FIM Superbike World Championship

Donington Park, England

May 28, 2017

Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), 23 laps, Total Race Time 33:53.138, Fastest Lap 1:27.863

2. Tom Sykes, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -1.601 seconds, 1:27.815

3. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale R), -12.200, 1:28.127

4. Michael Van Der Mark, Holland (Yam YZF-R1), -12.984, 1:28.518

5. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -18.953, 1:28.547

6. Leon Camier, UK ((MV Agusta 1000 F4), -23.971, 1:28.745

7. Xavi Fores, Spain (Duc Panigale R), -29.892, 1:29.013

8. Roman Ramos, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), -44.742, 1:29.311

9. Jake Dixon, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -50.622, 1:29.909

10. Raffaele De Rosa, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -51.749, 1:29.057

11. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -59.459, 1:30.201

12. Riccardo Russo, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), -72.794, 1:30.254

13. Ondrej Jezek, Czech Republic (Kaw ZX-10RR), -82.719, 1:30.590

14. Ayrton Badovini, Italy (Kaw ZX-10RR), -5 laps, pitted, 1:30.904

15. Lorenzo Savadori, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -8 laps, DNF, retired, 1:29.161

16. Marco Melandri, Italy (Duc Panigale R), -15 laps, DNF, mechanical, 1:28.490

17. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -15 laps, DNF, crash, 1:28.805

18. Jordi Torres, Spain (BMW S1000RR), -18 laps, DNF, crash, 1:29.154

19. Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -20 laps, DNF, crash, 1:29.531

20. Alex De Angelis, San Marino (Kaw ZX-10RR), -21 laps, DNF, crash, 1:29.987

21. Leon Haslam, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -22 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded

22. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland (Kaw ZX-10RR), -23 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded

Superbike World Championship Point Standings (after 12 of 26 races):

1. Rea, 260 points

2. Sykes, 205

3. Davies, 185

4. Melandri, 137

5. Lowes, 121

6.Van Der Mark, 102

7. Fores, 99

8. Camier, 84

9. Torres, 72

10. Laverty, 58

11. Ramos, 57

12. Bradl, 48

13. Mercado, 43

14. Nicky Hayden 40

15. Savadori, 32

16. Krummenacher, 27

17. De Angelis, 23

18. Haslam, 20

19. Markus Reiterberger, 19

20. De Rosa, 12

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

Two problematic races for Althea BMW at Donington

Castle Donington (UK), Sunday 28 May 2017

The Althea BMW Racing team concluded Superbike race 2 in tenth place with Raffaele De Rosa while Jordi Forres unfortunately suffered a crash at Donington Park in the UK this afternoon. Meanwhile, Marco Faccani crossed the line eleventh in the Superstock 1000 race today.

Superbike – Race 2 – thirteenth off the line, Jordi made up four places over the course of the first five laps. Unfortunately, though, lap six brought a crash for the Spaniard, prematurely ruling him out of the race. Sixteenth on lap one, Raffaele also started to work his way up the field in the early stages, 12th by lap six. A consistent pace saw him move up into tenth position by the mid-race point, a position he was able to hold to the line, thus scoring his best result of the season so far.

STK1000 – Race – seventh on the grid, a technical problem on Faccani’s bike unfortunately saw the Italian fall back to 23rd place right at the start. From there, the Italian wasted no time and immediately started to work his way back up the field, up to 17th place after just two laps. Passing several riders over the subsequent laos, Marco was lying 13th at the mid-race point. Improving further in the final laps, Faccani concluded today’s race in final eleventh place, a good result considering his comeback from 23rd but not what the team had hoped for today.

As round six draws to an end, Torres is ninth in the standings with 72 points while De Rosa has earned 12 points thus far, lying 20th. In the Stock1000 category, after four rounds, Faccani is ninth with 27 points.

