2021 WorldSBK Round Seven
Navarra (Spain)

WorldSBK Superpole Race

Elbows were well and truly out in the Tissot Superpole Race at the Pirelli Navarra Round as the lead MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship trio were engaged in battle throughout the 10-lap encounter that was won by Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) as he made it back-to-back victories at the Circuito de Navarra and the tenth in his WorldSBK career; and also the first time he has claimed three victories on the bounce in his career following on from his Race 2 victory at Most.

Redding got the jump on Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) as the lights went out while Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) made up ground from eighth on the grid to run in second on the opening lap. The Championship leading trio battled it out through the opening laps of the ten-lap encounter with all three taking turns to lead the race; Razgatlioglu able to take advantage of Redding and Rea battling to move back into second before making a move on Rea at Turn 1 to take the lead. The trio continued to battle it out before Redding was able to pull away from Rea, who re-passed Razgatlioglu and the trio shared the podium for the seventh time this season.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claimed fourth place for the fourth consecutive race and will lead the second row away from the lights in Race 2, with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in fifth. Lowes was able to pass Locatelli throughout the 10-lap encounter, but Locatelli responded to claim fourth. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) will complete the second row after sixth place in the Superpole Race.

British rider Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) will head the third row from seventh place as his strong weekend at Navarra continues, with Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) completing the third row. Dutchman van der Mark and American Gerloff were also battling it out for eighth place with the BMW rider able to hold on for eighth.

WorldSBK Superpole Race Results

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WorldSBK Race Two

The final race of the inaugural Pirelli Navarra Round for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship was a tense and dramatic affair as the top three of the Championship battled it out for honours at the Circuito de Navarra. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) came out on top as he claimed a stunning Race 2 victory and left the round top of the Championship heading into the French Round.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) and team-mate Toprak Razgatlioglu got lightning starts from the 22-lap encounter, the race shortened by one lap following a delayed start after the Warm-Up lap had been completed due to an issue with Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) on the grid. Locatelli swept around the outside of Razgatlioglu and Rea at the start while Rea dropped back behind his teammate, Alex Lowes.

Locatelli and Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) ran wide in the early stages of the race which forced the pair down the order, allowing Lowes to move up ahead of both of them before Locatelli fought back to run in fourth place; a position he has become very accustomed to over the last couple of rounds.

All three of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Razgatlioglu exchanged positions in the opening laps of the race before it settled down slightly with Razgatlioglu leading the race ahead of Rea and Redding as the lead three in the Championship trio looking to take points out of each other in the Championship battle.

On Lap 17, Rea saved a front-end slide heading into Turn 15 which allowed Redding to close the gap to Rea throughout Lap 18, before the pair went side-by-side into the fast right-hander of Turn 1 on Lap 19. Redding was on the inside, but Rea cut back to keep the position. On the same lap of the race, Redding pulled off an incredible move around the outside of Turn 14 to move into second place after Rea ran wide at Turn 13. It meant Razgatlioglu claimed victory ahead of Redding and Rea with the Turkish star now level with Rea in the Championship on 311 points. Razgatlioglu has 17 podiums in the 2021 campaign which ties him for the record of podiums for a Yamaha rider, level with Ben Spies in 2009.

Locatelli made history with his latest fourth place finish in WorldSBK as he became the first rider to secure five consecutive four place finishes, finishing almost four seconds clear of Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in fifth place. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) came home in sixth place, less than a second behind Sykes.

Italian rider Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) finished in seventh place in Race 2 after battles throughout the race, with Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) claiming eighth place as all five manufacturers were represented in the top eight, with Dutch rider Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in ninth place. Van der Mark had crossed the line ahead of Bautista but was penalised for exceeding track limits on the final lap, meaning he came home in ninth. Rookie Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) took another top ten finish as he continues to impress throughout his rookie campaign.

Bassani’s fellow rookie, Tito Rabat (Barni Racing), was 11th place and just 2.4s away from a top ten finish but was unable to overhaul Bassani, while Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Action) came home in 12th and took more points from Navarra after not scoring since the Aragon Round that opened the 2021 campaign.

Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport – Yamaha) took home four points with 13th place ahead of Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in 14th, who had an eventful race. The Frenchman had to serve a double Long Lap Penalty for an irresponsible manoeuvre on the grid after he had been delayed on the grid ahead of the second Warm-Up lap. Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) secured a 15th place finish and one point despite a crash on Lap 3 of the 22-lap race at Turn 13, able to battle back through the field. OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing Jayson Uribe and Loris Cresson were the last of the classified runners in 16th and 17th respectively.

Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) both were forced out of the race after coming together at Turn 9. Naomichi Uramoto (JEG Racing) had a technical issue on Lap 9 of 22 at Turn 5 which forced the Suzuki rider out of the race on his WorldSBK’s debut. Leon Haslam (Team HRC) was out of the race on Lap 14 after he came off his Honda machine at Turn 2. Kohta Nozane’s (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) race came to an end on the final lap after a 22nd lap crash at Turn 5.

WorldSBK Race Two Results

Quotes

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

“First I have to thank my team, because they did an incredible job to improve my bike so much for Race 2. This weekend was not easy for me, every race we try but every race we struggle a little. I decide P3 is better than crash but when I understand my bike in Race 2 has more potential, I feel full motivation to win. We are very happy with this important result! Also, I see Loka pass Redding into Turn 5 on the first lap, I smile in my helmet and I think “ok, we are like hungry dogs attacking, let’s go!” Thank you again to my team, I enjoyed a lot Race 2 today and now we focus on Magny-Cours and the next races.”

Scott Redding

“It was a really positive weekend. Two wins and a second place: to be honest, is an exciting result. During Race 2 I thought a lot about the strategy, I could have pushed but at the same time, I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks. The fight for the World Championship is open and it is necessary to think in these terms. I thank the team for the work they have done. We have great confidence”.

Jonathan Rea

“I had a little bit more margin today. I felt after the Superpole race that I could really fight for it in Race Two. Toprak made a huge step, he was very fast and the rhythm was faster than yesterday. For ten laps I was fighting, fighting, fighting, and I was just waiting for his speed to drop off – but it never really did. I was losing front feeling, having a lot of front slides and it was time for me then to consolidate. I had a big moment in the last corner, when I hit an object on the track, which was just off line. That made the front bobble and I caught the slide, and then I had another slide in T13. It was one of those – a tough weekend. It wasn’t perfect for everybody, people were slipping and sliding around, but it penalised us a little bit more. That said, it was solid. I wasn’t confident coming here so to come away with what we did, and not losing too many points in the championship. It could have been much worse for us.”

Alex Lowes

“The Superpole Race was good for us. We made a few changes on the bike after yesterday and I was stronger. I was able to get closer to the guys in front. The pace felt quite good to the end, nice and consistent. We decided to keep the bike the same for the last race when the temperature went up. I got a good start again but on lap one at T9 everybody was trying to get into position. There are not too many places to pass around here and when Tom Sykes hit me I had to release the brake or else I was going to hit Andrea Locatelli. That was a shame because it put me right back. I struggled to come back through. I was faster than Michael van der Mark but it took me five or six laps to pass him and by the time I had got on the back of him my tyre was moving a lot. It was a frustrating race because I could not fight like I wanted to.”

Andrea Locatelli

“It’s another great weekend for us because we make three times P4. In the races today we improved a little bit, but I made a mistake when I tried to pass Redding in the first lap of Race 2, then Redding tried to pass me and I went a little bit wide. Then in the braking of Turn 9 Lowes touched me and I went off the track and then I am in seventh or eighth position… I tried to push on the maximum to get into my “standard” position of P4 and when I arrived there, I try to follow the front riders but I couldn’t close the gap. In the end, this is okay and I try to make my own rhythm and I finish the race with another P4. We work very well and for sure now we have Magny-Cours and it’s a new track for me with the R1. I have seen it before last year but I need to take some reference with this bike but I think we can do very well also in France. I’m very happy about this weekend and the guys work very well!”

Tom Sykes

“It was not a bad weekend. With the high track temperatures, it was definitely a challenging weekend. For the engines and for the riders, this kind of temperatures got to the limit in the afternoon race. Overall we have been trying to improve the set-up of the bike, certainly since as well the hot test in Catalunya, but still we had some limitations. We had some big problems in the race and we tried two different solutions from the tyre but I had some limitations in some different aspects to be fair. Even in race two I had some issues with turning and understeer, also rear traction. I just worked hard to try to managing the bike on brake pressure, in throttle openings and tried to make the best race I could. I had a lot of pressure throughout the race but we were able to deal with this. The best was lap one. We struggled to get a run on anyone this weekend but there was a bit of confusion between Alex Lowes and Andrea Locatelli and going into the turn at the end of the back straight that was a good opportunity for me so I took that and that gave me a good track position for the rest of the race.”

