Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Donington Park, England
May 28, 2016
Provisional Race One Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 23 laps, Total Race Time 34:04.276, Best Lap Time 1:28.215
2. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -2.869 seconds, 1:28.023
3. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -9.808, ran off track, 1:27.988
4. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta 1000 F4), -13.747, 1:28.857
5. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -14.007, 1:28.966
6. Lorenzo SAVADORI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -14.640, 1:28.624
7. Jordi TORRES, Spain (BMW S1000RR), -16.337, 1:29.012
8. Michael VAN DER MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -16.535, 1:29.087
9. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), -36.874, 1:29.285
10. Anthony WEST, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -39.074, ran off track, 1:29.544
11. Markus REITERBERGER, Germany (BMW S1000RR), -41.144, 1:29.679
12. Xavi FORÉS, Spain (Ducati Panigale R), -41.275, 1:29.547
13. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -48.094, 1:29.601
14. Josh BROOKES, Australia (BMW S1000RR), -50.125, 1:29.740
15. Dominic SCHMITTER, Switzerland (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -78.008, 1:31.249
16. Pawel SZKOPEK, Poland (Yamaha YZF-R1), -89.605, 1:31.671
17. Saeed AL SULAITI, Qatar (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -1 lap, 1:31.569
18. Imre TÓTH, Hungary (Yamaha YZF-R1), -2 laps, 1:35.351
19. Luca SCASSA, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -7 laps, DNF, mechanical, 1:30.471
20. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), -9 laps, DNF, crashed twice, 1:28.132
21. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -10 laps, DNF, crash, 1:29.118
22. Matthieu LUSSIANA, France (BMW S1000RR), -14 laps, DNF, retired, 1:31.571
23. Cameron BEAUBIER, USA (Yamaha YZF-R1), -23 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded
24. Sheridan MORAIS, South Africa (Kawasaki ZX-10R), DNS
25. Alex LOWES, UK (Yamaha YZF-R1), DNS
Championship Point Standings (after 13 of 26 races):
1. Rea, 273 points
2. Davies, 215
3. Sykes, 212
4. Giugliano, 138
5. Van Der Mark, 133
6. Hayden, 126
7. Torres, 112
8. Camier, 86
9. Savadori, 76
10. Lowes, 70
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Donington: Day 2
Magnificent Seventh for Sykes
KRT rider takes Race 1 as the drama unfolds around him
Kawasaki rider Tom Sykes has taken victory in Race 1 at Donington Park, his seventh in a row at his home track. Ducati’s Davide Giugliano came home in P2 and reigning Champion Jonathan Rea completed the podium in third in a drama-filled race.
Ducati rider Chaz Davies got the best launch off the line in Race 1 from the middle of the front row, diving down the inside to take polesitter Tom Sykes into Turn 1 and leading the pack in the initial stages. After a mistake from Sykes saw the Yorkshireman demoted down to P4, the two Ducatis were chased by Jonathan Rea for the lead, with Sykes fighting to recover.
Drama for both the Race and title fight hit soon after as Davies lost the front end of his Ducati, sliding out of the lead and leaving teammate Davide Giugliano to fend off the KRT attack led by Rea. The reigning Champion then made a mistake of his own at T12 and found himself chasing down a five second gap to the frontrunners, first getting past Lorenzo Savadori.
As Davies fought back into the top ten and then suffered another crash to end his race early, Tom Sykes caught Giugliano and a close battle ensued for a number of laps, with the Yorkshireman eventually taking over at the front and making the move stick. The six-time winner at Donington then concentrated on making a gap and crossed the line 2.8 seconds clear of the Italian to take his seventh win in a row at the Derbyshire track. Defending title holder Rea completed the podium in third after some difficult moments that saw the reigning Champion unable to close down on the two leaders.
Lorenzo Savadori, after an incredible front row start on his Aprilia, rode a solid race until a mistake in the last few laps saw him caught by Nicky Hayden and Leon Camier and the Italian got bumped down to P6. MV Agusta rider Camier fought with the American in Camier’s home race, eventually diving up the inside and just beating Hayden over the line. Sepang winner Nicky Hayden, after graduating from Superpole 1, struggled for pace throughout some sessions, before finding good consistency in the race and moving up from his grid spot.
Althea BMW rider Jordi Torres, after a good start, then found himself hunted down by Honda rider Michael van der Mark as the Dutchman fought back from a difficult qualifying. Only separated by two tenths for a number of laps, Spaniard Torres just held off the attack of the Honda rider as the pair crossed the line in P7 and P8 respectively.
