Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Jerez, Spain
October 21, 2017
Race One Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), 19 laps, Total Race Time 32:15.347, Best Lap Time 1:40.991
2. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), -1.137 seconds, 1:41.119
3. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -1.599, 1:41.174
4. Alex LOWES, UK (Yamaha YZF-R1), -3.652, 1:41.399
5. Michael VAN DER MARK, Netherlands (Yamaha YZF-R1), -7.329, 1:41.622
6. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -11.066, 1:41.821
7. Lorenzo SAVADORI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -15.235, 1:41.964
8. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -16.241, 1:41.683
9. Xavi FORÉS, Spain (Ducati Panigale R), -16.273, 1:41.907
10. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -18.463, 1:42.060
11. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -21.058, 1:42.167
12. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta F4 RC), -24.869, ran off track, 1:42.110
13. Jordi TORRES, Spain (BMW S1000RR), -25.008, 1:42.298
14. Alessandro ANDREOZZI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R1), -34.028, 1:42.187
15. Ondrej JEZEK, Czech Republic (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -34.201, 1:42.895
16. Takumi TAKAHASHI, Japan (Honda CBR1000RR SP2), -76.011, crash, 1:43.680
17. Riccardo RUSSO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -2 laps, ran off track, pitted, 1:42.887
18. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Honda CBR1000RR SP2), -3 laps, DNF, retired, 1:42.967
19. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -4 laps, DNF, mechanical, 1:40.938 (New Race Lap Record)
20. Dominic SCHMITTER, Switzerland (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -8 laps, DNF, retired, 1:43.499
21. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -19 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded
22. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -19 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded
World Championship Point Standings (after 23 of 26 races):
1. Rea, 481 points
2. Sykes, 352
3. Davies, 347
4. Melandri, 281
5. Lowes, 213
6. Van Der Mark, 200
7. Fores, 176
8. Camier, 150
9. Torres, 143
10. Laverty, 135
11. Savadori, 113
12. Mercado, 108
13. Ramos, 101
14. Stefan Bradl, 67
15. Randy Krummenacher, 50
16. De Rosa, 45
17. Nicky Hayden (RIP), 40
18. Alex De Angelis, 32
19. Markus Reiterberger, 29
20. Badovini, 26
21. Leon Haslam, 20
22. Jezek, 18
23. TIE, Giugliano/Anthony West/Russo, 13
26. Guintoli, 10
27. Andreozzi, 9
28. TIE, Jake Dixon/Takahashi, 7
30. Jake Gagne, 6
31. TIE, Josh Brookes/Julian Simon, 4
More, from a press release issued by Althea BMW Racing:
Unlucky race 1 for Althea BMW at Jerez
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), Saturday 21 October 2017
Competing in the penultimate World Superbike round at Jerez in Spain this weekend, Althea BMW Racing rider Jordi Torres concluded race one in thirteenth position while his team-mate Raffaele De Rosa unfortunately failed to finish due to a crash.
Superpole 1: after early morning fog saw the final free practice reduced to just 15 minutes in length, both Torres and De Rosa were back on track for SP1. Lapping first with the race tyres, Jordi was lying fifth followed by De Rosa, sixth, towards mid-session. Back on track with the qualifying tyre, both were able to improve on their times, completing two fast laps each. De Rosa ended the session in fourth place (1’40.916), Torres fifth (1’40.992), both therefore securing places on row five of the grid for race 1.
SBK – Race 1: Starting from row five, De Rosa and Torres were lying 13th and 14th but a crash for Raffaele, and also Badovini, at turn 6 on the opening lap, saw the race brought to a stop with a red flag.
The race was restarted a few minutes later but unfortunately De Rosa was unable to compete due to the damage caused to his bike in the crash. Torres was therefore the only Althea BMW rider on track for race one. After a quick restart, the Spaniard was in thirteenth place through the first laps. Battling with Laverty during the early stages, and then with a brake lever issue, Torres maintained his position – thirteenth – for almost the entire duration of the race, crossing the finish line in that same position.
