FIM Supersport World Championship
Chang International Circuit
Buriram, Thailand
March 12, 2017
Race Results (All on Pirelli tires):
1. Federico Caricasulo, Italy (Yam YZF-R6), 17 laps, Total Race Time 28:11.733, Best Lap Time 1:39.072
2. Decha Kraisart, Thailand (Yam YZF-R6), -0.793 second, 1:39.037
3. Nikki Tuuli, Finland (Yam YZF-R6), -3.164 seconds, 1:38.841
4. Thitipong Warokorn, Thailand (Kaw ZX-6R), -7.564, 1:39.167
5. Kyle Ryde, UK (Kaw ZX-6R), -7.698, 1:39.337
6. Hikari Okubo, Japan (Hon CBR600RR), -8.823, 1:39.295
7. Sheridan Morais, South Africa (Yam YZF-R6), -10.532, 1:39.424
8. Aiden Wagner, Australia (Hon CBR600RR), -19.051, 1:39.850
9. Kazuki Watanabe, Japan (Kaw ZX-6R), -19.666, 1:39.980
10. Robin Mulhauser, Switzerland (Hon CBR600RR), -19.857, 1:39.646
11. Roberto Rolfo, Italy (MV Agusta F3 675), -25.464, 1:40.244
12. Lachlan Epis, Australia (Kaw ZX-6R), -25.634, 1:40.126
13. Nacho Calero, Spain (Kaw ZX-6R), -53.020, 1:40.948
14. D. Pizzoli, Italy (MV Agusta F3 675), -61.236, 1:41.617
15. Michael Canducci, Italy (Kaw ZX-6R), -4 laps, DNF, mechanical, 1:39.048
16. Jules Cluzel, France (Hon CBR600RR), -6 laps, DNF, mechanical, 1:39.162
17. Christian Gamarino, Italy (Hon CBR600RR), -13 laps, DNF, crash, 1:38.721
18. Lucas Mahias, France (Yam YZF-R6), -14 laps, DNF, retired, 1:40.838
19. Chalermpol Polamai, Thailand (Yam YZF-R6), -15 laps, DNF, crash, 1:39.044
20. Zulfahmi Khairruddin, Malaysia (Kaw ZX-6R), -15 laps, DNF, mechanical, 1:39.526
21. PJ Jacobsen, USA (MV Agusta F3 675), -15 laps, DNF, mechanical, 1:39.038
DQ. Kyle Smith, UK (Hon CBR600RR), -0.234 second, 1:38.601
DQ. Gino Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-6R), -7 laps, DNF, 1:39.423
World Championship Point Standings (After 2 of 12 races):
1. Rolfo, 30 points
2. Tuuli, 27
3. Caricasulo, 25
4. Ryde, 24
5. TIE, Kraisart/Mahias, 20
7. Wagner, 17
8. Anthony West, 16
9. Watanabe, 15
10. Morais, 14
11. Warokorn, 13
12. TIE, Okubo/Jacobsen/Calero/Epis, 10
16. Mulhauser, 6
17. Khairuddin, 4
18. Baldolini, 3
19. TIE, Pizzoli/Canducci, 2
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
WorldSSP: Stunning win for Caricasulo in dramatic Thai race
Buriram thriller brings drama, black flags and home heroes
In a dramatic and incident packed race at the Motul Thai Round on Sunday it was Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) who took a superb win in the heat of the Chang International Circuit, with Thai wild card Decha Kraisart (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) and Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing) also on the podium.
Late drama saw Kyle Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini) in the hunt for the victory but the Honda rider was disqualified on the last lap for failing to react to a ride through, after an earlier penalty in which he was requested to concede three positions due to unsporting behaviour. Caricasulo took advantage for a great win by 0.793s from the impressive Kraisart, with 2016 sensation Tuuli three seconds behind the race winner in third.
Caricasulo had taken over the lead with seven laps to go, with the leader up until that point Jules Cluzel (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) retiring from the race seconds later due to a technical fault having led from pole from the start.
Thai rider Thitipong Warokorn (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) produced a superb result in fourth place, riding as a substitute for injured World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu who is expected to return to action at Round 3 in Spain. Meanwhile, fellow Kawasaki Puccetti Racing man Kyle Ryde was fifth in a hectic Thai race which took place in sweltering 37°C temperatures.
Also in the top ten were Hikari Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda), Sheridan Morais (Kallio Racing), Aiden Wagner (GEMAR Team Lorini), Kazuki Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) and Robin Mulhauser (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda).
In close succession early in the race Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team), PJ Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) were forced out with technical problems and then Thai wild card Chalermpol Polamai (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) crashed out, having started second on the grid.
Gino Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) was given a ride through penalty due to finishing the warm up lap after the safety car, but failed to react to the penalty notification from the stewards and was subsequently disqualified.
