ACERBIS Czech Round

Motul FIM Superbike World Championship

Automotodrom Brno

Brno, Czech Republic

June 8, 2018

Free Practice Three Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:59.403

2. Lorenzo Savadori, Italy (Apr RSV4 RF), 1:59.830

3. Marco Melandri, Italy (Duc Panigale R), 1:59.880

4. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), 1:59.978

5. Tom Sykes, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 2:00.053

6. Michael Rinaldi, Italy (Duc Panigale R), 2:00.191

7. Leon Camier, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 2:00.237

8. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 2:00.254

9. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale R), 2:00.275

10. Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Apr RSV4 RF), 2:00.477

11. Loris Baz, France (BMW S1000RR), 2:00.654

12. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Kaw ZX-10RR), 2:00.928

13. Jordi Torres, Spain (MV Agusta F4 RC), 2:01.005

14. Xavi Fores, Spain (Duc Panigale R), 2:01.073

15. Yonny Hernandez, Colombia (Kaw ZX-10RR), 2:01.220

16. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), 2:01.279, crash

17. Roman Ramos, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), 2:01.465

18. PJ Jacobsen, USA (Honda CBR1000RR SP2), 2:01.509

19. Jake Gagne, USA (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 2:01.549

20. Ondrej Jezek, Czech Republic (Yam YZF-R1), 2:02.020

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Opening Day 1-2 For KRT Riders

KRT WorldSBK riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes used their recent testing experiences at the Automotodrom Brno to help them achieve a 1-2 standing in the timesheets after the opening day of track action, with Rea fastest and Sykes just behind.

Three free practice sessions on Friday brought three different sets of track conditions, from a wet start in the morning to a warm and sunny finish. Each KRT rider felt that general track conditions were not as ideal as they had been during their recent tests at Brno, even in the dry conditions of FP2 and FP3.

Two red flag incidents interfered with all the riders’ set-up plans, but despite these interruptions Kawasaki’s official team members finished on top – after good work in the pit garage and strong showings on track from each rider.

Jonathan and Tom will now lead the top ten riders from Friday’s sessions into Superpole 2 tomorrow to determine their final grid positions for Race 1 later that day.

Rea approached the first WorldSBK race weekend at Brno since 2012 with the firm intention of prevailing in both races. Should he win again this weekend it would be his 60th career victory, making him the stand-alone all-time race winner in WorldSBK’s 31 year history. Jonathan has won five races from the 12 held so far in 2018.

Sykes is looking for what would be his second win of the 2018 season this weekend, having become the best ever rider in terms of Superpole starts last time out at Donington. He is yet to win a race at Brno, but came close on two occasions in 2012 while riding for Kawasaki.

Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) was 12th today, with Spanish rider Roman Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) 14th. Donington podium finisher Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 18th after free practice, with Yonny Hernandez (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) 16th.

Now the Kawasaki runners will face a short FP4 session, then Superpole 2, before lining up for the first 18-lap race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon, scheduled for 13.00 local time in the Czech Republic. Race two will take place at 13.00 on Sunday the 10th of June.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “Not the perfect day to set-up for race weekend but it is the same for everyone. We were lucky that we had a test here last month. After Assen we came directly here and had two good days in different conditions. It looks like today the grip level was a little bit down compared to the test because we were much faster then. I don’t know if it was overnight rain just washing some rubber off, or there has not been a lot of track activity between then and now. The set-up of the bike is quite good and I expect that the track will get better and better.”

Tom Sykes, stated: “The track conditions this afternoon were different and we tried out some tyre combinations. This obviously did not improve our lap times, but it was necessary for our preparations for the first race on Saturday. I feel ready now. It was definitely worth having the test here recently because today has been a mixed bag of conditions. The circuit is different now in the hotter conditions so if the sun stays out tomorrow it could be an interesting race.”

More, from a press release issued by Gulf Althea BMW:

Gulf Althea BMW on the right path at Brno

Brno (Czech Republic), Friday 8 June 2018

The Gulf Althea BMW Racing team is on track at Brno in the Czech Republic for round seven of the Superbike World Championship. Riders Loris Baz and Alessandro Delbianco have completed the first timed practice sessions, obtaining encouraging results in both wet and dry conditions.

SBK: in the morning’s first session, and on a wet track, Loris wasted no time, immediately positioning among the frontrunners thanks to good sensations with both the track and his BMW. His best time, a 2’09.812 set in the final minutes, ensured him of second place. Session two took place in dry conditions, the times of all riders dropping accordingly. The Frenchman continued to work with his technicians to set-up his bike, closing eighth with a best of 2’00.232. During the third and final session, and despite his best efforts, Baz was unable to improve further on his earlier time, thus closing in tenth place, which nevertheless means direct access to tomorrow’s Superpole2.

