Santi Barragán and Stratos Team get another podium at MotorLand

Extremadura’s rider has led the Kawasaki ZX10R to third place in the first race of the day. Lights and shadows for Russell Gómez, Alejandro Medina and Luca Vitali in Moto2, who have continued working with the Ariane2 while Niko Mäkinen and Melissa Paris have continued to learn the secrets of Aragon’s track, getting points.

The work of this weekend for the Stratos Team and its riders at the demanding circuit of Motorland Aragon has been rewarded in the first of two Superbike races, with Santi Barragan in the second podium of the season after finishing third. In the second race, Barragan, was penalized because two riders have crashed in front him and he lost several positions. Then, with a lot of fight, Barragan has soared to fourth place, but a mechanical failure prevented him from finishing in that place and had to settle for ninth place.

In the Moto2 class, the two races have been marked by the problems of the three Ariane´s riders. Russell Gomez had to go off track in the first race because a rider crashes in front him, snatching all his options in the race. With his hand injured, Gomez has decided to come back to boxes and rest ahead of the second race, which has got a six place.

More complicated was the day for Luca Vitali, who has been starring with bad luck. The Italian has crashed in the last laps of the first race, while in the second race his bike hasn’t started and the marshalls have gotten him to pit lane. After the warming lap, he wasn’t aware of the signs to be placed on the grid and he has been sanctioned by Race Direction to make a ride trough penalty that he has not seen. Consequently, Race Direction has shown him the black flag. In both races the Italian was riding in the top10.

Meanwhile Medina, facing his first race in Moto2, has been in points places in both races, although he has crashed in the last corner of the first race and in the second he breaks the Ariane’s fairing, so he had to come back to boxes.

Melissa Paris, has used the two races to learn the secrets of a very technical track like Motorland Aragón is and she has reached the goal of accumulating miles and fit to this class. Paris also finished sixth in the first SSTK600 race and eighth in the second. With this result the American is eighth in the standings.

Niko Mäkinen, rider of NikoRacing Stratos, has used the two races to move forward and approaching positions entitling points. In the first race Mäkinen was 19th and he improved in the second race with a 18th. Niko has achieved his first seven points in privateers class.

Now Stratos Team heads to Barcelona-Catalunya track, where will be the next round of the FIM CEV Repsol in less than 15 days.

Santi Barragán @Santibarragan51 -SBK- R1: 3 R2: 9

“In the first race I’ve not started well, but we know we are strong in the beginning. I stayed behind Rivas, Rodriguez and Silva and it took me almost half of the race to pass them. I knew that I had pace to be higher, but near the end of the race, the rear tire started to lose grip and I ensure the podium.

The second race was a disaster, and starts with Morales’s crash in the first corner, he almost take me out of the track and I lost a lot of places. We have been going up but, since warming lap, I have noticed that I lacked grip. I discussed that problem with the technicians and they have made some small changes on the grid, but the problem wasn´t resolved at all. In the race I had a problem with the gears and I went off the track three times, the last one, on the penultimate lap, has made us to lose the fourth place”.

Melissa Paris @meligirl13 -Moto2/SSTK600- R1:31 R2:25

“In the first race I had bad or good luck, depending how you look at it, because there has been a great crash and I have been close to crash, but I managed to avoid it, although I lost my options in the race. So I had to push hard to make the situation’s been good, because I’ve ride faster than all the weekend, but I hoped to have fight with faster riders and this situation prevented it. At the end of all I’m glad to finish my first race in Spain.

In the second race I had a good start and I’m glad to have finally fight with fasters riders than me and I enjoy it. I learned a lot fighting with them and now I know that I need to go faster at Montmeló and fight with other riders”.

Russell Gómez @RussellG17 -Moto2- R1: DNF R2: 6

“To finish like that the weekend that I debuted in the class was not in our plans and I´m with a lot of impotence. We have made a lot of efforts to recover the collarbone in time and to crash in the last corner of the first race when we were in the points places gets me very angry.

In race two I had a problem with the fairing and I had to stop It’s bad luck although I prefer the positive part of the race, we were in the points places. We made a lot of miles racing, which is something important considering that we can´t ride with good weather in the preseason test.

I know we are learning, but I think we can be ahead and that we can soon reach the top positions. After today I can only think on Montmelo´s race and to get the best possible result”.