Michael van der Mark

“It was a tough Sunday. In this morning’s Superpole race I struggled quite a lot with the front end of the bike. I just couldn’t attack anyone or stay with anyone so I was a bit disappointed but anyway, I gained a few starting positions for race two. I then had a good start but I immediately felt that I was losing at the exits compared to the others so I tried to push more on the front but I didn’t feel good and it was quite a long and tough race. We need to improve that but at least we got some points, we always keep trying and I am looking forward to Magny-Cours now.”

Michael Rinaldi

“It was a very difficult round in which we struggled to find the feeling. We worked a lot on the bike and we found a good set up at the end in Race-2. It’s clear that the start from thirteenth position made it difficult to get a good result; but the pace proves us that in another condition we could have been with the group in front. We must remain positive and work hard in view of the next races”.

Alvaro Bautista

“We did not change too much on the bike set-up from yesterday, because in analysing the data we could not find a reason for the crash in race 1. But we did choose a different spec of tyre today and I felt a better with the front, so maybe we just didn’t make the best choice for race 1. I made a bad start in the Superpole race, losing several positions and despite recovering fairly well, I just missed out on P9 and so had to start from the fourth row once again in the afternoon. I made a better start in race 2 but during the first half of the race I struggled to overtake, because we are lacking some traction when exiting the corners, especially when everyone is on fresh tyres and are able to brake hard. After a few laps, when the tyre performance begins to drop, I can be more effective, and in fact our pace at that point was very similar to the top five. Anyway, this was a tough track for us, and I think the upcoming races will be better.”

Leon Haslam

“It’s been a tough weekend, for both me and Alvaro really. In race 2, we were in the same small group but then I lost a little contact with Alvaro when Bassani made a mistake and I risked colliding with him. The lap times weren’t so bad anyway, but then I made a small mistake with the back shift and crashed. That was frustrating because I didn’t feel I was pushing excessively and we were gradually catching Bassani for P10, which would have been nice. Anyway, it is what it is and now we look ahead to the next Magny-Cours round. I’m feeling more confident about the upcoming tracks too, so we’ll see what we can do.”

Jonas Folger

“The Superpole race was pretty good, even if the start didn’t work out, which was the case for all three races. We had problems with the clutch at the start all through the weekend, and we need to work on that now. My pace was good in the second half of the Superpole race. The weather was also a bit cooler, which generally suits us. After a difficult start to race two, the pace was also OK. I am not entirely happy with the weekend but we did score some points. Of course, some other riders took a tumble and that helped us but I made it through OK and we achieved our objective of scoring points.”

WorldSBK Championship Points

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WorldSSP

The FIM Supersport World Championship’s first visit to the Circuito de Navarra provided more enthralling drama as Championship contenders Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) battled it out for Race 2 honours at the Pirelli Navarra Round in a shortened encounter after Red Flags were deployed on Lap 15 of the planned 20.

Starting from seventh on the grid, Simon Jespersen (Kallio Racing) got the jump to lead the race on the opening lap of the 20-lap race as the Danish rider gained six positions off the line, although his lead did not last long as Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) claimed the lead with a move at the right-hander of Turn 11. Jespersen tried to fight back but had a huge moment on the exit of Turn 11 which allowed Odendaal to keep the lead.

In a familiar story to Race 1, Championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) found himself shuffled down the order in the early stages of the race but was able to fight back after getting past his rivals, although had to close down a gap of almost two seconds to Odendaal as he looked for his second win of the weekend. On Lap 8, Aegerter attempted to make the pass at Turn 15 but Odendaal was able to respond on Lap 9.