Jordi Torres:
“We were unable to put together a good lap in Superpole and my grid position conditioned me in the race. Unfortunately, Raffaele and I came into contact on the very first lap and I’m really sorry that he crashed and was unable to restart. When the race resumed, I got away well and thought I had a little extra compared to those immediately in front of me but then from about lap four, I started to have gear lever problems. The situation got gradually worse and harder to manage but I did all I could to stay upright and finish the race. I hope for a different kind of race tomorrow…”
Raffaele De Rosa:
“We tried to improve on our performance in Superpole but I’d hoped for more to be honest. We had good pace in morning practice though and so this boded well for the race… I got away well in the race, immediately making up one position but unfortunately as I was exiting turn six, I came into contact with Jordi, and fell as a result. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, just one of those things… I’m unhurt anyway and so we’ll do our best to run a good race tomorrow…”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Takes Jerez Win With Sykes Third
New 2017 FIM Superbike World Champion Jonathan Rea (KRT) secured a cherished first-ever win at Jerez after race long pressure inside the podium positions paid off at the end. Tom Sykes (KRT) was also in the podium fight throughout, from his fourth place on the grid, taking third place. This was Sykes’ 100th podium finish in WorldSBK.
An incident that saw two riders crash out on the first lap of the original 13.00 race start brought out the red flags and the race was restarted at 13.21, over a shortened distance of 19 laps.
Having finished second in Superpole Rea was in contention for the race win from the start, taking the lead for six laps before Marco Melandri came past.
Getting involved in a fight with Chaz Davies for a time in the mid-section of the race, Rea eventually got free and started to pursue Melandri again. Rea was gradually catching ground to the lead as the race unfolded, with both Rea and Melandri setting lap records on the new Jerez track surface.
After Melandri’s bike experienced a technical issue Rea re-took the lead and won by just over a second from Davies, his first ever WorldSBK win at the 4.423km Jerez circuit.
After an early issue while changing gears Sykes had been part of a train of four leading riders, which became six after he had clipped some trackside gravel on lap five, dropping back from immediate contention with the leading group before recomposing himself and pushing on again.
Racing at high pace just behind Chaz Davies – his rival for overall second in the championship – Sykes tried all he could to get back ahead before the chequered flag. He finished just under half a second behind, in an eventual third place after Melandri’s exit.
Sunday’s race, again scheduled for 13.00, will now see Rea and Sykes start from the third row of the grid, as they finished on the race one podium.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “So, so nice to tick that box for a Jerez race win. I really wanted it, even before the problem for Marco. I was riding way over my limit to try to chase Marco down. The gap was slowly coming, some laps not changing, but tenth by tenth I was getting excited. In the end he had a problem and I am really sorry for him because he did not deserve that. We both deserved to be able to fight to the end. I was trying to manage the race a little bit in the beginning because I did not get a long run in yesterday, after my big crash, so I was not sure how the tyre choice we made was going to play out. Arguably, I gave up too many positions when Marco came past but in the end we go it done. I went all in to that race. With the position we now have in the championship I went in over my head – but it was fun to ride like this.”
Tom Sykes, stated: “We had a good race set-up at the end of FP2 on Friday and FP3 today, on used tyres, so I was relatively happy in the hot conditions. The pace stayed very consistent and it was quite nice at the end. Unfortunately at the beginning of the race there was a little bit of stop-start so I could not set my usual rhythm and I lost some time. In the first three laps I had a small issue with gear selection, and then missed a gear coming onto the straight. I lost some track positions but regrouped and then the pace was acceptable. Chaz found some speed from free practice but apart from that, the top four or five were very similar in pace. We were just not able to bridge that gap to the guys in front.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Ups and downs for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team in Race 1 at Jerez: Davies is 2nd, Melandri forced to retire while 1st
Race 1 of the 12th round of the WorldSBK Championship, held at Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), was marked by ups and downs for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team. Chaz Davies, who started in 8th position after missing valuable track time on Friday, showed his tenacity with a strong comeback during the race. The Welshman had a strong re-start – with race distance reduced to 19 laps – after the race was red-flagged, finishing second at the end of a long battle with Sykes and thus recovering valuable points in the fight for second position in the championship.
Marco Melandri, on the other hand, was forced to retire while he was leading the race with four laps to go due to a technical problem. The Italian, who took his first pole position with Ducati during Superpole re-writing the best lap with a blistering 1:38.960, also posted the circuit record during the race with a 1:40.938 to take a one-second advantage over Rea before retiring.
Due to the reverse grid for Race 2, Davies and Melandri will start from 8th and 10th position on the grid tomorrow. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will resume action at 09:30 (CET) Sunday for warm-up ahead of Race 2 (scheduled to start at 13:00).
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 2nd
“I’m really happy because I feel that today we rode a really strong race after missing most of FP2 yesterday. It was tough because we had one hour less of track time and, with a new surface, there was a lot to take in. I felt that we were learning as the race was unfolding. It took me a few laps to adapt, so overall I’m happy to have been able to recover a few points on Sykes after a long game of cat and mouse with him. All things considered, I think we couldn’t have asked more. I’m sorry for Marco, he was really unlucky today.”
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – DNF
“Today we probably rode our best race of the year, I felt as strong as ever. With a less bumpy track, we didn’t struggle with stability under acceleration and thus we were able to use a setup tailored towards corner speed. I was able to push to the limit without going past it. I can’t say whether we would have won or not, because it wasn’t over, but for sure we were ready to have a go at it until the very end. It’s a shame we lost such a great chance, but tomorrow we’ll give our best to take back what we’ve lost today.”
Ernesto Marinelli, Superbike Project Director
“Chaz’s second place is a positive result after a difficult start to his weekend, as he managed to mount a strong comeback during the race, also cutting the gap in the fight for second position in the championship. On the other hand, we’re sorry we missed such a great chance with Marco. With a lot of hard work, we finally managed to find a setup that allows him to fully express his potential but a technical problem prevented him from doing that today. He rode a flawless race. Both showed great competitiveness on this track so we remain confident ahead of Race 2.”
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:
Camier closed 12th in Race1 at Jerez, after leading the Tissot-Superpole1
The foggy weather condition on the Jerez circuit, Spain, forced the race direction to delay and shorten the WorldSBK and WorldSSP morning sessions. At the end of the day, Leon Camier finished with the 12th place in WorldSBK Race 1, while PJ Jacobsen missed out the top3 in WorldSSP qualifying, ending up with the 4th position on starting grid.
WorldSBK – FP3, SP1, SP2
After having solved the problems that plagued the bike on the opening day, Leon Camier – who finished the FP3 in P7 – took the lead of the Tissot-Superpole1 session, entering directly into the second and final qualifying heat, where he managed to score the 9th position in the timesheet, just 1s far from the leader.
WorldSBK Race 1 was interrupted by red flag due to a crash after a few seconds from the start; when the race re-started Camier was able to fights in the scoring point area but he couldn’t find the fast race pace of the last races, ending up in 12th final position.
WorldSSP – FP3, SP1, SP2
In the WorldSSP class PJ Jacobsen achieved the best day result for Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse, with the 4th place (1’43,660) on starting grid got after the Tissot-Superpole2 session. Alessandro Zaccone qualified with the 13th final position, after missing the entrance to the Tissot-Superpole2 for just one position.
Leon Camier #2 WorldSBK – It was a difficult race to be honest, we made some big steps in practice and qualifying and the bike felt really good. In hot condition it seems to change something massively because I was really struggling in stop the bike and it was a really strange feeling. We need to understand exactly what the problem was and made some changes for tomorrow.
Patrick “PJ” Jacobsen # 99 WorldSSP – I’m quite happy with this qualifying day here in Jerez. The bike was definitely doing better and, although there is still work to be done before winning a race, I feel we are keep moving on the right direction.
Alessandro Zaccone # 61 ESS – Unfortunately I didn’t get to the Superpole2, I would have fight for a front rows grid position. Unfortunately, we still have some things to fix on the bike before being fully competitive but I know that my team is giving its best and I really hope to end the season with a nice race tomorrow.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Rea secures first ever Jerez win
Race 1 at Jerez was won by the World Champion after a late technical issue for provisional leader Melandri, with Davies and Sykes also on the podium
Saturday’s racing at the Pirelli Spanish Round saw Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) register his first victory as the recently crowned 2017 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Champion, taking advantage of a late technical issue for provisional race leader Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). With his first ever win at Jerez, Rea was joined on the podium at the end of a restarted Race 1 at Round 12 by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team).
On his way to equaling Carl Fogarty’s career podium record of 109 rostrum results in WorldSBK Rea took over at the front after Melandri pulled off with a problem with four laps to go.
Rea had taken control of the restarted race in the early stages and led for several laps before Melandri made a move with 13 laps to go at turn 9 up the inside of the Northern Irishman. Davies then followed Melandri through to overtake Rea, but Rea soon responded to retake the Welshman and slot back in behind the Italian.
As Melandri chased his second race win in 2017, since his return to WorldSBK at the start of the year, cruel luck saw him pull off towards the end of the race, leaving Rea to take the glory. Sykes produced a solid ride in third place as he continues to recover from wrist and finger injuries sustained in Portugal in September, with Davies crossing the line just under 0.5s ahead of him in second.
It was another strong performance from Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) as he collected more good points on the Yamaha YZF R1, crossing the line fourth, 3.677s ahead of his teammate Michael van der Mark who was fifth.
2014 World Champion Sylvain Guintoli’s return to action on the Kawasaki ZX-10RR saw him finish a creditable sixth, in the first of four races he will ride for the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing at the final two rounds of the season.
The top ten was rounded out by Milwaukee Aprilia duo Lorenzo Savadori and
Eugene Laverty and Spanish pair Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) and Roman Ramos (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) – in seventh to tenth places respectively.
Turn 13 proved to be unlucky for Takumi Takahashi (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) as he lost the front end of his Honda CBR1000RR, though he picked it up to finish 16th. Takahashi’s Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team colleague Davide Giugliano was an unfortunate late retiree.
In the initial race start a turn 6 crash on the first lap involving Ayrton Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) and Raffaele de Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) brought out the red flags. After a short break the race was recommenced with a quick restart procedure with the riders keeping their focus in the clear conditions in Andalusia on the resurfaced Jerez track, though neither Badovini nor De Rosa made it back onto the grid.
Race 2 for the WorldSBK riders at the Pirelli Spanish Round takes place at 1pm on Sunday.
P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)
“So, so nice to tick that box for a Jerez race win. I was trying to manage the race a little bit in the beginning because I did not get a long run in yesterday, after my big crash, so I was not sure how the tyre choice we made was going to play out. I went all in to that race. With the position we now have in the championship I went in over my head – but it was fun to ride like this.”
P2 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It was cat and mouse between me and Tom, I could see them behind and I knew he was catching me and I tried to pull away a little bit. After missing FP2 I felt it was a really good ride, it was hard because we missed an hour of track time and I felt like I was learning as I was going. It was a a tough race and I’m really happy with the result.”
P3 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team)
“The pace stayed very consistent and it was quite nice at the end. Unfortunately at the beginning of the race there was a little bit of stop-start so I could not set my usual rhythm and I lost some time. In the first three laps I had a small issue with gear selection, and then missed a gear coming onto the straight. I lost some track positions but regrouped and then the pace was acceptable. We were just not able to bridge that gap to the guys in front.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Pata Yamaha Battle Hard for the Podium in Jerez Race 1
Race
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team highlighted their recent progress, following on from their double rostrum in Magny-Cours, as both riders were once again in the podium mix during a restarted Race 1 on Saturday at Jerez, the penultimate round of the FIM 2017 Superbike World Championship. Alex Lowes started from the front row and rode to a superb fourth place after battling with the championship front-runners for the duration of the race. His teammate Michael van der Mark crossed the line just behind Lowes in fifth after another determined ride to further cement the Pata Yamaha Team as genuine podium contenders.
