WorldSBK in Portugal: Rea wins the Superpole® Race and Bautista wins Race 2, WorldSSP goes to Caricasulo and Deroue takes WorldSSP300; standard Pirelli tyres in larger size are protagonists of the wee
After nine races, the Spanish Ducati rider is back to his winning ways, but Rea is not standing by, taking his Championship lead to a 91-point advantage; in WorldSSP Caricasulo places Krummenacher’s leadership in jeopardy
After nine races in which Álvaro Bautista had to reckon with great difficulties, partly due to crashes which kept him from accumulating important points, the Ducati Spaniard was back to winning today in the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship race.
At the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, the Ducati rider won Race 2, dividing the spoils with Kawasaki rider Jonathan Rea who won both Race 1 and the Sunday morning Tissot Superpole Race in Portugal. This allowed the four-time World Champion to take his lead in the standings to 91 points over Bautista who managed to limit the damage by winning Race 2.
In WorldSSP600, on the other hand, Italian rider Federico Caricasulo on his Yamaha won his third race of the season and is now just 10 points behind teammate and championship leader, Randy Krummenacher.
Lastly, in the World championship for the small 300 bikes, it was Dutchman Scott Derouetriumphing on Kawasaki, in his first win of the season which moves him into second place in the overall championship standings.
The weekend at Algarve allowed Pirelli to obtain further feedback on the standard range tyres in the larger sizes. In fact, the DIABLO™ Superbike rear slicks in SC0 blend in 200/65 and the SC1 front in 125/70, tyres already sold routinely on the open market, were used by the vast majority of the WorldSBK riders, which confirms the outstanding performance of the products in the larger sizes that Pirelli has already added to their range in these two blends and which are available for purchase on the market to any rider who wants them. Pirelli’s goal is now to complete the range with the remaining compounds that make up the range in the traditional sizes.
WORLDSBK TISSOT SUPERPOLE® RACE:
In the Tissot Superpole® Race, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) once again got off to a very good start from pole position, managing to maintain the lead throughout the race. Behind him, it was a battle between Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR), Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1), Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) for the remaining steps of the podium, while Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) slipped back momentarily to ninth place.
During the fourth lap, Lowes overtook Sykes to move into second place behind Rea. In the meantime, Bautista managed to fight his way up to sixth place and then overtake Cortese on the finish straight at the start of the fifth lap. The Ducati rider would not settle for fifth, immediately setting his sights on the Kawasaki ridden by Leon Haslam, who was lying fourth behind Tom Sykes.
During the sixth lap, the Spanish Ducati rider managed to gain the upper hand on both Haslam and Sykes at one shot, moving into third behind Lowes. In the meantime, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) also succeeded in clawing his way all the way up to fourth place.
Rea led the race with a gap of more than 2 seconds ahead of Lowes and Bautista, the latter steadily gaining on the rider from the Iwata-based manufacturer.
During the penultimate lap, Bautista launched his first attack on Lowes who managed to momentarily fend him off, but on the straight, the Ducati is faster than the Yamaha and Bautista managed to overtake the Brit as they crossed the line, maintaining second place throughout the final lap.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) therefore won the second race of the weekend, finishing with an advantage of more than 2 seconds over Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), second, and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1), third. Fourth and fifth place went respectively to the Kawasakis ridden by Toprak Razgatlioglu and Leon Haslam.
WorldSBK Tissot Superpole® Race standings:
1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
2) Á. Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
3) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
4) T. Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
5) L. Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
6) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
7) T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
8) S. Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
9) L. Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
10) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
11) M. Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
12) J. Torres (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
13) M. Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
14) M. Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
15) E. Laverty (Team Goeleven / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
16) L. Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
17) T. Takahashi (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
18) S. Barrier (Brixx Performance / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
19) A. Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
20) R. Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
WORLDSBK RACE 2:
In Race 2, Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) decided to battle for the top step of the podium harder than ever.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) started well from pole position, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) hot on his pipes after starting from the fourth spot on the grid and overtaking both Bautista and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1). Rounding out the leading trio was the other Kawasaki rider, Leon Haslam, whereas the Spanish Ducati rider slipped back momentarily to fourth place.
During the fifth lap, Bautista began his quest for the race lead, overtaking Haslam to move into third.
On the following lap, the Spaniard managed to get past Razgatlioglu first and then Rea, becoming the new race leader, but shortly thereafter he was forced to yield the position to the Turkish Kawasaki rider.
The three riders were all within a tenth of a second of one another, and before long, Bautista had once again succeeded in taking the lead. The Spaniard then maintained his first-place spot until the end of the race, successfully fending off Rea’s attacks, including one last ditch attempt by the Northern Irishman on the final stretch.
Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) won with an advantage of just 1 tenth of a second ahead of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR). Behind them, in third place, was Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), the first of the independent team riders.
