Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Chang International Circuit, Thailand
March 12, 2016
Race One Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 20 laps, Total Race Time 31:32.311, Best Race Lap Time 1:33.936
2. Tom Sykes, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -0.222 second, 1:34.098
3. Michael van der Mark, Netherlands (Hon CBR1000RR SP), -9.623 seconds, 1:34.304
4. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale R), -17.167 seconds, 1:34.769
5. Markus Reiterberger, Germany (BMW S1000RR), -18.894, 1:34.947
6. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -20.754, 1:34.676
7. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Yam YZF-R1), -24.221, 1:34.654
8. Jordi Torres, Spain (BMW S1000RR), -31.064, 1:35.470
9. Alex De Angelis, San Marino (Apr RSV4 RF), -34.348, 1:35.373
10. Lorenzo Savadori, Italy (Apr RSV4 RF), -34.479, 1:35.520
11. Leon Camier, UK (MV Agusta F4 RR), -37.013, 1:35.563
12. Roman Ramos, Spain (Kaw ZX-10R), -41.113, 1:35.722
13. Matteo Baiocco (Duc Panigale R), -44.369, 1:35.909
14. Xavi Fores, Spain (Duc Panigale R), -45.053, 1:35.851
15. Josh Brookes, Australia (BMW S1000RR), -51.939, 1:36.110
16. Sylvain Barrier, France (Kaw ZX-10R), -54.314, 1:35.753
17. Saeed Al Sulaiti, Qatar (Kaw ZX-10R), -66.541, 1:36.949
18. Davide Giugliano, Italy (Duc Panigale R), -69.530, 1:34.596, crash
19. Dominic Schmitter, Switzerland (Kaw ZX-10R), -100.904, 1:40.904
20. Peter Sebestyen, Hungary (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, 1:38.269
21. S. Kaewjaturapot, Thailand (Kaw ZX-10R), -1 lap, 1:39.971
22. Imre Toth, Hungary (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, 1:39.816
23. A. Nakchardensri, Thailand (Yam YZF-R1), -3 laps, 1:38.372, pitted
24. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap, DNF, 1:35.560, crash
25. Nicky Hayden, USA (Hon CBR1000RR SP), -11 laps, DNF, 1:34.476, mechanical
World Championship Point Standings (After 3 of 28 races):
1. Rea, 75 points
2. Van Der Mark, 52
3. Sykes, 41
4. Davies, 39
5. Guintoli, 30
6. Giugliano, 29
7. Torres, 25
8. Hayden, 20
9. Reiterberger, 19
10. TIE, Camier/Brookes, 14
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Clash of the Teammates: Race 1
Rea just beats teammate Sykes over the line in tense Thai battle
Reigning Champion Jonathan Rea has defeated 2013 Champion Tom Sykes in an inter-team showdown at Chang International Circuit in Thailand. The defending Champion recovered from some big on track moments earlier in the race to hunt down his teammate and eventually pass him with a few laps to go. Sykes kept the pace with the Number 1 plated machine and after having led a majority of the laps, had plenty in reserve for the final lap: the Yorkshireman closed in on his teammate with only corners to go and eventually crossed the line right behind him.
The Kawasaki Racing Team pair got a better start off the line from P2 and P3 and pole sitter Michael Van Der Mark initially dropped back before fighting his way up to just behind Rea. After the Honda rider saved a big wobble, he was left to a lonely ride to P3 to pick up his third podium of the season and maintain his 100% record in 2016. His teammate, 2006 MotoGP Champion Nicky Hayden, suffered a technical problem on lap 11 and was unfortunately forced to retire.
The Ducati duo of Chaz Davies and Davide Giugliano dueled with some incredibly close racing, before Giugliano lowsided out of the race when chasing his teammate down once again. Despite never having ridden in Buriram, Giugliano’s pace was close to that of teammate Davies. The Welshman was less fortunate in Thailand last season and will be encouraged by a P4 result and a good haul of points on a track traditionally not suited to the Panigale R.
Markus Reiterberger had a great rookie ride in Thailand to P5 and was joined in the top ten by his Althea BMW teammate Jordi Torres in P8. The Yamaha pairing of Lowes and Guintoli both recovered from some trickier moments earlier in the race to bring the new YZF R1 home in P6 and P7 respectively, with the Aprilia RSV4 completing the top ten with WorldSBK rookies Alex De Angelis and Lorenzo Savadori finishing P9 and P10.