STK1000: Delbianco quickly got to grips with the new track, working well throughout the two sessions. During the morning, the Italian proved at ease on the wet surface, setting a series of fast laps. His best, set in 2’13.062, put him into third place, an excellent start. In the afternoon, things were a little trickier in dry conditions; Alessandro dropped his time by ten seconds though (2’03.688), bringing his BMW home in eighth place today.

Loris Baz:

“A strange day. This morning went well in the damp conditions, I could have been quicker but chose not to come in and change tyre, instead continuing on the intermediate. In the dry, the level of grip is not good, but this is the same for everyone I guess. P8 in the second session was OK but in the final session, the grip was worse. We’re through to SP2 anyway, but I’m not particularly happy with the feeling, we have work to do tomorrow in FP4 to see what we can do to combat the lack of grip ahead of the race.”

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Honda:

Camier ninth quickest and straight to Superpole 2 in Brno Friday practice

Czech Round

Automotodrom Brno, Czech Republic

Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team rider Leon Camier got up to speed quickly on his Fireblade at the Automotodrom Brno today to finish P9 on combined times and secure his first Superpole 2 appearance since the Aragon round.

In what has become a regular occurence in this year’s championship, Friday practice was subjected to temperamental weather as Free Practice 1 was declared wet due to early morning rain, with the remaining two sessions taking place in dry conditions. The variable conditions hurt the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team more than most as they missed the Brno test earlier in the year, however the team and riders put in extra effort and to make up for lost time.

Despite the challenges and still feeling sore from his broken ribs, Camier showed competitive pace in the dry conditions and his personal best lap time of 2’00.227 set in Free Practice 2 ensured the #2 CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 will take part in tomorrow’s Superpole 2 session. Camier was among the top five riders in the first three sectors, with the final sector the focus for improvement tomorrow.

For Jake Gagne it was a more steady start to the race weekend, the American rider like his team mate set his best time in Free Practice 2 and although he pushed hard, was unable to find more pace in the final session of the day. Gagne finished P19 overall with a personal best lap time of 2’01.324 and will participate in Superpole 1 tomorrow with the aim of finishing in the top two to join his team mate in SP2.

The next session is Free Practice 4 tomorrow at 0845 local time (GMT +2) tomorrow with Race 1 scheduled to commence at 1300.

Leon Camier 2

I’m pretty happy with how today went, we weren’t here for the test which meant we had no base setting to start but we managed to catch up quickly. If we can get the feeling on the bike I need, I think we can be even more competitive. Looking at the sector times I’m in the top 5 in sectors one to three, it’s just the last sector we need to work on, so we’ll work on the bike’s setting and geometry and try and make a good step tomorrow. Physically, I’m still not 100% which is impacting my riding in some areas, but if we can improve my body and the bike for tomorrow we could get a good result.

Jake Gagne 45

Today was my first time at Brno in a few years and the first time on the Fireblade, it’s a fun and flowing track but we didn’t quite have the speed we wanted. I got to try the bike in the wet and dry today and we tried a few different settings on the bike but didn’t make that much progress. Mainly I think I need to work out how to ride the bike a bit better around this track, focus on getting drive out of some corners and join up the sectors better. Tonight we’ll check out some data, work out what I need to improve on and where we can improve the bike, then we’ll get out there and try again tomorrow.

Kervin Bos

Team Manager

We had a good start to the weekend, especially considering we missed the two day test here. Leon showed quick and consistent pace, and in some sectors was very impressive and if you look at the lap times in the top 10 they are really close, so we will work on some things with Leon to hopefully extract more pace from the Fireblade so he can challenge for a good position in the race. We also have some work to do on Jake’s side as although he got up to a decent pace in FP2 he was unable to improve further as they day progressed, so we’ll work with him over night to try and get him more comfortable on the bike for Superpole and Race 1.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:

 #CzechWorldSBK Day 1: Rea takes first strike ending day one on top

KRT lock out the top two in disrupted final free practice of the day

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) is used to sitting in the number one spot…. will we see this again?

After a winless round at Donington Park, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was back in full form on Friday as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship made its return to Automotodrom Brno, with Rea securing the best time in Free Practice 3 and the overall Friday sessions. Making his mark as the man to beat over the weekend, the reigning world champion finished ahead of Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who completed a Kawasaki lock out, with Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in third.

With the first free practice throwing out unusual results due to the damp track conditions, it was the FP2 times that set the bar for the WorldSBK riders in the final afternoon session. Running again on a dry track, only eight riders managed to improve their earlier times – one of those the championship leader – cutting 0.045 seconds off his best lap.

