WorldSBK Race Lap Record: 1:34.720, Jonathan Rea, 2015

WorldSBK Pole/Circuit Best Lap Record: 1:33.640, Tom Sykes, 2018

Motul FIM Superbike World Championship

Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli

Rimini, San Marino

June 21, 2019

Free Practice Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), 1:36.021, crash

2. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Duc Panigale V4 R), 1:36.156

3. Sandro Cortese, Germany (Yam YZF-R1), 1:36.267

4. Tom Sykes, UK (BMW S1000RR), 1:36.382

5. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:36.443, crash

6. Michael Rinaldi, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), 1:36.463

7. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 1:36.506

8. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale V4 R), 1:36.690

9. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:36.774

10. Marco Melandri, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), 1:36.784

11. Michele Pirro, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), 1:36.884, crash

12. Jordi Torres, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:37.109

13. Markus Reiterberger, Germany (BMW S1000RR), 1:37.116, crash

14. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:37.138, crash

15. Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), 1:37.217

16. Loris Baz, France (Yam YZF-R1), 1:37.581

17. Samuele Cavalieri, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), 1:37.895, crash

18. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:37.988

19. Yuki Takahashi, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:38.578

20.  Alessandro Delbianco, Italy (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:38.911

21. Dominic Schmitter, Switzerland (Yam YZF-R1), 1:39.508

22. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:39.598

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

#RiminiWorldSBK– Day 1

Van der Mark sets the fastest lap time ahead of Rea and Bautista before suffering a huge crash

A dramatic first day of on-track action ends in Misano with 13 riders covered by just a second

The opening day of WorldSBK action concluded after FP2, with action and drama aplenty in the 50-minute session. Numerous crashes were scattered throughout the session, including on Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), although he was unscathed. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was on top at the end of the day, with Rea in second and Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) in third. The Dutchman suffered an enormous accident at the end of the session, bringing a red flag out just moments after the chequered flag was shown.

Michael van der Mark was the man to beat on Friday, after a positive FP1 and topping the timesheets at the end of the day. Having won at Jerez, the former WorldSSP champion was on a mission before a huge high-side at the end of the session saw him thrown in the air, bringing out a red flag. The Dutchman suffered a right wrist fracture, concussion, and right ribs fracture and after having undergone first medical treatment at the circuit Medical Center, he was then taken to Rimini Hospital for further assessments. His teammate, Alex Lowes, completed the top five overall and was right in the mix.

The Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK duo of Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam suffered crashes on their way to second and tenth respectively. Haslam was the first crasher in the opening part of FP2, whilst Rea crashed at Turn 2 in the closing stages, having been top for the majority of the day. It was a positive day for Rea, as he goes in search of returning to winning ways and taking the battle to Alvaro Bautista.

Bautista’s day was comparably uneventful at Misano, with him being one of the few top names who didn’t crash – although he crashed during the Misano test. Bautista was quick in all of the sectors, topping the timesheets in the final sector but not featuring too prominently throughout the rest of the lap. Teammate Chaz Davies did not improve his time and finished the day in eighth overall.

Both GRT Yamaha WorldSBK riders were inside the top ten, as Sandro Cortese popped into fourth position on the combined times and made plenty of headlines, finishing as second Yamaha. Home-hero Marco Melandri was ninth on the combined times but didn’t improve his time in FP2.

A positive opening day concluded well for Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who will go in search of continuing his pole-run from years gone-by, with seven consecutive poles in the last seven seasons. With the 2013 WorldSBK champion in the fight at the front, he looks set for a strong weekend. Teammate Markus Reiterberger was less than a second off of top slot, but back in 13th.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) had a positive day and was the second Independent rider in seventh place. With less than half a second off, Rinaldi is in the mix at his home round and primed for a good result. Fellow countryman, teammate and wildcard Michele Pirro completed the day in 12th.