Karel Abraham came home in the top ten for Milwaukee BMW in their home race, ahead of Pedercini replacement rider Ant West, who completed the top ten despite contact with Alex De Angelis as the San Marinese rider tried a move up the inside. Cameron Beaubier, after an impressive qualifying as replacement rider at Pata Yamaha, sadly crashed out and will be hoping to make amends in Race 2 and come home in the points.
Race 2 begins on Sunday at 15:00 local time (GMT +1), as the battle rages once again.
More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing BMW:
Torres and the Althea BMW Racing Team seventh in Race 1 at Donington; De Rosa scores Stock1000 pole
Donington Park (UK), Saturday 28 May 2016:
The Althea BMW Racing Team riders Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger concluded race 1 at Donington Park in seventh and eleventh place respectively today. Raffaele De Rosa consolidated yesterday’s impressive performance, qualifying in pole for tomorrow’s Stock1000 race.
STK1000 – qualifying: De Rosa once again demonstrated to be at ease on the English track today. During this morning’s qualifying session, which took place in dry conditions, the Althea BMW rider completed a total of fourteen laps. Proving to have a consistently fast pace, his best lap, set in 1’29.515, saw him repeat yesterday’s excellent performance, allowing him to conclude in first place and thus scoring his first pole position in the Stock1000 category.
Superpole 1: A difficult qualifying session for German rider Reiterberger today. During the 15 minutes available to him, Markus completed seven laps, the fastest of which was a 1’29.406. This result placed him ninth at the end of the session, which translated into row seven, and nineteenth place, on the race grid.
Superpole 2: Torres first completed two laps on the race tyre before returning to the track on the qualifier. With the soft tyre he was able to improve on his time by a good seven tenths, setting a best of 1’28.046 to quality on row two, in sixth, for the two races.
SBK – Race 1: From sixth on the grid, Torres oscillated between sixth and seventh place through the opening laps, chasing Camier and Hayden immediately ahead of him. Thanks to a consistent pace, but one that was also very similar to the riders lapping in front of him, the Spaniard maintained seventh position all the way to the line, bringing home 8 important championship points.
Reiterberger, caught up in traffic off the line, was lying sixteenth at the end of lap one. Gradually getting into a rhythm, the young German made up some places through the central part of the race and was lying fourteenth. Giving it his all right to the line, Markus gained another three positions in the final phase to cross the line well inside the points zone, in eleventh position.
Jordi Torres:
“Today didn’t go too badly. I think we made a good step in Superpole, with the qualifying tyre, which is important. In the race I made a good start and got into a rhythm after a few laps, but unfortunately after maybe seven laps or so, I started to notice some chattering at the rear. This movement bothered me but I did what I could to continue to maintain my pace. I was able to do so, and closed in seventh. We’re not yet 100% there in terms of race pace, but we’ve learned some useful things today that we can use for tomorrow’s race.”
Markus Reiterberger:
“Today was another tough day. We made a small adjustment on the bike but the movement and chatter remained very similar, meaning I was down in nineteenth in the Superpole. I finished eleventh in the race, making up some lost ground, but this was also due to some other riders crashing. For tomorrow we have some ideas in order to reduce the chatter and movement. I want to thank my entire team, as they are working so hard to help me through this difficult weekend. I hope we can do more tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Battling Win For Sykes As Rea Earns Third Place
As the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship season reached the halfway point today there was reasons for celebration for both Donington Park race one winner Tom Sykes and his third placed KRT team-mate Jonathan Rea. Sykes’ win gave the new model Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R its eighth the win of the season and Rea continued his immaculate 100% podium finish record in 2016.
With Sykes having taken his 35th career Superpole success just a few hours before the first race of the Donington weekend he lined up at the head of the front row, with fourth place qualifier Rea one row behind.
From the flag the action started early, with a few hard passes being put in during the first few laps, helping to leave Sykes fourth on lap two. Rea was up to second by lap seven but he ran on, for the first time, after finding a false neutral.
As the race progressed Sykes moved forward, despite having some small issues of his own to deal with, and ended up passing long-time leader Davide Giugliano on lap 17. He fought with the Italian rider for a while but extended his pace to win by a clear 2.889 seconds after 23 busy laps.
This was Tom’s seventh straight win at Donington and his third race victory of the season on the new model Ninja ZX-10R.
