Motul FIM Superbike World Championship

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Monterey, California, USA

July 10, 2016

Restarted Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 21 laps, Total Race Time 29:35.285, Best Lap Time 1:23.552

2. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -0.209 second, 1:23.733

3. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), -0.786, 1:23.837

4. Xavi FORÉS, Spain (Ducati Panigale R), -11.379 seconds, 1:24.104

5. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -12.219, 1:24.196

6. Jordi TORRES, Spain (BMW S1000RR), -12.465, 1:24.171

7. Michael VAN DER MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -13.705, 1:24.376

8. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R1), -20.449, 1:24.247

9. Anthony WEST, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -29.153, 1:24.855

10. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -33.013, 1:25.010

11. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -39.910, 1:24.743

12. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), -40.059, 1:25.607

13. Dominic SCHMITTER, Switzerland (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -49.211, 1:25.918

14. Alex LOWES, UK (Yamaha YZF-R1), -51.347, crash, 1:24.183

15. Saeed AL SULAITI, Qatar (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -54.783, 1:26.068

16. Peter SEBESTYEN, Hungary (Yamaha YZF-R1), -63.249, 1:26.367

17. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -85.191, 1:27.007

18. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -16 laps, DNF, mechanical, 1:23.700

19. Lorenzo SAVADORI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -19 laps, DNF, crash, 1:24.159

20.  Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (Aprilia RSV4 RF), DNS, crashed in first segment of race

21. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta 1000 F4), DNS, mechanical problem in first segment of race

22. Josh BROOKES, Australia (BMW S1000RR), DNS, crashed in first segment of race

23. Pawel SZKOPEK, Poland (Yamaha YZF-R1), DNS, crashed in first segment of race

World Championship Point Standings (after 18 of 26 races):

1. Rea, 368 points

2. Sykes, 322

3. Davies, 260

4. TIE, Giugliano/Van Der Mark, 185

6. Hayden, 173

7. Torres, 155

8. TIE, Camier/Savadori, 110

10. Fores, 97

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

Laguna Seca: Day 3

A Showdown to Remember

– Rea out, dueling Ducatis and last corner drama –

Sykes took victory at Laguna Seca in Race 2

Tom Sykes has taken victory in Race 2 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, heading the Ducati duo of Davide Giugliano and Chaz Davies over the line in a race that would have been impossible to script.

With a slight wheelie off the line from Jonathan Rea alongside, KRT rider Tom Sykes kept the lead from pole as Davide Giugliano benefitted from P3 and slotted in behind the Yorkshireman; Chaz Davies and Nicky Hayden the closest challengers behind.

The first few laps of the Race saw Michael van der Mark a high profile casualty, with the impressive Dutchman running on and losing control of his Honda before rejoining down the field. Leon Camier then shortly suffered a technical problem that saw the MV Agusta Reparto Corse rider forced to retire, followed by IodaRacing rider Alex De Angelis.

Giugliano took the lead on Lap 3, with the two Aruba.it Ducatis sandwiching the KRT pairing of Sykes and Rea, before a fall for Pawel Szkopek brought out the Red Flag. With the restarted Race set for 21 laps, the quick restart procedure soon saw bikes back on track, with Giugliano on pole for the restart from Sykes and Rea, with van der Mark able to restart, but from the final row.

The Italian lost the lead off the line to Sykes, before standing the Yorkshireman up and taking it back, with Hayden able to take Rea and move himself up into P3. The reigning Champion fought back however, and set off to hunt down the leading duo. Lorenzo Savadori was a high profile casualty soon after, as the impressive Italian rookie lost his Aprilia and crashed out on lap 3.

An incredible tussle down the Corkscrew then saw the Kawasaki duo attack Giugliano and fight it out, before a lap later Jonathan Rea went wide at Turn 6 and ran on – out of the frontrunning battle as he then stopped on track with a technical problem.

