FIM Supersport World Championship
Phillip Island, Australia
February 28, 2016
Race Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 18 laps, Total Race Time 28:34.745, Best Lap Time 1:34.239
2. Federico CARICASULO, Italy (Honda CBR600RR), -2.747 seconds, 1:34.461
3. Anthony WEST, Australia (Yamaha YZF-R6), -2.761, 1:34.319
4. Christian GAMARINO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -2.917, 1:34.442
5. PJ JACOBSEN, USA (Honda CBR600RR), -3.200, 1:34.582
6. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (MV Agusta F3 675), -3.545, 1:34.251
7. Gino REA, UK (MV Agusta F3 675), -3.558, 1:34.261
8. Ondrej JEZEK, Czech Republic (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -12.835, 1:34.738
9. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (MV Agusta F3 675), -12.895, 1:34.806
10. Aiden WAGNER, Australia (MV Agusta F3 675), -18.172, 1:34.484
11. Nico TEROL, Spain (MV Agusta F3 675), -18.195, 1:34.431
12. Glenn SCOTT, Australia (Honda CBR600RR), -18.334, 1:35.048
13. Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN, Malaysia (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -19.902, 1:34.543
14. Alex PHILLIS, Australia (Honda CBR600RR), -38.311, 1:36.013
15. Mitch LEVY, Australia (Yamaha YZF-R6), -38.412, 1:35.774
16. Luke STAPLEFORD, UK (Honda CBR600RR), -39.012, 1:35.493
17. Jules CLUZEL, France (MV Agusta F3 675), -39.109, ran off track, 1:34.464
18. Nacho CALERO, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -43.847, 1:35.699
19. Kyle RYDE, UK (Yamaha YZF-R6), -43.891, 1:35.160
20. Stefan HILL, UK (Honda CBR600RR), -74.210, 1:36.936
21. Lachlan EPIS, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -1 lap, 1:38.282
22. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -3 laps, DNF, crash, 1:34.357
23. Kane BURNS, Australia (Suzuki GSX-R600), -3 laps, DNF, retired, 1:35.473
24. Lorenzo ZANETTI, Italy (MV Agusta F3 675), -9 laps, DNF, crash, 1:34.152
25. Hikari OKUBO, Japan (Honda CBR600RR), -16 laps, DNF, crash, 1:35.844
26. Kyle SMITH, UK (Honda CBR600RR), -17 laps, DNF, mechanical, no lap time recorded
World Championship Point Standings (after 1 of 13 races):
1. Krummenacher, 25 points
2. Caricasulo, 20
3. West, 16
4. Gamarino, 13
5. Jacobsen, 11
6. Baldolini, 10
7. Rea, 9
8. Jezek, 8
9. Rolfo, 7
10. Wagner, 6
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
WorldSSP: The Rookie Wins As The Champion Falls
Randy Krummenacher takes top honours first time out as teammate Sofuoglu crashes
Swiss rookie Randy Krummenacher has taken victory in the WorldSSP race at Phillip Island, beating STK600 graduate Federico Caricasulo and wildcard Anthony West to the top step of the podium.
Honda’s PJ Jacobsen got the best start from P2 on the front row of the grid and MV Agusta rider Jules Cluzel, who has suffered a difficult weekend on his return to the WorldSSP grid after being ruled out of the end of 2015 due to injury, got an incredible start from P8. The Frenchman hit the front only a couple of laps later as the real battle began and the breakaway group started to pull away.
Wildcard Anthony West was another rider who gained a lot off the start, joining the lead group after just missing out on entry to the first ever Tissot-Superpole 2 yesterday. The Australian managed to keep the lead pace of the front group, battling for podium positions, before taking the lead of the race just after being informed that he had to drop two positions for an earlier infringement. Luckily seeing the sign and obeying the ruling, the Aussie rider dropped back from the lead and back into the battle behind.
On lap 9, Jules Cluzel ran into the gravel and opened the door for a duel between reigning Champion Sofuoglu and wildcard West. Not wanting to let the Turkish rider escape, West fought hard before eventually having to concede the pace advantage of the Puccetti rider, who began to pull away and create a gap to the group behind.