Luca Vitali @LucaVit70 -Moto2- R1: DNF R2: DNF

“The first race we have crashed because I had a problem with the gears. In the second race we were doing a good race because I was with Porto and Vierge and I could have finished fourth, a not so bad result. However, we have seen the black flag and we could not do anything. A lot of bad luck, but I have to thank the support of the sponsors and team. In Barcelona we will have a new opportunity. “

Alejandro Medina @55_alejandro_ -Moto2- R1: DNF R2: DNF

“Terminar así el fin de semana que debutaba en la categoría no estaba en nuestros planes y me genera bastante impotencia. Hemos hecho todo lo posible para recuperar la clavícula a tiempo y ver como nos ibamos al suelo en la última curva de la primera carrera y cuando estábamos en los puntos me da mucha rabia.

En la segunda carrera el anclaje del carenado se ha soltado y he tenido que parar, es mala suerte, aunque me quedo con la parte positiva de que a pesar de todo ya estábamos en la zona de puntos.Y además hemos sumado kilómetros y en carrera, que es algo importante teniendo en cuenta que en pretemporada no pudimos hacer test con buen tiempo.

Se que estamos aprendiendo, pero creo que podemos estar más adelante y que podemos llegar pronto a los puestos de cabeza. Después del día de hoy solamente puedo pensar en la carrera de Montmeló y en conseguir el mejor resultado posible.”

Niko Mäkinen -SBK- R1: 19 R2: 18

“Today we had a good pace in the race, we learned a lot and we still have to improve to get a bit closer to the top 15. We will continue working to see if, perhaps in Barcelona, we can step forward, improving the set-up of the bike to gets better results”.

More, from a press release issued by Jason Duplantis Racing:

Tragedy Overshadows Top Ten Weekend at the WERA Cycle Jam 2014 for Jason Duplantis Racing.

Braselton, GA – Jason Duplantis achieve a best result of 9th place in the 750 Superbike race at WERA Cycle Jam at Road Atlanta this weekend. This was inconsequential in comparison to the tragic event that occurred on Saturday. During the F1 race, Duplantis’ friend and pit mate, Andy White, succumbed to injuries suffered during a crash. After this tragic event, Duplantis raced once more on Sunday for the 750 Superbike event in memory of Andy.

Jason Duplantis – “The weekend started off just as I wanted, with us lowering the lap time each time we went out. My finishes were not the best I have ever had but I will take it. Saturday went from being one of the best days at the track to one of the most tragic. Andy White was a good friend to me and just a star at racing and living life. I am honored to have been fortunate to call him a friend, and never will forget his sheer determination and drive for this sport that he loved. On Sunday, I just wanted to finish my races and ride for Andy. He will be up there watching over us while we ride, and cheering us on. We love you Andy, My heart goes out to his family and friends.

Jason Duplantis is proudly sponsored by: Millennium Technologies, KWS Motorsports, Velocity Powersports, Ballistic Performance Components, Arai Americas, BG Oils, RPM Motorsports, Hazardous Racing, VP Fuels, Alex Rata Designs, Worldwide Bearing, Doc Sanders Racing, Fly Racing, Mike Smith, and Emily.

For Information: https://www.facebook.com/CajunKid

More, from a press release issued by Jimmy Merck’s publicist:

JIMMY MERCK ON THE BOX AT THE WERA CYCLE JAM

Atlanta, Georgia’s Jimmy Merck enjoyed a fabulous weekend of racing at Road Atlanta this past weekend during WERA’s Cycle Jam onboard his Vesrah-sponsored GSXR 600, with four sprint race podiums, in as many starts.

Friday was greeted with sunny skies and a fast track. Merck continued to dial in his GSXR 600 while experimenting with different setups. At the end of the day, the bike was on rails and ready for battle, with Jimmy third at the end of 600 Superstock Qualifying.

Saturday brought gorgeous weather to Road Atlanta for a day of Regional Sprint races. Jimmy was set to compete in both Superstock races with a full day of riding Road Atlanta’s 2.54 mile road course. First up was C-Superstock Expert. With 26 competitors over six laps, the race was on! After some great battles, Jimmy came up .744 seconds short for his first podium of the day

Next up was B-Superstock, competing against the larger 750’s as well as 600’s. After a great launch, Jimmy settled in to laptimes in the mid 1:31 range, and brought it home in second for another podium!

Sunday’s National races were up next with 600 Superstock as Jimmy’s first event. A 12 lap feature race, Jimmy found himself in second and battling. He cruised home with lap times in the 1:31 range with a second place finish. Up next was 750 Superstock, a six lap sprint race. Many a wheel shown throughout this race with Jimmy coming up second for his fourth podium in as many starts for the weekend!

