MX Nationals competitors thrashed their way through the mud, rain and some of the worst conditions experienced at the MX Nationals to make for a punishing opening round of the 2019 Australian Motocross Championships.
The clay based Appin circuit, west of Sydney, took a 130 mm deluge of rain overnight and throughout the day and lead to a change of format that saw only one round of racing completed in each championship class as the water logged track took its toll on riders, teams and machinery.
When even the Kiwi competitors say they have never seen anything like it, well, then you know it was pretty crazy!
MX1 Start
Husqvarna’s Todd Waters was the only rider actually making many of the jumps due to the dire quagmire and worked his way back from a first turn crash, all the way through the pack, quite a feat in the muddy conditions, to eventually overhaul KTM’s Hayden Mellross and Yamaha’s Kirk Gibbs.
Todd Waters
Todd Waters – Winner
“I’m pumped to start the year with a win, although conditions like this don’t really show the hard work that the team and I have been putting in. I’ve ridden in some deep mud throughout Europe over the years, but this is by far the worst I’ve had to race in. I was able to move forward and get past riders after getting caught up at the first corner, but it was a bit of a balancing act all race to find traction, keep the bike moving forward and not getting bogged down in each turn.”
Yamalube Yamaha’s Jay Wilson launched out of the gate rocketed into the first turn, demanding the lead of the one and only MX2 race at Appin. He took control of the race by turn two and settled into a good pace as the pack behind sorted themselves out. By the midway point in the 18-minute plus one lap moto, Wilson had cleared out to a 20 second advantage and kept everyone at arms-length.
Then on the second last lap and well into lapped traffic, Wilson lost valuable time when a downed rider was in his path and the deep ruts and mud made it difficult to change lines or direction. Suddenly his lead was back just a handful of seconds, but the conditions made communications between the team and the rider difficult and Jay was unaware of how much the gap had been closed. This saw KTM’s Jy Roberts close and pass Wilson on the last lap in order to steal victory from Wilson.
Jy Roberts
Jay Wilson – P2
“It was a strange set of circumstances that lead to us finishing second and as a team, everyone was a little disappointed in the outcome given we have such as good lead. But, we will move on from here, learn from what happened and ensure we aren’t in that situation again. We had a chat about it and its no-one’s fault, just the way it played out but from now on, we have decided we are just going to be ruthless if we are ever in the situation again. The team did a great job today on the bike and keeping it running smoothly. It’s tough because the track was so hard on the bikes. They get so hot, you have to keep off the clutch and stay away from the deep water, ruts and mud but the bike was awesome and for me, I’m happy with the start we have made for the championship and ready to go the full ten rounds.”
Jay Wilson
Wilson Todd – P3
“I obviously want to win, but third is a good start for the season for me. I’ve never raced a track in conditions like that before and it was tough to keep enough momentum to move forward without overdoing it in the corners. I focused on my own laps and riding through without battling or taking any extra risks, one mistake and you could be dead last in conditions like that. It’s great to be back in the DPH truck, and the FC250 is a great bike to race. I’m looking forward to getting to round two though and really start racing.”
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 1 – Appin Results – Top 15
Jy Roberts
Jay Wilson +15.866
Wilson Todd +1:03.716
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 1 – Appin Results – Top 15
Jy Roberts
Jay Wilson +15.866
Wilson Todd +1:03.716
Issac Ferguson +1:45.968
Riley Dukes +1:58.864
Nathan Crawford +2:18.527
Cooper Pozniak +2:21.288
Dylan Wills +2:29.244
Wyatt Chase +3:10.699
Aaron Tanti +1 lap
Lyndon Snodgrass +1 lap
Jai Constantinou +1 lap
Morgan Fogarty +1 lap
Chandler Burns +1 lap
Kyle Webster +1 lap
Pirelli MX2 Standings after Appin
Jy Roberts – KTM – 35
Jay Wilson – Yamaha – 32
Wilson Todd – Yamaha – 30
Issac Ferguson – KTM – 28
Riley Dukes – Husqvarna – 26
Nathan Crawford – Yamaha – 25
Cooper Pozniak – KTM – 24
Dylan Wills – KTM – 23
Wyatt Chase – Yamaha – 22
Aaron Tanti – Yamaha – 21
Lyndon Snodgrass – KTM – 20
Jai Constantinou – Honda – 19
Morgan Fogarty – KTM – 18
Chandler Burns – KTM – 17
Kyle Webster – Honda – 16
Pirelli MXD
It was New Zealand based Max Purvis on his WBR Yamaha team machine taking the MXD (Under19 ) round win and starting his year in perfect style. It didn’t come easy for the laid back Kiwi who qualified in 11th place as he came to grips with the difficult conditions. But once the gates fell, Max made the most of his opportunities.
Rhys Budd
He instantly positioned himself inside the top five and made some passes on the opening lap to sit in third place as the field came through on lap 1. With the races shorted to five laps but the lap times around the three minute mark, he needed to keep moving forward and not make any mistakes if a race win was on offer. He moved into second a lap later then on the final lap, the race leader went down, and Purvis was able to capitalise on his mistake and take the race and round victory.
Max Purvis
Max Purvis – Winner
“What a crazy race. I don’t think I have raced in conditions like that before and I’m not even sure if I was racing, I was just trying not to crash. The track was so deep and there wasn’t a single spot where you could relax. My goal was to keep it on two wheels as I know that if I crashed, then I would get mud on my gloves and grips as well as loose vision, so it was important to keep circulating. But if it was tough for us on the track, it was even harder for the guys on the team and the WBR Yamaha team did a great job of getting the bikes prepared and keeping them going so it was a good round for all of us.”
