Editorial Note: The race was stopped prematurely by a red flag, which was brought out by a big crash involving Eugene Laverty on lap 13 of 19. The race was called complete, and results were determined by the lap 12 running order.
Race Results Presented by Fastrack Riders: 
Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
Imola, Italy
May 13, 2017
Race One Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale R), 12 laps, Total Race Time 21:21.371, Best Lap Time 1:46.393
2. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -6.696 seconds, 1:46.872
3. Marco Melandri, Italy (Duc Panigale R), -9.287, 1:46.649
4. Tom Sykes, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -9.913, 1:47.248
5. Xavi Fores, Spain (Duc Panigale R), -16.142, 1:47.600
6. Leon Camier, UK (MV Agusta F4 RC), -21.914, 1:48.051
7. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), -24.638, 1:48.469
8. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -25.792, 1:48.237
9. Roman Ramos, Spain (Kaw ZX-10R), -34.035, 1:49.142
10. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -34.585, 1:48.922
11. Alex De Angelis, San Marino (Kaw ZX-10R), -39.857, 1:49.227
12. Lorenzo Savadori, Italy (Apr RSV4 RF), -40.639, 1:49.576
13. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland (Kaw ZX-10RR), -43.089, 1:49.518
14. Raffaele De Rosa, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -43.560, 1:49.621
15. Ayrton Badovini, Italy (Kaw ZX-10RR), -47.289, 1:49.786
16. Ondrej Jezek, Czech Republic (Kaw ZX-10RR), -50.389, 1:50.443
17. Eugene Laverty, UK (Apr RSV4 RF), -25.001 seconds, DNF, crash, 1:47.663
18. Riccardo Russo, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), -6 laps, DNF, retired, 1:50.106
19. Nicky Hayden, USA (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -8 laps, DNF, retired, 1:49.709
20. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Apr RSV4 RF), -9 laps, DNF, crash, 1:48.356
21. Jordi Torres, Spain (BMW S1000RR), DNS
World Championship Point Standings (after 9 of 26 races):
1. Rea, 215 points
2. Sykes, 144
3. Davies, 136
4. Melandri, 113
5. Lowes, 84
6. TIE, Van Der Mark/Fores, 71
8. Camier, 64
9. Torres, 57
10. Laverty, 46
11. Bradl, 41
12. Ramos, 39
13. Hayden, 36
14. Mercado, 28
15. Savadori, 25
16. Krummenacher, 24
17. De Angelis, 23
18. Markus Reiterberger, 19
19. De Rosa, 5
20. TIE, Russo/Josh Brookes/Julian Simon/Badovini, 4
24. Jezek, 3
About Fastrack University:
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More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Second After Short Imola Opening Race
The planned 19-lap WorldSBK race at Imola was counted back to lap 12 for its final result after a red flag incident halted the contest, with Jonathan Rea (KRT) ending up second and his team-mate Tom Sykes fourth. With one more Imola race to run on Sunday Rea leads the championship with a new total of 215 points and Sykes is still second overall with 144.
After Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea had finished Superpole qualifying in second and third place respectively they each had designs on a podium finish in the first race, but neither was quite able to match the pace of Superpole and eventual race one winner Chaz Davies.
Rea, who first had to pass the fast starting Marco Melandri on lap five, was then in a position to keep up a high pace, but he could not draw closer to Davies. Looking to consolidate his championship lead and get the best result possible Rea scored 20 points for second place, a reward he was presented with earlier than expected after a crash for another competitor brought out the red flags.
For Sykes a loss of traction compared to his previous sessions on track at Imola was an unexpected blow to his chances of shooting for full points. He was in a close fourth place when the red flags came out, ready to make a move on Melandri in the final stages. After the red flags he was classified fourth and is still second in the championship overall.
With another race to take place on Sunday 14th, and again starting at 1pm, Rea and Sykes will have a second chance to score heavily at Imola. Under the new grid rules for 2017, Sykes’ fourth place means he will start from pole on Sunday while Rea has to go back to the third row, in eighth place, after finishing second in race one.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “In previous races I felt that if they could go faster I could go faster, that there was a little bit left in my pocket. This race I felt I was riding at the limit of my package a little bit. I had better front end stability for sure today after we changed the geometry to give me more confidence in hard braking and trail braking. This is one of the hardest stop-and-go circuits on the calendar. We struggled last year and it was a relatively difficult race again today. But to only lose five points to Chaz, and increase my championship lead – it was a good day. I am sure the new grid procedure will throw a different kind of race tomorrow, as I will be starting from eighth place.”
