FIM Superbike World Championship Motorland Aragon, Spain April 14, 2013 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Chaz DAVIES, UK (BMW S1000RR), 19 laps, 37:52.691 2. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -5.035 seconds 3. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -7.677, ran off track 4. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -12.549 5. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -19.766 6. Loris BAZ, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -23.855, ran off track 7. Jules CLUZEL, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -26.926 8. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1199R), -31.593 9. Leon HASLAM, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), -35.308 10. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (Ducati 1199R), -44.497 11. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -53.071 12. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (Ducati 1199R), -55.223 13. Alexander LUNDH, Sweden (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -92.995 14. Ivan CLEMENTI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -101.979, crash 15. Jonathan REA, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), -1 lap, pitted 16. Federico SANDI, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -13 laps, DNF, retired 17. Vittorio IANNUZZO, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -19 laps, DNF, mechanical 18. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -19 laps, DNF, crash 19. Mark AITCHISON, Australia (Ducati 1098R), -19 laps, DNF, retired World Championship Point Standings (after 4 of 30 races): 1. Guintoli, 85 points 2. Davies, 63 3. Laverty, 45 4. Melandri, 43 5. Fabrizio, 42 6. Sykes, 38 7. Cluzel, 33 8. Baz, 31 9. Rea, 30 10. Haslam, 29 11. Giugliano, 23 12. Neukirchner, 20 13. Checa, 17 14. Leon Camier, 14 15. Badovini, 12 16. Clementi, 9 17. Lundh, 7 18. TIE, Sandi/Glenn Allerton, 6 20. Jamie Stauffer, 4 More, from a press releases issued by SBK Press Office: Chaz Davies ends the Aragon round in perfect fashion Alcaniz (Spain), Sunday 14 April 2013 – Eni FIM Superbike World Championship says goodbye to 2013 Round 2 at MotorLand Aragon after a thrilling and exciting race day. Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team) has proven testing to be done in the right direction by scoring his maiden double win in the series (the second one for BMW). Davies lies now 2nd in the standings behind Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team), 2nd in both races, and ahead of the other factory Aprilia rider Eugene Laverty. The unlucky Irish rider never made it to the chequered flag today, first due a technical problem in race 1 and then because of a crash on the opening lap of race 2. A 3rd place each for Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) and pole-sitter Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) did not fully satisfy the two 2012 title contenders. A technical issue on his ZX-10R put an early end to the Brit’s tough battle at the front, but in race 2 Sykes was able to keep a competitive Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia) behind for the final place on the rostrum. Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) decided to pay a visit to his WSBK peers and to sign autographs during the pit-walk, after the successful left knee operation he underwent Friday night: a nice surprise for the fans who attended the round – who reached a total of 26.910 over the three days. Race 1 The MotorLand Aragon circuit proves again to be a special place for Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet), World Superbike Race 1 winner. It was a perfect race for the Welsh rider – who got his maiden podium in the series last year on this very track – out on his own after two potential winners were forced back to the pits. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) experienced technical problems – while they were on the lead – during lap 4 and 5 respectively and had to make their way back to the their garages. Aprilia works rider went back on track later on to test his RSV4 after the work done by his crew. The positive note for Noale’s manufacturer comes from 2nd place and new Championship Leader (after Race 1) Sylvain Guintoli. BMW chances for a one-two were denied by a false neutral experienced by Marco Melandri, who then had to make his way through from 5th to 3rd at the chequered flag. An unfortunate technical problem on the last lap stopped Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia) from finishing in 4th place. Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare) crossed the line in 7th place behind Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike), Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Jules Cluzel (FIXI Crescent Suzuki). Race 1 results: 1. Davies (BMW) 20 laps/106.880 km in 39’50.332 average 160.968 kph; 2. Guintoli (Aprilia) 5.216; 3. Melandri (BMW) 7.089; 4. Rea (Honda) 8.196; 5. Baz (Kawasaki) 14.417; 6. Cluzel (Suzuki) 18.332; 7. Checa (Ducati) 24.306; 8. Fabrizio (Aprilia) 25.884; 9. Haslam (Honda) 35.721; 10. Badovini (Ducati) 44.129; 11. Neukirchner (Ducati) 51.424; 12. Sandi (Kawasaki) 1’09.217; 13. Clementi (BMW) 1’14.091; 14. Iannuzzo (BMW) 1’48.328; NC. Laverty (Aprilia); RT. Giugliano (Aprilia); RT. Lundh (Kawasaki); RT. Aitchison (Ducati); RT. Sykes (Kawasaki). Race 2 A Sunday to remember for Chaz Davies, who repeated first race success and got a double race win at Aragon. The BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team rider was unstoppable under MotorLand Aragon heat and crossed the finish line with a big margin over Sylvain Guintoli, still Championship leader after race 2. Chaz Davies: “For me it is just an amazing day. I cannot explain how happy I am. My first victory with BMW and then the double win – this is something I was hoping to achieve this year but I did not expect it this early. In race one, the DNFs by Tom and Eugene definitely made it easier. In race two it seemed that I had a comfortable lead, but I had to push a lot. One of the most impressing things is the fact that we have done a lot of testing in Jerez but not here in Aragon. What a weekend!” A race day to forget for second works Aprilia rider Eugene Laverty, who lost the front of his RSV4 on the opening lap of the race at Turn 2, straight after getting the hole-shot ahead of Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team): 2012 WSBK runner-up was 3rd at the chequered flag after pulling away from a tenacious Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia). Tom Sykes: “Scoring a podium in race two was not a perfect way to end race weekend but it was certainly an acceptable way. It would have been good to finish race one as well just so that I could have collected a bit more information to take into race two, but I am not making excuses – the riders ahead of me in race two rode fantastically well. We are now moving onto circuits where we are a little bit stronger than here. I am also riding uninjured now and Kawasaki has been working really hard so let’s see what Assen can bring next time out.” Fifth place for Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet), not as competitive as in race 1 but still able to finish ahead of Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Jules Cluzel (FIXI Crescent Suzuki). Both French riders had an outstanding Race 2, as Baz and Cluzel moved off from the pit lane. Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare), on his home track, finished in 8th place the second race of the day. Race 2 results: 1. Davies (BMW) 19 laps/101.536 km in 37’52.691 average 160.836 kph; 2. Guintoli (Aprilia) 5.035; 3. Sykes (Kawasaki) 7.677; 4. Giugliano (Aprilia) 12.549; 5. Melandri (BMW) 19.766; 6. Baz (Kawasaki) 23.855; 7. Cluzel (Suzuki) 26.926; 8. Checa (Ducati) 31.593; 9. Haslam (Honda) 35.308; 10. Badovini (Ducati) 44.497; 11. Fabrizio (Aprilia) 53.071; 12. Neukirchner (Ducati) 55.223; 13. Lundh (Kawasaki) 1’32.995; 14. Clementi (BMW) 1’41.979; 15. Rea (Honda) 1 Lap; RT. Sandi (Kawasaki); RT. Iannuzzo (BMW); RT. Laverty (Aprilia); NS. Aitchison (Ducati). Standings (round 2 of 15): 1. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) 85; 2. Chaz Davies (BMW) 63; 3. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia) 45; 4. Marco Melandri (BMW) 43; 5. Michel Fabrizio (Aprilia) 42; 6. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 38; 7. Jules Cluzel (Suzuki) 33; 8. Loris Baz (Kawasaki) 31; 9. Jonathan Rea (Honda) 30; 10. Leon Haslam (Honda) 29; 11. Davide Giugliano (Aprilia) 23; 12. Max Neukirchner (Ducati) 20; 13. Carlos Checa (Ducati) 17; 14. Leon Camier (Suzuki) 14; 15. Ayrton Badovini (Ducati) 12; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 90; 2. BMW 79; 3. Kawasaki 49; 4. Honda 37; 5. Suzuki 35; 6. Ducati 28. World Supersport – Foret wins unpredictable WSS Aragon race Mahi Racing Team India gets its 2nd win of the season today at Aragon, this time courtesy of Fabien Foret, who crossed the line on his own in first place, following the gear shift problem on Sam Lowes’ Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha that forced the Brit to a frustrating retirement on the last lap. Thanks to his 16th race win of the career, the 2002 WSS Champion becomes the new leader in the standings. An almost countless number of crashes, technical issues and unforeseeable happenings characterised today’s Supersport close race, starting from the braking issue that put an early end to Reigning Champion Kenan Sofuoglu attempt for a repeat performance. Scot Kev Coghlan (DMC Lorenzini Racing Team) had a shot at the lead during the race, but at crash at Turn 7 prevented him from maintaining the first position. Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport) gets another podium finish in his rookie season, a 2nd place this time ahead of Italy’s Luca Scassa (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres), Andrea Antonelli (Team Goeleven Kawasaki), Riccardo Russo (Puccetti Racing Kawasaki) and team mate Lorenzo Zanetti. Race results: 1. Foret (Kawasaki) 18 Laps/96.192 km in 37’10.286 average 155.268 kph; 2. Vd Mark (Honda) 6.595; 3. Scassa (Kawasaki) 9.909; 4. Antonelli (Kawasaki) 10.110; 5. Russo (Kawasaki) 11.950; 6. Zanetti (Honda) 12.658; 7. Kennedy (Honda) 16.105; 8. Leonov (Yamaha) 16.800; 9. Rolfo (MV Agusta) 26.034; 10. Marconi (Honda) 29.106; 11. Baldolini (Honda) 29.296; 12. Roccoli (Yamaha) 29.336; 13. Coghlan (Kawasaki) 45.557; 14. Menghi (Yamaha) 47.652; 15. Tamburini (Suzuki) 55.948; etc Standings (Round 2 of 14): 1. Foret 38; 2. Vd Mark 36; 3. Scassa 26; 4. Sofuoglu 25; 5. Antonelli 22; 6. Lowes 20; 7. Zanetti 18; 8. Kennedy 15; 9. Russo 11; 10. Salom; 11. Roccoli 11; 12. Marconi 10; 13. Leonov 8; 14. Rolfo 7; 15. Baldolini 6; Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 50; 2. Honda 36; 3. Yamaha 28; 4. MV Agusta 7; 5. Suzuki 4. Superstock 1000 Sylvain Barrier concludes the first battle of his FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Title defence campaign in the best way by winning the 12-lap race at Alcaniz MotorLand Aragon. The BMW Motorrad GoldBet rider, after he got the lead from Niccolò Canepa (Barni Racing Ducati) on lap 3 at Turn 16, down the long straight, rode comfortably and kept a pace quick enough not to let the former WSBK rider close the gap. Barrier’s 6th win in the series completes the perfect weekend for the French youngster, who has proved once again to be the man to beat in 2013, following yesterday’s pole position. The STK1000 comeback for Niccolò Canepa proved to be a successful one: the experienced rider from Genova led the early part of the race and tried not to lose contact with Barrier, but the lack of horsepower on the straight didn’t help his mission. Argentinian Leandro Mercado (Team Pedercini Kawasaki), back for a full Superstock 1000 with some great confidence shown on track by finishing 3rd and getting the maiden rostrum finish in the series. Race results: 1. Barrier (BMW) 12 Laps/64.128 km in 24’22.239 average 157.882 kph; 2. Canepa (Ducati) 3.255; 3. Mercado (Kawasaki) 5.852; 4. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 10.437; 5. La Marra (Ducati) 10.477; 6. Lanusse (Kawasaki) 21.436; 7. Jezek (Ducati) 27.271; 8. Bussolotti (BMW) 30.099; 9. Ferrer (BMW) 30.488; 10. Gildenhuys (BMW) 31.586; 11. McFadden (Honda) 36.124; 12. Andreozzi (Kawasaki) 39.829; 13. Dittadi (Kawasaki) 40.204; 14. Ponsson (Kawasaki) 43.572; 15. Ockelfelt (Suzuki) 55.039; etc. Standings (Round 1 of 10): 1. Barrier 25; 2. Canepa 20; 3. Mercado 16; 4. Guarnoni 13; 5. La Marra 11; 6. Lanusse 10; 7. Jezek 9; 8. Bussolotti 8; 9. Ferrer 7; 10. Gildenhuys 6; 11. McFadden 5; 12. Andreozzi 4; 13. Dittadi 3; 14. Ponsson 2; 15. Ockelfelt 1.Manufacturers: 1. BMW 25; 2. Ducati 20; 3. Kawasaki 16; 4. Honda 5; 5. Suzuki 1. European Junior Cup The opening round of the Pata European Junior Cup, powered by Honda was, as expected, a close and exciting race. With a leading group of eleven riders locked together throughout, nobody could predict the final outcome. The race was eventually won by Kiwi Jake Lewis (Jake Lewis Racing), who stole the victory by 0.003s from Spanish wildcard rider Albert Arenas, who had taken pole position yesterday. The final podium position went to Italian rider Michael Canducci (Colors Experience). Sabrina Paiuta (LS2 Helmets Racing Team) from Brazil was once again the fastest of the female competitors, at one point making the fastest lap of the race, before eventually finishing in 13th position. The next round of the series will take place at Assen, The Netherlands, in two weeks time. Race results: 1. Lewis (Honda) 8 Laps/42.752 km in 19’45.835 average 129.788 kph; 2. Arenas (Honda) 0.003; 3. Canducci (Honda) 0.143; 4. Raymond (Honda) 0.494; 5. Fernandez (Honda) 0.598; 6. Levy (Honda) 0.754; 7. Rusmiputro (Honda) 1.539; 8. Sebestyen (Honda) 3.756; 9. Manfredi (Honda) 3.847; 10. Mykhalchyk (Honda) 4.975; 11. Anne (Honda) 5.225; 12. Aranda (Honda) 5.338; 13. Paiuta (Honda) 8.357; 14. Orellana (Honda) 15.299; 15. Garofoli (Honda) 15.350. Standings (Round 1 of 8): 1. Lewis 25; 2. Arenas 20; 3. Canducci 16; 4. Raymond 13; 5. Fernandez 11; 6. Levy 10; 7. Rusmiputro 9; 8. Sebestyen 8; 9. Manfredi 7; 10. Mykhalchyk 6; 11. Anne 5; 12. Aranda 4; 13. Paiuta 3; 14. Orellana 2; 15. Garofoli 1. More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE BY SYLVAIN GUINTOLI WHO STRENGTHENS HIS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD WITH TWO SECOND PLACE FINISHES. APRILIA LEADS IN THE MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIP. LAVERTY, OUT FRONT IN BOTH RACES, IS HELD UP BY A TECHNICAL PROBLEM AND THEN A CRASH. Aragon (Spain), 14 April 2013 – Aprilia confirms the lead in all the World SBK standings. Sylvan Guintoli strengthens his hold on the championship lead with two strong second place finishes and widens the spread between him and the nearest rival to 22 points, now Englishman Davies – double winner at Aragon. An exceptional performance by the French Aprilia RSV4 rider who has been in the top two for the first four races of the season. In the Australian round he took the win in the opening race and second place (behind team mate Laverty) in Race 2. In Spain he confirms his role as a key player in the championship with two second place finishes. This is a streak that earns him 85 points which put him in the lead of the championship, ahead of Davies (63 points), Aprilia Racing team mate Eugene Laverty (45) and Melandri (43). As a result of the performance by the French rider and his Aprilia RSV4, Aprilia Racing maintains the Manufacturer Championship lead with 90 points. The Italian bike is followed by BMW (79 points), Kawasaki (49), Honda (37), Suzuki (35) and Ducati (28). “In the first race I was a bit worried – confessed a smiling Sylvain Guintoli – because I was really struggling, as I had been throughout the weekend. Aragon is perhaps my most dreaded track, so two second places are a really great result. I must thank the Aprilia Team, the engineers and my crew chief, Aligi Deganello, because thanks to them I was able to ride very well in Race 2. The changes we kept making to the RSV4 worked as they should have even if Chaz was really impossible to beat. I’m going to Assen with a lot of confidence. The results today are a perfect way to announce the arrival of my fourth child!” Eugene Laverty had an incredible weekend, turning up with the championship lead and showing that he was definitely in the run for the win during practice sessions, but having his ambitions slip through his fingers while in the lead for both