#RiminiWorldSBK at Misano World Circuit: Friday

1. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 1’36.021

2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’36.029

3. Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) 1’36.156

WorldSSP: Caricasulo on top at home whilst Soomer surprises

As Caricasulo and De Rosa had a 1-2 for Italy at home, it was a day full of shocks and surprises in World Supersport!

With track temperatures increasing throughout the day, the World Supersport championship is warmed up nicely for on-track action this weekend. It was a sea of Italians inside the top ten, with five of them – including two wildcards – starting their home weekend in fine style. Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) completed the day in first, ahead of fellow countryman Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and teammate, Randy Krummenacher.

Caricasulo charged to top spot on day one, continuing his strong form from Jerez. The Italian, from Rimini, is at his true home weekend and will be hoping to put on a strong show in front of a passionate home crowd. Raffaele De Rosa chased him down and was flying the MV Agusta flag, as he continues his quest for a first WorldSSP win, whilst championship leader Randy Krummenacher was in third – finishing FP2 in second but not able to conquer the top two on combined times.

Former WorldSSP runner-up Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) was up in fourth place, at a circuit at which he has victories at before. He was just ahead of his fellow countryman, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Hannes Soomer (MPM WILSport Racedays), who was a surprise at the front of the WorldSSP order, completed the day sixth and was comfortably the top Honda in the class.

Seventh position went to the first of the wildcards: Luca Ottaviani (SGM Tecnic). The Italian was in fine form ahead of his return to the WorldSSP grid. Fellow wildcard, Lorenzo Gabellini (GOMMA Racing), was up in eighth place and was one of the first riders to improve his time in the session. Ninth and tenth went to Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing) and Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing). Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) had a tough day and ended 14th overall, with work to do ahead of Saturday and Sunday.

#RiminiWorldSBK WorldSSP at Misano World Circuit: Friday

1. Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) 1’39.951

2. Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 1’40.136

2. Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) 1’40.221

WorldSSP300: Schotman on top as Hendra Pratama leads chasing pack

The Dutchman’s morning time was good enough to hold on to top spot, whilst the Indonesian rider heads the rest

The WorldSSP300 field was back in action at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” on Friday, with plenty to look out for as the championship reaches its halfway stage in 2019. It was a dominant opening day for Group A riders, as they stamped their authority on the Italian circuit to lock-out the top six positions. Robert Schotman (Kawasaki MOTOPORT) was on top, ahead of Indonesia’s Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) and championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) in third.

Track temperatures soared in the afternoon sessions, meaning that most of the times were coming from the morning sessions, despite rubber being laid down by the WorldSBK and WorldSSP riders in between. Schotman’s 1’50.111 was good enough to end the day on top, whilst a bright start from Indonesian star Galang Hendra Pratama in second place will get the crowd on their feet. The Indonesian rider will be hoping to achieve a first podium of the year after premature celebrations last time out at Jerez! Manuel Gonzalez’ strong start to the year looks set to continue, with a third place after the opening day.

It was a very strong start for Ukrainian rider Nick Kalinin (Nutec RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki). Just under half-a-second off the top time, he completed the day in fourth, ahead of home-hero and top Italian Omar Bonoli (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) and reigning WorldSSP300 champion Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300).

#RiminiWorldSBK WorldSSP300 Group A and B combined results at Misano World Circuit: Friday

1. Robert Schotman (Kawasaki MOTOPORT) 1’50.111

2. Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) 1’50.260

3. Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) 1’50.457

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Rea Second Fastest Under The Misano Sun

KRT rider Jonathan Rea placed second overall after two Free Practice sessions at the World Circuit Misano Marco Simoncelli today, with his team-mate Leon Haslam tenth in the hot weather conditions.

Only a fast final lap from Michael van Der Mark deposed Jonathan Rea from the top spot on Friday’s combined practice times. Jonathan’s 1’36.029 was just 0.008 seconds from the overnight leader as he made good preparations for Superpole and then the first race of the weekend.

Haslam worked on finding more front end grip and despite losing some track time for a while after a fall, he was still inside the top ten at the relatively short 4.226km circuit near the Adriatic coast of Italy.

