eni FIM Superbike World Championship Magny-Cours, France October 6, 2013 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 21 laps, 34:36.149 2. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -11.091 seconds 3. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -11.337 4. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -23.008 5. Chaz DAVIES, UK (BMW S1000RR), -25.724 6. Vincent PHILIPPE, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -34.762 7. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -36.219, ran off track 8. Toni ELIAS, Spain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -40.957 9. Lorenzo LANZI, Italy (Ducati 1098R), -43.713 10. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), -53.188 11. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -56.251 12. Mark AITCHISON, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -64.048 13. Federico SANDI, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -64.243 14. Jules CLUZEL, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -70.346, crash 15. Fabrizio LAI, Italy (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), -89.441 16. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (Honda CBR1000RR), -8 laps, DNF, mechanical 17. Vittorio IANNUZZO, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -9 laps, DNF, crash 18. Leon HASLAM, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), -14 laps, DNF, mechanical 19. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), -19 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 26 of 28 races): 1. Sykes, 411 points 2. Laverty, 374 3. Guintoli, 373 4. Melandri, 339 5. Davies, 270 6. Giugliano, 195 7. Fabrizio, 186 8. Loris Baz, 180 9. Jonathan Rea, 176 10. Cluzel, 162 11. Badovini, 127 12. Leon Camier, 114 13. Haslam, 91 14. Max Neukirchner, 84 15. Carlos Checa, 80 16. Sandi, 54 17. Elias, 46 18. Aitchison, 33 19. Iannuzzo, 27 20. Salom, 22 More, from a press release issued by SBK Press Office: Tom Sykes completes stellar weekend with double win Magny-Cours (France), Sunday 6 October 2013 – Tom Sykes made a clean sweep of the French Round thanks to a dominant win in Race 2, that completes the third double-victory for the Kawasaki Racing Team rider this year. The Championship leader got a perfect start out of pole and steadily pulled away, to place a considerable gap between himself and the chasing duo of Eugene Laverty and Sylvain Guintoli. As slight drizzle started to fall on the French circuit, the factory Aprilia riders was battling hard for second place, when both crashed on their own at Turn 5 causing a Red Flag situation, that led to an early end of the race. Laverty and Guintoli successfully made it back to the pits and, as final results were based on the last lap completed by all riders – the 21st – they finished second and third respectively. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia) ended up 4th ahead of Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet), Vincent Philippe (FIXI Crescent Suzuki), substitute rider for Leon Camier, and other works BMW rider Marco Melandri. Lorenzo Lanzi (Mesaroli Transports A.S. Ducati) scored a encouraging ninth in what has been his WSBK return behind Toni Elias (Red Devils Aprilia), with Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare) to complete the top-10. Technical problems ruled Pata Honda riders Leon Haslam and Michel Fabrizio out of the race, while Jules Cluzel (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) was able to jump back on his GSX-R, after a crash on Lap 13, to finish fourteenth. With the season finale to be held at Jerez on October 18-20, Sykes further extended his lead in the standings to 37 points over Laverty and 38 on Guintoli. Results: 1. Sykes (Kawasaki) 21 Laps/92.631 km in 34’36.149 average 160.620 kph; 2. Laverty (Aprilia) 11.091; 3. Guintoli (Aprilia) 11.337; 4. Giugliano (Aprilia) 23.008; 5. Davies (BMW) 25.724; 6. Philippe (Suzuki) 34.762; 7. Melandri (BMW) 36.219; 8. Elias (Aprilia) 40.957; 9. Lanzi (Ducati) 43.713; 10. Badovini (Ducati) 53.188; 11. Salom (Kawasaki) 56.251; 12. Aitchison (Kawasaki) 1’04.048; 13. Sandi (Kawasaki) 1’04.243; 14. Cluzel (Suzuki) 1’10.346; 15. Lai (Ducati) 1’29.441; RT. Fabrizio (Honda); RT. Iannuzzo (BMW); RT. Haslam (Honda); RT. Pirro (Ducati). Standings (Round 13 of 14): 1. Sykes 411; 2. Laverty 374; 3. Guintoli 373; 4. Melandri 339; 5. Davies 270; 6. Giugliano 195; 7. Fabrizio 186; 8. Baz 180; 9. Rea 176; 10. Cluzel 162; 11. Badovini 127; 12. Camier 114; 13. Haslam 91; 14. Neukirchner 84; 15. Checa 80; 16. Sandi 54; 17. Elias 46; 18. Aitchison 33; 19. Iannuzzo 27; 20. Salom 22; 21. Clementi 18; 22. Philippe 13; 23. Lanzi 13; 24. Canepa 12; 25. Lai 11; 26. Pirro 10; 27. Lundh 10; 28. Hayden 8; 29. Young 8; 30. Reiterberger 7; 31. Allerton 6; 32. Uprak 5; 33. Smrz 4; 34. Stauffer 4; 35. Ercelik 3; 36. Eslick 2; 37. Akiyoshi 2; 38. Haga 2. Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 500; 2. Kawasaki 465; 3. BMW 412; 4. Honda 234; 5. Suzuki 225; 6. Ducati 169; 7. Yamaha 4. World Supersport – Sam Lowes 2013 Champion Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) has clinched his first ever World Title today, after the second place finish achieved in the WSS Race behind winner Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki). The indomitable 23 year old from Lincoln, Great Britain, rode a superb race with no tactics involved, even though he just needed to finish in the points to be awarded the new World Supersport Champion. The race was red-flagged during the final lap following the crash suffered by Christian Iddon (ParkinGO MV Agusta Corse), who high-sided while running in third place. The English rider was able to make it back to the pits within the time limit for his maiden podium in series, as final results were based on the previous lap. Lowes, Sofuoglu and Iddon put up an incredible show for the win, while Fabien Foret (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki) took the most out a 5-way fight for fought that also involved Sheridan Morais (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki), Pata Honda riders Michael van der Mark and Lorenzo Zanetti, and Roberto Tamburini (Team Honda Lorini). Zanetti, along with other two riders – Matthieu Lagrive (Intermoto Ponyexpres Kawasaki) and Lee Johnston (PTR Honda) – had a crash on the final lap, but he was only one of the three who successfully rode back, to claim seventh. Results: 1. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 20 Laps/88.220 km in 34’07.601 average 155.104 kph; 2. Lowes (Yamaha) 0.299; 3. Iddon (MV Agusta) 0.622; 4. Foret (Kawasaki) 13.168; 5. Morais (Kawasaki) 13.483; 6. Vd Mark (Honda) 13.900; 7. Zanetti (Honda) 14.363; 8. Tamburini (Honda) 14.748; 9. Leonov (Yamaha) 24.989; 10. Baldolini (Suzuki) 27.754; 11. Kennedy (Honda) 32.396; 12. De Rosa (Honda) 32.977; 13. Roccoli (Yamaha) 37.785; 14. Coghlan (Kawasaki) 38.295; 15. Scassa (Kawasaki) 39.159; etc. Standings (Round 12 of 13): 1. Lowes 225; 2. Sofuoglu 181; 3. Foret 134; 4. Vd Mark 117; 5. Zanetti 108; 6. Kennedy 76; 7. Scassa 75; 8. Coghlan 62; 9. Rolfo 62; 10. Leonov 56; 11. Antonelli 55; 12. Marino 53; 13. Morais 47; 14. Iddon 45; 15. Russo 38; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 250; 2. Yamaha 233; 3. Honda 152; 4. MV Agusta 88; 5. Suzuki 36; 6. Triumph 6. More, from another press release issued by SBK Press Office: Sykes takes crucial double on French soil Magny-Cours (France), Sunday 6 October 2013 – The French Round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship proved once again to be a title decider, as the 73,844 attendants could cheer for local rider Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) retaining the STK1000 title and for Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) clinching his first-ever Championship victory in World Supersport. The battle for the ultimate prize in World Superbike is still open, despite the resounding double victory scored by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), who holds now 38 points over Eugene Laverty and 39 on Sylvain Guintoli. The factory Aprilia riders completed the podium in both occasions, even after the dramatic finale of Race 2. Race 1 Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) has scored victory in the first World Superbike race of the day, leading the way from lights to the Red Flag that was waved during Lap 19, following the crash suffered by Mark Aitchison (Team Pedercini Kawasaki). The Brit was able to pull away from the rest of the field, except for Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team), in the early stages of the race, with the duo able… (read more) Race 2 Tom Sykes made a clean sweep of the French Round thanks to a dominant win in Race 2, that completes the third double-victory for the Kawasaki Racing Team rider this year. The Championship leader got a perfect start out of pole and steadily pulled away, to place a considerable gap between himself and the chasing duo of Eugene Laverty and Sylvain Guintoli. As slight drizzle started to fall on… (read more) Tom Sykes: “It is great to score a double win here. We made two small changes in the bike to race two, when you are on the edge all the time you have got very small changes that make a big outcome. Magny-Cours was generous to me, the bike and all at Kawasaki, so this was great. It was spitting with rain at the end of race two and that was difficult, but I had a big gap to manage. We still have some work to do but the good thing is that we have been there or thereabouts all season.” Eugene Laverty: “Tom was on another planet today, I tried to catch him in the early laps but he was pulling away out of slow turns. I battled with Sylvain in the end, usually I don’t like this type of situations because I respect him and we’re still both in contention, but every point can make a difference in this part of the season. I’m happy about the two results, even though our target was to narrow our gap from the leader.” European Junior Cup Augusto Fernandez (DS Junior Team) has won the Pata European Junior Cup, powered by Honda race at Magny-Cours after a titanic battle with Hungarian Peter Sebestyen (World Management) and Javier Orellana (Europfoods). The race was shortened to five laps following a multiple crash at the first start, that involved several riders including Jake Lewis (Jake Lewis Racing), who is still Championship leader. Results (Round 7 of 8): 1. Fernandez 5 Laps/22.055 km in 10’20.079 average 128.045 kph; 2. Sebestyen 0.179; 3. Orellana 0.559; 4. Patronen 1.529; 5. Hubner 1.674; 6. Paiuta 9.128; 7. Aranda 9.258; 8. Filippini 9.609; 9. Manfredi 9.802; 10. Schultheiss 10.361; etc. Standings: 1. Lewis 76; 2. Anne 72; 3. Fernandez 71; 4. Sebestyen 60; 5. Raymond 59; 6. Manfredi 57; 7. Flitcroft 56; 8. Orellana 56; 9. Canducci 55; 10. Bendsneijder 50; etc. More, from a press release issued by Team SBK Ducati Alstare: A positive sixth place finish for Pirro and Team SBK Ducati Alstare today at Magny-Cours Nevers (France), Sunday 6 October 2013: another day of ups and downs for team SBK Ducati Alstare today at the Magny-Cours circuit in France. In the day’s two Superbike races, which took place on a mainly dry track, Ayrton Badovini closed in ninth and tenth position while substitute rider