races. In the first race he was stopped by a mechanical breakdown of the exhaust valve motor while, after leading from the start, he was trying to break away from the pack. In Race 2, in the lead once again, it was a crash – without injury to the rider – that put him out of the race. However, the potential Eugene displayed is assurance of his return as a key player for the Assen round. “Race 1 was truly disappointing. I was in the lead and had a good pace, but I had already noticed that something wasn’t working properly on the bike. I had to stop in the pits which cost me 6 laps, but I knew I could make a comeback in Race 2. Instead, the double starting procedure created some problems for me because the tyres cooled off a bit. In fact I lost the rear first and then the front which caused me to crash. It definitely wasn’t the perfect Sunday, but there is still plenty of championship left and I’m encouraged by the fact that I had all the prerequisites, hard luck permitting, to aim for a good result here too”. More, from a press release issued by Team Red Devils – second round of the World Superbike Championship at Motorland Aragon Today took place the two races valid for the second round of the World Superbike Championship on the Motorland Aragon track in Spain. The Red Devil team and its rider Michel Fabrizio during the tests faced some difficulties that have influenced the results of the Roman rider, with the fourteenth place gained in the Superpole of yesterday. Today he started from the fifth row in the two races over the distance of twenty laps each. In race one, Fabrizio’s start was not very fast and the Red Devils team’s rider passed the first lap in fourteenth position. However, Michel needed just few laps to move into tenth position behind the leaders. Unfortunately, even during the race Fabrizio had to deal with set-up problems that had troubled the performance in qualifications. Michel struggled to maintain the position and in the final last laps recuperated two more positions finishing in eighth place. In race two, the situation did not change much compared to the first race and the heat made the task even more difficult for Michel who had to deal with a minor tires grip. The Red Devils team’s rider passed the first lap in eleventh place maintaining it until the last laps. A hard weekend for Andrea Petricca’s team but it does not change the programs for the team nor Michel Fabrizio’s ambitions, as they are very eager to recuperate starting from the next race at Assen in the Netherlands from April 26 to 28. Michel Fabrizio: “In race one we limited the damages and took home eight points for my ranking. I tried not to make mistakes and took advantage of my bike as much as possible. Compared to the test session we were able to improve our RSV4, but unfortunately I cannot drive as I would like. In the second race the heat made the situation even worse so I tried once again to collect as many points as possible. Nothing is compromised because we are only at the beginning of the season and I leave Motorland Aragon with 13 points and a fifth position in the overall ranking. Certainly we are not satisfied and we will try to collect better results in the next round at Assen in two weeks. ” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Sykes On The Race Two Podium As Baz Scores Strong Finishes WSBK, Aragon, Spain, 14 April 2013 Tom Sykes and Loris Baz were in the leading mix on their Kawasaki Racing Team Ninja ZX-10R machines at the Spanish round of the SBK Championship with Sykes taking his first podium finish of the year. Now largely recovered form his recent wrist injury Sykes was looking good for a potential race win on race one when a technical issue intervened and he had to pull out of the race on lap six. He made up for this disappointment in race two when he secured a fine third place finish, seven seconds from the winner Chaz Davies and well clear of the fourth placed rider. Baz had an eventful raceday, dropping to ninth on lap one of race one, then climbing back to finish fifth, his best finish of the short season so far. In race two he was made to make his start from pitlane after two delays to the planned start and he had to fight even harder to get back to the top points positions. He ran off the track at one point but recovered to post a sixth place finish. Superpole winner Sykes is now sixth overall in the standings on 38 points, with Baz eighth on 31. Kawasaki Pedercini Team competitor Alex Lundh retired from race one but finished 13th in race two. Federico Sandi (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) was 12th in race one then retired in race two. Tom Sykes: “Scoring a podium in race two was not a perfect way to end race weekend but it was certainly an acceptable way. It would have been good to finish race one as well just so that I could have collected a bit more information to take into race two, but I am not making excuses – the riders ahead of me in race two rode fantastically well. We are now moving onto circuits where we are a little bit stronger than here. I am also riding uninjured now and Kawasaki has been working really hard so let’s see what Assen can bring next time out.” Loris Baz: “Race one was good but I missed the start a little and I think if I made a better start I could have been with some of the guys up front. I had to fight to pass other riders and we knew that race distance was going to be hard. We did a big step in setting a fast lap time in testing and I think we can fight for the top four or five places that way, but we maybe still need to find some more for full race distance. But I was happy finishing fifth in the first race, although I would have been P6 without another rider stopping. Race one showed the hard work we have done is paying off. Race two I went on the grid then they delayed the race so I stopped my engine because normally that is what we do in that situation. They said I could not do that, so I had to start from pitlane with Jules Cluzel. I am not sure if I could have got higher than P6 in the final result if I started like normal but at least I would have been able to see how long I could have run with some other guys. We had two good points scoring finishes in dry conditions so I am happy. More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: Team Althea Racing- Motorland Aragon SBK races Second round of the World Superbike Championship at Motorland Aragon in Spain. Warm weather and a sunny sky characterized this day of races. Thanks to the excellent performance provided in Superpole yesterday, the Althea Racing team rider Davide Giugliano started from the third row with the seventh fastest time in the two races over a distance of 20 laps each. In race one, Davide was the author of a spectacular race. Giugliano started well, he passed the first lap in fifth place. Unfortunately, during the third round, after having touched with another rider, he was forced out of the track coming in tenth. The Althea rider, however, did not give up and began a furious comeback made of overtaking and hard braking which led him to win the third place. However, while he was fighting with Melandri, Davide’s bike stopped due to an abnormal consumption of gasoline. The disappointment was enormous, but also great joy for his fantastic performance. Giugliano in race two was the author of another great performance. After a good start he occupied fifth position behind the leaders. During the ninth lap David was able to overtake Melandri and was off to catch Sykes who was ahead of him. Unluckily, despite his great commitment Giugliano could not fill the gap that separated him from the Kawasaki rider, but crossed the finish line in fourth place. The next round of the World Superbike Championship will be held at Assen in the Netherlands from April 26 to 28. Genesio Bevilacqua: “A very good weekend. Unfortunately, as what happened in Phillip Island we had to deal with an unexpected problem that disadvantaged us of a good result. In race two, Davide confirmed his extraordinary value combined with his excellent physical and mental conditions. After Aragon we aware that these two races were a starting point but we have the certainty of having a valued rider and here in Spain he was able to interpret the race strategy with great skill. The Superbike World