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Redding and Rea share the Sunday wins at Aragon II

2020 WorldSBK – Round Five – Aragon II


WSBK Superpole Race

Jonathan Rea and Scott Redding both got off the line well and engaged from the start in a heated battle for the race lead in the Superpole race on Sunday. Watching the action from behind them were, in order, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Tom Sykes. Rea attempted to overtake Redding several times over the course of the first four laps, staying hot on the pipes of the Ducati and seeking to exploit even the smallest mistake Redding might make as the World Champ piled on the pressure, but none were forthcoming.

In the meantime, Alex Lowes, who had started from the ninth spot on the grid, put in the fastest lap of the race and gained the upper hand over Álvaro Bautista and Razgatlioglu, moving him into fourth place behind Rinaldi. Three laps from the end, Bautista, Lowes and Chaz Davies were locked in a battle for fourth riddled with overtakes and action all the way to the chequered flag, and it was the Spanish Honda rider who ended up coming out on top. Scott Redding was seeking redemption for his crash in Race 1 on Saturday and he received it in the best possible way, finishing first ahead of Rea and Rinaldi in the Superpole Race.

#TeruelWorldSBK at MotorLand Aragon Tissot Superpole Race
1. Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)
2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.970s
3. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) +3.685s

WSBK Race Two

Race Two

Jonathan Rea went straight to the lead in race two but by the end of the first lap it had been snatched from him by Scott Redding with a brilliant move.

Redding leads Rea and Rinaldi

Behind the leading duo were Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Álvaro Bautista and Chaz Davies. The Italian Ducati rider, who turned out to be the revelation of the weekend, did the fastest time of the race on the fourth lap, thereby earning his second Pirelli Best Lap Award and moving closer and closer to the leading Rea – Redding duo.

Rinaldi and Rea

When the right opportunity presented itself, he took advantage of the duel between the two leaders to make an overtaking move that put him in first place. The battle between Redding and Rea raged on, now for second place, with the five-time world champion getting the better of the Ducati this time, creating a gap and catching up with Rinaldi to put the pressure on.

Rea, Rinaldi, Redding

Rinaldi did an outstanding job defending his position, managing to hold onto the race lead for several laps, including an episode where Rea made an aggressive attempt to overtake, ending up momentarily on the kerb. With three laps to race, Rea was finally able to overtake and make it stick, finishing first and taking home a well-earned victory.

Rea takes victory over Rinaldi

Rounding out the podium for a thrilling race full of upsets and surprises were Ducati riders Rinaldi and Redding. Redding now finds himself now 36 points behind Rea in the Championship standings.

Leon Haslam secured his best result of the 2020 season with fourth place, finish more than a second clear of Alex Lowes in fifth. The duo finished five seconds ahead of Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha); the Dutchman coming home in sixth place.

Michael van der Mark’s team-mate, Toprak Razgatlioglu, finished in seventh place ahead of Loris Baz who fended off challenges from GRT Yamaha duo Federico Caricasulo and Garrett Gerloff as five Yamaha machines finished inside the top ten.

Eugene Laverty just missed out on a top ten finish with 11th place, less than a second away from Gerloff. Marco Melandri (Barni Ducati) scored a points finish with 12th place, with Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti) in 13th.

Tom Sykes became the first retirement from the race when he pulled into the pits on the opening lap while Maximilian Scheib (Orelac VerdNatura) crashed out on Lap 4. Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) crashed out at Turn 7 on Lap 5, forcing the Spanish rider to retire from the race. Chaz Davies (Aruba Ducati) was another retirement from the race after a crash on Lap 13 while he was running in the top five, while Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) also did not finish the race.


WorldSBK Quotes

Jonathan Rea

“We got off to a good start in the Superpole race but when Scott came past quite early it disturbed my rhythm a bit. He set a very good pace. I was strong in the first part of the circuit and although I enjoyed the ten-lap race I realised that today it was going to be second. In race two I realised that instead of managing the race I needed to go through, and then I had a huge ‘moment’. I went all in, full gas in that race. You have to ride on 100% but not make any mistakes. It was more a race for me trying to be clean and not making any errors. With the entry speed I could carry and the stopping performance from the Ninja ZX-10RR – also how we kept the tyre until the end – I felt like we had a better package.”

Aragon WorldSBK
Michael Ruben Rinaldi

“It was a great weekend for us! This afternoon was a little bit colder and I have the soft tyre on like yesterday, but it didn’t pay off because Jonny used the SC0 tyre. With it being cooler, the tyre did not work as well for us. I tried to fight Jonny, but I couldn’t. I did my best and I’m happy.”

Aragon WorldSBK
Alex Lowes

“I have struggled all weekend but I did not complain too much on Friday and just tried to be positive. Since Tuesday morning I have been unable to keep food inside so it was a tough weekend. The set-up changes we made on the bike were good today and allowed me to have some decent results. I could not do any more and I was quite proud of my efforts. I was a shame not to be able to use our potential a bit more. Even this morning, in the short ten-lap race, I was able to go from seventh to near the front but I just didn’t have the energy to keep going.”

Aragon WorldSBK
Scott Redding

“We’ve had a bit of trouble on this circuit. I said that I was not particularly happy to race for two consecutive weekends on the same track especially because when you start with some problems it is always difficult to find the final solution. I tried to race with soft rubber but it was not a good choice because since mid-race I had grip problems. In any case, we are still in the race to win the championship. It is clear that we will have to improve but we will not give up and we will continue to work intensively with the team and all the Ducati Corse guys”.

Aragon WorldSBK
Chaz Davies

“We started well today because the feeling in the warm-up was very good and the race pace allowed me to be incisive in the SuperPole Race. Unfortunately, I was not able to reach the podium that would have allowed me to start from the front row in Race-2, but the feeling was still positive. For this reason, I can’t understand the reasons of the grip problems we had since the start of Race-2: maybe the higher temperature affected, maybe the “0” tire didn’t work at its best. We will have to understand what happened. It is very frustrating to close the weekend with a crash”.

Marco Zambenedetti – Ducati Corse Superbike Technical Coordinator

“In these two consecutive weekends at the Motorland circuit, we have shown the goodness of our project thanks to the results obtained by the factory team riders and Michael Rinaldi. Unfortunately, this was not enough to come out winners from Aragon even if we were able to react well after Scott Redding’s crash on Saturday. We must continue to work hard to improve in the next races”.