Leon Camier recovered from a difficult few sessions before Race 1 to finish in 11th with his MV Agusta, just in front of Team GOELEVEN rider Roman Ramos. Matteo Baiocco, riding for injured Fabio Menghi at VFT, scored points in 13th ahead of recovering Barni Racing’s Xavi Fores and Milwaukee BMW rider Josh Brookes.
Local rider Sahustchai Kaewjaturaporn, who replaced injured Josh Hook at Grillini for the Motul Thai Round, and Yamaha Thailand Racing Team’s Thai wildcard Anucha Nakcharoensri were both classified after a successful Race 1 at their home track.
Race 2 will prove another opportunity for the WorldSBK grid to chase more glory, with the start set for 4pm local time (9am GMT) and Dutch Honda rider Michael Van Der Mark once again on pole.
Motul Thai Round – Race 1
1. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Kawasaki Racing Team
2. Tom Sykes (GBR) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.222
3. Michael Van Der Mark (NED) Honda World Superbike Team +9.623
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Motors Europe:
Rea And Sykes Dominate The First Thai Race
KRT challengers Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes shared the lead for all 20 laps of the first FIM Superbike World Championship race at Buriram in Thailand between them, with Rea finally running out the winner by only 0.222 seconds from his team-mate. A strong showing from the new Ninja ZX-10R saw championship leader Rea and now third ranked Sykes finish over nine seconds from the next closest rider.
With high air temperatures of 34°C evident during the contest at the 4.554km long Chang International Circuit the race was hard work for all, but it was the KRT pairing who held the advantage after all the laps had been completed.
Despite the slippery track surface in some areas, causing the riders to take unusual lines at those points, Rea’s race time was better than his equivalent 2015 season win. He set the fastest lap of the race on lap 14, as he chased down Sykes and then passed him.
This was Rea’s third win in succession on the new Ninja, giving him a perfect 75 points after three races, with one more 20-lap race in Thailand to go tomorrow, Sunday 13th.
There was a glimmer of a chance for Sykes to pull back and pass Rea on the final laps today, particularly when a backmarker impeded Jonathan. Despite Tom drawing close to Rea on an inside line into the final corner Jonathan had done enough to make sure the race victory would be his.
Sykes led for 14 laps as he and his machine showed a marked level of race-long improvement in pace compared to the opening round in Australia last month. This was Tom’s first podium of the year and the 20 points he earned today put him third in the overnight championship order, with 41.
Both Kawasaki riders feel that there are even more improvements to come from their Ninja ZX-10R machines over race distance for race two tomorrow, based on their positive experiences today.
Jonathan Rea stated: “The pace was fast; I did not expect it to be so fast as all weekend we have been slower than last year. So it was a good, fast race. I put my head down and with four laps to go I got a small gap of about 0.7 or 0.8 seconds on Tom. On the final laps I got caught out in the first turn by another rider but it was not so much. I had done all my work by then as I had completely emptied my tank with about four laps to go to try and get away. I am a little bit tired now because I went full gas in those last four laps. We were able to capitalise on that work and I feel like I rode for a stronger win than I have had for a long time. Tomorrow, I expect my bike set-up will be much stronger.”
Tom Sykes stated: “I am quite happy with that because compared to last year we made a much stronger race. Unfortunately I was struggling in two or three corners, which gave away a lot of advantage. Jonathan was riding very well and on the last laps he was strong but we were also strong at that stage compared to previous races. This is a positive and the gap was not so big to the winner. We have a much better feeling, so this is a good step. The Ninja ZX-10R was working consistently and we had some great lap times, so we’ll see how it goes next race. We need to try and improve for tomorrow but as a start that was quite acceptable. I am disappointed not to win on one hand but we have had a big improvement on the other hand. We are working in the right direction.”
Roman Ramos (Team GOELEVEN Kawasaki) placed 12th in race one, while Pedercini Team Kawasaki riders Sylvain barrier and Saeed Al Sulaiti were 16th and 17th respectively, just missing out on championship points. Dominic Schmitter (Grillini Racing Team) was 19th.
