WorldSBK 2021

Pata Yamaha and KRT riders this week took to the track at Aragon and got plenty of laps in on the afternoon of day one before rain blew in to rule out any useful test data being obtained from the planned second day of testing.

Andrea Locatelli completed 59 laps yesterday, utilising just a half day of testing from 1pm onwards as the morning’s wet conditions improved and enabled the team to finalise development testing for the 2021-specification Yamaha R1 WorldSBK.

Andrea Locatelli

“Yesterday I had a strange feeling with the bike which was maybe due to the condition of the track. It was very different compared to the last test, but in the end we continued to work on the bike and were able to confirm some new parts for 2021. This was the main thing to work on for now, even if for me the performance level yesterday was not perfect. I am sure that when we come back here, we will have some areas for improvement and will also try and improve the feeling on the bike. But I am happy for this test because we were able to work on the data to confirm some 2021 developments, and now we will return with a clear focus on the performance.”

The shortened running means that Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK will return to MotorLand Aragón as a complete team, with both Locatelli and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, next month with track running from Tuesday 4 May.

Andrew Pitt – Locatelli Crew Chief

“Turned out we didn’t get a lot of running but fortunately we got out yesterday for a full afternoon of dry time. It seemed as though track conditions changed quite a bit due to different temperatures and a lot of car testing here in between the two tests. We left the first test here at Aragon very happy with the feeling and quite positive going forward into this next test, with the aim of trying to refine the package a little bit. We looked at a lot of data with Loka and together with our Öhlins technician Luca [Federzoni] to assess and look at areas where he could improve. The afternoon unfortunately became a little bit of a rush, we tried to get as much done as we could – and due to the fact that Toprak was not here, the responsibility of helping to define the final pieces of the 2021 package fell largely on Loka’s shoulders. We had a lot of components to work through, and kept him in “workman” mode providing clear feedback and ticking things off the list. Loka, as a racer, obviously wanted to improve his performance and it is a delicate balance to manage, but we got through every item on the list for Yamaha and additional feedback for Pirelli. It was very constructive from that point of view even if we did not get the chance to focus on pace. Our next test before the first race will be working on giving Loka a stable bike and work on his outright pace so that he can come to the first event full of confidence.”

Razgatlıoğlu returned to Turkey following his Covid-19 isolation period in Barcelona, he feels physically fit and is eager to test developments to his #54 Yamaha R1 WorldSBK in preparation for the FIM Superbike World Championship’s opening round on 21-23 May.

KRT were also present with Jonathan Rea joined by Alex Lowes as the #22 continues to get back up to speed following a pre-season injury that had prevent him from participating in some of the earlier test sessions staged this year.  The wet start and the track being recently used by cars – which take different racing lines and leave rubber on the track surface in different places from bikes – combined to provide less than ideal surface conditions but intense work from all involved saw the required programme of work completed for both riders.

As well as making set-up improvements on the new Ninja Lowes confirmed that the after-effects of a recent shoulder injury have been put behind him, feeling much closer to 100 per cent than he did after the previous tests.

Alex Lowes

“Unfortunately, on day two it was raining so we have English weather in Spain! At one stage it looked like both days would have rain but luckily yesterday I did 73 laps and my shoulder felt much better than during the most recent Montmelo tests. This is really positive. From the bike side of things we worked on some corner exit electronics and chassis settings, trying to improve my feeling in this area. It is the same work that we did in Jerez and Montmelo, and we continued that same testing plan in Aragon; it was really positive. I think this is the best I have felt since my first ride on the Ninja ZX-10RR. We have three or four things just to tick off the list before the first race but I am really happy. We did a good job here with the guys so now I am looking forward to chilling out and coming back fresh for the next test.”

Marcel Duinker – Crew Chief for Alex Lowes

“We understood yesterday that the final day would be possibly wet so we did 73 laps and managed to test all the items we had. Of course the opening race weekend is coming closer now so most of the day was spend in preparations for a race weekend. We are very confident because the speed was there, the consistency was there. The bike is performing well, the rider is happy so in the next test it will be a case of fine tuning our preparations for the first round.”

