News 9 Sep 2019

Rea and Bautista split Sunday WorldSBK race wins at Portimao

Image: Supplied.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) have split victories in Sunday’s pair of races at Portimao’s 10th round of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK).

The Superpole race saw reigning champion Rea emerge victorious over Bautista, while Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha) locked out the top three ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team).

A thrilling race two at Portimao fired the championship race back into life as Bautista overcame a poor start and a shoulder injury to triumph over Rea in a final lap run to the line. With plenty of drama from lights out and slipstreaming battles soon following, groups were scattered right through the field and provided a packed Portimao plenty of action.

Off the line and it was a blissful start for Rea from pole position but a disaster for Bautista, who plunged down the order to sixth place after lap one. Razgatlioglu was a fast starter and up to second, ahead of Haslam. Lowes was fourth and teammate Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) was fifth, ahead of Bautista – but the Spaniard was right in the hunt as the group remainder close together.

Bautista soon began his comeback, first picking off van der Mark down the front straight at the end of lap one, before picking off Alex Lowes two laps later. The comeback continued and he hit third a lap later, before slicing ahead of Jonathan Rea to momentarily lead with 15 to go. But Razgatlioglu had other ideas, as the Turkish rider hit the front of the field.

With Razgatlioglu and Bautista leading, Rea had to try and find a way to react to the change of the guard at the front. Haslam was still in the mix with the two Pata Yamahas just sat behind, with the front six covered by just one second. A lap later, the horsepower of the Ducati propelled Alvaro Bautista back into the lead of a race for the first time since Misano, and the Spaniard soon began to put the hammer down.

Rea fought back on his fellow Kawasaki rider Razgatlioglu, but whilst he closed up on Bautista, he wasn’t able to make a move on the Spaniard. Further back and at half race distance, isolation of the leading six began to set in. Lowes made his move on Leon Haslam with 10 to go, after the ‘Pocket Rocket’ lost an entire second to his fellow Brit.

One rider to watch was Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) as he closed on the battle for fourth. Behind them, Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) were squabbling over ninth, just behind Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK).

With the gap between Bautista and Rea extending to over a second, and Razgatlioglu sat in a safe third place – barring acts of God – the big battle on track was for fourth, with Alex Lowes and Leon Haslam swapping places with five laps to go. At turn three, Michael van der Mark parked his Yamaha in the way of Haslam, bringing Loris Baz right into play. Haslam fought back however, and a lap later at Turn 5 he was back into fifth place and chasing after Alex Lowes.

In the closing laps, the race began to come alive at the front, with Rea lapping quicker than Bautista and the gap coming down to less than a second, although with two laps left to run, it was beginning to look a little bit late for Rea to return to the front. However, his teammate – Haslam was climbing all over Lowes in the battle for fourth.

On the final lap, the gap at the front closed dramatically and Rea was right with the Spaniard, but on the run to the line, Ducati power prevailed over Rea’s resilience. Bautista was back on top and took the verdict, winning for the first time at Portimao. Rea was second and Razgatlioglu took a 10th career podium in third. Lowes held-off Leon Haslam but Loris Baz made it to sixth and beat Michael van der Mark. Lowes therefore returns to the third overall.

Marco Melandri putting in a hearty effort for eighth place, whilst Tom Sykes was able to beat Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) in the remaining places inside the top 10. Jordi Torres was eleventh and couldn’t return to the top ten, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team), Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) and Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) completing the points.

The gap comes down to 91 points in the championship race, but the battle for third is well and truly alive, with 45 points covering third to seventh.

In WorldSSP, Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) captured victory in a red-flagged encounter ahead of Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), as the WorldSSP300 class was taken out by Scott Deroue (Kawasaki Motoport), joined on the podium by Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) and Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300).

Australians Tom Edwards (ParkinGo Team Kawasaki), Joel Kelso (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) and Tom Bramich (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) were 11th, 12th and 28th respectively. WorldSBK now heads to Magny-Cours in France on 27-29 September.

Detailed results

News 8 Sep 2019

Drama-packed Winton ASBK overall win to Maxwell

Image: Russell Colvin.

A drama-packed final encounter at Winton’s fifth round of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) saw Mike Jones (DesmoSport Ducati) emerge with the race win after two restarts before being declared due to worsening weather conditions, however it was Wayne Maxwell (Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia) who claimed the overall victory.