Championship is difficult, but we have the rider and the team to be able to reach great results. ” Davide Giugliano: “The second race was amazing and I finished in fourth place. Following the disappointment at Philip Island, this result is a good pay back for me as only bad luck stopped me. I think that the two races today still went really well. I was fast in both and in the end I reached satisfying results. This is the first reactive feedback that we received from our opponents and now we know that with some other bike competitors we cannot compete on equal terms, but I am certain that both my team and Aprilia will continue to make my RSV4 even more competitive. ” More, from a press release issued by PATA Honda Superbike Team: Rea fourth in Spanish sun Jonathan Rea took a fourth place finish in today’s opening second-round World Superbike championship race at Motorland Aragon in Spain but his Pata Honda team had little else to show for its hard work over the weekend and in two tests leading up to the races. Today’s two outings at the 5.344km circuit – run under clear blue skies and with temperatures in the mid-twenties – were both won by Chaz Davies as Rea battled for a possible podium in the first 20-lapper. His result underlined the steps forward made by his team since testing at Motorland Aragon two weeks ago, but the 26-year-old Northern Irishman was unable to match that performance in race two. A broken brake-adjuster forced him to pit, although he rejoined the race to take a solitary point in 15th place. His Pata Honda team-mate, Leon Haslam, took two ninth-place finishes, with brake issues of his own affecting both his races this afternoon. The 29-year-old made some adjustments after race one, but was unable to fight for a better result. The team will now re-group and target a strong come-back at its home race at Assen in The Netherlands in two weeks’ time. Jonathan Rea – 4th and 15th It’s hard to know what to say, really, because it was clear that we were on a bit of a high coming to the races here after the test two weeks ago. Immediately on Friday morning the bike felt a lot better and we worked really hard with the guys all weekend and put in a long run to understand the electronics setting. I feel that we got it in a satisfactory area where I was happy to push, but I’m disappointed with the overall performance. In the races I was unable to compete with the guys around me on the straight, which made riding the rest of the circuit very intense. In race one we had a game plan that worked out better than we expected because a few riders had some misfortune. We plugged away and were there to pick up the pieces and finished fourth. For me it felt like a podium because we’ve come from a long way back and we kind of had the feeling that we were climbing a ladder. Then in race two it was like someone kicked me back of f it because I had a problem with the brake adjuster. The brake kept winding itself in and for one lap I tried to ride with it but the lever was coming back to the bar. I was going to be a risk to other riders so I came in to fix that. Again, my pace was strong when I rejoined which is a real shame because I felt like we deserved some more points in race two. We go to Assen with no more testing which gives the guys some downtime. I think we all need it because we’ve had a lot of testing recently, but we’ll hopefully learn from these issues and start again in Assen. Leon Haslam – 9th and 9th It was a tough start to the weekend with the issues we had on Friday and then Saturday even more so with the crash in qualifying and then the technical problem with a broken sensor in FP2. We finally got the bike running in Superpole, which I was really happy about and we found a really good amount of time. Today we’ve just had brake issues. Race one was worse than race two but the problems have kind of determined our results and they are long old races when you have those kind of problems. Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator We were quite happy with Jonathan’s fourth in race one. It was a pretty good result considering the problems we had in testing here, trying to find a setting for the electronics. Fourth was more than we could have hoped for, really, so well done to him for that. Unfortunately in race two he had a problem and had to pull in to get it fixed. He got fifteenth in the end but that was not what he deserved. You could see from the lap times that he could have aimed for another fourth or fifth, maybe sixth, but we apologise to him for that. I think he will be strong again in Assen and we hope he can fight for the podium. Leon got two ninths which was a bit disappointing but the reasons were obvious. He had some braking issues and that’s a pity because we found a good overall setting for the bike yesterday. If he hadn’t experienced those problems, I’m sure he would have been fighting for similar positions to Jonathan. We’ll keep w orking, stay positive and head for our home track at Assen. More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: The new standard Pirelli Diablo Superbike 17 inch tyre in SC1 compound was chosen for the rear unanimously by all the Superbike riders on the starting grid at the Motorland Aragón races For the first true comparison with the 16.5 inch tyres the new 17 inch Diablo Superbike confirms the excellent performance already displayed at Phillip island, lowering the race fast laps by 3 tenths of a second compared to last year Alcañiz (Spain), 14 April 2013 – Pirelli confirms the progress made with the new 17 inch tyres at the first European round on the Spanish Motorland Aragón circuit. In fact, the new 17 inch Diablo Superbike tyres led to an improvement by 3 tenths of a second on the fast lap made in race 1 and race 2 compared to last year. In particular the solution used the most on the rear was precisely the Standard SC1 (R828), chosen by all the riders in both races. The BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK and Aprilia Racing Team riders worked very well throughout the weekend, managing to take full advantage of the Pirelli Diablo Superbike tyres as demonstrated by the fantastic double win by Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK), riding to the top step of the podium for both races, and by Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) who took second place in both race 1 and race 2. Excellent third place finishes went to Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) in race 1 and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) in race 2. In Supersport the top step of the podium went to Fabien Foret (MAHI Racing Team India) followed by Michael Vd Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport) and Italian rider Luca Scassa (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres). The lower Superstock classes also had a perfect début with wins going to Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK) in the 1000 class and Gauthier Duwelz (MTM Racing Team) in 600. Last but not least, the Honda European Junior Cup, which had 34 riders on the starting grid, all fitted with Diablo Supercorsa SC1 compound tyres, crowned Jake Lewis (Jake Lewis Racing) for the first round of the season. The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders: For the first round of the 2013 season disputed on Spanish soil (the second will be held in October at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit) Pirelli provided the Superbike and Supersport riders various solutions including the standard SC1 and SC2 compounds and some solutions specifically designed for this circuit. For the rear in Superbike the Standard SC1 solution (R828) was chosen by all 19 riders lined up on the starting grid in both race 1 and race 2. This slick tyre provides medium compound hardness that falls halfway between the soft and hard solution. This is the most eclectic solution and for this reason it is generally able to cover about 80% of the World Superbike Championship races. The fact that it was used in both race 1 and race 2 demonstrates this, with an asphalt temperature respectively of 26 and 42 degrees Centigrade. For the front, on the other hand, about half the riders opted for the SC2 solution (R982), a medium hardness blend already used in the Phillip Island round, which is excellent