The lead trio of Sykes, Giugliano and Davies ahead and away, a six bike train of Hayden, Forés, Lowes, Torres, van der Mark and Canepa battled over P4, with positions swapping and the Corkscrew hosting another classic moment as Forés took the inside line after running a little deep, and Hayden refused to be overtaken.

An three-way fight for the win ensued with the two Ducatis fighting it out in a modern classic behind Sykes as the laps ticked down, with the Yorkshireman standing firm in the face of incredible pressure from the two red machines behind. As the three crossed the line almost together after the incredible fight, last corner drama ensued for those behind, with Alex Lowes trying to take teammate Niccolo Canepa and sending both off – with Canepa able to at least see the line quickly.

Forés came home P4 for Barni Racing, ahead of home hero Nicky Hayden in P5, with Torres on the Althea BMW in P6. Michael van der Mark staged an incredible comeback to cross the line seventh, ahead of Pata Yamaha’s Niccolo Canepa as the Italian managed to shoot over the line after the interruption. Anthony West was ninth for Pedercini, ahead of Roman Ramos who completed the top ten for GO EVELEN.

Raffaele De Rosa ended his WorldSBK debut in P11, ahead of Karel Abraham for Milwaukee BMW, Grillini’s Dominic Schmitter and a re-mounted Alex Lowes in P14. Saeed Al Sulaiti took home his first point in P15.

WorldSBK now heads into the summer break, before the grid get back on track at Lausitzring in September for the final four-Round showdown of the 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship.

P1 – Tom Sykes @TheRealTomSykes

Kawasaki Racing Team @KRT_WorldSBK

“The first part of the race was interesting. I suffered a bit and Davide was on fire. I’ve struggled a bit all weekend but we need to be grateful that we’ve had a great weekend and great points. It’s fantastic to win here in America, in front of these fantastic fans. I love the country, the people and the circuit and it makes it magical. I’m very happy to go into the summer and enjoy this moment.”

P2 – Davide Giugliano @DavideGiugliano

Aruba.it Racing – Ducati @ArubaRacing

“I had so much fun, but it’s been difficult both physically and mentally, because it was paramount not to make mistakes while battling against Chaz. We’ve been both fair and I think we made it fun for people on track and at home. For me, to score a podium here is special because last year my season was put to an end in Laguna Seca and my career was almost destroyed. Yesterday was tough for the whole team, but some small adjustments allowed us to make the most of our current potential.”

P3 – Chaz Davies @ChazDavies

Aruba.it Racing – Ducati @ArubaRacing

“It was quite a tight race. It was good to be back on the podium for sure, after a weak start. I got shuffled back to sixth in the early laps, and not just sixth but deep in the pack. I lost a few seconds. So that made things a bit harder. Unfortunately the last few laps didn’t pan out as I was hoping but nevertheless it’s good to be back on the podium after a tough few Races.”

P5 – Nicky Hayden @NickyHayden

Honda World Superbike Team @HondaWSBK

“I’m really disappointed for how the race went, especially for how things were looking before the red flag. At the first start there was a little glitch in the light and I got buried, but I was good in turns one and two and made up a lot of positions. I was feeling more and more confident and just had my best lap of the weekend on race tyres, then the red flag came out. After the second start something happened: we’re not sure what exactly at the moment as the team is still analysing the data, but the bike was completely different. I couldn’t brake as good as yesterday and I lost all confidence. It’s a shame, really, because after the first start I thought I could have gone for something really special.”

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

A solid performance by Althea BMW in Race 2 at Laguna Seca

Monterey (USA), Sunday 10 July 2016

The Althea BMW Racing Team completed round 9 of the 2016 Superbike World Championship at the Californian track of Laguna Seca today, with a solid sixth place finish for Jordi Torres. Raffaele De Rosa, substituting for injured Markus Reiterberger this weekend, brought his BMW S 1000 RR home well inside the points zone, in eleventh position.