Michele Pirro was sixth to cross the line in race one, before unfortunately suffering a crash in race two. Race 1 – after a warm-up that took place early this morning on a wet track and in low temperatures, the Ducati Alstare riders returned to the track, now dry, for race 1 which got underway at midday. Starting from sixth position on the grid, Ayrton was lying eighth by the end of lap one with Michele behind him in twelfth position. Badovini lost a couple of positions in the initial stages but then slowly made up the lost ground, battling first with team-mate Pirro and then with Haslam and Fabrizio in the second half of the race. Fighting the two Honda riders right to the line, Ducati Alstare man Ayrton crossed the line in final ninth position in this opening race, cut to 18 laps after Aitchison suffered a crash. Michele, tenth on the grid after suffering an accident in yesterday’s Superpole session, made a strong recovery in the opening stages and was lying ninth by lap three. With determination and some hard braking, he slowly worked his way up the field, battling with and passing several riders during the 18-lap race. Struggling due to back pain resulting from yesterday’s crash, Pirro crossed the line in final sixth position, an encouraging result at the end of his first ever Superbike race. Race 2 – the second race got underway in dry conditions. Lapping in ninth (Ayrton) and fourteenth place (Michele) at the end of the opening lap, unfortunately the riders lost some ground in the initial stages. During the course of the third lap, Pirro unfortunately crashed when he lost the front of his bike. Unfortunately his first Superbike weekend ended there. Badovini maintained the tenth position for the majority of the race. Unable to push as hard as he would have liked, he closed the second race in that same position. Ayrton Badovini: “In the second race I was having trouble physically, the fact that I still cannot train as I would like conditions my performance in the races. The first I was able to manage a little better but I wasn’t able to keep up the pace in the second. I hoped to do better, also because my grid position was not bad. Now we will concentrate on the last round in Jerez – I would like to close the season with a good result.” Michele Pirro: “We were unlucky today and my physical condition after yesterday’s crash surely didn’t help. After race one my back was very painful and I had to take painkillers for the second, that then finished badly. We needed a practice session in dry conditions, in order to better prepare for today’s dry races. Anyway, considering it was all new for me this weekend, and considering the difficult weather conditions, I can say that I’ve learned a lot, even if I hoped to do better in the races. I hope to have another opportunity to race, because with more time and experience I think I can do better.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Sykes Puts In A Stunning Double Win As He Leads By 37 Points WSBK, Magny-Cours, France, 6 October 2013 Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) scored his third double race win of the season at Magny Cours today and in doing so took a strong 37 point lead with only one round of the championship remaining. In the first race Sykes was not seriously threatened after he headed off into the lead at lap record pace, taking a new best lap in race conditions of 1’38.345. He would go on and beat in an even more impressive race two performance. In the opening race, scheduled for 23 laps, Tom had a two second advantage over Sylvain Guintoli as the laps timed down. When a red flag was shown to halt the race because of a bike laying on track on fire, Sykes was declared the winner and, as enough laps had been completed to call it a full result, he was awarded full points. The second race also did not quite go the full distance and when rains started towards the end, two riders crashed behind Tom. A red flag was shown to halt proceedings again and this time Sykes was 11.091 seconds ahead in the final race results. On lap four of race two Tom set a final new lap record, 1’37.932. This was Tom’s ninth race win of 2013, the 14th of his career. David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team) had a tough weekend in some regards as a stand in for team regular Loris Baz, falling three times. He also scored points, however, with two eleventh places on raceday – a good effort from rider and team given that bad weather had robbed them of some clear track time in practice. Kawasaki Team Pedercini rider Federico Sandi was 12th in race one, and 13th in race two, with Mark Aitchison having a big highside crash in race one but finishing race two in 12th place. A Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race win for Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki) was a hometown victory on his Ninja ZX-10R. The race was stopped for a red flag and reduced to an eventual nine laps, which Guarnoni eventually dominated. Lorenzo Savadori (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) was third. Leandro Mercado (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) placed fifth in the race. Tom Sykes: “It is great to score a double win here and we made two small changes in the bike to race two. We are always chasing perfection. That is what we spend our lives doing. When you are on the edge all the time you have got very small changes that make a big outcome. The bike was very nice to ride today and the races went very well. When the circuit and conditions suit a bike and rider you have to take the most advantage from it. Magny Cours was generous to me, the bike and