Rea ran out third, 9.808 seconds down, after his earlier issues and despite having the pure pace to challenge all the way to the flag.
With championship second place runner Chaz Davies crashing out of the race, Rea has a 58 point lead as he approaches tomorrow’s second day of Donington race action, while Sykes is still overall third and now only three points behind Davies at the halfway point of the year.
The second Donington 23-lap race is scheduled for 15.00 local UK time on Sunday 29th May.
Tom Sykes stated: “I have no real reason why I have won so much at Donington Park but what makes it more rewarding today is that I had to fight for it. I got a good start but a couple of the guys really made some strong passes to get in front. I am sure if we could have had some good steady laps at the beginning we also would have had good pace – but I am happy that I had to fight for it. I had some issues myself from the bike, which is unusual, but the good thing is that even considering these I dug deep and came out with 25 points. After six laps I could understand what was going on and I thought it would be very difficult, maybe impossible to win. We kept plugging away and I had to manage the bike a bit differently in some areas to compensate. Overall I am really happy to win and the plan tomorrow is to be stronger, safer and more consistent.”
Jonathan Rea stated: “My bike felt really good in the beginning of the race but near the end I started to lose some grip from the rear and suffered a little bit turning into the corners. I found neutral five times in the race and two times at the final corner I ran onto the gravel, and then had to turn around on the access road. Also in the Melbourne loop I used all of the track surface just to stay on the track. It was affecting my confidence a little bit so I started to roll of the gas and make sure I did not make any more mistakes. It is frustrating for me because at some points of the race I could see my pace was even faster than the front two guys. I was closing in on them after my first mistake. I consolidated my podium so I am happy for that but a bit frustrated that we could not fight at least Tom and Davide at the front at the end of the race.”
Anthony West (Pedercini Racing Team Kawasaki) placed tenth after a tough but rewarding race, with returnee from injury Roman Ramos (Go Eleven Team Kawasaki) also scoring points in 13th place. For the second time in 2016 Dominic Schmitter (Grillini Racing Team Kawasaki) took a point for 15th place. Saeed Al Sulaiti (Pedercini Racing Team Kawasaki) was 17th and Sheridan Morais (Grillini Racing Team Kawasaki) was unable to race through injury.
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:
SECOND SEASONAL TOP 4 FOR LEON CAMIER IN WORLDSBK
Mild climate, sun beating on the asphalt of Donington Park circuit and a few high clouds in the sky: the second day of the 7th Round of MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship was welcomed by weather conditions rather unusual for the typical UK standards.
WorldSBK – FP3, SP2, Race1
Leon Camier rode a solid race at Donington Park, finishing in Top 4 for the second time during this WorldSBK season.
The 29-years old British rider, at his home-track here in Donington Park, got the 8th place on the grid during the Superpole2 session, with a lap time of 1’28.409, preceded by the excellent 3rd time in FP3 early this morning.
When the light went off in Race 1 Leon started fast and managed to pass two riders after the first laps, becoming the group leader in the race for the podium. After a long battle with the World Champion Nicky Hayden, the British rider made the most of his MV Agusta F4 RC and finished with an excellent 4th place, gaining another 13 points in the overall standings.
WorldSSP – FP3, SP1, SP2
A few minutes before the end of Superpole1 Jules Cluzel lost his fast lap because of too much traffic on track. Unfortunately, the number 3 in championship standing has lost his access to Superpole2 for just one position, qualifying 13th (1’31.376); a lap time that in Superpole2 would allow him to start 8th in tomorrow’s race. The teammate Lorenzo Zanetti tried to take full advantage of the improvements made to the setting of the MV Agusta F3 675, going to qualify in 9th position during the Superpole2.
Leon Camier #2 – The feeling in the beginning was really good. I managed to get Torres pretty quickly but the rest of the riders has a pretty similar lap time. Anyway I managed to pass Hayden in the last few laps and it was a great satisfaction. All in all it was a really good race and I am for sure happy of our results.
Jules Cluzel #16 – I was unlucky because I deserved to go in Superpole2. The traffic on the track definitely did not help me, because in this type of qualification, in Superpole2, there are always a lot of people on the track and someone wait for the fastest riders in order to follow them. At the end of the session I did a really fast lap and I felt the bike was starting to be at its limit, so now we have to work hard to find out a way to fix this situation and get back to fight with the top riders.