Christian Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing) crashed out of second place with 12 laps to go, with Smith in close proximity. Smith then had two run-offs and dropped down the order, fighting back with great pace before his late disqualification.
The WorldSSP riders will be back in action over the 31st March – 2nd April weekend at the Pirelli Aragón Round, the third round of the 2017 season.
Race Winner – Federico Caricasulo, GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team
“I think it was the best race of my life, and I pushed hard from the first to the last lap. It was too hot with the weather conditions, but I am happy because I was able to do more than my competitors. I want to thank my Yamaha team because they worked so hard, and I am so happy!”
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:
UNLUCKY RACE DAY FOR TEAM MV AGUSTA REPARTO CORSE AT CHANG CIRCUIT
The hot sun shining on the Buriram’s sky, 400 km north east of Bangkok (Thailand), and the high temperatures provided the venue for this Sunday race day on the Chang International Circuit, with the team MV Agusta Reparto Corse not collecting the expected results on track, due to the double retirement in WorldSBK (Camier) and WorldSSP (PJ Jacobsen).
WorldSBK – WU, Race 2
Thanks to the yesterday’s 8th position got in Race 1, Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse’s rider started today from the 5th place on grid. When the lights goes out on the Thai track, Camier is immediately very fast and keep fighting for the top 5 area until the race is red flagged due to a crash, when Leon was in 5th position.
At the restart, the race has been shortened on 16 laps and Camier start taking advantage of the excellent chassis of his MV Agusta F4RC, fighting among the top 6 positions. But a problem with the oil pressure force the British rider to pull back after 6 laps. Leon Camier is currently 8th tied in the Championship standings.
WorldSSP – WU, Race
After setting the fastest time in the morning’s WarmUp, PJ Jacobsen was immediately fast at the start of the WorldSSP Race, managing to pass a few riders in the early corners. Unfortunately, a technical problem after only 2 laps forced the American to an early return to the pit box, postponing his fight for the Championship to the next race .
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship will take place again from March 31 to April 2 on the Aragon circuit, in Spain, for the third round of the season and first European race.
Leon Camier #2 WorldSBK Rider – Honestly I am happy how the bike was working in the race and I think we made some good steps with the chassis this weekend. But I am very disappointed no to finish the race as I felt really good and strong on the bike. After the restart the bike setting was really good too, but when I was fighting with Torres I felt oil on my foot and it was getting slippery and then we got black flagged.
Patrick PJ Jacobsen #99 WorldSSP Rider – Today wasn’t so good for the team and myself but I am sure we can win races and we can be on the top positions soon, as we showed in Phillip Island. We will move on to Aragon and we hopefully can be back winning races and fighting for the championship.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Top Five Race Finishes For Kawasaki Puccetti Racing
Stand-in rider Thitipong Warokorn (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and team regular Kyle Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished fourth and fifth respectively in a fraught and overheated WorldSSP race in Thailand today. The 11 points Ryde scored today keep him fourth in the overall championship fight.
The 17-lap WorldSSP race at the Chang International Circuit proved to be a dramatic affair from the start with many top riders crashing or having technical problems. For season-long official Kawasaki rider Ryde and stand-in rider Warokorn it was a long race, but a highly successful one.
Riding instead of the injured Kenan Sofuoglu at this round Warokorn relied on his local knowledge and home crowd support to take him and his Ninja ZX-6R from 18th on the grid after qualifying to fourth in the race itself. He finished seven and a half seconds from the winner as he got the better of a late battle with his team-mate for the weekend.
British youngster Ryde felt the heat on raceday, with official track temperatures reaching 50°C, but stuck to his task with enthusiasm and determination to score well. He was only four seconds from the podium, and just in the slipstream of Warokorn. With a total of 24 points to his name now Ryde is only six points behind the lead of the championship after two rounds.
Motorland Aragon in Spain hosts the third round of the championship, with raceday on April 2.
Kyle Ryde, stated: “I cannot argue with a top five. I am really happy that I was not that far behind first place. I was really nervous this morning because I was not particularly fast in warm up but I was seven seconds from the win. It is great be running in the front group but this weekend has been very hot. I thought I was quite fit but I think I will need to be a bit fitter for next time here. The last five laps were hard and even harder when there are people behind you. It was a good race. It was a great job from the team and I would like to say a big thanks to Andrew Pitt because yesterday and on raceday he has really helped with last year’s experience with Kenan and Randy. It all counts to get that fifth place.”
