2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship
Round 12 – Circuito San Juan Villicum, San Juan

---

The 2021 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship’s penultimate round saw an action-packed first day of the Motul Argentinean round from the Circuito San Juan Villicum.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) dominated day one ahead of Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), whilst title rival Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashed hard at turn six with around 30 minutes to go, missing the remainder of the session.

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

“We start this morning and, you know, I clean the track… we are all cleaning the track! And also, it was a good lap time this morning, the feeling was good. This afternoon we try a race simulation and it was also very positive and I am happy with my R1. Now we are ready to race, the race is always difficult but I will try my best again to be fighting for the win. Thanks to my team because this afternoon we made a good set up for my bike and we are happy, but we will see tomorrow!”

As the temperature rose, it was a strong showing from Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who was inside the top four for most of FP2 whilst team-mate Scott Redding was also in the mix in fifth. Heading out in the final ten minutes of the session Redding improved, as did Rinaldi. Redding went second with less than a minute to go whilst Rinaldi maintain his fourth position.

Scott Redding

“I’m satisfied with what we did today, as it was my first time on this circuit. I have to say that I had a lot of fun because the track is really nice. We worked on the tyres ahead of tomorrow’s race and got some important data. Maybe in Race 1, I’ll struggle more than the others who have already raced here but the sensations are really positive“.

Michael Rinaldi

“It was a positive day, not only for fourth place but also for the fact that we are all very close. Unfortunately, after the crash at Portimao I still have a lot of pain in my ankle and I can’t use the rear brake properly. Obviously, this is a limitation but I will try to find other solutions tomorrow that will help me in breaking areas“.

Top independent honours also went to Ducati with Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) in sixth, ahead of Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), who was mightily impressive in seventh on his first visit to San Juan.

Over at Kawasaki, it was a Friday afternoon disaster for Jonathan Rea as he crashed hard at turn six. He and the bike tumbled through the gravel, with the ZX-10RR badly damaged, whilst thankfully the defending six-time world champion was able to walk away and get a ride back to the paddock on a scooter.

Team-mate Alex Lowes was having a strong return to action and was second for the majority of the session having been fourth in FP1. Come the end of the session, with Rea unable to improve due the damaged bike, he finished in fifth whilst Lowes was third. Both will look to take the challenge to Razgatlioglu and Redding across the weekend.

Jonathan Rea

“I sat out about fifteen minutes of the first practice session just to see how quick the lap times were coming. Towards the end of the session the rhythm was quite OK. Off line it was still very dirty. I don’t think anybody was that optimistic on Thursday because we were literally told to get inside the team cabins because a real sandstorm was coming through! I have got to say that the guys have done a great job here and the track is pretty good compared to the previous years. Tyre choice is going to be important but I feel good with the bike, the feeling is there, and I was able to be fast even with the harder tyre.”


Alex Lowes

“I missed racing at the previous rounds so it was important to come here and have quite a good Friday. My injured hand is not quite as good as I expected but I was able to do a lot of laps this afternoon with the same tyres on, to understand what we need to do for the race. I hope to be able to make a good race on Saturday. It is nice to be back here at Villicum and at a flyaway event with WorldSBK. It has been quite a while. We just need to improve in a couple of areas for tomorrow. The track was quite good. The lap times are quite fast and I think the track surface is only going to get better as the weekend goes on. I think the track conditions are quite good.”

Top Honda went to Leon Haslam (Team HRC). The ‘Pocket Rocket’ finished tenth on his return to San Juan, making for a solid start for Haslam, as he adapts to the Honda in Argentina. Team-mate Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC), showed top ten pace on Friday, but finished eleventh, being pushed out in the closing stages of the session. Setting 72 laps between the two riders across the course of the opening day, Team HRC gathered valuable data on their San Juan debut.

Alvaro Bautista

“Honestly, I expected to find the track in a much worse condition after yesterday’s sandstorm, but it actually wasn’t that bad. Obviously, this morning was worse than the afternoon but eventually it settled down. We have been trying to improve in the changes of direction because I lose a little grip and so am always a little late. And we want to pick up the pace especially through the second half of the track. In the second session, we made a few changes but we haven’t seen enough of an improvement yet. We hope to do so tomorrow, because we’re suffering a bit more here with respect to other tracks. Tomorrow we will try to get a little bit closer to the frontrunners.”

Leon Haslam

“The circuit was dusty today, and we spent the sessions learning and getting up to speed really. This is our first visit here with the Honda and I feel we gathered a lot of information, but we still have work to do. Through the first half of the lap, we’re not far off but we have some problems through the tighter corners, something we already know, so we need to come to some kind of compromise tomorrow.”

It wasn’t the easiest day at the San Juan office for BMW, as Michael van der Mark could only manage 14th and was only a place higher than Eugene Laverty. Both made big gains in terms of lap time but were over 1.4s off Razgatlioglu’s top time. Both BMW riders will look to find a way forward throughout Saturday and Sunday, although van der Mark is always an improver come the races. Van der Mark and Laverty are the only BMWs on the grid this weekend, as the Bonovo MGM Racing outfit decided to finish their season after the last European round of the season at Portimao.