With Sykes running half a second off his previous best and Melandri – the last WorldSBK winner at Brno – not quite able to better his marks, it was Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) who ended the day in fourth overall. The Italian therefore makes it into the Superpole 2 once again, confirming that he is extracting more out of the Aprilia each passing round.

Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) managed to take the fifth best time of the day, with Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in sixth, over half a second behind Rea out in front. Donington double marvel Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) did improve his best lap time in FP3, rising up to seventh by the end of the day.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team) created more headlines in the final session of the day – although perhaps not how he intended to. The Italian, who led the timesheets in FP1, was running seventh overall and second in the final session’s timesheets when an engine issue left him out of action and the track filled with smoke and oil, forcing a red flag with nine minutes to go. His final time of 2’00.191 was enough to keep him in eighth position, and his slot in tomorrow’s Superpole 2.

The final two riders to make it directly into the Superpole 2 tomorrow were Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) in ninth and Loris Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team) just behind in tenth. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) couldn’t follow up his maiden WorldSBK podium with a good start at Brno, crashing early into FP3 and only recording the 18th best lap time.

An intriguing qualifying lies ahead! The WorldSBK Superpole 1 starts tomorrow from 10:30 local time (08:30 GMT), with lights out in Race 1 at 13:00 (11:00).

More, from a press release issued by Barni Racing Team:

Forés looking for a comeback after a tricky Friday at Brno

Brno (CZ), 8th June 2018. It was a tricky Friday for Barni Racing Team at Brno circuit, in the Czech Republic, where the seventh round of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship started today. Xavi Forés was 15th after three free practice sessions. Being out of the Top 10 tomorrow he will have to face Superpole 1 (10:30 CET) trying to improve his position in the starting grid.

A downpour affected Brno in the morning and the free practice’s opening session was played on medium wet asphalt and Forés was third lapping 2’09.943.

However the other two free practice sessions had a dry asphalt and increasingly higher temperatures (up to 40 ° of the asphalt in FP3). In these conditions the Spaniard struggled trying to find the right setup on his Ducati Panigale R. In FP2 Forés scored his best lap of the day (2’01.054), while in the third he didn’t manage to improve.

For the second time in season the flagbearer of Barni Racing Team is not qualified directly into the Superpole 2 and he have to do it.

Marco Barnabò, Principal Manager

«We are going through a difficult moment. As happened two weeks ago in Donington the rider had not good feelings with the bike and because of that it was not allow to him riding confortably. We analyzed the data and we believe we have found the right way for tomorrow. Without losing temper we try to put Xavi in the best conditions to make a good qualifying and get into Superpole 2».

Xavi Forés, #12

«I lose so many tenths in the lap due to the problems we suffered both in turning and in breaking. What’s going on since Donington weekend onwards is a bit strange, but I know a quick comeback is possible».

More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:

Melandri 3rd and Davies 6th in Friday’s free-practice at Brno with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team resumed action today at Brno (Czech Republic) for Round 7 of the WorldSBK Championship, taking it to the track for three free-practice sessions. Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies, who tested at the circuit about a month ago, found wet conditions in the morning and then were able to focus on their dry setup in FP2 and FP3, closing in third and sixth position respectively, not far from the top both in terms of a single lap and overall pace.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi, on track with the Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team, posted the 8th provisional time overall and first among “Independent” riders despite a technical issue that cut his work short towards the end of FP3. Both Melandri and Davies, as well as Rinaldi, gained direct access to Superpole 2.

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team and the Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team will return to the track Saturday, June 9th, at 08:45 local time (CET) for the fourth and final free-practice session before Superpole and Race 1, scheduled to start at 13:00.

Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – 1:59.795 (3rd)

“Today really demanded our utmost focus as track conditions changed quite a lot between the morning and the afternoon, and the grip was much lower than during the tests here. We had to study and utilize different setups, but fortunately we managed to do a solid job and the team found a good compromise to make me feel quite comfortable on the bike. We can be fairly optimistic for the race, regardless of weather conditions. Rea seems to have a small edge at the moment, but I’m really determined to close the gap.”

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 1:59.970 (6th)

“After a wet FP1, we started working on a ‘dry’ setup for FP2 and on our race pace. We got down to good lap times quite quickly, but then we sort of hit an obstacle, and on this track you can’t really force it, the lap time has to come to you. So, we immediately started analyzing our setup and what changes to make. I feel like we’re getting closer and closer to the mark. In terms of pace, we’re quite competitive, but so far we’ve been struggling to make a hot lap. We’re not actually that far away, we just need to make small improvements for tomorrow.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team #21) – 2:00.191 (8th)

“All in all, it’s been a positive first day, because we’ve been competitive in all conditions. We still need to improve a bit, both in terms of a single lap and race pace, but we’re fairly optimistic despite the fact that track conditions during FP1 slowed down our program a bit. Tomorrow’s weather is still a question mark, so we need to be ready to adapt to all conditions and, most of all, avoid making mistakes.”

