eni FIM Superbike World Championship Intercity Istanbul Park, Turkey September 15, 2013 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 34:58.775 2. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -1.708 seconds 3. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -4.052 4. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -10.860 5. Toni ELIAS, Spain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -12.171 6. Chaz DAVIES, UK (BMW S1000RR), -12.396 7. Jules CLUZEL, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -17.434 8. Leon HASLAM, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), -17.683 9. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -25.770 10. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (Honda CBR1000RR), -38.735 11. Mark AITCHISON, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -48.892 12. Federico SANDI, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -49.136 13. Vittorio IANNUZZO, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -96.589 14. Tolga UPRAK, Turkey (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -1 lap 15. Yunus ERCELIK, Turkey (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap 16. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), DNS World Championship Point Standings (after 22 of 28 races): 1. Sykes, 323 points 2. Guintoli, 315 3. Laverty, 297 4. Melandri, 290 5. Davies, 239 6. Loris Baz, 180 7. Jonathan Rea, 176 8. Fabrizio, 168 9. Cluzel, 141 10. Giugliano, 139 11. Leon Camier, 114 12. Badovini, 107 13. Max Neukirchner, 84 14. Checa, 80 15. Haslam, 78 16. Sandi, 45 17. Iannuzzo, 25 18. Elias, 21 19. Aitchison, 20 20. Ivan Clementi, 18 More, from a press release issued by Team SBK Ducati Alstare: A day without results for Badovini and Team SBK Ducati Alstare today at Istanbul Park Istanbul (Turkey), Sunday 15 September 2013: despite physical problems resulting from Friday’s crash, Ayrton Badovini (Team SBK Ducati Alstare) attempted to participate in today’s Superbike races at Intercity Istanbul Park in Turkey. Unfortunately a technical stop in race 1 put paid to his chances of scoring points and, due to the pain he was suffering in the first half of that first race, he decided not to compete in the day’s second race. Badovini suffered strained ligaments and swelling in his left ankle after a crash at turn 12 in Friday morning’s practice. Having not completed the qualifying sessions yesterday, the Ducati Alstare rider managed to get his boot on this morning despite the injury. He was therefore able to make a few laps during warm-up to assess whether he would be able to race later in the day. Race 1 – Badovini lined up at the back of the grid, in sixteenth position, due to the fact that he did not participate in either of the qualifying sessions as a result of the injury. Making a good start, he was already up in thirteenth position by the end of the first lap. He held this position for the first eight laps but unfortunately, during the course of lap nine, he was forced to return to the garage due to a technical problem and was unable to rejoin the race. Ayrton Badovini: “It’s a pity about the stop, today was a chance to make some laps and get to grips with this track. It would have been difficult to finish the race anyway due to my physical condition but I wanted to try at least. I was also having some grip issues because, having completed only one practice session, we didn’t have time to identify the best set-up for our bike on this new track. Unfortunately a weekend to forget…” Carlos Checa was unfortunately absent from today’s races, having crashed on Friday and suffering a contusion to the thorax and suspected fracture of the scaphoid as a result. He flew to Barcelona this morning where he will receive further treatment. More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: Highs and lows for team Althea in Istanbul The eleventh round of the World Superbike championship took place today at Intercity Istanbul Park in Turkey. Thanks to his solid performance yesterday in the Superpole, Davide Giugliano started today’s races from the front row, in third position. The races took place in sunny conditions and on a dry track. In race one Davide made a very fast start and the Althea Racing rider was in fifth place through the initial laps. Towards mid-race Giugliano was fighting in the second group of riders, finally closing the race in fifth position, having battled it out with Elias right to the line. A great performance for Davide who once again finished right on the heels of the factory riders. In the second race he again made a rapid start and was up in third position through the first corners. Unfortunately as the race progressed, the Althea rider was unable to maintain a strong rhythm due to grip and setting issues that caused him to lose several positions, finally crossing the line ninth. The next World Superbike round will take place on 28 and 29 September at the Laguna Seca circuit in the USA. Davide Giugliano: “The first race went well and the feeling I had with the bike allowed me to score fifth place which I was happy with. I made contact