Aragon WorldSBK
Michael van der Mark

“It was a difficult Superpole Race this morning, I was expecting more but I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike and we didn’t have the grip I was hoping for, so I was really disappointed to finish 10th. The goal was to get up at least one row and have a better starting position for Race 2 – we didn’t, and had to start P12 again. I made up the places really quick in the main race and just got into a rhythm. I couldn’t do more than to stay consistent. It was a long race and I think we maybe chose the wrong rear tyre, but finishing sixth overall coming from 12th isn’t that bad. On the whole, I think there have been a lot of positives this weekend, it just didn’t come together in today’s races, mainly due to the qualifying position.”

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

“Today, my team did incredible work for me to find a good set-up on my Yamaha R1. This weekend we tried our best but it was only possible to finish in seventh, so while I cannot be fully happy, I really want to thank the team for all their incredible work to help me over the past two weeks. At this Aragón track, I really tried my hardest to be fast but it was not possible in the end. Next race, we will try our best to be closer to the front. Now I am third in the championship again but it is a close fight, so we will see how everything goes in the next races – I want to fight for the win again.”

Paul Denning – Pata Yamaha Team Principal

“It’s been a challenging two weeks for the Pata Yamaha team here in Aragón, as we expected. But the team, engineers and riders honestly couldn’t have given any more. On Michael’s side, yesterday’s qualifying problems came back to haunt us yet again today. To come from 12th on the first lap and expect to have a good position in a 10-lap Superpole Race against such quality competition was a tall ask even in the best conditions. A poor start from 12th in this afternoon’s feature race again made things difficult, so to come through strongly to sixth position was a positive result. Toprak has been a step behind Michael in each of the races here at Aragón – this afternoon was also tough but he gave 100 percent on every lap, always fought for the maximum position and definitely learnt a lot especially today in terms of tyre management and improving in the latter part of the race. He’s now back to third in the riders’ championship with Michael not far behind in fifth. Barcelona and Magny-Cours will suit the R1 far better and we aim to be back on the podium there.”

Leon Haslam

“I’m really happy with the race 2 result as we’ve been trying to put everything together to run a more consistent race and that’s what we did today. I got caught up in a battle with Razgatlioglu in the early stages, but once I passed him, I was able to maintain a strong rhythm and stick with Davies, a rider who is generally very strong at this track. We still have areas in which we want to improve of course but for me, this was the best and most consistent race we’ve had up until now and so hopefully we can take what we’ve learned and apply it at the next round in Barcelona.”

Aragon WorldSBK
Alvaro Bautista

“It was a pity about the crash, we are working really hard and so it’s disappointing. In the Superpole race, we fought hard. I lost a few places off the line but soon made up the lost ground and had some good battles with other riders. In the second race, I made a good start and was part of the leading group. I was on the limit, but this time I was up there with the frontrunners which is positive. Unfortunately though, I lost the front at turn 9 and there was nothing I could do. We might not be making big steps forward but we’re focusing on small details and it is those that make the difference, and I’d say that we are constantly growing. I’m sorry about the way this weekend is ending because the result doesn’t reflect our hard work. At the next round we need to try and find a way to have a little more of a margin in the races. Thanks to HRC and my team as the guys all worked really hard for me again this weekend.”

Aragon WorldSBK
Loris Baz

“Finally something positive in Aragón after a two-week struggle! We never gave in and we kept working hard. We found a few small things and, step by step, we improved the bike to get closer to the other Yamahas. During the second race, Toprak hit the brakes too early on a corner entry due to a problem on one of his tyres. I had to go straight to avoid riding into him and I lost a lot of time. I was able to recover step by step and I was enjoying myself. I think my pace was one of the best amongst the Yamaha riders. I managed to pass Marco Melandri, Garrett Gerloff and Federico Caricasulo on the last lap to finish eighth. It is not the result we were aiming for but this track is really difficult for the Yamaha and we did not do a test here before the double race weekend. I think for the future we need to do this test to gain some time. In any case, huge thanks to the whole team, they never give up and they always support me. I think the end of the season will be easier. I would like to take this opportunity to wish a speedy recovery to my friend Jules Cluzel. I hope he will be back soon.”

Eugene Laverty

“This morning’s short race was not going to suit me today as I came strong in the latter stage of yesterday’s race one, so it was always going to be a challenge to get myself further up the field. For the final race of the weekend I was optimistic, but unfortunately it seemed that others were able to maintain their pace better. We need to find a way to use the rear tyre in the same way our competition does, but while it may not look it on paper, we have made huge progress in these last six days at Motorland Aragón. The bike is starting to work really well; there is just one final piece of the puzzle which is to really extract everything from the rear tyre, which I’m sure we can get to in Barcelona.”

Tom Sykes

“Credit to the boys, we made a lot of small adjustments from yesterday and I have to say I was very comfortable with the bike. In the sprint race, it was clear to see where our disadvantage was but given the nature of the track, I was impressed with how the chassis was working. I really feel that we understood our limitations well, and for that I am happy. We certainly gave away some straight-line performance which was difficult to manage, but our lap times stayed very consistent which again was a positive. Going into race two it was time we made the choice to go with the softer tyre which gives us a great performance. I was very interested to see where we would have been after nine or ten laps because in the sprint race we were keeping very consistent and other riders started to drop. So, for me I was very optimistic but unfortunately, we had a technical issue when we left the grid. I came in to see if it could be fixed but we missed the start which was disappointing. It was frustrating because looking at the lap times in the race they were not running a massively fast pace and the guys I’ve been battling with ended up fourth in that race so, we had a possible good result. These things happen in racing. The main thing is we will learn from this and try at the next one.”

Shaun Muir – Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

“The Superpole Race was not so bad for Tom. I was quite happy with the way he rode, we cured the issue of the lap time dropping in latter stages and he rode a very consistent race, in the end he consolidated his ninth and got himself ninth on the grid for race two. Eugene started to come through at the end of the sprint race and maybe given a few a more laps could have been on for another top eight. The final race of the weekend was a disaster for Tom. Unfortunately, he was forced out the race with a quick-shifter issue which we cannot quite understand yet. That will be investigated in due course. For Eugene, he went out with the X tyre in the race, again a similar outcome in the fact that with a few more laps he quite possibly could have got another top eight, but it’s another day of what could have been. We will go away, investigate, and come back stronger for Barcelona.”