Superbike – Race 2 – today’s race took place in similar conditions to yesterday’s race 1, with an air temperature of around 20°C, and a track at 46°C. After the opening lap, Torres was in eighth place, De Rosa lapping in thirteenth. On lap five the race was red-flagged after Szkopek crashed, remaining in a dangerous position at the side of the track, and, after a short break, the race, now composed of 21-laps, was restarted according to the ‘quick restart’ procedure.

This time around, Torres was ninth through the first corners, placing between VD Mark and Lowes, while De Rosa was lying thirteenth. Seventh by lap five, Torres worked hard to reach Lowes in the subsequent laps. Passing the Brit on lap ten, the Spaniard continued to push, trying to close the gap to Hayden, immediately ahead of him. Pushing all the way to the line, the Althea BMW rider did his very best to catch the American but had to settle for final sixth place. De Rosa gained two positions in the early stages but then ran a rather solitary second half of the race, losing a little ground in the final stages but nevertheless concluding well inside the points zone, in eleventh position.

With nine rounds now completed, Jordi Torres continues to hold seventh place in the general standings with 155 points, Reiterberger lies twelfth with 68 points while De Rosa has collected four points in today’s race. BMW is fourth in the manufacturer’s classification with 165 points, while Althea BMW also lies fourth in the team rankings (228 points).

Jordi Torres:

“Today’s race was quite different to yesterday’s and we were more competitive. We modified the bike set-up overnight and by doing so we were able to understand a great deal during the race, collecting data that will be useful in the next races. I’m happier today, though I know I need to be a little more aggressive if I want to make those passes… Anyway, we’ll continue to work over the summer break to be well prepared for the final phase of the season.”

Raffaele De Rosa:

“I’m pleased because, after yesterday’s outcome, today I was able to finish the race and earn some points. I was happy with the first part of the race and felt I rode well through the first 12 laps or so. I’m not used to doing so many laps, compared to the Stock races, and so in the later stages I lost some ground to West and Ramos ahead of me, finishing eleventh. All in all, I’m satisfied, particularly with today which went better than Friday and Saturday.”

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Sykes Wins As Rea Retires From Second Laguna Race

A battling and front-running win from Kawasaki Racing Team rider Tom Sykes gave him his fifth race victory of the season on the latest model Ninja ZX-10R, in what was a shortened 21-lap Sunday Superbike World Championship race. Championship leader Jonathan Rea (KRT) retired from the race on lap six after experiencing a technical issue, recording his first no-score of the season.

After the first attempt at running the second WorldSBK race of the Laguna weekend was stopped by a red flag incident the shortened restart provided a spectacular contest for the fans. After Rea had dropped back from the lead after running wide, and then retired a short while later, it was a straight fight between 2013 world champion Tom Sykes and two chasing Ducati riders.

Despite constant pressure from behind Sykes kept the lead from lap three onwards to record his fifth win of 2016, and the 31st of his career. He was 0.209 seconds ahead of Davide Giugliano and 0.786 seconds in front of third place rider Chaz Davies.

Sykes has now won as many WorldSBK races as double champion Colin Edwards and is equal sixth in the all-time race winners’ rankings.

Rea, who won the first Laguna race on Saturday from his team-mate Sykes, approaches the long summer break with his championship lead reduced to a still-healthy 46 points. In the Manufacturers’ Standings Kawasaki leads by 95 points, with four rounds to go.

In the Riders’ Championship Rea leads with 368, Sykes has 322 and Davies 260.

The end of the Laguna Seca weekend will lead to the start of the long summer break in the WorldSBK calendar. The German circuit of Lausitzring will host the tenth round of the championship, which will be held between 16th and 18th September.

Tom Sykes, stated: “That was quite exciting and I had a lot of pressure from the Ducati riders all race long. We struggled with edge grip today so I had to change my style a little bit to defend my line. It destroyed the lap time but gave us the 25 points. Overall, it was good race for the spectators and a close one between three riders. I am happy enough but it was a difficult race in some ways. The restart was one more thing to think about and we made some changes, making the best of the situation. We never had the perfect set-up but I feel we made a good compromise. We have made a good weekend, with pole position, a second place and a win. We will go into the summer break on a high and try to learn from the information we took from the previous Misano round and this one, and then try to put the jigsaw together for the last part of the season.”