with Elias at the final corner, but not on purpose of course. We just both took different lines and this resulted in contact as happens in many races. In the second race I unfortunately suffered from grip problems and was unable to keep the kind of rhythm that had allowed me stay with the leaders in race one. We’ll now investigate the reason for this lack of grip, which didn’t allow me to race as I’d hoped to. I thank my team that has, as always, worked very hard all weekend.” Genesio Bevilacqua: “In race one we defended ourselves well and Davide put in a very good performance. A very positive race. Unfortunately the second one didn’t go so well. We still have to analyse the data to see what caused our rider to slow down; he was unable to express himself as he wanted to. We return home with results that could have been better, but overall the weekend was positive.” More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda Superbike Team: Haslam and Fabrizio battle in Turkey Pata Honda riders Leon Haslam and Michel Fabrizio each took two top ten finishes in today’s 11th-round World Superbike championship races at Istanbul Park in Turkey, where Irishman Eugene Laverty grabbed both race wins. After a positive warm-up this morning, Halsam was surprised to find little grip from the rear of his CBR machine from the very first lap of race one and struggled to get within two seconds of his warm-up times. Attention was focused on his rear tyre in the post-race analysis and the 30-year-old was certainly able to improve his lap times in race two as he battled for eighth place at the flag. His team-mate Michel Fabrizio continued his familiarisation with the Honda CBR1000RR and took two tenth place finishes, just missing out in a close finish (0.032s) with his team-mate in race one and continuing the improvement in his lap times in race two. Leon Haslam – 9th and 8th I just got a bad tyre in race one – simple as that – and there was nothing I could do. The boys tried to get me to box for a few laps and, with hindsight, I should probably have come in and changed the tyre to go and do some faster lap times. But the racer’s instinct kept me out and I got a ninth out of it, just beating Michel [Fabrizio]. I’m happy with my lap times in race two, even though I had a little less grip than we expected. That was down to some chassis changes that didn’t really work because we didn’t get the data from race one. My consistency was good though and my pace at the end was matching the top five, we just lacked a little bit of pace at the beginning. Michel Fabrizio – 10th and 10th It has not been an easy weekend but it was very important for me to finish both the races to find out as much as possible about the bike and how it works. For me, that was a positive and I really enjoyed riding the bike for the first time here. It has been a great experience to work with the team and I think we have made some progress but maybe not as much as we wanted. I look forward to riding again at Laguna Seca where I hope we can be closer to the front. Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator We hoped to see a little more from Michel in both races, but he is still new to the bike and learning how to get the best out of it. Hopefully, we can find some things to make this easier for him at the next race. Leon had a bad rear tyre from the start of race one, without any grip or any chance for a result. There’s not much more to say about that. He lost a little bit too much time at the start of race two but, from the middle of the race, Leon was doing some decent lap times, which was promising. We also found out some more interesting things which we will take to the next race. More, from a press release issued by FIXI Crescent Suzuki: Pair of sevens for Cluzel in Turkey FIXI Crescent Suzuki’s Jules Cluzel took a pair of very creditable seventh place finishes in today’s inaugural Turkish round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship at the Intercity Istanbul Park circuit. Cluzel was flying the flag for the Fixi Crescent Suzuki team following Leon Camier’s injury and subsequent withdrawal earlier in the weekend and in race-one the team’s only rider finished a commendable seventh after a race-long battle with Davide Giugliano. The pair swapped positions a number of times during the race, before the Suzuki man’s rear-grip started to go and he settled for a safe seventh position at the flag. Race-two took a similar theme as the Frenchman got away with a lead group, but a mistake on lap-five saw him run wide on the first corner and lose the tow. He regrouped before passing Giugliano for seventh and then got involved in a battle to the line with Leon Haslam. Cluzel was passed by the Honda rider, but immediately took the place back and then held on to seventh all the way to the finish by producing some impressive and consistent lap-times on his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R. His results today move him up to ninth in the championship, a position that he will be looking to improve on as the season draws to a close. FIXI Crescent Suzuki was down