Rea only rode in the afternoon of day one but still completed all his testing tasks, including one fast time attack lap at the end, on what is a new model Ninja in road and WorldSBK specification for the 2021 season.

Kawasaki’s latest Ninja ZX-10RR features engine, chassis and aerodynamic changes from the previous model, including a higher rev ceiling and internal front winglets that generate significant extra downforce at high speed.

Jonathan Rea

“The test has been really positive. Even if the track was a little bit ‘green,’ because we had a lot of water on the surface and we had to wait until lunchtime to ride, we were able to confirm a lot of items we tested at Montmelo. The track is different but it also has some similarities, so that means the outcome is positive. These items were mostly chassis related, so it means we could really start to put the package together. I could feel my rhythm was getting better lap-by-lap. We rode a lot on our race set-up, understanding all our potential and starting to really get ready for race weekend in a few weeks. We saw that day two would be wet so we decided to do one time attack at the end of the first day and we were able to be quite fast. We will now move on to more testing before the race. I feel really good with the bike and the team; everybody has been working really hard and I now am excited to get back home and then finish off my preparations.”

Pere Riba – Crew Chief for Jonathan Rea

“On the first morning of this test the track was still a little damp so we decided to only ride in the afternoon and use half a day of testing time, from 1 until 6. There were cars on the track before us and the grip was a little bit strange but we followed the plan and confirmed some things that we had already testing in Portimao and Montmelo. Step-by-step we have been arriving at the starting point for the first race of the season here at Motorland. We did not just focus on a lap times but finally Johnny was happy with the bike and he made a good lap time. His physical condition was good. Of course some more time on track would be good because this year we have not been so lucky with the weather. Everywhere we have been there has been rain on some days, but this is something we cannot control. We will keep working and the next test will be here at Aragon again. I hope we are more lucky with the weather but overall we made all we wanted to at this test and we will keep on building our base and speed from Jonathan.”

Both Kawasaki and Yamaha will undertake one final pre-season test, again at Motorland Aragon, between 4-5 May. The first round at Motorland, from 21-23 May, will be followed one week later by round two at Estoril in Portugal, making it a busy start to a season that has already been delayed by ongoing restrictions related to the global Covid pandemic.

2021 WorldSBK Calendar

Source: MCNews.com.au

2020 WorldSBK – Round Five – Aragon

A new face stepped on top of the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship podium as Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GoEleven Ducati) claimed a sensational maiden victory in Race 1 for the Pirelli Teruel Round at MotorLand Aragon. Rinaldi had started from second on the grid and had topped all three Free Practice sessions.

Despite appearing to get a bad start, Rinaldi held second place on the opening lap but used the straight line speed advantage of his Ducati machine to pass Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) on the run to Turn 16 on the opening lap and from there, he did not look back; lapping consistently faster than the reigning Champion.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi – P1

“It’s unbelievable! I’m very happy but I don’t know how to explain this emotion right now. It was a difficult year last year but this year I’ve found a family. Always I’ve had some people behind me who support me in difficult times. Now we are here! I couldn’t hope for a better race and I will enjoy this.”

Rea finished the race in second place, almost six seconds behind Rinaldi but the 20 points gained on Championship rival Scott Redding (Aruba Racing – Ducati), with Redding crashing out on Lap 7 while under pressure from Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC), means the five-time Champion is now 30-points clear of Redding.

Jonathan Rea – P2

“Track position at Motorland is everything so we put a lot of concentration into that Superpole lap. Thanks to the guys for giving me a great bike and the lap was good. I decided to go early in the Superpole session because I thought that if I could go out on track just on my own, with no distractions, there would be no excuses. I was super-happy with the lap time and a clear view into T1. I knew that if I could be in front I could dictate the pace more. With the temperature going up the softest SCO rear tyre would be an option for a lot of people, so sitting on the grid I knew I might have to attack and defend on different fronts, and manage my race accordingly. When Michael came through it was obvious which tyre he was on because in two corners he had a gap. I was hoping he would come to me as the race went on but Michael did a really good job.”