WorldSBK Race Two

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 J.  Rea Kawasaki 0.000
2 M. Rinaldi Ducati +1.244
3 S. Redding Ducati +5.326
4 L.  Haslam Honda +9.357
5 A. Lowes Kawasaki +10.761
6 M. Van Der Mark Yamaha +15.679
7 T. Razgatlioglu Yamaha +16.897
8 L.  Baz Yamaha +22.541
9 F. Caricasulo Yamaha +22.650
10 G. Gerloff Yamaha +22.854
11 E. Laverty BMW +23.729
12 M. Melandri Ducati +28.380
13 X. Fores Kawasaki +31.630
14 M. Ferrari Ducati +44.264
15 R. Ramos Kawasaki +48.200
16 T. Takahashi Honda +49.080
Not Classified
RET C. Davies Ducati 6 Laps
RET S. Barrier Ducati 10 Laps
RET A. Bautista Honda 13 Laps
RET M. Scheib Kawasaki 16 Laps
RET T. Sykes BMW /

Superpole Race

Pos  Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 S. Redding Ducati 0.000
2 J.  Rea Kawasaki +0.970
3 M. Rinaldi Ducati +3.685
4 A. Bautista Honda +4.833
5 C. Davies Ducati +5.097
6 A. Lowes Kawasaki +5.725
7 T. Razgatlioglu Yamaha +7.822
8 L.  Haslam Honda +7.866
9 T. Sykes BMW +8.210
10 M. Van Der Mark Yamaha +8.587
11 L.  Baz Yamaha +9.942
12 F. Caricasulo Yamaha +10.363
13 G. Gerloff Yamaha +11.926
14 E. Laverty BMW +16.157
15 M. Scheib Kawasaki +16.237
16 X. Fores Kawasaki +16.529
17 M. Melandri Ducati +17.384
18 M. Ferrari Ducati +28.204
19 S. Barrier Ducati +30.917
20 R. Ramos Kawasaki +31.003
21 T. Takahashi Honda +32.699

WorldSBK Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
 1  Jonathan Rea  243
 2  Scott Redding  207
 3  Toprak Razgatlioglu  147
 4  Chaz Davies  141
 5  Michael Van Der Mark  133
 6  Michael Ruben Rinaldi  131
 7  Alex Lowes  127
 8  Alvaro Bautista  83
 9  Loris Baz  76
 10  Leon Haslam  75
 11  Tom Sykes  58
 12  Garrett Gerloff  39
 13  Federico Caricasulo  36
 14  Xavi Fores  33
 15  Eugene Laverty  31
 16  Marco Melandri  23
 17  Sandro Cortese  14
 18  Leandro Mercado  12
 19  Maximilian Scheib  11
 20  Sylvain Barrier  5
 21  Christophe Ponsson  4
 22  Roman Ramos  4
 23  Matteo Ferrari  4
 24  Takumi Takahashi  2

WorldSSP

WorldSSP

Race 2 for the FIM Supersport World Championship at MotorLand Aragon for the Pirelli Teruel Round was full of drama as Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) claimed his ninth consecutive WorldSSP victory, extending his Championship lead to 79 points, as he won the 15-lap race by more than six seconds.

WorldSSP

Locatelli had fallen to third place before responding on the second lap and was looking to battle his way through the front running pair of Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) and Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse). Cluzel was fighting with de Rosa, the Italian putting pressure on Cluzel from second place, before the pair collided at Turn 1 on Lap 4; forcing both riders out of the race. Cluzel was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the incident and was diagnosed with fractures to his left tibia and fibula, with Cluzel transferred to a local hospital for further assessments.

WorldSSP

It meant Locatelli assumed the lead of the race with 11 laps to go but took a handful of laps before he could pull out a gap from Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) with Mahias not giving Locatelli any room to breathe until around the half distance point of the race. After that, Locatelli was able to pull out a gap to claim his ninth win of the season, the first rider to win nine races in one WorldSSP season. Mahias claimed a comfortable second place ahead of Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing), who completed the podium, after an epic last-lap battle with Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing); the pair separated by just 0.032s at the line.

Locatelli, Mahias

Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) finished in fifth place after being in the titanic battle for third place, finishing just ahead of Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth); the Hungarian rider securing his best-ever WorldSSP result with sixth, beating Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) by just 0.043s at the line.

Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) finished in eighth place, the 2019 WorldSSP300 World Champion in a drag race to the line with Sebestyen and Perolari and finishing just 0.043s behind Perolari. Gonzalez finished just two seconds away from a podium finish as he showed strong pace throughout, finishing almost six seconds clear of South African rider Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) in ninth and Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) completing the top ten.

Alejandro Carranza Ruiz (EMPERADOR Racing Team) was the highest placed WorldSSP Challenge rider with 11th place, holding Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) by around 1.5 seconds. Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) finished in 13th place, ahead of Federico Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) completing the points.

Lachlan Epis unfortunately finished just outside the points in 18th place.

Hikari Okubo (Dynavolt Honda) did not take the start of the race while Luigi Montella (DK MOTORSPORT), Kevin Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team) and Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) all retired from the race alongside Cluzel and de Rosa; with Öncü bringing his bike back to the pits after just five laps.

Andrea Locatelli – P1

“It’s an incredible feeling. We just kept pushing throughout Race 2 and took another fastest lap, but it was quite disappointing that we couldn’t fight with De Rosa and Cluzel after their early incident. We continued to focus and did a really good job to take the win. Next we head to Barcelona, which is a track I know, but I’ve never been to Magny-Cours or Estoril, so we have to continue working hard to make sure we can fight again there. I’m still not thinking about the championship yet, I just want to continue this momentum and take it race-by-race.”

Lucas Mahias – P2

“I’m really happy because I didn’t think it would be possible to get a podium at the start of the race, and my goal is fourth or fifth. I had the crash in front of me. I tried to follow Andrea and was able to keep the gap. I made a little bit of a mistake in the chicane and I lose some time. After that, I looked at the gap behind me and managed the bike because second place is important for Kawasaki and for the team.”