to one-rider today due to Camier’s huge crash and resulting operation on Friday. He was re-admitted to hospital today suffering with dehydration, but is recovering well from this and after-effects of the surgical procedure. Camier plans to return to his home in Andorra tomorrow to begin an intensive rehabilitation routine in a bid to get fit for the last race of the season at Jerez. Today’s races were held in warm and sunny conditions with track temperatures reaching 40°C. Eugene Laverty took victory in both events. FIXI Crescent Suzuki and the rest of the World Superbike field will now head across the Atlantic Ocean for the next round of the championship, which will be held at Laguna Seca in California, America on Sunday 29th September. Jules Cluzel: “It’s been a really interesting weekend as a whole. I was a bit disappointed with the first race because I had the feeling I could fight for fifth place. I fought a bit with the other guys for that position, but at the end I was not able to pass them. For the second race we had a lot more data and had done a lot more laps so we had more information. We made some big changes in the chassis and I felt some differences, but they were not so easy to understand. I made some mistakes in the race and I did some good lap-times, but the really interesting point was the last part of the race. I tried to be calmer and understand how the traction was working and how the bike was different. This helped how to learn how the bike could be better and me also. I think I understand a lot more now and I’m looking forward to the next race because we have more information and I will have time to think about this weekend. I am happy with two seventh places, but I had the feeling we could be stronger – I now need to improve next time!” Paul Denning – Team Manager: “Jules worked really hard today and rode at a very competitive level, the lap-time gap to the podium guys was not so big, but what cost him the chance to battle for a top-five place was errors in both races – maybe just trying too hard in the wrong places. However it was very positive that he was able to re-group, re-find his rhythm and also learn a lot about some new electronic settings that he has been working with here in Istanbul. Even if we’re a little bit frustrated with the positions, Jules enjoyed riding the bike today and definitely learnt a lot and he is a positive mood for the trip to the USA. “Leon’s ridiculous run of misfortune continues and even after a successful operation he found himself back in hospital today. He had severe dehydration and some nasty after-effects of the surgical process. The update is that he is now resting and being very well cared for. Thanks to the medical team at the Anadolu hospital for their continued care and to our colleagues at Doodson Broking Group for their swift and very helpful assistance in getting Leon the best possible attention and taking care of arrangements.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Double Podium Extends Sykes’ Championship Lead WSBK, Istanbul Park, Turkey, 15 September 2013 Tom Sykes started from pole at Istanbul and took his KRT Ninja ZX-10R to a third and a second place in the two 18-lap races, extending his championship lead to eight points after 11 rounds. Sykes led both races today and battled hard to try and win each one. He was 3.432 seconds from the winner in race one and only 1.708 seconds from double race winner Eugene Laverty in race two. Crucially, at this advanced stage of the year, Sykes beat his closest rival Sylvain Guintoli each time and he now leads him by eight points, gaining seven points on him this weekend. With Loris Baz not riding at Istanbul Tom flew a strong solo KRT flag this weekend, scoring his seventh Superpole win of the year on Saturday, two podiums which take his season total to 13 and he also broke through the 300 points barrier, with a new total of 323. Mark Aitchison (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) scored 11th in race two after retiring in the opening race, while Federico Sandi (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) had a good day in taking 11th in race one and 12th in race two. Laguna Seca in the USA hosts the next round of the championship, with race one on Saturday 28 and race two on Sunday 29 September. Tom Sykes: “Two podiums today even though it was the first time for me here. We had only two-and-a-half hours track time against two top riders who have previous experience of this circuit. We made two or three changes to the bike between races and I think everybody saw that our bike was working a bit better in the second one. We started that race quite strongly and I was able to lead again but some of our competitors were using the tyres a little bit better, so Eugene Laverty was able to catch me. Unfortunately I did not have the package at the end of the second race to fight back and try to win it. I believe that we can learn and improve from this weekend. I wanted to win in race one as well; I pushed hard but I feel if I pushed any harder I may have overstepped the mark. The changes we made this