Jordi Torres:

“I noticed during the sighting lap that there was some vibration at the front of the bike. After making a good start, I almost immediately lost ground due to the electronics. Behind Camier and Forés, I tried to push and catch up because I felt I had stronger pace than them. Unfortunately though, I crashed at the chicane and couldn’t continue with the race, and that was that. We need to better understand the limit in these conditions, it’s the first time this has happened, while also working on the vibration issue. We hope to do better at Misano.”

Raffaele De Rosa:

“Conditions were different to yesterday, in that it was hotter. I tried to improve on yesterday’s pace and while there was a certain degree of improvement, I had hoped to do more to be honest. I’m continuing to work to be able to repay the team, as they are all working so hard for me. I hope we can make another step forward at Misano.”

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

Eleventh place for Bradl in closing WorldSBK race of the UK Round

UK Round

Donington Park, United Kingdom

The UK Round of the 2017 FIM Superbike World Championship has come to a close with the second WorldSBK race of the weekend, which took place today under sunny skies at Donington Park. Stefan Bradl was eleventh at the chequered flag on board his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 machine.

The outcome of the race for the 27-year-old German rider was largely dictated at the start by a crash in front of him at turn one. When the rider fell ahead of him, it forced Stefan almost to a stop to which naturally cost him a lot of ground to the leaders. From the very back of the field, Bradl fought back as he went from 21st place to 14th in the first third of the race. Then, with a big gap to bridge from the riders ahead, Bradl rode a lonely race to cross the finish line in 11th at the end of the 23-lap encounter.

The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team will now be on the road to Misano, where a two-day private test will be carried out from Wednesday with Stefan Bradl and test rider Michele Magnoni. The next round of the 2017 FIM Superbike World Championship will take place at the same track in three weekends time.

Stefan Bradl 6

11th

We made a couple of changes to the chassis set-up before the race to improve the rear-end grip and it turned out to be a little bit better. Just after the start of the race, though, at turn one Krummenacher crashed in front of me and I had to brake and almost stop, so I lost a lot of time. I found myself last so I had to do my best to recover as many positions as possible. Eleventh place is an OK result, but there is still a lot of work to do, but fortunately we have a test coming up in Misano which will be very important for us.

Pieter Breddels

Before the race we decided to make a couple of adjustments to the set-up and things improved. Still, we seem to be skirting around the problem because we haven’t yet found the right throttle connection for Stefan. We will take this 11th place, though, and get ready for the Misano test, where we’ll be able to evaluate a lot of new material. We will welcome back Michele Magnoni, who was also our test rider some years ago. He will help us to go through all the things we have to try and hopefully we will be able to make that step forward we’ve been looking for.

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

 Rea From Sykes In Second Race Thriller

In a contest where only 14 riders finished Jonathan Rea (KRT) recovered from a high speed crash in race one on Saturday to win his eighth race of the year and Kawasaki’s 100th in Superbike history. Tom Sykes (KRT) was a close runner-up, just 1.601 seconds behind Rea after 23 laps, as KRT scored another 1-2 finish.

Jonathan Rea rode one of the most important races of his career to take the second race win at Donington Park, despite having to start from the fourth row of the grid because of his first day no-score.

Rea made a superb launch and was able to ride around a first corner blockage that held back the early progress of Tom Sykes. Such was Rea’s early pace that he went from tenth on the grid to first place after just one complete lap and one additional corner.

Sykes was in fifth place in lap one and eventually got to second place on lap seven. He made up time to Rea’s lead but with the laps counting down Jonathan had enough of an advantage to hold the gap and win his 46th race since he joined WorldSBK.

With Rea winning today and Tom victorious in Saturday’s race the KRT duo sit 1-2 in the championship, with Jonathan 55 points ahead; 260 to 205. Chaz Davies, third in the race today and third in the points overall, is on 185.