Scott Redding – DNF

“It was a very difficult race because since the first laps the feeling with the front was negative. 30 points? It’s a big gap to give to an experienced driver like Jonathan Rea. Now we have to do our best to beat him in every race. My goal is to continue to fight for the championship and I will certainly not give up now after the great work we have done so far. It is clear, however, that we will have to make great improvements to try to recover the disadvantage“.

Redding’s Aruba Racing – Ducati team-mate, Chaz Davies, claimed a podium as two Ducati machines finished in the top three. Davies was in a battle for third with Bautista before the Spanish rider crashed at Lap 14 on Turn 14 and retired from the race.

Chaz Davies – P3

“Getting on the podium is always nice even if I must admit that I would have preferred to take a step forward compared to the two second places obtained last weekend. The weather conditions were very different and this forced us to work a lot on the bike and tires. I chose to race with the soft tire (X) but I had to manage from the first laps to finish the race with a good pace unlike Rinaldi, who has a different weight and could push to the maximum. Anyway, I congratulate him for his extraordinary victory“.

Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) finished in fourth place for the 18-lap race as the lead Yamaha rider, one place ahead of team-mate Toprak Razgatlioglu.

Michael van der Mark – P4

“This morning we were just unlucky in Superpole, I caught a slower rider on my quick lap so I had to roll off and try again, but the best of the tyre was gone so I had to start from 12th position – which is far from ideal, especially at this track. We knew we had a good pace and would need to have a good start – I managed to pass a couple of guys from the beginning but I was using the softer “X” tyre and understood that I had to stay calm and try to be consistent. It was a bit of a lonely race after I’d made the initial passes but it worked out to stay calm and consistent, and in the end we finished fourth which is not so bad. I think we can improve the bike a little bit and tomorrow in the Superpole Race I need to fight hard for a better starting position.”

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P5

“Today my qualifying position was not bad, much better than last weekend, but I went wide at Turn 1 of my fast lap so maybe there was more time to be gained. From seventh position on the grid, I made a good start on my Yamaha R1 and in the beginning of the race I tried to follow Redding in the front group. My rear grip was better than last weekend but after six laps it was not possible to keep going forward with the podium group. We take good points in fifth today, and tomorrow we will fight in the Superpole Race to get a good starting position for Race 2.”

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) battled both the field and illness to take a sixth place finished after a titanic battle with numerous riders while Leon Haslam was the first Honda home after Bautista crashed out fighting towards a podium finish.

Alex Lowes – P6

“I want to say a massive congratulations to Michael Ruben Rinaldi. To win your first WorldSBK race is an amazing feeling. I remember when I won my first one. For me it was a tough race today. I have been struggling physically this weekend so I missed this morning’s practice session. I had no energy and I have not been able to keep any food inside so the race was really tough for me. I tried to make a good start and just race the guys in front of me. But that was still one the toughest races I have done so far because I had no energy to force the bike around. I had a little fight, which made me focus on the race, and we managed to take sixth position.”

Leon Haslam – P7

“A challenging race today. The weekend has been going better and we’ve been more consistent over the practices but in the race I struggled right from lap one, especially with the front tyre. I was having to really manage my riding and the lap times were not as good as what we’d seen during the practices. I battled with Sykes and Lowes and finished seventh, but honestly I was anticipating a top-five finish which our pace over the weekend indicated. Hopefully we can resolve some of the issues ahead of tomorrow’s races and we’ll see what we can do.”

Alvaro Bautista – DNF

“Firstly I want to apologise to my team, but I really wanted to score a good result. I made a fairly good start to the race and through the first laps I was doing better than I have early on in other races, which was very positive. In terms of pace, I was able to stick fairly close to the frontrunners, Rinaldi aside. I was up there fighting for the podium for the best part of the race but in the final stages I started to have a problem changing gear through certain corners and at one point, this caused me to run wide which allowed Davies to pass. I knew I was on the limit, but I tried to defend my position and unfortunately I crashed. On the one hand, I’m angry with myself for not settling for fourth, but on the other, I’d have been angry if I didn’t try to push for third. I’m really sorry for the team of course, as they didn’t deserve that result. We need to focus on the positives, in that we’re up there fighting and also scored our best grid position so far this season, and tomorrow we have two more opportunities to demonstrate our determination and hard work.”