More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:

Strong Start for Pata Yamaha on Friday in Brno

Free practice

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team got off to a positive start on Friday at Round 7 of the 2018 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship in Brno despite a number of red flags and a wet FP1. Alex Lowes showed good pace throughout the day and ended up fifth on the combined timesheets after FP3 with a 1:59.917, 0.514s off the top. There was hardly anything to separate him from his teammate Michael van der Mark, who was just 0.061s further back in seventh after setting a 1:59.978 to finish Friday in seventh, with both riders securing their places automatically in Saturday’s SP2.

The forecast for the day was 28°C and thunderstorms at the Automotodrom Brno and heavy rain before FP1 saw the session declared wet before the circuit dried and the sun returned for the rest of the day with track temperatures rising to 40°C. WorldSBK returns to the Brno track for the first time since 2012 and to prepare, the Pata Yamaha team conducted a private two-day test at the circuit after Assen, although with the circuit conditions vastly different today, further adjustments were required to find the best performance for the R1’s.

In the tricky conditions of FP1, with a wet but drying track, Lowes got off to a solid start, ending the 40-minute session in eighth with a 2:11.054. The track was completely dry by the time FP2 came around and Lowes wasted no time in getting down to work with slick tyres to set a 1.59.7 – discounted due to touching the green run-off onto the finish straight – and then a 1:59.917 and move up to fourth overall. In FP3, the 27-year-old British rider worked hard on his race pace before a red flag towards the end of the session saw most riders fit fresh rubber to set a flying lap. Lowes maturely instead decided to focus on his feeling with used tyres in an effort to improve his performance towards the end of the race, showing excellent consistency although he did not improve his time. His best lap from FP2 was good enough to see him end the day in fifth overall and the 2013 British Superbike Champion heads into Saturday confident in his pace and knowing there is more to come.

Fresh from his historic double victory last time out at Donington, his teammate van der Mark eased himself into proceedings in FP1 with not much to be learnt in the mixed conditions – the 25-year-old Dutch rider ended the session in 16th with a 2:13.704. Conditions were almost perfect for FP2 and the 2014 WorldSSP Champion improved to a 2:00.243 to end the session in tenth, despite not having the best confidence in the front end of his Pata Yamaha R1. The team made some setup changes during FP3 that saw van der Mark’s feeling improve towards the end of the session, leaving it late to set a 1:59.978 to finish Friday in seventh on the combined timesheets, 0.575s off the top and securing his place alongside his teammate in Saturday’s SP2.

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team return to action on Saturday at 8:45 am local time (CEST) for Free Practice 4, with SP2 due to start at 10:30 am and the 18-lap Race 1 scheduled for 1:00 pm.

Alex Lowes

Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 5th – 1:59.917

“I felt pretty good today! We tried a lot of setting options on the bike, even if the sessions were quite interrupted by some red flags and a few small issues. We didn’t use new tyres in FP3, so I think we are in a stronger position than it looks on the timesheets, which is nice. I feel good on the bike, the R1 flows well around here – I really enjoy this track and I am looking forward to tomorrow!”

Michael van der Mark

Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 7th – 1:59.978

“FP1 was in mixed conditions, so it was good to go out but there was nothing we could really learn. I struggled with the feeling with the front end in FP2 and I did not have a lot of confidence. This carried into the start of FP3 but we made a big change to the bike and I finally got my confidence back with the front and when stopping the bike. I was happy with that and we now just need to focus on trying to find some more rear grip on corner entry and exit. I am happy to have made it into SP2 but feel we still have some work to do!”

Paul Denning

Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team Principal

“It is great that WorldSBK is back in Brno, it’s a beautiful circuit and a very nice part of the world. Even on Friday, there have been some enthusiastic fans around so, hopefully, it is going to be an exciting return for WorldSBK to the circuit. Today was a little bit compromised by the weather and also the dry conditions were quite different to the recent test in terms of temperature and humidity, so it has been quite difficult to transfer the information we previously learnt. The top riders are all very close on rhythm but at this moment, Jonathan looks like he has something in his pocket compared to everyone else. The plan for tomorrow is to consolidate everything that has been learnt today, close the gap to him, and look forward to a big fight for the podium on Saturday afternoon!”