FIM Supersport World Championship
Losail International Circuit
Doha, Qatar
October 30, 2016
Race Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Kyle SMITH, UK (Honda CBR600RR), 15 laps, Total Race Time 30:51.533, Best Lap Time 2:02.433
2. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (Kaw ZX-6R), -0.006, 2:02.531
3. Jules CLUZEL, France (MV Agusta F3 675), -2.164, 2:02.664
4. Patrick “PJ” JACOBSEN, USA (Hon CBR600RR), -7.519, 2:02.743
5. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (Kaw ZX-6R), -8.843, 2:03.239
6. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (Honda CBR600RR), -9.234, 2:02.957
7. Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN, Malaysia (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -12.084, 2:02.672
8. Christoffer BERGMAN, Sweden (Hon CBR600RR), -18.278, 2:02.959
9. Massimo ROCCOLI, Italy (MV Agusta F3 675), -21.764, 2:02.917
10. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (MV Agusta F3 675), -25.040, 2:02.669
11. Ondrej JEZEK, Czech Republic (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -33.346, 2:03.299
12. Loris CRESSON, Belgium (Yamaha YZF-R6), -38.665, 2:03.998
20. Luke STAPLEFORD, UK (Triumph Daytona 675), -9 laps, DNF, crash, retired
24. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (MV Agusta F3 675), -15 laps, DNF, mechanical
World Championship Point Standings (after 12 of 12 races):
1. Sofuoglu, 216 points
2. Cluzel, 142
3. Krummenacher, 140
4. Jacobsen, 135
5. Smith, 125
6. Badovini, 86
7. Gino Rea, 81
8. Baldolini, 80
9. Caricasulo, 75
10. Nico Tuuli, 60
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
WorldSSP: Smith Wins the Final Desert Duel
Honda rider shines in the Qatari night
The final WorldSSP race of the season was an edge-of-the-seat thriller that saw Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) come out victorious over current World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) by just 6 thousandths of a second. Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) finished in third to secure the overall runner-up spot in the 2016 FIM Supersport World Championship.
It was pole-sitter Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing) and Sofuoglu who took off side by side at lights out, but got caught up in the first corner as Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) shot away at the front. Pole man Stapleford ran into trouble on turn 10, ending his race early.
Runner-up contenders Randy Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Cluzel battled for second place and quickly joined by Smith, who had worked his way up from fifth on the grid, as they crossed the line together into the second lap. The Brit had the quicker pace and by the end of the lap had overtaken Baldolini and began to pull away. Cluzel was able to maintain his pace in second but Krummenacher couldn’t and began to fall back through the order, fighting for fourth with his other rival PJ Jacobsen (Honda World Supersport Team).
Sofuoglu was briefly caught up behind other riders in fifth, but it didn’t take him long to begin his assault back towards the front. With three laps to go, the Turkish rider hunted down Smith who was over a second in front. Smith didn’t let the Kawasaki rider get away and retook his lead with two laps to go, initiating the beginning of an epic shootout for the win as the lead alternated. Both riders crossed the line side by side with Smith taking the win by just 6 thousandths of a second!
Jacobsen won the battle with Krummenacher for fourth, while the Swiss rider took fifth at the end of the race, and third overall in the Championship. Ayrton Badovini (GEMAR Balloons – Team Lorini) finished the race in sixth ahead of Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in seventh.
CIA Landlord Insurance Honda’s Christoffer Bergman came home in eighth while Massimo Roccoli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) finished ninth, while Baldolini rounded out the top ten. Ondrej Jezek (Team GOELEVEN) claimed 11th with Loris Cresson (RPM84) completing his fourth WorldSSP race in P12. Hikari Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) came home in P13 ahead of Kyle Ryde (Schmidt Racing) and Lachlan Epis (Response RE Racing) who picked up the seasons last points in P14 and P15.
WorldSSP will restart their engines for the new season at Phillip Island in February 2017. Until then, stay up to date with the latest news and videos on WorldSBK.com.
Quotes from the top three riders:
1st place
K.Smith (HONDA): “I’ve had the pace all weekend and the bike has been feeling good. I enjoy this track a lot and I won here last year. Before I went out there I was super nervous. I knew I could do it but it has to be perfect to beat the best in the world. At one point in the race, I pulled a little gap and then Kenan caught me back up. I just had to concentrate so hard and not make any mistakes. Finally, I just beat him to the line, I don’t know by how much but it definitely wasn’t very much!”
2nd place
K.Sofuoglu (KAWASAKI): “It was a very good race. Sometimes it’s not so nice winning all the time, you want a battle and sometimes you lose. Today I am not sad. I believe we did a good race. At the beginning, I lost a bit of time but later I closed the gap. On the last lap, I knew anything could happen. I’m happy we didn’t crash and we are on the podium for the last race of the season. I am happy for Smith as he needed this result more than me and I hope he gets a good team for next season.”
3rd place
J.Cluzel (MV AGUSTA): “It’s perfect and I couldn’t ask for anything more. At the beginning of the weekend if someone told me you would finish second in the championship I would say that would be so difficult. That’s what I said even before the race. But I managed to finish second, I am on the podium and that’s the main goal. I am so happy. I am the first after the winning champion Kenan. It is the third time that I am a vice World Champion, so for me, it’s quite good but now I want to be a World Champion!”
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
Jacobsen ends the season with fourth place in Qatar
Round 12 – Qatar
Losail International Circuit, Qatar
PJ Jacobsen and the Honda WorldSSP Team have completed the 2016 edition of the FIM Supersport World Championship in fourth place in the title race. In the final encounter of the season, which was contested today at the Losail International Circuit, the 23-year-old American rider was just one position off a podium place at the chequered flag. The racing year for Jacobsen ends with a tally of four podium finishes – two seconds and two thirds – and 135 points scored across the twelve races.