Race two was initially reduced to 10 laps after two restarts due incidents at turn two – the first claiming Mark Chiodo (Penrite Honda Racing) in a nasty high-side that also saw Kyle Buckley (Kawasaki BCperformance) crash heavily, while the restart saw Daniel Falzon (Yamaha Racing Team) and Lachlan Epis (Kawasaki) crash separately at the same turn.

It was once again Maxwell and Jones who led from the second restart – which was declared wet, yet majority of riders remained on slicks – as title contender Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) ran wide in the opening laps and returned to the circuit at the rear of the field.

Meanwhile, reigning champion Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing) was making quick moves from P12 on the grid, and actually charged by Maxwell and Jones into first as the duo raised their hands in acknowledgment of the worsening weather conditions.

The race was declared at that moment, with positions from the previous lap counting towards the race result paying just half points. Subsequently, Jones was credited as the winner over Maxwell and an extremely frustrated Herfoss.

Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance) was fourth ahead of Josh Waters (Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia), as Arthur Sissis (Suzuki), Aaron Morris (Maxima BMW), Damon Rees (Honda), Halliday and Matt Walters (Kawasaki Connection) who completed the top 10.

Overall, Maxwell benefited from race two awarding half points to capture the win ahead of series leader Jones and Herfoss. Jones now leads Halliday by 11.5 points.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Points leader Tom Toparis (Landbridge Yamaha) reigned supreme in difficult track conditions, securing the race two win in the Supersport category. Cube Racing’s Oli Bayliss challenged for the lead early on before being passed by Toparis, and was then challenged by Broc Pearson (Yamaha), however a crafty manouver with just two turns to go saw him reclaim runner-up honours.

Richie Dibben (Suzuki) and Jack Hyde (Yamaha) locked out the top five, while it was Toparis who claimed the overall win ahead of Pearson and Ty Lynch (Yamaha).

Hunter Ford (Yamaha) broke through for victory in the final Supersport 300 race, edging out Senna Agius (Kawasaki) and Brandon Demmery (Yamaha), while it was Yannis Shaw (Kawasaki) who captured the overall ahead of Ford and Max Stauffer (Yamaha).

Demmery was victorious in the last Yamaha R3 Cup, joined on the podium by Stauffer and Ford, with the overall going to Demmery, Ford and Locky Taylor (Yamaha).

The final Oceania Junior Cup race saw Archie McDonald (Yamaha) earn victory ahead of Carter Thompson (Yamaha) and Reece Oughtred (Yamaha), with the top three overall being granted to McDonald, Thompson and Angus Grenfell (Yamaha). The ASBK now heads to Phillip Island for the penultimate round on 4-6 October.

Detailed results

News 8 Sep 2019

Champion Rea charges to race one victory in Portugal

Image: Supplied.

Reigning champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) charged to victory in the opening encounter at Portimao’s 10th round of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorlSBK) after starting from pole.

With the race getting underway, it was Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) got the holeshot and took the lead into turn one but there was drama behind.

A lunge from Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) saw him barge his own teammate Alvaro Bautista out of the way, forcing Bautista right down to 18th place after the Spaniard tagged the back of Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team).

By the end of lap one, it was Rea leading Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Chaz Davies was up to fourth and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) made a bright start in fifth.

At the end of lap three, Davies and van der Mark had disposed of Leon Haslam, with the Kawasaki rider fading. But two laps later, and Davies had got ahead of Tom Sykes at turn one, with van der Mark taking advantage at turn three before Haslam took the 2013 WorldSBK champion at turn six.

On the front straight, Razgatlioglu got ahead of Sykes at the end of the lap, capping off a bad lap for the Huddersfield rider. Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) was the first crasher of the race at turn eight but remounted and was back racing.

Further back, Bautista was caught up behind Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) in the battle for ninth, with the two veterans of motorcycle racing swapping paint between turn nine and 12. However, Bautista made it ahead at the end of the lap and soon, got ahead of Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK).

Back in the fight for fourth, and it was Tom Sykes who crashed at turn 13, not the way he wanted to celebrate a contract extension for 2020. Sykes re-joined and was back in the points by the halfway distance.

Whilst they scrapped it out for the remaining podium positions, Jonathan Rea had already built up a lead of over three seconds and was well on his way for an eighth consecutive Portimao victory. Unrivalled, untouched and unbelievable dominant, Rea had come into his own in Portugal.