On a day where several riders fell Rea and Haslam each slid off without injury on a hot and sometimes slippery track surface that approached 50°C on occasion. Such was the close competition on day one that the top 13 riders set lap times within a second of each other.

Tomorrow Rea and Haslam will face a final FP3 session in the morning, then Tissot Superpole qualifying and finally a full distance 21-lap Race One. Sunday features a ten-lap Tissot Superpole Race and a final 21-lap battle in Race Two.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “It is much hotter than it was at the test we had here recently. There was not a lot of rubber down at the test but even today the grip levels are lower. But saying that, it feels more normal especially compared to Jerez last time out, where the grip levels were so high you were pushing the tyres into the ground. The bike is moving around a little here and we are just trying to understand where we are with it. I felt we had a really good pace and my speed was good today, and we understood some different tyres. It is now clear the tyre we are going to use. For the first day I feel not bad; actually comfortable on the bike.”

Leon Haslam, stated: “We ran out of track time today because a crash hindered us in something we wanted to try. We have been suffering from a little lack of front grip more than anything. We still have to work because compared to the test we had here recently the track is a bit greasier, a bit more slippery. It is totally different from the test until now. We had a certain way and feeling at the test and it is now a completely different way that we need to look for.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) was 12th today, just one place behind Haslam. Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was 14th and Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) 18th in what is his second comeback ride after an early season injury.

More, from a press release issued by Moriwaki Althea Honda Racing:

The Riviera di Rimini round gets underway at a hot and sunny Misano.

The opening day of the Riviera di Rimini WorldSBK Round was marked by hot and sunny weather, quite different from the conditions Moriwaki Althea Honda’s Ryuichi Kiyonari and Yuki Takahashi found during the two-day testing session they completed at Misano at the end of May.

Takahashi and Kiyonari worked hard with their respective crews to adapt the bikes’ setup in order to improve grip levels, and both are confident that they have found a good direction. They will continue to work to improve their lap times tomorrow, having rounded out day one in 20th and 21st place respectively.

Yuki Takahashi

20TH 1’38.578

“Today’s track conditions were very different to what we had during the test three weeks ago, so different in fact that it was almost as if I was riding a different bike! The main thing to deal with here is the lack of grip and we worked hard to sort that out today. We made a big change to the set-up between the two free practice sessions and I think we have found a promising direction in terms of the setting. Tomorrow we’ll continue in this direction and see what we can do”.

Ryuichi Kiyonari

21ST 1’38.842

“It has been a difficult day. The asphalt was very slippery, and I struggled quite a lot, especially with the front of the bike. I could not brake hard or stop the bike effectively, so we are losing a lot of time in that area. Conditions are the same for everyone of course, so we worked hard on the set-up, trying several different things to improve the situation. I think that by putting it all together, we can do better tomorrow”.

More, from a press release issued by Barni Racing:

Rinaldi and Pirro concluded seventh and twelfth respectively in Friday at Misano

Misano Adriatico (ITA), 21th June 2019. First day at Misano World Circuit ended for Barni Racing Team. The two riders Michael Rinaldi and Michele Pirro concluded seventh and twelfth respectively in a very close standings after the two free practice sessions.

Rinaldi found a good setup base on his Ducati Panigale V4 R constantly improving along the day. Pirro had a little bit more complicated day with two crashes, the first one in FP1 at turn 14, the second in FP2 at turn 4.

Rinaldi scores his best time 1’36.463 at the very end of FP2 being half a second faster than the morning and only four tenth of a second slower than the provisionally pole position.

In the first session of the day, with lack of grip on track and temperatures that already reached 29 °C air and 40 °C Michael completed his work program with 17 lap (38 in all) and a good time 1’36.955.

Pirro fought all day long with lack of confidence at the front. During FP1 Pirro suffered a crash in his very first flying lap. Due to a slice losing the front in braking, he was forced to stay in the box until 10 minutes to go, making only five good lap.

At mid session in the afternoon he made a step forward until the 1’36.884 which placed him twelfth, eight tenth of a second far from the pole position.