Isaac Viñales – P3

“I’m really happy. After four laps, my tyres went down a lot and I was thinking I would finish in eighth or tenth. Finally, it was possible to stay in the second group and it was possible to fight for third position.”

#TeruelWorldSBK MotorLand Aragon – Race 2
1. Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)
2. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +6.286s
3. Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) +7.876s

WorldSSP Race Two

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 A. Locatelli Yamaha  0.000
2 L.  Mahias Kawasaki +6.286
3 I.  Vinales Yamaha  +7.876
4 P. Oettl Kawasaki +7.908
5 H. Soomer Yamaha  +9.420
6 P. Sebestyen Yamaha  +9.607
7 C. Perolari Yamaha  +9.657
8 M. Gonzalez Kawasaki +9.700
9 . Odendaal Yamaha  +15.473
10 D. Webb Yamaha  +15.549
11 A. Ruiz Carranza Yamaha  +21.285
12 G. Hendra Pratama Yamaha  +22.842
13 A. Bassani Yamaha  +23.234
14 F. Fuligni Yamaha  +24.014
15 A. Verdoia Yamaha  +29.699
16 L.  Cresson Yamaha  +29.794
17 M. Herrera Yamaha  +29.932
18 L.  Epis Yamaha  +30.389
19 P. Hobelsberger Yamaha  +41.424
Not Classified
RET R. De Rosa MV Agusta 10 Laps
RET C. Oncu Kawasaki 11 Laps
RET J.  Cluzel Yamaha 12 Laps
RET K. Manfredi Yamaha 14 Laps
RET L.  Montella Yamaha

WorldSSP Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
 1  Andrea Locatelli  225
 2  Jules Cluzel  146
 3  Lucas Mahias  119
 4  Philipp Oettl  100
 5  Raffaele De Rosa  91
 6  Corentin Perolari  88
 7  Isaac Vinales  79
 8  Steven Odendaal  74
 9  Manuel Gonzalez  71
 10  Hannes Soomer  50
 11  Danny Webb  48
 12  Peter Sebestyen  37
 13  Can Alexander Oncu  30
 14  Alejandro Ruiz Carranza  25
 15  Federico Fuligni  21
 16  Miquel Pons  9
 17  Galang Hendra Pratama  9
 18  Axel Bassani  8
 19  Patrick Hobelsberger  6
 20  Kevin Manfredi  6
 21  Andy Verdoia  6
 22  Loris Cresson  6
 23  Maria Herrera  2
 24  Jaimie Van Sikkelerus  2
 25  Hikari Okubo  1
 26  Luigi Montella  1

WorldSSP300

WorldSSP300

FIM Supersport 300 World Championship had a thrilling Race 2 at MotorLand Aragon for the Pirelli Teruel Round but it was won by Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) in dominant fashion with the Dutch rider taking the lead in the early stages of the race before breaking away from the group to take his third win in four races.

WorldSSP300

Buis has now finished on the podium in four consecutive races and has extended his Championship lead as he takes an 11-point lead into the latter stages of the season; Buis winning Race 2 by more than six seconds to take maximum points once again. Buis finished ahead of his teammate Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) as Deroue claimed another podium finish in 2020, ahead of Turkish rider Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) who completed the podium.

WorldSSP300

In typical WorldSSP300 fashion, there was a huge battle for second place with two seconds separating Deroue in second place and Alan Kroh (Yamaha MS Racing) in 18th place; the competitive and close action proving to be a thrilling watch yet again. Thomas Brianti (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) finished in fourth place, just 0.079s behind Sofuoglu and 0.069s ahead of Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) in fifth. Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) finished in sixth place, two tenths behind Meuffels.

Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) finished in seventh place with Victor Rodriguez (2R Racing) in eighth; the Race 1 winner pulling off another stunning fight to finish inside the top ten from 31st on the grid. Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) finished the 10-lap race in ninth place with Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) rounding out the top ten; just seven tenths away from second place.

Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) finished in 11th place with a two-tenths margin to 12th-place Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo). Adrian Huertas (ProGP Racing) finished in 13th place with Meikon Kawakami (Team Brasil AD 78) and Hugo de Cancellis (Team TRASIMENO) completing the points in the thrilling race; de Cancellis in 15th just 1.7s away from second place.

2018 Champion Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) finished the race in 22nd place after a couple of errors in the race; one coming while Carrasco was running in the group for second place and another while fighting back. Kim Aloisi (ProGP Racing) did not take the start after a technical issue while Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) did not finish the race, also with a technical issue, and Tom Bramich (Carl Cox-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) crashed out of the race on the opening lap. Countryman Tom Edwards finished the race in 25th place thus unfortunately did not add to his points tally.

Jeffrey Buis – P1

“I’m very happy. At the beginning of the race, I was able to make a gap and I built on that. I was able to set my own pace and that was good. I want to thank my team and family and everybody who supports me.”

Scott Deroue – P2

“It was a very difficult race, to be honest. My first lap was not good, and it was very difficult to pass the riders. Everyone was very aggressive, so it was very difficult to overtake. My teammate was gone so it was quite disappointing but congratulations to him because he did an amazing job today. On the last lap, my other teammate, Koen, thought the finish flag was there but it wasn’t, and I was leading the group and that was not really my plan. At the last corner I was lucky to finish because some guys made a mistake and I overtook them again.”

Bahattin Sofuoglu – P3

“I am really happy with this result. My expectation today was first place, but we were in third place. I am happy with this result, but I want to come back to the Championship for the next race and I want to continue this great position and great result.”