Now the championship will head to Italy for the seventh round, at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Racedays will be Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th June.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “I had an incredible first lap today. I had been really frustrated because I got penalised by no fault of my own yesterday in scoring no points and then penalised again with my grid position today, when I went back to tenth. I knew I had to make a good start straight away otherwise my race was over. I was really quiet today and after warm-up I was really nervous. I was going through all these scenarios in my head about what I would do with a good start, or a bad start, and then what my race plan would be. My guys worked really hard overnight to build a completely brand new bike because yesterday’s was destroyed. The first time I rode it this morning, with some set-up changes from Pere. The bike was talking to me in a way I have not had this year. So I knew today was mine if I could get a good start.”

Tom Sykes, stated: “I was closing the lead but with three laps to go I started to ‘over-ask’ from the bike in some corners. But if there were three more laps to go then I could have continued in a more calculating way and continued the progress. When I started the race I was on the inside of the grid and turn one was a complete disaster. I had to almost stop the bike because some people were trying to win the race in the first turn. We had this to deal with and then there was a crash in the last turn which made us all hesitate, so the race got off in a very bad way for me. I am disappointed to lose my Donington winning record in this way. But all things considered I was beaten fairly and Jonathan rode very well. This day had to arrive at some moment in my racing life but unfortunately it came today, even though I believe our race pace was very strong.”

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Historic 100 WorldSBK Race Wins For Kawasaki

After KRT rider Jonathan Rea secured the race two victory at Donington on Sunday Kawasaki reached the iconic level of 100 race wins in the FIM Superbike World Championship.

As a long-time participant in WorldSBK Kawasaki has enjoyed success since the very first season, with French rider Adrien Morillas on a GPX750 winning the first trophy for the Japanese manufacturer at the Hungaroring in 1988.

The most recent win for Rea, on the Ninja ZX-10RR today, put Kawasaki into the history books as only the third manufacturer to reach this landmark of 100 race victories. A total of 12 riders have won races for Kawasaki at the highest level of production-derived racing.

Speaking about the first ever Kawasaki win in this class, in changeable conditions during race two at the Hungaroring in 1988, Morillas – once a racer and always a racer – stated, “At that time I was mainly thinking about how to be the second Kawasaki race winner as well! Of course it was a great feeling to be the first winner for a brand and to know that it will remain forever in the statistics.”

Of the 100th win milestone for Kawasaki Morillas said, “Now I want to give a 100 times bigger congratulation to Kawasaki and KRT. Personally, I feel a bit older now but here’s to the 200th milestone!”

Jonathan Rea, 100th Kawasaki race winner, stated just a few minutes after taking his latest race victory, “There was a little bit of pressure for the 100th Kawasaki win and I was thinking about it today. From half race distance I said to myself that it has to be me today. We managed the race perfectly and I even managed a nice little stand-up wheelie at the end!”

Yasuhisa Okabe, Senior Staff Officer, KHI Riding Technology Department, stated: “I am happy, to be honest, with reaching 100 WorldSBK race wins. We will dedicate this victory to the Kawasaki family around the world. Kawasaki will continue to develop inside the Superbike World Championship.”

Speaking on behalf of WorldSBK organizers and rights holders Dorna, Championship Director Dani Carrera, stated, “Kawasaki are a vital manufacturer for our series and to see them take their 100th win is an honour for us, as we witness history being made. They have provided the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with some fantastic racing throughout the seasons, and to have them continuing to battle in our championship is something that we are very proud of. We look forward to seeing them fight to take their 200th victory.”

Kawasaki’s WorldSBK Race winners

1988 – Hungaroring 2 – Adrien Morillas (GPX750)

1990 – Brainerd 2 – Doug Chandler (ZXR750)

1990 – Sugo 2 – Doug Chandler (ZXR750)

1990 – Phillip Island 2 – Robbie Phillis (ZXR750)

1990 – Manfield 2 – Robbie Phillis (ZXR750)

1992 – Albacete 1 – Aaron Slight (ZXR750)

1992 – Spa Francorchamps – Robbie Phillis (ZXR750)

1992 – Jarama 1 – Robbie Phillis (ZXR750)