Tom Sykes, stated: “I thought I had decent speed but there was just a couple of areas where I felt a little bit stronger than Marco. For the last six laps we could have closed the gap to be with him but to beat him is another thing. I cannot say I would beat him because it would be unfair on Marco as he was riding well. I am just a little bit disappointed to miss some traction in that race. That is strange because the bike has been working very well on used tyres all weekend. But from the start of the race the lap time was not there and I dropped really fast. So I am disappointed in some ways but it means tomorrow I will have to make up for it from pole position.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Determined Performance by Pata Yamaha Riders in Race One at Imola
Race
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team riders Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes showed grit and determination in race one at a sun-drenched Imola on Saturday for round five of the 2017 FIM Superbike World Championship. In a shortened race, due to a red flag, there wasn?t much to separate the two with van der Mark finishing in 7th and his teammate Lowes close behind in 8th.
After qualifying 9th on the grid van der Mark was passed by his teammate off the line, but re-took 9th in the first corner. The Dutch rider was promoted to 8th when Tati Mercado crashed out on lap 3, but could not shake off the attention of his teammate as he set his sights on Eugene Laverty in 7th who was 2 seconds ahead. Gaining in confidence on his R1 as the race went on, he closed the gap to Laverty and pulled off an excellent move at the Tosa hairpin on lap 11 to move up to 7th. Just as he was settling into a good rhythm, the red flag was brought out for an unfortunate incident between his teammate Lowes and Laverty on lap 12, with van der Mark securing 7th place and collecting 9 championship points.
Lowes, who qualified in 11th, enjoyed a great start. The British rider got his R1 off the line well, fighting his teammate into the first turn.. A few corners later van der Mark would get his revenge, but due to Mercado?s crash Lowes was in 9th by the third lap. Sticking behind his teammate, Lowes also gained in confidence as the race went on. By lap 12 he had passed Laverty in 8th but there was contact between the two after the overtake, resulting in Laverty crashing and the race being red-flagged. Lowes went on to be classified in 8th, just a second behind his teammate, securing 8 championship points in the process.
Sunday’s race two is scheduled to take place at 13:00pm local time in Imola.
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team
“This morning in Free Practice 3 we had some problems with the bike, but at the end we fixed the problems and I felt quite good. I did a good lap in SP2 on the race tyre then on the qualifier I didn’t feel very happy on the bike and I had to fight a lot with my R1. I had a pretty normal start and was in a group with some other riders and at the end I passed Laverty. I felt like I was getting stronger and stronger towards the end, but I struggled a lot with turning the bike. We have to solve this problem to make the bike easier to ride on this style of track. I think starting from 9th we must be happy with the points we scored. Everyone can see it is a difficult weekend for us, so every point we score we must be happy with. Usually my race pace is quite consistent and especially at this track you see some riders struggle more and more with the grip as the race goes on. I know at the end of the race I can be strong, so hopefully tomorrow we can stay closer to the front group at the start and catch some riders at the end.”
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team
“I felt quite good on the bike, I was just tucked in behind Michael. Obviously, the race got cut short, so first of all, I hope that Eugene is okay – that’s the most important thing. I passed him at the top of the hill, we had a bit of contact, and it looks like he lost his front brake. I am really happy that he is okay as it was a very unlucky incident. I actually felt quite good in the race, it has been a tough weekend, but I was looking forward to the last few laps thinking that I could have put a good challenge on Michael. Unfortunately, we are too far away from where we need to be, but we will try and improve the R1 a bit for tomorrow and try to improve the result.”