Motul MXD – Moto 1 – Appin Results – Top 15
Maximus Purvis
Rhys Budd +15.181
Micheal Murphy +53.366
Round two of the MX Nationals now heads to Wonthaggi in Gippsland Victoria where riders and teams will be hoping for slightly drier
New South Welshman denied of maiden premier class win.
Image: Foremost Media.
Hayden Mellross has accepted responsibility for the 10-second penalty that was handed down to him during yesterday’s sole MX1 encounter of Appin’s Pirelli MX Nationals opener.
The 10-second penalty was added to Mellross’ overall time, ultimately granting Waters the victory by 1.449s on his return from the MXGP World Championship.
“I’ve actually watched the footage on NRGTV to see where it was,” Mellross told MotoOnline.com.au. “When they handed me the penalty after the race yesterday, I was a little upset and disappointed for my team and myself.
“It was one of those racing incidents where there was a guy in my line, we were coming up the inside before the finish line and I drifted to the inside to block myself from getting passed – I just drifted a little too far and ended up on the inside of the turn. I didn’t intend to go that far, but once I turned on the mud I couldn’t go back.
“I was in a race situation and I heard Todd in the background, so I accelerated. It was all my wrong doing – if I had of backed off the throttle and rolled through there, I would’ve been alright. I was winning a MX1 moto and I had Todd behind me, so I guess the instinct was to just twist the throttle.
“It wasn’t intentional to run off the track in that corner, and it just happened to be in front of the officials and Todd. I definitely made the mistake on my behalf there and I accept the penalty – I’m not going to dispute it, I’ve accepted that I was in the wrong.”
The New South Welshman hasn’t raced the MX Nationals full-time since 2014, with second position at the opening round still marking a strong start to his campaign in the premier category.
“It’s definitely a strong start, but it’s obviously not the round we would’ve liked having muddy conditions,” he continued. “I know myself, Gibbs, Clout and Waters, we’ve all been working out butts off and were hoping to have a showdown to see where everyone was at.
“The mud brought us an unpredictable race circuit, and I was just lucky to get a great qualifying lap in which led to a good gate position. It’s good points, and to come away with second is definitely a positive step for us. Obviously I want to seal the deal and get that number one plate, but there’s no one to blame for that – I’ll take the penalty and cop it on the chin.”
The MX Nationals will now head to Wonthaggi in Victoria for round two of the series, scheduled on 31 March.
Sydney Motorsport Park event hampered by wet weather conditions.
Image: Foremost Media.
Paul Byrne has clinched the 2019 QBE Insurance International Festival of Speed TT Cup at Sydney Motorsport Park over the weekend in a rain-affected three days of racing.
Just three legs of the scheduled five TT Cup outings were run, with both of Sunday’s final encounters being abandoned due to dangerous weather and track conditions.
Piloting DMR Motorsport prepared Suzuki XR 69, Bryne went onto lodge a 2-5-1 scorecard throughout the three races hosted during Friday and Saturday, edging former British champion Glen Richards by two points for the top spot.
Former World Superbike and grand prix racer Michael Rutter completed the podium in third ahead of grand prix winner Jeremy McWilliams and Aaron Morris. All-time Isle of Man TT victor John McGuinness encountered an issue in race one, bouncing back to wind up 10th in the classification.
Alongside the legends and TT Cup contenders were 400 classic race bikes battling in an extensive race program, boasting trans-tasman and international challengers fighting for class honours.
Highlights of the International Festival of Speed included the ever-popular spectator parade laps, trade stands, motorcycle club stands, legends autograph sessions as well as general public access to pit garages and the main grandstand.
Empire Kawasaki talent to seek further medical advice on injured elbow.
Image: Foremost Media.
Popular Victorian Dylan Long says he feels fortunate to escape a DNF at Appin’s opening round of the 2019 Pirelli MX Nationals yesterday in New South Wales with minimal damage to his points situation.
The Empire Kawasaki talent, who was making his debut with the official Kawasaki outfit, was taken down in turn one of the MX1 outing, resulting in an injured elbow and leaving him unable to continue in the brutally muddy encounter. Optimistic the injury isn’t too serious, Long will undergo further medical evaluation this week.
“I got together with a few guys in the first corner, I unfortunately went down and hurt my elbow,” Long explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “I think it’s just a hyperextension – Racesafe want me to go get some x-rays to see how it is, but I personally think it’s not too bad.
“It is an elbow that I’ve hurt before, so that is a little bit worrying. We got pretty lucky there was only the one race – I think a few people would’ve had results they didn’t want being as muddy as what it was. I tried to get back out there and finish, but I’m lucky it was just the one race and not two where I could’ve lost a lot of points in.”
The conditions promoted a mixture of results amongst top contenders, playing into the favour of a select few while hampering a significant portion of the field. Todd Waters (DPH Motorsport Husqvarna) emerged victorious in heroic effort that saw him climb from last through to first.
WorldSBK 2019 – Round Two
Chang International Circuit, Buriram
Superbike Superpole Sprint Race
Sprint Race Start
A frenetic opening lap started Sunday’s 10-lap Tissot Superpole Race, with Rea bolting into the lead and Bautista slotting in behind.
Jonathan Rea, Alvaro Bautista
It wasn’t long until the Spaniard made his way ahead but in a similar style to their collision at turn three yesterday, ran wide and Rea sliced back under him. Bautista got back ahead at turn four whilst Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) began closing in too. Lap one completed, the top five consisted of Bautista, Rea, Lowes, followed by Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).
Leon Haslam
Bautista started to pull away from the reigning four-time WorldSBK Champion, who had a lot on his hands with Alex Lowes’ pressure. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) retired from the Tissot Superpole Race, having retired from Race 1 yesterday. Leon Haslam was making moves and got into fourth position ahead of Marco Melandri at turn three.
Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes
Lap three and the race looked like it was coming alive, because whilst Bautista was pulling away, it was Jonathan Rea who set the fastest lap of the race, slashing the Spaniard’s initial gap down to under half-a-second.
On lap four, Van der Mark got his chance to get ahead of Melandri, as the Italian ran wide at turn eight and allowed the Dutch star through. Melandri then ran wide again at the final corner, allowing his teammate Sandro Cortese through. Melandri would take the place back a few laps later.
Whilst one Ducati was out front, Chaz Davies’ difficulties continued but he was able to close down Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) throughout the race and eventually got ahead of the Turk. Soon after, the red flag was shown after an incident at turn three, halting Davies’ charge ahead.
Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Racing) and Thitipong Warokorn (Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team) had a collision at turn three, bringing the red flag out and the race to a close. The Thai rider had been taken to the medical centre but has been sent to hospital for further assessments.
Bautista was declared winner ahead of Rea and Alex Lowes, who was just a fraction behind the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK rider. Michael van der Mark was arguably the biggest beneficiary, moving from tenth on the grid to fourth after finishing just outside the podium placings. Completing the top five was Leon Haslam.
Superbike Superpole Sprint Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
R Gap
Speed
1
A. Bautista
V4 R
0.000
309,5
2
J. Rea
ZX-10RR
2.042
301,7
3
A. Lowes
YZF R1
0.415
299,2
4
M. Van Der Mark
YZF R1
2.661
301,7
5
L. Haslam
ZX-10RR
0.669
303,4
6
M. Melandri
YZF R1
0.280
303,4
7
S. Cortese
YZF R1
0.330
301,7
8
C. Davies
Panigale V4 R
/
309,5
9
T. Razgatlioglu
ZX-10RR
0.619
300,0
10
T. Sykes
S1000 RR
2.335
297,5
11
M. Rinaldi
Panigale V4 R
1.182
302,5
12
L. Mercado
ZX-10RR
2.071
295,1
13
J. Torres
ZX-10RR
0.534
301,7
14
M. Reiterberger
S1000 RR
1.691
296,7
15
A. Delbianco
CBR1000RR
/
284,2
Not Classified
RE
T. Warokorn
ZX-10RR
/
300,0
RE
L. Camier
CBR1000RR
/
300,8
RE
R. Kiyonari
CBR1000RR
/
265,4
NS
E. Laverty
V4 R
/
/
WorldSBK 2019 – Round Two
Chang International Circuit, Buriram
Superbike Main Race Two
Superbike Main Race Two
The third and final Superbike race of the Thai weekend saw Bautista lead from start to finish.
Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) couldn’t take a challenge to Bautista but had to deal with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in the early stages. At the end of the first lap the leading trio had a slight gap over Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK).
Alvaro Bautista
Soon, the big battle came from the scrap for fifth position, with Van der Mark, Melandri, Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) and Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati). Turn 3 was once again a prime overtaking area, with Melandri trying a move on van der Mark at Turn 3, with both running wide and allowing Chaz Davies to get a better drive down the straight and by Turn 4, the Welshman had got ahead of both Yamaha riders!
Leon Haslam
Melandri re-took Davies at Turn 8 but the race winner from Buriram in 2018 fought back at Turn 12. Cortese and van der Mark made the exact same succession of moves; a thrilling spectacle in the early stages.
Alex Lowes
Luck wasn’t going the way of Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who had to retire his S 1000 RR on lap four. Melandri and Davies had a close call on the same lap, with the Italian forcefully moving aside his former teammate at Turn 9, allowing van der Mark to go through, whilst Chaz Davies had to recover right at the back of the group. It wasn’t long however before Davies himself would suffer the same fate as Sykes. The 29-time WorldSBK race winner retired on lap eight, a wretched start to the season for the Welshman in contrast to the perfect run from his new team-mate.
Bautista dominated to take the victory by more than ten-seconds, ahead of Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes. Michael van der Mark was able to hold off a late charge by Leon Haslam, whilst Marco Melandri finished in sixth position for a fifth race in a row. Van der Mark’s fourth place means he stretches his finishing run to 21.
Behind the leading six, Sandro Cortese became the first German since Max Neukirchner in 2008 to finish six consecutive races inside the top eight, with his seventh position.
Eighth belonged to Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team), a great performance on his debut in Thailand. Razgatlioglu managed to hold off Jordi Torres as they completed the top ten.
Superbike Rider Quotes
Álvaro Bautista
“Three wins, three fastest laps and Superpole means that it has been a perfect weekend for me! We knew that it was going to be an important race because Kawasaki have won here so many times, but the whole team worked well with the bike over the weekend and it all came good. It wasn’t easy however because the Panigale V4 R is new everywhere we go and everything has to be discovered from scratch. Right from the beginning I had great confidence with the bike and only made small adjustments for the set-up we know. I just want to say thanks to my team and all the people in Ducati because they have done a fantastic job, I’m so happy! Now we have some time to rest before we go to my home race. I’m really looking forward to that and can’t wait to race at Aragón in front of my Spanish fans.”
Álvaro Bautista
Chaz Davies
“I’m obviously disappointed not to have been able to finish the race and see the true potential that we had today especially after the progress we made this morning. Regarding the technical problem, after feeling something was a little bit amiss when I lost some speed, I decided to save the engine and think about the season ahead. It was disappointing not to capitalize on our improvement, because today I had a good race pace and the feeling with the bike was much better. We’ve got some clear ideas on the direction to take and there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. Now we have the test at Aragon before the race, which is a good opportunity for us to make some more gains.”