all at Kawasaki, so this was great. It was spitting with rain at the end of race two and that was difficult to manage, even though I had a big gap and not much pressure. I was sliding the rear a lot. We still have some work to do but the good thing is that we have been there or thereabouts all season.” David Salom: “It ended up a hard weekend. The team worked very hard for me after three crashes but with 11th position in each race I am happy in one way, happy with progress in the second race being faster than the first race. With three crashes it was difficult. I am sorry for that but happy that we made progress. I think it was possible for me to finish better, if I had been riding a Superbike all season. I am sure it would have been a little bit better that way.” More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda Superbike Team: Frustration for Pata Honda in France Pata Honda World Superbike riders Leon Haslam and Michel Fabrizio left France empty-handed this evening after a frustrating 13th-round event at Magny-Cours in France. With rain affecting much of the practice sessions at the 4.411km circuit, dry track time had been limited over the weekend, but the rain was kept at bay for race one. Starting from 15th on the grid after crashing during yesterday’s Superpole, Haslam finished in eighth position, one place behind his team-mate. Both riders were forced to retire from race two with technical problems as series leader Tom Sykes took his second win of the day. Michel Fabrizio – 7th and DNF There have been some positives this weekend and I was able to understand a little more the engine brake characteristics of the CBR. I was happy with a second row start after qualifying yesterday and the first race was not so bad, although I found it difficult to turn the bike when the grip levels dropped. Race two was disappointing but we don’t yet know what happened to make the bike stop. Leon Haslam – 8th and DNF Yes, we had a technical problem in race but I’m actually really, really happy that we’ve found an important aspect of the bike that has been wrong for many races. We changed that part for race two and it transformed the bike. It turned properly and did everything that it should have been doing for the last few rounds. It took a lot of inconsistency out of the bike as well. Starting from 15th wasn’t ideal but, even though our setting didn’t suit the big change we made, I was quickly able to get up to seventh and was catching the guys in front. More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: DOUBLE PODIUM FOR SYLVAIN GUINTOLI AND EUGENE LAVERTY IN FRANCE. APRILIA DOMINATES THE MANUFACTURER STANDINGS WITH THREE RSV4s IN THE TOP FOUR IN BOTH RACES. THE ONLY BLEMISH ON THE ITALIAN TEAM’S SUPREMACY WAS A SYKES IN TOP FORM. WITH ONE ROUND TO GO IN THE SEASON AND A 35 POINT ADVANTAGE APRILIA STAKES A CLAIM ON THE MANUFACTURER TITLE. Magny-Cours, 6 October 2013 – The only thing overshadowing Aprilia’s domination in the Magny-Cours Superbike races was an excellent performance by Sykes. Sylvain Guintoli and Eugene Laverty swapped out the second and third steps of the podium in the two races, keeping themselves mathematically within a shout of the Rider Championship. Davide Giugliano had a double fourth place finish on his Team Althea Aprilia. Aprilia maintains a solid hold on the brand championship lead and, with only one round left to go and a 35 point advantage over Kawasaki, they have staked a claim on the 2013 Manufacturer Title. In the first race on dry asphalt Sylvain Guintoli stayed with Tom Sykes after starting from the second spot on the grid, but he was unable to make a decisive attack, partially because of the red flag that came out due to a crash two laps from the finish. Eugene Laverty, riding in fifth place for the early part of the race, made up ground on Melandri and then on Giugliano, crossing the finish line behind his team mate. Despite the grey skies, Race2 also started without rain and on dry asphalt, following much the same script as Race1 with Sykes blazing the trail up front followed by Eugene Laverty and Sylvain Guintoli. The two Aprilia Racing Team riders switched places several times but were unable to contain the leader’s mad pace. In the final laps the French fans were entertained by an exciting and clean battle between team mates which ended under another red flag that came out as rain began to fall during the last lap. Eugene and Sylvain ended the race in that order behind Sykes, both of them also falling victim to harmless crashes just seconds before the race was called. With today’s result Laverty maintains his second place in the rider standings, 37 points behind the leader and one point in front of Sylvain Guintoli. Aprilia confirms the Manufacturer standings lead with 35 points over Kawasaki, 88 ahead of BMW, 266 over Honda, 275 above Suzuki and 331 in front of Ducati. Eugene Laverty: “Tom was from another planet today. I tried to keep up with him in the first laps, but he gained too much ground coming out of the slow turns. Toward the end Sylvain and I engaged in battle. I usually don’t like these situations because I have a lot of respect for him and because we are still both within reach of the title, but every point is important at this stage of the season. I’m obviously pleased with the two results although our goal was to reduce the gap behind the leader. We made some improvements to the bike between Race1 and Race2 and I was definitely faster, but apparently it wasn’t enough. Jerez will be our last chance to make a play for the Rider Championship”. Sylvain Guintoli: “Race2 was exciting, a great battle with Eugene. It’s a