#USAWorldSBK🇺🇸 🏁Laguna Seca 🗓Saturday 13th July 📋 Superpole
⌚ 11.00 local time (19.00 UK)
📺 Live Eurosport UK 2
🌤 16*C
🏍 25 mins
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Tag Archives: WSBK
Out there putting in the ground work under them blue skies! Positive day and step by step getting…
Out there putting in the ground work under them blue skies! Positive day and step by step getting the feeling! #vamos
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#wheeliewednesday #GBRWorldSBK WorldSBK #WorldSBK
Finally getting round to a little anniversary date night in good old San Francisco with wifey….
Finally getting round to a little anniversary date night in good old San Francisco with wifey. #mylove
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
WSBK lands at Laguna Seca | Preview | AEST schedule
Round Nine – Laguna Seca
After an action-packed Donington Park, the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship moves on with great pace to America’s Laguna Seca. One of the shorter circuits on the calendar, but highly technical, California’s WeatherTech Raceway will see riders keen for some good results before the European summer break.
Having come off the back of his first hat-trick in WorldSBK, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) has overturned a 61-point deficit after the Tissot Superpole Race at Jerez, into a fruitful 24-point lead after his home round last weekend at Donington. Arriving in the USA as Championship leader. Rea has been victorious in three of the last four races at Laguna Seca.
Jonathan Rea
“Weekends like Donington do not come along very often but enjoyed it and now we are going to Laguna, which is another great track with great support. I cannot wait, and the people love Superbike there. It is a very iconic track, with The Corkscrew and Turn One as well. I had a really good weekend there last year and I enjoyed it. You get to ride your motorbike in the sun, so it is pretty cool. It is very important to stay healthy and arrive there in good shape because there is a long summer break after. We have to make it count.”
It is a new challenge for Bautista this weekend, a new perspective. No longer is he the hunted, but he is now the hunter. Bautista will be looking to strike back before going into the mid-season break, as he can’t afford to give more points away to Rea before the season arrives at circuits like Magny-Cours and Circuito San Juan Villicum.
Álvaro Bautista
“Unfortunately because of my crashes we are now in second place in the standings, which might be interesting for the championship but not so much for me! If I look at the layout of Laguna Seca, for sure I can say that it’s not one of the best tracks for us, because when we have bumps, and uphill and downhill sections, we could struggle, but like I have been saying all year I have no expectations. I prefer to go there, see what happens, start to work hard with my team and get the maximum from the weekend.”
Leon Haslam has a steady record at Laguna Seca, with numerous top ten finishes but is yet to stand on the podium in America.
Leon Haslam
“Laguna is the only circuit I have never had a podium at. I have managed to get a podium at every other current circuit in WorldSBK except there, so I am looking forward to trying to rectify that. That is my first aim of the weekend. The Kawasaki goes well there but I think the Ducatis may be strong too, more than they were at Donington – we will see. The last time I raced there was in 2015.”
Consistency really is key in 2019 and one rider who, against the odds, made it to the top ten at Donington Park was Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team). Third place in the championship may not be too safe from his team-mate Alex Lowes but despite his comeback weekend, the Dutchman maintained the bronze-medal position and now heads to the USA – a track where he has never been outside of the top ten, with his best result for Yamaha coming last year in Race 2.
Yamaha haven’t won at the famous Californian venue since 2000 with Noriyuki Haga, so can their current stars earn their stripes this year?
Brits do have a bit of a winning habit at the USA, just ask Tom Sykes. After giving BMW their second ever pole position last time out at Donington Park, he will be hoping that he can remount the podium for a third round in succession and, if possible, take a fourth win in the USA – his last one coming in 2016.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) is in rich form, with five podiums from the last four rounds – including his first ever double podium coming at Donington Park. Toprak suffered a huge accident there in 2018 but the 22-year-old Turk has given the crowd an underdog story so far in 2019.
One star who will certainly need a result is Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati), as he’s looked off the boil since his Imola podiums. A struggle at Donington Park and Misano and bad luck at Jerez means that the Welshman – a three times a winner at Laguna Seca, including a double in 2015 – must steady the tide as soon as possible.
Chaz Davies
“The last couple of races have been really tough for me, especially last weekend at Donington, where I still had problems in getting the best feeling with the bike. So I’m looking forward to going straight to Laguna Seca before the summer break. It’s always been a decent track for me and I’ve had some wins there in the past, so it’s a good opportunity to try and improve our results before the break. We need it because we are simply not competitive enough at the moment.”
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) will be one rider who is tackling one of the most iconic racing venues in the USA for the first time. The 23-year-old Italian will be a debutant at the circuit, whilst contrastingly, 36-year-old veteran Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) will also venture to Monterey for the first time.
Fellow Honda rider, Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team), is another rider looking to make a strong first impression with the American venue, whilst reigning WorldSSP Champion, Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) will also ride Laguna Seca for the first time.