Eugene Laverty (BMW) claimed his best result of the season with eighth place with Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha) claimed a top ten finished ahead of Tom Sykes (BMW).

Eugene Laverty – P8

“Actually, it has been our best race so far this year. Starting from 16th is still difficult but unfortunately at the moment we can’t go faster with the bike, but at least we can keep a good rhythm in the race. It’s tough from down there but I managed to come forward in the second half of the race and I used a bit of my experience to manage the bike well in the end when the tyres were slimy and the others suffered and were making mistakes while I kept smooth and came forward. It was a good race and I think we have definitely done something. For tomorrow’s Superpole race I’ve given myself a task because it’s going to be tough from P16 but I will be aiming for the top nine because that gives you a top nine grid position for race two. That is going to be my only goal for the Superpole race. And in the final race – no matter where I will be starting from – I’ve got to go forwards. We are trying to improve the bike further and to finish the weekend on a real high.”

Tom Sykes – P10

“It’s a shame today as we are still riding around some limitations. In Superpole, it’s very easy to manage the BMW S 1000 RR, I feel very relaxed on the bike and where I need to be. In the races we certainly have some strong points, but we are still missing out quite big in some areas so that is difficult. For the race we had a good start, but ran into trouble with braking as I was overriding the bike, which ultimately had a knock-on effect in the remaining 12 laps. It’s tricky but we are always learning. I’d rather have a difficult year this year, build up the knowledge and come back next year stronger, but for now it’s hard to take. On paper and the way things feel, I know I am so much better than this. For sure, like I said, there are some really strong points on the package, just at the moment we are not able to see the full potential of the BMW S 1000 RR. There is good spirit from the boys, the whole of the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team are trying new things and working hard so we will come back tomorrow and give it our all.”

Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) finished in 11th place ahead of Loris Baz (Ten Kate Yamaha) in 12th. Just four seconds separated Lowes in sixth and Baz in 12th to show how competitive the WorldSBK field is in 2020. Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti) secured a 13th place finish while Matteo Ferrari (Motocorsa Racing) secured a points finish on his WorldSBK debut, finishing ahead of Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing Honda Team) to complete the points.

Maximilian Scheib (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was the last classified rider in 16th place after an incident in the early stages of the race, with Bautista and Redding not completing the race alongside Roman Ramos (OutDo Kawasaki TPR), Marco Melandri (Barni Racing Team) and Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) also not retiring from the race.

WorldSBK Race Results

WorldSBK Championship Standings

World Supersport

Italian rookie Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) continued his streak of race victories in FIM Supersport World Championship as he secured a win in Race 1 at MotorLand Aragon for the Pirelli Teruel Round as he survived early pressure to make it eight in a row. Locatelli, like in all races so far this season, started from pole position and claimed the fastest lap on his way to victory.

Locatelli had initially fallen behind Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) at the start but quickly swept past the Spanish rider on the opening lap to regain the lead. Despite trying to pull a gap to the rest of the field, Locatelli was put under pressure in the early laps by Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha); the Frenchman unable to pass Locatelli.

Cluzel would end up in a battle with Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) for second place with the Italian rider getting by despite strong defence from Cluzel; the Frenchman completing the podium but lost more ground to Locatelli in the Championship fight as Locatelli moves 54 points clear at the top.

Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished the race in fourth place ahead of teammate Philipp Oettl in fifth while Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) equalled his best WorldSSP result of his career; the 2019 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship title winner finishing in sixth place.

It was a career best finish for Hungarian rider Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) with a seventh-place finish at MotorLand Aragon; Sebestyen continuing to show impressive pace throughout the weekend as he looks to make a step forward. Gonzalez and Sebestyen had a battle that lasted until the last lap with Gonzalez just holding on. Danny Webb (WRP Wepol racing) finished in eighth place with Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) and Federico Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) completing the top ten.

Alejandro Ruiz Carranza (EMPERADOR Racing Team) finished in 11th place as the highest placed WorldSSP Challenge rider while Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) secured his best result of the season with 12th place. Kevin Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team), Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) and Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) rounded out the points.