Jimmy is proud to work with Mark with Vesrah, Mountain Motorsports, Dunlop and Race Tire Services, Livengood, Traxxion Dynamics, Silkolene Oils, Shoei Helmets, Chris with MPH, Vortex Sprockets, Pit Bull, Cycle Gear, his father Jimmy SR, and girlfriend Bobby. Special thanks to the hippy John McGarity for his trackside assistance all weekend, and an extra shout out to Brian Livengood for his superior tuning skills and trackside assistance as well!

More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:

In the Pirelli Malaysian Round, the sixth stop on the eni FIM World Superbike Championship calendar, the Pirelli tires performed brilliantly on debut at the Sepang track and two Aprilia one-two finishes

The rear standard DIABLO™ Superbike and DIABLO™ Supercorsa in SC0 compound guaranteed top notch performance in both the top class and in Supersport, despite the asphalt temperatures which approached 60° C

Sepang (Malaysia), June 8, 2014 – The return of the eni FIM World Superbike Championship to Malaysia after a 20 year absence also marked Pirelli’s début on the Sepang circuit, a round where Pirelli was the Event Main Sponsor.

In spite of the high temperatures (36° C air temperature and 59° C asphalt) and the high humidity typical of the geographical area where the circuit is located, the Pirelli standard soft blend rear tires provided excellent performance and the Aprilia riders were the ones who capitalized on them the best, taking an historic double win for the manufacturer from Noale and for Marco Melandri who won his first ever career double win.

In Race 1 the Aprilia Racing Team riders brought home a fabulous one-two with Italian Marco Melandri who, after a series of troubles and misfortunes in recent rounds, finally took his first win of the season after a dry spell that had lasted since the Moscow round last year. Behind him team mate Sylvain Guintoli who, after starting from pole position, defended the attacks by the rider from Ravenna until the tenth lap before yielding the top spot to him. Riding to the third step of the podium was Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki).

Race 2 was red flagged after just three laps due to a technical problem with Claudio Corti’s MV Agusta F4 RR and then reduced to 10 laps at the restart. After the restart the Aprilia riders gave the fans another grand show and once again Marco Melandri managed to get the better of his team mate, overtaking him in the last lap and crossing the finish line first again. Third place went to Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) who, despite the pain in his hand caused by a fall in Race 1, still managed to ride to the bottom step of the podium which was enough for him to maintain his lead in the overall standings with 201.

In the Supersport race Michael Vd Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) took his third consecutive win of the season after the ones in Assen and Donington Park and he now leads the standings with 115, which gives him a 33 point advantage over Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta RC-Yakhnich Motorsport) who finished this race in second place. Behind the Dutchman and the Frenchman, bringing up third position, was Kenan Sofuoglu (MAHI Racing Team India) with Kev Coghlan (DMC Panavto-Yamaha) taking the Best Lap before retiring in the 9th lap. In the Manufacturer standings Honda is leading with 136 points, followed from a distance by Kawasaki at 103 points.

Comment from Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Moto Racing Director:

“First of all I would like to say that we are definitely satisfied with the way our tires performed, especially considering the fact that Sepang was a completely new circuit for us where we had never raced, or tested, not to mention the high temperature and humidity levels that make the job the tires must do much more difficult. Despite all this, our SC0 standard solution performed quite well in both Superbike and Supersport, even allowing the riders to put in some very good lap times. We are also very pleased to have been the Event Main Sponsor for this round. I think that the promoter and Dorna did a very good job promoting the round and it was very important for us to get some better exposure in this country. We also had some of our distributors and resellers from the Asia Pacific area as our guests and I must say that their approach and the interest they demonstrated in the Championship pleasantly surprised me. They were all very anxious to learn about our products, our commitment as sole supplier and obviously what is basically a new Championship for them when you consider that 20 years have passed since the last time we raced in Malaysia. As for the races, I would like to compliment the Aprilia riders, particularly Marco Melandri who was able to get back on track to success. I am happy for him. He deserves it and he rode two spectacular races. Well done to Salom also, who is very consistent and who confirmed that he is the fastest EVO rider. The Championship is still very much open, so we’ll see what the next rounds hold in store, starting with the Misano Adriatico round scheduled in 2 weeks’ time – a round which historically has been favorable for Aprilia.”