Paul Denning
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team Principal
“We expected a challenging race today at Imola. Friday’s build up was difficult and despite the best efforts of Yamaha’s engineers, the race team, and both riders we simply have been a bit further away from the podium-pace here at Imola than anywhere else so far this season. Qualifying didn’t see significant improvements and the mentality of both riders entering the race was to be consistent, grind out the best result possible, and gather important information to improve the R1s for tomorrow. Both Michael and Alex did just that and now we have a platform on which to hopefully build and improve our performance for Sunday’s race. We would like to extend our very best wishes to Eugene Laverty, after the incident with Alex caused the red flag, and we hope he is fit enough to take the grid tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:
SOLID RESULT FOR MV AGUSTA REPARTO CORSE ON SATURDAY AT IMOLA
Another full sunny day welcomed the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship this saturday in Imola, with Leon Camier starting 4th on the grid and finishing 6th in a red-flagged WorldSBK Race1. Outstanding performance by PJ Jacobsen, who got his third seasonal pole position in the WorldSSP Tissot-Superpole2.
WorldSBK – Fp3, SP2, Race1
Camier, who here at Imola has continued his work on the new swingarm, gets a great 5th lap time in the FP3 session early this morning, showing off an excellent pace, second only to that of the first two Ducati and Kawasaki. The Ashford Kent (UK) rider then set the 4th time (1’46.434) in the Tissot-Superpole2, securing the 2nd row in Race 1 grid.
At the start of the WorldSBK race, Camier loses some position but he is able to stay close to the front group and, after a long battle with Eugene Laverty, he can finally pass the Irish rider by taking the top 6 position. The race will be declared red-flagged at six laps from the end due to a crash between Laverty and Lowes, with Camier ending up 6th and stepping up to the 8th place in the Championship Standings. Under the new rules, Camier will kick off Race2 tomorrow from the 3rd place on the grid.
WorldSSP – FP3, SP2
After securing the 3rd time in the early morning FP3, Patrick Jacobsen was the fastest rider in the Tissot-Superpole2 heat, with the American rider going to take his third pole in only five rounds. Bad luck for his teammate Alessandro Zaccone, who got the 12th position after being forced to retire from the Tissot-Superpole2 due to a crash after a few laps.
Leon Camier #2 WorldSBK – Definitely a good race and a great qualifying session. I am very happy with this result, especially because the bike worked really well for all the weekend so far. Maybe the weather will change a bit tomorrow and we have to work again on the bike’s setting; also we need to be stronger at the beginning of the race. I love this track, people here are amazing and I really look forward to another big race tomorrow.
Patrick “PJ” Jacobsen #99 WorldSSP – I am absolutely happy with my result today because this is an home race for MV Agusta and I really wanted this pole position, for my team and myself. The race tomorrow will be tough but I feel I can still improve my pace and I will be do my best to achieve the best result for all the MV Agusta fans.
Alessandro Zaccone #61 ESS – Definitely too bad crashing in qualifying session. We are improving day by day here at Imola and this means that we finally found the right direction with the setting of the bike. I start having fun and I feel I can ride my bike the way I like the most. Now we have to settle back for tomorrow’s race and hopefully we could achieve our best result here in Imola.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team:
Bradl tenth in shortened opening WorldSBK race at Imola
Italian Round
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Italy
The first race of the Italian WorldSBK round has been contested today at Imola’s ‘Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari’ under sunny skies and in high temperatures. Stefan Bradl was 10th at the end of the encounter, which was brought to an end on lap 14 by a high-speed crash involving Eugene Laverty that left Race Direction no choice but to stop the race prematurely. Unfortunately, Bradl’s Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team mate Nicky Hayden was forced into early retirement on lap five.
After bouncing back from a morning tumble in FP3 and advancing to Superpole 2, Bradl gained one position at the start of the race as he completed the opening lap in 11th. The young German rider battled throughout the race with Ramos for tenth until the red flags were deployed.
Nicky Hayden lined up on the 13th spot on the grid and was one position lower when the World Superbike field started the second lap. The 35-year-old American rider, who also had a tumble in this morning’s Free Practice 3, had to return to the pits three laps later and could not get back out again.
Race two will get underway tomorrow at 13:00 local time (GMT +2), after the usual 15-minute warm up scheduled to begin at 9:30. Bradl will line up on the 13th spot of the grid (row 5), with Hayden alongside him in 14th.