for high external temperatures because it ensures the solidity of the tread band. This is the solution usually favoured by riders with a more aggressive style who prefer a compact tread band. In Supersport the standard SC1 solution (R303) of the Diablo Supercorsa was also the one used by most riders on the front and for the rear as well (P1177). Pirelli Best Lap Award: For the Motorland Aragón round the “Pirelli Best Lap Awards” were also assigned, the three awards Pirelli assigns to the riders who have put the fastest lap in Superbike race 1 and race 2 and in Supersport race. The winning riders received recognition, which this year is a trophy in the shape of a motorcycle dashboard which displays the best time made, presented in the paddock during the press conference following the podium ceremonies at the end of Superbike race 1 and race 2 as well as at the end of the Supersport race. The Superbike and Supersport rider who has received the most “Pirelli Best Lap Awards” at the end of the season will be named the “Best Lap Winner: fastest rider of the year” and will be awarded during the traditional end of year ceremony. Here are the Pirelli Best Lap Award winning riders from the first European round (second of the season) at Motorland Aragón: WSB Race 1 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’57.973 (3rd lap) WSB Race 2 – Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK), 1’58.860 (2nd lap) WSS – Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport), 2’02.498 (11th lap) The overall standings after the first two rounds are as follows: WSB: Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma): 1; Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team): 1; Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team): 1; Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK): 1 WSS: Kenan Sofuoglu (MAHI Racing Team India): 1; Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport): 1 Comment from Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Moto Racing Director: “The weekend that just ended was very enjoyable, both due to the particularly pleasant temperatures we had and, above all, because of the results and confirmations we were able to achieve. This was the first true comparison between the old 16.5 inch tyres and the new 17’s. In fact, at Phillip Island the asphalt was new and that kept us from making an accurate comparison. It was precisely here at Motorland Aragón last year where the Superbike riders had tested the new tyres for the first time ever, predicting excellent results for the future, and this is effectively what has happened. This was also the début for the Superstock and the European Junior Cup classes. We can definitely confirm that the tyres performed very well in all categories. The fact the all the Superbike riders chose the standard SC1 compound solution cannot help but please use because that confirms the work our Research and Development department has done to create an extremely “multi-use” tyre capable of adapting to different bikes, various tracks and different operating temperatures in a highly respectable way. We will likely see it quite often throughout the rest of the season. I would like to congratulate Chaz Davies and the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK team for their fantastic double placing, but also Sylvain Guintoli and the Aprilia Racing Team for the two excellent second place finishes. Fabien Foret and the MAHI Racing Team India also did an excellent job in Supersport as well as the Superstock and European Junior Cup riders in their opening round. I am convinced that 2013 will also reward us with an exciting championship with no lack of surprises”. The 2013 Pirelli statistics for the Motorland Aragón round: • Total number of tyres Pirelli brought: 4707 • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 6 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: 33 front and 36 rear • Number of tyres available for each Supersport rider: 24 front and 28 rear • Temperature in Race 1: air 18° C, asphalt 26° C • Temperature in Race 2: air 27° C, asphalt 42° C • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli Diablo Superbike tyres: 328.9 km/h, Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) and Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) in Race 1 respectively at 2nd and 14th lap • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tyres in Supersport: 285 km/h, Florian Marino (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres), 5th lap More, from a press release issued by FIXI Crescent Suzuki: Heroic ride from pit-lane to seventh for Cluzel FIXI Crescent Suzuki racer Jules Cluzel produced the best- ride of his fledgling Superbike career today as he stormed from a pit-lane start to seventh in the second race at Motorland Aragon. As the riders lined up for the start of the second eni FIM Superbike World Championship race, Cluzel had a problem selecting neutral and signalled to the starting official. The Frenchman was pushed to pit-lane where he was then required to begin the race from. As the lights indicated the start, Cluzel was forced to wait until all the remaining 18 riders went past him before he could commence. He then produced two superb laps to make his way up to 10th position by the end of lap two and continued through the field before he caught his fellow countryman Loris Baz and a long battle then ensued between the pair for sixth. Cluzel managed to get past his compatriot, but a technical issue meant he couldn’t hold the place and Baz re-passed him, forcing Cluzel to settle for a hard-won seventh. In race one Cluzel got a solid start and was in eighth at the end of the first lap. He made up a couple of places in the early laps, before getting involved in a four-way battle for the higher places. The Frenchman battled hard on his Yoshimura-powered Suzuki GSX-R to try and make in-roads into the top five, but as the race drew towards a conclusion Cluzel looked to have settled for a comfortable seventh, but on the last lap another rider slowed with a problem and the FIXI Crescent Suzuki man capitalised to take sixth place. FIXI Crescent Suzuki was joined at Aragon today by Leon Camier after he was released from hospital. The Englishman underwent surgery on Friday evening to repair a large wound on his knee and as soon as he was discharged from Alcaniz hospital, he made his way to the circuit to support Cluzel and the rest of the team. Camier will now return home and begin his recuperation in a battle for fitness ahead of the next race in two weeks’ time. Today’s two races were held in near perfect sunshine with bright sunshine covering the 5,344m Spanish circuit, pushing track temperatures up to 42°C. Chaz Davies on a BMW took victory in both races in front of an enthusiastic and passionate crowd. Aprilia’s Sylvain Guintoli finished second in both events to take the championship lead. FIXI Crescent Suzuki will now return to the UK before travelling to the Netherlands for the third round of the season, which will be held at Assen on Sunday 28th April. Jules Cluzel: “Race two was very complicated and we had a few problems. As I came to the grid I couldn’t find neutral, it is normally easy, but I could only get first and second. I was in second gear waiting for the start and tried first again, but that wasn’t working and the bike was starting to roll because the clutch was getting hot. I thought if the lights come on soon it would be ok, but they were a long time coming so I put my hand up to say I had a problem. I then had to start from pit-lane, so I tried to get away really quickly and do something. I felt comfortable as the race went on, but as I passed Baz I had a strange vibration from the engine and then heard a noise and looked behind to check nothing was broken, because also the power felt different. There was no smoke so I continued, but Baz got past me and made a bit of a gap. I caught him up again, but my engine wasn’t working properly, so I did all I could to finish seventh and I am very happy with that result. “The first race was difficult because I had some grip problems that meant I was sliding a lot, but I was happy to finish sixth. I was then looking forward to improve my result in race two and maybe finish in the top-five, but that was not to be with what happened