shame that we weren’t able to keep up with Tom, but he was really fast today. I hope I didn’t do too much damage to my shoulder in the crash. Unfortunately my visor was covered with bugs and I didn’t see the slippery spots on the track. In Race1 I was able to keep up without losing too much ground and in the final laps I tried to pull the pin and overtake Tom, but then the red flag came out. It’s true that at Jerez it will be difficult to recover but mathematically we are still in the game so I’ll be trying hard until the end to finish out this Championship properly”. More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: At Magny-Cours there were exemplary performances from the standard Pirelli Diablo Superbike tyres in a soft compound that, despite the very low temperatures, allowed Tom Sykes to break the lap record; Sam Lowes and Sylvain Barrier become World Champions in Supersport and Superstock 1000 classes Kawasaki Racing Team’s rider moved closer to the title by winning both SBK races, while world titles in Supersport and Superstock 1000 by the Yamaha of the Yakhnich Motorsport team and by the BMW of the BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK respectively, with both running on Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tyres Magny-Cours (France), 6 October 2013 – The weekend just ended at the French track of Magny-Cours was a penultimate round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship to be remembered by Pirelli that with the standard Diablo Superbike in soft compound the of the lap record was set by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), who won both Superbike races and the Pirelli Best Lap Awards putting a strong claim to the world title. With their bikes fitted with Diablo Supercorsa tyres, Sam Lowes and Sylvain Barrier won – with a race in hand – the FIM Supersport World Championship (for Lowes) and the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, giving a large number of spectators many strong emotions to enjoy. The weekend was certainly not easy from the meteorological point of view because of the rain that characterized Friday and Saturday and because of the low temperatures, certainly less than ideal conditions for racing and also for the tyres. Although they could not exhaustively try the slick solutions in the days preceding Sunday’s races, Superbike riders have almost unanimously opted for the soft standard tyre at the rear, a solution that has been designed to be used with quite high temperatures but already this year has adapted well to rather low temperatures. Until last year the riders would have been forced to use tyres in medium SC1 compound, if not in hard SC2 compound in these conditions, at the expense of grip and better performances. Thanks to the new 17-inch Pirelli Diablo Superbike rear tyres Pirelli has been able to develop for 2013 a high-performance standard tyre in soft compound and at the same time make it versatile to work well with a wide range of temperatures, from very high to those close to 15 degrees registered today at Magny-Cours. And it is also thanks to these tyres that Tom Sykes, first in Race 1 with a time of 1’38.345 and then in Race 2 with that of 1’37.932, managed to break the lap record of a track that belonged to Noriyuki Haga since 2009, with the time of 1’38 .619, improving it by around 0.7 seconds. The Englishman from the Kawasaki Racing Team has certainly not been satisfied over the weekend, recording also a splendid double while Aprilia Racing Team riders Sylvain Guintoli and Eugene Laverty took turns on the second and third step of the podium in Race 1 and Race 2 allowing Aprilia to remain in the lead of the Constructors Championship with a 35 point advantage over Kawasaki. The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders: The penultimate round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship has been characterized throughout the weekend by quite low temperatures with rain on Friday and Saturday. For this reason, the riders were not able to try a lot the slick solutions available to them in the days before the races. Despite the unknown weather and not exactly mild temperatures, on Sunday no one had any doubts and virtually all Superbike riders have decided to use the standard soft rear tyre, the Diablo Superbike SC0, which in theory was designed to work best when the temperatures are quite high. At Magny-Cours has surprised everyone by giving brilliant performances with less than 20 degrees of asphalt and making Tom Sykes reach the track best record. Regarding the front riders’ preferences were more or less equally divided between the standard SC1 and SC2 and the development SC1 development (S283) with approximately half of the grid which has opted for the latter solution. The Diablo Supercorsa was the tyre that led to victory for Sam Lowes and Sylvain Barrier in their respective championships. 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 Magny-Cours the awards were presented by Pirelli Moto France representatives, the Marketing Manager Maryline Lesoeur, the Racing Manager Pascal Serra, Racing and Stefano De Luca, Sales Agents Manager. 