2020 WorldSBK – Round Six – Catalunya

WorldSBK Race One

The first ever MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was won by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) as the reigning Champion claimed victory in Race 1 for the inaugural Acerbis Catalunya Round; extending his Championship lead to 41 points.

Rea started from pole position after going quickest in this morning’s Tissot Superpole session and held position off the line as the lights went out, maintaining and increasing a gap to his nearest rivals on track. Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) finished in second place after getting a superb launch off the grid after starting from seventh place; the British rider taking advantage of a close call between Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) and teammate and Michael van der Mark at Turn 1 with both able to stay on their bike.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) and Redding battled in the early stages of the race before trying to work together to close the gap to Rea but they were unable to do so with Rea extending his lead to eventually win by 2.6s. Redding came home to finish in second place while Rinaldi fell down the order in the latter stages, eventually finishing in seventh.

Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) battled his way through the field to finish in third place meaning British riders have now locked out the podium on 54 occasions in WorldSBK, with Davies finishing ahead of van der Mark in fourth. Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) lost ground compared to his starting position, finishing in fifth place with Razgatlioglu in sixth after the incident with his teammate at Turn 1. Bautista lost a position to Davies on Lap 15 of 20 when he went wide into Turn 1, allowing Davies to sweep around the outside of Bautista.

Rinaldi finished in seventh place after losing lots of time in the final few laps, being passed by Davies, van der Mark and Bautista in three successive laps. He finished ahead of Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) as the American continued his strong performances in dry conditions in Barcelona.

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was in ninth place with Leon Haslam (Team HRC) completing the top ten. Eugene Laverty picked up points for his efforts with 11th place, just one tenth away from a top ten finish. Wildcard Jonas Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing) battled his way through the field after not setting a time in qualifying, moving up from 21st to finish 12th.

Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) completed the points paying positions by rounding out the top 15. Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) finished in 16th on his first appearance in 2020, ahead of last-minute call up Lorenzo Zanetti (Motocorsa Racing).

Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance), Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing HONDA Team) and Valentin Debise (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) were the rest of the finishers in the race with Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) retiring from the race in the early stages.

P1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

“I had a lot of motivation in this race. It’s my team home race. Obviously, Ana Carrasco can’t be here with us in the team, so this race win is for her and also for my grandfather. It is his anniversary today, 27 years ago he died so I was using that as a lot of power in the race to just never give up. I am super happy for me, my team. I wish the fans could be here, and their families to celebrate with us but lot of info for tomorrow. I am looking forward to that one because in the last laps, the front was moving quiet a lot. In this temperature with this grip level, we just need a bit more for tomorrow. So, looking forward to sleeping on that and coming back stronger tomorrow.”

P2 Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)

“In qualifying I struggled a bit, I think the qualifying tyre was not so good so I started seventh on the grid which is not ideal but I got off to a mega start, then van der Mark came through and made some space for me so it made it a little bit easier. I was behind Rinaldi and I felt good. I needed to get passed him and I got by him, and I lost the rear in Turn 3. This is a corner where we suffer a lot and I tried to push and that’s what happened. He came back, passed me again. He tapped the seat so I thought he was a bit faster than me in some sectors, I tried to see something. I saw the tyre drop and I thought he needed to go and close the gap and had a good run to close the gap a little bit to Jonny, but it was just give and take all the time. So, from seventh to finish second, I am happy with that I must say. It’s a shame we couldn’t fight for the win but in this point of the Championship, we have to get the best results we can, when we can.”

P3 Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)

“Yes, a bit steady the first ten laps, I think. I was giving it everything, but I just didn’t seem to have the ability to get it hooked up in some of the longer corners in the early parts. And then it seems that everybody dropped, well the people I was riding with dropped to my sort of grip and then I was able to move forward, and I stayed maybe a bit more consistent than those who were around me. It is the first 10 laps where we are missing out. Start was good, I was in a good position, I was well placed to go forward but had a lack of traction.”

WorldSBK Race One Results

WorldSBK Championship Standings

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World Supersport

The weather played a massive role in the outcome of the first ever FIM Supersport World Championship race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) claimed a shock victory in a Red Flagged Race 1 for the Acerbis Catalunya Round as Championship leader Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) finished off the podium for the first time this season.

Verdoïa did not pit stop as the rain came down in Montmelo and was the leader at the timing point the results were taken from; with 11 laps of the 17 scheduled completed full race points awarded. Verdoïa becomes the first WorldSSP300 race winner to win in WorldSSP as well as the youngest WorldSSP winner as he claimed victory ahead of Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Kyle Smith (GMT94 Yamaha) who completed the podium; Smith replacing the injured Jules Cluzel for this round.

Championship leader Locatelli finished in fourth place after losing time as the rain started to fall but had been leading in dry conditions. Although he had a poor start and fell into fourth place on Lap 2, a lap later into Turn 1 he passed Mahias, Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha).

Mahias, Smith and Locatelli were the last riders to come into the pits before the Red Flag was shown with all three just about to get back on track after changing tyres in the pits while Verdoïa was able to stay out without pitting, keeping his bike on track to claim victory.

Kevin Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team) secured a stunning top five finish and the lead rider out of the WorldSSP Challenge riders, finishing just ahead of Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) in sixth place and 2019 WorldSSP300 Champion Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) in seventh.