1993 – Hockenheim 2 – Scott Russell (ZXR750)

1993 – Brno 2 – Scott Russell (ZXR750)

1993 – Sugo 2 – Scott Russell (ZXR750)

1993 – Monza 1 – Aaron Slight (ZXR750)

1993 – Donington 1 – Scott Russell (ZXR750)

1993 – Donington 2 – Scott Russell (ZXR750)

1994 – Donington 2 – Scott Russell (ZXR750)

1994 – Hockenheim 1 – Scott Russell (ZXR750)

1994 – Hockenheim 2 – Scott Russell (ZXR750)

1994 – Sugo 1 – Scott Russell (ZXR750)

1994 – Sugo 2 – Scott Russell (ZXR750)

1994 – Mugello 1 – Scott Russell (ZXR750)

1994 – Donington 3 – Scott Russell (ZXR750)

1994 – Donington 4 – Scott Russell (ZXR750)

1994 – Phillip Island 2 – Anthony Gobert (ZXR750)

1994 – Laguna Seca 1 – Anthony Gobert (ZXR750)

1995 – Phillip Island 2 – Anthony Gobert (ZXR750)

1996 – Laguna Seca 2 – Anthony Gobert (ZX-7RR)

1996 – Phillip Island 1 – Anthony Gobert (ZX-7RR)

1996 – Phillip Island 2 – Anthony Gobert (ZX-7RR)

1997 – A1-Ring 2 – Akira Yanagawa (ZX-7RR)

1997 – Sugo 1 – Akira Yanagawa (ZX-7RR)

1999 – Sugo 2 – Akira Yanagawa (ZX-7RR)

2000 – Sugo 1 – Hitoyasu Izutsu (ZX-7RR)

2000 – Sugo 2 – Hitoyasu Izutsu (ZX-7RR)

2006 – Assen 1 – Chris Walker (ZX-10R)

2011 – Nürburgring 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2012 – Monza 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2012 – Silverstone 1 Loris Baz (ZX-10R)

2012 – Moscow 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2012 – Portimao 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2012 – Magny-Cours 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2013 – Assen 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2013 – Donington 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2013 – Donington 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2013 – Imola 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2013 – Imola 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2013 – Silverstone 2 – Loris Baz (ZX-10R)

2013 – Nürburgring 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2013 – Laguna Seca 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2013 – Magny-Cours 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2013 – Magny-Cours 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2014 – Motorland 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2014 – Motorland 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2014 – Donington 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2014 – Donington 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2014 – Misano 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2014 – Misano 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2014 – Algarve 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2014 – Laguna Seca 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2015 – Phillip Island 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2015 – Buriram 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2015 – Buriram 2 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2015 – Motorland 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2015 – Assen 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2015 – Assen 2 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2015 – Imola 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2015 – Imola 2 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2015 – Donington 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2015 – Donington 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2015 – Algarve 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2015 – Algarve 2 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2015 – Misano 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2015 – Misano 2 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2015 – Jerez 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2015 – Magny-Cours 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2015 – Magny-Cours 2 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2016 – Phillip Island 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2016 – Phillip Island 2 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2016 – Buriram 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2016 – Buriram 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2016 – Assen 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2016 – Assen 2 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2016 – Sepang 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2016 – Donington 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2016 – Donington 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2016 – Misano 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2016 – Misano 2 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2016 – Laguna Seca 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2016 – Laguna Seca 2 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10R)

2016 – Lausitzring 2 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10R)

2017 – Phillip Island 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10RR)

2017 – Phillip Island 2 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10RR)

2017 – Buriram 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10RR)

2017 – Buriram 2 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10RR)

2017 – Motorland 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10RR)

2017 – Assen 1 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10RR)

2017 – Assen 2 – Jonathan Rea (ZX-10RR)

2017 – Donington 1 – Tom Sykes (ZX-10RR)

2017 – Donington 2 Jonathan Rea (ZX-10RR)

Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics

4 x Riders’ Championships (Scott Russell 1993, Sykes 2013, Rea 2015 & 2016), 1 x EVO Riders’ Championship (David Salom 2014)

2 x Manufacturers’ Championships (Ninja ZX-10R 2015 & 2016)

2 x Teams’ Championships (KRT/Provec Racing 2015 & 2016)

Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics

Total Kawasaki Race Wins: 100 – third overall

Total Kawasaki Podiums: 328 – third overall

Total Kawasaki Poles: 67 – second overall

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

Davies third after a strong comeback in Race 2 at Donington, Melandri forced to retire due to a technical problem

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team stepped back on the podium in Race 2 of the 2017 WorldSBK Championship at Donington (U.K.) with Chaz Davies. The Welshman mounted a memorable comeback from 17th position after being forced to go off the track in the early laps to avoid a rider who crashed in front of him, taking third place in front of his home fans.

Melandri faced an even more adverse fate; starting from pole position after finishing Race 1 in fourth place, the Italian was forced to retire during lap 10 while he was in fourth position and well within podium contention due to a transmission issue.

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will resume action at Misano (Italy) for the seventh round of the 2017 WorldSBK Championship, scheduled for June 16-18. To better prepare for the second home round of the season, the squad will have a two-day test on the Italian track next Wednesday and Thursday.

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 3rd

“It would have been nice to get away with the Kawasaki pair, but third place is all we could ask for today. We had a terrible start, which made it for a very difficult race. We had to get through a lot of traffic, I was trying to avoid riders crashing in front of me, and it felt like playing a game of Mario Kart. To be here, on the podium, in front of the home fans, was the most important thing. Towards the end, when I was getting closer to VD Mark, I didn’t have great grip because I had to stress the rear a lot to come back through the field. I just dug in, trying not to make mistakes and figure out where to pass really quickly. It was close racing. Anyway I’m confident for the rest of the season because this track has always been difficult for us and we can take a lot of positives going into Misano.”

Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – DNF

“It’s been a difficult weekend for us. Since Imola, we’ve been struggling with some unusual issues. The bike is moving a lot under acceleration, the rear is lifting off the ground while changing gears, and we’re forced to cut some power. Today, unfortunately, these vibrations caused the front sprocket to fall off. It’s a real pity, because today the bike was more balanced and I had a better feeling with the front. Anyway, despite all these issues we’re always fighting for podiums. The team is working hard to improve the package, and we’ll keep doing it during next week’s test. We’re very determined to find a solution as soon as possible in order to fight for wins again.”

Stefano Cecconi, Aruba S.p.A CEO and Team Principal:

“Surely this round’s results do not mirror our potential. Chaz rode a great race and managed to finish on the podium despite some unlucky episodes that temporarily pushed him back. Marco was forced to retire due to a technical problem, but once again was ready to fight for the podium. We leave Donington with a bitter taste in our mouths, and we want to wash it away in Misano in front of our home fans.”

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

Donington Park Day Three

Rea secures 100th Kawasaki win in tense race two

All British lock out on the podium at Donington Park

The PATA UK Round concluded on Sunday afternoon with a dramatic Race 2, which brought victory for World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) after a crash on Saturday, with Rea’s KRT colleague Tom Sykes and Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Chaz Davies also on the podium.

Rea’s eighth victory of 2017 extends his lead in the standings to 55 points after six rounds and he rode brilliantly at the Donington Park Circuit to beat his teammate to the line by 1.601s and win his home race.

The result brought an end to Sykes’ remarkable run of nine successive wins at Donington and the Yorkshireman was amongst the first to congratulate Rea on his triumph. It was also Kawasaki’s 100th race win in WorldSBK.

In parc ferme after the race Rea dedicated his win to the late Nicky Hayden who so sadly passed away earlier in the week after a cycling accident in Italy.

Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) had looked good for a podium result but was caught for third in the final stages by a determined Davies – who had crashed and finished eighth on Saturday.

Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) completed the top five and Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) made it five Britons in the top six, crossing the line five seconds behind Lowes.

Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) was seventh and he was joined in the top ten by Roman Ramos (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven), Jake Dixon (Royal Air Force Reg. & Res. Kawasaki) and Raffaele de Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team).

Only 14 participants were able to finish the race as a number of high profile riders crashed out, including wild card Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Randy Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team), Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia), Leandro Mercado (IODARacing) and Alex De Angelis (Pedercini Racing SC-Project).

Meanwhile, Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) stopped on the eighth lap after the chain of his Ducati Panigale R broke and fell loose.

The WorldSBK grid will be back in action at the Pirelli Riviera Di Rimini Round at Misano over the 16th-18th June weekend.

P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)

“It means a lot to me, we had to bounce bike and overnight the guys worked so hard. I knew I could win today but coming from 10th so so difficult and I guess thats what happens when I push really. I want to deadicate this race win to Nicky Hayden, the world is a worse place without him.”

P2 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team)

“All good things come to an end in life but I’m happy. Today I lost a fair fight, unfortunaelt I had a bad start, my position wasn’t good in ninth and I got boxed in. Rea took some closing down, but I had an exciteable and enjoyable race. The character of the bike was in the ball park, and today I was beaten fair.”

P3 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

“I think the podium is the big bonus here from the home race, it was a really tough race. It wasn’t easy, I had to make it through a fair bit and I used up a lot of tyre. I’m really happy to be here and I want to dedicate this podium to the family of Nicky Hayden.”

More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:

  DOUBLE TOP6 FOR LEON CAMIER AND MV AGUSTA REPARTO CORSE AT DONINGTON PARK 

Leon Camier ended up 6th in today’s Race2 of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the iconic Donington Park circuit, with the British gaining + 10 points and confirming the Top8 in Overall Standing. Bad luck for Jacobsen and Zaccone, both collecting a zero point in the WorldSSP race.

WorldSBK – Race2

After setting the 5th fastest lap time in the Warmup early this morning, Leon Camier was ready to start Race2 from the front row on the grid. During the race, the Ashford (Kent) rider, set a solide pace on the MV Agusta F4 RC machine prepared by the Varese squad, with the Briton able to hold the 6th position until the the checkered flag and confirming the 8th place in the Championship Standings.

WorldSSP – Race

When the lights goes off on Donington Park’s starting grid, PJ Jacobsen is passed by three riders but he can quickly get back to his rhythm and starts fighting in the first positions until the race is interrupted by red-flag after a few laps. Unfortunately, the MV Agusta Reparto Corse’s technicians founds a technical problem on the PJ’s bike, forcing the American rider to retire from the race.

His teammate Alessandro Zaccone was also unlucky, coming back 9 positions but crashing by high-side at only 4 laps from the end of the race, when he was fighting for the 12th position.

With the Donington Park round left behidg, Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse will be back on track in three weeks ahead of Misano Adriatico, the second home-race for the Italian squad.

Leon Camier #2 WorldSBK – All in all it was a good race for us all and a positive result for the championship standing. We had some little issues over the weekend but luckily in race I had a good feeling with the bike and I was able to stay with the front guys. I now look forward to the next round in Misano, where I hope we can have another positive race weekend for all our Italian fans.

Patrick “PJ” Jacobsen #99 WorldSSP – I am really sorry since I know I could have done a good race and get some extra points for the Championship. After such a hard work it is extremely sad to end it that way but now we have to stay focused and start working on the next race at Misano.

Alessandro Zaccone #61 ESS – Today the bike was much better than yesterday and I managed to make a nice comeback from 22nd to 13th position. Maybe I forced too much trying to pass Ryde, who at that time was 12th, and then I crashed. Anyway, what matters right now is that we managed to fix most of the problems we had at the beginning of the weekend and now we just have to focus on the next home-race at Misano, trying to make some good results.