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. Tom Sykes, having already won 12 Pirelli Best Lap Awards, and Sam Lowes, with 6, are mathematically the “Best Lap Winner: fastest rider of the year” in 2013 for the Superbike and Supersport classes and will be awarded at Jerez de la Frontera in the end of year ceremony. These are the riders who won the Pirelli Best Lap Awards in the penultimate round of the season: WSB Race 1 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’38.345 (4th lap) WSB Race 2 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’37.932 (4th lap) WSS – Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport), 1’41.690 (6th lap) The overall standings after thirteen rounds are as follows: WSB: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team): 12; 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; Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing): 1 WSS: Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport): 6; 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: “First of all I want to congratulate the two new World Champions, Sam Lowes and Sylvain Barrier, and their respective teams. Sam this year has proven to be really a very strong rider having shown consistent performances, especially if you consider the fact that he had not an easy rival, Kenan Sofuoglu. Until the last he for sure made Sam’s life difficult, so congratulations also to him. As for the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup also Sylvain Barrier, winning five of the nine races done this year, has undoubtedly fully deserved the title for the second consecutive year and the BMW has proven to be probably the best stock motorcycle of the moment having won – in the last four years – three titles. Regarding tyres used this weekend, the Diablo Superbike, in standard SC0 compound, never ceases to amaze and give us great satisfaction. For this weekend the unknowns about temperature were strong and in the days before racing the weather has always been bad. It rained often so both we and the riders arrived to Sunday without ever seeing in action the solution used in the races, except in the warm-up this morning. We knew that this solution could work well with not particularly high temperatures, which are the ones that most suit it, but we did not think it could behave so well even with less than 20 degrees. For us this was a pleasant surprise, we’re really happy with the level in terms of performances and versatility that we have achieved with this tyre. The record of the track, the one made by Haga in 2009, got lowered by almost a second by Tom Sykes. That was the cherry on top and the confirmation of what I have just said. This year Kawasaki and Tom Sykes showed that they could do great things and with this round they have effectively mortgaged the title, but obviously it’s better to wait the final round because the WSBK Championship is no stranger to last-minute surprises. Well done also to Sylvain and Eugene who really had a good battle in Race 2”. The 2013 Pirelli statistics for Magny-Cours round: • Total number of tyres Pirelli brought: 4352 • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 6 rear • Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 32 front and 34 rear • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Supersport class: 4 front and 5 rear • Number of tyres available for each Supersport rider: 23 front and 26 rear • Temperature in Race 1: air 16° C, asphalt 17° C • Temperature in Race 2: air 17° C, asphalt 21° C • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli Diablo Superbike tyres: 295.9 km/h, in Race 1 by Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) at 11th lap • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tyres in Supersport: 268.7 km/h, Kenan Sofuoglu (MAHI Racing Team India), 11th lap. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Magny-Cours – Races. Sunday, 6th October 2013. Weather conditions: Cloudy. Temperature: Air: 19 °C, Track: 18 – 22 °C Number of riders participating: 19/19 from 12 teams Fastest lap Race 1: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 1:38.345 min (lap 4) Fastest lap Race 2: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 1:37.932 min (lap 4) Sunday at Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours started very positively with the BMW Motorrad Goldbet STK team celebrating factory rider, Sylvain Barrier (FRA) winning the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup for the second year in succession. Sylvain finished fourth in the race on his BMW HP4 to take BMW Motorrad’s third Superstock crown. In the first race of 13th round of the 2013 FIM Superbike World Championship, BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team factory rider Marco Melandri (ITA) on his BMW S 1000 RR finished fifth while his team mate Chaz Davies (GBR) retired early in the race. In race two, Chaz achieved a fifth place finish and Marco was seventh after a great recovery from sixteenth. In the first Superbike race, both riders had a good start. Marco improved to fourth and Chaz to fifth. On the second lap, Chaz lost the front and came back to the pit to fix the bike but had to retire. Marco then slipped back to fifth position where he remained until the end of the race. The race was red flagged with three laps to go. Tom Sykes (GBR) took the win. In race 2 both riders made again a good start with Marco moving to fourth and Chaz to sixth. At the beginning of the second lap, Chaz overtook Marco and began to battle with Davide Giugliano (ITA). Marco got back past Chaz on lap 6 to take fifth, however he then ran on into the gravel losing a lot of time and rejoining in sixteenth. Marco’s recovery was strong, he had good rhythm setting more than ten laps within the 1’39 bracket and managed to make his way up to eighth place. Towards the end of the race, Marco passed Toni Elias (SPA) for seventh. The race was stopped with two laps remaining after several riders crashed as it started to rain. Tom Sykes won race two. At the start of 9th race of FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Sylvain Barrier, on his