asphalt temperature: 39° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6), in 1'35.509 on the 10th lap
• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (31 out of 31 riders)
• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (20 out of 31 riders)
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 255,9 km/h, done by Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team / Yamaha YZF R6) on the 3rd lap and Daniel Webb (WRP Wepol Racing / Yamaha YZF R6) on the 2nd lap
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 4 front and 4 rear
• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 48, including 24 front and 24 rear
• Air temperature: 24° C
• Asphalt temperature: 39° C