weekend should help for the future races. We are leaving with an improved points lead and that can only be a good thing.” More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Istanbul – Races. Sunday, 15th September 2013. Weather conditions: Sunny. Temperature: Air: 24 °C, Track: 32 – 40 °C Number of riders participating: 16/15 from 12 teams Fastest lap Race 1: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 1:55.673 min (lap 2) Fastest lap Race 2: Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) 1:55.768 min (lap 3) The BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team stepped onto the podium at the Turkish debut of the FIM Superbike World Championship. Factory rider Marco Melandri (ITA) finished second on his BMW S 1000 RR in today’s first race at “Intercity Istanbul Park”. In race two, he was fourth. His team-mate Chaz Davies (GBR) had issues in race one and finished eighth. It went better for him in the afternoon, when he crossed the line in sixth. After 11 rounds of the 2013 season, Marco is fourth in the riders’ championship with 290 points, 33 points behind the lead. Chaz follows in fifth with 239 points. In the Manufacturers’ classification, BMW is currently third with 354 points. Both races today were won by Eugene Laverty (IRL). At the start of race one, both BMW factory riders gained positions. Marco improved from seventh to fifth, Chaz from eighth to sixth. After the first lap, Marco was in fourth while Chaz was sitting in seventh. In the early stages, Marco lost a bit to the leading trio, but halfway through the race he started to catch up and closed the gap to the top 3 with every lap. On lap 14, he overtook Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) to take third, entering lap 16 he passed Tom Sykes (GBR) for second. He then tried to close the gap to leader Laverty but the Irishman was too far away to catch him up in the remaining laps. Marco rode his RR to second on the podium behind Laverty. Chaz meanwhile was fighting in a group of four and was temporarily lying in fifth. But a massive lack of grip meant he could not hold the position. Throughout the race he lost positions and crossed the line in eighth. In race two, Marco was sixth after lap one, Chaz seventh. In the early stages of the race, they were involved in several battles, gaining positions. After lap six, Marco was fourth and Chaz sat in sixth. But this time, Marco struggled to catch up with the front runners and the gap increased throughout the race. In the end, he rode a lonely race to finish fourth. Chaz had a better feeling on his RR in this race. On lap 16 he improved to fifth, but lost one position again on the final lap to come home in sixth. Marco Melandri: Result Race 1: 2nd / Gap to 1st: 0:02.009 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:56.102 min (lap 8) Result Race 2: 4th / Gap to 1st: 0:10.860 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:56.265 min (lap 4) “In race one, I lost a lot of time in the first laps. With a new tyre our bike is always very nervous. On the first lap I had to shut the throttle on the straight as the bike was shaking too much. But then after ten laps, because there was less fuel the bike became lighter and it was easier to ride. At that time I was quite fast and I caught up with the top guys. But when I passed Tom, Eugene was already very far away and for me, second place was already a very good result. After race one, we made some changes to the setting of the bike but, probably because of the higher track temperature, the grip went down. We tried to balance the bike with some changes to the rear but as consequence, I started struggling with the front. I couldn’t be fast entering the corner and I had some issues trying to brake. In the end I could not get the same result as in race one. We have still three races to go and, even if it’ll not be easy, I continue to believe. I want to fight and give my best in each race.” Chaz Davies: Result Race 1: 8th / Gap to 1st: 0:21.491 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:56.082 min (lap 2) Result Race 2: 6th / Gap to 1st: 0:12.396 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:56.354 min (lap 2) “After missing a lot of track time yesterday, it was difficult today. In the time available, we struggled to find a good set-up. I was lacking grip on the front and the rear and also struggling with the stability and balance. I was not happy with race one. After warm-up, we made a small change to the balance to try and find more grip in the rear but it just made the front worse. It was so easy to lose the front; I think that happened to me 10 to 15 times throughout the race. I couldn’t enter the corner fast; every time I tried to use the front brake with any lean angle I would tuck the front and not only that but I also struggled with rear grip. I wasn’t able to do any better so that was very frustrating. I was much happier with race two which was definitely better. It was half the gap to the leaders than in race one but in the end it was not good enough. We really made a step in the right direction but we could not