Lorenzo Zanetti #87 – Maybe it was not the SP2 I hoped for, because compared to the time I did yesterday, which allowed me to stay in top 9, I have improved 0,1s. The guys in the team are working hard and it seems that the road that we found today in qualifying is the right one. Tomorrow I hope to fight for the podium, although much will depend on the pace of the top riders.
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
Top-5 finish for Hayden and the Honda WorldSBK Team in race one at Donington
Round 7 – UK
Donington Park, United Kingdom
Nicky Hayden crossed the line in fifth at the end of the 23-lap, opening race of the UK round, which is currently underway at Donington Park. In what was another sunny day in central England, his Honda WorldSBK teammate Michael van der Mark claimed an eighth place finish after a good comeback from twelfth position on the grid.
Hayden did not get the perfect launch from his seventh place in qualifying and was caught up in a three-way battle for sixth place, while in the meantime the front-runners were already pulling away. During lap six, the experienced American rider make a successful pass on Torres for seventh place at Coppice 1, before being promoted to sixth as Davies crashed at ‘Goddards’. Despite overtaking Camier during the tenth lap, Nicky had the Briton on his tail until the final stages of the race: he eventually lost fourth place on the penultimate lap but was able to hold on to fifth up to the chequered flag.
Michael van der Mark had a challenging first part of the encounter due to his poor grid position. Starting from twelfth place, the young Dutchman was able to put together a solid race and, as the race entered its final third, he was one of the quickest riders on track. He eventually bridged the gap with the group ahead, although he could not get past Torres and had to settle for eighth.
The second and final race of the UK Round will get underway tomorrow at 3pm, after the 15-minute warm up scheduled at 9:50 (GMT+1).
Nicky Hayden 69
5th
A top 5 finish is always a solid result, surely not a disaster, although after tasting a little bit of victory in Malaysia it feels a bit empty for sure. I have to thank the team because they worked really well; last night we took our time, went through everything and straight away this morning the bike was better. I was able to make it through Superpole 1 and get a decent starting position, but unfortunately I couldn’t get a good getaway. I had some inconsistency at the start and we need to understand why. Overall the bike was working well; I would have liked to be a little bit quicker but I got great positives out of the new tyre we used for the first time today; my pace was very consistent throughout the whole race, so thanks to Pirelli for that.
Michael van der Mark 60
8th
This morning we tried something on the bike which didn’t work out and in Superpole the feeling was just not there, so unfortunately I couldn’t do better than twelfth. In the race, after a good start I had a small electronics issue in the early stages that cost me some time and a couple of places, too. I was able to get up to speed again and make up some places, but in the end I couldn’t attack the rider in front of me and had to settle for eighth place. The main goal for tomorrow is to find some more grip with the new tyres; if we can manage to do that, then our second race can be much better.
Pieter Breddels
Technical Manager
This morning we tried with Nicky a new linkage that was designed especially for low-grip conditions and it worked out well. That helped Nicky advancing to Superpole 2 and getting a third row start for the race. We knew it was going to be difficult and we weren’t wrong; the front-runners pulled away immediately and he got caught up in battle for fourth. Michael was able to join that group in the final laps despite a small problem in the early stages and, just like Nicky, he had a great pace in the second half of the race, which is very encouraging for us. Now we need to review the data and come up with some more changes. If we can improve out pace a little bit more and get a good start, we’ll be in the right conditions to do well.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Second place for Davide Giugliano in Race 1 in Donington, a crash forces Davies to retire
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team further extended its podium streak with Davide Giugliano’s second place in WorldSBK Race 1 in Donington (U.K.). Chaz Davies, who took the “holeshot” to lead the race in the early phases, was unfortunately forced to retire for the first time this year due to a double crash.
Davies and Giugliano quickly took first and second position at the start of the race and set the pace after taking the second and fifth spot on the grid in Superpole. During the sixth lap, a low-speed crash in the final corner caused Davies to lose ground and rejoin the race in 16th position with Giugliano taking the lead. The Italian progressively pulled away from the pack together with Sykes, leading the race until six laps to go and finishing in second place to seal his second consecutive podium after Race 2 in Malaysia. Davies, who fiercely climbed back through the field until he reached ninth position, unluckily crashed again at turn 8, this time without being able to rejoin the race. The Welshman is still second in the championship with 215 points while Giugliano moves up to fourth with 138 points. Race 2 is scheduled for 3 p.m. local time (CET -1) tomorrow.