With 11 laps to go and with tyre life now becoming a factor, Razgatlioglu made his move at Turn 3 and got ahead of Leon Haslam. The Independent rider was ahead of the factory rider and now, Razgatliolgu had two seconds ahead of him until the podium battle between Davies and van der Mark. In seventh place, Alvaro Bautista was beginning to close on Alex Lowes, who was having a quiet race in sixth position. Bautista was the fastest rider on track, in a race of ‘what could’ve been’.

With nine laps to go, Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) came into the pits to end what had been a disappointing race. The Irishman was on pole at the Portimao venue in 2018 but that kind of success had been far away a year later. Back in the battle for fourth and Leon Haslam had got back ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu and began to edge clear with seven laps to go. But now, a new threat was very much in the fight: Alvaro Bautista was taking chunks out of the gap, lapping nearly a second a lap quicker.

At turn five with six to go, Bautista took advantage of Lowes’ error as the British rider ran in too deep; Bautista was now sixth. Further up, the battle for second had calmed, with Davies seemingly able to break away from van der Mark.

Bautista cleared Razgatlioglu with three laps to go on the straight and tried to get ahead of Haslam at turn three, but the Brit held on and toughed it out through turn four, as the three battled hard. A lap later and Bautista used the top speed of the Ducati and took fourth from Haslam, where he would stay until the chequered flag.

Across the line, it was Jonathan Rea who took the win and extended his championship lead to 94 points. Chaz Davies was a safe second from 12th on the grid and van der Mark a settled third. Bautista came home fourth ahead of Leon Haslam, whilst Toprak Razgatlioglu faded to finish in sixth, but all the way from 13th on the grid to finish as top Independent.

Alex Lowes was seventh, ahead of Sandro Cortese, Marco Melandri and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team), just edging out Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) to complete the top 10.

Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) claimed pole position in the WorldSSP category ahead of Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), as Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team), Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) and Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) completed the top three in WorldSSP300 qualifying.

Australians Joel Kelso (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki), Tom Bramich (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) and Tom Edwards (ParkinGo Team Kawasaki) qualified 13th, 25th and 27th respectively.

Detailed results

News 8 Sep 2019

Capacity claims no concern for DesmoSport Ducati’s Jones

Image: Foremost Media.

Current Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) leader Mike Jones has addressed any claims that he has an unfair advantage riding the 1285cc DesmoSport Ducati.

Jones, who replaced team co-owner Troy Bayliss after he was injured at the opener, stormed to the fastest-ever lap of Winton during qualifying yesterday at 1m19.994s.

There has been increasing discussion behind the scenes from competitors in relation to the capacity of DesmoSport’s 1299 Panigale R Final Edition, including a minor jab from title-rival Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) at the post-qualifying trackside podium yesterday.

“I know there’s been a been a bit of talk about the bike, the capacity and how fast it is or whatever [laughs]…” Jones commented when queried by CycleOnline.com.au. “But, I don’t know, those have been the rules for longer than we have had the motorbike.

“At the end of the day, you go racing and if you can be on the fastest motorbike then that’s the best thing that you can do. I’ve been fortunate in the past to be on quick motorbikes against the other guys and there’s always been that complaint. It’s not like it’s just the motorbike – you’ve gotta be able to ride it as well.

“It’s good to know that the other guys are getting a little bit frustrated though because you know that’s what they’re thinking about going into the races. It makes it better for me [laughs]!”

The ASBK regulations permit twin-cylinders to use up to 1300cc displacements, while four-cylinders are restricted to the more traditional 1000cc engines. DesmoSport Ducati has continued to use the 1299 FE – first introduced by the team last season – while Bayliss develops the latest Panigale V4R ahead of their 2020 campaign.

Fours are permitted a slight weight benefit at no less than 168 kilograms, while twins must weigh a minimum of 172kg. It’s understood Jones’ bike was in fact lighter than Hallidays R1M in qualifying trim yesterday, without taking the fuel levels into account.

It was another remarkable performance from Jones on Saturday despite limited dry track running this weekend, eclipsing the previous Winton benchmark of 1m20.160s set by defending champion Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing) last year.

“In ‘Superpole’ I was able to give it 100 per cent and with the combination of the bike from the DesmoSport Ducati team, we had the quickest set-up,” Jones added. “It’s really confidence-inspiring, because at Morgan Park I proved in the long races that we could go all the way to the end and be really fast.

“I definitely didn’t expect to go that quick. I’d went pretty close to that time at the test, but the conditions were much better and so were the actual track conditions – it just hasn’t been quite as good this weekend, so I was surprised to see that time.”