WorldSBK Race 2 standings:
1) Á. Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
2) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
3) T. Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
4) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
5) L. Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
6) L. Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
7) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
8) M. Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
9) T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
10) S. Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
11) J. Torres (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
12) M. Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
13) M. Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
14) E. Laverty (Team Goeleven / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
15) L. Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
16) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
17) T. Takahashi (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
18) S. Barrier (Brixx Performance / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
19) R. Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
20) A. Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
WORLDSSP RACE:
Between the Tissot Superpole® Race and Race 2 of WorldSBK, at 12:15 local time, the FIM Supersport World Championship race was held, with Federico Caricasulo (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) in pole position. It was a very heated race from the beginning, with various riders taking a turn in the leading group.
Federico Caricasulo managed to maintain the lead until the ninth lap, before being overtaken by teammate Randy Krummenacher (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) who, until the fourth lap, had been in fifth place before moving up to third and then second on the seventh lap after a thrilling battle with Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R).
From the tenth lap, Krummenacher moved into the lead, but he was forced to defend against constant attacks by his teammate who succeeded momentarily in taking back the lead on the thirteenth lap, only to give it back shortly thereafter. Just as Caricasulo overtook Krummenacher, the red flag came out due to oil on the track from Raffaele De Rosa’s MV Agusta.
Since 2/3 of the laps had already been completed, the race was called and, as per regulation, first place went to the rider who was leading when the red flag came out, in this case, Federico Caricasulo (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) who took the top step of the podium ahead of teammate Randy Krummenacher (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R), third.
WorldSSP standings:
1) F. Caricasulo (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
2) R. Krummenacher (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
3) L. Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
4) J. Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
5) A. Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
6) C. Perolari (GMT94 YAMAHA / Yamaha YZF R6)
7) H. Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
8) J. Danilo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda / Honda CBR600RR)
9) L. Cresson (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
10) M. Pons (H43 Team NOBBY TALASUR-BLUMAQ / Yamaha YZF R6)
11) P. Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda / Honda CBR600RR)
12) G. Ruiu (MPM WILSport Racedays / Honda CBR600RR)
13) D. Valle (MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
14) J. Van Sikkelerus (MPM WILSport Racedays / Honda CBR600RR)
15) F. Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675)
16) G. Van Straalen (EAB Racing Team/ Kawasaki ZX-6R)
17) N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
18) R. Hartog (Team Hartog - Against Cancer / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
19) M. Canducci (DK MOTORSPORT / Yamaha YZF R6)
20) A. Gyorfi (Team Toth / Yamaha YZF R6)
21) G. Matern (Flembbo Leader Team / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
RT) R. De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675)
RT) M. Herrera (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
RT) I. Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
RT) C. Stange (GEMAR - Ciociaria Corse WorldSSP Team / Honda CBR600RR)
RT) K. Smith (Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
DSQ) G. Sconza (GEMAR - Ciociaria Corse WorldSSP Team / Honda CBR600RR)
WORLDSSP300 RACE:
The FIM Superstock1000 European Championship race closed out the weekend at Algarve.Taking the win was Dutch rider Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT / Kawasaki Ninja 400) who finished ahead of Spaniard and current Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team / Kawasaki Ninja 400) and defending World Champion Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300 / Kawasaki Ninja 400).
The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for the WorldSBK and WorldSSP races:
In the Tissot Superpole® Race, tyre selection by the riders was rather consistent. For the front, practically all the riders opted for the standard SC1 in 125/70 size (option A). The only exception was Takumi Takahashi, who shod his Honda with the X1071 SC2 development solution (option B). As for the rear, 60% of the riders opted for the standard SC0 in 200/65 size (option B), while the remaining 40% used the new SCX Y0781 (option X).
In Race 2, on the front the riders confirmed the standard SC1 in 125/70 size (option A), whereas for the rear, the standard 200/65 SC0 (option B)was more popular, being mounted on almost all the bikes on the grid, with the exception of Álvaro Bautista’s Ducati and Delbianco’s Honda which mounted, as they had in Race 1, the X1351 SC0 development tyre (option A).
In the WorldSSP race, almost all the riders chose the Y0410 SC0 development solution in the larger 190/60 size (option B) for the rear, whereas on the front, both the standard SC1 (option A) and the standard SC2 (option B)were used, with the latter solution being just a bit more popular.
Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Tissot Superpole® Race:
• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), in 1'41.272in the 2nd lap
• Most used front solution: standard SC1 125/70 (19 out of 20 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 200/65 (12 out of 20 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 311.4 km/h, achieved by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) in the 2nd lap and by Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in the 10th and last lap
• Air temperature: 27° C
• Asphalt temperature: 36° C
Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:
• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in 1'41.853in the 2nd lap
• Most used front solution: standard SC1 125/70 (19 out of 20 riders)
• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 200/65 (18 out of 20 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 310.5 km/h, achieved by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in the 9th lap • Air temperature: 30° C
• Asphalt temperature: 48° C
Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race:
• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Randy Krummenacher (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6), in 1'45.373in the 5th lap
• Most used front solution: standard SC2 (15 out of 27 riders) • Most used rear solution: development SC0 Y0410 (22 out of 27 riders)
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 287.4 km/h, achieved by Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6) in the 2nd lap
• Air temperature: 28° C
• Asphalt temperature: 41°