#TeruelWorldSBK WorldSSP300 at MotorLand Aragon – Race 2
1. Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT)
2. Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) +5.114s
3. Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) +5.203s

WorldSSP300 Race Two

Pos Rider Bike Class Time/Gap
1 J.  Buis Kawasaki A 0.000
2 S. Deroue Kawasaki B +5.114
3 B. Sofuoglu Yamaha B +5.203
4 T. Brianti Kawasaki B +5.282
5 K. Meuffels Kawasaki A +5.351
6 M. Perez Kawasaki A +5.569
7 U. Orradre Yamaha A +5.720
8 V. Rodriguez Nunez Kawasaki A +5.728
9 B. Ieraci Kawasaki A +5.763
10 K. Sabatucci Kawasaki B +5.809
11 T.  Booth-Amos Kawasaki B +6.221
12 S. Di Sora Kawasaki A +6.448
13 A. Huertas Yamaha B +6.802
14 M. Kawakami Yamaha B +6.804
15 H. De Cancellis Yamaha B +6.894
16 T. Kawakami Yamaha B +6.895
17 I.  Iglesias Bravo Kawasaki B +6.946
18 A. Kroh Yamaha A +7.023
19 G. Van Straalen Yamaha A +7.290
20 N. Kalinin Kawasaki A +7.341
21 E. De La Vega Yamaha B +7.388
22 A. Carrasco Kawasaki B +7.792
23 A. Diaz Yamaha A +7.798
24 J.  Gimbert Kawasaki A +8.670
25 T. Edwards Kawasaki B +8.782
26 P. Grassia Kawasaki A +8.838
27 O. Konig Kawasaki B +9.695
28 A. Coppola Kawasaki B +9.937
29 G. Mastroluca Kawasaki B +22.142
30 D. Blin Yamaha A +22.825
31 A. Carrion Kawasaki A +25.889
32 M. Gennai Yamaha A +58.398
Not Classified
NC F. Salac Kawasaki B 45.603
RET T. Bramich Kawasaki A /
RET Y. Okaya Kawasaki B /
RET K. Aloisi Yamaha A /

WorldSSP300 Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
 1  Jeffrey Buis  127
 2  Scott Deroue  116
 3  Unai Orradre  97
 4  Ana Carrasco  95
 5  Bahattin Sofuoglu  93
 6  Thomas Brianti  78
 7  Tom Booth-Amos  68
 8  Mika Perez  54
 9  Victor Rodriguez Nunez  47
 10  Meikon Kawakami  43
 11  Bruno Ieraci  42
 12  Koen Meuffels  33
 13  Yuta Okaya  29
 14  Hugo De Cancellis  25
 15  Samuel Di Sora  24
 16  Ton Kawakami  24
 17  Kevin Sabatucci  22
 18  Nick Kalinin  19
 19  Adrian Huertas  12
 20  Glenn Van Straalen  12
 21  Alan Kroh  10
 22  Tom Edwards  9
 23  Alvaro Diaz  9
 24  Inigo Iglesias Bravo  4
 25  Enzo De La Vega  4
 26  Oliver Konig  4
 27  Filippo Rovelli  4
 28  Alfonso Coppola  4
 29  Alejandro Carrion  4
 30  Filip Salac  3
 31  Kim Aloisi  3
 32  Tom Bercot  1
 33  Mirko Gennai  1

Source: MCNews.com.au

Race Two Win For Rea At Teruel Round

We got off to a good start in the Superpole race but when Scott came past quite early it disturbed my rhythm a bit. He set a very good pace. I was strong in the first part of the circuit and although I enjoyed the ten-lap race I realised that today it was going to be second. In race two I realised that instead of managing the race I needed to go through, and then I had a huge ‘moment’. I went all in, full gas in that race. You have to ride on 100% but not make any mistakes. It was more a race for me trying to be clean and not making any errors. With the entry speed I could carry and the stopping performance from the Ninja ZX-10RR – also how we kept the tyre until the end – I felt like we had a better package. http://jonathan-rea.com/news/race-two-win-rea-teruel-round


Jonathan Rea scored second place in the Tissot-Superpole race today before taking his 96th career race win at the Teruel
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook

Rinaldi breaks through for maiden WorldSBK win

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.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi

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.”

Jonathan Rea
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“.

Chaz Davies

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 Razgatlioglu
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.”

Leon Haslam
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.

#TeruelWorldSBK at MotorLand Aragon – Race 1.
1. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN)
2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +5.888s
3. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +10.035s

WorldSBK Race Results

Pos No. Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 M. Rinaldi Ducati  0.00
2 J.  Rea Kawasaki +5.888
3 C. Davies Ducati +10.035
4 M. Van Der Mark Yamaha +15.965
5 T. Razgatlioglu Yamaha +19.357
6 A. Lowes Kawasaki +24.138
7 L.  Haslam Honda +24.275
8 E. Laverty BMW +24.749
9 F. Caricasulo Yamaha +25.437
10 T. Sykes BMW +26.796
11 G. Gerloff Yamaha +27.354
12 L.  Baz Yamaha  +28.096
13 X. Fores Kawasaki +33.131
14 M. Ferrari Ducati +44.847
15 T. Takahashi Honda +59.529
16 M. Scheib Kawasaki +3 Laps
Not Classified
RET A. Bautista Honda 4 Laps
RET R. Ramos Kawasaki  4 Laps
RET S. Redding Ducati 11 Laps
RET M. Melandri Ducati 12 Laps
RET S. Barrier Ducati /

WorldSBK Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
 1  Jonathan Rea  209
 2  Scott Redding  179
 3  Chaz Davies  136
 4  Toprak Razgatlioglu  135
 5  Michael Van Der Mark  123
 6  Alex Lowes  112
 7  Michael Ruben Rinaldi  104
 8  Alvaro Bautista  77
 9  Loris Baz  68
 10  Leon Haslam  60
 11  Tom Sykes  57
 12  Garrett Gerloff  33
 13  Xavi Fores  30
 14  Federico Caricasulo  29
 15  Eugene Laverty  26
 16  Marco Melandri  19
 17  Sandro Cortese  14
 18  Leandro Mercado  12
 19  Maximilian Scheib  11
 20  Sylvain Barrier  5
 21  Christophe Ponsson  4
 22  Roman Ramos  3
 23  Matteo Ferrari  2
 24  Takumi Takahashi  2

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.

World Supersport

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.

Oettl chasing Mahias

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.

Jules Cluzel

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.

Andrea Locatelli

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.”

Andrea Locatelli
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.”