Jonathan Rea
“The best we could hope for today was a brace of second places and we managed to achieve that, albeit with a lot of pressure from Alex in the final race. He kept really pushing, as he had in the sprint race, but I just had that little bit extra in the end of race three to go away. I want to thank my team for giving me a good bike this weekend and there is always some work to do to improve the package. I felt this weekend we struggled a little bit with front end stability, especially when the front was moving a little bit in that second part of the final race, in the sectors where I was strong. Behind my visor I was giving it 110% especially in those early laps to try and keep in the slipstream as long as I could. As soon as I lost that it was back to managing my own race. I am taking home 49 points again and we will try to build on that in Europe.”
Jonathan Rea
Leon Haslam
“It was more consistent for me in the second race today. We were running the bigger brake discs, which I did not have the best of feelings with this weekend, but in general we made a big step with the bike. I can say now that I have been suffering with a tapped nerve in my back, which flared up just before I came here, and I have had to take painkilling injections. I struggled a lot this weekend and I am glad it is over, in some ways. I need some rest and then we can start again in Aragon. I had not been to Chang for four years. It was always going to be tough with just two 50-minute sessions and going straight into it. So to get three fifth places, I am quite happy.”
Leon Haslam
Alex Lowes
“I was really happy with Race 2 today. I felt really good for 12 or 13 laps and I thought I might be able to challenge Johnny for second with the pace I had, but then I started struggling a bit near the end and had to roll off a little and take advantage of the gap to the group behind. Overall, it’s been a great weekend, for me and for Michael. He pushed me really hard in the race yesterday and to come from tenth on the grid to finish fourth in the Superpole race was difficult for him. We’ve both done a really solid job for the team, but we need to continue working just as hard when we get back to Europe if we’re to close the gap to the front two guys.”
Alex Lowes
Michael van der Mark
“In warm-up this morning I felt good on the bike and when we made some small changes for the Superpole race I felt quite strong. The fourth place in the Superpole race was really important, because it meant I started this afternoon from the second row of the grid. I got a good launch from the start and then worked a bit with Alex, which was good, but already from the first lap I didn’t feel so comfortable with the front of the bike, maybe because the temperature was so much higher. I struggled a little, so couldn’t stay with Alex and then I made a small mistake and lost a lot of places. From there I had to work my way back to the front of the group, where I was able to maintain a consistent pace to finish fourth once again. I think we can be really proud about this weekend, with Alex’s three podiums and my three fourth place finishes. We’ve made some progress and, hopefully, we can make another step in Aragon.”
Michael van der Mark
Marco Melandri
“It was a very difficult weekend for me, because from the first session we struggled a lot with the stability of the bike. Also I wasn’t confident, as I had a lot of trouble to make the bike turn in the very long corner and the bike was moving a lot everywhere. Coming back to Europe I think we need to refresh the mind and start from zero, because I understand what I need, but it will take us some time. What is important is to keep working and making improvements step-by-step.”
Sandro Cortese
“I’m happy about the work we’ve done today. Yesterday the gap to the group in P4, with Marco and Leon Haslam, was ten seconds. Today, until four laps from the end, I was with the group fighting for fourth place. Unfortunately, in the closing stages I had a big near high-side and lost contact with the group. But we made a very big step on the performance; it might be two seventh places on paper but in reality, the two results were completely different. I think our work paid off and for that I have to say thanks to my crew. Now I’m looking forward to the next race in Aragon.”
Tom Sykes
“After a couple of laps I felt that something was wrong. It’s a bit frustrating because we had made a change to the bike and it really felt good. On the positive side I’m really surprised to come here to this race circuit and to be inside the top ten with our disadvantage on the straight. So to be inside the top ten is really promising in my opinion. Honestly, in the approach and entry of many corners, the chassis and the set-up on the BMW S 1000 RR is really an advantage compared to our competition. So overall there are quite a lot of positives for me to take. The negative is obviously, as we saw in Phillip Island, that we are giving a lot away on the straights but hopefully that won’t be a problem anymore in the not so distant future.”
Tom Sykes
Markus Reiterberger
“In the Superpole Race, I had a great start and was right behind Tom after the first corner. I also had nice battles on the opening laps, but then another rider almost got me off the bike and I had to go straight. As a result, I lost six positions. When I then made a mistake, the race was more or less over for me. In the main race I struggled with the issue that has been causing us difficulties all weekend: that I could not delay the bike well enough and I had no feeling for the front of the bike. We tried to get a grip on that and improved things step by step, but unfortunately it just was not enough over the distance, especially when it got hotter and the grip level went down. Our gap towards the front mainly results from the time lost on the straights, but I’m not worried about that. Here I trust the guys in the factory that we get more power, and then the results will be better as well. But I have to continue to work on getting confidence in the front wheel when turning in and in the corners.”
Markus Reiterberger
Ryuichi Kiyonari
“Let’s start with the positive part of this weekend, which is the fact that we made a little progress both in terms of my feeling with the bike and my lap times. Not as much progress as we want of course, but we have been fairly consistent. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same feeling during the race and I felt very frustrated. I just kept trying and doing my best, but I cannot say I’m satisfied with my race weekend. I’ve felt great support over the weekend from our fans, everyone in the team and in Honda and I want to repay them all with more than this. I have understood more about certain aspects which I hope will allow me to improve both my riding style and my bike setup. I’ll continue working hard to improve”.