Michael van der Mark

“It’s been a bit of a struggle today; we have seemed to find some limitations on the BMW M 1000 RR. This morning we went out and the track was a bit sandy, but we kept riding to clean the track and ended up using only one set of tyres the whole session, so we were expecting a little more in FP2. We seemed to struggle to get the bike to turn and missed some flow around this circuit. We have a lot of things to improve for tomorrow but I’m pretty sure the boys will be on it.”

Eugene Laverty

“FP1 this morning was a difficult practice as the track was dirty, so it was a case of lapping laps to clean the surface. I was happy with our performance in FP2, I felt more comfortable on the bike and was riding much better after we made some changes. We still need to work on the agility of the bike around the twisty corners and that’s the goal for tomorrow.”

Leading the best of the rest and actually ahead of the factory BMWs, Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was 12th having been a remarkable fifth in FP1. He was just ahead of Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) who was 13th, as he begins to figure out the Kawasaki ZX-10RR.

Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) was 16th as he headed of Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), both making their San Juan debut. Home-hero Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) was 18th, ahead of Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport Yamaha). Completing the field, Argentinean pairing Marco Solorza (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) and team-mate Luciano Ribodino.

Friday Combined Times

1. RAZGATLIOGLU Toprak TUR PATA YAMAHA with BRIXX WorldSBK Yamaha 1’37.872
2. REDDING Scott GBR ARUBA Racing – Ducati Ducati 1’38.118 0.246
3. LOWES Alex GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki 1’38.420 0.548
4. RINALDI Michael Ruben ITA ARUBA Racing – Ducati Ducati 1’38.433 0.561
5. REA Jonathan GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki 1’38.501 0.629
6. DAVIES Chaz GBR Team GOELEVEN Ducati 1’38.501 0.629
7. BASSANI Alex ITA Motocorsa Racing Ducati 1’38.851 0.979
8. LOCATELLI Andrea ITA PATA YAMAHA with BRIXX WorldSBK Yamaha 1’38.875 1.003
9. GERLOFF Garrett USA GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Yamaha 1’38.879 1.007
10. HASLAM Leon GBR Team HRC Honda 1’39.177 1.305
11. BAUTISTA Alvaro SPA Team HRC Honda 1’39.284 1.412
12. VINALES Isaac SPA ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA Kawasaki 1’39.291 1.419
13. RABAT Tito SPA Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki 1’39.309 1.437
14. VAN DER MARK Michael NDL BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW 1’39.323 1.451
15. LAVERTY Eugene IRE BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW 1’39.526 1.654
16. CAVALIERI Samuele ITA TPR Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki 1’39.753 1.881
17. NOZANE Kohta JPN GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Yamaha 1’39.857 1.985
18. MERCADO Leandro ARG MIE Racing HONDA Team Honda 1’40.076 2.204
19. PONSSON Christophe FRA Alstare Yamaha Yamaha 1’40.678 2.806
20. SOLORZA Marco ARG OUTDO Kawasaki TPR Kawasaki 1’42.469 4.597
21. RIBODINO Luciano ARG OUTDO Kawasaki TPR Kawasaki 1’42.776 4.904

---

World Supersport

As the FIM Supersport World Championship paddock descended on Argentina and the Circuito San Juan Villicum for the first time since 2019, Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) smashed the all-time lap record at the circuit as he looks to maintain his 100 per cent winning record at the Argentinean venue during the Motul Argentinean Round.

French rider Cluzel has won both WorldSSP races held at the San Juan Villicum venue and set the pace on Friday with a 1’41.926s, some seventh tenths under the previous lap record held by compatriot Lucas Mahias. Cluzel missed out on a lot of running in Free Practice 1 but responded in the perfect fashion during the second 45-minute practice session with a new all-time lap record, finishing eight tenths clear of Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) and nine tenths clear of Championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha); both riders making their debuts at the Argentinean venue.

Between Gonzalez in second and Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in 15th, 14 different riders were separated by around one second a close battle for the podium appears to be brewing throughout the WorldSSP field. Hungary’s Peter Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) was fourth fastest after a strong day, finishing as the lead Evan Bros. Yamaha outfit with teammate Steven Odendaal in eighth place.

Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) was fifth as the sole MV Agusta rider in the field, and the first non-Yamaha rider. The Finnish rider had suffered from technical issues in Free Practice 1, late on in the session, but was able to get back out on track for Free Practice 2 to post a 1’42.996s for the fifth-best time, with Dutch rider Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) completing the top six after a late lap.

WorldSSP Combined Results after FP2

1. Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) 1’41.926s
2. Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGO Team) +0.795s
3. Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +0.907s
4. Peter Sebestyen (Evan Bros. Yamaha WorldSSP Team) +1.015s
5. Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) +1.070s
6. Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) +1.159s

---

Motul Argentinean WSBK Round Schedule

---

World Superbike Championship Standings

Source: MCNews.com.au