BMW HP4, took the lead at the first corner, however the race would then be red flagged following a crash. In the second part, Sylvain made a bad start losing out on some positions while his team mate, Greg Gildenhuys (RSA) became caught up in another rider’s accident and was forced to retire. On lap 4, Sylvain took fourth place which he maintained until the end. Thanks to this result he won the 2013 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. BMW Motorrad won Superstock titles in 2010 and 2012 with the BMW S 1000 RR, this year however the title was taken on the new BMW HP4, the first time ever for a bike equipped with an electronic suspension system (DDC). Marco Melandri: Result Race 1: 5th / Gap to 1st: 0:23.573 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:39.562 min (lap 8) Result Race 2: 7th / Gap to 1st: 0:36.219 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:39.259 min (lap 3) “In Race 1 I was struggling with the setting and I was not really fast, the result shows the potential I had. Before Race 2 we decided to make a step back and setting up the bike so I could be consistent. Without that issue I could have been on the podium. At least I can say that I had more fun in Race 2 than in Race 1. I was fast and overtook many riders to recover from the position which I slipped down to. Anyhow I want to thanks my team they did an excellent job over the whole weekend. Next race is in Jerez, our test track, we know it very well so we’ll start with a good setting and we could have chance to be on the podium.” Chaz Davies: Result Race 1: DNF / Gap to 1st: –/ Fastest Lap Race 1: 2:26.501 min (lap 2) Result Race 2: 5th / Gap to 1st: 0:25.724 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:39.278 min (lap 2) “In race one the crash was strange, I was off the brakes but lost the front slightly and I couldn’t recover it. I slid for ages and tried to get back up as I was holding the bike but in the end there was nothing I could do. I picked up the bike but there was a lot of dirt in the throttle so it was too dangerous to continue once we’d got back to the pits. Considering we missed the twenty three laps of race one which would have provided valuable data the bike didn’t feel too bad in the early laps of race two. However later on I started to struggle when the tyre dropped a little bit and the bike got a bit more nervous at the rear. When the overall grip level dropped I started to push the front again and couldn’t turn as I wanted. All in all, we perhaps lost out a bit from missing the time in race one but no excuses, we weren’t fast enough and didn’t get the right set up.” Sylvain Barrier Result: 4th / Gap to 1st: 0:8.668 min / Fastest Lap: 1:41.501 min (lap 8) “It has been a fantastic season for me this year. I’ve really enjoyed working with BMW and the new BMW HP4. I really enjoyed battling with Canepa all year as he’s also been very consistent. It’s also really great that once again we win the title here in Magny Cours. Thanks to James Toseland who has supported me for three years now. It was a good race, in the first part of the race I made a really good start and had no problems so I wanted to get going. The second time the start wasn’t as good so I rode carefully trying not to make any mistakes as I knew what I had to do to win. Thanks to BMW for having confidence in me and we’ll see what happens next year.” Andrea Buzzoni (General Manager BMW Motorrad WSBK): “Today Sylvain and the BMW HP4 gifted us the second Superstock title in a row. It confirms the technical strength of our team, the BMW HP4 and Sylvain’s talent. We want to thank Sylvain for the result. He managed the race in a clever way showing he’s a mature rider and that he is ready to make a further step in his career and we wish him the best. Sylvain embodies the qualities of a winning rider: cleverness, talent and heart. In Race 1 unfortunately Chaz crashed while Marco was 5th and almost the contrary in race 2 where Marco went wide losing his position meaning he could not fight at the front, even if he demonstrated to be fast, while Chaz was 5th. Today Sykes was outstanding and I want to congratulate him for his performance. Today’s result ended our possibilities to win the title, nevertheless it was not a bad season but we can fully assess this after Jerez.” Andrea Dosoli (Technical Director BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team): “The data we collected in the dry conditions on Friday were not enough to set up our RRs properly for the race. In Race 1, Marco was not happy with the set up so in race two we made a step back to a better known setting. With this setting Marco was faster and consistent, even if the result does not show it. In the early stages he went wide and re-joined the group quite far back but could recover and show good rhythm and speed. Without the issue we could have fought for the podium. Chaz unfortunately crashed in race 1 quite early so we could not evaluate the performance. In Race 2, he started well and for half of the race he was fighting for fourth place but struggled with corner-entry in the second half and finished fifth. Jerez is our test track, we have good knowledge of the circuit and data so we’re confident we could get a good result.” More, from a press release issued by FIXI Crescent Suzuki: Stunning sixth for Philippe on World Superbike debut FIXI Crescent Suzuki’s substitute rider Vincent Philippe produced a performance in today’s second eni FIM Superbike World championship race that was more akin to a seasoned Superbike rider to take a superb sixth position. Philippe got a solid start from the third row and by lap-two he