Marco Barnabo, Team Principal:

Speaking generally we can say we are quite satisfied. Despite high temperatures and the non-ideal conditions of the track Michael has a good pace. The thing that makes me very confident is the improvement step by step. The setup of the bike increased every time and he took completely the control of the bike. Pirro was in a completely different condition. We were aware that we would have difficulties because everything is new for him. Unfortunately there is no time, but we are trying to find the right direction.

Michael Rinaldi

P7 (1’36.463)

The track was completely different from the tests, the conditions were more complicated. We found lack of grip and it’s very easy to make mistakes. But everyone have to face the same condition. We worked well but we still have to improve for the race.

Michele Pirro

P12 (1’36.884)

The configuration of the bike for me it’s completely new and that’s why I’m in trouble. New suspensions, new tyres. Jumping from a bike to another it’s not easy. Telling the truth I don’t feel the bike at the front and I have to find the right way for tomorrow.

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

Álvaro Bautista and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) third and eighth respectively after first day of free practice at the Misano World Circuit

Sweltering weather conditions greeted the World Superbike contenders today at the Misano World Circuit, where the seventh round of the championship is being held and where the two Aruba.it Racing – Ducati riders, Álvaro Bautista and Chaz Davies, were third and eighth quickest respectively after the first two free practice sessions.

Very few riders managed to improve this afternoon, but one man who did was the championship leader, the 34-year-old Spaniard from Talavera de la Reina. Like all the other riders, Bautista suffered with a lack of grip in FP2, but despite this he was able to knock one tenth of a second off his time, albeit remaining in third place in the provisional classification.

Chaz Davies also suffered with the same problem, the 32-year-old from Wales finishing eighth overall in the combined standings after going fifth in this morning’s session. Even though there is very little time available before Race 1, Chaz is convinced there is still room for improvement.

Tomorrow the third and final free practice session will be held at 09:00 CET, followed two hours later at 11:00 by Superpole qualifying for the starting-grid line-up for Race 1, which gets underway at 14:00.

Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19) – 3rd (1’36.156)

“Today was rather a difficult day and it was conditioned by the hot weather and the lack of grip. We’re all lapping quite slowly, there isn’t much grip both in the front and the rear so it’s easy to make a mistake, but we’re working hard to improve the feeling. This morning I didn’t have a particularly good feeling with the choice of tyre, while in the afternoon things were better, the bike was more stable and we managed to improve our time, but only by a bit. For the moment our ideas are quite clear about which type of tyre to use and we’ll have a look at the data this evening but I’m very confident for Superpole and tomorrow’s race.”

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 8th (1’36.544)

“It was quite a positive first day and even though my position maybe doesn’t show it, the feeling with the bike wasn’t bad at all. I think we’ve got margin to improve, the only problem is that there isn’t much time available tomorrow morning for us to apply the right modifications. Today the track was really slippery and it was hard for everyone. I’m suffering with a lack of grip; in addition, I had a bit of a problem with my first tyre at the start of FP2 which meant we had to modify the workflow, but when we changed the tyre my Panigale V4 R immediately went better.”

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Unlucky Van Der Mark to Miss Misano Races After Dominating Day One

Free practice

Michael van der Mark topped the timesheets on the opening day in Misano but unfortunately the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider will sit out the remainder of the weekend, having sustained a fractured right wrist in a heavy crash in the final moments of today’s second free practice session. GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Sandro Cortese, got his Misano weekend off to a flying start, improving his lap time by more than half a second in FP2 to end the day in fourth position, one place ahead of fellow Yamaha rider, Alex Lowes. Marco Melandri made it four Yamahas in the top ten, with his time from FP1 securing the veteran Italian ninth place on the timesheet, while Loris Baz also had to rely on his time from the first of the two free practice sessions to finish 17th.