Ryuichi Kiyonari
Leon Camier
“I think Warokorn hit Mercado in front of me. He went down and I literally had nowhere to go and unfortunately I hit him and crashed. He seemed out in that moment, so I tried to get the race stopped immediately. I just hope he is ok. I also damaged my knee in the crash and so could not take part in Race 2. I need to go back to Andorra, and have it checked by my doctor, then we will see what we need to do and make a plan for my recovery. As for the race, up until that moment, I was suffering with similar issues to yesterday to be honest, so I was struggling although I was trying to do the best I could.”
Leon Camier
Superbike Main Race Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
Speed
1
A. Bautista
V4 R
0.000
308,6
2
J. Rea
ZX-10RR
10.053
300,0
3
A. Lowes
YZF R1
12.368
300,8
4
M. Van Der Mark
YZF R1
17.378
302,5
5
L. Haslam
ZX-10RR
17.518
303,4
6
M. Melandri
YZF R1
18.925
305,1
7
S. Cortese
YZF R1
23.281
300,0
8
M. Rinaldi
V4 R
28.444
305,1
9
T. Razgatlioglu
ZX-10RR
33.156
299,2
10
J. Torres
ZX-10RR
33.224
302,5
11
M. Reiterberger
S1000 RR
40.164
297,5
12
R. Kiyonari
CBR1000RR
53.511
300,0
13
A. Delbianco
CBR1000RR
1’08.576
287,2
Not Classified
RET
7 C. Davies
V4 R
13 Laps
305,9
RET
66 T. Sykes
S1000 RR
17 Laps
298,3
RET
36 L. Mercado
ZX-10RR
/
/
RET
50 E. Laverty
V4 R
/
/
WorldSBK Championship Points Standings
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
1.
Bautista Alvaro
Ducati
124
2.
Rea Jonathan
Kawasaki
98
3.
Lowes Alex
Yamaha
69
4.
Van Der Mark Michael
Yamaha
61
5.
Melandri Marco
Yamaha
54
6.
Haslam Leon
Kawasaki
51
7.
Cortese Sandro
Yamaha
40
8.
Rinaldi Michael Ruben
Ducati
40
9.
Razgatlioglu Toprak
Kawasaki
25
10.
Sykes Tom
BMW
19
11.
Davies Chaz
Ducati
18
12.
Tore Jordi
Kawasaki
18
13.
Reirerberger Markus
BMW
14
14
Laverty Eugene
Ducati
12
15
Mercado Leandro
Kawasaki
11
16
Camier Leon
Honda
9
17
Kiyonnari Ryuichi
Honda
5
18
Delbianco Alessandro
Honda
3
World Supersport – Thailand
Jules Cluzel got a brilliant start from pole position but slotting in behind him at Turn 1 was Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing), who got a rapid start from sixth position. Federico Caricasulo remained third after the start initially before Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) pushed his way through into the leading three.
Jules Cluzel
Isaac Viñales lost his initial advantage down the straight and by the end of the opening lap, was fourth, behind Cluzel, Caricasulo and Japanese sensation, Okubo. 2nd place starter, Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) had a terrible start and was down in eighth.
In the early stages of the race, two-seconds covered the leading eight riders. Austrian rider Thomas Gradinger was making good progress, lapping the fastest rider on track on lap two. However, just a few laps later, his Yamaha YZF R6 was forced to retire at Turn 3, after it began smoke began to emit from it.
Isaac Viñales was continuously impressing throughout the race, making a brilliant pass at Turn 4 ahead of Federico Caricasulo, before challenging Jules Cluzel at the final corner for the lead, before running wide and allowing Cluzel to take him back on the run down the front straight. Meanwhile, Randy Krummenacher began to recover from his bad start, fighting his way ahead of Hector Barbera (Team Toth by Willirace) and Raffaele de Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse).
As the race battle continued on, Turn 3 was a hub of overtaking activity, with little success making it a great spectacle, resulting in the eventual drag-race to Turn 4. With the leaders tripping themselves up, Hikari Okubo and Randy Krummenacher were able to close down the margin to the front. Krummenacher managed to get ahead of Okubo with five laps left.
Out front, hard moves were now being placed, with Jules Cluzel and Federico Caricasulo continuously swapping positions, resulting twice in Caricasulo being pushed wide at Turn 8 – both occasions seeing him lose more places. The top three battling was a fantastic spectacle, but Randy Krummenacher continued to close, in his quest to give Switzerland its first back-to-back WorldSSP wins.
On the penultimate lap, just 0.7s covered the leading four, with Hikari Okubo now being dropped in fifth. Caricasulo went for a move at Turn 3 for the lead, holding it until yet again being pushed wide at Turn 8. This allowed teammate Krummenacher to come through into second, with the battling behind Cluzel starting to pave the way for the Frenchman to have an easier final lap.
With the last lap, Caricasulo started to push in what was now just a battle for second place, taking his teammate at Turn 3, before Krummenacher took him back down the straight to Turn 4. Isaac Viñales wasn’t out of it yet either, as he tried at Turn 8, only with Caricasulo to fight back straight away at Turn 9.
Jules Cluzel took his 18th WorldSSP race win and Yamaha’s 80th in the class! Krummenacher fought back to finish second, with Caricasulo holding on for third. Viñales, De Rosa and Okubo were just behind, whilst completing the top ten was Hector Barbera, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) who started from the back of the grid, Loris Cresson (Kallio Racing) and Hannes Soomer (MPM WILSport Racedays) rounding out the top ten.
Jules Cluzel – P1
“There was no way I could pull away from the group because they are so strong, as we’ve seen since the start of the season, and I knew this was going to be the case today. The pace was a little slower than on the long run I did on Friday and even warm-up this morning; I was expecting many 1’37 laps in the race, but I didn’t manage this once. I believe we didn’t make the best tyre choice, but I still won the race, so I’m happy about that. I want to thank the GMT94 team and Yamaha for giving me a winning bike here. Obviously I’ll be looking for the same result in the future, but I know it will be difficult as everyone is so strong, but that’s the aim.”