Viñales did not finish the race following a crash on Lap 3 while Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) retired from the race after a high-speed crash at Turn 7 on Lap 5. Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) was the first retirement from the race following an incident on Lap 1 while Patrick Hobelsberger (Dynavolt Honda), Hikari Okubo (Dynavolt Honda) and Lachlan Epis (MPM Routz Racing Team).

Andrea Locatelli – P1

“It’s a great day. The work we did this morning was good for the race. We tried to push hard from the opening laps. I can push every lap, this is so good because with the hot conditions we are very strong. We still need to work a little bit for the conditions because maybe it’ll be cooler.”

Raffaele de Rosa – P2

“I am very happy. In the last race I had good pace, but we didn’t improve in qualifying. Today, I did improve in qualifying and it was possible to have a good start. Like always, my first and second lap is not fast but I’m happy at the end.”

Jules Cluzel – P3

“It was a difficult race. I really enjoyed the beginning of the race because I felt like I was strong, but after three or four laps I had a tyre drop and I didn’t understand what happened. I felt this morning that I could do one very fast lap, I did a really fast lap in superpole, but after two or three laps it drops, and it did during the race. It was not easy as I did not know if the guys behind could come back but, in the end, I was an easy third. It was so difficult. I was losing the front everywhere, pushing into the corner entry and sliding like crazy. 16 points is okay for today and tomorrow we’ll try for a bit more.”

World Supersport Race Results

World Supersport Championship Standings

World Supersport 300

Thrills and spills were the name of the game in FIM Supersport 300 World Championship as Victor Rodriguez Nunez (2R Racing) claimed a stunning victory at MotorLand Aragon despite coming through the Last Chance Race and starting from 30th place of the 36-strong grid, claiming victory by just 0.042s.

Nunez battled his way through the field and claimed the lead on numerous occasions but led at the most important time, claiming victory by just 0.042s ahead of Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) in a thrilling battle involving a large number of riders; the top six separated by just one second, showing how competitive WorldSSP300 is. Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) extended his Championship lead with a podium finish, the Dutchman having to fight back after a mistake around the halfway stage of the race at the final two corners.

Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) finished in fourth place with 2018 Champion Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) in fifth place; two of the Championship protagonists staying close to Buis in order to not lose too much ground. Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) finished in sixth place with Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) securing a top seven finish, finishing half a second behind Orradre.

Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) finished in eighth place ahead of compatriot Thomas Brianti (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300); the two Italians secured a strong top ten finish ahead of Adrian Huertas (ProGP Racing) with Alan Kroh (Yamaha MS Racing) missing out on a top ten finished by just half a second.

Meikon Kawakami (Tram Brasil AD 78) finished in 12th place ahead of the recovering Filip Salac (ACCR Czech Talent Team – Willi Race); the Czech rider forced to start at the back of the grid following a penalty but fighting his way to finish in 13th place and a points scoring debut for the Moto3™ regular.

Ton Kawakami (Yamaha MS Racing) was classified in 14th place ahead of Alvaro Diaz (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WSSP300); the Spanish rider rounding out the points-paying positions with a 15th place finish; holding off the challenge from Johan Gimbert (GP Project) to secure one point in the Championship standings.

Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) was the first to retire from the race after an incident on Lap 1 put him out of contention, while Oliver König (MOVISIO by Freudenberg Jr Team) Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki), Glenn van Straalen (EAB Ten Kate Racing), Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) and Kim Aloisi (ProGP Racing) all retired from the race.

Both Australian entrants also got caught up in that early incident but managed to survive and bring their bikes home to the flag, Tom Edwards in P18 and countryman Tom Bramich P23.

Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) and Nick Kalinin (Battley-RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) came together at Turn 1 on Lap 7 forcing both to retire while Hugo de Cancellis (Team TRAISMENO) had a crash at Turn 7 on the same lap; the Frenchman making slight contact with another rider before coming off his bike.