After four laps of not being able to pass Odendaal, Aegerter looked to make the move on Lap 13 into the final corner and briefly got ahead, although Odendaal was able to re-pass on the run into Turn 1. Aegerter did not lead Odendaal lead for much longer, though, as he made a move at Turn 3 – just one lap before Red Flags were shown after a crash for Borja Gomez (Yamaha Ms Racing) at Turn 1; Gomez taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the incident and will be transported to Estella Hospital for further assessments, with Gomez having multiple contusions but conscious. It meant Aegerter claimed victory to extend his Championship lead over Odendaal, with the gap between the two now 47 points. Luca Bernardi (CM Racing) claimed another podium in his rookie WorldSSP campaign after fighting his way back through the field.

Federico Caricasulo (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing) had a strong weekend at Navarra and claimed fourth place in his second round with the Yamaha Motoxracing outfit with his former teammate, Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) in fifth; the pair battling it out for fourth during the latter stages of the race. Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) claimed sixth place after a challenging weekend for the German rider.

Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) was seventh and narrowly missed out on a place in the top six after fighting with Oettl, while Jespersen finished in eighth place after being unable to maintain his place on the podium but an impressive WorldSSP debut for the Danish rider as he stood in for the injured Hannes Soomer. Italian Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was ninth with Swiss rider Marcel Brenner (VFT Racing), who was running inside the top five in the early stages of the race, completing the top ten.

David Sanchis Martinez (WRP Wepol Racing) was 11th after a strong debut weekend for the Spanish rider as he replaced Danny Webb after he split with the team, with Christoffer Bergman (Wojcik Racing Team) claiming a points finish on his return from injury, Federico Fuligni (VFT Racing) claimed 13th place with Daniel Valle (GMT94 Yamaha) 14th as he stood in at the GMT94 Yamaha outfit. Oscar Iglesias Gutierrez (Yamaha MS Racing) rounded out the points paying position with 15th and his best WorldSSP result in his second round.

Vertti Takala (Kallio Racing) had an eventful race as he fell down the order in the early stages but battled back to take 16th place, ahead of Peter Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) and Leonardo Taccini (Orelac Racing VerdNatura); Taccini the highest placed rider competing in the WorldSSP Challenge. He had a battle with fellow WorldSSP Challenge competitor Kevin Manfredi (Altogo Racing Team) with Manfredi in 19th place, ahead of Michel Fabrizio (G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti), Luigi Montella (Chiodo Moto Racing) and Maria Herrera (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing).

Hikari Okubo (G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti) crashed at Turn 15 which put an end to his fight for points while Randy Krummenacher (EBA Racing Team) and Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) came together at Turn 3 on Lap 4 as they both dropped down the order, although both were able to re-join. The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards although it was deemed no further action was necessary.

Eduardo Montero Huerta’s (DK Motorsport) race came to an end on Lap 5 as he crashed out on his own and was diagnosed with a right wrist contusion following a check-up at the medical centre, while Galang Hendra Pratama (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) crashed out at Turn 12, although he was able to re-join. He then had a second crash on his own at Turn 11 which forced the Indonesian rider out of the race.

Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) was declared unfit for Race 2 after his crash in Race 1 on Saturday with a right shoulder dislocation, while Stephane Frossard (Moto Team Jura Vitesse) was also declared unfit after a crash in Warm-Up with a cervical strain and right ankle contusion.

WorldSSP Race Two Results

Quotes

Dominique Aegerter – P1

“It was, again, a big battle from the start. My start was a little bit better today but still we were battling a lot with many riders. I think the fans enjoyed it. I could close the gap to Steven. It was not so easy to overtake him. Sad that the race was Red Flagged, I hope the rider who crashed is okay. No wheelies, no burnouts for the fans but I hope you enjoyed it. We took the maximum out of this weekend and we will have some espresso tonight with them and I can’t wait to relax, after three hard weeks racing, a little bit at home with friends and family.”

Steven Odendaal – P2

“I tried a different strategy today and unfortunately it didn’t work out. We just didn’t have the pace this weekend but it’s all about the long run and being consistent, getting the maximum points we can. We just missed a little bit and I’m sure we’ll catch them in the next one. Sad that the race ended early, but I hope that the rider who crashed is okay. Not nice to end that way.”

Luca Bernardi – P3

“I’m happy for this second podium here. We did a good job with the team. I had a good feeling with the bike. I’m a little bit sad for this Red Flag but this is the race. Next time, we try to take another podium and I’m happy.”

WorldSSP Championship Points

2021 WorldSBK Calendar

Source: MCNews.com.au