Jules Cluzel
Randy Krummenacher – P2
“It wasn’t the best start for me, as I got pushed wide, but that’s racing. Everyone was really fast in the first laps, all pushing hard, but then I found my rhythm and was able to start to move up through the field until I caught the leading group. To be honest, second was the maximum, as Jules was the best today, but I’m happy with second place; the season is long and we are on the right way.”
The Asia Talent Cup Round 2 in Thailand saw Sho Nishimura compound his lead, despite claiming two second place finishes, with the wins shared between Afridza Munandar in Race 1 and Tatchakorn Buasri in Race 2, with Nishimura’s consistency proving key across the weekend.
Australian Jacob Roulstone claimed seven championship points across the weekend
Race 1 also saw Samuel Voight claim 12th for four championship points, while Jacob Roulstone was 14th with two points. In Race 2 Luke Power came home tenth for six points, while Roulstone was 11th for five.
Race One
Afridza Munandar took his first ever Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup win in Race 1 at Chang International Circuit, pitching it to perfection in a frantic final corner to emerge ahead of Japanese duo Sho Nishimura and Takuma Matsuyama. As ever, everything went down to the wire in a last dash shuffle, but the Indonesian emerged ahead to open his victory account.
Afridza Munandar leads Takuma Matsuyama
At lights out it was home hero and pacesetter in practice Tatchakorn Buasri who got the holeshot from pole, but Matsuyama struck early and made it past two riders in Turn 1 to take the lead. From there it was the Japanese rider dueling Buasri initially, but a group was on the chase comprised Adenanta Putra, Munandar, Nishimura, Warit Thongnoppakun, Piyawat Patoomyos, Adbul Mutaquim and Shoki Igarashi. As the race settled into a rhythm, however, it was Matsuyama leading a group of five at the head of the race and Thongnoppakun seeming to start to fade.
Soon after though, the Thai rider got his head down and closed back in on the leading quintet of Matsuyama, Putra, Munandar, Buasri and Nishimura to make a lead group of six, but it wasn’t long until Indonesian rookie Herjun Firdais was able to get in the mix too. Chopping and changing and jostling for position, the laps ticked down until the hour of reckoning: the final lap.
Asia Talent Cup – Round 2 – Chang International Circuit
By then Firdaus was struggling to tag back on to the group and the stage was set for a six-man tussle at the final corner – exactly what it became. Buasri seemed to have found himself a little out of position for an assault on the win and Putra had suffered a big moment not long before, but the final turn, as it would turn out, belonged to Munandar.
The Indonesian went bravely round the outside, able to keep his speed up and avoid the squabble at the apex before gunning it to the line in style, just ahead of those nipping at his heels.
The Race 1 finish line saw five riders within 0.2s
It was elbows out to complete the podium though, with Nishimura just able to hold off Matsuyama in some Qatar deja vu to keep his Championship lead, with home rider Buasri left off the podium in fourth. For the polesitter and the pacesetter for most of the weekend, that will be something he’ll be desperate to improve on in Race 2.
Australian Samuel Voight
Putra completed the top five ahead of Thongnoppakun, with impressive rookie Firdaus in seventh. Fellow debutant, Malaysian Idhil Mahadi, took P8 and a big step forward from Round 1, with Patoomyos, Syarifuddin Azman and Mutaquim all in extremely close company just behind.
Australian Harrison Voight, Hildhan Kusuma, Jacob Roulstone and Rei Wakamatsu completed the points, with Igarashi the final finisher after sliding out at the final corner mid-race but getting back on.
Asia Talent Cup – Chang International Circuit Race 1
Afridza Munandar
Sho Nishimura +0.074 20
Takuma Matsuyama +0.094 16
Tatchakorn Buasri +0.161 13
Adenanta Putra +0.166 11
Warit Thongnoppakun +0.290 10
Herjun Firdaus +2.788 9
Muhammad Idil Fitri Bin Mahadi +9.848 8
Piyawat Patoomyos +9.942 7
Syarifuddin Azman +10.101 6
Abdul Mutaquim +10.165 5
Samuel Voight +20.531 4
Hildhan Kusuma +20.711 3
Jacob Roulstone +46.688 2
Rei Wakamatsu +1’12.207 1
Shoki Igarashi +1’12.208 0
Race Two
Tatchakorn Buasri got a taste of home glory as his took victory in a dramatic Race 2 in Thailand, with the race red-flagged and the Thai rider in the perfect position at the perfect time after fighting in the front group throughout from pole.
Points leader Sho Nishimura took second despite a crash as the race result was counted back to the last time over the line, escaping a disaster for his title hopes, with Race 1 winner Afridza Munandar completing the podium.
Asia Talent Cup – Round 2 – Chang International Circuit
Buasri got a barnstormer of a start from pole, taking off into clean air as Adenanta Putra gunned it behind him and was able to close in for an attack at Turn 3. The Thai rider hit back soon though and Takuma Matsuyama closed in on the duo in the lead as the long freight train off the line remained incredibly close behind them.
With everyone having gained a little more experience of Chang International Circuit in Race 1, it was closer on Sunday as that huge group of riders remained tightly packed together.
Two or three abreast at times, the squabble saw the majority of the field fighting it out in the initial stages. The lilkes of Buasri, Matsuyama, Putra, Munandar, Warit Thongnoppakun, Nishimura, Idil Mahadi and Piyawat Patoomyos were just hundredths apart and the fight for the lead stretched from first place back into the distance.
Tatchakorn Buasri in the lead in Race 2
As the laps ticked down, however, it was a 12-rider train that emerged at the front and was able to make a bit of a break for it, with the racing and jostling for position keeping the same frantic pace. With seven laps to go, a crash for Syarifuddin Azman saw the Malaysian fall out of contention and the group became 11, but the battle was headed for an as-yet unknown dramatic crescendo.
With three laps to go, Abdul Mutaqim suffered a problem and dropped back from the group, making it a ten rider train settling in for the final fight. But then drama suddenly struck as Championship leader Nishumura slid out, the crash seeming like a disaster for the rider who won the first three races of the season. The drama, however, was far from over…
Takuma Matsuyama
Lightning struck twice in as many minutes in the front group as a crash between Firdaus and Mahadi took them out of the mix, the incident bringing the Red Flag out soon after. That meant the result was counted back to the last time over the line and it was home hero Buasri who’d been leading the pack then; delight for the Thai rider after missing out on a podium in Race 1.
It was a stroke of luck for Nishimura just behind in second as the Japanese rider, by virtue of having been able to remount after his crash, gets classified second – the position he was in over the line before the incident.
Race 1 winner Munandar completed the podium for a top weekend in Thailand, with Putra in fourth and Matsuyama locking out the top five as he loses some ground in the title fight. Thongnoppakun took sixth on home turf, ahead of Shoki Igarashi and Patoomyos. Mutaqim takes P9, mitigating the issue he suffered after the group crossed the line for the final time.
Luke Power completed the top 10 in Race 2
Australian Luke Power won the battle to complete the top ten and pipped compatriot Jacob Roulstone, with Ryosuke Bando in P12, ahead of countryman Rei Wakamatsu. The final finisher was Kadir Erbay, after Hildhan Kusuma and Harrison Voight tangled at the final corner earlier in the race and failed to finish.
Mahadi was taken to hospital for further and final check ups.
That’s it from Buriram and another top weekend in Thailand, with Nishimura retaining his advantage in the standings as we head for Round 3. That’s at Sepang International Circuit as the Cup race alongside Malaysian Superbike from the 14th to 16th July.
Dirty visors are not only a nuisance but a safety risk, but the glove-mounted Visorcat washer/wiper allows you to clean your visor on the go.
Visorcat is made of rubber with a webbing strap that goes around your hand.
There is a rubber loop to go over your finger or thumb, a reservoir for the provided visor wash and two 75mm-long (3”) windscreen-wiper-style blades that sit on the back of your hand, below the knuckle.
Underneath the blades is a sponge.
You wipe right to left to remove rainwater with the double rubber wiper blades.
Wipe right to left to clear your visor with the double rubber blades
If your visor is dirty and needs a wash first, you wipe left to right.
The curved edge of the wiper flap pulls back automatically to reveal the sponge underneath which is moistened by the supplied washing liquid.
Wipe left to right to use the sponge
There’s a wick connecting the sponge to the reservoir to keep it moist.
Make sure the sponge is wet to start with and the reservoir is full.
Win a Visorcat
You can win one of these $105 Visorcats simply by subscribing to our free weekly newsletter. Click here to subscribe.
If you’re already one of our subscribers, simply tell us what you think of Visorcat by leaving a comment at the end of this article.
We’ll randomly draw the winner at midnight on Friday (22 March, 2019) and announce their name in this article and on social media on Saturday. The prize will be posted to the winner. (Competition limited to Australian postal addresses.)
Visorcat review
I was initially quite sceptical of this product. It looked cumbersome and, frankly, a bit ridiculous.
However, it’s easy to fit over your left glove and tighten with the strap to stay in place.
Once in place you can hardly feel it’s there and it doesn’t in any way limit your clutch hand movement.
I also thought it would be a nuisance every time I took my glove off or put it on, but it actually stays in place, so there’s no need to remove it.
If you do want to remove it, just undo the strap and it comes off in a second.
The wiper blades are great for quickly and effectively wiping rainwater off your visor.
On wide visors you may have to wipe up to three times to cover the whole field of vision, but generally one wipe will clear enough of the visor for good vision.
I prefer to wash off grime, insects, dust, etc with water or a cleaning liquid. If you wipe it straight away, you are liable to scratch your visor.
Even if you can’t see the scratches, you may have made very small scratches which cause a blurry “starring” effect when looking into the sun or car lights at night.
I was reticent to use the sponge washer, so I tried it first on an old helmet.
You have to make sure the sponge is well and truly moist before wiping across your visor.
I preferred to pull over and check that the sponge was wet first. I even added an extra dob of the liquid directly on to the sponge just to make sure.
I tried it several times on the old helmet and it worked fine without any visible or even minor scratching. That made me confident enough to try it on a brand new visor. It left no scratches.
However, I would not use it on a very dirty or dusty visor. I’d rather douse the visor with plenty of water first.
The Visorcat works just fine for light grime such as a small bug straight after you’ve hit it.
And isn’t that usually the case? You’ve just cleaned your visor, hopped on your bike and in the first kilometre you hit a bug right in the middle of your field of vision!
With the Visorcat you don’t have to stop, but can keep on riding.
Ducati pilot defeats Rea in Superpole race and race two.
Image: Supplied.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has continued his dominance in the 2019 FIM Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), earning victories in the Tissot Superpole race and race two at Thailand’s second round of the series.
Despite Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) leading into the first turn of the Superpole race, Bautista emerged victorious after the race was stopped early due to a red flag for an incident at turn three.
Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea HONDA Racing) and Thitipong Warokorn (Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team) had a collision at turn three, bringing the red flag out and the race to a close. The Thai rider had been taken to the medical centre but has been sent to hospital for further assessments.