Victor Rodriguez Nunez – P1

“It was a very difficult race because starting 30th is completely different to starting from the front rows. I tried to push a lot, all that I could, and tried to get to the front. When I got there, I tried to get positions lap-by-lap and stay at the front. We are really happy.”

Bahattin Sofuoglu – P2

“This morning, and all this weekend, was a very good start for us as we were always near the top five. In Superpole, we took pole position. In the race start, I had a little bit of pressure on my side and after the start of the race I did my best. There was a little gap but I am happy for second position.”

Jeffrey Buis – P3

“At the beginning of the race, I had a good start, but I made two big mistakes so came back into the group. I needed to fight through that group but at the end of the race I had good tactics and third position is good for the Championship.”

Tom Edwards – P18

“Qualifying P20 made it difficult for race one also a crash in front of me in the first lap put me back in P28 I tried my best to fight my way back up but having front end grip issues made it difficult to overtake but ended up P18. We have some big improvements to make for tomorrow’s race and I think without any first lap drama it should all be okay.”

Tom Bramich – P23

“P3 in Fp3 but didn’t get it together for the qualifying and it made our race hard…the pace is there to fight in the main group but after avoiding an accident on lap 1 it cost us too much time. Some more changes in the morning so let’s see how race 2 goes. Thanks so much to everyone for all the support lately, it means a lot!”

WSSP300 Race Results

WSSP300 Championship Standings

Source: MCNews.com.au

2020 WorldSBK – Round Five – Aragon

Superbike World Championship action continues this weekend with the Pirelli Teruel Round as Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GoEleven Ducati) continued to show impressive pace at MotorLand Aragon with the Italian rider topping both Free Practice sessions on Friday running as he edged out the reigning Champion by just 0.001s.

Rinaldi posted a time of 1’49.840s in Free Practice 1, a good enough time to top the combined timesheets, ahead of five-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) by the smallest of margins as just 0.001s separated the duo after the two 50-minute sessions. Rea’s team-mate, Alex Lowes, finished the session in third place.

Jonathan Rea – P2

“We had a completely calm day on schedule. In FP1 we decided to do some tests with the screen, to have a little bit different shape and try to see if we could improve our aerodynamics and pick up some KMPH. It was very difficult to tell from the data but we had a positive feeling. In FP2 we stuck to the plan to do a long run on the soft tyre, having a race simulation to get some info for tomorrow. I did a full 18 laps. I felt very good physically and the tyre consumption was OK. We worked to our schedule and we were second fastest, so it has been a positive day. I need to make a big effort in Superpole tomorrow because track position is everything here. With my pace being quite strong it means that if I am starting from the front row I may be able to dictate the pace a little bit better.”

Alex Lowes – P3

“We made a change to the bike set-up today and I felt good on the bike. This weekend it looks like the temperatures are going to be hotter than last time and the target is to have three really consistent strong races and get the best results I can. We do not know yet what we can achieve but we will focus on doing the best we can. We are using the settings we used at the test – also last Friday and Saturday – and it feels good; like I am quite competitive. If the temperature is higher this weekend then the races will be quite different from last time and that will be a challenge – and quite exciting, I think. It will not be the same pace or way of racing compared to last Saturday and Sunday.”

Tom Sykes (BMW) finished the day in fourth place as BMW started to bounce back from a challenging Aragon Round at the same circuit while his BMW team-mate, Eugene Laverty finished the day in 12th place as he also looks to rebound following a difficult weekend last time out.

Tom Sykes – P4

“I think we made some steps forwards today. I honestly feel that the BMW S 1000 RR is working very well in the corners, corner entry, and mid turn so we have so many positives to work with, its just the straight line performance that makes our life difficult. We saw this morning when I was out riding alone that I could do what I wanted with the bike, the consistency and lap times were there but we already had some signs that we were on the limit with the braking system, which shows the input I’m giving to the bike. I want to get where we all deserved to be, even this afternoon in the hot conditions the lap times were not too bad, but I was really on the limit with the front and rear so that’s where we need to improve for tomorrow.”