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34) – 2nd
“It was a hard race, as it was difficult to manage both the tyres and the energy. The battle with Sykes was both fair and fun though. We’ve been practically tied the whole race. I was expecting him to drop the pace a little, but he was faster in the final laps and when I tried to match him I realized that it would have been too risky, so now we’ll evaluate some small changes to our setup together with the team to improve in the last phase of the race. It’s certainly positive to step back on the podium after Malaysia, but we’re still not taking advantage of 100 percent of our potential and we don’t want to settle.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – Ret.
“I’m obviously disappointed. We’ve been playing catch up and we went into the race still trying to figure out our chances after missing out on some precious time during practice. Friday plays a big part in setting up the bike and choosing the right tyre, and unfortunately we couldn’t take full advantage of it, so the plan was to get a good feel for the bike lap after lap and gauge our opportunities. Perhaps of choice for the front tyre wasn’t the best, but that’s not what caused the crash. In both cases, when I released the brake, the front unloaded a bit too quickly. Still, it was good to lead for a while, and we’ll start from that to bounce back tomorrow.”
Ernesto Marinelli, Superbike Project Director
“It was undoubtedly a bittersweet race. On the one hand, we’re very happy for Davide, who confirmed his positive momentum after Malaysia taking second place again and getting progressively closer to the victory, which he barely missed today. On the other hand, we’re sorry for Chaz as one DNF is a hard blow in this phase of the championship, but it’s useless to dwell on the past and we need to look forward to have a strong reaction tomorrow. Both our riders have shown the potential to be extremely competitive, so I’m confident we can put all the pieces of the puzzle together to improve ahead of Race 2.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Disappointment at Donington for Pata Yamaha
Race
The opening race day of the UK WorldSBK round at Donington Park proved disappointing for the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK team as Alex Lowes was forced to withdraw from his home competition. After starting his debut well, new teammate Cameron Beaubier’s race also ended early with a last corner accident on the opening lap.
Confident of his early progression despite the unknown tyres, track and machine, Beaubier put on a strong showing as the Superpole qualifying session began at the British circuit. Improving on his pace during the free practice sessions, the American recorded a fastest time of 1’28.617 to take ninth position and a third row start for the afternoon’s 23-lap race.
Impressive off the lights, the young Yamaha rider was running sixth as his inaugural WorldSBK battle commenced and pushing hard, before a mistake at turn 12 brought his debut to an abrupt end. However, Beaubier is confident he can learn from the experiences so far and capitalise on his qualifying form as he returns to the track tomorrow for the second race, scheduled for 15:00 local time.
Following FP3, Lowes was forced to withdraw from the Donington event, due to the shoulder injury sustained at Sepang a fortnight ago. Despite receiving both physiotherapy and injections to enable him to compete in his home race, the local hero was unable to ride for more than three or four laps before losing strength in his shoulder at such a physically demanding track, which caused Lowes problems in terms of controlling his YZF-R1. The decision was unanimous between himself, the Pata Yamaha Team, Race Direction and the WorldSBK medical team, and while he would have loved nothing more than to compete in front of his home fans, safety remained the prime concern.
Cameron Beaubier
DNF
“Superpole was kind of up and down, I felt pretty good on the race tyre that we went out on at the beginning – we ended up going on the stiffer race tyre and I felt great. I had Giugliano in front of me and I was just pacing him and trying to get a little faster, which I did – I dropped quite a bit of time and it felt awesome! Then we went on the Superpole tyre and I obviously knew that it would have more grip, but with no experience of it I just didn’t trust it enough and made a couple of mistakes on my fastest lap. So I ended up going just as fast on my race tyre which was a bit frustrating, but third row on the grid was fine.
“In the race I got a pretty good start and slotted up into the first corner, passing a couple of guys – I think I was fifth or sixth – and yes it’s easy to say ‘it would have been a good race’ based on the first lap but I felt good straight away, right from the start, it’s just a shame that I had a little front end tuck going in to the last corner. I was pushing and really trying to get passed Savadori and do the best that I could, but I’m glad we have another day tomorrow to try and redeem myself a little bit!”