at the start. It has been a good weekend for us and I am pleased with both results after everything that happened. It was really good to see Leon at the track and I hope he makes a full recovery as quickly as possible, because we need him in the garage and out on the circuit.” Leon Camier: “I am really disappointed not to be riding and racing, but it is what it is and now we have to concentrate on getting back for Assen. There is a chance it won’t be right for then, so I need to do everything I can to be ready to race. I need to make sure the chance of infection doesn’t happen and if the skin heals and swelling goes down I will have a chance of being at the race. Where the bone has tried to push through the skin is the problem, because that could get infected. There is also a little part near a ligament that’s damaged, so I’ve got a lot of internal stitching to repair everything. I’ll take things as they come and hopefully everything will be ok. “I want to say well done to Jules, he did a great job in both races today for the whole team, and I just wish I could have been out there with him!” Paul Denning – Team Manager: “Jules did a fantastic job today of waving the FIXI Crescent Suzuki flag and keeping the Team’s spirits high in Leon’s absence. He showed an incredible amount of aggression in the early part of race two after having to start from pit-lane and despite a fairly significant technical issue from the middle of the race onwards, he adapted, kept pushing and showed a lot of maturity. This is only his second World Superbike event and for a rookie he shows massive potential. “It was great to see Leon come back to the track today from the hospital, he’ll be transported back home this evening, where he has specialist help lined up to help him for the rest of the week. We probably won’t know more until the end of next week, because the surgery needs to heal before any assessment can be made about the Assen race. “It was a tough weekend here at Aragon for a number of reasons and we had to face quite a few problems, but the team reacted very well and when things roll in our favour I am very confident we will get some very interesting results.” More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Motorland Aragón – Races. Sunday, 14th April 2013. Weather conditions: Sunny. Temperature: Air: 18 — 27 °C, Track: 26 — 42 °C Number of riders participating: 19 from 13 teams Fastest lap Race 1: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 1:57.973 min (lap 3) Fastest lap Race 2: Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team) 1:58.860 min (lap 2) It was a dream day for the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team at the Spanish track of Motorland Aragón. Factory rider, Chaz Davies (GBR) was the man to beat at the second round of the 2013 FIM Superbike World Championship after the Welshman won both races on his BMW S 1000 RR. He made the best use of his front row start and celebrated his first ever double-victory in the series. His team mate Marco Melandri (ITA), who started from eighth, jumped on the podium in third place in race one. In the second race, Marco finished fifth. In the Riders’ championship, Chaz has now climbed into second place with 63 points, while Marco sits in fourth with 43 points. In the Manufacturers’ classification, BMW lies in second with 79 points. In both races, Chaz was on for the victory from the word go. In race one, the Welshman took the lead on lap five, while his immediate rivals, Eugene Laverty (IRL) and Tom Sykes (GBR), ran into difficulties. Once at the front, Chaz grabbed the chance to secure his first season victory with both hands and lap by lap he increased his lead which brought the win home safely. Marco improved from eighth to sixth within the opening lap, but went wide when fighting for positions and consequently fell back to ninth place. The Italian once more showed a great determination and caught up: on lap five, he was already third, taking second place on lap 13 by overtaking Sylvain Guintoli (FRA). Unfortunately on lap 16 he went wide again and dropped a number of positions, only to fight his way back onto the podium crossing the line in third place. The second race was shortened to 19 laps after the start was delayed. This time, Chaz took the lead on the second lap and began building the gap in front of his pursuers. He kept a cool head and rode a determined race to secure his second victory of the day. Not only this, but he also rode the fastest lap of the race. In the opening stages it seemed that both riders of the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team would be on the podium as Marco had a brilliant start and took third place on lap two. But he then experienced some issues and was not able to hold the position. Consequently, Marco slipped back into fifth which was the position he held until the chequered flag. In the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, reigning champion Sylvain Barrier (FRA) rode to victory at the season opener at Aragón. This meant that the BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team rider secured the first ever international victory for the brand new BMW HP4. The bike is equipped with the Dynamic Damping Control DDC, meaning this was also the first ever victory of an electronic damping system in the history of motorcycle racing. Sylvain’s team mate Greg Gildenhuys (RSA) finished tenth. In addition, BMW Motorrad Motorsport congratulates Jörg Steinhausen and Grégory Cluze for their success at Aragón. The pair won the first round of the 2013 FIM Sidecar World Championship with their LCR BMW S 1000 RR. Chaz Davies: Result Race 1: 1st / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:58.218 min (lap 2) Result Race 2: 1st / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:58.860 min (lap 2 “For me it is just an amazing day. I cannot explain how happy I am. What a weekend! My first victory with BMW and then the double win – this is something I was hoping to achieve this year but I did not expect it to happen this early. I want to thank BMW and everybody who supported me. I knew coming here that we are going to be strong. BMW has done a fantastic job over the last month we had off since Australia, and everybody was working very hard. In addition, I now really feel that the RR is mine, I feel so comfortable on it. In race one, the DNFs by Tom and Eugene definitely made it easier. In race two it seemed that I had a comfortable lead, but to be honest I had to push a lot. One of the most impressing things is the fact that we have done a lot of testing in Jerez but not here in Aragón, where nearly everybody else has been. So to win with that up against us, is quite impressive and it is credit to the work BMW has done. We will now keep being focused, continue to work hard and look forward to Assen, another race track I really like.” Marco Melandri: Result Race 1: 3rd / Gap to 1st: 0:07.089 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:58.751 min (lap 11) Result Race 2: 5th / Gap to 1st: 0:19.766 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:59.351 min (lap 3) “For me, it wasn’t the best weekend. After race one I was still pretty happy. At the start I wasn’t very comfortable with the front end and I made a big mistake trying to catch the guys in front of me at the end of the main straight. After that I got into a good rhythm and improved into second place. I thought that would be my position in the end but unfortunately the bike went into neutral between third and second gear. But I finished in third place which was not so bad for me. In race two, based on my experience with the 16.5 inch tyre, I chose a harder tyre for the front. But with the 17 inch tyre, it worked differently to how I expected. I had less grip and could not ride properly. In the beginning I pushed very hard, but then I preferred not to risk too much. I had no pain in my shoulder, but by the end of the race I had no strength left in my arms. I am looking forward to the next race in Assen, when we will be in a better shape. Congratulations to Chaz. He rode awesome – well done!” Andrea Buzzoni (General Manager BMW Motorrad WSBK): “It was an extraordinary weekend. All team members have worked day and night over the last six months to make it possible. The guys in Munich and Bologna