Bautista was declared winner ahead of Rea and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK), who was just a fraction behind the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK rider. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) was arguably the biggest beneficiary, moving from 10th on the grid to fourth after finishing just outside the podium placings. Completing the top five was Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).
Bautista took yet another race win to become the first rider since Neil Hodgson to win the opening six races of a WorldSBK season, back in 2003! Bautista completed another lights to flag victory in dominant fashion on his way to more records!
With lights turning green, the final race of the Pirelli Thai round got underway, with Bautista able to hold onto first position from start to finish. Rea couldn’t take a challenge to Bautista but had to deal with Lowes in the early stages. Bautista dominated to take the victory by more than 10 seconds, ahead of Rea and Lowes. Michael van der Mark was able to hold off a late charge by Haslam.
The FIM Supersport World Championship (WorldSSP) race at the Chang International Circuit was once again a thrilling 17-lap encounter. Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) took a stunning win after leading the majority of the race, although having to battle hard with the rest of the front running protagonists too.
Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) fought back to finish second, with Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) holding on for third. Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing) and Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) were fourth and fifth respectively. The WorldSBK now heads to Aragon in Spain for round three of the series, scheduled for 5-7 April.
Be Wiser Ducati’s Scott Redding claimed the fastest time at the official BSB Official Test at Portimao on Day 1 from Honda Racing’s Xavi Forés, with only 0.026s separating the two, despite a crash earlier in the day leaving Redding on the back foot.
Forés was fast straight out of the blocks, putting his track knowledge to good use to maintain a position at the top of the times throughout the day, before he was pipped in the closing stages by Redding.
Xavi Forés
Redding had been inside the top five before lunch, but a crash at turn five ended his morning session prematurely, whilst Josh Brookes climbed the order to third in the final ten minutes, nudging Tommy Bridewell down to fourth.
Andrew Irwin had a strong opening day on the second Honda Racing Fireblade, holding a position inside the top three before ending the day in fifth place as Brookes and Bridewell improved in the final 20 minutes.
Tarran Mackenzie didn’t attempt a time attack in the closing stages of the day, but his earlier time put him sixth fastest ahead of Team WD-40’s Claudio Corti and Luke Mossey, who had been running inside the top five earlier in the day.
Jason O’Halloran had been making strides forward in the afternoon with the McAMS Yamaha but a crash in the afternoon at turn 13 when he lost the front sidelined him from the remainder of the day despite being uninjured. Danny Buchan completed the top ten for FS3-Racing Kawasaki.
Ben Currie continued his Superbike learning curve to finish the opening day 13th quickest while Billy McConnell trailed Gary Johnson in the Superstock 1000 ranks.
BSB 2019 Portimao Test Day One Times
Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) 1m:44.502s
Xavi Forés (Honda Racing) +0.026s
Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.175s
Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +0.731s
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) +0.824s
Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +0.923s
Claudio Corti (Team WD-40 Kawasaki) +1.010s
Luke Mossey (OMG Racing Suzuki) +1.021s
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +1.040s
Danny Buchan (FS3-Racing Kawasaki) +1.082s
Josh Elliott (OMG Racing Suzuki) +1.113s
Glenn Irwin (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +1.315s
Ben Currie (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +1.964s
Matt Truelove (McAMS Yamaha) +2.124s
Ryan Vickers (RAF Kawasaki) +2.440s
Jack Kennedy (Macadam Yamaha) +2.682s
Fraser Rogers (Gearlink Kawasaki) +2.871s
Alastair Seeley (Be Wiser Ducati) +3.017s
Sam Coventry (Team 64 Kawasaki) +3.593s
STK Gary Johnson (RAF Kawasaki) +3.855s
STK Billy McConnell (OMG Suzuki) +4.074s
STK Lee Jackson (FS-3 Kawasaki) +4.502s
STK Tom Neave (Honda Racing) +4.636s
SS Brad Jones (Macadam Yamaha) +4.786s
SS Harry Trulove (Yamaha) +5.002s
STK Eemeli Lahti (Staff Quick Connect Kawasaki) + 5.132s
While most riders like to expose themselves to the elements, there have always been inventors trying to make the ultimate airconditioning unit to cool riders.
The latest comes from Bruce Hammond of Hammond Brothers Motorsports, Colorado, who has invented a turbofan that blows cold air at the rider from the handlebars.
Bruce with his AC turbofan
Bruce, 35, says motorcycles are not always going fast but spend a lot of time going slow in traffic when it can get very hot.
His airconditioning unit features thermoelectric cooling that uses electricity to release cold air. It is similar to those used in wine coolers and mini fridges.
It’s a much more compact system than large compressor units that circulate liquid refrigerant.
Bruce invented his airconditioning unit after living and riding in Florida’s oppressive heat.
It took him more than four years to develop and cost him $US21,000 to secure two vital patents for his design.
So far he only has produce cumbersome-looking prototypes and has not yet gone into production.
We wish him luck.
Another example of Bruce’s cool AC fan (Images provided by Bruce)
Airconditioning riders
Riding in hot conditions is not only uncomfortable but can be unsafe.
However, we have not been able to get in touch with the company for an update.
Because AC units are usually bulky, some of the “solutions” feature units that are mounted on the bike.
For example, the bulky 4.5kg BikeAir unit sits on the back seat of the bike and plugs into a special jacket that allows the cool air to flow through.
EntroSys BikeAir motorcycle air-conditioner
Honda has also patented a stand-alone, tank-mounted air-conditioning unit, but it has not yet hit the market.
It draws hot air through mesh openings in the sides of the tank bag and passes it over an ice pack stored underneath and a blower powered by rechargeable batteries to blow cool at the rider.
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