completely solve the issues we had in race one. I think a third race would have suited us today. I am not sure if I would have been in podium contention then but for sure we would have further improved and would come even closer.” Andrea Buzzoni (General Manager BMW Motorrad WSBK): “Today’s results were not what we expected. Marco rode the first race in a very clever way. In the first few laps he was a little slower than the leading group. Then he increased the rhythm, closing the gap to the front, and was second at the finish line. Maybe with two more laps, he could have been in first position. This result brought him closer to the top of the riders’ ranking. In race two, on the contrary, something didn’t work and he couldn’t repeat the result. In the end the gap to the lead in the ranking has increased a little. But regarding the championship that does not affect us too much: we’re still in the game and we have to keep concentrated. Chaz couldn’t find the right balance and the performance of the bike which all of us expected during this weekend. Unfortunately he had to limit the damage. Looking to the championship ranking, the gap has increased, but he can still fight. We are heading Laguna Seca where we have good conditions to get a good result. Our riders like the track and both know it very well from already riding there. In addition the track fits very well to the characteristics of our RR. We have to achieve a great result to continue to fight for the title.” Andrea Dosoli (Technical Director BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team): “Congratulations to Marco for his podium in race one. He put in another strong performance here in Istanbul, a track where he has been successful in the past. But overall we have to say that our competitors have done a better job than us today. Even if Marco was able to get the maximum of the package in race one, he was struggling in race two. As soon as the track temperatures increased, he was lacking grip and struggling with stability. Chaz had some issues in race one, where he was not comfortable with the bike. Unfortunately, due to the limited track time, the set-up was not perfect for race one. His crew improved the bike for race two but it still was not enough. The main areas we have to work on are grip and stability. Our target is to improve that for the next round at Laguna Seca. We must keep working hard in order to prepare best for the next races. The championship is still open.” More, from a press release issued by SBK Press Office: Laverty and Sofuoglu winners of the Turkish Round Istanbul (Turkey), Sunday 15 September 2013 – The eleventh round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship reached its highest point today, as teams and riders geared up for what was an outstanding day of racing. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) made a clean sweep of the competition by winning both WSBK races and narrow the gap from Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) – third and second at the flag in the two races – to 26 points. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) and Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) got one podium finish each, but lost some ground in the title chase, which sees them now sitting 8 and 33 points short of the leader The star of the day, though, was Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki), who sent the 51,652 spectators into raptures by edging Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) at the finish line, to win his WSS home race. Lowes, on the other hand, is just two points away – even considering the number of race wins – to win his first World Supersport title. The eni FIM Superbike World Championship will resume at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in two-weeks time, while Supersport will be back on track – along with the two STK classes and EJC – early next month at Magny-Cours. Race 2 Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) stole the show today with an outstanding performance in Race 2 at the Intercity Istanbul Park, that led to his second double win of the career – after the one achieved in 2011 at Monza. The Irishman started his charge on early leader Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and, after spending half of the race chasing the rival, he eventually closed the gap and overtook the factory Kawasaki Rider on Lap 12, at Turn 14. Laverty then proved he had the pace to stay in the… (read more) Eugene Laverty: “My previous double-win was at Monza in 2011, but this one has a special meaning because it was totally unexpected. I am very happy as my bike was perfect, even better in the second race – despite the similar pace- as I could make the difference in the final stages. I’m back into contention for the title, but most of all I regained confidence and that gives me great hope for the next rounds.” Tom Sykes: “Two podiums today even though it was the first time for me here. We made two or three changes to the bike between races and I think everybody saw that our bike was working a bit better in the second one. We started that race quite strongly and I was able to lead again but some of our competitors were using the tyres a little bit better. Unfortunately I did not have the package at the end of the second race to fight back and try to win it. I believe that we can learn and improve from this weekend.” Race 2 Results: 1. Laverty (Aprilia) 18 Laps/96.120 km in 34’58.775 average 164.873 kph; 2. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1.708; 3. Guintoli (Aprilia) 4.052; 4. Melandri (BMW) 10.860; 5. Elias (Aprilia) 12.171; 6. Davies (BMW) 12.396; 7. Cluzel (Suzuki) 17.434; 8. Haslam (Honda) 17.683; 9. Giugliano (Aprilia) 25.770; 10. Fabrizio (Honda) 38.735; 11. Aitchison (Kawasaki) 48.892; 12. Sandi (Kawasaki) 49.136; 13. Iannuzzo (BMW) 1’36.589; 14. Uprak (Kawasaki) 1 Lap; 15. Ercelik (BMW) 1 Lap. Standings (Round 11 of 14) : 1. Sykes 323; 2. Guintoli 315; 3. Laverty 297; 4. Melandri 290; 5. Davies 239; 6. Baz 180; 7. Rea 176; 8. Fabrizio 168; 9. Cluzel 141; 10. Giugliano 139; 11. Camier 114; 12. Badovini 107; 13. Neukirchner 84; 14. Checa 80; 15. Haslam 78; 16. Sandi 45; 17. Iannuzzo 25; 18. Elias 21; 19. Aitchison 20; 20. Clementi 18; 21. Canepa 11; 22. Lundh 10; 23. Lai 8; 24. Reiterberger 7; 25. Allerton 6; 26. Uprak 5; 27. Smrz 4; 28. Stauffer 4; 29. Ercelik 3; 30. Akiyoshi 2; 31. Haga 2. Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 419; 2. Kawasaki 377; 3. BMW 354; 4. Honda 216; 5. Suzuki 193; 6. Ducati 144; 7. Yamaha 4. World Supersport Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki) and Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) put up a superb fight today in the World Supersport race at the Intercity Istanbul Park. The two riders, who had been battling heat-to-head for the win in almost every round contested so far, managed to give the vocal and ecstatic Turkish crowd something to remember. In the end, after swapping positions… (read more) Results: 1. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 16 Laps/85.440 km in 31’59.707 average 160.224 kph; 2. Lowes (Yamaha) 0.040; 3. Vd Mark (Honda) 9.074; 4. Zanetti (Honda) 11.987; 5. Rolfo (MV Agusta) 12.696; 6. Tamburini (Honda) 12.936; 7. Coghlan (Kawasaki) 14.002; 8. Salom (Kawasaki) 14.855; 9. Kennedy (Honda) 19.952; 10. Quarmby (Honda) 20.429; 11. Scassa (Kawasaki) 23.542; 12. Baldolini (Suzuki) 25.392; 13. De Rosa (Honda) 28.730; 14. Roccoli (Yamaha) 29.051; etc. Standings (Round 11 of 13): 1. Lowes 205; 2. Sofuoglu 156; 3. Foret 121; 4. Vd Mark 107; 5. Zanetti 99; 6. Scassa 74; 7. Kennedy 71; 8. Rolfo 62; 9. Coghlan 60; 10. Antonelli 55; etc. Manufacturers 1. Kawasaki 225; 2. Yamaha 213; 3. Honda 142; 4. MV Agusta 72; 5. Suzuki 30; 6. Triumph 6. More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: For Pirelli it’s a one-shot at the difficult and feared Istanbul circuit, a double from Laverty in Superbike and ovation for Kenan Sofuoglu after the win in Supersport in his home race The Superbike and Supersport tyres developed by Pirelli to face the secrets of the Turkish circuit perform optimally; Laverty, Guintoli, Melandri and Sykes alternate on the podium ready to fight for the world title in the last three races Istanbul (Turkey), 15 September 2013 – The Superbike and Supersport solutions designed by Pirelli to face the Intercity Istanbul Park hit the target first time: in both classes, in fact, the riders completed the race without any problem thanks to the consistency of performance demonstrated by the Pirelli tyres. The conditions of the circuit and the weather certainly did not make things easy; the track was very dirty on Friday and Saturday practices characterized by rain haven’t made it possible for teams and riders to make long runs with the new solutions brought by Pirelli, forcing them to get off the grid today with unknown tyres. Despite this, at their debut and without having been tested in the days before the round, both new solutions provided by Pirelli have worked well, offering excellent performance for the entire race duration. In Superbike Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) got a splendid double, his teammate Sylvain Guintoli grabed a fourth and third place while the overall standings leader Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) achieves the third step of the podium in race 1 improving by one place in race 2. Good performance also for Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) thanks to a second place in Race 1 and a fourth in Race 2. In the overall standings the English Kawasaki rider consolidates his lead with 323 points, followed by the Aprilia riders Sylvain Guintoli at 315 and Eugene Laverty who thanks this two wins goes to 297. The gap of Marco Melandri, fourth, is of 33 points from the first with still 6 races to go for the end of the season and 150 points still up for grabs. The Supersport has probably saw the best race of the season both on track for the duel between Kenan Sofuoglu (MAHI Racing Team India) and Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport), and for more than 51,000 fans present on track to support the fellow rider, carried off shoulder high to