Stefan Bradl 6
10th
In one way I must say it was an exciting race here in Imola, because of the beauty of this track and also for the great crowd! To get into Superpole 2 was something positive, especially after the morning crash. The race, though, was a big challenge because it was my first time here. The tumble also affected my confidence a little bit, because it was quite a big one, but fortunately I didn’t hurt myself. A top-10 result is acceptable for today as I made some mistakes during the race – when I was on my own after the start – and had a couple of issues in getting the bike stopped, and that’s when I realised that maybe my riding style was not quite good enough for here. When Ramos passed me, I found a better rhythm, but it still took me too long to find my pace. However, I have learned a lot so I hope my speed can improve tomorrow.
Nicky Hayden 69
DNF
It hasn’t been a good day. I had a small crash this morning which cost me some important track time and then, in the race, we had an electrical problem so there was not much I could do. The dashboard went off and I didn’t know what was going on, so it was impossible to stay out. It’s a shame, really, not just for me but for the team as well. I hope we can have a better day tomorrow.
Pieter Breddels
The morning crashes set the tone for the whole day, because Nicky lost some valuable track-time and in some ways Stefan’s confidence was affected a little. The guys did an amazing job in making sure both bikes could take part in Superpole, despite the little time available to get them fixed. Stefan did well in getting through Superpole 1, while in the race he paid with his inexperience at this track, which is unlike any other on the calendar. After making a couple of mistakes, though, he found his rhythm and was able to lap in the 1’48s before the red flags came out. Nicky, unfortunately, had a completely unexpected electrical issue with his dashboard, which worked fine all the way up until the lights went out. It hasn’t been an easy day, for sure, but I hope we’ll have better luck tomorrow.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Davies registers dominant win in curtailed race
At his team’s home round Ducati man Davies scores runaway win from pole, with Rea and Melandri also on the podium in a shortened race
At the Motul Italian Round on Saturday Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took a runaway victory in a race which was shortened due to a red flag, with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) also featuring on the podium.
Davies made a brilliant start from pole and was untouchable, leading by well over six seconds when the race ended early due to a red flag, after a big crash for Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) at turns 17 to 18 – which meant track conditions were not safe for racing to continue. Laverty walked away from the incident which saw his Aprilia RSV4 RF go up in flames and he was taken immediately to the medical centre for a check up after the high speed incident.
With 12 of 19 scheduled laps having been completed at the time of the crash the rider placements at that stage were taken as the final race results, with Davies therefore claiming his second win of the season. The ever-consistent Rea picked up more important championship points in second, whilst Melandri made it a good day for Ducati on home territory in third place on the podium.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was fourth, the Englishman trailing Melandri by less than a second, whilst Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) continued his good form in fifth.
Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) produced a good ride in sixth, whilst Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) and his teammate Alex Lowes were seventh and eighth respectively. Roman Ramos (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) and Stefan Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) completed the top ten.
Leandro Mercado (IODARacing) crashed out at turn 7 early in the race, with Nicky Hayden (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) pulling into the pits shortly afterwards due to a technical issue.
Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) was unable to participate in Race 1 due to illness. The WorldSBK riders will be in action again on Sunday with their second race taking place at 1pm local time at Imola.
1st – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I got a mega start and hit the first corner hard and went from there really. I just set my pace, hit the first few laps and tried to stay consistent, to see where we were at. I think I still had a little more left in the tank as I stretched the gap on the closing laps, when things are working so good I have to say a huge thank you to the team.”
2nd – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)
“Honestly it was a good day for me, the best position I could have hoped for really. The race, we had some issues, I dont think we could have won the race but we have some changed for tomorrow. We’re really happy and congratulations to Chaz and Ducati.”
3rd – Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It was a great result for me but I did struggle with the bike, like I have for the whole weekend its not been how I wanted. It was tough to fight with Tom and after 5-6 laps I was starting to have some issues but we need to do better.”
More, from a press release issued by Althea BMW Racing:
A tough day for Althea BMW at Imola
Imola (Italy), Saturday 13 May 2017
The first Superbike race making up this fifth World Superbike round proved to be a tough one for the Althea BMW Racing team. Jordi Torres is unfortunately suffering from gastroenteritis and was thus unable to compete in today’s qualifying and race. Raffaele De Rosa crossed the line fourteenth in the SBK race, while Marco Faccani qualified sixth for tomorrow’s Stock1000 race.