Alex Lowes
Championship: 10th / 70 points
“Gutted is an understatement! I wanted to ride for the team and for the fans but I just wasn’t able to maintain a competitive or safe pace so we couldn’t get the result that we all deserved. There isn’t much else to say, the facts are it wasn’t possible otherwise I would have given everything I have to get a result here. I now need to focus on getting back fit and healthy and look to start again at Misano so we can continue the momentum of the bike’s development and my own experience with the YZF-R1”
Paul Denning Paul Denning ? Team Principal
“Alex’s withdrawal from the event is so disappointing but there was not an option. The team and Yamaha know that Alex fully believed he would be able to compete, and had made every conceivable effort to be ready. It wasn’t to be, but the commitment and enthusiasm displayed to support the team and the project is to be applauded. The disappointment is compounded because recent developments to the YZF-R1 have created a faster, more consistent machine and we all felt that a podium challenge – with a fit rider – was a possibility.
“Cameron has ridden superbly well so far and has impressed us with his adaptability and his feedback – as well as his speed. He’d made an aggressive start and was charging hard – as you have to at this level – but made an error at Goddards. It’s not an easy corner, as both Davies and Rea will confirm after their own Race One experiences, so he’s in good company and let’s try again tomorrow!”
More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:
MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship at Donington Park: New Track Record and Victory in Race 1 for Tom Sykes. Excellent Debut for the New Soft Rear Tire Developed by Pirelli
The Kawasaki Racing Team Rider Takes Pole Position and the Race Win After Also Setting the New Track Record 1’26.712. The New V0377 Development Rear Tire is the Favorite in Race 1
CASTLE DONINGTON (England) May,28 2016 – On the English Donington Park track, British rider Tom Sykes, astride his Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R won Race 1 in the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship, earning important Championship points.
The rider from the Akashi-based manufacturer had a good day from the start: new track record for Tom Sykes in the second Superpole with an incredible time of 1’26.712, which is an improvement of almost four tenths on the previous record that he also set in 2015 at 1’27.071. In Superpole, Sykes was the only rider to drop below 1’27 proving to be a flying lap specialist. On the second row of the grid, just eight tenths behind, was Ducati rider Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), followed by an excellent Lorenzo Savadori astride his LodaRacing Team Aprilia.
Race 1 gave Pirelli excellent confirmation in terms of the new V0377 soft compound rear development option, which was used by almost all the riders on the grid.
Saturday did not start off in the best of ways with the news that the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team rider Alex Lowes had been declared unfit to race due to a fractured collarbone suffered at Sepang in Race 2, despite having participated in FP1 yesterday. The team’s hopes now rested on Cameron Beaubier, subbing for Sylvain Guintoli, who impressed everyone right away by taking the ninth spot on the starting grid.
When the lights went out Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) got off to a good start, with teammate Davide Giugliano and the Kawasaki riders, Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes right behind him, whereas Cameron Beaubier (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) was forced to retire during the second lap.
At the end of the sixth lap came an unexpected turn of events: Chaz Davies crashed but managed to get back onto the track in sixteenth place, passing the baton of race leader to Davide Giugliano. On the eighth lap, Jonathan Rea went long, losing a position to Lorenzo Savadori, only to take it back a lap later. In the meantime, Alex De Angelis crashed out on the fourteenth lap, whereas another crash ended Chaz Davies’ race a lap later.
From the sixteenth lap on, Tom Sykes went on the attack, hunting down the lead. He made his move on the next lap, forcing Davide Giugliano out of the lead.
In the end it was Tom Sykes across the finish first, followed by Italian Davide Giugliano and teammate Jonathan Rea.
Race 1 Standings:
1) Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team)
2) Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
3) Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)
4) Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
5) Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team)
6) Lorenzo Savadori (IodaRacing Team)
7) Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team)
8) Michael van der Mark (Honda World Superbike Team)
9) Karel Abraham (Milwaukee BMW)
10) Anthony West (Pedercini Racing)
The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for Race 1:
With asphalt temperatures higher than 30 degrees Celsius, the riders’ choice for the rear naturally fell to a soft compound. In particular, at Donington Park the new V0377 soft development compound, never tested by the riders until Friday was by far the most common option. Those who did not choose this solution opted instead for the SC0 or, in Lussiana’s case, the standard SC1.
The choices for the front varied: the most used option was the S1699 SC1 development solution, chosen by, among others, Chaz Davies, Davide Giugliano and Jordi Torres. Other riders, such as Luca Savadori and Nicky Hayden, opted instead for the standard SC3, a new compound for the 2016 season. Last but not least, some riders, including Kawasaki standard-bearers Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes, used the standard SC2.
Pirelli statistics for Race 1:
Number of tires available for each Superbike rider: 70, including 37 front and 33 rear