the presentation in triumph by the public after winning the race against the English rider. Despite this win, the gap between the Turkish rider of Kawasaki and Sam Lowes on the Yamaha YZF R6 is 49 points, enough for the British rider to need only a couple of points to be crowned World Champion. The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders: In Superbike at the rear the race solution has been the S1258, chosen by about three-quarters of riders lined up on the grid in both race 1 and race 2 and in any case by all the riders of the first 3 rows. This new solution, specifically developed for the Turkish circuit, in terms of compound is positioned in the area of ??standard SC1, with the purpose of improving the thermal-mechanical properties. The remaining riders have instead used the S1190, a soft option also developed for this round, with the same objective to strengthen the mechanical-thermal resistance of the standard SC0. On the front the riders divided their preferences between the standard soft solution (R426) and the medium one (R982), with a prevalence of SC1s. On the rear Supersport riders have opted mainly for the new development SC0 (S1259), at his circuit debut and with a compound that – speaking from a hardness point of view – is positioned in the area of ??SC0. That comes from the Imola tests and uses the new profile very appreciated by riders during July tests. For the front the majority of riders opted for the standard SC1 (P1177). Pirelli Best Lap Award: The “Pirelli Best Lap Award” is awarded by Pirelli to the rider who sets the fastest race lap. This recognition is presented by a Pirelli representative during the Paddock Show in a press conference which follows the podium at the end of races 1 and 2 for the Superbike class and at the end of the Supersport race, for a total of three awards each weekend. The time set by the fastest rider is indicated and can be seen in the trophy which is in the shape of a motorcycle instrument panel this year. At Istanbul the awards were presented by Pirelli Moto Marketing Manager Export Vasily Batranyuk, by Marketing Manager Pirelli Turkey Erkal Ozurun and by Francesco Cerati, Area Manager Export Pirelli Moto. The Superbike and Supersport rider who has earned the most “Pirelli Best Lap Award” titles at the end of the season will be elected “Best Lap Winner: fastest rider of the year” and awarded in the usual end of year ceremony. At the moment Tom Sykes leads the Superbike standings with 9 awards. In Supersport Sam Lowes is the leader with 5 best lap awards. These are the riders who won the Pirelli Best Lap Awards in the eleventh round of the season: WSB Race 1 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’55.673 (2nd lap) WSB Race 2 – Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team), 1’55.768 (3rd lap) WSS – Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport), 1’59.157 (6th lap) The overall standings after eleven rounds are as follows: WSB: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team): 9; Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team): 4; Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK): 3; Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team): 2 ; Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma): 1; Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK): 1; Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) : 1 WSS: Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport): 5; Kenan Sofuoglu (MAHI Racing Team India): 3; Fabien Foret (MAHI Racing Team India): 1; Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport): 1 Comment from Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Moto Racing Director: “The Istanbul circuit represented for us a strong unknown: as well as the majority of the riders we had never raced before here, we could not make the pre-race test but we knew it would be a particularly aggressive track on the tyres, also due to possible high temperatures. Cconsidering that there had been problems in the past when the MotoGP raced in the past. Precisely for this reason we have prepared for this round with dedication and our Research & Development team has designed solutions for both the Superbike and the Supersport class which have performed to perfection allowing riders of all classes and all the teams to compete at the highest level and finish the races without any problem. For us this is a very important result, a further confirmation that we are working in the right direction to make our tyres ever more efficient and at the same time be able to cover the entire duration of the race always and in every situation, whatever is the circuit or meteorological conditions they are called to face. The information collected in this round and some solutions developed for here definitely can be useful also next year on a difficult track like Phillip Island one. Speaking about the Championship I’m glad to see that this year too is competitive and open, with four riders of three different teams that are fighting to the last shot, it will be difficult to have a winner before the last or penultimate