Rain began to fall lightly in the first two sectors, but Sofuoglu continued to make a gap to those behind, the Turkish rider dropping his times even as conditions worsened. Krummenacher then began to respond, until reigning Champion Sofuoglu suffered a tyre problem on Lap 15, lowsiding into the gravel at Turn 6. That left teammate Krummenacher to inherit a well-deserved lead after managing the conditions perfectly and still staying ahead of the chasing pack.
Wildcard Anthony West, who has previously won in races in both WorldSSP and Moto2, was left in a battle over the last few laps with Caricasulo, positions switching and both riders fighting hard over what had become a chance at P2 in the race. On the final lap, as Krummenacher crossed the line more than two seconds clear of the rest of the field, the Australian and the Italian went head to head, with West riding as defensively as possible and maintaining his grip on P2 for the majority of the lap. West, with track position as they straightened up for the final push to the finish, tucked in for the dash to the line as Caricasulo took the slipstream. Almost side-by-side down the first part of the straight, it was the Italian rookie who made it over the line in front, his bike crossing the line only 0.014seconds ahead of that of his wildcard rival.
Krummenacher now leads the Championship after his first race in WorldSSP, but teammate and reigning Champion Sofuoglu is sure to hit back soon, looking to turn his incredible pace in practice into a win next time out in Thailand.
Yamaha Finance Australian Round – WorldSSP Race
1 – Randy Krummenacher (SUI) Kawasaki
2 – Federico Caricasulo (ITA) Honda +2.747
3 – Anthony West (AUS) Yamaha +2.761
More, from a press release issued by Motorcycling Australia:
Australian wildcard West finishes on the World Supersport podium
28 February 2016
Australia’s wildcards had the opportunity to shine this weekend, and with a venue full of screaming Australian fans, there was plenty of incentive to put on the performance of a lifetime.
With a total of seven Australians including three wildcards, competing in the World Supersport category this weekend, Australia was well represented when the Supersport race got underway.
With wildcard Ant West (Green Tea X50) impressing in the warm up session this morning, all eyes were on the Aussie when bikes left the grid, making his way into seventh position after only one lap.
By the time the race had reached lap six, Queenslander West had amazingly made his way in to the race lead, leaving spectators hanging over the fence cheering, with the dream of seeing an Australian on the World Supersport podium.
Despite West dropping back to third position behind American Patrick Jacobsen (Honda World Supersport Team) and MV Augusta’s Jules Cluzel for a short time, West made his way back in to the race lead by lap eight, using the home crowd to fuel his outstanding performance.
With a gruelling 18 laps to get through, West began to look more comfortable out in front, with himself and Cluzel pulling away from the group. And when Cluzel crashed on lap ten, it gave wildcard West, the opportunity to go head to head with world champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki).
As the race reached its closing stages, Sofuoglu had managed to stretch out a commanding race lead, and although the Turk had separated himself from the lead group, West maintained his second position.
By lap 14, drops of rain were falling in sector 1-2, and crowds watched on as Australia’s West rose to the occasion. Despite Sofuoglu’s teammate Krummenacher managing to get by West relegating the Aussie to third, West looked in no way to be easing up his charge to the front.
It was on lap 16 that the World Supersport race was turned upside down, when race leader Sofuoglu crashed hard, marking the end of the world champ’s Phillip Island campaign – So with Sofuoglu out, the door was left wide open for West to finish on the podium. With only a short distance separating him from new race leader Krummenacher, West commenced his chase for the Supersport top spot.
With one lap remaining, and West only losing positions down the straight, the Yamaha mounted rider fought hard to get maximum power out of his machine, and maintain second position.
But on the final race down the straight, West once again lost some speed, and was forced to settle for a marginal third spot on the podium, with the machine of Federico Caricasulo reeling him in to snatch away second just on the finish line.
An elated West spoke to the media after his outstanding World Supersport podium.
“I didn’t expect to even get close to where we were. The whole week had started out as a complete disaster and going into yesterday we were still trying to find our way,” a smiling West shared.