Jacobsen got a good start from ninth place and, by the end of the opening lap, he was already up to fourth. On board his Honda CBR600RR, PJ pushed hard not to lose touch with the leading pack, but eventually he had to give up on his podium hopes as the laps went by. In the final stages of the race, Jacobsen consolidated his fourth place and fended off a determined Randy Krummenacher.
Patrick Jacobsen 2
4th
Today I did the best that I could. The team really worked well but fourth was the maximum I could get. I tried to stay with the front runners at the beginning but I simply didn’t have the pace nor feeling to push really hard and ride like I wanted to. It’s a shame not to have made second place in the championship, but I want to thank the team, Honda and all the boys for a great opportunity and all their hard work this year.
Pieter Breddels
Technical Manager
We tried something this morning with the bike but it didn’t turn out to be the right change and it cost us some time, but at least it gave us a better idea on what to do ahead of the race. PJ had a great start and he looked like he could get into the battle for the podium, but he got stuck into fourth position and then couldn’t make time up on the leaders. This was not enough to improve our championship position, and fourth place is what we got at the end. I feel we could have finished higher this year, but that’s racing, and sometimes things just don’t go the way you’d like them to.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Sofuoglu Second After Thrilling Season Finale
Recently crowned WorldSSP champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) came within 0.006 seconds of winning what would have been his ninth victory of the year after 15-laps of hard work and high entertainment under the floodlights at Losail. Randy Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) experienced some set-up issues in his last ride of the season to finish fifth today, and eventually third in the overall championship fight.
Five-time Supersport World Champion Sofuoglu had already helped Kawasaki win their Manufacturers’ Championship recently, as well as wrapping up his own Riders’ Championship at the previous round. At Losail he had gone out to try and win another race before the season was completed.
Kenan experienced some lack of grip in the early part of the 15-lap race and he spent the first three circuits in sixth place. He climbed up the field as his experience told, led the race itself on lap 13 but was finally beaten across the line after he made a small error in the very last corner. This allowed Kyle Smith to pass him and take the narrowest of victories in a thrilling season finale.
Randy had to finish high enough up the order today to guarantee the second place he had been holding for most of 2016, but with set-up issues appearing from the start in the night race he was eventually fifth. In finishing third today Jules Cluzel eventually placed second overall, with Randy just two points behind. The final points scores were Sofuoglu 216, Cluzel 142 and Krummenacher 140.
Kenan, the most successful WorldSSP rider of all time, added to his records at this race. He now has 38 career race wins, 78 podiums in all, 30 pole position starts, 94 front row starts of all kinds and 27 fastest laps. And above all, his five world championships – the most recent three while riding the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R.
In what was his first season as a WorldSSP rider, after a career spent in the GP paddock, Randy scored a win in the first round, three podiums in all, seven front row starts and one pole position.
Kenan Sofuoglu, stated: “That was a good race and I enjoyed it. At the beginning of the race I had no rear grip. I do not know what the reason was, but after a few laps, when I saw that everybody’s tyres had dropped, I got more confidence and came back. I had to push very hard to catch Smith and on the last lap it was not easy. Just before the last corner I made a mistake due to chattering and then on the last corner I had to give way because I knew he was right by my side. I tried again on the straight but it did not happen, and by such a small margin. For me it was a very good race. I think everybody enjoyed it and it is also what the class needed. I can be happy with the result today because we are champions already, we took another podium and that is always a good thing.”
Randy Krummenacher, stated: “I was, from lap one, on the limit. I was fighting with the set-up of the bike, not the other riders. Every corner was like that. If I pushed more it was not working, going wide or spinning from the rear. Right now it is hard to accept that I have lost the possibility of second overall but today, more was not possible. Overall, I can be happy with third in the championship, as it is a kind of podium finish. This was the first season in this paddock for me so we missed out with some experience but it is difficult to understand why we struggled at this race.”
Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) scored a confident seventh place to go 11th in the final championship rankings. Ondrej Jezek (Team GOELEVEN Kawasaki) was 11th today and 14th overall for the season. Kyle Ryde (Schmidt Racing Kawasaki) placed 14th at Losail and Lachlan Epis (Response RE Racing Kawasaki) recorded his first point of the year in 15th place.
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:
CLUZEL GET THE PODIUM IN QATAR AND PLACED 2ND IN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING
With his 3rd place finish in Qatar, in the last race of World WorldSSP Championship season 2016, Jules Cluzel get the 2° place in Championship Standings for Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse; while Massimo Roccoli comeback 12 positions in race and closes 9th.
When lights go off on the straight of the Losail International Circuit, Jules Cluzel started well, moving into the second position and engaging a close battle for the lead with Kyle Smith. The battle, which will also include the World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu, goes on for all the 15 laps, with Cluzel who gets the 3° step of the podium, just 2s far from the top rider.
Thanks to this podium, the 5th in this season for the French MV Agusta’s rider, Cluzel closes the championship in 2nd place overall.
The race in Qatar gives a great satisfaction for the excellent performance of Massimo Roccoli too, who did an impressive comeback in race, starting from the 21st position up to finish in 9th position.
Jules Cluzel WorldSBK # 16 – I’m really happy. My goal in this season’s ending was the 2nd place in the championship and with today’s race we did it. It was not an easy race but I had a good feeling with my bike and I tried to push hard to stay into the top positions. I want to thank my whole team, the sponsors, my girlfriend and all my supporters for the great passion and love shown over the season.
Massimo Roccoli # 52 WorldSSP – I knew it would be a tough race and so it was. But today we had a really good bike’s setup and I was able to comeback 12 positions in the end. I am very happy about this opportunity and I really want to thank Andrea Quadranti and MV Agusta.