Championship Standings
Pos | Rider | Points |
1 | Jonathan Rea | 376 |
2 | Alvaro Bautista | 352 |
3 | Michael Van Der Mark | 206 |
4 | Alex Lowes | 192 |
5 | Leon Haslam | 187 |
6 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | 153 |
7 | Tom Sykes | 139 |
8 | Chaz Davies | 130 |
9 | Marco Melandri | 124 |
10 | Sandro Cortese | 96 |
11 | Michael Ruben Rinaldi | 85 |
12 | Jordi Torres | 76 |
13 | Loris Baz | 56 |
14 | Markus Reiterberger | 56 |
15 | Leandro Mercado | 38 |
16 | Eugene Laverty | 32 |
17 | Leon Camier | 26 |
18 | Lorenzo Zanetti | 21 |
19 | Ryuichi Kiyonari | 19 |
20 | Alessandro Delbianco | 18 |
21 | Peter Hickman | 14 |
22 | Thomas Bridewell | 12 |
23 | Yuki Takahashi | 11 |
24 | Michele Pirro | 10 |
25 | Samuele Cavalieri | 6 |
26 | Hector Barbera | 3 |
Source: MCNews.com.au
Marco Melandri to call it quits at season end
Marco Melandri Announces his Retirement
Marco Melandri, has announced that he intends to retire from racing immediately after the final round of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship in Qatar. The 36-year-old Italian’s decision to hang up his leathers will bring to a close a World Championship career that has spanned three decades.
Marco Melandri
“The decision to retire was a very difficult one for me to make. I’d been thinking about it for some time and, before the Imola race, I finally decided to call it a day at the end of the 2019 season. I’m still competitive and I think it’s better to stop at this point, while I still enjoy racing, rather than waiting until the enjoyment and the results are more difficult to achieve. Since making the decision I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders and now that everyone knows this is my final year, I’m even more motivated to push for good results in the final few races. In part it’s for me, as I’d like to go out on a high, but it’s also to repay the faith that both Yamaha and the GRT Yamaha team have shown in me. It’s been a difficult season, but they have worked so hard to help me realise my potential. They never gave up on me and I hope that my experience has helped the team adapt to racing in WorldSBK just that little bit quicker. I’m looking forward to seeing out my final season with them and I intend to give it my all, treating every lap like a qualifying lap and pushing to improve myself and bring the team the results they deserve. Then it will be time to move on and do something different with my life. For me it’s been a fantastic journey; thank you to everyone I met along the way.”
A 15-year-old Melandri burst onto the world stage in 1998 and immediately made his mark, taking his first win at Assen to become the youngest ever Grand Prix winner, a record that stood for 10 years. He went on to win once more that year and ended his debut Grand Prix season third in the World Championship. The following season Melandri won five races but missed out on being crowned 125cc World Champion by just a single point to Emilio Alzamora.
More success came with a step up to the 250cc World Championship. Melandri dominated the class in 2002, taking nine race wins on his way to being crowned 250cc World Champion.
A move to the premier class followed, with Melandri’s most successful MotoGP season coming in 2005 when he won the final two races and finished second in the World Championship to Valentino Rossi.
In 2011 Melandri made the switch from MotoGP to WorldSBK, winning four races in his first season aboard Yamaha’s YZF-R1 to finish the year as vice-champion.
Since making his debut in the premier production class, the Italian has secured 75 podium finishes, 22 of which were race wins, making him one of the most successful riders on the WorldSBK grid.
And while these results are already impressive, Melandri is determined to add to them before finally hanging up his leathers in Qatar and bringing to a close an incredible racing career.
Andrea Dosoli
Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager
“I was surprised when Marco informed me of his decision to retire. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy step for him to take, but we respect his reasons for doing so. Marco’s decision will bring to an end an incredibly successful career that has seen him racing and winning at the very highest level for many years. I’m pleased that, for a part of this long and distinguished career, Marco was a committed member of the Yamaha Racing family, where his contribution to our success was significant. In 2011 he raced the Yamaha YZF-R1 to second place in the WorldSBK Championship and, while this season has so far been a difficult one, he has maintained the level of professionalism for which he is renowned and worked tirelessly to achieve the results of which we know he is capable. Marco’s achievements in what has been a remarkable career are already impressive, but Yamaha and the GRT Yamaha team are committed to helping him bow out on a high note during the final races of the 2019 season. On behalf of Yamaha Motor Europe, but also personally, I’d like to thank Marco for his contribution to Yamaha and to motorsport. We wish him every success for the future.”
Source: MCNews.com.au
Laguna’s Hillsides Await Rea And Kawasaki Racing Team
Weekends like Donington do not come along very often but I enjoyed it and now we are going to Laguna, which is another great track with great support. I cannot wait, and the people love Superbike there. It is a very iconic track, with The Corkscrew and Turn One as well. I had a really good weekend there last year and I enjoyed it. You get to ride your motorbike in the sun, so it is pretty cool. It is very important to stay healthy and arrive there in good shape because there is a long summer break after. We have to make it count. http://jonathan-rea.com/news/laguna’s-hillsides-await-rea-and-kawasaki-racing-team
Fresh from his sensational first career triple race win at Donington Park last weekend, Jonathan Rea heads immediately to Laguna Seca in
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
The Monday blues haven’t set in yet. This video explains why! What a weekend WorldSBK #GBRWorldSBK…
The Monday blues haven’t set in yet. This video explains why! What a weekend WorldSBK #GBRWorldSBK #worldsbk
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Happy anniversary Tarshy and for 7 years of incredible memories and adventures together. So much…
Happy anniversary Tarshy and for 7 years of incredible memories and adventures together. So much love for this one!
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Jonathan Rea님이 게시한 사진
Trying to string it out early doors! Thanks for all the support out there especially to all the travelling fans from Northern Ireland! Seen all the flags in every corner. Really amazing and it really means the world to me! we did it 1-1-1 📸 @geebeeimages
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook