Davies and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team score their fifth SBK win of the season!
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), Sunday 20 September 2015 – fantastic results for Chaz Davies and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team in the Jerez World Superbike races; having reached the podium in race 1, in second position, the Welshman put together a faultless race 2 to achieve his fifth win of the season! Michele Pirro completed two good races, crossing the line in sixth and seventh place.
Race 1 – from sixth on the grid, Davies got away very well, moving straight into third place. Chasing down the Kawasakis ahead of him, the Welshman reached and passed Rea on lap seven to take second position. In the second half of the race Chaz was able to increase his pace but unfortunately it was not enough to reach race leader Sykes, meaning that the Aruba Ducati man crossed the line in second position.
Pirro, seventh on the grid, held that position throughout the opening laps. In the first half of the race, the Italian struggled to close in on his rivals on the new tyre but, thanks to a significantly quicker pace in the second phase, he caught up to Haslam and Rea, immediately ahead of him, to cross the line in sixth position.
Race 2 – once again Chaz quickly got into a good rhythm and was lying second through the opening stages. He did well to fight off the advances of the chasing pack and, thanks to his extremely strong pace, was able to pass Sykes to move into the lead on lap eleven. Gradually increasing his lead while effectively managing the final phase of the race, the Aruba Ducati man crossed the line in first place, with an advantage of almost two seconds. This marks his fifth win of the 2015 season, thanks to which he consolidates second position in the overall standings.
For Pirro, the second race was more difficult. In order to prevent the front of the bike from moving around so much, a harder front tyre was selected for this second race but unfortunately this resulted in a more dramatic loss of grip in the afternoon’s higher temperatures. Michele nevertheless maintained a constant pace which allowed him to conclude in seventh position.
With only two rounds left to run, Chaz Davies continues to hold second position in the overall standings, with 353 points, while Michele Pirro has earned points enough (35) to place twentieth. Ducati maintains second position in the manufacturer’s standings with 408 points.
Quotes after the races:
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 2nd, winner
“What a second race! I thought it would be very difficult to win here today but we did well not to change anything from race 1; the track conditions were very different and it went better. In race 1, I knew that I’d have trouble in the early stages. I was able to match Tom’s pace in the second half but I expected a drop in his tyre performance that never arrived. I’m very pleased with today’s results of course and it’s really important to have taken good points at this stage of the championship. I know the battle for second in the overall standings will be tight and I hope it goes to the wire in Qatar.”
Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #55) – 6th, 7th
“In race 1 I didn’t go to badly but hoped to be able to do better in the second. We changed the front tyre for race 2, opting for a slightly harder solution but unfortunately it didn’t perform as we’d hoped. I had no grip at the front and it was all I could do to keep the bike upright and get to the end of the race. A pity, as I would have liked to do more but I thank the team for having given me the opportunity and for all their hard work this weekend.”
Stefano Cecconi – Team Principal
“We’re really pleased with today’s results, a further confirmation of the fact that the work completed this season, particularly in the second part, by the riders and team has continued to take us in the right direction, allowing us to fight consistently for race wins. We are proud of the partnership with Ducati that has, already during this first season, given Aruba a strong return in terms of image and visibility.”
Serafino Foti – Team Manager
“To start again after the summer break and repeat the results of the last round is truly fantastic! This confirms our strength and rewards the work of the entire team and racing department, thanks to which Chaz had a really high-performing bike today. He did the rest and really deserves this result, having demonstrated his ability to interpret the race perfectly. Conditions were very difficult today due to the high temperatures. I also want to thank Michele who, as usual, has done a great job, providing us with precious data for the future. Unfortunately a different front tyre choice in race 2 penalized him but he did well to manage the loss of grip.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
After finishing fourth in the first WorldSBK race at Jerez de la Frontera in Spain Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) became the FIM Superbike World Champion for the first time in his career.
Born in Northern Ireland in 1987, Jonathan only joined the Kawasaki Racing Team for the 2015 season, after taking part in his first full WSB season in 2009.
He made an immediate impact on the Ninja ZX-10R in winter testing and won the first race of the year for Kawasaki, at Phillip Island on February 22nd. He won 12 of the first 20 races, and has not finished off the podium in any of them, before arriving in Spain to lift his crown.
A Q&A with Jonathan follows, below, plus some of his remarkable facts and statistics and comments from Kawasaki and his KRT team.
Q: What does it feel like, personally, to have a year like this, especially after having been in the championship for such a long time?
JR: Personally, it feels like a little bit of a weight off my shoulders. I have always believed that we were capable of winning a world championship right after I had stepped off a World Supersport bike onto a Superbike. Now, in this moment, it just feels like my time to be honest. It feels a bit like everything has gone my way a bit, even when a couple of things could have gone wrong. Like when the rain came in Portimao and I had a slide with the front in the wet, and caught it on my knee. When I had a big moment at Donington in lap one, and I landed straight back on the seat again, and was able to pick up a second place…
It has just panned out for me so smoothly. I have never had that happen before. I have been in Superbike quite a while and I have had two seasons that were dogged with injury, with my wrist and a femur issues in 2011 and 2013.
Q: How special has this season been after all that earlier frustration?
JR: The most special thing, really, is not just right now where we are, and in the position we are now in. It was joining Kawasaki and a team that had been so successful over the past few seasons, sharing a garage with one of the strongest riders in World Superbike. To come out and win the first race at Phillip Island… that is a feeling and memory that I will take with me for a long time. That felt amazing so from that point on every weekend – where even if we couldn’t qualify on the front row, or even the second row – because we have qualified in seventh or eighth position, we still won quite a few races. It is a testament to all the hard work that not just Pere Riba my crew chief, or Paolo Marchetti my electronics guy, but all the mechanics put into making sure we have a package on Sunday that works. It is proof that the Ninja ZX-10R is, if not the best one, then certainly one of the best packages right now on the grid.
Q: When you are riding at race-winning pace it looks like it is smooth and easy – although, of course it is never easy. What is it about that bike that helps with that, to make it look so smooth?
JR: I also felt that my previous bike fitted me quite well but the development from the KHI side, that our electronic guys Paolo and Danilo do, from the ECU side and engine management, there is no doubt we have the best electronics on the grid. And the two best electronic engineers – not just in our paddock but in the world – inside our box. Those are two massive factors to make the bike good. Then from a chassis point of view the bike just turns so well. I think the positive thing of developing and using Showa suspension is that we have got 100% of their attention. Now the Showa suspension and the way we are working with us has given us an incredible platform. They have shown that they are really behind it. By them solely working for us we have made massive gains.
Q: Coming from a racing background, and knowing that a lot of good riders will not get the chance to be world champion, does that make this year even sweeter to your?
JR: Anybody that has won a championship has not just arrived in that one championship. Everyone has faced adversity and hard times, and come a long way. But since I have been five years old I have been competing in schoolboy Motocross. So I feel like I have been riding competitively for such a long time. I came into the world championships at 20, quite young, but I feel like I have been racing bikes competitively for years and years, so I feel like it has taken me a little longer to achieve that goal. The good thing about it is that as a kid with a dream, I never gave up on my dream. I just kept believing in myself. It has been all nice and ‘limelighty’ at times, but there have been countless hours and days and weeks spent in hospital rooms or physio rooms or with trainers. I feel like I have faced enough injuries already so it also feels nice to have a season like this because it certainly makes up for the hard times that nobody really sees.”
Kawasaki Comments About Rea’s Championship Win
Steve Guttridge: Kawasaki Race Planning Manager: “Bringing Johnny into our Kawasaki Racing Team this year was like a dream come true. He’s delivered everything we expected on the track and much more as part of the team. Racing alongside Tom, it is a dream team and we really have to thank them both for their efforts to deliver these good times with Kawasaki.”
Guim Roda: KRT Team Manager: “I’m so happy for Rea and of course for all the Kawasaki family and all our sponsors, especially Motocard, Elf and Monster. What Johnny completed today is really great and we all have to be proud. Rea has worked all the year close to excellence and this is very difficult to achieve. He proved he is not only a fast rider but also a solid and consistent one. We are happy he found in his Ninja ZX-10R the tool he needs to show his potential. What he found in combination of his mechanics and his crew chief Pere Riba has been great, all done within not even a full year. I cannot wait to see him on the 2016 bike. We cannot forget the great job Tom Sykes did, and is still doing too. He did not start the season so well but now he is getting really strong too. We really wish he can take second place in the championship and that would be something for us all to be proud of too.”
Selected ‘JR’ WorldSBK Statistics
Date of Birth: 2 February 1987
WorldSBK Career: 2008 – present day
WorldSBK Race Starts: 161 At Race 1 Jerez
Pole positions: 6
Race wins: 27 At Race 1 Jerez
Podiums: 62 At Race 1 Jerez
Fastest laps: 19 at race one Jerez
First race: Portimao, 2008
First pole: Assen, 2010
First podium: Kyalami Race 2, 2009
First win: Misano Race 2, 2009??????????
More, from another press release issued by Kawasaki:
Championship Wins For Rea And Kawasaki At Jerez, Race Win For Sykes
Jonathan Rea (KRT) scored two fourth place finishes at Jerez today to take the FIM Superbike World Championship crown. After the second 20-lap race of the day Kawasaki was confirmed as Manufacturers’ Champion. Tom Sykes (KRT) won the first race of the day and finished fifth in race two.
Jonathan Rea realised he only needed six points from the Jerez weekend to make sure he won the title but in finishing fourth in race one he took more than he needed and win his first World SBK championship, with five individual races to spare.
These two races were the first times in 2015 that Rea had finished off the podium in what has been a remarkable season so far. His 12 races wins, 20 podiums and ability to score big points every time out gave him the edge that he and his official Kawasaki team used to such effect – from the first race win in Australia in February to his championship win in Spain in mid September.
Tom Sykes has now scored four race wins in the season so far, playing his full part in helping Kawasaki secure the Manufacturers’ Championship after the second race at Jerez. Tom had a typical front running success in the first race today, leading every lap and enjoying an impressive margin of victory of almost three seconds. Choosing a less than ideal tyre option for race two meant he led for ten of the 20 laps, but dropped back to fifth place.
Rea has grown his points total to 478 after Jerez. Race two winner Chaz Davies is second overall on 353 and Sykes has 331 points, in third.
The next round will be held in Europe again, at the Magny-Cours circuit in France, on October 4th.
Jonathan Rea: “This is an amazing moment for me in my career because I started schoolboy motocross when I was six years old, spending time at race circuits with my father and growing up in a racing environment, so I always dreamed of being world champion. So to finally be here and be world champion is incredible. There has been a lot of hard work from myself, sacrifice and dedication from my family, but most of all this championship would not be possible without Kawasaki. I want to thank both my team manager Guim Roda, and Steve Guttridge from KME, who really believed in me and gave me this opportunity. Right now it has not sunk in. When my mechanics were putting the number 1 sticker on the bike out on track it felt really strange but I am just so happy and grateful for this opportunity. There have been many ups and hard times. Moments like this are even more special because of the challenges I have faced with injuries, a broken wrist and a bad fracture of my femur. When I watched the 2002 World Championship between Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss I got so much inspiration from this it became my dream. It became like, ‘I have to do this.’ So even in tough times I never doubted my ability. Finally we are here today so hopefully this can also inspire some other young riders to start, or for young riders who are already racing to never give up on their dream. Right now it still does not feel real but I am world champion and I am really proud.”
Tom Sykes: “Overall I am fairly satisfied because we have never won at this circuit, so considering the whole season today is fairly acceptable. We struggled in race two and perhaps chose the wrong front tyre in that race. It was the same as race one and even in race one I did not have a good feeling with the front. But when you win with that margin at a circuit you have never won at before it’s is still good. I think if we had changed the front tyre we would have had a much different bike to compete for race distance. It is great to be part of Kawasaki winning the Manufacturers’ Championship. Obviously the majority of the points have come from Jonathan but I think that over the years I have helped create an environment and package that helped all the riders who have contributed toward Kawasaki’s first Manufacturers’ title.”
David Salom (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) secured 11th and 12th places at his home round, while his compatriot Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) was 11th and a non-finisher. Roman is 14th in the championship standings and David 15th.
More, from another press release issued by Kawasaki:
Jerez Win Extends Sofuoglu’s Championship Lead
Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) recorded his fifth FIM Supersport World Championship race win of the year as the three-time champion extended his championship lead at Jerez in Spain with a start-to-finish victory.
After positive machine development work in the summer break from his team, and hard physical preparation from the rider himself, Sofuoglu was ready to face 19-laps around the 4.423km Jerez circuit, particularly as he was starting from pole position.
With his main championship rival Jules Cluzel out through injury Kenan just had to make sure he finished ahead of Patrick Jacobsen to ensure he extended his championship lead.
At the mid-stage of the race Jacobsen threatened to close in on Kenan’s advantage but upping his pace at a crucial point Sofuoglu widened his leading gap, easing up over the line to finish 1.037 seconds from Jacobsen. Lorenzo Zanetti was third.
Kenan now has 193 championship points, Jacobsen 160 and Jules Cluzel an unchanged 155. These totals give Kenan a 33-point advantage over Jacobsen with only a maximum of 50 points available for any rider from now to the end of the season in Losail.
Kenan lifted his career race wins in WSS to 32, twice as many as the next best rider in the record books Fabien Foret, who was part of the official SRC Endurance team that won the Bol d’Or for Kawasaki this weekend.
Having qualified fourth Marco Faccani (San Carlo Puccetti Racing Kawasaki) rode hard at a hot Jerez to take sixth place in the race and move into the championship top ten, with 53 points.
Christian Gamarino (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) went eighth today and Dominic Schmitter (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) 12th.
Kenan Sofuoglu: “Today the tarmac was very warm but I knew this race was very important for me and I had to take maximum points. I knew I could not crash and I took the lead, according to my plan. I stayed with the group behind for around five laps, but after that my plan was to try and go away a little bit. I knew we were very good on a used tyre. I made a bit of a gap around one second so when Jacobsen came a little bit closer I started to push again. With two seconds of a gap I just rode to maintain it and stay on the bike. We did a lot of work and at Jerez we were fast in every session. We are very happy and today we got the results for all the good work we did in the summer break.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
TWO APRILIAS ON THE PODIUM AT JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA
IN RACE 2 JORDI TORRES FINISHES SECOND AHEAD OF LEON HASLAM
LORENZO SAVADORI JUST ONE POINT FROM THE TITLE IN THE SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP
Jerez, 20 September 2015 – The Superbike weekend at Jerez de la Frontera ended with to Aprilia RSV4 machines on the podium.
In Superstock 1000 FIM Cup just one point separates Lorenzo Savadori and his Team Nuova M2 Aprilia from the championship title after taking third in the race today.
In Superbike home town hero Jordi Torres, who started the race from the second row, had some difficulties braking in Race 1 from the first laps, ending up in the middle of the pack and having to settle for a twelfth place finish. Leon Haslam made a great comeback, starting from the twelfth spot on the grid and crossing the wire in fifth place.
In Race 2 the Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils riders got off the line well when the lights went out, with Jordi in third and Leon in fifth. Without pushing too hard on a boiling hot track, they maintained a consistent pace looking after their tyres carefully. This was a factor which, from the midrace point on, allowed them to overcome their adversaries until moving into second place for Jordi Torres, followed by team mate Leon Haslam. There was no lack of excitement in the final moments with Leon braking hard in an attempt to overtake, an unsuccessful but highly spectacular move.
Jordi Torres: “I’m very happy about the result in Race 2. I really wanted to do well here at home. The team worked perfectly and I gave 100% every time I went out on the track. From about midrace on I had to change my riding style a bit to accommodate tyre wear. With this heat it was very difficult but in free practice we worked on the settings precisely in consideration of this problem. In Race 1 I got off the line well but in the first turn I shifted into neutral and ran on. I tried to recover but I just didn’t have the right feeling with the front brake and I had to settle for collecting some championship points.”
Leon Haslam: “The conditions in Race 2 helped us out. We worked to solve yesterday’s problems and we were successful. If I was sure after FP3 that I could win, after Superpole I would have been happy with a podium, given my position on the starting grid. I managed to get off the line well and come back in both races, but in the first I was struggling coming out of the slow turns. In Race 2 we corrected this problem but the podium still wasn’t easy since after 9 laps the tyres had already begun to deteriorate and it would have been easy to make a mistake. I’m pleased with this podium. I hadn’t been there since Misano and having two Aprilias up there is well-deserved satisfaction for the team.”
More, from a press release issued by Voltcom Crescent Suzuki:
Strong seventh for Lowes and Voltcom Crescent Suzuki on turbulent Jerez raceday
Alex Lowes secured a seventh place finish for Voltcom Crescent Suzuki in the opening World Superbike race at the Jerez circuit in Spain today.
A good start from his ninth place grid-spot saw Lowes manoeuvre his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R into seventh by the third lap of the day’s first race. Faced with a fairly solitary but strong run for the remainder of the contest, the British racer continued to hold his rhythm steady securing nine points as the chequered flag was raised.
A challenging afternoon saw Lowes pit for a new rear tyre on lap two of the second race – a switch that ultimately proved too slick as he collected a ride through penalty for failing to meet the desired pit intervention time. However, he got back up to speed quickly, impressively matching the leading pace consecutively despite being placed at the back of the field. While his 18th place finish barely reflects the effort and potential on show, Lowes is pleased with the performance of himself and the GSX-R1000 and is looking forward to the season’s final European race in two weeks’ time.
Randy de Puniet concluded his first Superbike race at the Jerez circuit just shy of the points. Using race one to adapt his riding style to the bike’s character – having solved the weekend’s braking issue overnight – the Frenchman battled with the 13th place group before consolidating 16th at the line. De Puniet’s difficult day continued into the afternoon as a technical issue affected his Suzuki GSX-R on the sighting lap for race two before he was forced to retire the bike at turn 11 of his sixth lap due to engine failure. The French round of the championship now beckons for the Maisons-Laffitte-born racer who is hoping for a positive weekend on home-turf.
Thoroughly enjoying their own ‘home event’, Kawasaki celebrated securing both the Rider (Jonathan Rea) and Manufacture Championship titles under Jerez’s clear blue Spanish skies, despite Rea being absent from the podium in both races. As temperatures rose from 25 to 29°C in the stands and 29 to 43°C on track, his teammate Tom Sykes claimed victory in the opening race, while Ducati’s Chaz Davies continued his recent form to take the win in race two.
De Puniet’s home race is next on the agenda for Voltcom Crescent Suzuki, as the World Championship visits Magny Cours, in France, on Sunday 4th October.
Alex Lowes:
“Overall a slightly disappointing day but we had a solid seventh in race one. We made the bike better for race two and had really good pace, but unfortunately we had an issue with the tyre at the start, which if it wasn’t for this, we could have had an even stronger second race. I’m pleased with how I’ve been riding all weekend, the team have worked hard and I did the best I could for 40 laps, unfortunately we didn’t get the results we wanted but we’ll look forward to Magny-Cours. I feel like I’m riding the best I have all season so my confidence feels good and I’m looking forward to the last two rounds of the year.”
Randy de Puniet:
“Two difficult races for me today. We fixed the problem with the brake this morning, which was good but I needed time to adapt my riding style with this. In race one the brake was consistent but I was not 100% comfortable with the bike, I was racing with the guys who finished 13th all race but unfortunately I finished 16th. In race two my bike stopped on the sighting lap so I had to push it to the grid. The team fixed the issue in time but after six laps I broke the engine. A weekend to forget again and I really hope for more luck in Magny-Cours for my home race.”
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“Race two brought a disappointing end to what genuinely has been a very positive performance over the weekend here at Jerez. We’ve struggled in the past in the very hot temperatures with the GSX-R but new suspension parts this weekend and Alex improving his technique in these conditions found much more competitive pace. Alex was disappointed with seventh in the first race but it was still a very strong performance and the second race – with some changes that took the bike in the right direction – promised a top five result. The problem causing Alex’s need to stop and change the rear tyre after only two laps was very disappointing, but we then suffered a further set back with a ride-through penalty after changing the tyre too quickly. The fact that Alex then dug in, rode to the maximum over the full course of the race, and over the last ten laps matched the podium challengers, enables us to take some positives.
“The weekend for Randy again was difficult. Primarily we have to thank Tomo from Nissin BS for supplying a complete new braking system to try and test on Sunday which brought an immediate improvement for Randy in terms of consistency and predictability and we will use this until the end of the season. With that problem fixed, unfortunately Randy’s pace wasn’t good enough to score points in race one, despite coming close, and in race two some changes in the set up to help him further weren’t able to be evaluated due to his technical problem on lap six.
“Many positives to take from Jerez and an equal number of disappointments, but I feel we have plenty still to prove and plenty to race for in the final two rounds of the championship.
“I would also like to send our congratulations to Suzuki and the SERT team for winning the 2015 Endurance World Championship at the Paul Ricard Circuit this afternoon with a third place finish in the Bol d’Or 24 hour race. It’s great to see Suzuki have this success in the 30th Anniversary colours while celebrating the GSX-R’s legacy and it’s nice to end the day on a positive note!”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda:
Van der Mark impresses with Spanish podium
Michael van der Mark took the third podium of his rookie World Superbike championship season today, taking his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP to third place in the first race of round 11 of the series at Jerez in Spain. The race was won by Tom Sykes.
Starting from fourth place on the grid, van der Mark dropped a position going into turn one but never lost touch with the leaders. By mid-race, the 22-year-old had passed Jonathan Rea, who finished fourth to secure the 2015 World Superbike championship title.
It was van der Mark’s first podium since he doubled up at Assen in the Netherlands in April and in this afternoon’s second race he looked to be on his way to another double podium. He had fought his way up to fourth place and was challenging Leon Haslam for the final podium position when he crashed unhurt at turn six.
Van der Mark was able to right his lightly-damaged CBR and re-join the race, matching the lap times of eventual winner, Chaz Davies. The Dutch rider finished in 13th place to consolidate seventh place in the overall championship standings.
Pata Honda team-mate Sylvain Guintoli, meanwhile, was unable to match the pace of van der Mark in today’s two races. The French rider finished 10th in race one and 9th in the second 20-lap outing at the 4.423km Jerez circuit.
The Pata Honda team will remain at Jerez for a one-day official test tomorrow before heading back to the workshop in the Netherlands to prepare for the penultimate round of the season at Magny-Cours in France on 2 October.
Michael van der Mark – 3rd and 13th
All weekend I’ve had some difficulties with the clutch, so the start in race one was not perfect. I managed to stay with the guys even though I was missing some grip at the beginning. As the pace dropped a little I was able to close the gap but I had to wait a little more before I could pass Leon [Haslam] and Jonathan [Rea]. I tried to close the gap to Chaz [Davies] but the grip was not there. Race two was a little bit similar at the beginning and I closed the gap to the front as the pace began to drop. I had a good feeling when I got to the back of Torres and Haslam so I was holding back a little bit because I saw they were pushing really hard. Then I just lost the front in a slow corner and crashed. I was able to get back on and do some good lap times before the end of the race and I think overall I must be happy with the performance this weekend. We finally had a weekend without problems and that’s really good for my motivation, and of course the podium is great motivation for the whole team.
Sylvain Guintoli – 10th and 9th
It’s been a difficult Sunday. I thought we could have done a bit better than this, to be honest, but it was a bit of a struggle. I was trying really hard in the races and maybe that wasn’t the best thing. I just lost my mojo a bit and didn’t feel comfortable. The feeling was not good and the pace wasn’t there so it’s been a very difficult Sunday. We need to have a sit down to put it back together. Hopefully it will be a different story at Magny-Cours; it’s a track I really like and I want to finish the season strongly so I’ll reflect on what happened here and why I was so slow and try to understand how to pick it back up.
Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator
Sylvain struggled a little today. We made some changes on the bike which didn’t really work out and he wasn’t able to get into a rhythm in either race. It’s a shame because on Friday everything was looking quite good, but he wasn’t able to show his full potential today. The next round is at Magny-Cours though, and we know he’ll be back then. Michael showed really good pace all weekend and his qualifying performance yesterday gave him the boost he needed to race for the podium. It’s the first podium for him and the team since Assen and it makes us really happy, especially here at Jerez, which has not been a good circuit for us in the past. In race two Michael was challenging again but, even after his crash, he was able to put in some impressive lap times, matching those of the race winn er. Overall it was a good weekend for Michael and it’s good that he has been able to show his potential along with that of the team and the CBR.
More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing:
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain) 20 September 2015
The eleventh round of the 2015 eni FIM Superbike World Championship came to its conclusion today under the Andalusian sun at Jerez. Team Althea has achieved a positive result overall, with Matteo Baiocco sixth in SBK race 2 and eighth in the general standings, and Raffaele De Rosa scoring a second place finish in the Superstock 1000. A rather unlucky day for Niccolò Canepa.
Superbike race 1: Niccolò Canepa got away very well and was lying behind Sykes, Rea and Davies, keeping pace with them and keen to pass the factory Ducati that was immediately ahead of him. Unfortunately a crash on lap two put paid to the potential shown up to that point. Matteo Baiocco did not make such a good start and battled with riders further back. He strived to catch up to the group ahead of him, against whom he’d proved competitive in the practices. From the mid-race he recorded a series of laps with times very close to those of the leaders and was finally able to get the better of Guintoli and Camier to conclude the race in eighth place.
Superbike race 2: This time Baiocco made a better start and concentrated on setting a good pace to make up ground. He came across former world champion Guintoli and was caught up in a close battle with him, before passing him and moving on to aim for Pirro on the second factory Ducati. Matteo, proving that he has both ability and grit, was four tenths behind Pirro but was able to get past the Italian and achieve a fantastic sixth place finish, just 1.2 seconds from Sykes immediately ahead of him. A very different result for Canepa who was slowed down by a gearing problem. By gritting his teeth, in the end he was able to finish eleventh. Matteo Baiocco, thanks to today’s performance, regains eighth position in the general standings and may be able to improve on this before the end of the season, with four races still to run.
Today was the penultimate race for those in the Superstock 1000 category and Raffaele De Rosa returns home having scored a fantastic second place finish.
In the race, he was slowed down by a difficult start that saw him having to fight with various riders to make up positions while the gap between him and leader Tamburini increased. Lapping with times in the low 1’45s, Raffaele was able to get past both Massei and Jezek and once he moved into second place, he had a free track and could work to catch Tamburini. At that point tyre wear came into play, as a result of the high track temperatures, and he had to settle for what is nevertheless a great second place finish. De Rosa is in third place in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup and still has a chance to take his first race win at Magny-Cours on 4 October.
The Superbike World Championship still has two events left to run.
Matteo Baiocco: “It was a great weekend for me. I did well and limited the distance between me and the leaders. In race 1 I maintained a good pace after making a mistake at the start, but in the race 2, after a good start, I crossed the line sixth which has put me into eighth position in the standings. I want to continue like this until the end of the year.”
Niccolò Canepa: “It was a good weekend because, like at Laguna Seca, we were able to stick with the frontrunners. Unfortunately in race 1, as I tried to keep pace with the leaders, I crashed. The good race pace I found once back on track bode well for the second race but then in race 2 I unfortunately had a problem with the gearing that caused me to lose concentration. Now I’m looking ahead to the French round in two weeks’ time.”
Raffaele De Rosa: “This weekend was a little difficult and I suffered during all the sessions. I didn’t make the best start to the race and had to make up some positions, losing precious time as Tamburini increased the gap. This is nevertheless an important result and I want to thank the team that has worked so hard and allowed me to bring home this second place finish here today.”
More, from another press release issued by Pata Honda:
Smith takes CBR to fourth place at Jerez
Kyle Smith rode his Honda CBR600RR to fourth place in today’s tenth round World Supersport championship race at Jerez in Spain.
The race was won by Kenan Sofuoglu as Smith’s fellow Honda CBR rider Patrick ‘PJ’ Jacobsen took second, with Lorenzo Zanetti securing the final podium position, denying Smith by 1.5s at the flag.
Pata Honda’s Smith, 23, had qualified in fifth place for today’s 19-lap race at the 4.423km Jerez circuit. He struggled to make an impact in the early stages but, as his fuel load and grip levels decreased, he found he was able to make inroads and match the lap times of the leading riders.
However, Smith ran out of laps, crossing the line 3.5 seconds behind Sofuoglu to retain sixth place in the overall championship standings with two rounds remaining.
Kyle Smith – 4th
I struggled a bit at the beginning of the race like I have for most of the season. I’m not sure whether it’s bike set-up or the full tank of fuel but I just can’t seem to hold the pace at the beginning of races. But halfway in the pace was really really strong and I managed to claw my way back to fourth. I really felt like I had the pace to run with the front two but I just couldn’t make up the gap because of the amount that I’d lost at the beginning of the race. It’s something to work on for the next round, even though we’ve had the same problem all season. But we’ll see if we can come up with something!
Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator
Kyle went into the first turn in fifth and the front runners gapped him a little bit. It took him a while to get in the groove but when he got going he was really doing some good lap times and making up the gap to the front runners. In the end he got up to fourth but it seems the race was just a little bit too short for him to reach the podium. He had a really positive weekend with the team though and we’ll take that to Magny-Cours with the aim to go one or two places better.
More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:
Jonathan Rea is FIM Superbike world champion, Kawasaki wins the Manufacturer Championship; Pirelli tires contribute to improving race time by six seconds compared to last year
On the Jerez track the Northern Irish rider clinched the first world championship of his career in Race 1 with two rounds still left in the Championship and the manufacturer from Akashi, thanks in part to the performance of team mate Tom Sykes, wins its first ever Superbike Manufacturer Championship
Pirelli continues their development work that has been done throughout the year: at Jerez the tire manufacturer improves race time, Jonathan Rea sets the new lap record and Tom Sykes sets the new track fast lap
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), 21 September 2015 – On the Andalusian track at Jerez de la Frontera, Northern Irish rider Jonathan Rea was crowned FIM Superbike World Champion with 2 rounds still left to race in the season whilst his team, Kawasaki Racing, won the first Manufacturer Title in the history of the Akashi-based manufacturer in the factory derivative championship.
Pirelli, for its part, finished the weekend at Jerez with encouraging signs and important information to continue its development operations. Contributing to improving the race time by about six seconds with respect to 2014 was positive, as well as allowing Jonathan Rea and his team mate Tom Sykes to respectively set the new lap record and the new track fast lap. In the meantime the riders will already have various new solutions for the rear available to them for the tests scheduled for tomorrow, but above all there will be new front solutions that could prove to be very important for improving the current range.
In Race 1, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) got off the line well with the team champion Jonathan Rea right behind him, followed by Ducati rider Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing). In the third lap, Canepa crashed and was forced to give up several positions, whereas during the seventh lap Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati SBK Team), who starting from the sixth spot on the grid had managed to move up into third place, passing Rea for second. Behind them in fourth and fifth place were Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati SBK Team) and Michael Vd Mark (PATA Honda World Superbike Team).
During the 11th lap, Haslam and Vd Mark closed the gap on the Championship leader and the Dutchman managed to overtake him. In the thirteenth lap Haslam also got more aggressive, beginning to press the Northern Irishman for fourth place and even succeeding in overtaking him temporarily before the Kawasaki rider was able to come back. At the end of the race it was Sykes who saw the chequered flag first, followed by Davies and Vd Mark, with Jonathan Rea in fourth place to earn the World Champion title.
Between Race 1 and Race 2 the FIM Supersport World Championship race was also held, unfortunately without MV Agusta standard bearer Jules Cluzel on the grid due to an accident on Friday which resulted in a compound fracture of the left tibia and fibula, as well as a dislocated right shoulder. With his most competitive rival for the championship out of commission, Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), starting from pole position, easily dominated the race, further increasing his lead in the overall standings and making a serious claim to the World Champion title. Crossing the wire behind him were American rider Patrick Jacobsen (CORE” Motorsport Thailand), who is now lying second in the overall standings at 33 points behind the Turkish Kawasaki rider and with a five point advantage over Cluzel, and Lorenzo Zanetti (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) who strengthens the hold on his fourth place in the overall standings.
It was an excellent start for Tom Sykes in Race 2 as well. The British rider created a sizeable gap already in the first lap as behind him Chaz Davies and Jordi Torres battled it out for second place. World Champion Jonathan Rea was farther back in fourth place. During the ninth lap Leon Haslam managed to get by Jonathan Rea, moving into fourth place and a lap later Vd Mark also overtook the World Champion, relegating him to sixth place.
However, in the 11th lap there was a race upset: Ducati rider Chaz Davies overtook Tom Sykes for the lead. A lap later Jordi Torres, Leon Haslam and Michael Vd Mark also passed the Race 1 winner, and in the fifteenth lap team mate Jonathan Rea also managed to do it.
A crash in the sixteenth lap by Michael Vd Mark and Matteo Baiocco overtaking Michele Pirro for sixth place were another two important episodes before the win went to Chaz Davies, crossing the line with a gap of almost two seconds ahead of Jordi Torres and more than two ahead of Leon Haslam who finished on the bottom step of the podium. Jonathan Rea’s fourth place and Tom Sykes’ fifth place were enough for Kawasaki to mathematically win the Manufacturer Championship.
In the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, Roberto Tamburini (Team MotoxRacing), winning the race, remains the only potential contender in the fight for the title with Lorenzo Savadori (Nuova M2 Racing). In fact, finishing the race in third place, the latter now has a 25 point advantage over the BMW rider, but if Tamburini were to win the race at Magny-Cours and Savadori were to finish without points, Team Motoxracing rider would win the Championship because even with the same points and wins he would have won the last race. The championship title will therefore come down to the last round which will be held in two weeks on the French circuit. For the record, the second step of the podium went to Raffaele de Rosa (Althea Racing).
Yesterday the penultimate race of the FIM Superstock 600 World Championship was also held. With the world title already safe in hand, Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) preferred to stay off the track due to pain from a clavicle broken during training. This round it was Michael Ruben Rinaldi (San Carlo Team Italia) for the win ahead of Spaniard Augusto Fernandez (Pata-Honda Junior Team) and Davide Stirpe (Scuderia Maran.ga Racing).
The comment from Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Moto Racing Director:
“First and foremost I would like to congratulate our new World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki Racing Team. Rea had a truly extraordinary season and he demonstrated superior performance that I don’t think has ever been seen before in the history of the World Superbike Championship. His consistency and tenacity were rewarded and I’m happy for him because he has always been a very fast rider and this year he was able to show everyone his great talent. As always, success is never the merit of an individual. Rea had a great team of mechanics and technicians supporting him who made an important contribution to winning this title and, more generally, Kawasaki did an exceptional job, as is demonstrated by Tom Sykes placing in the Championship as well. As for the performance of our tires, we are quite satisfied. We brought new solutions to Jerez both for Superbike and Supersport which performed well in some cases, and not so well in other cases, so we need to follow up with more testing. Obviously development does not stop here for us but will also continue in the next two rounds and, above all in the tests tomorrow, where we will be providing other new solutions for the riders, both front and rear, and we’ll be making some final assessments of the work done this year in order to make further improvements in 2016.”
The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders:
In Superbike various solutions were used by the riders. On the front the most popular tire in both races was the S1699 SC1 development solution, the one most used in 2014 and 2015. In fact, this option provides greater support going into turns which favours a more precise ride. The début of the new T1616 was also good, an SC1 compound tire that had never before been brought to the races but which the riders had tested during the tests at Portimão in June and which was quite popular here at Jerez thanks to its greater stability and precision with respect to the standard SC1. Six riders in all used this second solution, including the two Kawasaki standard bearers, Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea. The second most used solution was the new T1616, an SC1 compound tire that had never before been brought to the races but which the riders had the opportunity to test during the tests at Portimão in June. A total of seven riders used this second solution, including the two Kawasaki standard bearers, Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea.
On the rear the two available solutions were more or less equally popular with the riders. Chosen by about 3/5 of the riders, the T0611 SC0 development solution was introduced at Imola and then also brought to Portimão, Misano, Laguna Seca and Sepang. It uses a very soft compound which is able to provide an extremely high level of grip if used at high temperatures. On the first four rows of the grid all the riders used this solution with the exception of Canepa, Baiocco and Salom. The riders who did not use this tire opted for the Standard SC0.
In the Supersport class about 80% of the riders chose the SC1 compound S1485 development solution for the front which was first used at Misano in 2014 and this year in Australia, Spain, Holland, Italy, Great Britain, Portugal, the USA and Malaysia. On the rear, in addition to the soft standard solution, Pirelli brought two development solutions, also in SC0 compound, but in a larger 190/60 size. Of these, the most used was the U0757, which had been developed mainly for Phillip Island.
Pirelli Best Lap Award:
The Pirelli Best Lap Awards are given to the riders who put in the fastest lap in the Superbike and Supersport races. They were presented at the Paddock Show during the press conference which follows the podium at the end of Superbike race 1 and race 2 and the Supersport race.
The Superbike and Supersport rider who has earned the most “Pirelli Best Lap Awards” will be elected “Best Lap Winner: fastest rider of the year” and will be awarded during the ceremony at the end of the year. Jonathan Rea is leading the Superbike standings with 9 Best Laps won, Jules Cluzel the Supersport with 5 Best Laps.
These are the riders who won the Pirelli Best Lap Awards at Jerez:
WSB Race 1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’41.136 (2nd lap)
WSB Race 2 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’42.238 (2nd lap)
WSS – Patrick Jacobsen (CORE” Motorsport Thailand), 1’44.177 (3rd lap)
The overall standings after eleven rounds are as follows:
WSB: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team): 9; Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team): 6; Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati SBK Team): 5; Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils): 1; Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team): 1
WSS: Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse): 5; Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Team): 3; Patrick Jacobsen (CORE” Motorsport Thailand): 2
The 2015 Pirelli statistics for the Jerez round:
• Total number of tires Pirelli brought: 4282
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 5 rear
• Number of tires available for each Superbike rider: 35 front and 29 rear
• Number of solutions for the Supersport class (dry, intermediate and wet): 5 front and 5 rear
• Number of tires available for each Supersport rider: 24 front and 26 rear
• Temperature in Race 1: air 25° C, asphalt 29° C
• Temperature in Race 2: air 29° C, asphalt 43° C
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tires: 276.9 kms/h, in Race 1 by Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) at 9th lap.
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tires in Supersport: 245.5 kms/h, by Kyle Smith (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) at 2nd lap.