are extremely committed and this is the perfect reward for them. These results show their passion and show the amount of responsibility they put into their jobs. Chaz has impressively shown his talent with two perfect races today. He demonstrated that he was a mature rider and to be ready to be one of the season’s main contenders. We trust him and he proves to be an excellent rider and person. Marco, despite a difficult Saturday, had a good first race. If things would have gone a little bit smoother, it’s possible that he could have fought for the victory. In race two, a wrong front tyre choice prevented him from being amongst the front runners. He collected important points for the season after finishing in fifth place. “This weekend, the brand new BMW HP4 equipped with DDC made its debut in the Superstock Championship. Thanks to the development work that the team have done over the last three months, BMW wrote an important page in the history of motorcycle racing as it is the first bike to win with an innovative electronic damping system. I want to congratulate both the team along with our colleagues in Munich for developing the system and Sylvain, who knows how to make perfect use of this new technology: Sylvain dominated the whole weekend right from free practice up until this morning’s race.” Stephan Fischer (Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport): “It is a great day for BMW. We are reaping the rewards of our development work, with the RR and as well with the new BMW HP4. The icing on the cake for sure was Chaz’ double victory in the top class, the World Superbikes. After race one, it could have been said that Lady Luck contributed her part, but in fact in racing you do need luck. But in race two Chaz impressively proved that he was dominating today. Over the whole weekend he rode at a constant rhythm, he did consistently fast laps, and the bike suited him perfectly. The development team provided the excellent basis and the race team at the track transferred it very well to suit Chaz’ needs and found the right set up quickly. It is a really great result for all of us. Marco struggled today, but we are convinced that he will be back to full strength very soon. In the Superstock category, the new BMW HP4 proved its potential impressively. Over the whole weekend, Sylvain rode the best times consistently and as a result celebrated the victory today. We have built the basis for great success in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup this year with introduction of the electronic damping system and the hard work of the team.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: FIM SUPERBIKE / SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 02 SUNDAY APRIL14 MOTORLAND ARAGON, SPAIN RACE REPORT Weather: Dry and sunny Temperature: Ambient 18/27 degrees C / Track 26/42 degrees C Attendance: 26,910 TOP FOR FOUR REA THE HIGHLIGHT DURING MOTORLAND RACEDAY Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) and Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) each scored points at Motorland Argon in round two of the FIM Superbike World Championship, with Rea’s fighting fourth place in race one the single best result on show. Having qualified ninth on the grid Rea set about race one with relish and moving up to fourth place by lap five. He was only just over a second from a podium place in race one. The second race was not so kind to Rea, as his front brake adjuster wound itself in and he was unable to make the kind of adjustments needed at such a tough track for braking as Aragon has proved to be again. He came into the pits to get the problem addressed and rejoined the race to score one single point for 15th. The second race had been cut short to 19 laps, not the 20 laps as planned, after two delayed starts. Haslam also encountered issues under braking in race one, finishing ninth from 14 race finishers. He had qualified 11th on the grid in Superpole, and went on to record a second ninth place finish in the race itself. Qualifying and practice time had been cut short for Haslam after falling early in the second official practice session and then having a tech issue in the final free practice before Superpole. In the championship rankings Rea is ninth overall on 30 points and Haslam is tenth with 29.The next round of the season takes place at Assen, in the Netherlands, on April 28. VAN DER MARK SECOND AFTER A TOUGH RACE IN MOTORLAND The 2013 FIM Supersport World Championship had a dramatic second round of the year at Motorland Aragon but despite many other more experienced riders finding trouble rookie rider Michael van Der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) finished second. This was his second consecutive podium after he finished third in the opening round in Australia and he now sits second in the rankings, only two points from the lead. The 18-lap race was won by Fabien Foret (Kawasaki). The temperatures went up higher than expected for the WSS race start and Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) ended up sixth, only 12 seconds from the win in his second WSS race. He is seventh in the points as well, on 18 after posting his best result so far today It was a good day all round for Honda’s batch of true WSS season rookies as Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda) overcame a 16th place start on the grid to go seventh in the race, battling against the rising temperatures and some over adventurous riding from some of his peers. Luca Marconi (PTR Honda) has another solid day and finished tenth, with Alex Baldolini (Team Lorini Honda) tenth. Raffaele De Rosa (Team Lorini Honda) fell and no scored after colliding with another rider. Balazs Nemeth (Complus SMS Racing Honda) just missed out on a point in 16th place and Alex Schacht (Racing Team Toth was 17th one place up on young Aussie Matt Davies (Team Honda PTR). Sheridan Morais (PTR Honda) had qualified fourth but was taken out very early after making a less than perfect start from the line. Gabor Talmacsi (PRORACE Honda) fell right at the start, at turn two, having qualified 13th and struggled hard to be fit to race at Aragon after breaking his jaw in round one a few weeks ago. HONDA RIDER COMMENTS: Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) Race result: 8th / 15th Championship position: 9th “It’s hard to know what to say, really, because it was clear that we were on a bit of a high coming to the races here after the test two weeks ago. Immediately on Friday morning the bike felt a lot better and we worked really hard with the guys all weekend and put in a long run to understand the electronics setting. I feel that we got it in a satisfactory area where I was happy to push, but I’m disappointed with the overall performance. In the races I was unable to compete with the guys around me on the straight, which made riding the rest of the circuit very intense. In race one we had a game plan that worked out better than we expected because a few riders had some misfortune. We plugged away and were there to pick up the pieces and finished fourth. For me it felt like a podium because we’ve come from a long way back and we kind of had the feeling that we were climbing a ladder. Then in race two it was like someone kicked me back off of it because I had a problem with the brake adjuster. The brake kept winding itself in and for one lap I tried to ride with it but the lever was coming back to the bar. I was going to be a risk to other riders so I came in to fix that. Again, my pace was strong when I rejoined which is a real shame because I felt like we deserved some more points in race two. We go to Assen with no more testing which gives the guys some downtime. I think we all need it because we’ve had a lot of testing recently, but we’ll hopefully learn from these issues and start again in Assen.” Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) Race result: 9th / 9th Championship position: 10th “It was a tough start to the weekend with the issues we had on Friday and then Saturday even more so with the crash in qualifying and then the technical problem with a broken sensor in FP2. We finally got the bike running in Superpole, which I was really happy about and we found a really good amount of time. Today we’ve just had brake issues. Race one was worse than race two but the problems have kind of determined our results and they are long old races when you have those kind of problems.” Michael van Der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) Race result: 2nd Championship position: 2nd “I had good pace all weekend and a good race. I made a quick start and took over the lead then I started to have a strange feeling from the bike, through the chassis, so I had to slow down a little. We got another podium in only my second race, which was better than we expected here. And it was a second place this time, not a third like in Australia. It was a difficult 18-laps but we got a reward. Yesterday we did a really good race pace simulation and if we had done that pace today I would have been nearer the front. We have to be happy with today. We have a good base in our bike and we work well in the team. Assen next my home race so that will be good. I will be aiming for the front there and see where we get to.” Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) Race result: 6th Championship position: 7th “I’m happy for the step we made today because we improved a lot compared to what we had before the race, thanks to the team for a good job. Another part of me is not so happy because I see that the podium is so close. I had some good pace in the first half of the race, similar to Mikey (van der Mark), and maybe enough to fight for the podium. But when the tyre went down I lost some time so I think I need to change the style a little more. I improved on my target of seventh and finished two seconds from the podium so for this I’m happy. I’m also happy for the team and congratulations to Mikey for his good result.” Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda) Race result: 7th Championship position: 8th “It was good but I was just hanging on in there at the end because everybody was just messing each other up and some of them were crashing all over. I would not like to say that I was struggling to hold onto them but I just dug deep. I have never raced for that long in that kind of heat so it was good to come away with an even better result than I did in Phillip Island especially staring from 16th as well. I just missed three crashes going on around me so it was a good day at the office.” Matt Davies (Team Honda PTR) Race result: 18th Championship position: NA “It went all right out there and I am happy enough as I finished two spots higher than I did last time. We are keeping on moving forward all the time and learning all the time. I am pleased and looking forward to the next one.” Gabor Talmacsi Race result: DNF, Championship position: NA “I made a perfect start, came forward and in the second corner on a good inside line until someone arrived and hit me from the side and ran off track to crash.” Sheridan Morais: (PTR Honda) Race result: DNF Championship position: NA “My team-mate took me out and that was that. I had not a great start but was riding together with race winner Foret, so it was not too bad. The race pace I thought may have been a little bit quicker than that, but I was only watching from pitlane anyway. It was the first lap when I went into the first turn and something just hit me and that finished my day off.” RESULTS SUPERSPORT RACE : (Laps 18 = 96,192 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / GAP 1 / F. FORET / FRA / MAHI Racing Team India / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 37’10.286 2 / M. VD MARK / NED / Pata Honda World Supersport / Honda CBR600RR / 6.595 3 / L. SCASSA / ITA / Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 9.909 4 / A. ANTONELLI / ITA / Team Goeleven / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 10.11 5 / R. RUSSO / ITA / Puccetti Racing Kawasaki / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 11.95 6 / L. ZANETTI / ITA / Pata Honda World Supersport / Honda CBR600RR / 12.658 7 / J. KENNEDY / IRL / Rivamoto / Honda CBR600RR / 16.105 8 / V. LEONOV / RUS / Yakhnich Motorsport / Yamaha YZF R6 / 16.8 9 / R. ROLFO / ITA / ParkinGo MV Agusta Corse / MV Agusta F3 675 / 26.034 10 / L. MARCONI / ITA / PTR Honda / Honda CBR600RR / 29.106 11 / A. BALDOLINI / ITA / Team Lorini / Honda CBR600RR / 29.296 12 / M. ROCCOLI / ITA / Team Pata by Martini / Yamaha YZF R6 / 29.336 13 / K. COGHLAN / GBR / Kawasaki DMC-Lorenzini Team / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 45.557 14 / F. MENGHI / ITA / VFT Racing / Yamaha YZF R6 / 47.652 15 / R. TAMBURINI / ITA / Suriano Racing Team / Suzuki GSX-R600 / 55.948 Fastest Lap: 11° Sam Lowes 2’02.498 157,051 Km/h Lap Record: 2011 S. Lowes 2’02.785 156,680 Km/h Best Lap: 2013 S. Lowes 2’01.425 158,440 Km/h CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE: 1 FORET 38, 2 VD MARK 36, 3 SCASSA 26, 4 SOFUOGLU 25, ANTONELLI 22, 6 LOWES 20, 7 ZANETTI 18, 8 KENNEDY 15, 9 RUSSO 11, 10 SALOM 11, 11 ROCCOLI 11, 12 MARCONI 10, 13 LEONOV 8, 14 ROLFO 7, 15 BALDOLINI 6. SUPERBIKE RACE1: (Laps 20 = 106,880 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / GAP 1 / C. DAVIES / GBR / BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 39’50.332 2 / S. GUINTOLI / FRA / Aprilia Racing Team / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 5.216 3 / M. MELANDRI / ITA / BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 7.089 4 / J. REA / GBR / Pata Honda World Superbike / Honda CBR1000RR / 8.196 5 / L. BAZ / FRA / Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 14.417 6 / J. CLUZEL / FRA / Fixi Crescent Suzuki / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 18.332 7 / C. CHECA / ESP / Team Ducati Alstare / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 24.306 8 / M. FABRIZIO / ITA / Red Devils Roma / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 25.884 9 / L. HASLAM / GBR / Pata Honda World Superbike / Honda CBR1000RR / 35.721 10 / A. BADOVINI / ITA / Team Ducati Alstare / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 44.129 11 / M. NEUKIRCHNER / GER / MR-Racing / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 51.424 12 / F. SANDI / ITA / Team Pedercini / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 1’09.217 13 / I. CLEMENTI / ITA / HTM Racing / BMW S1000 RR / 1’14.091 14 / V. IANNUZZO / ITA / Grillini Dentalmatic SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 1’48.328 Fastest Lap: 3° Tom Sykes 1’57.973 163,075 Km/h Lap Record: 2012 M. Melandri 1’58.251 162,690 Km/h Best Lap: 2013 T. Sykes 1’56.339 165,370 Km/h RACE2: (Laps 19 = 101,536 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / GAP 1 / C. DAVIES / GBR / BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 37’52.691 2 / S. GUINTOLI / FRA / Aprilia Racing Team / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 5.035 3 / T. SYKES / GBR / Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 7.677 4 / D. GIUGLIANO / ITA / Althea Racing / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 12.549 5 / M. MELANDRI / ITA / BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK / BMW S1000 RR / 19.766 6 / L. BAZ / FRA / Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 23.855 7 / J. CLUZEL / FRA / Fixi Crescent Suzuki / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 26.926 8 / C. CHECA / ESP / Team Ducati Alstare / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 31.593 9 / L. HASLAM / GBR / Pata Honda World Superbike / Honda CBR1000RR / 35.308 10 / A. BADOVINI / ITA / Team Ducati Alstare / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 44.497 11 / M. FABRIZIO / ITA / Red Devils Roma / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 53.071 12 / M. NEUKIRCHNER / GER / MR-Racing / Ducati 1199 Panigale R / 55.223 13 / A. LUNDH / SWE / Team Pedercini / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 1’32.995 14 / I. CLEMENTI / ITA / HTM Racing / BMW S1000 RR / 1’41.979 15 / J. REA / GBR / Pata Honda World Superbike / Honda CBR1000RR / 1 Lap Fastest Lap: 2° Chaz Davies 1’58.860 161,858 Km/h Lap Record: 2013 T. Sykes 1’57.973 163,070 Km/h Best Lap: 2013 T. Sykes 1’56.339 165,370 Km/h CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE: 1 GUINTOLI 85, 2 DAVIES 63, 3 LAVERTY 45, 4 MELANDRI 43, 5 FABRIZIO 42, 6 SYKES 38, 7 CLUZEL 33, 8 BAZ 31, 9 REA 30, 10 HASLAM 29, 11 GIUGLIANO 23, 12 NEUKIRCHNER 20, 13 CHECA 17, 14 CAMIER 14, 15 BADOVINI 12. NEXT EVENT: ROUND03 APRIL 28, ASSEN, THE NETHERLANDS