Jonathan Rea, stated: “To not finish is disappointing because up to that point I felt so good with the bike. Even when I got stuck in some traffic at the beginning I was able to close down the gap to the leaders. I feel it was one more race we could have really capitalised on, but this is racing sometimes. We need to analyse everything with the bike. When I went wide in T7 I rejoined the track and it seemed I had a problem. As soon as I closed the gas the rear was locking and I heard some noise. I carried on through some corners, arrived in turn one and it was really locking a lot. Then in T2 something was wrong so I pulled in. We have to take the rough with the smooth because we have had a really good run so far, but it is a frustrating way to go into the summer break. I wish the Lausitzring round was next weekend because I feel really good with the bike and that is a huge motivation for me.”

In race two Kawasaki riders Anthony West (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) and Roman Ramos (Team GOELEVEN Kawasaki) secured ninth and tenth place finishes respectively. In the championship Ramos is 13th overall with 60 points. Dominic Schmitter (Grillini Racing Team Kawasaki) was 13th in today’s race and Saeed Al Sulaiti (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) scored his first point of the season for 15th place. Gianluca Vizziello (Grillini Racing Team Kawasaki) rounded out the finishers in race two in 17th position.

More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:

Impressive Showing for Stand-in Canepa at Laguna Seca

Dramatic racing and a red flag were the order of the day for the final race of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s weekend at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Niccolò Canepa secured a solid eighth place finish on his Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK YZF-R1 in the restarted 21-lap contest, after a red flag on the fifth lap of the opening race brought the afternoon to a pause. A final corner incident saw Alex Lowes complete his American visit in 14th.

Making his 75th WorldSBK start, Canepa initially dropped to 12th as the second US race began, before quickly finding his pace and returning to his starting positon of ninth. Fighting with the riders around him, the Italian promoted himself to eighth on the fifth lap and continued to chase the tightly-packed group in the battle for fourth. Showing consistent and impressive pace on his YZF-R1, Canepa maintained his position until mid-race distance before being outmaneuvered by his teammate, then choosing to wait and pick his moment carefully, regaining eighth on the final lap. A dramatic final corner incident had threatened to derail his progress but a clever save saw him consolidate his eight point finish at the line.

Strong off the lights from 10th on the grid, Lowes was running eighth on the opening lap as the final Laguna race restarted. Continuing his charge toward the front, the Briton held sixth in as many laps and was firmly in the hunt for fourth. An intense six-rider battle ensued for the mid-race distance, with Lowes ultimately holding eighth from his teammate for the closing stages when a mistake at the final corner saw him briefly grounded, picking up his YZF-R1 to finish 14th.

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team now returns to its UK base ahead of a long summer break. The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returns to action at the Lausitzring in Germany on Friday 16th September.

Niccolò Canepa

Race: 8th / +20.449 / 21 laps. Championship: 19th / 30 points.

“Today was much better than yesterday! We have continued to work on the YZF-R1 to set it up better for this track and for me to understand it better. It is only my second race weekend and I still have to learn a lot regarding my riding style and the best set up for me. I think we have improved a lot for the race this afternoon, and I want to say thanks to my team because they have done an amazing job throughout the weekend. I am happy with the race as I was able to stay with the group battling for fourth, I had the same pace and for a few laps was faster, and this is very good for me. I had a strong pace but unfortunately I wasn’t able to pass them and had to just follow till the end, an eighth place may not seem like a great result but I’m really satisfied about the gap to the leader, my overall pace and the work we have done as a team this weekend. This has been a great opportunity for me and I want to say thank you again to the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team for this experience.”

Alex Lowes

Race: 14th / 51.347 / 21 laps. Championship: 11th / 94 points.