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:
CAMIER SCORES 5 ADDITIONAL POINTS AT RACE 1 IN THAILAND
12 MARCH 2016
The 4.554km Chang International Circuit hosted this afternoon the WorldSBK Tissot-Superpole and Race 1, with the MV Agusta Reparto Corse rider Leon Camier finishing in 11th place after a very hard comeback from the 18th position.
After an incredibile WorldSBK FP1 session, seeing Camier getting the 1st position, the British rider qualified only 14th after today Tissot-Superpole, implying a really hard battle for the Schiranna based squad.
Despite a bad start has further complicated the hard situation, the British rider was able to get the best out of this MV Agusta F4 RC and, after passing several riders, he accomplished a great comeback from the 18th to 11th position and gained 5 points in the overall ranking.
Tomorrow, at 16.00 local time, Camier and his MV Agusta F4 RC will line up again on the Chang International Circuit grid, ready to start another fight in Race 2.
Leon Camier #2 – It was another bad start again. This is something we need to improve for sure, especially we have to work on the clutch. Anyway I am pretty satisfied I think we actually made a really quality race coming from 18th to 11th, making good passes. In the end I am happy because we did a good job and hopefully tomorrow we can get an even better result.
More, from a press release issued by Honda World Superbike Team:
Pole and race-one podium for van der Mark and the Honda WorldSBK Team in Thailand
Round 2 – Thailand
Chang International Circuit, Thailand
Michael van der Mark and the Honda WorldSBK Team claimed pole position and a third place finish in race one at the Chang International Circuit today. After a third-row start, Nicky Hayden was forced to an early retirement due to a technical problem.
It has been a historical day for van der Mark, who aboard his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP was able to take his maiden pole-positon start in WorldSBK after an intense 15-minute Superpole 2, which saw the 23-year-old battling out with Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea. As the race got underway though, van der Mark didn’t get the best start from pole and was sixth at the exit of turn one.
The young Dutchman quickly recovered to third and set his sights on Rea’s second place on lap 5, before making a small mistake on the following lap at the exit of turn eight, which cost him one and a half seconds. After that, Michael tried all he could to fill the gap with the front-runners, eventually deciding to settle for third as the race entered its final part. Thanks to his third podium finish out of three races, van der Mark keeps his and Honda’s second places in the riders’ and manufacturers’ standings, respectively.
After qualifying on the third row of the grid with the eighth fastest time, Hayden got a great launch off the grid and ran as high as fifth, before starting to experience some issues due to a faulty sensor on his #69 bike, which eventually led to an early withdrawal from the race on the tenth lap.
Race two is scheduled tomorrow at 16:00 local time (GMT+7).
Michael van der Mark 60
3rd
I’m so happy about my first WorldSBK pole position. I wasn’t really expecting it but once I got out on track, I had such a good feeling and just went for it. The Kawasakis are usually very competitive over a single lap but today we managed to be quicker. I made a mistake at the start of the race, I was probably a bit too excited to be on pole position. I then had a problem with downshifting and went wide at turn 1, losing a couple of more places. Step by step I was able to close the gap on Tom and Jonathan. When I got really close, I had a big moment at turn eight which cost me some time and after that, their pace did not allow me to make up ground. Anyway, I was able to be consistently quick and we just need a couple of adjustments in order to be even more competitive tomorrow.
Nicky Hayden 69
DNF
It has been a difficult day at the office. In Superpole I wasn’t able to get the most out of the qualifying tyre, I hardly improved on my FP3 lap-time. It’s clear that we still have some work to do on that side. There’s not much I can say about the race, we had a problem with a sensor and the bike was not running smoothly, up to the point that it stopped. It’s a shame we were unable to complete the race but there is still a lot we can do before tomorrow’s second race.
Pieter Breddels
Technical Manager
We have been waiting for a pole position for quite some time and finally it came! Michael did an outstanding job in being so competitive on a race tyre first, then with the qualifier. It looks like we have found a way to make the bike perform very well over a single lap. Michael didn’t have the best of starts, but he was able to close the gap quickly to the front-runners. After he ran wide on lap six, he simply had to let them go but he managed his third place up to the finish line. Three podiums out of three races is definitely a great string of results. Nicky had a good start, but he had this small issue that ultimately prevented him from finishing the race. Now it’s time to have a look at the data in order to be ready for tomorrow.