Thitipong Warokorn, stated: “It was an incredible race. I put a lot of effort into it because it is my home race and all my fan club and sponsors were here. The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Team gave me the opportunity to do my best. There were a lot of riders in front of me and it was difficult to overtake, but I passed them one at a time and then took one more place in the last corner for fourth. I could hear the crowd a little bit but I could see them and my fan club cheering for me. Many thanks to Kawasaki and to Manuel Puccetti for this opportunity. I did my best and took a not so bad finishing position. ”
Kazuki Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) was ninth in the race. Lachlan Epis (Response RE Racing Kawasaki) and Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) were 12th and 13th respectively. Gino Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) was excluded from the results while Michael Canducci (Puccetti Racing Junior Team FMI Kawasaki) and
Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) experienced technical issues and retired.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:
Caricasulo and the all-new YZF-R6 Lead a Yamaha 123 in Thailand
Race
GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team’s Federico Caricasulo scored his first 2017 FIM World Supersport Championship race win with the all-new YZF-R6 after a dramatic 17-lap World SSP race at the Chang International Circuit. In the second round of the series, in a race that featured very high track and air temperatures, teammate Lucas Mahias looked set for a podium finish of his own but experienced a technical issue early on and had to retire. Two other Yamaha R6 machines scored podium finishes, in the hands of wildcard Decha Kraisart and privateer Niki Tuuli.
Intense heat in the build up to the WorldSSP race led to intense competition on track, in a race where three Yamahas finally completed the top three podium positions.
Starting from seventh place and the third row of the grid Caricasulo continued his upward trend of improving competitiveness through the weekend right into the race itself. Involved in a fight or the podium from the very first lap, he took the lead on lap 11, after long time leader Jules Cluzel retired, then never looked back in his determination to win after his first round no-score in Australia.
In only its second race, the new R6 powered Caricasulo to his first win at this level of competition, and put Yamaha on top of the Manufacturers’ Championship standings after two rounds.
Having completed a positive race simulation and being fully prepared for a long race, Phillip Island podium finisher Mahias had to stop after three laps had been completed.
In the Riders’ Championship Caricasulo is now third and teammate Mahias is in sixth place, tied on points with Chang runner-up Kraisart.
The podium places were dominated by one new model R6 and two previous variants. Decha Kraisart from the Yamaha Thailand Racing team was second, just 0.793 seconds from the win. Kallio Racing Yamaha’s Nikki Tuuli, having survived a massive early highside that saw him swerve dramatically across the track, composed himself and caught up to third place at the flag, 3.164 seconds down on Caricasulo’s winning pace.
After two long haul races the WorldSSP riders now go to Europe, and the Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain, with raceday on April 2nd.
Federico Caricasulo
GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team rider
“I am so happy because today I made a very good race from the first to the last lap. On the final lap I made a little gap from my competitors. The conditions were very hard so I am happy to win here. It is very important now to continue all the races like this, fighting for wins, if I want to take a good place in the championship at the end. All weekend, after the experience of not finishing in Australia I worked to make sure I would be able to make good lap times all race long, and in all conditions. I did it like this and we won. I want to thank Yamaha and all in my GRT team who worked well on the weekend to find a good set-up for my bike after a difficult start.”
Lucas Mahias
GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team rider
“I had a technical problem and had to stop. Obviously I am not happy because for me it was possible to win the race. I had a good lap time in qualifying and had set good lap times during my simulation of the race. The season is long, I know, but these were a lot of points to lose. I will look to the next round in Aragon for a better result.”
More, from a press release issued by CIA Landlord Insurance Honda:
Fighting sixth for Okubo as Cluzel’s hopes of victory are denied
CIA Landlord Insurance Honda rider Jules Cluzel had his hopes of victory frustrated when he was forced to retire from the drama laden World Supersport race in Thailand today. Jules led from pole position and clearly had the pace to win until an engine problem put the Frenchman out of the race.
Teammate Hikari Okubo had better luck finishing a superb sixth in the race at Chang today. Despite the collarbone injury he sustained at the previous round in Australia, Hikari produced the best result of his Supersport career so far. He said: “This was a very difficult race because the temperature is very hot and I lost energy. I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted to but the result is my best so I am very happy. The next round I will feel even better so I can push harder. Thank you to my team and my sponsors.”
Newcomer Robin Mulhauser also produced an impressive performance, finishing tenth in only his second outing with CIA Landlord Insurance Honda and his very first visit to the Chang International Circuit.
CIA Landlord Insurance Team Manager, Simon Buckmaster said: “Realistically we should have been able to win the first two rounds of the Championship. We have a tremendous reliability record over the years, we didn’t have a single engine failure last year so we need to investigate what caused the problem with Jules’s bike. It is just heart breaking for everyone who works so hard in the team. We will see what, if any changes need to be made and move forward to Aragon and the victory that has to be coming our way. Hikari struggled to push as much as he wanted but he showed his true fighting spirit and came away with his best result ever. Robin also got a great result inside the top ten in only his second ride in World Supersport so that’s a great achievement for him and his crew.”