Superpole 1: De Rosa was feeling motivated ahead of the Superpole but unfortunately, a crash at turn 3 in the final minutes, just as he had embarked on a fast lap, prevented him from improving his lap time. A best of 1’48.988 saw him close in sixth position, which translated into the sixth row of the grid for the two SBK races.
SBK – Race 1: From the sixth row, De Rosa held sixteenth place through the opening laps, making up a position on lap six. From there, a consistent pace saw him lap in fifteenth position as far as lap thirteen when a crash for Laverty and subsequent red flag brought the race to a premature close. Crossing the line fourteenth, the Italian thus earned two championship points.
STK1000 Qualifying: Having concluded the practice sessions in eighth place overall (1’50.539), Faccani was back on track for the all-important qualifying session. After only a few minutes, the Italian went straight to the top of the timesheets. He remained among the frontrunners for the entire session, closing in sixth place with a best time of 1’49.898, which means a second row start for tomorrow’s 14-lap race.
Jordi Torres:
“Unfortunately, I got sick during the night, I haven’t slept, have been vomiting and have a temperature. It’s a real pity as we could have done well today and I really wanted to race for our fans here in Italy. Thanks to the Clinica Mobile for all their help today, we’ll see how I feel tomorrow, fingers crossed.”
Raffaele De Rosa:
“I think the race went better than race one at Assen. After a few laps, I was able to get into a rhythm which wasn’t too bad. I know that I need to improve my riding though, as the Superbike is very different to the Stock. The fact that we lost most of yesterday’s session due to the crash didn’t help, as you really need to be ready for the race already on Friday. Tomorrow I would like to improve both the bike and my performance, my riding; I hope we can have a good second race.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Memorable Race 1 at Imola for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team: Davies is 1st, Melandri 3rd
After showing its competitiveness during Friday’s free-practice sessions, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team enjoyed a day to remember in front of its fans at Imola, home of the fifth round of the 2017 WorldSBK Championship. In Race 1, Chaz Davies once again proved to be the man to beat on the Italian track, winning (with a new circuit record) the third consecutive race at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit after scoring a double in 2016.
The Welshman, who secured pole position in the morning while showing an unmatched pace, never looked back after the start and finished with a seven-second advantage over his rivals when, with six laps to go, the race was red-flagged and eventually declared to be over with the results based on the positions from the previous lap.
Melandri, fifth on the grid, got off a blistering start to position himself right behind his teammate. The Italian eventually joined a battle against Rea and Sykes, closing in third position and thus seizing his first WorldSBK podium at Imola .
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will resume action tomorrow at 09:30 (CET) for WUP. Race 2 is scheduled to start at 13:00. Due to the new grid regulations for Race 2, Davies and Melandri will start in 9th and 7th position respectively.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 1st
“It’s been a perfect weekend so far. I think this track really suits me and the Panigale R. We’ve made good steps forward under acceleration this year, and it was a big help here with the tight chicanes. Also, this layout helps me to take advantage of the strong points of my riding style. I kept controlling the gap from Rea, looking after the tyres, and the bike felt really consistent. It was a lonely race, but not an easy one. Tomorrow’s going to be different, starting from the back. We need to keep it clean and be patient. We can still improve something on the electronics side, but clearly we won’t make any big changes. Thanks to all the ducatisti for their amazing support today!”
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – 3rd
“To step on the podium in front of the home crowd is amazing, but it wasn’t easy out there today. From this morning, we had some issues. I still didn’t feel at 100 percent under braking, and under acceleration I had to shut the throttle often while upshifting, without being able to fully take advantage of our power. Nonetheless, Chaz was really fast, especially in the third sector, and while trying not to lose contact with him I made some mistakes. After a few laps, with less fuel in the tank and a lighter bike, we improved. I was ready to fight against Sykes and in general I expected to battle against the two Kawasakis, but we didn’t take advantage of our full potential and I want to do better tomorrow.”
Stefano Cecconi, Aruba S.p.A CEO and Team Principal:
“The home race always represents a further incentive to do well, and it was important for us to put on a show in front of our fans. I think we couldn’t have asked for more. Chaz showed once again his strength at Imola, taking pole position, circuit record and a dominant win. Marco showed his grit, making constant steps forward and securing his first WorldSBK podium on this track. We’re confident they can aim high tomorrow as well.”