More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing BMW:
Reiterberger 5th and Torres 8th in the first of the two races in Thailand
Buri Ram (Thailand), Saturday 12 March 2016
Although this morning seemed to be slightly cooler than previous days, the temperature at the Chang circuit in Buri Ram nevertheless held at a constant 34°C.
Not put off by the heat and humidity, a large crowd filled the spacious “BRIC” grandstands with the many fans enthusiastic about cheering on the stars of WorldSBK.
The team first completed a 15-minute free practice, which is not valid for qualifying but which saw both the Althea BMW Racing Team riders further improve on their best times set yesterday on board their BMW S 1000 RR machines. Markus Reiterberger and Jordi Torres then faced the 15-minute Superpole 2 and, despite not being able to exploit the qualifying tyre fully, they nevertheless earned the ninth (1’34.796) and tenth (1’34.859) spot respectively on the starting grid.
THE RACE (20 laps, 91.080 km)
The light went out at 4pm local time at the Buri Ram International Circuit.
Jordi Torres started from tenth on the grid (row four) and, at first, was not confident with the setting of the brake lever, something which caused him to lose concentration. On lap one he made a mistake that, with several riders close behind him, caused him to fall back to fourteenth place. At the end of lap four, the talented Spaniard began to get to grips with the brake modulation and started to move up through the field, from twelfth up until lap nine to ninth just two laps later. Two corners from the end of the race he moved into eighth place and held that position to the line.
Markus Reiterberger, from the third row of the grid in ninth place, made up a position on lap one, holding it until the following lap. Back into ninth on lap three, his clean style and determination allowed him to close in on the group ahead and, from lap seven onwards, he was able to reach his rivals using his concentration as a weapon. On lap thirteen, the German was lying sixth, a position that he maintained until two laps from the end when he made a final push, thanks to which he was able to cross the line in an excellent fifth position (18.894 seconds from first).
In the general standings, Jordi Torres lies seventh with 25 points, while Markus Reiterberger is in ninth place with 19 points.
Jordi Torres
“It was a bit of a difficult day because in the Superpole we were not able to make the most of the qualifying tyre on the flying lap and then we had a few issues during the race. I wasn’t able to gain the right confidence with the bike and particularly with the brake lever, which meant I couldn’t be consistent during braking. At one point I made a mistake and, given that we were all so close, I lost some places. I then tried to modify my braking style and was able to make up a few positions.”
Markus Reiterberger
“I’m proud of my race. I didn’t make the best start but was lying eighth on lap one. It wasn’t easy to stay with the riders ahead of me during the opening laps but I felt better from a few laps in. My BMW S 1000 RR performed really well today, I saw the riders ahead and tried to reach them, getting closer and closer. But then I saw that some of them were making mistakes and so I focused on avoiding errors and getting to the end: this was the key to my fifth place finish.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Davies 4th in Race One in Buriram, while Giugliano crashes out towards the end when he was 5th
After a first day of practice characterized by extreme heat and low grip, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team took it back to the track in Buriram (Thailand) determined to improve. In Superpole, Chaz Davies and Davide Giugliano qualified in fourth and sixth place respectively, essentially cutting the gap from the top in half. However, despite taking steps forward, eventually both riders could not fight for the victory during Race One, which was won by reigning world champion Jonathan Rea.
Davies and Giugliano raced in close quarters at length, in fourth and fifth position respectively. While Davies showed a more consistent pace in the early phases, Giugliano recovered from half-way on. The pair then engaged in a spectacular, fair duel, which unfortunately was cut short by a crash from Giugliano with two laps to go. Davies thus ended the race in fourth position, taking 13 valuable points, while the Italian, who still managed to rejoin the race, closed in 18th position.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 4th
“It’s been a difficult race, and honestly I don’t think I could have done more today. I didn’t have the pace to stay with the frontrunners, and it wasn’t easy to hold Davide back either. I suffered an unexpected wear on the rear tyre before half-way, and I had to play defense. Also, top speed unfortunately is really important on this track and we still need to work on this aspect, especially in the first sector. It won’t be easy, but we won’t give up and will try some more changes to at least step on the podium tomorrow.”