“We threw the team together last minute and we met each other for the first time on Monday – They have done great with what we’ve had to work with and we can’t expect more than that with this bike and what we have to go up against.
“It’s a big achievement for the guys, I think we have achieved what we were trying to do here. I’m looking for a ride for the rest of the year and its just another way to show that I’m still here and I’m still on a fight to win races. I’d like to go to the next World Supersport race if I can.
“Its great to get off the bike and have that Australian support behind me. It has taken a lot of determination from the guys, and determination from myself.”
Fellow Australian Supersport wildcard Mitch Levy (Landbridge Racing) concluded the 18 lap race in an impressive 15th place, while Kane Burn’s (Burns Racing) failed to finish.
When the World Superbike category headed to the grid, DesmoSport Ducati’s Mike Jones had already secured himself an ASBK podium by the time he lined up as the Australian wildcard.
Despite starting at the rear of the grid this afternoon, Jones was determined to put on his best performance, and when racing got underway that’s exactly what the Ducati rider aimed to do.
By the time the race had reached the half way mark, Jones had maintained an impressive 14th position, and looked strong and comfortable sitting just inside the the World Superbike top 15.
However, disaster struck Ducati’s Jones, when he crashed soon after, marking the end of his Phillip Island World Superbike campaign.
Despite Jones’ crash, the 22 year old was able to walk away smiling, having still collected his first World Superbike Championship points in his debut race yesterday
Motorcycling Australia would like to congratulate all of the Australian wildcard’s and Australian competitors who have raced on the world stage at Phillip Island this weekend.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Krummenacher Takes Sensational ‘Rookie’ Race Win
Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) secured a remarkable race win in his first ever FIM Supersport World Championship contest, after his team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) crashed out after experiencing a tyre issue.
In an astoundingly tough and combative WSS race, with 11-changes of the lead across the start/finish line in 18 race laps, occasional drops of rain complicated matters at times.
With a vast group of leading riders in fighting mood both Sofuoglu and Krummenacher had to work hard to stay in front, with Kenan having to overcome traction issues compared to his practice experiences.
After the race had reached just past the mid point, first Sofuoglu and then Krummenacher eased ahead on their Ninja ZX-6Rs, to sit 1-2 out front. When Kenan fell at Turn 6, after experiencing a rear tyre issue, Krummenacher just had to keep his pace and his cool head to win his first WSS race by 2.747 seconds from Federico Caricasulo and wildcard rider Anthony West.
Both Randy and Kawasaki now lead their respective championships after one round with the next WSS round taking place in Thailand on March 13th.
Randy Krummenacher stated: “It was really a special race because the conditions were different to anything before, any practice and any testing. At the beginning it was quite ‘hot’ because it was a big group and I think everybody tried to pass us. They were all looking for the Kawasakis. It made it really hard but when it started to rain a bit they were all a bit more scared than me and I went a bit away from the pack and behind Kenan. Then I made my best lap times. I did not expect that Kenan would crash, so I am very sorry for him. Then it was clear I had to bring it to the finish line and it was really hard because there was proper rain in some areas. I had to push or the others would have been coming but when I went over Lukey Heights I saw I had a big gap. I just had to manage the last two corners to bring it home. It feels great to win, unbelievable.”
Kenan Sofuoglu stated: “I think I got a wrong tyre but it was the same choice I made in qualifying, taking pole position and a fast pace in the warm-up. I put the same tyre in as then but the bike had little grip and vibration and mid-race it exploded, in the middle of the corner. When I exited the corner the tyre went and then I crashed. It was not overheating because I was much more aggressive on the same tyre in practice and the warm-up. It was almost impossible to ride from the first lap.”
Christian Gamarino from the GO Eleven Kawasaki team was in a strong fourth place and ended his 18-laps right behind the podium finishers. Ondrej Jezek was eighth after winning a duel with another rider. New WSS rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) earned a 13th place finish and his team-mate Nacho Calero was 18th. Lachlan Epis (Response RE Team Kawasaki) ended up 21st at his home round.