Eugene Laverty – P12

“I’m happy with the progress we made today because we changed the bike radically for this morning. We found some benefits but the negative was clear as we expected. Sometimes you have to make a compromise, that’s been the aim for FP2 to make a compromise but keep the gain we achieved this morning in the long corners. I think its been a good testing day but we are clearly not in the position we want to be in. The key for tomorrow is to get into those front two rows, but right now we don’t have the pace for that. That’s always been my aim but if we can get a good qualifying position for tomorrow, in the hot conditions It will be interesting to see where we end up.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) was another looking to make a step forward following the Aragon Round and finished the day in fifth place while Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) was in eighth place; Razgatlioglu lapping around eight tenths off Rinaldi’s pace.

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P5

“We are working to find more rear grip and now it is one step ahead of last weekend. I am feeling better so far. This morning I had a good feeling on the bike and we tried a different set-up to help the grip. This afternoon was not as good with the hotter temperatures, so I hope we will find an improvement on the morning set-up for these conditions. I am feeling OK but we need to make another step forward – the race is the important part and we will see what is possible.”

Michael van der Mark – P8

“It’s good to be back here this weekend, the conditions are a lot warmer than last time out, so we are still searching a little bit with the set-up of the bike, but the base is there right away. Everyone did a lot of laps last week, and today we focused a little bit on the rear tyre life and worked on the whole package to improve our race rhythm. This will come into play especially towards the second half of the race, where we have to improve. We did not do a “time attack” but I think we did some good quality, important work today.”

Chaz Davies (Aruba Ducati) was sixth fastest after Friday’s action with the British rider chasing his eighth win at MotorLand Aragon while team-mate Scott Redding (Aruba Ducati) also finished inside the top ten with the ninth fastest time overall.

Chaz Davies – P6

“I am quite satisfied with what we did today. It was an interesting day also because the weather conditions were different from those of a week ago with the temperature of the circuit much higher. That’s why we used these two sessions to understand the behaviour of the tires and fix some details on the bike. Tomorrow’s first goal is to get a good result in the Superpole so that we can start in the best possible way both in Race-1 and in the Superpole Race“.

Scott Redding – P9

“We struggled a bit today. It’s true: we improved in the afternoon but the others have also made progress. So it is difficult to assess how effective our improvements have been. However, I am confident also because we are in a better position compared to the free practice a week ago before the great result we got on Saturday’s Race-1. It will be fundamental to qualify in the first row. This would allow us to fight for victory from the very first laps and keep our chances for the championship unchanged“.

Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC), looking to take Honda onto the podium in back-to-back weekends, finished the day in seventh place while team-mate Leon Haslam was in tenth; capping a strong day for the Honda outfit.

Alvaro Bautista – P7

“It has been an interesting day and, all in all, a positive one. As we already had a good set-up from last week, this morning we tried something quite different but we didn’t find anything so special so we went back to the set-up that we know works, preferring to concentrate on the tyre test to see if everything was ok also in the hotter weather conditions. The track is definitely a little less high-performing but I’m still happy with the feeling I got with the bike. I hope we can be faster in tomorrow’s Superpole to get a good starting place on the grid for Race1 and then we’ll see.”

Leon Haslam – P10

“This morning was quite positive. We’ve been working to improve our race pace and the difference between my laps this morning and my last lap this afternoon was just one tenth, so I think we’ve made a good step there. We also wanted to check the bike setting in the hotter conditions and found good feeling through the final stages this afternoon, also managing to maintain good lap times. So we still have work to do but things are looking more stable than they were last weekend.”

Loris Baz (Ten Kate Yamaha) finished the day in 11th place despite a crash in Free Practice 2 at Turn 8; the Frenchman coming off his bike entering the corner. Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti) had a strong performance last time out at MotorLand Aragon and continued that today with 13th in Free Practice, ahead of Maximilian Scheib (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha) and teammate Federico Caricasulo.

Marco Melandri (Barni Ducati) finished the day in 17th place ahead of Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance); Frenchman Barrier crashing at Turn 10 in Free Practice 1 but able to get out on track for the second session. Roman Ramos (OoutDo Kawasaki) was classified in 19th place with Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing Honda Team) and WorldSBK debutant Matteo Ferrari (Motocorsa Racing) rounding out the field.