“It was quite a frustrating race today as I felt again like I had a better pace but was struggling to pass to make the most of it. For the last ten laps especially I was really getting held up by van der Mark and had a couple of big moments trying to get into position to pass him. Niccolò passed me on the last lap and I had a go to get the position back at the last corner, like you should, but made a mistake and lost the front which was a shame. To be honest we need to be a lot higher than fighting for ninth, and both myself and the team need to put in some more work to get the best out of the weekend. We will try again after the summer break and come back fighting in Germany.”

Paul Denning – Team Principal

“There has been some spectacular racing this weekend at Laguna Seca which was great to be a part of. We would have preferred the YZF-R1 to be slightly closer to the sharp end but we have to keep reminding ourselves that we are still in the early stages of the project.

“Niccolò rode a great race today, showing a big improvement from yesterday. To be only 13 seconds from the winner after 21 laps as he approached the final corner, and to battle with the permanent championship riders he was with was an impressive performance. As in Misano, he has done a super, solid, mistake-free job all weekend and we really hope this won’t be the last we see of Nick in the Pata Yamaha team. He is a pleasure to work with and we owe him a lot of thanks for doing such a fantastic stand-in job.

“Alex’s race today was slightly compromised by a very heavy accident at the end of warm-up this morning which left him, fortunately not broken, but certainly very battered and bruised. That kind of crash is never good for the confidence so it was quite tough going into today’s race and we struggled with a couple of performance issues which made it very tough for Alex to pass his competitors and move forward in the race. We now go in to the long summer break with some planned testing, so we will look to continue the development progress when we return in Germany in September.”

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

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team on the podium in Laguna Seca: Giugliano is 2nd, Davies 3rd

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team put on a show during Race 2 of the WorldSBK championship in Laguna Seca (USA). Davide Giugliano and Chaz Davies, together with Tom Sykes, engaged in a thrilling, fair battle in what turned into one of the most memorable races in recent times. At the end of a long series of passes, Giugliano finished in second position with Davies right behind him.

The Italian got off a strong start, taking the lead during lap 3 before the race was red flagged. At the restart, being first on the grid, Giugliano stayed at the front initially, while Davies climbed back from seventh position after being stuck in the group. The pair reconnected in the final phases of the race, putting up a spectacular duel in the last seven laps and exhanging positions several times before finishing second and third respectively, separated by only five tenths of a second.

After nine rounds, Davies and Giugliano are respectively third (260 points) and fourth (185 points) in the championship, while Ducati is second in the Manufacturers standings with 326 points. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will now observe a long break, during which development will continue with a detailed testing schedule, and will resume action in Lausitzring (Germany) on September 16-18 for the tenth round of the season.

Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #34) – 2nd

“What a fantastic race! I had so much fun, but it’s been difficult both physically and mentally, because it was paramount not to make mistakes while battling against Chaz. We’ve been both fair and I think we made it fun for people on track and at home. For me, to score a podium here is special because last year my season was put to an end in Laguna Seca and my career was almost destroyed. Yesterday was tough for the whole team, both Chaz and I crashed out while fighting for the podium with a good pace, but some small adjustments allowed us to make the most of our current potential. Now we’ll take a break but we won’t stop working to improve.”

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

“Today went a bit better. After what happened yesterday, I concentrated on finishing the race first of all, initially focusing just on my rhythm. I wanted to avoid being particularly aggressive early on, but I was stuck in the group at the start and had to ask a lot to the rear tyre to recover on Davide and Tom. I think we could have won today, but I went wide at the Corkscrew, possibly because of the wind, and in the last laps I didn’t have enough grip to try more overtakes. It was important to go into the break with a podium, and we’ll use this time to understand where to improve.”

Stefano Cecconi, Team Principal

“We needed a good result to make justice to our potential. Davide and Chaz had a wonderful race, with a hard but fair duel that kept us on our toes but hopefully entertained all our fans. The next round will be in September, but we won’t take long holidays because we already defined a testing program to keep growing as a team.”