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta Reparto Corse:
CHALLENGING RACE DAY FOR TEAM MV AGUSTA REPARTO CORSE AT PHILLIP ISLAND
28 FEBRUARY 2016
After the encouraging results in previous days, MV Agusta Reparto Corse riders wanted to improve their respective score but the bad luck was against the three riders. Despite the difficult race, It was a great satisfaction to see 5 MV Agusta bikes in the 11 top position of the race.
After showing a great feeling with his MV Agusta F4 RC machine, Leon Camier wants to repeat the good performance of Race1, when he finished in 7th position after an incredible remount. In Race 2 the British rider starts very fast and after only a few turns he is in 8th position; unfortunately a problem with the bike force the rider to go back to the Box after two laps. When he goes back on track Camier shows a good pace but it is too far from the points scoring position and the team decide to bring him back to the box to analyse the data with the telemetry.
In WorldSSP Jules Cluzel gain the top of the race thanks to a great start but, exactly when he try to push harder and leave behind the other riders, he suffers a gearbox trouble leading him on the gravel. The french rider is able to start again ending up in 17th position. The teammate Lorenzo Zanetti is forced to loose positions at the start of the race, but the fast Italian rider get a good rhythm and start passing many riders, arriving with his MV Agusta F3 675 in the 6th position, by recording the Best Lap of the race. Unfortunately his remount and race finish after a bad contact with the rider Caricasulo after turn 6.
Leon Camier #2 – I started the warmup lap feeling ok but when after the first turns of second lap of the race I couldn’t turn with the rear, even when I touched the gas very gently the bike was like on oil. Now we must work on the data to understand where the problem was. I am sorry because the bike was really good, especially with the electronic and setup. Hopefully Thailand will be better.
Lorenzo Zanetti #87 – During lap one I suffered a loose of grip and I lost several positions. I suffered very hard contact, especially the one with Caricasulo that took my front rear away. It is sad, because I made the Best Lap on the race, my tyres were still good and I had the rhythm to won the race. This is just the first round and I want to stay positive for the next one.
Jules Cluzel #16 –I started really fast and I was able to move to the first position. I tried to leave the other riders behind pushing harder, because I knew my pace was faster then the others one, but I had a trouble to my gearbox and I went on the gravel. I am sorry because I had all the chance to fight for the podium but we will be back for the next race.
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
Solid fifth place for PJ Jacobsen and the Honda WorldSSP Team at Phillip Island
The Honda WorldSSP Team has completed the first round of the 2016 FIM Supersport World Championship with an encouraging race result, as Patrick ‘PJ’ Jacobsen rode his Honda CBR600RR to a fifth place finish in what was a thrilling 18-lap encounter at Phillip Island in Australia.
The young American rider had a perfect launch from second place and took the lead at turn one. Jacobsen tried his best to pull away but the fierce on track competition resulted in a great battle at the front, which saw up to nine riders exchanging positions while dicing for the lead. With the two front-runners able to pull away in the latter stages, Jacobsen fought hard for a podium place but due to a lack of grip, he was not able to ride to get the best out of the Honda CBR600RR in the final two laps. He crossed the line in fifth place, only half a second away from second position.
The next round of the 2016 FIM Supersport World Championship will take place at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand in a fortnight’s time.
Patrick Jacobsen 99
5th
We got a good start. I felt good in the beginning and had a great battle with Cluzel. I thought it would have come down to a fight between the two of us but then we realised there was a whole group of riders behind us. Things got a little bit messy out there with people bumping into each other and it got kind of scary on the front straightaway. Towards the end I thought I would have had a bit more grip and obviously I was a bit disappointed with the result. I couldn’t deliver a podium today but I’m looking forward to going to Thailand, where I’m sure we can improve and do a better race.
Pieter Breddels
Technical Manager
PJ got a really good start and he was in the front group for the whole race. Unfortunately, he just missed a little bit of grip in the final two laps and, with all the riders involved, he simply got the wrong end of the stick. In the end he was fifth, not a bad result considering the difficulties we encountered both during testing and this weekend before the race. He rode incredibly well today. Now we need to work on the data, to understand what to do in order to improve our race pace for Thailand.