#TeruelWorldSBK WorldSSP at MotorLand Aragon – Race 1
1. Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)
2. Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +6.012s
3. Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) +10.079s

World Supersport Race Results

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 A.Locatelli Yamaha 0.000
2 R. De Rosa MV Agusta +6.012
3 J.  Cluzel Yamaha +10.079
4 L.  Mahias Kawasaki +14.516
5 P. Oettl Kawasaki +15.525
6 M. Gonzalez Kawasaki +20.045
7 P. Sebestyen Yamaha +20.140
8 D. Webb Yamaha +23.246
9 C. Perolari Yamaha +25.463
10 F. Fuligni MV Agusta +29.348
11 A. Ruiz Carranza Yamaha +29.592
12 G. Hendra Pratama Yamaha +31.458
13 K. Manfredi Yamaha +36.736
14 A. Bassani Yamaha +36.882
15 A. Verdoia Yamaha +36.996
16 L.  Cresson Yamaha +37.100
17 M. Herrera Yamaha +37.339
18 L.  Montella Yamaha +1m04.825
19 H. Soomer Yamaha +1m09.931

World Supersport Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
 1  Andrea Locatelli  200
 2  Jules Cluzel  146
 3  Lucas Mahias  99
 4  Raffaele De Rosa  91
 5  Philipp Oettl  87
 6  Corentin Perolari  79
 7  Steven Odendaal  67
 8  Isaac Vinales  63
 9  Manuel Gonzalez  63
 10  Danny Webb  42
 11  Hannes Soomer  39
 12  Can Alexander Oncu  30
 13  Peter Sebestyen  27
 14  Alejandro Ruiz Carranza  20
 15  Federico Fuligni  19
 16  Miquel Pons  9
 17  Patrick Hobelsberger  6
 18  Kevin Manfredi  6
 19  Loris Cresson  6
 20  Galang Hendra Pratama  5
 21  Axel Bassani  5
 22  Andy Verdoia  5
 23  Maria Herrera  2
 24  Jaimie Van Sikkelerus  2
 25  Hikari Okubo  1
 26  Luigi Montella  1

World Supersport 300

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.

World Supersport 300

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.

#TeruelWorldSBK WorldSSP300 at MotorLand Aragon – Race 1
1. Victor Rodriguez Nunez (2R Racing)
2. Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WSSP300) +0.042s
3. Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) +0.153s
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

Pos Rider Bike Class Time/Gap
1 V. Rodriguez Nunez Kawasaki A 0.000
2 B. Sofuoglu Yamaha B +0.042
3 J.  Buis Kawasaki A +0.153
4 S. Deroue Kawasaki B +0.213
5 A. Carrasco Kawasaki B +0.454
6 U. Orradre Yamaha A +0.479
7 M. Perez Kawasaki A +0.979
8 B. Ieraci Kawasaki A +1.007
9 T. Brianti Kawasaki B +1.240
10 A. Huertas Yamaha B +1.334
11 A. Kroh Yamaha A +1.892
12 M. Kawakami Yamaha B +2.092
13 F. Salac Kawasaki B +2.150
14 T. Kawakami Yamaha B +2.854
15 A. Diaz Yamaha A +4.030
16 J.  Gimbert Kawasaki A +4.488
17 I.  Iglesias Bravo Kawasaki B +6.808
18 T. Edwards Kawasaki B +6.869
19 M. Gennai Yamaha A +6.958
20 A. Coppola Kawasaki B +7.006
21 P. Grassia Kawasaki A +7.139
22 E. De La Vega Yamaha B +13.253
23 T. Bramich Kawasaki A +13.303
24 S. Di Sora Kawasaki A +13.372
25 G. Mastroluca Kawasaki B +13.521
26 A. Carrion Kawasaki A +16.455
27 D. Blin Yamaha A +25.510
28 K. Sabatucci Kawasaki B 1m18.687
Not Classified
RET H. De Cancellis Yamaha B 3 Laps
RET Y. Okaya Kawasaki B 3 Laps
RET N. Kalinin / A 3 Laps
RET K. Meuffels Kawasaki A 4 Laps
RET K. Aloisi Yamaha A 4 Laps
RET T. Booth-Amos Kawasaki B 5 Laps
RET G. Van Straalen Yamaha A 6 Laps
RET /O. Konig Kawasaki B 6 Laps

WSSP300 Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
 1  Jeffrey Buis  102
 2  Scott Deroue  96
 3  Ana Carrasco  95
 4  Unai Orradre  88
 5  Bahattin Sofuoglu  77
 6  Thomas Brianti  65
 7  Tom Booth-Amos  63
 8  Mika Perez  44
 9  Meikon Kawakami  41
 10  Victor Rodriguez Nunez  39
 11  Bruno Ieraci  35
 12  Yuta Okaya  29
 13  Ton Kawakami  24
 14  Hugo De Cancellis  24
 15  Koen Meuffels  22
 16  Samuel Di Sora  20
 17  Nick Kalinin  19
 18  Kevin Sabatucci  16
 19  Glenn Van Straalen  12
 20  Alan Kroh  10
 21  Adrian Huertas  9
 22  Tom Edwards  9
 23  Alvaro Diaz  9
 24  Filip Salac  3
 25  Inigo Iglesias Bravo  4
 26  Enzo De La Vega  4
 27  Oliver Konig  4
 28  Filippo Rovelli  4
 29  Alfonso Coppola  4
 30  Alejandro Carrion  4
 31  Kim Aloisi  3
 32  Tom Bercot  1
 33  Mirko Gennai  1

Source: MCNews.com.au

Rea Second In Saturday Race

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. http://jonathan-rea.com/news/rea-second-saturday-race


Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jonathan Rea finished in second place after the 18-lap WorldSBK race one at Motorland Aragon today.
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook

Rinaldi pips Rea for P1 on Friday at Aragon II

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.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi topped Friday at Aragon

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.

Jonathan Rea
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.”

Alex Lowes

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.

Tom Sykes
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

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 M. Rinaldi Ducati 1m49.840
2 J. Rea Kawasaki +0.001
3 A. Lowes Kawasaki +0.507
4 T. Sykes BMW +0.697
5 T. Razgatlioglu Yamaha +0.819
6 C. Davies Ducati +0.884
7 A. Bautista Honda +0.896
8 M. Van Der Mark Yamaha +0.925
9 S. Redding Ducati +1.019
10 L. Haslam Honda +1.050
11 L. Baz Yamaha +1.241
12 E. Laverty BMW +1.273
13 X. Fores Kawasaki +1.363
14 M. Scheib Kawasaki +1.544
15 G. Gerloff Yamaha +1.609
16 F. Caricasulo Yamaha +1.773
17 M. Melandri Ducati +1.792
18 S. Barrier Ducati +2.004
19 R. Ramos Kawasaki +2.599
20 T. Takahashi Honda +3.232
21 M. Ferrari Ducati +3.287

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.