After ending Friday’s practice in fourth, Lowes recorded his best qualifying result of the season on Saturday as he started from the front row in third. In the original race, he had a good start and was battling with his teammate for third when the Red Flag appeared on the first lap. In the restarted race, the 27-year-old British rider once again battled with van der Mark during the first few corners, before taking his teammate on lap 3 for fifth and becoming involved in an excellent six-way fight for the lead. Keeping pace with the championship leaders, Lowes rode brilliantly and after Marco Melandri retired from the lead he was promoted to fourth. Some minor issues with his Pata Yamaha R1 that meant he didn’t quite have the same confidence to catch Sykes and Davies for the runner-up position and Lowes crossed the line in fourth, just 3.652s behind the race winner Jonathan Rea after a very solid ride. This result sees Lowes remain fifth in the championship standings with 213 points and the 2013 British Superbike Champion will line up on pole position for Sunday’s Race 2.
Van der Mark was third overall on the combined timesheets after Friday’s practice and went on to qualify in fifth on Saturday. When the lights went out during the original race he got a great start, moving up to third and was battling at the front before the red flag came out. In the restarted race, he again got a good start and immediately was involved in a battle with his teammate Lowes for third. Unfortunately, he did not quite have the same front-end feeling with his Pata Yamaha R1 as he enjoyed in practice and found himself running wide at a number of corners. Undeterred, he fought hard to stay with the leading group of six once he was passed by his teammate. Managing to match their pace, he fought valiantly as he and Lowes chased down the leaders but in the last few laps maturely decided to bring his Pata Yamaha R1 home in an excellent fifth place. This result means the 2014 Supersport World Champion is now sixth in the championship standings with 200 points, 13 behind his teammate. Van der Mark will line up just behind his Lowes in the middle of the front row to make it a Yamaha 1-2 for Sunday’s Race 2 in Jerez.
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team return to action on Sunday at the Circuito De Jerez confident they can build on their encouraging Race 1 results, with Warm Up scheduled for 9:30 am local time and Race 2 scheduled to start at 13:00 pm. Check out the full race results.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 4th +3.652s
“I had a difficult start after the red flag when Michael passed me on the inside of Turn 6, we both ran wide and lost a bit of time to the lead group. Then I was struggling to get past him, but when I managed to overtake, my pace was pretty good but then I found it difficult to get into a rhythm to actually catch the leaders. From half race distance, I picked up an unusual vibration and it meant that I did not have the confidence I had in the race simulation I ran on Friday. I am certain we can improve for tomorrow and it shows how far we have come to be disappointed with fourth position and so close to the podium! I am looking forward to Race 2 as I feel I can do a better job, especially starting from pole, but I enjoyed it today and I am happy with a solid race!”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 5th +7.329s
“I had a good start in the original race until I ran wide after Tom Sykes made contact with me at Turn 2, but then we had the red flag. I then had another good start but found the first few corners were a bit difficult as I tried to work my way to the front. To be honest, I struggled with the front-end feeling, I kept losing the front grip, so I struggled a lot to stay with Alex and the other guys. It was a really difficult and long race because I didn’t feel as good as I did during practice, so we have to find a solution for this. Anyway, we scored some good points and tomorrow we start from the front row. Hopefully, I can get another good start and a better feeling with the front.”
Paul Denning
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team Principal
“It was a really exciting race for the top six positions today, especially in the first half, and it was great to see Pata Yamaha, Alex, and Michael as a part of it. Alex didn’t get the best of starts from the front row and when the tops guys in the championship are all at the front that doesn’t help, but he and Michael both dug in and did everything they could to fight for the podium. We didn’t quite have enough today but racing so closely with the championship contenders gives both our guys a much clearer picture of where we need to improve and where the priorities are to take the next steps with the R1. It was a very solid and focused performance by both, they start first and second on the grid tomorrow and with a few overnight improvements let’s see if we can turn that into a podium challenge!”