Oettl was in eighth place at the timing point the results were collected from with Miquel Pons (Dynavolt Honda) finished in ninth place; equalling his best finish in WorldSSP. Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) completed the top ten with a tenth-place finish, the Italian securing his best result of the 2020 season.

Loris Cresson (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) finished in 11th place with Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team), Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing), Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) completing the point-scoring positions. Perolari, who had been leading the race in the early stages, finished in 16th place while Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) finished in 18th after showing strong pace in the dry. Oscar Gutierrez (GMT94 Yamaha) had showed strong pace in the dry but lost out due to the timing of the red flag, finishing in 19th place on his debut.

Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) was taken to the medical centre following a crash in the early stages of the race, where he was diagnosed with a right-hand contusion. He will have further assessments following that diagnosis.

P1 Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing)

“I cannot believe it. It’s incredible. I said okay continue, keep calm, don’t crash because in second gear, I was spinning on the straight. It was incredible but I said keep calm, try to finish and maybe next lap there will be a Red Flag. So, I continued, and I thought maybe I was in top 10 so at the end it is a first place, I cannot believe it. It’s incredible.”

P2 Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)

“For sure it is great for the Championship, to secure third place and maybe pushing to come back to second. I am not really happy because one rider entered the pitlane after me and won the race. He was behind during the race, but it is better than to finish fourth or fifth. But when I saw the rain started, I ride a lot in endurance, and I know these conditions a lot. I know that when you have a bit of rain on the track, it’s possible to push for one more lap. I looked at Locatelli with the hand and I thought that it was okay to push one more lap. I got into first position and when I entered in the last corner, I saw the straight line with lot of water, I thought I made the wrong choice and finally it was the right one. I am a little bit lucky. But I hope for nice weather tomorrow for Race 2.”

P3 Kyle Smith (GMT94 Yamaha)

“It’s a really fun ending to the race to be honest. I am happy that in the dry I was riding in fourth position which is good. The rain helped me get on the podium but as well I don’t 100 percent agree with the rules, with how the Red Flag works. It is the way it is. I think that possibly we could have been more fighting more for the victory. Anyway, I am really happy for the GMT94 team which had bad luck when Jules injured himself. I am happy to keep the team on top, where it deserves to be so yes, I am happy.”

World Supersport Race Results

World Supersport Championship Standings

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World Supersport 300

A wet but drying track made conditions tricky for all riders on the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship grid as the Championship hit the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the first time at the Acerbis Catalunya Round where Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) claimed a dominant maiden victory by more than six seconds.

Booth-Amos started from pole position after going quickest in the Tissot Superpole session and led off the line to hold position despite a challenge from behind; Booth-Amos sweeping into Turn 1 into the lead and not looking back as he took his first WorldSSP300 victory. He was joined on the podium by Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo), with the Frenchman securing his first podium in WorldSSP300, and Marc Garcia (2R Racing) in third with the 2017 World Champion making his return to the Championship.

Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) finished the race in fourth place as Championship leader Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) finished in fifth; Buis looking like he was struggling in the first half of the race but recovered in the latter stages of the 10-lap race to finish in fifth and extend his Championship lead. Filippo Rovelli (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) claimed a sixth-place finish as he secured his best WorldSSP300 finish.

Victor Rodriguez Nuñez (EAB Ten Kate Racing) finished in seventh in his first race for his new team, having switched to Ten Kate Racing from 2R Racing, with Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) in eighth place. Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) battled his way through the Last Chance Race to claim a top ten finish in ninth, ahead of Johan Gimbert (GP Project).

Ton Kawakami (Yamaha MS Racing) was another who had battled his way through the field, running in the top ten in the early stages, but dropped back in a mega battle for a top ten finish, the Brazilian claiming an 11th placed finish. Alfonso Coppola (Kawasaki GP Project) was 12th with Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) in 13th; Deroue also fighting through the Last Chance Race. Hugo de Cancellis (Team TRASIMENO) and Meikon Kawakami (Team Brasil AD 78) completed the points-paying positions in 15th.

It was an eventful race for Angel Heredia (DEZA-ISMABON Racing Team) who had multiple incidents throughout the race, though the wildcard was able to get back on his back after each one. Paolo Grassia (Team CHIODO Moto Racing) retired from the race after an incident on the opening lap as did Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Scuderia Maranga Racing) and Nick Kalinin (Battley RT-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki). Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) came off his bike and retired from the race although he did look to return to the track, while Kim Aloisi (ProGP Racing) had a similar accident at Turn 2.

P1 Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki)

“Finally, I get a win! It’s not been an easy year. After Portugal, when I had the big crash, it didn’t hurt but I hurt myself quite a lot, but I didn’t tell anyone. I just carried on through and in Aragon we struggled but our guys have worked hard in between, they only had one week but they´ve brought me a new package this weekend and it’s working really well. This is for them and I want to thank them. I’m a little bit far behind in the Championship but if we keep working and I keep winning races, it’s still possible.”

P2 Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo)

“It was a very difficult race. We didn’t know what the weather would be minutes before the start, but we made the right choice to put a good rain setup on the bike. I want to thank all the people that have brought me here.”

P3 Marc Garcia (2R Racing)

“It was amazing. Ten months without taking a bike and to come back into the Championship and get third position is amazing.”

WSSP300 Race Results

WSSP300 Championship Standings

Source: MCNews.com.au