Andrea Locatelli

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.

Raffaele de Rosa

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.

Jules Cluzel

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

Pos No. Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 A. Locatelli Yamaha 1’m54.095
2 R. De Rosa MV Agusta  +0.537
3 L. Mahias Kawasaki +0.566
4 H. Soomer Yamaha +0.937
5 J. Cluzel Yamaha +0.997
6 S. Odendaal Yamaha +1.044
7 I.  Vinales Yamaha +1.071
8 M. Gonzalez Kawasaki +1.240
9 P. Oettl Kawasaki +1.268
10 P. Sebestyen Yamaha +1.382
11 F. Fuligni MV Agusta +1.709
12 D. Webb Yamaha +1.933
13 A. Ruiz Carranza Yamaha +1.936
14 C. Oncu Kawasaki +2.064
15 C. Perolari Yamaha +2.097
16 M. Herrera Yamaha +2.192
17 G. Hendra Pratama Yamaha +2.217
18 L. Cresson Yamaha +2.360
19 A. Bassani Yamaha +2.394
20 H. Okubo Honda +2.526
21 A. Verdoia Yamaha +2.567
22 L. Epis Yamaha +2.665
23 L. Montella Yamaha +2.858
24 K. Manfredi Yamaha +3.129
25 P. Hobelsberger Honda +3.164

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.

Scott Deroue

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.

Tom Edwards

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

Pos Rider Bike Class Time/Gap
1 S. Deroue Kawasaki B 2m05.899
2 I.  Iglesias Bravo Kawasaki B +0.480
3 T. Brianti Kawasaki B +0.594
4 T. Edwards Kawasaki B +0.619
5 A. Carrasco Kawasaki B +0.653
6 N. Kalinin Kawasaki A +0.914
7 B. Sofuoglu Yamaha B +0.985
8 A. Diaz Yamaha A +1.012
9 T. Kawakami Yamaha B +1.015
10 K. Meuffels Kawasaki A +1.136
11 J. Buis Kawasaki A +1.196
12 B. Ieraci Kawasaki A +1.245
13 O. Konig Kawasaki B +1.262
14 H. De Cancellis Yamaha B +1.307
15 T. Booth-Amos Kawasaki B +1.315
16 Y. Okaya Kawasaki B +1.316
17 U. Orradre Yamaha A +1.412
18 F. Salac Kawasaki B +1.475
19 G. Van Straalen Yamaha A +1.477
20 A. Coppola Kawasaki B +1.490
21 A. Huertas Yamaha B +1.708
22 M. Kawakami Yamaha B +1.721
23 K. Aloisi Yamaha A +1.756
24 M. Gennai Yamaha A +1.772
25 J. Gimbert Kawasaki A +1.792
26 M. Perez Kawasaki A +1.949
27 F. Rovelli Kawasaki A +2.096
28 A. Kroh Yamaha A +2.116
29 E. De La Vega Yamaha B +2.239
30 T. Bramich Kawasaki A +2.258
31 D. Blin Yamaha A +2.330
32 G. Mastroluca Kawasaki B +2.354
33 K. Sabatucci Kawasaki B +2.398
34 J. Perez Gonzalez Yamaha B +2.464
35 T. Bercot Yamaha B +2.780
36 S. Di Sora Kawasaki A +2.800
37 P. Grassia Kawasaki A +2.845
38 F. Macan Yamaha A +2.892
39 A. Carrion Kawasaki A +2.936
40 V. Rodriguez Nunez Kawasaki A +2.971
41 M. Cervenka Kawasaki B +3.197
42 A. Quinet Kawasaki B +3.252
43 R. dore Yamaha B +3.329
44 M. gaggi Yamaha A +3.488
45 S. markarian Yamaha B +3.637
46 E. mcglinchey Kawasaki A +3.718
47 J. ioverno Kawasaki B +3.767
48 A. zanca Kawasaki B +5.105
49 I.  offer Kawasaki A +7.195
50 M. lahoz senli Yamaha A +8.189
51 L. gruau Kawasaki A +8.609

Source: MCNews.com.au

P2 For Rea At Teruel

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. http://jonathan-rea.com/news/p2-rea-teruel


Jonathan Rea finished the opening day practice sessions at the Teruel Round of the championship second fastest just one one-thousandth of
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook

WorldSBK back in action at Aragon again this weekend

2020 WorldSBK – Round Five – Aragon

The 2020 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship heads back to the MotorLand Aragon venue for the second weekend of the back-to-back rounds.  After a dramatic Prosecco DOC Aragon Round, the 2020 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship remains at the exciting Alcañiz venue for a second weekend and the Pirelli Teruel Round. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) extended his lead at the top of the standings to ten points after two wins picked up last weekend, but Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) is hot on his heels, making for yet another thrilling dynamic in the Championship race.

Topping the standings and winning twice at a circuit he’s not been renowned for winning on, Jonathan Rea’s classy showing saw an extension to his advantage after Race 2. The Ulsterman now has five wins at a track where Ducati have also been the manufacturer to beat. Can Rea do the same again this weekend and consolidate the Championship lead further?

Jonathan Rea

We will come back to the Motorland circuit on Wednesday evening again after a couple of days of relaxing. Next weekend won’t be so stressful because we have a base set-up from the test and the recent race. My mechanics this past weekend did not want to change the bike too much. They asked me to change some things in my riding style. FP12 and FP2 will be calmer next week, because we have a lot of information. If the temperatures are the same it should be a calm weekend.”

Aragon WorldSBK

Team-mate Alex Lowes will certainly hope for improvements; a huge Race 1 crash coupled with just 11 points being scored has seen him slip to sixth overall. A podium is required for the early-season Championship leader.

Alex Lowes

After a difficult first weekend in Aragon I am looking forward to getting back there in a few days time. It started promisingly last weekend, with good pace on Friday and Saturday morning and then the start of the first race. After the crash we sort of lost our way a little bit. I was feeling the physical effects too, as it was a pretty big knock. I certainly felt a bit stiff when I woke up on Monday morning so I need to relax for a few days, recharge, get nice and healthy and then attack the weekend like we started last weekend. We have a few ideas with the bike too, and my target is to get back on the podium in green.”