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

Hayden and van der Mark complete Laguna weekend with fifth and seventh place finishes

Round 9 – USA

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, United States

The ninth round of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship has drawn to an end for the Honda WorldSBK team, with Nicky Hayden and Michael van der Mark finishing a shortened race two at Laguna Seca in fifth and seventh places, respectively. Courtesy of this weekend’s results, van der Mark is now equal in points with fourth-placed Giugliano in the championship standings, while Hayden is twelve points down in sixth.

The initial race was stopped during lap five following Pawel Szkopek’s spectacular crash at turn six: before the chequered flag was deployed, Nicky Hayden was running strongly in fifth place after setting his best lap of the weekend on race tyres. Van der Mark, on the other hand, was at the back of the field in nineteenth, after crashing out at the Corkscrew on the opening lap and rejoining the race on board his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machine.

The new 21-lap encounter got underway 20 minutes later with both riders getting a great launch off the grid. Unlike the four laps completed before the red flag, Hayden started to experience some problems with the front and was unable to attack the Californian track the way he wanted. Nevertheless, the 34-year-old American managed to hold on to fifth place up to the chequered flag. After going from nineteenth to eleventh in just one lap, van der Mark joined the five-way battle for fourth place, eventually getting the better of both Yamaha riders and finishing seventh.

The team will now return to its headquarters in the Netherlands, while Hayden and van der Mark will fly off to Japan in order to start their preparations for the Suzuka 8 Hours, which takes place on July 29-31. The Dutch-based squad and the riders will then reunite halfway through August for a two-day test at the Lausitzring in Germany, the same circuit hosting the tenth round of the season on September 16-18.

Nicky Hayden 69

5th

I’m really disappointed for how the race went, especially for how things were looking before the red flag. At the first start there was a little glitch in the light and I got buried, but I was good in turns one and two and made up a lot of positions. I was feeling more and more confident and just had my best lap of the weekend on race tyres, then the red flag came out. After the second start something happened: we’re not sure what exactly at the moment as the team is still analysing the data, but the bike was completely different. I couldn’t brake as good as yesterday and I lost all confidence. It’s a shame, really, because after the first start I thought I could have gone for something really special. Nonetheless, I want to thank the team because they did all it was in their power to give me the best bike and the fans for their incredible support. It surely wasn’t a disaster, I would have liked to give more today, for sure.

Michael van der Mark 60

7th

Something happened at the first start because the lights went off and on again and that created a bit of chaos. I wanted to move up as quickly as possible but when I tried to outbrake Camier at the Corkscrew I was too hard on the brakes and lost the rear. It was a bit scary, but thankfully I was able to find a gap between riders and avoid any collision. After that I tried to recover and surely the red flag helped me a lot. I had a good start from the back of the field and managed to get close to the top 10 by the end of the first lap. I wanted to make up some more places but the feeling with the bike was not the same as yesterday; I could close the gap a bit with the guys ahead but that was it. It was really hard to stay with them, but overall we must be happy with our seventh place today and with the weekend overall.

Pieter Breddels

Technical Manager

We tried some changes to the front of both bikes, with an eye to the track temperature, because the front-tyre choice was the key for the race here in Laguna. In the end, with Michael we decided to go back to yesterday’s settings and made just a few clicks to the rear suspension. With Nicky we used a harder front spring, which he liked so we kept it for the race. Michael had a good start to the second race after the crash he had before the red flag, made up several places and was seventh at the end. Nicky was in attack-mode and got up to third, but then he had to give away a couple of places and for some reason – which we are currently investigating on – he couldn’t be as quick as he was before the race was stopped. He immediately said that the front wasn’t feeling the same and that was basically holding him back. Still, it wasn’t a bad round: Nicky was only behind Sykes in terms of points scored this weekend, while Michael was able to limit the damage very well today, considering his grid position at the restart. We have a long break ahead now, but we will be testing in five weeks at the Lausitzring, the same track that will host the next round. We haven’t been racing there for a long time, so it’ll be very useful for us.