WorldSBK Friday Combined Times

World Supersport

FIM Supersport World Championship action continued at MotorLand Aragon with Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) topping the combined Free Practice classification for the Pirelli Teruel Round after going fastest in both practice sessions on Friday; the Italian going more than half a second clear of his nearest rival.

Locatelli has won every race, claimed every pole position and secured every fastest lap so far in the 2020 WorldSSP season and has shown impressive pace again as he topped the times on Friday, finishing ahead of Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) as the second-placed Italian rider showed strong pace from the start of the action. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was third after Friday running as the highest place Kawasaki rider on the grid.

Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) was fourth fastest as the Estonian rider looks to rebound from a difficult Aragon Round where he retired from both races, beating Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) by just 0.060s in fifth place. Cluzel, currently second in the Championship, will be hoping to make a step forward ahead of Saturday’s Tissot Superpole and Race 1 in order to take the fight to Locatelli as he has done in the early stages of recent races. South African rider Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) finished the day in sixth place as he chases his first WorldSSP podium.

Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) was seventh fastest for the day after showing impress pace in Free Practice 2; the Spaniard bouncing back from a crash in Free Practice 1 where he was unable to set a time. Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) was in eighth place with Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Hungarian rider Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) once again showing strong pace to be in the top ten.

Federico Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) finished in 11th place ahead of Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) in 12th; Webb once again showing competitive pace in the team run by James Toseland. Alejandro Ruiz Carranza (EMPERADOR Racing Team) was the highest placed WorldSSP Challenge rider in 13th place, ahead of Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team); the Turkish rider crashing in Free Practice 1 but able to get back out on track for Free Practice 2. Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) completed the top 15. Australian Lachlan Epis started his weekend in P21.

It was an action-packed day for Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) as the Indonesian rider crashed in both practice sessions on Friday but able to set the 17th fastest time overall. Patrick Hobelsberger (Dynavolt Honda) also suffered a crash in Free Practice 2 and was slowest overall after Friday running.

WorldSSP Friday Times

WorldSSP300

Action for FIM Supersport 300 World Championship got underway with two Free Practice sessions for the Pirelli Teruel Round at MotorLand Aragon, returning to the circuit just a week after two thrilling races. Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) drew first blood as he topped the combined timesheets as the Dutchman looks to return to the top of the Championship.

The Dutchman’s best time came in Free Practice 1, setting a 2’05.899s to top the timesheets on Friday, almost half a second clear of his next nearest rival in the standings. Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Scuderia Maranga Racing) finished the day in second place after a strong Free Practice 1 showing as he finished ahead of Thomas Brianti (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300); the Italian rider being classified in third place as he continued to show impressive pace at MotorLand Aragon having secured a second place finish at the Aragon Round.

Tom Edwards (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) finished the day in fourth place as the Australian looks to bounce back from a double Aragon retirement. Countryman Tom Bramich finished day one in 30th in what is a 51-rider field.

Nick Kalinin (Battley-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) was the highest-placed Group A rider of the day in sixth place; the Ukrainian rider lapping almost a second of Deroue’s fastest time.

2020 race winner Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WSSP300) finished the day in seventh place as the Turkish rider, like Edwards, also looking to bounce back from a double Aragon Round retirement. Teammate Alvaro Diaz was classified eighth, just 0.027s back from Sofuoglu, with Ton Kawakami (Yamaha MS Racing) and Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) completing the top ten.

Filip Salac (ACCR Czech Talent Team – Willi Race) was classified in 18th place on his WorldSSP300 debut. Free Practice 1 had been disrupted for Group B runners when Hugo de Cancellis (Team TRASIMENO) suffered a technical issue and track; with a Red Flag deployed due to track conditions while Adrian Huertas (ProGP Racing) and Gabriele Mastroluca (GP Project) both crashed at Turn 1.

Numerous riders were unable to take part in the second Free Practice session following sanctions applied after the opening session, while Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo), Sylvain Markarian (Yamaha MS Racing) and Matyas Cervenka (Smrz Racing – Willi Race) all had incidents in Free Practice 2.

WorldSSP300 Combined Times

Source: MCNews.com.au