Scott Redding was able to take a Race 1 victory and second in the Tissot Superpole Race but a fourth in Race 2 saw him lose his Championship lead that he picked up on Saturday afternoon. The British rider knows that he must take some points from Rea this weekend to swing the momentum in his favour. It was a welcome reignition of the rivalry between Chaz Davies (Aruba Ducati) and Jonathan Rea in Race 2, the two battling hard with 4 laps to go. Davies is eager for a first win of 2020 and to reclaim MotorLand Aragon as his own. Fourth in the standings, he’s closing in fast.

Chaz Davies

The first race weekend here in Aragon was solid. We were fast since Friday then, unfortunately, the qualifying did not allow us to start in the first positions forcing me to push hard in the first laps. Feelings are good but it is clear that we are still missing some details to be at the top. The team is also working a lot in direct contact with Ducati at Borgo Panigale to produce the step that will allow us to fight for victory in the next three races“.

Scott Redding

It’s the first time we’re going to back-to-back on the same circuit. If I have to be honest, I’m not a big fan of this format because I really like changing circuits. We will have to go through free practice again after the tests and the first race weekend, but this is a situation that all riders will have to face. The goal is to start the weekend with more incisiveness than we did a week ago. The team is working on this aspect and I have the utmost confidence“.

Redding leading Rea last weekend

It was the worst weekend of the season for the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team pairing of Toprak Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark. Toprak’s best result was sixth whilst van der Mark put in a valiant ride to complete the podium in Sunday morning’s Tissot Superpole Race. The Dutchman will hope to build on that pace and fulfil his and the bike’s potential in the upcoming Teruel event, whilst Razgatlioglu desperately needs a podium or victory; 65 points back from Jonathan Rea, the title could start slipping from his grasp if a big result isn’t achieved soon.

Michael van der Mark

I’m looking forward to this weekend again – last weekend was really positive, we made some big progress over the previous years but we were just missing a bit of pace especially over the second part of the race. We have a lot of ideas for this weekend to try on the bike, and the weather will be a little bit warmer than last week so it might be harder to keep the pace, but I’m pretty sure we’ve got some good ideas to fix it. I’m really looking forward to starting on Friday morning when we can start trying those ideas in Free Practice.”

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

It was a difficult race weekend for me in Aragón, but it is good because we are here again and we can improve! I felt good in some laps – I was very fast in Sunday warm up in cold conditions – but over race distance I suffered too much with rear grip. We can improve my R1 a lot, I think, and also I can work on my own riding on this track to keep the tyre. Michael was ahead of me last weekend, so the first target is to fight with him and I hope this means we are both battling for the podium.”

Paul Denning – Pata Yamaha Team Principal

It will be a “first” for the team and riders to roll out in FP1 on Friday morning on the same circuit that we have just finished Race 2 at a few days previously! Extreme circumstances demand extreme measures, and we have to thank Dorna and the Aragón MotorLand facility for supporting the WorldSBK championship in this way. Conditions should be a little warmer this weekend and this can have a big effect on the grip levels, but in the end our main focus can only be improvement – small detailed steps for Michael and something of a “reset” for Toprak and his R1 in order to elevate his performance to the levels we know he is capable of. As they say in Spain, Vamos!”

One of the big stories heading to the Pirelli Teruel Round is that Honda, after just four rounds of the CBR1000RR-R SP, are on the podium. Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) put in a superb ride, managing his softer compound SCX rear tyre to the end of the race to pick up a rostrum, just 3.5s behind the victory. He and Honda are genuine podium threats this weekend and after so much testing and now a race weekend, maybe they could even challenge for victory. Team- mate Leon Haslam was seventh in Race 2, filling the Brit with confidence ahead of the first ever Pirelli Teruel Round at MotorLand.

Alvaro Bautista

I spent a couple of days at home and enjoyed them but now we are already focusing on next weekend. Racing at the same track means we have a lot of useful data to analyze but we must wait and see how the conditions are, because it seems that the weather might be much warmer. So we must understand the new “limits” of the track. Our target remains the same, to keep improving and making further steps forward. Obviously in the space of just one week we won’t really have anything new, but we can definitely fine-tune some more details in terms of bike setup.”

Leon Haslam

I’m looking forward to racing at Aragón again this weekend. We still have some work to do but already in testing I thought that the podium might be possible at this track and now Alvaro has proved this to be true. In race 2 I had better feeling and so I hope we can carry this forward and work well right from Friday so that we can improve on last weekend’s performance across all the practices and races.”

Bautista claimed his first podium for Honda and Honda’s first podium since Magny-Cours in 2016

It was a weekend to forget for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. Tom Sykes crashed in Tissot Superpole, leaving him in his worst grid position after Superpole since 2011, whilst Eugene Laverty had a mechanical issue before Race 1 even started. Neither rider scored points in Race 1 or the Tissot Superpole Race, whilst Sykes was 12th and Laverty 14th in Race 2. They’ll be hoping for better results during the Teruel meeting and that at least a good Superpole can propel them up the order, so they can fight at the very front. Watch out for a vast BMW improvement this weekend.

The Independent battle is raging; Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) is now top ahead of Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) with 15 points between them. Rinaldi’s first podium could come soon, perhaps even this weekend, whilst Baz needs a stable race weekend in terms of results. Behind them are Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) and Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), separated by just a point. Gerloff was in the battle for seventh with Fores in Race 2 and the Spaniard himself took a best result of the year with eighth in Race 1. Gerloff’s teammate, Federico Caricasulo, was ninth again in Race 1 whilst Marco Melandri (Barni Racing Team) aims for more a top ten return.

Maximilian Scheib (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) had a good showing in Race 1 until a crash but got his first points since Australia in Race 2. Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) took his Ducati to 12th in Race 1 for his best result of 2020 and aims for more this weekend. will Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing Honda Team) took his first point of the year in Race 1, and Roman Ramos (OutDo TPR Kawasaki) will once again deputise for the injured Sandro Cortese. Lorenzo Gabellini is absent after Althea parted company with MIE Racing.

Source: MCNews.com.au