round. Eugene Laverty in this round has shown the willingness to fight till the end for the title, as well as his teammate. Also, congratulations to Toni Elias at its debut in Superbike, without knowing the bike and the tyres he showed he is a strong rider. But surely the most beautiful emotion today comes from Kenan Sofuoglu and the beautiful Turkish audience that cheered its idol, accompanying him to the win, to be appreciated in the same way the fair play of Sam Lowes who lacks a point to win the World Supersport Championship”. The 2013 Pirelli statistics for Intercity Istanbul Park round: • Total number of tyres Pirelli brought: 3346 • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 7 rear • Number of solutions for the Supersport class (dry, intermediate and wet): 4 front and 5 rear Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 35 front and 38 rear • Number of tyres available for each Supersport rider: 25 front and 28 rear • Temperature in Race 1: air 24° C, asphalt 32° C • Temperature in Race 2: air 24° C, asphalt 40° C • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli Diablo Superbike tyres: 297.5 km/h, in Race 1 by Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) at 14th lap and in Race 2 by Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) at 3rd lap and by Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) at 2nd and 3rd lap. • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tyres in Supersport: 270.0 km/h, Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport), 7th lap. More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: APRILIA VICTORY AND BRACE FOR EUGENE LAVERTY IN THE FIRST EVER TURKISH SUPERBIKE ROUND SYLVAIN GUINTOLI IS ALSO ON THE PODIUM IN RACE2 AFTER A FOURTH PLACE FINISH IN RACE1 SYLVAIN HOLDS ON TO SECOND PLACE IN THR RIDER STANDINGS FOLLOWED BY TEAM MATE LAVERTY. APRILIA DOMINATES THE MANUFACTURER STANDINGS Istanbul, 15 September 2013 – Eugene Laverty and Aprilia leace their mark on the first ever Turkish world Superbike round with an extraordinary double win. After taking a strong win in Race1 , the Northern Irish rider repeated the performance in the second race. The 50 points he took home today move him into third place in the rider standings, just 26 points from the leader. Sylvain Guintoli rode to the third step of the podium after finishing fourth in Race1, partially conditioned by pain from his recovering injured right shoulder. The Turkish round strengthens Aprilia’s hold on the manufacturer championship lead with 419 points. The Italian bike now leads Kawasaki (377), Bmw ( 354), Honda (216), Suzuki (193), Ducati (144) and Yamaha (4). Off to an excellent start from the fourth spot on the grid in Race1, Laverty immediately cought up with Tom Sykes who had started from pole position. The right time to overtake came in the 11th lap, when tyre wear rewarded the Northern Irish rider’s strategy. Aided by the hight performance of his RSV4, Laverty continued to push hard, widening the gap lap after lap. By the end of the race he was more than two seconds ahead of Sykes, his closest pursuer. The script was very similar in race two with Eugene starting well but not pushing too hard until the 12th lap. His rivals didn’t stand a chance, forced to a gap of one and a half seconds behind the leader. Eugene Laverty: “My last double win was at Monza in 2011. This two wins today feel particularly good because I wasn’t really expecting them. I’m really pleased, in both races our bike was set up perfectly, especially toward the end of the race when the tyres were starting to deteriorate and that is what let me win with such a big gap. My team was even able to improve after Race1, so despite a similar pace I was able to ride much more easily. I’m back in the running for the championship, but above all I’ve regained confidence and that makes me hopeful for the coming rounds”. The third place he took in Race 2 doesn’t entirely satisfy Sylvain Guintoli, who did extremely well in the qualifiers and had an extraordinary Superpole. In Race1, after an aggressive start, Sylvain tried to take charge of the race, but he had to give in to Melandri’s attacks for third place toward the end. In the second race Guintoli adopted a different strategy, saving his energy for a final assault. Unfortunately, despite his good lap times, the gap that Laverty and Sykes had created kept him from going any further than the third step of the podium. Sylvain’s biggest problem was pain from his injured shoulder, especially bothering him in Race2. Sylvain Guintoli: “Two strong races , but I’m still missing something. I’m not sure if it’s speed or my physical condition. To be honest, I expected more from this weekend after the good practice sessions and the front row start. It wasn’t a complete disaster thought since we’re still close to Sykes and I got back onto the podium. Unforunately my shoulder injury isn’t a simple thing to overcome. On a track like this one with fast turns and cross wind , it hurt quite a bit. The next round will be at Laguna Seca which is a track I like and where I hope to make another step forward”.