was up into eighth. He then got into a smooth and consistent rhythm on his Yoshimura-powered Suzuki GSX-R before moving up to sixth by lap-six. Philippe pulled a gap from the following group, but was too far adrift of the front pack to make any in-roads, so continued with a solitary – but impressive – race to steer his machine to sixth at the chequered flag, to complete a successful debut weekend for the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team rider. Suzuki’s reigning World Endurance Champion – who was replacing the injured Leon Camier – had shown his potential in race one after starting from ninth on the grid and then getting involved in a five-rider battle for sixth place. Philippe looked at home in the tussle and was hard-on-the-heels of Toni Elias when the Spaniard crashed taking the Suzuki-man down with him. As the two came to a halt Elias inexplicably remonstrated with Philippe for something that was clearly his own fault. The Frenchman looked astounded at this, but quickly re-mounted and continued to push hard, before eventually taking 13th at the flag, Jules Cluzel had two races that he was very disappointed with at his 4,411m home circuit. Starting from 12th on the grid in race one, he had made up four places by the end of the first lap. He pushed hard over the next lap, moving up to sixth place and closing on the leading group. Sadly for the Frenchman his fast-charging cost him dear as he crashed heavily on lap-three bringing his race to an early end. Cluzel’s second race followed a similar pattern as he again made his way through the field to get close to his team-mate Philippe and looked to be in with a chance of challenging for sixth, but he again slipped off his machine and slid into the gravel. He was able to re-mount and continue the race, but any chance of a high-finish had gone and Cluzel had to settle for 14th place. Today’s races were held under the constant threat of rain from some very menacing skies, but a large and boisterous French crowd were treated to a masterful display of riding from Tom Sykes. The Englishman took both race wins, set the fastest lap in both races and won the second event by over 11-seconds to strengthen his lead at the top of the championship. The World Superbike paddock will now head to Jerez in Spain for the final round of the championship on Sunday 20th October, when FIXI Crescent Suzuki will be hoping to welcome Camier back to action following his lay-off due to the injury he sustained in Turkey. Vincent Philippe: “What a great weekend! For sure first of all I need to thank all the staff on the team and especially the mechanics. Everybody has helped me a lot to be able to understand the bike, the suspension, the electronics, and the tyres, in fact in every aspect. It is a fantastic bike and a fantastic team and it has been easy for me to learn all about it and feel good on the bike. I pushed in the second race – not too much – and I am so happy with the result. In the first race it was a very good fight and great to battle with the top riders and it was a shame what happened, but that is racing. In the second race it was better for me because with my style that sort of fight is not what I am used to and I need more experience, so when I was alone it was easy for me to ride like I wanted to. It has been a good weekend and I have got lots of experience from it. I would like to ride the FIXI Crescent Suzuki again, but if not that is ok, because this has been a good present from the team and Suzuki France, and thank-you everybody!” Jules Cluzel: “This has been the worst weekend of the year for me. The conditions have been awful for me and I think we need more dry conditions to improve the bike, because I struggle so much in the slow turns at the last moments. We only had one real dry session all weekend and it made it difficult for me. I crashed in the first race when I made a mistake because I was too fast and I tried to turn and went straight on. In race two I lost time in some straights and I tried hard to keep up, but again I crashed and had to start again. I think it was possible to finish in sixth or seventh, but because I lost the front that was it. “Vincent had a good weekend, he knows the track really well in these conditions and he did a great job in the dry session too. It is good for the team to have a good result, but I knew it was possible for me to make a better result than I did so I am disappointed about this. I also want to thank Suzuki France for all the support they gave us this weekend, It was great have them here.” Paul Denning – Team Manager: “At the end of a tricky weekend – as it often is at Magny-Cours – the first thing to say is thank-you and congratulations to Vincent, who exceeded all our expectations. He had never ridden the bike, never used the Pirelli tyres and from Friday was immediately running a good pace and battled fiercely in both races with some of the best Superbike riders in the world – he thoroughly deserved his top-six finish in race two. “Jules started race one very aggressively from 12th on the grid; he immediately improved his position and was trying to chase down the front pack before he crashed. His crash was absolutely huge and the team did an amazing job to re-build the bike and get it perfect for race two – so thanks to them for their expertise and professionalism. Unfortunately Jules wasn’t able to make the best of it and a simple slip-off meant he wasn’t able to fight with Vincent for the top-six. I think that Vincent gave another indication of the potential of the current FIXI Crescent Suzuki Superbike today and that helps us be positive about the future.”