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34) – 18th
“On the bright side, we’ve made a big step forward since yesterday, but I still struggled under braking and today it wasn’t possible to race at the front. If anything, as in Phillip Island, I managed to be progressively faster in the second half of the race. Still, I regret the crash, which took me off guard because I’ve never had any issues in turn 12 before. Like last year, this track is proving to be tricky for us, but we’ll evaluate the situation to have a proper rematch.”
Ernesto Marinelli, Superbike Project Director
“Today’s race has been tougher than what we expected. Chaz experienced some uncharacteristic tyre-wear issues with the rear, which we’ll analyze in detail. Davide was coming back strong, and it’s a shame he crashed out while battling with his teammate, but this is racing and sometimes you go just a bit above the limits. We need to cut the gap with the front, so we’ll use the night to think it over and will do all we can to be stronger tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Sizzling Sixth and Seventh for Pata Yamaha at Chang Race One
Race
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK riders Alex Lowes and Sylvain Guintoli battled the heat at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand today to take sixth and seventh respectively in the first race of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s second round.
The morning brought a positive start for the two Pata Yamaha riders, concluding the final 15 minute free practice session in fourth and sixth, having worked on a number of settings improvements between them. With air temperatures already hotter than those seen for the previous day – peaking at 34°C – the early afternoon saw Guintoli and Lowes set about the task of Superpole, having both secured direct promotion to the second session thanks to Friday’s free practice performance. The British rider showed immediately impressive pace, setting a 1’34.371 on race rubber for his first timed lap, and while prevented from utilising his run on the qualifying tyre by a technical issue, the 25-year-old’s original time was enough to take seventh. Guintoli continued his performance development with the YZF-R1 as shown throughout the weekend, claiming a top-five spot on the grid with a 1’33.866 lap time placing him on the second row.
A great start by Lowes saw him jump to fifth position off the lights as race one began before circulating in seventh for the opening laps. Closing on countryman Chaz Davies and the front group by lap nine with determined 1’34.6 pace, the British rider looked to be about to make his move before running wide at turn three leaving him in ninth place. An impressive comeback saw Lowes again dig deep, regaining ground and three positions to take sixth at the flag and 10 valuable championship points.
Guintoli had a fight on his hands for the early laps after losing time at the start. Crossing the line in 12th after the opening revolution the Frenchman quickly began to regroup, making up time and places to hold eighth then sixth by the mid-race point. Fighting with his teammate for position at three-quarters distance he eventually consolidated seventh position, adding nine points to his already healthy total and leaving him fifth in the standings heading into tomorrow’s final battle.
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team return to Chang International Circuit on Sunday for the second 20-lap race scheduled at 16:00hrs local time.
Alex Lowes
Race: 6th / +20.754 / 20 Laps. Championship: 13th / 12 points
“A difficult day for me overall, but the race was quite positive with a sixth place finish so I’m quite happy with that even though we know the potential of the YZF-R1 and the package is a lot more. It’s my first proper full race of the year and I feel good with the direction we are going. I’m looking forward to making some more improvements for tomorrow and seeing what we can do in race two.”
Sylvain Guintoli
Race: 7th / +24.221 / 20 Laps. Championship: 5th / 30 points
“It was a difficult race for us in the end and we had difficulties in the braking zones meaning I ran straight, on three separate occasions. The first half of the race was really good – after recovering from the first run on – I had a good pace and was catching the Ducati’s but in the second half I started to struggle with rear-tyre-life so I couldn’t keep up that pace as I wanted. It was a tough race, which we were expecting but we will just have to keep working on the development of the YZF-R1 ready for tomorrow.”
Paul Denning ? Team Principal
“It’s difficult to understand whether the team should be disappointed or extremely positive with today’s results. Disappointed perhaps because sixth and seventh, despite the very early stage of development of the YZF-R1 in WorldSBK trim, is slightly below our target and also because a technical issue stopped Alex from using his qualifying tyre and starting as high up the grid as he could have done.
“The positive aspect is that both riders came away with solid results despite suffering with some restrictions during the race which made a significant difference to their potential. This is only our second WorldSBK event as Pata Yamaha and we are already not so far away; we can look forward to time and experience allowing the YZF-R1 to make very significant steps forward in race distance performance.”