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders:

In Superbike the race solution for the rear was the standard DIABLO™ Superbike SC0, chosen by all the riders in both Race 1 and Race 2. The SC0 is the standard soft solution, ideal for tackling smooth asphalt and high temperatures and it provides maximum contact area on smooth asphalt and maximum traction development at high temperatures, in addition to its greater performance stability under thermal decline. Since being introduced at Aragón it has been used in all the rounds so far and, in this case once again, given the asphalt temperatures that approached 60° C in both races, it proved to be an almost forced selection.

On the front the most popular solution was the standard DIABLO™ Superbike SC2, chosen by about 2/3 of the riders on the starting grid. This medium-hard blend tire is ideal for high external temperatures because it guarantees solidity to the tread band and it is usually the solution that the more aggressive riders favor as they prefer a more compact tread band. The remainder of the riders opted instead of the standard SC1 solution.

In the Supersport class 21 riders out of 23 opted for the standard DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC2 solution on the front, whereas only 2 riders, Kenan Sofuoglu (MAHI Racing Team India) and Marco Bussolotti (Team Lorini), chose the standard SC1 solution. On the rear, given the high temperatures, the choice fell unanimously to the DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC0, the softest tire in the range.

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 the races, for a total of three awards each weekend. The time set by the fastest rider as well as his name are indicated and can be seen in the trophy.

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. At the moment the Superbike standings have Tom Sykes, Alex Lowes, Chaz Davies, Jonathan Rea, Sylvain Guintoli and Marco Melandri tied with 2 Best Lap Awards each and in Supersport Michael Vd Mark is the leader with 2 Best Lap Award won.

These are the riders who won the Pirelli Best Lap Awards at Sepang:

WSB Race 1 – Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team), 2’04.884 (2nd lap)

WSB Race 2 – Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team), 2’04.991(6th lap)

WSS – Kev Coghlan (DMC Panavto-Yamaha), 2’09.178 (2nd lap)

The overall standings after six rounds are as follows:

WSB: Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team): 2; Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team): 2; Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team): 2; Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team): 2; Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki): 2; Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team): 2

WSS: Michael Vd Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team): 2; Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta RC-Yakhnich Motorsport): 1; Roberto Tamburini (San Carlo Puccetti Racing): 1; Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India): 1;Kev Coghlan (DMC Panavto-Yamaha): 1

The 2014 Pirelli statistics for the Sepang round:

• Total number of tires Pirelli brought: 3456

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 7 rear

• Number of tires available for each Superbike rider: 36 front and 38 rear

• Number of solutions for the Supersport class (dry, intermediate and wet)::4 front and 5 rear

• Number of tires available for each Supersport rider: 26 front and 25 rear

• Temperature in Race 1: air 32° C, asphalt 52° C

• Temperature in Race 2: air 36° C, asphalt 59° C

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tires: 307.2 kms/h, in Race 1 by Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) at 2nd lap

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tires in Supersport: 264.9 kms/h, Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) at 4th and 6th lap.

More, from a press release issued by Team Elstad:

Team Elstad’s rider, Gavin Elstad hits the road running at Road Atlanta.

This past weekend Gavin Elstad competed at the 2014 WERA Cycle Jam at Road Atlanta.

On Friday Gavin got off to a slow start in practice but was on pace in time for qualifying. He qualified with a time of 1:32.7. Qualifying 2nd for Sundays 600 Superstock race.

On Saturday Gavin started the C Superstock race, his first race of the day, from 2nd on the grid. He got a good start and led the race from start to finish, wining the race with a fast lap of 1:31.4. Next up was the B Superstock race where he started from 3rd. Gavin was in second for the first couple of laps. He worked his way into the lead and never looked back.

On Sunday his first race was the 600 Superstock race where Gavin qualified 2nd. At the start he got the hole shot and once again led the race from start to finish, winning the race by 5.6 seconds. Gavin also set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:30.9. In his second race of the day, the 750 superstock race, he started from 3rd on the grid. Gavin won this race with a 2.1 second gap. He also set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:31.1.

“I had an outstanding weekend. Winning four out of the four races I entered. It couldn’t go much better than that. I would like to thank all my sponsors, Lenny Albin with Nitron suspension, James Richards at Kabuto Helmets, Pirelli tires, James Bock, Michael Godin at KWS, Vortex, Woodcraft, Motul, VP Race Fuels, Sidi boots, Ballistik Apparel, Impact Safe-t Armor, Zero Gravity, Papa E and my newest sponsor, Mike Colman. Thanks everybody, can’t wait for Mid Ohio!”