Having shown his potential with second place in FP1 this morning, van der Mark was the fastest rider on track in FP2. The Pata Yamaha rider looked all set to improve on his previous best time as the session drew to a close, but his flying lap ended with a heavy crash as he exited the final turn. The session was red flagged while circuit medical staff attended to van der Mark by the side of the track, before transporting him to the medical centre.

After further examination in the medical centre van der Mark was diagnosed with concussion, fractures to the radius and trapezium bones in his right wrist and fractures to ribs nine and ten on his right side. The Pata Yamaha rider was transported to Rimini Hospital, where he will remain under observation for 24 hours as a precautionary measure, before undergoing surgery to plate the radius fracture.

“When you see an accident as severe as Michael’s today, it really brings home the risks that all the riders take when they are pushing to the limits,” said Pata Yamaha Team Principal, Paul Denning.

“Thankfully he is ‘basically’ ok, despite injuries that will rule him out of the races this weekend. Of course, this is a huge disappointment for him, the team and for Yamaha because – following Jerez’s superb victory – Michael’s outright pace and consistency here in Misano had set him up to again challenge for the race wins. His parents, girlfriend Nadieh and Andrea Dosoli are with him at the hospital, we know he is in good medical hands and at this moment everybody involved in Yamaha’s WorldSBK project sends Michael all the best wishes and positive energies we can for a swift recovery. His potential is clear and we can’t wait to see Michael back on the R1,” concluded Denning.

It was a solid opening day for the remaining Yamaha riders, despite the hot conditions resulting in a distinct lack of grip compared to the recent two-day test at the circuit. Cortese managed the conditions well and was one of the few riders to improve on his FP1 time in this afternoon’s second free practice session, with the reigning Supersport World Champion ending the day fourth on combined times.

Lowes was satisfied with the progress made today, having spent both practice sessions working on race set-up on used tyres. The Pata Yamaha was missing some feeling from the front of his R1 but is confident that he and his crew can find a solution ahead of qualifying tomorrow.

For Melandri the focus for tomorrow is on improving available grip and the feedback from both the front and rear tyres. The Italian was ninth fastest today but is confident of improvement tomorrow.

Also confident of improvement tomorrow is Ten Kate Yamaha rider Baz who, together with the team, is still learning how to get the best from the Yamaha R1 with which they made their debut last time out in Jerez.

Alex Lowes

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P5 – 1’36.380

“The track temperature is a lot higher and the track is more slippery than it was when we were here for the test a few weeks ago. Today we just worked through the program, staying on used tyres, but I still need to find a bit more confidence with the front of the bike. We’ll have a look through the data tonight to find a solution ready for tomorrow, but the main thing is that Michael is relatively okay after what was a big crash in FP2. That’s not how you want to end the day after setting the fastest time but, hopefully, he’ll be back on the bike very soon and I wish him all the best.”

Sandro Cortese

GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P4 – 1’36.267

“A very positive day, which started with a good feeling this morning after the test here and the last races in Jerez. This afternoon we made a significant improvement again, in what was a very good free practice session for us, as we worked towards the first race. The lap times were consistent, the pace was good and I’m really looking forward to the race tomorrow.”

Marco Melandri

GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P9 – 1’36.629

“The first day here in Misano proved very difficult because of the track conditions. I don’t think anyone was expecting such a lack of grip, which made the front and rear so unpredictable and the bike so difficult to ride. Tyre endurance also seems to be an issue, but the main goal is to try and improve the available grip for tomorrow. My feeling is not so bad, but I need to feel more comfortable on the bike if we are to improve.”

Loris Baz

Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P17 – 1’37.490

“It’s been a tough opening day for everyone, I think. The track is really hot and the grip really bad compared to the test here. We just worked on the bike, trying to improve and we continued this process this afternoon with the race tyre, when the track conditions were even more difficult. I was getting better and better as the session progressed, but we have been a bit unlucky with the tyre for the sprint races, as I haven’t managed more than three laps on it so far and, today when we put in this tyre, we had a small problem with the bike. But we are still on a steep learning curve and, sometimes, we just need to be a little patient.”